Thursdvy, July 31, 1975 THE MICHIGAN DAILY Page Three LSA FACING SEVERE CHALLENGE A long By BILL TURQUE Last of a three-part series By any standard, The Affirm- ative Action Progress Report for 1973-74 provides a discour- aging account of the Univer- sity's efforts to hire and pro- mote minorities, particularly within the instructional staff of the Literary College (LSA). Such a report, however, can only compile data, cite numeri- cal trends, and point to prob- lem areas. It cannot reach the crucial reasons behind the Uni- versity's sluggish start toward reaching affirmative action goals. VIRTUALLY every Univer- sity official and department chairman contacted about the report and its implications has emphasized the need to in- road for affirmative action crease the national pool of mi- nority Ph.Ds. Only this way will minorities be able to penetrate the "tenure track" ranks of as- sistant professor and above. Competition among major col- leges and Universities for exist- ing minority graduate students is fierce. Department heads complain that they cannot make offers to these students comparable to those extended by such schools as Harvard, Yale, and Stan- ford. "AS THERE is more and more pressure put on institu- tions to hire minorities," said Eva Mueller, associate dean for academic appointments, "these people are getting in- numerable offers. I think the whole problem is how you pre- vent affirmative action program from becoming a competition for a few outstanding black people." Ultimately, the effort rests almost exclusively on a depart- mental level. The affirmative action office cannot hire facul- ty, nor is it in a position to judge the relative scholastic merits of each job applicant. "Unless department chair- men start taking it (affirma- tive action) with the utmost seriousness, progress is going to be slow," said John D'Arms, chairman of the classical studies department. WHILE JUDGING the rela- tive merits of minority job op- plicants might not be within the province of the Affirmative Ac- tion office, there seems to be a real need for more and better communications between the office, the literary college (L- SA) bureaucracy, and the in- dividual departments. The information in the LSA profile is based almost exclu- sively on appointment activity records supplied by the individ- ual departments. The records, according to at least one assistant to Affirma- tive Action director Nellie Var- See DEPRESSED, Page 10 'Unless department chairmen start taking it (affirmative action) seriously, progress is going to be slow.' -John D'Arms Chairman, classical studies d e hart meat 'U,'clerical talks stalled, By ELAINE FLETCHER Negotiations between University officials and the clericals union yesterday failed to reach either a tentative contract agreement or an in- passe, contrary to earlier predictions by mem- bers of both bargaining teams. "The significant events did not occur as Neff (William Neff, head of the University bargain- ing team) and others expected. We are neither at an impasse nor anywhere else," stated Jean Jones, leader of the clericals (UAW local 2001) bargaining team. NEFF HAD stated Tuesday that, "By the end of tomorrow's session we'll have a clear idea of whether we're going to reach an agreement01 "Econoinics still remains as the issue holding tip a contract," explained Debbie Morehead, an- other member of the clericals' bargaining team, "We had very much hoped to resolve that issue ' today but we didn't." Morehead also said that "There are plans to meet at least once more in session the week of the 11th. If nothing satisfactory happens it pro- bably will be the last session." SIIOULD that occur, added Morehead," a membership meeting would then be called, "to decide where to go from there." The Union is expecting another proposal from the University at their next session, accordin to Morehead. "Depending on the proposal, on how close or how far apart we are at that time we will decide whether there is any hope for an additional meeting," she said. Although the Union still maintains a demand for an 8 per cent wage hike, Morehead said the Senator Ge figure "was dependent on several other eco- Central Int nomic issues." ference. TI Grad library doors hazardous to health AP Photo Castro's report orge McGovern (D-S.D.) holds up a report from Cuban Prime Minister Fidel Castro on attempts by the lelligence Agency to assassinate him. McGovern made the report public during a Washington news con- he people pictured on the page are captured conspirators, the report says. House voltes to kill Ford's compromise oil price bill By JEFF RISTINE Warning: The new Graduate Library front doors may be hazardous to your health, "It's the design of them," ex- plains Bob Starring, acting head of the library. "People are mis- judging the extension of the glass beyond the metal," THE 400-POUND glass doors have caused endless problems since they were installed earlier this year and, as Starring adds, "it needs attention at once," Last week a visitor to the li- brary was rushed to a hospital after he hit his forehead on a door. The gash required seven stitches. "It puzzles me how he could hurt himself so badly," Starring says. But he acknowledges that many persons entering and ex- iting through the doors are hav-. ing trouble making "spacial judgments" because a small section of glass extends beyond the strip of. metal running the length of the door. After last week's incident, the most serious so far, the library placed bright yellow tape on the glass and floor, because, as Supervisor Joanne Spaide points out, "people don't see the glass." She added that another problem - smashed toes - has also plagued the library since the grueling gateways were in- stalled. STILL ANOTHER persistent glitch affects practically every- one who uses the Grad Library, See GRAD, Page 10 WASHINGTON (P)-The House killed President Ford's compromise domestic oil decontrol plan last night, splitting Congress and the administra- tion even further apart in trying to resolve the energy impasse. The vote was 228 to 189. THE DISAPPROVAL vote came only hours af- ter the House tacked on to its own oil policy bill an amendment to set specific price lids on all U.S.-produced petroleum. Rep. John Anderson of Illinois, chairman of the House Republican Con- ference, told members in an emotional speech that Ford will veto that bill if it also passed by the Senate. The rejected Ford plan would have decontrolled prices for domestic "old" oil over a 39-month period with a ceiling of $11.50 per barrel. Old oil is now controlled at $5.25 per barrel. At the same time, prices for other domestic oil, now at about $13 per barrel would have been rolled back to $11.50. It would have been per- mitted to rise by 5 cents a month beginning Oct. 1. A SIMPLE majority vote against the Ford pro- gram in either the House or Senate kills it. It was the second time in two weeks that the House rejected a plan which the President pro- posed to solve the nation's energy problems. If no legislation is passed by Congress, all price controls on domestically produced oil will dis- appear Aug. 31. Gasoline prices then would be expected to increase several cents a gallon, ADMINISTRATION officials said that under the plan which the House rejected, gasoline prices at the pump would rise gradually to between S and 7 cents a gallon by the end of 1978. Federal Energy Administrator Frank Zarb had conferred with House and Senate energy leaders for several days in an attempt to hammer out a plan that would suit both the White House and Congress.