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FLEMING RESPONDS
Gay conference would
h funds
Friddy, June 12, 1970
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Friday, June 12, 1970 THE MICHIGAN DAILY
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FRIDAY, JUNE 12, 1970
News Phone: 764-0552
Who's worried about '72,
Wallace is a problem now
WHILE MANY of the nation's commentators were busy
analyzing the effect of George Wallace's victory in
Alabama on President Nixon's southern strategy, they
overlooked perhaps the most important aspect of that
election - the effect of the election on Alabama's black
population.
It was Wallace who stood in the doorstep of the Uni-
versity of Alabama in 1963 and refused to admit a black
student.
It was Wallace who made the phrase "law and order"
popular and turned it into an effective political weapon.
It was Wallace who said that he would run a demon-
strator over with his car if he had the chance.
And it was Wallace, who said in his recent campaign,
"if the bloc vote controls the June 2 election, it will con-
trol the politics of Alabama for the next 50 years." If one
excuses Wallace's southern drawl, "bloc vote" might be
mistaken for black vote.
WALLACE'S REPUTATION varies around the country.
But, whatever his reputation may be, he has clearly
shown by his words and by his actions that he has no in-
tention of helping blacks.
Wallace will be the governor next November. The Re-
publicans didn't even nominate a candidate for governor.
The tragedy of the situation is that Wallace will have
a carte blanche to handle state affairs in Alabama. The
Legislature virtually idolizes him and it is doubtful that
it will not pass any legislation that Wallace requests.
The black population of Alabama has had Wallace
and his wife before. The trend will continue until action
of some sort is taken to upset it. What that action is to be
remains up to the people who engineer it. So far "working
through the system" has failed in Alabama and what al-
ternatives remain should be investigated.
Too many people are worrying about the effect that
Wallace will have on the election in 1972. They seem to
forget the present state of affairs.
Wallace will be the governor of Alabama for the next
four years and for the moment, that is the big problem.
By now it can be assumed that the black population
in Alabama has had enough of Wallace type government.
In the past, Wallace was sometimes checked by the fed-
eral government. But with Nixon in the White House and
Wallace in the Statehouse again, no one knows what's
coming next.
-EDWARD ZIMMERMAN
(EDITOR'S NOTE: The following is a
copy of a letter sent by President Flem-
ing to Student Government Council
and Gay Liberation Front in response
to their request that he reconsider his
decision to refuse to allow gay libera-
tion to hold a Midwest conference on
homosexuality.)
T HAVE YOUR LETTER of June
8 with respect to the proposed
Gay Liberation Front conference
of Midwest homosexuals.
No one denies that homosexuals
are human beings with rights and
privileges in the society: There
are, however, some very practical
considerations which bear on the
GLF proposal for a midwest con-
ference of homosexuals at the
University. On balance I believe
the considerations against such a
conference outweigh those in fa-
vor of it. A number of the con-
siderations which I have in mind
are:
1. While a conference of homo-
sexuals is not illegal, and if you
will read my original letter care-
fully you will find that I never
said it was, there are strict Penal
Code penalties with respect to the
act of homosexuality. A sizeable
gathering of midwest homosexuals
will inevitably be associated in
the public mind with the act, and
one m u s t therefore accept the
fact that such a conference will be
accompanied by strong public dis-
approval.
2. At the present time State ap-
propriations account for 70 per
cent of the direct cost of educa-
tion for in-state students and 25
per cent of the cost of out-state
students. Unless one wishes to to-
tally alienate public support he
cannot ignore public reaction to
events at the University.
3. We are recently embarked
upon a major new p'ogram for in-
creased admission of disadvan-
taged students. That program
cannot succeed without substan-
tial public financial support. Un-
less we wish to jeopardize that
program we cannot needlessly
alienate the public.,
4. Because of violence and de-
struction on campuses, t h e r e is
now a great public hostility to-
ward campuses. Tuition costs are
steadily rising and this in turn
makes it more difficult for the
student of limited means to at-
tend universities. In authorizing
this conference, which is of ar-
guable benefit to a small number
of our students, we run the risk
of an adverse affect on m u c h
larger numbers.
You asked a limited question,
i.e., for approval of the use of uni-
versity facilities f o r a midwest
conference of homosexuals. No
one has said that the local group
cannot carry on an educational
program. There are adequate op-
portunities for a midwest confer-
ence elsewhere.
On balance, it does not seem
wise to me to jeopardize m u c h
needed public support for the
University by holding a confer-
ence of this kind.
Letters to the Editor
School policy ?
To the Editor:
A FRIEND OF mine and I were
discussing of all things our aca-
demic records kept in the vaults
of the Junior-Senior Counseling
Office. Just for the heck of it, I
went to the office and asked if I
could see them.
The lady at the desk was shock-
ed. She informed me that they
contained "personal" information,
and they never let 'students see
them. I replied, "Personal-about
me, right?" "Yes, but you still
can't see them." I am graduating
in August, and I asked if I could
see them after I graduate. Again
-"NO!" Now I'm interested-
they keep saying no, so I call Dean
Hayes' office. The secretary said
that it must be policy and that I
should talk to someone in Dean
Shaw's office.
I called there. Same routine.
"We never let students see their
records." When I finally got
around to asking why, I got the
real reason - "school policy."
Frankly, I think they should
have a better reason than that.
It makes meawonder what dark
secrets of falsehoods are kept
there.
-Bill Martin. '70
June 11
Letters to the Editor should
be mailed to the Editorial Di-
rector or delivered to Mary
Rafferty in the Student Pub-
lications business office in the
Michigan Daily building. Let-
ters should be typed, double-
spaced and normally should not
exceed 250 words. The Editorial
Directors reserve the right to
edit all letters submitted.
.. e
"There's one small rock for President Mar-
cos ... and one giant boulder for"Chiang
Kai-shek. ... There's one small rock ...,,
NIGHT EDITOR: MARTIN HIRSCHMAN
He 1rminds
By ERIC SIEGEL protesting
BRIAN J. McDONNELL, 27, talks very the govern
slow now, and it takes a great effort social pro
for him to move even a few steps. In a his work.
In a subs
short while, a day or two, perhaps, or
maybe a week, he will probably collapse. and the we
McDonnell, who is a social worker from from starvE
Philadlephia, has been fasting ever since as many p
Pres. Nixon announced that U.S. troops away from
would move into Cambodia. He says he tion's misg
will continue his fast until the troops Vietnamese
leave that country, or until he drops. vation beca
For four weeks now, he has taken noth- fields all to
ing but water. He was never what you'd It is iro
call robust; now, sitting across from the visibly dis
White House in Lafayette Park, main- from touri
taining his symbolic protest against U.S. who sit in
involvement in Cambodia and all of faster's lox
Southeast Asia, he resembles a living speech an
skeleton. signs the
A couple of weeks ago, he and the small They starte
group of followers who sit with him but but the po
do not fast with him walked to the Cap- law, so th
itol. They attracted the interest of some around the
tourists and a couple of Congressmen Therein.
expressed concern for McDonnell's health. of what Br
Then the small group treked back to La- do. His act
fayette Park to continue their vigil. ties, to the
official resj
McDONNELL SAYS HE is protesting a his friends
lot of things with his fast. He says he is signs on st
us that symbolism is
futile
We'd like you to help elect Governor Milliken. Why should you
help the Governor? It's a good question and we'll answer it in
several ways.
For one thing, Governor Milliken listens to students, whether
they're protesting in a Moratorium Day rally, or marching on the
state capitol. More tangibly, the Governor has demonstrated his
faith in young people by appointing one of the youngest staffs of
any governor's office in the country. By naming young people to
governing boards of colleges and universities and other state
boards. And by advocating the 18-year-old vote. On the philo-
sophical side, too, Governor Milliken is more than in tune with
the times. In a recent speech at the Conference of Student Leader-
ship, he had this to say: "I believe that we must begin now'to live
not for things alone, but for each other. We must produce less and
enjoy more. We must abandon quantity in favor of quality. We
must live for values that exist outside the realm of material things."
This is the kind of man who should be governor of our state.
A free thinker. A progressive thinker. A man who can let the
sunshine in. We need him. And we need your help to elect him.
Don't wait until fall to get involved. Send in this coupon and
dedicate this summer to your future.
r---------------------------------------------------------
I I
I Yes, I would like to work for Governor Milliken this summer. I
I I
I NAME
I 1
I ADDRESSw__.____ _
ZIP _.
I I
1 PHONE .-CHOOl
1 I
1 Mail to Michigan for Milliken Committee, 1507 Industrial I
1 Bldg., Detroit, Mich. 48225, or phone 964-6870 in Detroit. j
L----------------------------_......__._.-----------------:
the killing, and the failure of
ment to deal with the pressing
blems he knows so well from
tle kind of way, he is also rep-
he relationship between hunger
ar. McDonnell is wasting away
ation because of the war, much
people in America are wasting
starvation because of this na-
guided priorities, much as the
e are wasting away from star-
ause this nation is bombing its
o hell.
nic that the only thing that
tinguishes McDonnell's group
ists and government workers
the park-apart from the
ng, hollow face and his slow
d feelble movements-is the
group wears around its neck.
ed out carrying signs on sticks,
lice said that was against the
ey took to stringing the signs.
ir necks.
lies a large part of the tragedy
rian J. McDonnell is trying to
tion is directed to the author-
people in power; yet, the only
ponse has been to tell him and
that they must not carry their
icks.
, Indeed, McDonnell sits across from the
White House every day to dramatize that
the man at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
could stop the killing if he.wanted to. But
Nixon probably doesn't even look out his
front window; he has his yes-men come
to his office, or he speaks at a revival
meeting in Tennessee, but he never looks,
or maybe he looks but doesn't care, at
what the people who want peace are
doing.
A short time ago, while McDonnell was
fasting in Washington, a slow procession
was moving 200 miles through Georgia
to prdtest murder by gunfire and star-
vation in the South. The official reaction
to that symbolic action was to line shot-
gun-toting State Police along the march
route.
ALL THIS ONLY serves to point up
the futility of symbolism in America to-
day. A symbolic act, such as a fast or a
march, assumes some kind of sensitivity
on the part of the people it is directed
against. That sensitivity may have existed
at one time; it exists no longer. The peo-
ple who need to be made aware of what
the symbolism is all about-the Nixons
and Mitchells and Lairds and maybe even
the Great Silent Majority-are either too
insensitive, or too far removed, to under-
stand it.
Brian McDonnell's fast, and other ac-
tions, are wonderful gestures-but today
they will never be more than that. The
people in power today understand power,
not symbols. That is why they measure
their success by the number of weapons
they capture, and hold dinners to reassure
businessmen that even though more peo-
ple are getting killed than ever before,
this is America and it'll all be all right.
But perhaps one or two Brian McDon-
nell's are good for us. Perhaps we need
to be constantly reminded of the futility
of symbolism in America.
Perhaps. But the rest of us should not
be deluded into thinking that quiet and
peaceful fasts are the way to achieve
anything in America today. One cannot
help but admire this man for what he is
trying to do, for his courage and strength
and fortitude in pursuit of an ideal this
country seems to be moving further away
from every year.
Still, one cannot help but think that
perhaps his time and energy would be
better spent lobbying in the halls of Con-
gress, or sitting in and blocking traffic
on the access road to the Pentagon.
And in a short while, the doctors say,
Brian J. McDonnell will collapse.
MichiganorMillien
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