4 OPINION Sunday, October 16, 1983 Page 4 The Michigan Daily 4 Brother can you spare $160. million? W HEN YOU need money, it's always nice to have friends in high places. But when you're short $160 million, you need lots of friends, in the highest places. Well if this week in any indication, the university certainly has the right ingredients. This week former U.S. President Gerald Ford, one of the University's superstar graduates, rolled into town to help administrators loosen the wallets of 300,000 other alumni. And then, cleverly disguised as a big party, the hard sell began. There were awards, and Student service shakeup Henry Johnson, University vice president for student services, has not had a good year so far. He's had more than his share of problems, and they must be making him more than a bit nervous. So far this year, two employees in the com- munity services branch of student services have been suspended in connnection with an audit of their department. Both subsequently resigned. On top of that, another community services employee who was fired over the summer has filed appeal of his dismissal with the Univer- sity. He has also formally complained to the Civil Rights Commission that the firing was discriminatory. Problems stretch even back to last year speeches, and presentations, and hand shakes. And everybody agreed that the University of Michigan is a great place-well worth a hefty -gift. And what does the University consider a hefty gift? Well, about $50,000. But not everyone has to give that much. In fact, the. real pitch was aimed at University graduates in less-than-high- places. Ford, the campaign's head salesman, was in top form: "I hope I can go around the country and... convince people that what they give in dollars is a great investment in this coun- try... The University of Michigan is one of the few great universities equipped to help generate the creative resurgence of our culture and our economy." For a gift of only $50 dollars you're helping out your alma mater. But wait, you're also helping out your country. But don't decide yet, because for that same $50 your also promoting a national cultural and economic resurgence. Ford, however, did stop short of offering Ginsu knives to those who donated before midnight Saturday. when the director and head booking agent for the Major Events Office, another Johnson department, were fired in connection with another audit. To make matters worse, the firing this sum- mer and both resignations this term involved blacks, which has stirred concern up among campus minorities. In spite of the pressure, or perhaps because of it, Johnson has kept quiet about the problems. This week at Campus Meet the Press, a weekly question and answer session with leading University officials, Johnson declined to discuss any details of the problems. The two faces of 'U' While administrators publicly kicked off a new fund raising drive with a steady stream of superlatives about University quality, they spent their less-public hours trying to convince state officials that University research facilities are dangerously outdated. University alumni and friends gathered this week to kick off a $160 million fundraising campaign last Friday. All sorts of positive possibilities were discussed: If all our rich and famous alumni gave the University more bucks then tuition would dive down. The state's priority for higher education might get rosier, and maybe the state's economy might get bet- ter. Then we can really celebrate. The positive possibilities are endless, state officials and University administrators said during the "Campaign for Michigan" kickoff luncheon. But behind closed doors, ad- ministrators pleaded their case using a dif- ferent tactic - pessimism. The University joined with Michigan State University and Wayne State University to convince state officials that the universities' research labs are frightfully outdated and run down. Daily Photo by DEBUKAM LE Former president Gerald Ford and University President Harold Shapiro go begging. University President Harold Shapiro finds himself in a strange position. Privately, he has to convince state government officials that the University is becoming a technological wasteland. Pubicly, however, he has to per- suade 300,000 University alumni that the University's unlimited potential is worth an in- vestment. Last week, Shapiro's administration made its poverty plea. Richard Kennedy, University vice president for state relations, told state of- ficials that University labs have not been able to purchase necessary equipment. $90 million spread between the three schools would ease the pain just fine, he told the state. review of the University's policy of social inac- tivism on corporate shareholder resolutions. This year alone, the University-as an in- vestor in dozens of major corporations-voted to encourage one company's continued in- volvement in the MX missile program and another's practice of selling supplies in South Africa that wind up in the hands of the nation's oppressive military and police force. A Daily story and editorial in September 1982 raised the issue for the first time in years, and this paper again detailed the University's policy this fall. SACUA is asking its investmen- ts subcommittees to evaluate the policy and look for possible recommendations to the regents. The regents have long stood by their policy of not interfering in corporate decisions-a position that leaves the University practically alone amongst schools with large investment pools. But a well-planned student and faculty assault on the regents' apathy just may stir the sleepy University governing board into action. The Week in Review was compiled by Daily staff writers Cheryl Baacke- and Jackie Young and Daily editors Bill Spindle and Barry Witt. A Proxy pains Assuming the administration follows through on the regents' directive last April to sell most of the University's stocks in companies in- volved in South Africa, one sticky issue still remains concerning the University's invest- ment policies. Monday, the faculty's top governing com- mittee, the Senate Advisory. Committee on University Affairs, decided to initiate a Henry Johnson: heading some trou ments. antgantMan Edified and managed by students at The University of Mcia Coaches don't cry foul; they teach fouling Vol. XCI V-No. 35 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 iflstead ;. .,, , k j ' .. R ' .. N . .k > Editorials represent a majority opinion of the Daily's Editorial Board Elbow room 101 SN'T IT SOMEWHAT odd that .students pay thousands of dollars a year to attend the University so they can fight their way into crowded cour- ses? Maybe it's even stranger that students sometimes have to worry ,about graduating on time because they 'don't have enough credits or high ;enough grade point averages, but because they haven't been able to fulfill prerequisites. The situation is sad, but true. Students in several of the popular departments-communication, elec- trical and computer engineering, economics, and communications and computer science-are having 'tough times enrolling in classes they both want and need to complete. Worse, when students do get into the classes, they find them overcrowded. Several students were turned away from communications and computer science 573 because only one section Was offered. The department apparen- tly underestimated demand for the course. But the students who were tur- ned away may have been luckier than 4 - ii those who got in - 80 students share seven computer terminals. More than 200 students are enrolled in economics 400 this term, packed into a room designed for considerably fewer people. Many students cannot find seats. In addition, only one teaching assistant is responsible for the three discussion sections for the course. These are only two classes with serious enrollment problems. Many students face similar problems in other courses. Administrators need to find a better way to predict demand for courses. They should channel professors' and TAs' instruction efforts toward courses students want to take. Students, after all, ahould be able to plan out patterns of studies without worrying if they will be able to enroll in a course or get adequate attention because of class size. It's the very least the University can do in return for all those tuition dollars students fork over each term. By Barbara Rosenbloom SAN FhANCISCO - In the world of college athletics, "good sportsmanship" is worn as a badge of honor. Coaches - who are teachers as well - are expec- ted to behave as examples, upholding the values of fair play. But college sports today frequently are characterized by fierce competition - and intense pressure on coaches from alum- ni, staff, and students. To main- tain their reputations and keep their jobs, coaches must win games. Upholding good spor- tsmanship is seldom enough. INDEED, IN a recent study of sports instructors, I found that most operate with attitudes far from the simple rules of fair play. My study focused on 27 West Coast coaches, representing a "supersport" - basketball - and another regarded as less competitive - water polo. In lengthy interviews, all 27 con- ceded that they bend, ignore, or openly violate rules in the in- terest of winning. Perhaps more interesting, coaches on both poles of the college sports spectrum had erected complicated defense mechanisms to defuse any sense of personal guilt over these violations. THE LIST OF deliberate in- fractions was sizeable. Basket- ball coaches admitted that they routinely teach their players how to foul as part of their strategy. Water polo coaches said they look the other way when players kick underwater, throw elbows, or pinch. They suggested that the need to gain an advantage at any moment, and at any price, justified such practices. New coaches often are upset at this process - but not necessarily willing to fight it. One told me, "It took me five years to realize that certain things are 14 a ' Daily Photo by BRIAN MASCK Although society expects coaches to be teachers and to teach fair rules, a recent survey of college coaches did not even turn up one coach who believed that rule-breaking is always wrong. 4 done in this game, and they are not dirty. You haveto take it as part of the game. Yet it's strange to think that in this game if you make an illegal move and then score, you will be applauded." Another said, "Something that used to upset me a great deal is how do I deal with the fact that we are essentially trying to teach our players to cheat effectively?" YET AS TIME passes, these men and women learn routine ways of handling the moral dilemmas that arise in their oc- cupation, without experiencing personal discomfort. Several rationalizing techniques were common among the coaches interviewed: " They often blame others - such as the referee - for the prevalence of rule-breaking. Said one interviewee: "See, coaches have control over the players un- til the game starts; then the referees tape over. Most officials will overlook a lot unless it's a flagrant violation they saw, they'd stop the flow of the game. Therefore, we tell our players that an official won't let you do this, but you can go up to a cer- tain point with it." " They blame the other team. As one water-polo coach said, "Certain teams are notorious for playing in a way that I consider unethical. But not to teach my players to hold, grab, or hook with their legs when other teams are doing it would be ridiculous.'? " They avoid-ethical issues by using ambiguous language. All of the coaches agreed it is wrong to hurt another player intentionally. They also agree there are many gray areas prior to that point, but they never committed them- selves on these issues. They skir- ted them and never gave straightforward answers. "It only gets dirty when one player is trying to hurt another," said one water polo coach. "But just breaking the rules, holding suits, pushing, turning, hooking, these are part of the game and are ac- cepted as something you have to do to survive." " They tend to deal only with specific circumstances, not general rules. For coaches, a rule is applied on a play-by-play basis. No one interviewed agreed that rule violation in itself was flat wrong, "I talk about the game in terms of situations," explained a basketball coach. "If you get to this situation, then you give up a foul. At the end of every practice session, we talk about the situations. I'll tell them how to handle it, how to bend the rules so they can win." " The coaches frequently insist that it's much worse elsewhere. They were inclined to rank various sports with respect to their violence - with their own sport, not surprisingly, at the bot- tom of the list. "Breaking the rules in basket- ball isn't like breaking the rules in football," one told me. "Basketball players don't play 4 with the intention of hurting op- posing players." In the end, what makes these observations compelling is that they speak of more profound issues. Sports is not just an event consumed by spectators, but a mirror that often reflects the principles - and moral defenses - which govern the larger society.around them. Rosen bloom wrote this ar- ticle for the Pacific News Ser- vice. Utopia C# 51117-, -T 607-A AT N/NAI1 1 rr 7 .. - . -T 60r2607-70 cS£7 i; WHATAT14 E... TOMAI60AAJPR B I TEST ? Gv SU/A4 4Y? SUN'PAY ? NC, Z Y .AAJ$' .77 GTA 66. f.Ftax VA~7.r7.zor G6c.'i AIs4 1?)CA JAT 77 T~/j-- AW Z45 7?tvESZaK ,'cfG'7.' i --_ /