.0 OPINION -- Page 4 Tuesday, February 2, 1982- The Michigan Daily .... .0 Edited and managed by students at The University of Michigan Those wild and crazy Greeks Vol. XCII, No. 101 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, M\ 48109 Editorials represent a majority opinion of the Daily's Editorial Board Clarifyingt THE SENATE Advisory Committee on University Affairs took a useful step yesterday in making the Univer- sity's tenure system a clear and ef- ficient process. SACUA approved a report, which was finished and ready for approval last April, on how tenure is obtained at the University. Tenure-job security for faculty members-was reviewed by a SACUA report committee, and then recommendations were made on how to clarify and regularize the tenure selection process. The importance of clarifying the University's tenure system lies in the University's current miserable finan- cial situation. As the administration struggles to handle large budget deficits caused by the decline in funds for higher education, the status of professors at the University will become perilous. The University ad- ministration will be tempted to cut back on the number of tenured professors as a way of reducing their expenditures. A clear and coherent definition of the tenure system is thus needed to avoid a potentially disastrous faculty/administration con- frontation. The committee's report claims that Tenure policy. a diversified tenure system is needed at an institution of Michigan's size. Each University department has cer- tain specific circumstances that merit different uses of the tenure system. The report, however, draws together these inconsistencies and provides guidelines and suggestions in order to giverthe University a more coherent tenure policy. Problems such as those of dual ap- pointments (where a professor receives part of his tenure from one department and part from another), and the length of the pre-tenure period (departments grant tenure review af- ter a varying number of years) are well addressed in the report. But further clarification is still necessary. Some tenure issues, such as promoting an assistant professor to associate professor without the ac- companying tenure, are still subject to intense speculation and deserve proper attention. SACUA's approval of the report is laudable. Department heads will receive the report next, and they too should approve it and publicize its recommendations. A clear and stable University tenure policy will help the academic community to prepare for its uncertain future. Excerpts from the Fall Term edition of The Forum, a publication by and for the University'sfraternities and sororities: The SDTs have had a lot of excitement this term with four candlelights (1 lavalier, 1 pin- ning, and 2 (!!) engagements)! - And only seven (!!!!!!!) burned fingers! As always, the brothers were busy with fall rush, and the hard work resulted in nine pledges. Who sprung up nicely in the backyard after carefulfertilizing and watering. Howard Witt don't waste any of it there should be enough to go around. 'And you certainly wouldn't want to waste alot of your valuable time studying English. Much better to go out with your fraternity. They is more fun. Pi Beta Phis are still selling the real "Men of Michigan" calendars complete with Lam- bda Chi alum Dave Johnson, Sigma Nu Dave Mestau, Phi Delt Mike Butts, and other studly types. You can get your copy at the Pi Phi house for a small fee of $5.95, or call the house for more information. Proceeds go to the Ann Arbor Home for the Hopelessly Studly. Needless to say, Sorosis is. coming back strong-why, we even have our own calendar girl. Look for her in the month of September in the new "Women of Michigan" calendar; She's the one with the white flakes on her shoulders. Like the green leaves slowly oranging and redding, Alpha Xi Delta is changing for the brighter. But sometimes rainy days blue us. On October 15, we had our second annual Blind-Date Auction Party and raised over $400 for our philanthropy, the Heart Association. Gee, isn't your philanthropy lucky! You probably don't spend half that much on alcoholfor a typical party. Sigma Nu is having a fantastic year. We have what you might call some "wild and crazy" people. Even though we are so "inten- se" when it comes to studying, we manage to have quite a bit of fun: Our rush party was just a bash where the likes of Art "Soda" Simonette, Ken "The Music Man" Reich. Steve "Jake" Jacobson, Michael "Jackson" Johnson, Steve "Seve" Elliot, and Todd "Crusher" Keiser, our crazy pledges, drank and danced the night away. Our carry-in with the Phis was fun along with a riotous "Whore Corps" serenade by the Tri-Delts. If you ever want to see Hubie, The Hatchet Man, The Gash, Kolby, Puppy, GI Joe with the Life Like Hair, Rupy, Woody, Zalfalpha, Donny Osmond, Minke, Commonality, or yours truly, Louie, just stop by any neighborhood bar. Thanks, but I think I'll drink at home. Sigma Nus just recently held a field day for , Perry Nursery School. (The children of single parent families.) The day consisted of various games in our backyard and cookies for the little ones. The kids enjoyed them- selves immensely. They rarely have a chance to spend time with an adult figure. Although the project raised no money, we gave the children something money could not buy. A chance to spend time with such adult figures as The Hatchet Man, GI Joe with the Life Like Hair, and the Whore Corps. The following day, November 7, was Paren- ts' Weekend. Mom's and Daol's from as far away as Connecticut came to spend the day. Some brought their car's and others. flew in plane's. Witt 's column appears every Tuesday. Dear Aphrodite: I live in an apartment but am a fraternity pledge. The fraternity has alot going on and I spend alot of time with them. The guys I live with want me to party with them too, but I don't always have time. Social Sam Dear Sam: You have to plan your time so that you can do all of the things you really want to do. Perhaps you can spend one weekend night with the bros, and another with your apar- tment-mates, or flock to the bars on Thur- sday with the rest of the Greeks. It's up to you who you spend your time with, and if you Weasel By Robert Lence Deplorable detention A MERICA'S longstanding reputation as a haven for the politically oppressed is currently being tarnished by the Reagan ad- ministration's prolonged detainment of Haitian refugees. Haitians who recently fled to the United States in hopes of finding freedom -have been sorely disappoin- ted. Currently, some 2,177 Haitians are being held at detention centers across. the country-many of them have been held for more than six months. Immigration law binds the United States to grant asylum to aliens facing political persecution at home. The Reagan administration, while admit-' ting that the regime of Haitian President for Life Jean-Claude Duvalier is authoritarian, denies that it practices severe enough repression to fall under this ruling. The refugees would disagree. Many political opponents of the regime claim they moved to escape imprisonment, torture, or even death at the hands of the secret police. The Haitians agree that if they are deported, the mere fact of having originally left Haiti will in- cite the regime's retaliation. The Reagan administration has refused to grant the Haitians a blanket asylum, however, thus allowing the refugees to languish for months in crowded, poorly-equipped camps until their cases are reviewed with all due speed. Last year, this speed amounted to 49 cases out of thousands reaching review, with only five among them being awarded asylum. This prolonged detention is con- sidered by the administration to be a deterrent to further immigration. So far it has proved effective, for fewer and fewer Haitians are now willing to risk the imprisonment that accom- panies fleeing to the United States. But the Reagan administration can cut down on Haitian immigration through more humane methods. Haiti, dependent on foreign economic assistance for its survival, could be persuaded by the United States into in- troducing into its government certain political reforms crucial to halting the flow of refugees. The Reagan administration should end its shameful detention of the Haitian refugees, a practice that in- sults American principles of liberty and signals that the oppressed throughout the world are no longer considered welcome. SSsIE FROPGER3. !9, ATTKAMrIV, UPWARDLY MOBILE, AND AN ACTIVE SOooR(y S15TER. _ 1t1I 0 FAWN LIEBERM4AN. " LIKE ,SUSIE, A SOP'HOM4ORE AT THE uNIVniy f YOM10416AN. GOw EV" NINE I'M MT6IN . ALL THIS WW&E, WEL.L BE £)(AMtiNIM WRAT HAPPENs WHEN 1tfE5F TWO WO" TRAM! Pt-a, A$ NEVS4 rETRoIT LOCKS Ar.. -Z- .. THE CO-OP -5RoR 1Y VESATE: SOCIALISTS VERSUS,, SOCIAL BUTTERFLI ES. THE co-op- SOCIALISTS BUTTERFLIES IIIIII r I I Loss of a Soviet middleman By George Breslauer The death of Soviet Politburo member Mikhail Suslov was not unexpected. At the age of 79, and in failing health, this Soviet leader could hardly have been expected to live very much longer. For at least five years, his day-to-day functions have been performed by younger, more energetic men. So we might con- clude that his death is incon- sequential. This conclusion, however, would be premature. Politics is far more than the oversight of day-to-day operations; it is also, and more importantly, the definition of grand alternatives and the choice among policy directions. In this process, Mikhail Suslov probably played a significant role until near the end of his life. FOR SUSLOV WAS the gray eminence of the Soviet leader- ship. He was already at the highest levels of the party hierar- chy during Stalin's last years some three decades ago. He played an important role in sup- port of Khruschev in 1957 and he later directed the organization of the cabal against Khrushchev in 1964. During the Brezhnev years, he has consistently been one of the three or four most influential members of the leadership. He was older than all but one relatively undistinguished mem- ber of the Politburo. As gray eminence, he enjoyed influence and deference that exceeded the raw power he could claim as secretary of*the Central Commit- tee. Suslov was often portrayed as a right-wing, Soviet-style reac- tionary-a man in favor of tur- ning back the cloch to the good old days of terror, cold war, and personality cults. This portrayal is fundamentally incorrect. Suslov's policy orientations evolved over time into those of the conservative, par excellence. INDEED, HE was a consistent opponentofreformist tendencies within the leadership after Khrushchev's ouster. He lent his weight to the unraveling of reformist experiments associated with the late Prime Minister Alexei Kosygin, and ur- ged the crackdown on dissidents. But he was also an opponent of right-wing extremism-of efforts to elevate Russian chauvinism over Soviet patriotism, and of a return to terror and personal leadership. In sum, Suslov was against rocking the boat, either to the left of the right. In this sense, he was a Breshnev supporter. What impact might his death have on Soviet policy in the early 1980's? We know that the Soviet leadership has some important choices to make in order to im- prove its economy. We also know that contending forces within the pected him to help choose both the successor and the policy directions to be pursued in the 1980s. That is no longer a possibility. THUS SUSLOV'S death could have two importantrconsequen- ces. First, it may remove the possibility of an interim leader- ship under the direction of another old man. With the-,gray eminence gone, the Soviet leadership has lost a potential kingmaker and a potential vetoer of younger successors. Second, Suslov's death removes one of many im- pediments to significant changes in policy direction. It increases somewhat the chance fora more polarized political leadership af ter Brezhnev by removing one impediment to the forging of either a moderate reformist coalition, or a right-wing reac tionary coalition. In this respect, Suslov, had he lived, might have tried to perform- the function of a middleman between contending forces. Without someone of Suslov's stature to perform that function, political situations have a ten- dency to polarize with bolder' choices gaining support. Breslauer, a professor of- political science at the Univer- sity of California, wrote this. article for Pacific News Ser- vice. { i , ,. - .. ;.,. ..,, , . , ., , Mikhail Suslor political establishment advocate different choices. Some advocate a sharp turn to the right; others advocate renewed experimen- tation with moderate reformist policies (but not political democratization). Standing bet- ween these forces were the Brezhnevs and Suslovs, who sought compromise choices in hopes of muddling through the problems of the day. Assuming he outlived Brezhnev it was taken for granted among many Western observers that Suslav would play an important role in the succession. Few people expected him to succeed Brezhnev, but many people ex- ..., Wasserman E W F E D E R AUS 1 5 A COURAG'EOUS CONCEPT 6LAL' UNvKTN(E JAN,% We IN WASHINGTON WILL GOVRNORS AND MAYORS$ WILL. TE'NEUNDETAKERS I d y ,