0 Page 12-B-Thursday, September 4, 1980-The Michigan Daily t Reg ets set policy for the University By SARA ANSPACH A half hour at the end of the Thursday would destroy the community's am- The University is very much like a meeting is set aside for comments from bience-claimed Roach's move was un- ---------,V ,,., ..the public. Students, faculty, and com- fair. large corporation whose products in- clude education and research- generated knowledge and whose con- sumers are its approximate 40,000 students. And at the head of the cor-. poration is its board of directors-the Board of Regents-who are ultimately responsible for everything the in- stitution does. Although most every decision the Regents make at their, monthly meetings will have some effect on the students, the two groups have little con-. tact with one another. Few issues are volatile enough to spur student interest and matters as vital as tuition hikes often pass with little input from the students. + Despite little student interest in the Regent meetings, MSA President Marc Breakstone vigorously promotes the idea of a regent who is a student, but University administrators are reluc- tant.- "Although it's not impossible, it's unreasonable to expect students to have the necessary experience to qualify munity members must sign up before the meeting if they wish to address the Board for a maximum of five minutes at the public comments session. Occasionally a group of citizens will make its concerns known to the Regen- ts by staging a protest at the meeting. Two years ago the Washtenaw County Coalition Against Apartheid-a primarily-student group opposed to the University's investments in firms doing business in South Africa-created such a disturbance that the Regents moved their meeting. While the Regents have the final say on everything that happens at the University, most of their decisions are rubber-stamps of the recommendations of the six vice-presidents. The Regents often complain they wish they had more control over designs of campus buildings. The Board has been known to argue long and hard with architects over the color of a building's bricks or the shape of its' pillars. Much controversy arose when the University community got wind of the decision, and the Regents nicely pat- ched up their differences at the next meeting to publicly restore the Board's good name. Being a Regent can be time- consuming and all eight. Regents have at least one full-time job. Each month they are handed an information-laden agenda to digest before the meeting, and quite often they do outside research on their own. The Regents have the final word on everything from property sales to in- vesting University funds to promoting faculty. When an unanswerable question arises at a meeting the Board will often direct the administration to look into the matter. Regents are elected state-wide for eight year terms. The Board has eight members and if a member should resign mid-term the Governor appoints a replacement. I Daily Photo ; REGENT THOMAS ROACH, usually quite vocal during the Regent's meetings, takes a reflective puff on his pipe-a frequent companion. A brief look at the Board James Waters Waters, 39, is the Board's only black, member. The Democratic attorney from Muskegon is vocal about minority and labor issues. Deane Baker President of his own construction and real estate firm, this Republican from Ann Arbor is particularly concer- ned about the architecture and design of University buildings. The 55-year-old Regent is a staunch conservative and is often very vocal at meetings. Sarah Power President Carter appointed Power, 45, to the post of deputy assistant secretary of state for human rights and social affairs last May. The Ann Arbor Democrat is married to publisher and past senatorial candidate Phil Power and is often quite vocal about issues concerning women and minorities. Thomas Roach Roach, 51, is an attorney from Saline. The Democrat often arrives at the meetings particularly well-researched and well-prepared to sway the un- decided to his side. Paul Brown This 45-year-old Regent is often quiet at meetings.- A Democrat; Brown is a 1961 graduate of the University law school and practices law in Petoskey. Daily Photo Roach, Baker, Brown, Dunn, President Shapiro), during MEMBERS OF THE University's Board of Regents (left to right: one of their monthly meetings in the Administration Building. REGENT DAVID LARO pays dlose attention: to a presentation during one of last year's meetings. them for a position on the Board of Regents," explained University President Harold Shapiro to a Daily reporter last July. "I value student in- put in many areas, but I feel itis inap- propriate to have a student Regent" As a publicly-elected body, the Board is required to keep its monthly meetings open to the public. The Regents meet on the third Thursday and Friday of each month usually on the Ann Arbor campus in the Regents Room. Often Board decisions are The two Republicans on the unanimous, but there are occasional Board-Deane Baker and David squabbles. This year Regents Deane Baker (R-Ann Arbor) and Thomas Roach (D-Saline) fought a battle over the sale of an option to buy a piece of University property to a local developer who needed the land to con- struct a 32-story high-rise complex. Roach, who claimed the sale was a good business deal, won a positive vote from the Board when several members were absent. Baker-who said the high-rise Laro-are both up for re-election this fall. The post of University Regent is not one most state voters pay much at- tention and most people usually select their candidate along party lines. The-current membefs of the Board share many common characteristics. Several have law degrees, all are well- off, and many are aspiring for bigger and better public offices. David Laro This soft-spoken Regent is the only member of the Board who was not elec- ted. He was appointed by Governor Milliken in 1975 after another member resigned. The Flint Republican is an at- torney who twice served as Milliken's Gennesse County campaign chairman. Gerald Dunn Dunn is a former state senator who now is an education superintendent. The 45-year-old Democrat from Lan- sing is especially interested in preven- ting tuition increases from skyrocket- ting. Robert Nederlander Nederlander, 47, is a frequent con- tributor to the meetings and often asks' probing questions. The Democrat from Birmingham is part owner of both Detroit's Fisher Theater --and Clarkston's Pine'Knob. -- V.P .s and Shapiro keep 'U' on track By MITCH CANTOR During a meeting of the University Regents last year former Interim Uni- versity President Allan Smith acciden- tally referred to Vice-President James Brinkerhoff as "Regent Brinkerhoff." "I promoted him, I guess," Smith quipped. "That's a demotion," retorted one of the Regents. Indeed, many observers around the University maintain that it's actually the veeps-and not the Regents-who, with the president; run the show at the University. WHILE THE Regents hold final authority on all high-level University decisions, hardly any item comes before their attention unless it has been deemed, important by the vice- presidents. The six men, who-unlike the Re- gents-must deal with University decisions on a day-to-day basis, deal closely with the president, as well as many lower-level officials. There is also a great deal of interac- tion between the six administrators themselves. Despite the differences in their official duties, one factor keeps them in constant touch with each other: All programs, in order to work, depend on funding. So they try to keep somewhat abreast of each others' plans in order that the University budget is most effectively used. WHILE COMMUNICATION between By JULIE ENGEBRECHT Unless you run into Harold Shapiro leaving his large white home on South University-the president's man- sion-very early each morning, his presence will go largely unnoticed. Shapiro, 45,is the University's 10th president. He must take ultimate responsibility for the University's financial affairs, a job that includes obtaining contributions from, private and public sources-University alumni, foundations, and the State of Michigan. A president is also called on to speak at hundreds of official functions, resulting in many long days. He must be a diplomat, settling argumen- ts between various components of the University and presen- ting a favorable outside image. SINCE JANUARY 1 when Shapiro took office, the Univer- sity and the State of Michigan, from which the University draws the majority of its funds, have been beset with finan- cial problems. The auto industry's ailing, eroding Michigan's tax base, which in turn leaves the state with less money for the University-ultimately resulting in higher tuition, lower salary increases, and layoffs and cutbacks everywhere. But for Shapiro, it's all in a day's work. He's an economist by trade, and has taught economics here since 1964, the year he received his Ph.D. in economics from Princeton. He was chairman of the economics department and chairman of a University budget committee before being named vice- president for academic affairs, a post he held until shortly before he assumed the presidency. So when the University Regents went about the business of selecting a successor to former University President Rob- ben Fleming, now chairman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in Washington, D.C., they kept Shapiro high on their list. The potential for future fiscal problems was a great concern to the Regents, who needed an administrator who would know how to wisely spend the University's in- creasingly limited resources. nRii. 4t tvt o iircewasn't the onlv nrnblem the new Brinkerhoff Frye ... financial v.p. ... academic v.p. The six University vice-presidents are: * James Brinkerhoff-vice-president and chief financial officer for the University. The 57-year-old ad- ministrator, who has worked in some Big Ten school for the past 17 years, supervises the University finances, business, and property. He is the school's money- manager. " Billy Frye-vice-president for academic affairs. Frye is the most recent appointment to a vice- presidential post. He spends much of for state relations and planning. The 47- year-old Kennedy serves as the school's chief liason to the state legislature. He is responsible for keeping up with budgetary matters, proposed legislation, and other questions arising in Lansing which could affect the University. Based on his experience, he is to inform and advise the president on all such matter. Kennedy has been with the University on and off for the past 20 years. " Charles Overbhr0ar-vice- Ha rold Shapiro small talk. His use of words is as efficient as his use of other resources. And he admits to just becoming accustomed to making sneeches and relaxing while the center of attention.