The Michigan Daily-Thursday, April 17, 1980-Page 5

Business
Day panel
claims. 'U'
abused by
in dus try

By BONNIE JURAN
The political economy of the University was the theme of a
panel discussion held in the Anderson Room of the Union last
night kicking off today's series of events sponsored by the Ann
Arbor Big Business Day Coalition.
The local group is part of a nation-wide coalition which has
chosen April 17 as the day to bring attention to what they claim
are the abuses of American corporations.
DAVID NOBLE, an author and professor of the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, detailed the history of
higher education's ties to industry and government at last
night's discussion.
During the 1920's, according to Noble, industrial firms such
as the General Electric and Dow Chemical corporations
contracted university faculty to engage in industrial research.
They were particularly interested in engineering students, he
said, whom they could train according to their "specifications."
In addition, he said, the board of trustees of many
universities were "dominated by industrialists."
IN THE 1940'S, Noble continued, university ties with industry
waned but, stimulated by World War II, links with government
increased, particularly those with the Department of Defense.
The 1980's have witnesses "a renewal of the industrial

connection," according to Noble. University motivations for the
re-establishment of these ties have been the need for new
sources of support as they are faced with increasingly tight
budgets.
Industries have sought a renewal of university connections,
he explained, because they are "seeking scientific legitimacy
and credibility. They have learned that academic respectability
offers both."
NOBLE CITED Dow Chemical's recent "donation" of $23
million to Harvard University as a prime example of American
industry's interest in controlling university training and
research.
"What they're getting," he claimed, "is Harvard
University."
This constitutes a "serious attack on academic freedom,"
Noble said. The implications of this industry-university
connection are secrecy in university dealings will increase and
industry deregulation campaigns will continue, according to the
professor.
JOHN POWELL, University assistant director of
Community Services, said he believes the University's primary
function is to teach students how to interact in an "active,
unified group," with a responsibility to onself and to each other.
If it fails to do this, he said, the University will produce

"educated masses of ignorant social elites." Powell added he
believes this is what is happening currently at the University.
The University provides students with an education in how to
compete en masse with each other, Powell said. What it fails to
do, he explained, is provide them with any type of education in
humanitarianism.
The primary objective of the University in the coming years
will be, according to Powell, "to become a white, elitist in-
stitution." The University will not be providing for the "honest
retention" of blacks and other minorities, he said.
Eula Booker, Michigan State University Program Specialist
for the Union and Minority Women Leadership and Training
Program, said the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's and early
70s aimed to achieve social justice and equality. Out of this, ac-
cording to Booker, many programs were established at the
University such as Women's Studies and Afro-American
Studies. Minorities were given part of the "American Dream,"
Booker said.
THE ECONOMIC crunch of the 1970's brought about the birth
of "ultra-conservatism," according to Booker. The progranis
that were born during the 1960s are "starting to get the ax," she
said, citing the proposed cuts in both Women's Studies and Afro-
American studies programs.


Creativity rewarded |,ICHEENOS

at Hopwood
(Continued from Page )
pen to graduate students and seniors,
and a minor awards category, open to
undergraduates, including seniors.
In both contests, awards are offered
in four fields-drama, fiction, poetry,
and essay.
English Prof. John Aldridge, chair-
nan of the Hopwood Committee,
presented the awards yesterday after-
noon. The ceremony included critic and
novelist Al Alvarez who spoke on "The
*.yth of the Artist."
Alvarez said that writers need "rich
internal experiences" to be successful
In their work.
"It is utterly untrue to believe that
extremist art, or any art, has to be
ustified by an extremist life," Alvarez
said. "There is no shortcut to creative
ability, not even through the
psychiatric wards of the most
progressive hospitals."
Great tragic poems are not
ecessarily precipitated by great
tragedy, and writers need to observe
some kind of artistic control, Alvarez
said.
In addition to the Hopwoods, the win-
ers of a new contest in children's
iterature-the University of Michigan
Cildren's Book Council Award-also
were announced. Awards for this con-
est, held in conjunction with the Hop-
woods, were presented to Residential
ollege sophomore Mary Hardman,
SA senior Julie Rovner and LSA
junior Carol Koletsky.
Other award winners were: Heather
tamp, Tina Datsko, Kristoffer Jacob-
son, Peter McCarus, Russell Meredith,
Diane Monach, Anna Nissen, Joseph

t ceremony
Pickett, Leah Watkins, Eric Zorn,
Mary Zwiep, and John Savoie.
Also, Arte Pierce, John Martell, An-
thony McReynolds, Tom Robinson,
Patrick Queen, Michael Mueller,
Kathryn Gordon, Andrew Kurtzman,
Tatiana Retivov, Melanie Thon, Neil
Gordon, Allan Pearlman, Albert Sjoer-
dsma, John Donovan, Angela Harris,
and Tom Kimble received honors.

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