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 I .I II