Ninety-Two Years
of
Editorial Freedom
P
Sir igau
l latig
DREARY
Rain likely today with a
high in the mid-40s.
Vol. XCII, No. 61 Copyright 1981, The Michigan Dail Ann Arbor, Michigan-Thursday, November 19, 1981 Ten Cents Twelve Pages
Fighting defense research-a dificult proposition
By BARRY WITT
Second of a three-part series T h e
Ten years ago, opponents of Pen-
tagon research on campus had a much
easier time. Over at the University's p n
Willow Run Laboratories in Ypsilanti,
researchers were developing "remote
sensing devices" that the Army used to
seek out battlefield enemies for
destruction. sity is no longer
There was something concrete to the institution. A
protest; in the height of the Vietnam themselves pr
war, there was little question that the nebulous evil-if
research was used to take human lives. The fact is, de
TODAY, "remote sensing" research pus today is of
continues at Willow Run (since nature; it's near
renamed the Environmental Research any direct rela
Institute in Michigan), but the Univer- basic research
Forum set
~ n law climec
review .
By ANN MARIE FAZIO
Proposals being considered by the administration of the
University -Law School to significantly restructure the
school's law clinic program-which allows law students to
earn academic credit for working with actual clients-
has sparked considerable opposition from some. law
students.
One of the proposals, being discussed .by a special
student-faculty committee established to review the
school's clinical law program, calls for the merger of two
of the three legal clinics offered to law students. Another
calls for the reduction of the amount of academic credit a
student could earn through the program.
THE COMMITTEE, the Clinical Review Committee,
will hold an open forum today at 2:30 p.m. in 220 Hutchins
Hall at which students will be given the opportunity to
comment on the proposal.
The committee, which is made up of five law school
faculty members and two law students, primarily is con-
cerned with the cost and efficiency of the clinical
program, according to Law School Student Senate mem-
ber Yolanda Torres.
If the proposal were approved, two of the clinics-
Clinical Law, a general legal service, and the Child Ad-
vocacy Clinic--either would be merged into one or would
be eliminated, according to Law Prof. Steven Pepe, the
director of the clinic program. A third alternative being
considered by the committee is the replacement of the
clinics with simulation training, in which actual clients
are not used.
THE CLINICAL Review Committee was formed in
August to reevaluate the performance of the clinical cour-
See FORUM, Page 5
:agon
ampuS
affiliated forrally with
And today's critics find
otesting a far more
f it is an evil at all.
fense research on cam-
the most fundamental
rly impossible to show
tionship between this
and the destruction of
human life.
But the applications of this research
concern many students and faculty
members.
To many, there is no doubt that an
engineering professor's work for the
defense department on explosions and
detonation will help the Army and Air
Force make better bombs.
THE CRITICS believe that basic
principles of scholarly work exclude
defense research as a proper activity
for the University.
"Universities ought to stand for
human achievement, not human
destruction," said Jon Feiger,
Michigan Student Assembly president
and a leader of the growing student
movement against defense work at the
University.
"The University ought to be morally
neutral. It should not create weapons
for destruction, but weapons for sur-
vival," Feiger added.
CENTRAL TO the debate is the issue
of whether supporting the Pentagon is
leading to the destruction of the world
or saving the United States from its
enemies.
While supporters of a strong national
defense argue that University research
that contributes to the development of
the defense department benefits
national security, defense research
critics say the arms build-up-and the
University's contribution to it-is
leading the country toward a nuclear
war.
"Are we more secure as we pour
more dollars into 'defense,' or military,
expenditures?" asked Medical School
Prof. David Bassett. "In my view, we
are not at all.
"NUCLEAR WAR is increasing in its
likelihood. That's a given," Bassett
said.
Bassett and other critics of Pentagon-
sponsored basic research question why
the federal government chooses the
defense department as its medium for
supporting research.
Noting that much of the work being
done for the Department of Defense is
of an "innocent" nature, the critics
question why other government agen-
cies, such as the National Science
Foundation or cabinet departments
other than defense, are not sponsoring
that kind of work.
BASSETT SAID he would like to see
the Pentagon "keep to its purpose,"
rather than funding a variety of projec-
ts "that look good for the general
public."
Critics fear that military-sponsorship
of basic research directs those projects
toward military ends.
As an example, Bassett said that-civil
defense-which would be used
specifically to protect Americans in the
event of a nuclear attack--might
become an excuse to make an offensive
attack more feasible.
Similarly, the defense department
sponsors research on chemical and
See CRITICS, Page 7
-u
Reagan seeks
Soviet arms
reductions
WASHINGTON (AP)- Staking out
his claim as a man of peace, President
Reagan laid before the world yesterday
a'four-step plan for sheathing nuclear
weapons and pulling back troops in
Europe, challenging the Soviet Union to
"share our commitment" to arms red-
uction.
"With Soviet agreement, we could
together substantially reduce the dread
threat of nuclear war which hangs over
the people of Europe," the president
said.,"This, like the first footstep on the
moon, would be a giant step for
mankind."
REAGAN offered to cancel U.S.
deployment of medium-range nuclear
missiles in Europe if the Soviets would
dismantle the 600 missiles it has trained
on European targets. He called, too, for
slashes in conventional forces and new
efforts to scale down the nuclear
weaponry the superpowers aim at one
another.
And last, he asked new efforts to
guarantee nuclear war will never erupt
through "uncertainty or
miscalculation."
But Moscow quickly rejected the'
president's initiative as propaganda
designed to'loak a U.S. attempt to gain
military superiority "through the back
door." While Tass used those words,
another Soviet news agency, Novosti,
said Kremlin acceptance would "ac-
tually mean the Soviet Union's
unilateral disarmament."
LEADERS OF Western Europe,
where the nuclear arms buildup has
touched off massive street demon-
strations, strongly supported President
Reagan's proposal yesterday for
mutual cutbacks of U.S. and Soviet
missiles in Europe.
Meeting yesterday in Bonn, Chan-
cellor Helmut Schmidt of West Ger-
many and Prime Minister Margaret
Thatcher of Britain welcomed
Reagan's proposal, which was made in
a Washington speech.
"This is a most important initiative
and I believe that it will receive a very
warm welcome of not only political cir-
cles, but in the hearts and minds of
people across Europe," Thatcher told
reporters after her talks with Schmidt.
Schmidt said he was "deeply
satisfied."
"I think it (the Reagan position) con-
siders in a particularly careful manner
the strategic, political and
psychological situation in Europe," he
said.
Sign language
For students who seek order in their lives the corner of Liberty and State streets is bliss.
Ann Arbor may face
financial troubles
By ANN MARIE FAZIO Regular meetings between city,
The city of Ann Arbor may join the University, and business officials
ranksit of e econo may o in " have given our city the lead in the race
the coming fiscal year even though last to bring the home of the age of robotics
in the United States to the region and
year it was left with "a good surplus the University," Sprenkel said,
and excellent financial operations," eer rty r p egel
CityAdmnisratr TrrySprenkel referring to a proposal. by the. governor
City Adminstrator Terry nl to build a $200 million robotics research
warned durig yesterday's annual center in the state, most likely in the
State si the ct s feeling the Ann Arbor area, near the University.
pinch of tbacks i feeln tae "THE INTEREST, growth, and par-
pinch of cutbacks i federal and state ' ticipation of the Ann Arbor-based High
aid to cities. If all proposed cutbacks in Technology Committee is the
assistance are enacted, Sprenkel said, springboard to a successful new era of
the city could lose as much as $600,000 growth in this city," he told the crowd
m revenue, necessitating reduction in of about 125 people gathered at Weber's
"WE ARE AT the brink of sacrificing Inn for the annual speech. "We aren't
the levels of service you may expect of going to be second place."
the Ann Arbor city government,,, The city administrator also praised
treAne sAo cthe -University's "smaller but better"
Spre Ann Abor has the opportunity to retrenchment plan. "It is my feeling,
lead tte state in industrial development the decision of the University to down-
.d e s i size can be a blessing for those of us in
and diversification of business, he ad- Ann Arbor. The decision has resulted in
ded. The city can use the attraction of some real soul-searching by city,
the University and existing industry to University, and business leaders,"
persuade new businesses to locate in which Sprenkel said has spawned more
the Ann Arbor area, helping to wihSrne adhssandmr
strengthn Arher city' ecoomy. cooperation between the city and the
strengthen the city's economy. University in economic development.
Milliken
:
l
robotics at
'U' *li1kely
By MARK GINDIN
Gov. William Milliken said yesterday
that Ann Arbor and the University are
still the leading candidates as the
location of a proposed $200 million
research center in robotics and that
authorization for the center's construc-
tion should come within the year.
"The existence of the University of
Michigan is a major factor in the
decision regarding location," Milliken
said in an interview with the Daily
following a speech yesterday morning
before the Ann Arbor Chamber of
Commerce.
MILLIKEN SAID such a "world-
class" robotics center, which would be
funded jointly by the state and private
industry, would play an important role
in diversifying the state's economy.
The governor was in Ann Arbor
yesterday to generate support for his
economic recovery package, of which
See MILLIKEN, Page 5
Daily Photo by PAUL ENGSTROM
ANN ARBOR is the leading candidate for the proposed $200 million "world class" robotics center, Gov. William
Milliken said yesterday, while in the city campaigning for his economic recovery package.
TODAY
Joker's wild
OOKING FOR an all-expense paid trip to Los
Angeles? The folks who produce the television
game show Joker's Wild are seeking a full-time
undergraduate student to represent the University
in a special intercollegiate segment of the show. Office of
Student Activities and Programing spokesman Rick Sline
said yesterday that although the University has been given
Thanksgiving break. There's one hitch-taping will take
Thanksgiving break. There's one hitch-taping will tak6
place December 16 and 17, during finals week.
It pays to quit,
A cigarette smoker for 26 years, Jan MacAinsh never had
it so good now that she has given up smoking. A senior
executive secretary at the University School of Art,
MacAinsh has become something of a national celebrity
over the past several days. She was selected as a national
winner of the "Quit Smoking Letter Writing Contest," spon-
sored by the American Cancer Society. In 100 words, she
described how she succeeded in giving up smoking six mon-
Red hands, pants down
A thief who robbed a bank with a toy gun was literally
caught red-handed with his pants down after he was out-
foxed by a bank teller. When the man with the toy gun held
up the Security Pacific Bank on Tuesday, an alert teller
handed him $1,100 wrapped around a packet of red dye,
police said. As he fled the bank, the packet exploded-as it
was supposed to-and the thief's pants were covered with
red dye. The man ran around a corner to a woman's
clothing store, grabbed a pair of slacks off the rack and
began pulling off his stained pants, said Lt. Geano Con-
tessotto. A women startled by this undressing in the middle
practices, as it repealed dozens of obsolete laws, some
dating back to the 1700s. Rep. James Gallen of Berks
spearheaded "Operation Repeal" to rid the books of laws
he described as "kind of goofy." A sampling:
* An 1866 act barring bone-boiling establishments west of
the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia.
" An 1872 statute making it a crime for married women to
contract to buy sewing machines for their own use. Their
husbands had to join in the contract.
* An 1872 act making workers subject to criminal
prosecution "for refusing to work when, in their opinion,
wages are insufficient or the treatment of workers by their
employer is brutal or offensive." The law preceded the
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