Ninety-five Years
of
Editorial Freedom
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Vol. XCV, No. 133
Copyright 1985, The Michigan Daily
Ann Arbor, Michigan - Wednesday, March 20, 1985
Fifteen Cents
Eight Pages
. _
BAM memories reveal current
By MARLA GOLD
Students held teach-ins all over campus.
They formed picket lines outside school
buildings, held demonstrations, and blocked
.raffic. City police were called in repeatedly to
control possible violence.
Three days after the Black Action Movement
strike of 1970 officially began, students began
boycotting classes. By the strike's seventh day,
over 50 percent of the students in LSA were not
attending any classes.
THE RESIDENTIAL College and the an-
thropology department both shut down, and
while other departments continued classes. it
was generally understood that students would
not be punished for boycotting them.
Today, on the strike's 15th anniversary,
faculty and students from that era reflect on
the conservative trend which has allowed such
an intense movement on campus to be reversed.
"We're rolling sback. We're cancelling out the
BAM strike," natural resources Prof. Bunyan
Bryant, who was a graduate student at the
University during the strike.
On March 20, 1970 students picketed in front.
of Hill Auditorium the morning of the Honors
Convocation, protesting the University's lack of
commitment to increase the number of black
students and faculty on campus.
ON MONDAY, March 23, students began
boycotting classes, and passed out flyers
detailing the grievances of the strikers and
demands to the University's regents and then-
President Robben Fleming. .
Four days earlier, the regents had passed a
resolution to increase black enrollment to 10
percent by the 1973-74 school year. BAM was
angry because the regents did not plan any
concrete steps to achieve the goal.
The strike was a combination of rallies,
gatherings, teach-ins, and speeches, Bryant
said.
Bryant said the "1970s were days of rage and
anger on college campuses. The tone was one of
confusion, one of anger, one of excitement, one
of empowerment, one of alienation."
"I REMEMBER picketing at the Science
Building and at the old architecture building,
encouraging students and faculty not to attend
class. I also went to some public meetings,"
Bryant said. "The way I remember it, it was
student-initiated and student-led, and most of
the energy came out of the law school."
Edwin Fabre, now an attorney in Detroit,
was a law student at the University in 1970. He
was also the "principle spokesman" for the
strikers, he said.
He attended bargaining meetings with
Fleming and a handful of central BAM
strikers, including Anthropolgy Prof. Niara
Sudarkasa, now an associate vice president for
academic affairs.
"THE MEETINGS turned out to be like con-
tract negotiation meetings," Fabre said. "By.
and large, they were very intense."
He said he also thought the strike was very
successful, but does not believe that now.
"In light of the developments, I believe what
was done should have been a take-off point, but
it was back to school as usual," Fabre said.
Black enrollment now stands at 5.1 percent,
just slightly more than half the 1970 goal.
OTHERS ARE not quite as pessimistic
looking at the strike.
School of Education Prof. Percy Bates, who
did not hold classes during the eight-day strike,
said: "I think that the strike heightened the
sensitivity and awareness to the problem of
discrimination. There were people who were
just not aware of it and people who chose to
ignore that the situation existed. The strike
made people aware that there was a problem."
He also noted that "there was an immediate
change the next fall with a great influx of black
students."
THE REGISTRAR'S office reports that in
apathy
1968, blacks made up about 2.4 percent of the
student body. In the fall following the BAM
strike, the percentage quickly jumped to 4.7, or
over 1,500 black students. The numbers peaked
in 1976, when black enrollment was 7.6 percent.
Bates said the momentum from the strike
propelled the University's commitment for five
years, "then began to level off, then drop off."
Jon Lockard, a local artist and a lecturer for
the Center for Afroamerican and African
Studies (CAAS) in LSA, thinks of the strike as a
crack in the door. "It finally let people in to
study who are citizens of the. United States of
America.
BUT HE sees the absence of adequate "sup-
portive services" as the biggest failure of the
strike. He said that academic and social ser-
vices must be available to black students "to
make smooth transitions into major univer-
sites."
Bryant said that the students of the 1970s
See INTENSITY, Page 3
3 children
escape
van blaze,
unharmed
By RITA GIRARDI
Three children escaped injury
yesterday afternoon when the van
they were in burst into flames
outside Kline's Department Store on
Main Street.
Ann Arbor resident Sherrie Thuesonf
said she had left her children in her
1979 Chevrolet van in the parking lot
behind the store at the corner of
Ashley and Liberty shortly after 4
p.m.
"I JUST WENT in (the department
store) to buy a pair of pajamas for my
four-year-old," Thueson said.
Though Thueson had turned off the
engine, she left her keys in the ignition
so that her children Sean, 14, Kir-
sten, 13, and Todd, 4, could listen to!
the radio while tiey were waiting. Ac-
cording to Sean, sparks a4 small
See THREE, Page 2
MX missile
bill
clears
the Senate
WASHINGTON
(AP)
Daily Photo by BRAD MILLS
Three children escaped from this charred van yesterday after it burst into flames outside Kline's Department store.
City re-evaluates Bursley case
Republican-controlled Sena
President Reagan his fi
congressional victory of 1985 y
by voting 55-45 to free $1.5 billi
production of 21 highly-accurc
range MX missiles.
The president and Senate
overcame arguments that
would be vulnerable to a fi
Soviet missile attack and p
doubters that the American ba
position at the Geneva ar
would be weakened if money fo
were denied.
THE FAVORABLE MX vot(
what the negotiators need
them a shot in the arm," sai
Majority Leader Robert D
Kan.), just before the roll ca
senators began.
There is a second MX vot
Senate tomorrow, but the real
shifts to the Democrat-led
where a similar set of votesi
next week.
Among the pro-MX votes
Republicans and 10 Democrat
were 37 Democrats an(
Republicans.
The administration's 10-vot
was a comfortable one and i
Reagan's chances in the House
The vote followed a last-min
sonal appeal for the MX from
who talked to Senate Republicans c
and said a defeat for the 10-
missile "would gravely wea
national defenses."
Until the United States and the Soviet
- The Union agreed to resume arms control
te gave talks, MX foes appeared certain to win
rst big with arguments such as one made by
esterday Sen. Dale Bumpers, (D-Ark.).
on for the "ALL WE, ARE doing is giving the
ate, long: Soviets a better target to shoot at," he
said in a speech on the Senate floor.
leaders . But Bumpers recalled a steady
the MX drumbeat of administration argument
rst-strike that the MX was needed to demonstrate
ersuaded national will in Geneva.
argaining "The argument that is the most
ms talks palpable nonsense of all is that you need
r the MX this missile as a bargaining chip,'.' said
a frustrated Bumpers. "The power of
e "is just the presidency is amazing."
.to give
id Senate REAGAN WON over Democrats like
ole, (R- Senate Minority Leader Robert Byrd of
all of 100 West Virginia, who said while the MX
has major flaws, "it does add ad-
te in the ditional military punch, does
fight now strengthen our bargaining position and
1 House, puts us in a better position vis-a-vis our
is set for European allies."
In a statement after the vote, Reagan
were 45 said the MX "will strengthen our
s. Voting national security and our negotiating
d eight position at Geneva~"
Reagan ultimately wants to install
e margin 100 MXs in existing Minuteman silos
mproved deep below the prairies of Nebraska
and Wyoming.
ute, per- Some senators who voted for the MX
Reagan, yesterday said it was likely the last
aver lunch time, and pleged to oppose the weapon
-warhead when 48 additional missiles are con-
aken our sidered as part of the 1986 fiscal year
military budget this summer.
By VIBEKE LAROI
The city's assistant prosecutor who last week
decided not to prosecute a University student ac-
cused of embezzling funds from Bursley dormitory's
Board of Governors may decide to press charges af-
ter all.
LSA sophomore Rick Blalock, was asked to step
down from his position as vice president of the BOG
when board members charged him with embezzling
almost $2,500 from the residence hall government. He
allegedly used the money to rent several cars and for
other personal expenditures.
ORIGINALLY, Assistant Prosecutor Marilyn
Eisenbrau said the city would not press charges
against Blalock primarily because of a Feb. 2
decision by BOG not to take action against him if he
repaid the money by this fall. She said she thought
that decision represented the dorm residents'
opinion.
But Eisenbrau said this week that she is now re-
evaluating the case based on new information not
contained in the minutes given to her from BOG's
vote on the issue. "I don't know that I will change my
mind," she said.
The meeting minutes Eisenbrau received were
only a summarized version which did not say the vote
was an unofficial one, according to Scott Siler,
treasurer of BOG. He said Eisenbrau also was not in-
formed that the matter had been taken out of BOG's
hands.
AFTER BOG'S informal vote, Siler said that the
building director, staff liason, and treasurer decided
the decision reached by the students was probably
not the right one, and the case was then turned over to
Detective Schubring of the Ann Arbor Police Depar-
tment.
"I personally felt that it should be taken beyond the
scope of BOG," said Caroline Gould, Bursley's
building director. "I'm very surprised that the case
has not generated any kind of a student action."
Gould said she though that if the case had been left
in the hands of the student board, nothing would have
See CITY, Page 2
Key defense witness
testifies in arson case
COINCIDENCE A CAUSE:
Fine recounts '67 Detroit riot
By NANCY DRISCOLL ,
Sarah Nedelcovici, a key witness in
the intra-University trial of a former
law student charged with setting fire to
his dorm room, testified yesterday that
James Picozzi was in good spirits a few
lays before the fire occurred.
Nedelcovici, a 1983 graduate of the
University's law school and Piccozi's
former girlfriend, said that when she
spoke to him two days before the fire
broke out he seemed to have had "a
good week at home" over Spring Break.
She said that he seemed optimistic
about getting accepted into Yale Law
School.
NEDELCOVICI said that her senior
year she had lived across the hall from
former law student Kathy Rickowski
who whe often heard speaking loudly
with several other law students about
their dislike of Picozzi. She testified
that on the night of the fire she saw one
of those former law students, Tom
Goode, across the law quad and that,
"He looked very nervous, shaking like a
leaf."
Prosecuting attorney Peter Davis
asked Nedelcovici if she believed that
Rickowski set the fire. "I don't know
who set the fire," she responded.
Nedelcovici also told Davis that neither
See KEY, Page 2
By KYSA CONNETT
The famous Detroit Riot of 1967 was
more the result of a series of unusual
coincidences than racial tension,
History Prof. Sidney Fine told a
crowd of 500 at Rackham Auditorium
yesterday. He delivered the
distinguished Henry Russel lecture.
The 10-day riot, which left 43 people
dead and 657 injured, began when
police busted an illegal bar early on
Sunday, July 23, 1967, Fine said. The
"blind pig" was located on Twelfth
Street between Dexter and Linwood.
POLICE RAIDED the watering
hole at 4 a.m. - a -time when the
police force is short-staffed and
gawkers quickly flock to the source of
sirens.
As a result, a large crowd gathered
outside the bar and the police department
was unable to send.more than a few
additional officers to the scene. To
make things worse, a paddy wagon
driver got lost on his way to the bar.
One of those arrested shouted
"Black Power" and condemned the
police. The mob - consisting largely
of prostitutes and pimps - grew
unruly.
But that outbreak might not have
turned into a 10-day tragedy had ad-
ditional police forces been sent in
immediately to crack down on looting
and arsons. Because Detroit was a
model city for racial relations, the
city's mayor delayed asking for
help. Then, after the state did send in
the militia, President Lyndon Johnson
stalled before sending in the army.
Looters weren't necessarily par-
ticipating in a racial rebellion, Fine
said, recalling as an example one
black man seen dragging a couch
down a street. When asked by a
policeman if he was a rioter, the black
man said . he was merely a
"psychiatrist making house calls."
Fine
...riots sparked by chance
TODAY
Spring at last!
t may seem like another month away, but Spring has
finally arrived. Today at 11:14 a.m. -- the vernal
equinox - marks its official beginning. The equinox
occurs when the sun crosses the equator in its ap-
parent move north, bringing warmth and leading to balmy
-MMMONEN%
dance, if it hasn't occurred already, can soon be expected.I
"When the first warm days of spring come, we all feel a
desire to escape, to run away. It becomes difficult to con-
centrate on serious matters, and we experience in-
definable, vague yearnings that disturb our psychic balan-
ce and have a bad influence on our professional activities,"
writes Dr. Michel Gauquelin, a French psychologist.
Despite general refusal to remain cooped up indoors,
however, University students may have to bear with thej
fickle Michigan weather a little longer. according to the
women of Helen Newberry dedicatedly sunbathing on their
patio.
Sheriff's honor
An "honor-system" candy box left by a candy distributor
at the Madison County Sheriff's office in Idaho came up $118
short, but the sheriff says the missing money is not his
that box," he told the commissioners. "It won't come from
the sheriff's office." Scouten said she leaves notes on her 30
boxes whenever there is a shortage, and the missing funds
usually are made up.
!1 J.I1L _*._.
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