The Michigan Daily-Thursday, August 3, 1978-Page 7
S. Africa trip. confirms Fleming's views

(Continued from Page One)
Trioll.
WHEN FLEMING accepted the in-
vitation to make the approximately
8,400 mile trip last March - the same
month the Regents decided to reject
divestiture of some $80.5 million in the
University's stocks and bonds invested
in American corporations working in
South Africa' - he "was the least
knowledgeable" of the college
presidents on the subject of South
Africa. Fleming had been "only
vaguely familiar with the whole
homeland concept" of designated trac-
ts of land for various tribes of blacks
and had not appreciated the different
problems faced by urban and tribal
black communities, he said.
Fleming and all three of the other
presidents contacted agreed that
neither USSALEP nor the South
African government restricted their
travel inside the country and that the
group was able to break with its
itinerary to meet students in the gover-
nment's segregated universities. The
presidents spoke with black, Asian, so-
called "colored" and white students,
the last group divided between the
more conservative Afrikaans speakers
and the more progressive English
users.
After conferring with government of-
ficials - including one cabinet member
- businessmen, students, newspaper

editors, residents of Soweto, three ex-
prisoners of South African jails and
others, only two groups hadn't been
adequately represented, according to
Fleming: "One is the radical young
black; the other is the hardline conser-
vative." The fact that leaders of young
black militants have been mostly jailed
or forced to flee the country, coupled
with the distrust they harbor for whites
with whom they have had no contact,
contributed to the inaccessibility of that
group, Fleming said.
AMONG THE most objectionable
aspects of the apartheid system,
Fleming found the detention system of
,he South African government the wor-
st violation of human rights. "You
(South African officials) don't have to
charge him (a political prisoner) and
you don't have to give the person a
chance to defend himself. You don't
have to impose a sentence. You don't
have to explain publicly in any sense
what the reason (for the arrest) is,"
Fleming said.
The 61-year-old educator added that
he was even more distressed by the at-
titude of acceptance of this injustice by
the white community. "So many
people, even students, often, when you
raise this question of how this was
tolerable to them, would say, 'Well, of
course there are security problems and
I guess we've just grown used to this."'
On the future of South Africa,

Fleming said, "The chances are that
there isn't going to be any immediate
major change over there, that the
government will continue making what
it regards as very significant con-
cessions but which most of the rest of
the world will think are minor, that the
tension will grow, that something cer-
tainly depends on what ultimately hap-
pens in Rhodesia and what happens in
southwest Africa."
FLEMING SAID not only are black
students alienated by the racist society,
but their white peers he spoke with who
face a compulsory military draft ex-
pressed fears about prospects for
violence.
"It's very reminiscent of our students
during the Vietnam days when you talk
to the white students who say, 'Why
should we go in the army and find our-
selves being used out against the black
population of this country? We have no
fight with them, no hostility towards
them."'
"And the rectors (equivalent to
Flening's position) of the universities
will tell you that young people are in-
creasingly anxious to leave the coun-
try," Fleming said.
FLEMING SAID HE found everyone
he spoke with friendly and didn't "feel
any tension on the streets."
He speculated that the sophistication
of the South African government's ar-

my makes any sort of armed revolution
unlikely.
Fleming said there is some chance
that a current move to allow
unionization by black employees would
be a success. He also said the gover-
nment there is attempting to "clarify"
its regulations, at least in part so that
foreign corporations can't blame
government policy for poor treatment
of their workers.
Dr. Robert Good, president of
Denison University in Granville, Ohio
and a former American Ambassador to
Zambia, said he observed on the trip
"change around the edges" with regard
to segregation at universities. Good
reported that although nonwhites "in-
sisted on the equality" of white and
nonwhite colleges, there is "other
evidence to indicate that it (nonwhite
higher education) is inferior."
BLACKS AT THE segregated univer-
sities "are extremely outraged that
they are assigned to a university"
because of race, Good said.
Dr. Adele Simmons of Hampshire
College in Amherst, Mass. and an
African history scholar said the English
speaking white universities "have
really gone to some length" to open
their doors to as many nonwhites as
possible through the use of "special
permits" for nonwhites who need to
study a curriculum not offered at a
nonwhite university.
Simmons also pointed out that the
disparity in educational advantages is
most prominent in primary and secon-
dary schooling, in which blacks, Asians
and "coloreds" receive a much lower
level of instruction.
Father Theodore Hesburgh of Notre
Dame is on, a world tour and R. Elias
Blake of Atlanta's black Clark College
said he was not prepared to comment
on the trip.

New comedies: Laughing matters?
(Continued from Pae5) they weren't nailed down. For all the dead by the world at large, and decides
time comes and returns to life in the film's whimsey, the sparks realy fly to sleuth undercover-and provides us
body of Leo Farnsworth, a stuffy, between Beatty and Christie, and their with not one vaguely humorous suppor-
millionaire business tycoon. An final scene is a memorable example of ting character. Dyan Cannon, looking
unassuming humanitarian at heart, Joe the power of eye-contact. Although even more like Farrah Fawcett-
inadvertantly wreaks havoc in Fran- Heaven Can Wait never strives to be Majors' clone than she did in Heaven
sworth's personal and financial affairs, more than good old-fashioned enter- Can Wait, is meticulously bland
inviting reporters into a confidential tainment, it achieves its goal to perfec- throughout. Evidently Elaine May's
board meeting and preaching a utopian tion, - dialogue did more for her than one
sermon of populist politics, galloping * * * might have suspected. Herbert Lom
about his mansion and drinking liver- Now we come to the most grim of the graduates from his psychiatric in-
and-whey shakes, and purchasing the items under consideration, the one film stitute, and gets to do his going bonkers
Rams for $67 million to play quarter- that puts my inoffensiveness of shtick all over again. (To be fair, his
back in the big game, comedic mediocrity law to the test. eulogy at Clouseau's "funeral" is the
THIS MAY SOUND like the stuff of Why can't Blake Edwards make The film's only claim to humor.)
Walt Disney, but the film is so wittily Demise of the Pink Panther and be It is time, I think, after 15 hard years,
executed that one becomes smoothly done with it? Milking a good idea too to retire Inspector Clouseau from the
swept up by its fairy-tale sensibility. much is a dangerous proposition, and it silver screen. The mass love his films
The funniest moments concern Far- is becoming seriously debatable just still seem to garner is nothing more
nsworth's hysterical, screaming wife how good an idea the wacky adventures than box office euthenasia.

Starts Tomorrow: "EYES OF LAURA MARS"
BURT
REYNOLDS
T n .

(Dyan Cannon) and his yes-man
secretary (Charles Grodin), the two of
whom carry on a disheveled affair ad-
midst repeatedly unsuccessful attem-
pts on Farnsworth's life. Grodin plays
his role to perfection, clenching his
teeth to keep from yelling at his cuckoo
girlfriend, and staring at his boss in
deranged disbelief when Joe suggest
they abandon all unethical business
practices.
Julie Christie, as the woman Joe
Falls in love with, isn't as striking a
presence as she's been in the past, but
her role is largely supportive, and the
film is Beatty's from the word go.
Exuding an innocent sexuality by tran-
sforming his stammering delivery into
appropriate vulnerability and charm,
Beatty not only shines as the romantic
lead, but turns in the funniest perfor-
mance of his career. Other notables in
the superbly well-rounded cast include
Buck Henry, quite amusing as a
chronically irate escort from Heaven,
and James Mason, whose gentle per-
formance as Mr. Jordan, the director of
extraterrestrial affairs, lends the film
the perfect touch of mystical outlines.
HEAVEN CAN WAIT is a charming
little moyie, but, it isn't life pne pf those
excessively blithe JFrpnp corpedies
that would float into the stratosphere if

of lovable Inspector Clouseau ever
comprised in the first place. Still, I
wouldn't be grinding any axes if The
Revenge of the Pink Panther was even
remotely funny. It's not. In fact, the two
Pink Panter cartoons that preceeded it
were manifestly wittier and more in-
ventive. I mean, just how many times
can we be expected to chuckle at some
poor bloke (or automobile) crashing
through a window, or at the dear In-
spector's impenatrable accent?
THE FILM UTILIZES a rather old
story gimmick-Clouseau is thought

LL

We never
have to cover
anything up
UM Stylists
at the UN IO N


I


presents af AUD A
TheA rorF l o $perive THURSDAY, AUGUST 3
THE SPY WHO LOVED ME
(Lewis Gilbert, 1977) T7 &9:15-AUD A
With an amphibious sportscar, lethal ski poles, some staggering double-
entendres, and usual coterie of incredible beauties (Barbara Bach, 'et al.), 007
(Roger Moore) matches wits with Curt Jurgens, who plops to destroy the super-
powers so he can create his own underwater civilization. Best of the Roger
Moore-Bond films with great action sequences and location shots, and plenty of
laughs. "Nobody does it better."
TOMORfROW: Cary Grant in Hitchcock' TD CATCH A THIEF

I