Students need
to
fight
The Michigan Daily - Thursday, September 8, 1983-- Page 5-A
budget process
The University can be thought of as a large
corporation with management, workers, a
product to sell, and a $790 million budget. At the
University, administrators act as management,
faculty and staff make-up the workforce, and
students "buy the product." In the market-
place, firms make decisins that have adverse
impacts on consumers. However, government
units often work to protect consumers from the
unscrupulous. At the University the students,
as consumers, are left on their own when the
University administration makes decisions
which will adversely affect us.
For this reason, the Michigan Student
Assembly (MSA), the campus-wide student
government, attempts to represent student
needs and concerns to the University ad-
ministration. (There are also student gover-
nments for each school and college working on
issues of particular concern to that school or
college.) The ASA has a President, an
Executive Vice-President, representatives
from each school, and many active volunteers.
AS STUDENTS, our only source of power is
our numbers. With our numbers we can work
both inside and outside the University
decision-making structure to gain sincere,
legitimate student representation. The MSA is
the appropriate body with which to voice
student concerns and to effect change.
However, MSA is only effective if we, as
students, participate in the University com-
munity and support MSA in its efforts.
We at MSA work on issues based upon a
philosophy that the University is both a leader
in society and responsible to society as an
educational and a public institution. As such, the
University must practice as well as teach
principles such as democratic participation and
equal opportunity. The MSA cannot and will not
let the administration neglect its dual responsibility
both to students and to society.
We are lucky to be in Ann Arbor with its rich
history of student activism. This activism has
always revolved around a concern which leads
to actions designed to promote change. We can
learn from history. The Ann Arbor community
abounds with novel learning alternatives and
opportunities for involvement. Student concer-
ns, student opinions, and student actions make
a difference. You are cheating yourself and
your education if you do not take the time to get
involved. One way to get involved is through
MSA.
SOME OF THE specific issues MSA will con-
centrate its energies on this year are the
"Redirection" process, minority student con-
cerns, and student financial aid.
The "redirection" process - without con-
sulting the student body, the Administration, is
in its Five-Year Plan, setting its priorities for
our education. Last year, the "redirection"
process created a new wave of student ac-
tivism. Students from the School of Natural
Resources lobbied the Regents, attended
hearings, held demonstrations and tied green,
ribbons around trees to symbolize their
dissatisfaction with the budget "review "
process. Similarly, Art students staged two
silent protests to show their disapproval of the
process. MSA this year will play a major role in
this sort of organizing. MSA is the obvious
vehicle for unifying the various student groups
and presenting a united force great enough to
hold the administration accountable for its ac-
tions. We will be working with concerned
faculty and community leaders to develop
creative alternatives to the current retrench-
ment process.
Minority Student Concerns - There is a sub-
tle and yet very real racism on this campus.
The University must not become an upper-
class, homogeneous institution. It has a
responsibility as a leader in society to fight
racism and to better the plight of minorities.
Our Minority Student Researcher, Larry Hun-
ter, will propose ways to strengthen the
University's current minority student support
programs. MSA will also be organizing
workshops concerning the problem of racism
both on this campus and in society as a whole.
All students must take more active roles in
making life on this campus a better experience
for its minority students.
Financial Aid - Last year, President
Reagan's proposed cuts in financial aid were
defeated largely by student lobbying and
protest. This year, MSA willcontinue to be at
the center. of such lobbying efforts on the
federal level to assure tiat Reagan's newly
proposed cuts and his proposal of a 40% student
contribution over and above the family con-
tribution are defeated. Legislation such asthis
clearly undermines an individual's right to an
education regardless of economic status. We
will also by lobbying for the repeal of the
Solomon Amendment which requires male
students to register for the draft in order to be
eligible for financial aid. This legislation,
again, discriminates on the basis of sex and
economic status.
Students can and do impact University
decisions. For example, MSA played a major
role in mobilizing public support for divest-
ment of University holdings in firms with South
African operations. Divestment of University
holdings in firms with South African
operations. Divestment of such holdings sym-
bolized the University's disapproval of South
Africa's institutionalized racism, apartheid.
Because of the University's role as a social
leader it has a responsibility to take a strong
stand on issues such as apartheid. MSA also
took part in the campus debate on proposed
guidelines for the Department of Defense spon-
sored research. After extensive debate, the
students, faculty and administration had
reached a compromise that would prohibit non-
classified research "a substantial purpose of
which is to destroy or permanently: in-
capacitate human beings." However, the
University Regents did not approve these
Mary Rowland
President
Michigan Student Assembly
guidelines when they voted on them this past
June. MSA will remain active in this issue as
the debate continues.
Obviously there are many issues which affect
us both directly and indirectly while we are
students at the University of Michigan. Cam-
pus security, sexual harassment, and tenants'
issues are a few. Our college years are a time
for questioning, learning and growing as whole
human beings - not just academically. MSA is
a; place to start this questioning process and to
work with others for change. We need your
ideas and your input if we are to represent you.
come and meet your MSA representatives;
we'll spend the year together - working for
change.
'Viewpoints
'U' has broken
promises to
black students
Budget cutting process
0
A
It has been 13 years since the Univer-
sty was forced to recognize the needs
of minority students, particularly black
students, because of a University-wide
strike initiated by the Black Action
Movement (BAM). That was 1970. This
is 1983. In the interim, the situation has
retrogressed.
Many of you may have little or no
1a"liA ity 'ith the events that ended
the strike. In essence, a series of
agreements were eventually reached
between the administration and the
BAM cadre that were to ensure that
b black students and other racial
Yminorities would progressively attain
the cultural, social, and academic
"necessities that would sustain their
existence on this campus. Provisions
were made for a black cultural center
(The William Monroe Trotter House,
now recognized as a 'minority' cultural
center); University-wide recognition of
the term 'Black' instead of 'Negro';
substantial funding of support services
'and programs; a target of 10 percent
,black enrollment; and an increase in
enrollment of other minorities by the
973 school year.
THOUGH THE EFFORTS of the
University have been hailed by some
Saline Hitchcock
Vice President for
Minority Affairs
Michigan Student
Assembly
and discounted by others, the record
speaks for itself. A glance at the
statistics for the 1982 school year may
indicate that the University has made
some progress. However, a more
Si tical eye would detect that, in fact,
there has been no progress.
Lumping all ethnic groups under the
rubric "minority" has masked the em-
pirical evidence. The University boasts
that in the Fall of 1982, minority studen-
:ts comprised 9.6 percent of un-
dergraduate enrollment and 12.3 per-
cent of graduate enrollment on campus.
However, these figures do not show that
black students comprised a meager 5.2
percent of the population, a total that
reflects a declining trend with no in-
dication of an upswing. At the same
time, Chicano and Native American
enrolment remained relatively stable.
The only group that has made any
significant gains are Asian American
students. Needless to say, the Univer-
sity has not lived up to its promise of in-
creasing minority enrollment -
specifically for black, chicano and
native American students.
Tha :n-rarthl h:gh atti:nn rnt of
THE OPPORTUNITY PROGRAM,
the Coalition for the Use of Learning
skills (CULS), and the Office of
Minority Student Services are major
support systems. But in an era of re-
defining priorities, the maintenance of
these programs is uncertain. Currently,
extensive review policies hinder the ef-
fectiveness of these programs. The
routine procedures of these reviews
that must be ,followed drain massive
energy and effort from an already
overloaded group of people. Also these
reviews mean that priorities must be
re-focused to ensure that these
programs are maintained. Thus,
bureaucracy interferes with programs
that need help, not cut-backs.
Another area of concers is the main-
tenance of the William Monroe Trotter
House. This house initially served as
the Black cultural center and was a
direct response to the BAM strike. But
somehow as the years passed, this
promise was lost in the shuffle. As of
1981, the Trotter House has been a
"minority" cultural center, meant to
serve all racial minorities. In doing
this, not only did the administration
renege on a promise made to black
students, it also out-right neglected the
varied and special needs of other
minority groups. There is no denying
that our brothers and sisters need ac-
cess to such a center. but it must be
reflective of their individual culture,
not a menagerie.
We begin the 1983-84 year with few
advances and many setbacks. Univer-
sity redirection poses to cut programs;
the Michigan Student Assembly (MSA),
the student body government, has but
two minority seats; black enrollment is
still on the decline and becoming more
representative of an "elite" group; and
fewer minority students will make it
through their program to receive their
degree in undergraduate and post-
graduate curriculums.
While these issues continue to
surround us, many of us are passively
accepting the future by not speaking
out instead of actively affecting it. No
one is here alone: And if you think that
the analysis given here is mere coin-
cidence or circumstantial, think again.
There were those before us that brought
us to this point and there will be those
behind us that will have to continue.the
struggle. Each and every one of us has
an obligation to meet the challenges of
the day and ovecome them so that our
younger blood may have the chances
that we do.
We must get involved! We can work
with our minority councils, join
political action groups and fight. We
can learn from the incredible study
being done right here on this campus by
Prof. Walter Allen, about black un-
dergraduate, graduate, and former
students. MSA has hired a second Black
Student Researcher. Larry Hunter.
raises
At the pinnacle of faculty concerns at
the University rests no single issue; if
there is agreement it is that there are
few absolutes which dominate faculty
thinking. What follows therefore is not
intellectual nitpicking, rather concer-
ns, issues, gripes, stones, roses which
have been tossed about by individuals
and committees. They deserve our at-
tention.
There is need to revise Regents'
Bylaw 5.09. The Bylaw currently
provides procedural protection for
tenured faculty recommended for
dismissal, demotion, or terminal ap-
pointment "for causes accepted by
University usage." The Regents'
guidelines on program discontinuance
state that the procedures of Bylaw 5.90
may also be invoked prior to the
dismissal of tenured faculty due to
program closure.
IT IS NOT clear, however, how such
hearings would be run. Presumably the
issue of a 5.09 hearing following
program closure would be the
adequacy of the administration's effor-
ts to retrain or relocate faculty slated
for dismissal. To date no tenured
faculty have been dismissed due to
program closure. A revised Bylaw 5.90
ought to be available should that ever
happen; faculty deserve explicit
procedural protection.
There is need to oversee the program
(budget) reviews process involved with
the five year plan. While the discon-
tinuance process as approved by the
Regents in 1979 has a legalistic tartness
of language, interpretations of that
process are only as good as the persons
who implement that policy. Thus
SACUA, the Assembly, and the Senate
need to heed the charge of acting as an
oversight group whether the ad'-
ministration and the faculty can agree
upon both nuances and specific action
to be taken under the review process.
Specifically, more effort must be giv-
en to the entire procedure: the initial
charge to review committees as formed
by the administration and faculty
groups; the capabilities of the exter-
nal/internal review groups the com-
munication between the various con-
stituencies;- the tenor of the hearings;
and the eventual recommendation to
the Regents.
There is need to support and then-
watch over the proposed grievance
procedure. The Assembly has approved
the principle of having faculty involved,
earlier, in any grievance procedure
within their unit, all as a replacement
for SARC which due to neglect by both.
faculty and administration had but
tepid endorsement.
THE PROPOSED procedure includes
faculty involvement, incorporates both'
internal and external colleagues on the
review panel, and consistently protects
the civil liberties of persons involved.
As units adopt the procedure SARC will
cease to have jurisdiction. But
throughout, SACUA and the Assembly
will be perceptive observers to ensure
that no faculty rights are abridged.
There is need to watch alleged
erosion of faculty perquisites. What
some call "perquisites" others call
"rights." Hence lengthening the time
between physicals is discomforting; as
is tinkering, with retirement;
(enure questions
precipitously moving some colleagues
from twelve to nine month appointmen-
ts; and others. With salary losses due to
inflation over the years, the faculty will
not be receptive to further prescrip-
tions which diminish their financial
position.
There is need to watch for alleged
coersion regarding early retirement of
faculty. While the phrase "they'll have
to carry me out of the classroom" is at
one end of the continuum, it does
represent the thinking of some who
wish to teach and research under the'
mantle of the University, they, deciding
when they wish to retireand not at the
caprice of an administrator. Whip-
sawing some persons into retirement.-
against their will- troubles those who
feel they can continue to make a con-
tribution. If gentle persuasion is used,
the faculty should have advice, counsel,
guidance, perhaps even an ombud-
sman, in order to make the best
decision.
The preceding is a preamble. It in no
way is a lamentable catalogue of one
group conspiring against another.
Rather, the statement suggests that the
faculty have worked, and will work
with each other, and the ad-
ministration, to continue a tradition at
this University where dialogue
displaces edict; where discussion
precedes decision; and where intellec-
tuals work in concert - for the good of
an institution which should continue to
be preeminent among its peers.
Herb Hildebrandt
Chairman
Senate Assembly
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Imorptant Numbers
general University
of ti = Reference, "Counsel
formation
If on Campus) ....... Dial "" Alumni .. ...... 4-0385
IfAlmn off... Camus).4-03854-8
Ifuoff Campus) ........ 4-1817 Counseling Center ... 4-9466
udentCounseling Services 76-GUIDE
lichi~an Union ........ 3-0087 Counseling Services, office of
:ampus Info. Center .... 3-4636StdnSevcs481
" -".-.-Student Services4-8312
niv. Activities Center,
Ticket Central3.... .3-1107 Counseng<SA>....3-1552
Financial Aid ....... 3-6600
o .3,LM Housing Info. ......3-3164
;vents . .. 3-WHENLegal Aid o.........3-9920
nn Arbor Bus Transit . 996-0400 Student Career Planning
ightride . .... .:......663-3888 and Placement . .4-7460
Student Employment .4-2546
iealth Student Accounts ....4.7447
thletic Ticket office .... 4-0247
M Building............3-3562 Media
CRB ...............3-3084 Michigan Student
ICRB ...............3-4500 Assembly .3-3242
ealth Service .........4-8320 Michigan Daily
mergency after (Circulation) .... 4-0558
Midnight ......... 3-4511 (Classifieds) ...4-0557
niversity Hospital ...6..4-2192 Michigan Ensian .....4.0561
Hospital Emergency ... 4-5102 Gargoyle - Leave message on
-a - door in Student Pub. Building
Muuuumu;s
Graduuatellirar
WCBN - The Campus
A -nAO Rrandro.inn aNo iwr l .2.300