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CR CR'S
By P.E. BAUER tee is deciding not
E HISTORY of the Univer- to reappoint curre
Yflf HITOR ofthe Robert Hefner, but
sity's Center for Research on Rthe nerit
Conflict Resolution (CRCR) has the University she
bee puctutedbya series of funding the Center
been punctuated by asrs f This review has
academic fiascoes which have ghsrsiewJas
threatened it with elimination. gress since January
no prospect of a fir
A singular lack of communica- the near future. M
tion between the Center and the staff at CRCR is w
University administration has man Robert Hefne
characterized all of these crises, the Center itself has
and far from being improved
after 11 years of negotiation, it is
once again complicating an al-
ready intricate issue.
The CRCR, a University - sup-
ported center with a staff of less
than 15, concerns itself with that
area of study known as peace re-
search. In recent years, its ac-
complishments have included the
publication of the Journal for
Conflict Resolution, a nationally
acclaimed professional journal,
work with Tuskeegee Institute
toward improved race relations,
and 112 publications by staff at
the center, carried out under Prof. Rober
grants administered by it.
The literary college's Execu- volved in Univer
tive Committee, in a biennial Some of their more
review, is currently trying to include strong stan
reach some decision concerning the Black Actio
CRCR's future. As a matter of strike in 1970 and
protocol, the Executive Commit- PROBE's campaig
tee reviews the fate of all cen- the status of wome
ters upon the expiration of the versity. Because of
appointment of their respective of political involven
chairmen. In the case of the Cen- fears that political
ter for Research on Conflict on the part of the 1
Resolution, however, the commit- cause the Executi
life
only whether
ent chairman
also whether
ould continue
itself.
been in pro-
y and there is
al decision in
leanwhile, the
orried. Chair-
r as well as
s long been in-
)/
threatened again
to make a decision to close the
Center by removing all financial
support.
THE UNIVERSITY, as usual,
has no comment. The ISA Exec-
utive Committee has not confer-
red with the Executive Commit-
tee of the Center for Research (n
Conflict Resolution, so staff at
the Center has virtually no
knowledge of what is going on.
This has been typical of the
positions the University and the
CRCR have taken in :elat:on to
each other ever since the Cen-
ter was founded in 1959. Because
of the interdepartmental natu
of CRCR, it was viewed by many
in the University as an ine
loper, a misfit in a sysrem coni-
posed of sharply defined deport-
ments separated by neat boun-
daries.
As a result, a program which
involves a mixture of political
science, economics, psychology
and sociology was begun in the
offices of the Journalism depart-
ment, and moved into permanen
offices of its own only three
years ago.
Administrative moves t h e
Center has attempted to make
have been swallowed up by
communication problems.
When, in an effort to gain the
much-needed support of t h e
political science department, the
Center appointed as director a
prominent political scientist, he
obtained no recognition from
j
t Hefner
sity politics.
recent actions
nds supporting
n Movement
more recently
n concerning
en at the Uni-
bthis high level
ment, the staff
vindictiveness
University will
ve Committee
the poli sci department in which
he taught two classes. N o t
only was he not given an office,
but the classes which he taught
happened to be scheduled in
such a way as to make it im-
possible for him to attend poli
sci faculty meetings. It appear-
ed that the Center and the rest
of the University were not lis-
tening to each other.
After his departure, the CRCR
staff drew up plans for a three-
man board to head the Center,
which, they understood would
be acceptable to the Regents.
Some time later, the Regents
turned down the new arrange-
ment. After this, William Hab-
er, then dean of the literary
college, promised a definite an-
swer concerning the appoint-
ment of the board within a
week. More communication
problems caused the staff at
the Center to wait five months
without receiving any further
word from the Dean.
THE ISSUE NOW is on e
which is much more crucial to
the life of the center. As a
result of the Executive Com-
mittee's success in keeping all
of it's deliberations secret, the
staff at CRCR has been left
hanging for five months.
Because the Center has been
dependent upon University
funds for the past few years,
the decision of the Executive
Committee is one which will
determine whether or not the
Center is to remain open. CRCR
has been unable to get any re-
search grants during the cur-
rent year. With the possibility
of closing suspended over its
head, and, with no end to the
Executive Committee investi-
gations in sight, the Center is
faced with the possibility of
failing financially before a
final decision can even be for-
mally reached.
IN A UNIVERSITY this size,
communication gaps can be ex-
pected to appear. Gaps, how-
ever, of the size and consistency
of the one which has grown up
between the Center for Research
on Conflict Resolution and the
rest of the University, should
not have to be expected or en-
dured.
s
1
420 Maynard Street, Ann Arbor, Mich,
Edited and managed by students at the
University of Michigan
Editorials printed in The Michigan Daily express the individual
opinions of the author. This must be noted in all reprints.
Thursday, May 27, 1971 News Phone: 764-0552
NIGHT EDITOR: GERI SPRUNG
Stmmer Editorial Staff
STEVE KOPPMAN LARRY LEMPERT
Co-Editor Co-Editor
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NIGHT EDITORS: Rose Sue*Bersteln, Mark Dillen, Jonathan Miller, Robert
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