4

OPINION


Page 4

Thursday, September 20, 1984

The Michigan Daily

. .... . ............. . . -- -

Denison

University's loveable leader

By Joe Kraus
Denison University is a small liberal
arts college in Granville, Ohio about 30
miles east of Columbus. It is a well-
respected school, but it seldom draws
much attention to itself.
Its faculty is well-respected, with a
number of professors publishing
regularly.
ITS FOOTBALL team is traditionally
weak, but it has very strong swimming
and soccer teams.
But in the last eight years, without
any fanfare, perhaps without its
citizens even being fully aware,
Denison University was able to
discover something that has eluded our
entire nation.
It discovered a leader.
HIS NAME was Dr. Robert Good, and
he died on Sunday.
Good first came to Denison in 1976 as
its president after having served as
U.S. ambassador to Zambia under
President Johnson. He was faced with
a declining endowment and an economy
that saw more and more students

choosing lower-priced state schools
over small liberal arts colleges.
Yet somehow, within his first two
years, he was able to restore financial
health to the University. Even more
surprisingly, though, he did so without
making any enemies.
HE RAISED funds from alumni by
focusing attention on Denison's
sesquicentennial in 1982, and by cour-
ting them with a reserved diplomatic
air and firm confidence in the Univer-
sity.
He maintained good relations with
the faculty, both in the hard sciences
and liberal arts, by always weighing
the financial and educational con-
sequences of any issue.
He was open to liberal ideas, and
when the Solomon Amendment was
passed, he carried a faculty proposal to
the trustees that the University restore
all funds to any Denison student who
lost federal funds through non-
compliance. He maintained his
position in spite of opposition from the
trustees.
HE HAD a keen sense of humor. One
year, a fraternity house pulled a prank

and publicized that the Goods would be
inviting the entire freshman class to
their home for a pizza dinner. When
several students showed up, he and his
wife, Nancy, saw to, it that they were
fed. The next year, the Goods actually

to which they invited close to half of
Granville's 3,500 residents. While
adults mingled on the ground floor,
Nancy saw to it that the children up-
stairs were supplied with cookies,
sugar cubes, icing, jelly beans, and

'He maintained good relations with the
faculty, both in the hard sciences and
liberal arts, by always weighing the finan-
cial and educational consequences of any
issue.'

But early last year, Good called an all
college convention and announced
before the entire faculty and student
body that doctors had discovered he
had an inoperable brain tumor. Unflin-
chingly, he said that he would remain
as president at least until the end of the
semester,,so that the change to the new
administration would be as smooth as
possible.
HE ALSO joked that he would have to
grow a beard because he knew he would
lose his hair to chemotherapy.
In his last several months at Denison,
Good never lost his spirit. When friends
and colleagues were driven to tears, he
was able to cheer up everyone with a
well-timed quip.
His last public affair at Denison was
commencement for the class of '84. As
ever he was cheerful, although visibly
weakened by his disease, but even he
began to cry when group after group
surprised him with scholarship funds
on his behalf and even an honorary
degree.
IT IS important to remember,
however, that Good would have been
remembered well no matter how he left

Denison.
Cancer has made heroes of many
people, but surely in his case Good was
a hero even in health.
The spirit of leadership and cheer
that he brought to Denison will continue
to affect every person-faculty mem-
ber, student, and friend-that had the
good fortune to know him well.
Those of us who knew him only
slightly will also be affected. In a time
when leadership brings with it a mantle
of disrespect, and when heroes are hard
to come by, Dr. Robert Good lived his
life as both a leader and a hero.
Denison has a new president now, and
it is, moving forward. The sadness at4
Good's departure is tempered by the
remembrances of all the good things he
accomplished while he was there. One
thing, however, is certain; all of us who
were touched by him can now more
readily look to a time when his
methods-tact, negotiation, and kin-
dness-will be the methods of all our
leaders.

did go ahead and invite the entire
freshman class to their house for a piz-
za dinner.
He was a humanitarian. Each
Christmas season he and Nancy threw
a party called "Eggnog for Eggheads"

scores of colorful little candies which
they used to build elaborate Hansel and
Gretel style houses. And every year,
hundreds of the candy houses showed
up at the local hospital just in time for
Christmas.

Kraus is editor of the
Weekend Magazine and a
of Granville, Ohio.

Daily's
residernt


Edited and managed by students at The University of Michigan

Anderson/Bennish

Vol. XCV, No. 13

420 Maynard St.
.Ann Arbor, Ml 48109

Editorials represent a majority opinion of the Doily's Editorial Board
Save the University Club

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4


14

Y oU MIGHT not realize it, but the
University Club is the most ex-
clusive club in Ann Arbor. That ex-
clusivity, however, and the fact that
the State Liquor Control Commission
wants it enforced, are creating
problems for the Union watering-hole.
In fact, there is a possibility that the UJ-
Club will be forced to close down. Such
a fate would not befit the old and dear
campus institution.
The problem is that the bar only
possesses a "private club" license
which restricts sales to students;
professors, staff members, alumni
who apply for membership, and the
guests of members. Two violations of
these limitations have been cited
within the last 30 days when liquor con-
trol officials were served without
having provided proof of U-Club mem-
bership.
Union Director Frank Cianciola at-
tributed the violations to "A
procedural slip-up", and they were un-
doubtedly just that.
The U-Club strictly enforces the
drinking age and has no need or inten-
tion to serve non-members-business
which is supposed to go to Ann Arbor's
fully-licensed bars and clubs. It is a
minor offense at most and should be
treated as such by the state.

The club is unique because no other
state-supported University in
Michigan has been allowed to possess
such a license. Several years after the
U-Club got its license in 1972, other
campuses attempted to establish
similar bars but the state 'ruled that a
private club should not be allowed to
exist on public property. The U-Club
retained its license because the law
could not affect clubs already
established. Hopefully, the liquor con-
trol commission doesn't view the
club's unique status as a reason to
revoke the license. Were it revoked, of-
ficials estimate it would be impossible
to get it back.
It is now up to U-Club officials to
acknowledge the violations, explain
the circumstances, and set out strict
guidelines for its staff and members in
order to avoid further violations.
The club's recent decision to start
checking student and faculty IDs and
issuing plastic bracelets is a
necessary, if uncomfortable step. As
members, the students, faculty, and
staff who patronize the bar should
comply with a smile-maybe even call
attention to suspected non-
members-in an effort to preserve the
U-Club's place on this campus. It's an
institution worth saving.

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LETTERS TO THE DAILY

Spoiling American children

Politics
To the Daily:
As a disciple of the Law
Quadrangle's - resident
philosopher, Brian "von" Leiter,
I am distressed by his recent
digressions into the field of
politics. Philosophers are hard
workers. They rearrange
hypotheses for a living. But deep
thought does not fnecessarily
translate into political wisdom..
In fact, the study of politics
requires more than posing
questions and then assuming an-
swers based on preconceived
ideas. It requires the study of
facts.
With this is mind, let us look at
Leite r's latest
"Opinion"- Picking the lesser
of two evils,"(Daily, September
18). He begins-as a true
philosopher would-with a
hypothetical. He ends his article,
however, by revealing that he
was not hypothesizing after all,
but actually describing two
political figures: Ronald Reagan
and Fidel Castro. In doing this,
he has left the refuge of the world
of shadows and entered the realm
of politics. Unfortunately, his
reasoning, still devoid of facts, is
based on a bastardization of
Descartes' maxim, Cogito ergo
sum. For Leiter reasons in this
way: "I think it is, therefore, it
is."
Leiter contends that both
"X"(Ronald Reagan) and "Y"
(Fidel Castro) "support fascist
governments in other countries."
"Che" Guevara would turn over
in his grave if he knew his

is the

study

LEST YOU subscribe to the mis-
taken idea that Americans are
apathetic and unwilling to make a
sacrifice for something meaningful,
here is the proof of your incorrectness
and cynicism: On Monday, 50 people
stood in line, some for as long as seven
hours, and were willing to pay almost
$40 for the chance to own a Cabbage
Patch doll. No one should question this
society's will to stand up for what it
believes in.
The darling little things hit the
market about a year ago and it's been
long lines and toy store riots ever sin-
ce. Adults do most of the fighting and
standing, but the motivating force

behind this case study in capitalism
seems to be kids. Kids want 'em, so
kids are going to get 'em.
It is the same force that demands ar-
tificially-created, sugar-laden cereals
and trips to Six Flags-health hazards
and hours of aggravation are not
enough to stem it. Parents just can't
say "No" anymore. So much time is
invested in so many things of such little
value.
Some advice to parents, current or
prospective: Don't give in. Make them
eat oatmeal, play in the park, and settle
for Barbie and G.I. Joe. Also, don't st-
and in line for anything, except maybe
books.

of

true. Instead, he relies on hear-
say. Heuce, Fidel Castro "is
known to be" a "lover of the ar-
ts" and "a friend of many ar-
tists." Is known to whom? Cer-
tainly not to the Cuban artists and
intellectuals, the great majority
of whom have deplored the.
totalitarian controls Castro has
placed over their artistic
freedom. It would not have been
very difficult for Leiter to
discover the truth about Cuban
artists, for most of them (except
those who are "political"
prisoners in Cuba, of course) are
now living in Miami and New
York. Those who left Cuba in the
Mariel Boatlift four years ago,
have alone been responsible for
starting three literary
magazines. The only major
Cuban writer who supported
Castro, Alejo Carpentier, lived
and died in Paris, not being able
to stand the "artistic
asphyxiation" in his homeland.,
Furthermore, the Colombian
Nobel laureate, Gabriel Garcia
Marquez, a former admirer of
Castro, is now one of his many
critics in Latin America.
According to Leiter, Castro is
also "thought to have overcome
considerable backwardness" in
Cuba. More "thoughts" but no
facts. For in 1958, before the
revolution, Cuba has the highest
GNP and per capita income, of
any Latin American country and
BLOOM COUNTY

one of the top fifteen in the world.
Today, this is no longer true. In
fact, after thetremendous failure
of the 1970 sugar cane har-
vest-due to economic ex-
perimentation (not paying the
workers)-the Cuban economy
collapsed. It has not recovered.
Their goal is reaching the 1958
GNP level, but they are not even
close. The Soviet Union pumps
billions of dollars into the
economy yearly trying to keep it
afloat. Economic collapse has
led to the requirement of
"sacrifices in the name of the
revolution." So although Leiter
says that Castro's "central goal
is to eliminate poverty,
malnutrition and inadequate
health care," there have been no
substantial gains in any of these
areas. Compared to other Latin
American countries, whose
economic condition was worse
than Cuba's at the end of the
1950's, Cuba has not been suc-
cessful in providing social
welfare for its people.
One last misrepresentation by
Leiter should be addressed. He

facts
says that under Castro "the up-
per classes have generally gone
elsewhere." True, but so have
the middle and lower classes.
They have left because of this
"undue centralization" Leiter
refers to. Only a philosophy
studenttwould describe Cuba's
totalitarian regime as "undue
centralization." But anyway, th
200,000 people who left Cuba when
Fidel briefly opened the border
four years ago were not members
of the upper classes. How could
they be in Fidel's "classless"
society?
I advise Leiter to use facts
when making political assertions.
It would avoid misrepresen-
tations and might even lead to
some insightful conclusions. 1.
am willing to listen to Leine
when hentalks about Nietzsche
and the "death of God", for in
those instances only faith is
required. I become weary,
however, when he dons the robes
of a philosopher king.
-Manuel Utset
September 19

Letters and columns represent the opinions of
the individual author(s) and do not necessarily
reflect the attitudes or beliefs of the Daily.

by Berke Breathed


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