" OPINION Page 4 Thursday, March 26, 1981 The Michigan Daily 0 A resident looks at life in Warsaw Zbzislaw Najder, a resident of Warsaw, Poland, is the editor of the literary journal Tworczose. He is touring the United States this month as a guest of the U.S. government, through the International Visitor Program. He is a member of the Polish labor coalition Solidarity. What follows is a partial transcript of an interview Najder held last Friday with Daily staff writer Steve Hook, in which he described life in Poland. * * * * Living in Warsaw, Dr. Najder, you must be experiencing the social problems there that have given rise to Solidarity. Najder: When I get up, say around seven or seven-thirty in the morning, I have to im- mediately run down to get milk, because if I am a little late, I won't get any. Bread expires more or less, about eight. If I don't get bread by eight, then I have to wait for the next transport to come, which is about one in the afternoon. But if I want to get butter, I have to either have a friend stand in line for two hours, or be lucky, sheer lucky. The same applies to other basic foodstuffs - oil fats, meat. I can get meat in restaurants, but it's comparatively expen- sive. What I can get without waiting is Chinese tea, pickled mushrooms, canned peas, and macaroni, but very little else. I can get fresh vegetables, but in limited supply and limited choice, because it's winter and we don't import foodstuffs. But they are very expensive. Eggs are in limited supply, but otherwise it's very difficult. Is there a tendency for people to hoard these foodstuffs? People do try to stock up, but you cannot store everything, even if you have a big refrigerator. Are the conditions as bad - in terms of the food situation in Warsaw - as we read and hear in the American media? Yes, they're quite bad, and they are getting definitely worse. Housing is also reported to be a major problem in Warsaw and other large cities in Poland. I've heard complaints about the housing situation in some American cities. An average waiting time for an apartment in Poland, for which you pay in installments, is now 10 and a half years. You pay for 10 and a half years, then if you are lucky then you get this apartment. What you pay in an installment, right now, is one-fifth of an average monthly salary. And you pay it for 10 or 15 years before you buy the apartment, and equally as long after you've bought it. The mass-transit system in Warsaw is quite effective, but what about private transpor- tation? Cars are definitely more expensive in Poland. The cheapest car would cost you something like almost two years' salary. Are you concerned with the public health situation in Poland? Conditions have been deteriorating for a number of years because of the national health service. Almost everyone is covered by the national health service, and it is deteriorating. It's underinvested, understaffed. There are too few hospitals. Patients lie in corridors for weeks. To tell you a personal story, I went to Poland a month ago. My father was very ill. His health deteriorated and he was taken to the hospital. He spent three days and nights on the corridor and he died on the corridor. There was no place in any of the rooms, and the rooms were over- crowded. There are too few hospital staff members, and this is one of the things that Solidarity is protesting. What other areas of public health do you feel are especially problematic. There is a lot of alcoholism in Poland. The government raised prices of alcohol three days ago, but it was at the insistence of the trade unions. Solidarity demanded closing very many shops with liquor in Poland. Rural Solidarity demands withdrawing vodka from rural inns and restaurants, because people drink a lot and it affects their work. 6 Are the general working conditions in Poland a primary problem, a primary complaint of Solidarity? This is one of the problems, but it varies from place to place, from industry to industry. Working conditions in some industries - the textile industry for example - are very, very bad. It hasn't been revealed until recently, but women in Poland were very, often losing their sight because of very poor ventilation. In this industry and others, the mining industry for example, Solidarity has been concerned. Edited and managed by students of The University of Michigan Vol. XCI, No. 142 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, M1 48109 'Weasel S SAD -rw A LOT- OF (OJ 'SUsTpLS.AP./ 4 AfL AN fiCS . you r.NOW , FRUgrK~rE Sc'LUI 1jO any RAN AuuNP T w u l5 TT m. -(&? Editorials represent a majority opinion of the Daily's Editorial Board NA, ITS P ar U KE 71+AT 'AT ALL.'(A $ tioW flc q -m 1 SSIISTh>RTS Ttr.6S, WB JEST S6Mrivw, i~rNE~ST P~oPt- . ) _ 7 ' WAT A MINUTE - YOU GUYS AP s5f'oSED ro 8E BUT DPD IPN' 4RIST PREAIj Lt JE j KIN2 NES5 TOWACs YOUR~t?~.. LCAJ NUMAN 4ENC's? ' fl$ i5 ALLYou} CUYS I"AN(T fZ DO i'. i}oRp STJIIF FOR. y(OULu S bE5 ThN 13t.4J RNSiv~ &rts 6e AWIA( WrP tv' .22 t-ALB ?42Ft S. / j 77, e eL // I 7,% %f,,j - J ' ,j,"rt by Robert Lence PAssA1 N THE BtBA.E WHR 1"SASYo> ir.Y t BU IU5 U U BLUE JEANS DAY ! FRIDAY, MARCH 27 DEMONSTRATE: support for Lesbian & Gay cjyil rights by wearing denim . homophobia by not wearing blue jeans Full input needed in cuts Ga rs and4bue eans homophobics. According to a flyer cir- HE ANN ARBOR Gay Liberation culated on campus, "Demonstrate Front has declared tomorrow Ito support for Lesbian & Gay civil rights be "Blue Jeans Day." According to the byy wearing denim. Demonstrate) decree, those students who wear blue Homophobia by not wearing blue jeans tomorrow support gay rights, jeans." those who do not , wear denim are Most student, after they drag them- homophobics (persons with a fear or selves out of the shower in the mor- hatred of homosexuality). Although ning, simply grab the first clean pair of the Gay Liberation Front's efforts to pants within reach-usually blue rally the University community in jeans. Few students tomorrow will support of gay rights is commendable, pause at their dresser to consider the the blue jean gimmick it has adopted is ideological significance of their choice not the most effective, of clothing. It would be ludicrous A display of armbands or a similarly tomorrow to point to those students dramatic symbol would be a more ef- wearing corduroys as homophobics or fective statement showing support for applaud those students wearing denim gay rights. But, blue jeans are simply as supporters of gay rights. too common. The Gay Liberation Front should be Also disturbing is the Gay Lilieration commended for standing up in support Front's polarization of the campus into of gay rights. But a "Blue Jeans Day" gay rights supporters and is not a very effective step. As all members of the University comn-; munity are painfully aware, there is a serious economic crisis confronting the State of Michigan. Obviously, this has serious con- sequences for the University. Because of severe underfunding of the University by the state, a process called 'retrenchment' has started. Retrenchment simply means a shrinkage of the University budget until enough costs can be saved to of- fset the lack of state appropriations. Thus far retrenchment has taken many shapes; the proposed elimination of the geography department, devastating cuts in the budgets of the Botanical Gardens, Recreational Sports, Michigan Media, and many others. Retrenchment has been implemented solely by the University administration with little input from the faculty and no input from students or staff. It is inconceivable that the administration feels a basic redirection of the University should be carried out without the formal participation of all concerned groups on campus. In response to out virtual disenfran- chisement, a coalition of about 25 students, faculty, and staff has organized the It's Our University group. IOU is an umbrella organization containing many campus groups and concerned individuals all working toward By Jamie Moeller the ultimate goal of a democratic and open budget-cutting process which takes into ac- count the needs and concerns of the entire University community. IOU has accomplished much in pursuit of this goal, A public forum was held to discuss the process, alternatives to the current ap- proach, and to ask questions of the ad- ministration which remained unanswered. Seven pages of questions have been presen- ted to University President Harold Shapiro. The questions range from specific inquiries about procedures and criteria to general questions about the future of the University and the existence of a long-range plan. On a more specific level, IOU has been able to set up a student hearing on the Geography Review Committee's Report. At this hearing, which will take place during the first week in April, LSA students will be given the oppor- tunity to speak on the Review Committee's Report. A transcript of the proceedings along with a summary will be forwarded to the LSA Executive Committee and will be sent as part of the official discontinuance package to Vice President Bill Frye and the Regents. Although this hearing is a form of formal par- ticipation in the process, it is still only a beginning and is thus far less than what is needed if the budget-cutting process is to be legitimate. In an effort to formulate some alternatives to the drastic cuts currently underway, IOU has gained access to previously secret budget. information. This information is a line by line budget including administrative costs and expense account costs. While this information will help formulate alternatives, it is still far short of what is needed. The LSA Executive Committee will use these departmental reports to decide which departments to cut. Although these reports affect every student at the University and would help us formulate alternatives, the Dean and the Executive. Committee have refused our requests for them. These reports are needed if we are to. play a role in deciding the future of the,