The Michigan Daily-Wednesday, July 23, 1980-Page 3
Local Sceneit
SCORES ON FREE SPEECH MALICE COUNTS
DE T
scored.
a fedei
Marwi
U.S.
wins partial dismissal
By HOWARD WITT
SpecialitoTheDaily MARWIL CHARGES THE committee members speech-dismissed yesterday by Pratt-
deliberately sidestepped applicable department and from departmental meetings in Febr
'ROIT-University attorneys yesterday College policies requiring that he be granted a tenure March, 1978 at which Marwil clashed wi
a significant victory over Jonathan Marwil as review in his sixth year of employment with the over hiring practices.
ra1 district judge here dismissed two counts of University. MARWIL HAD CONTENDED that thed
l's five-count lawsuit against the University. The University contends University-wide policies terminate his contract without 'a
District Court Judge Philip Pratt ruled during were followed in Marwil's case and that department review-reached in May, 1978-was made 1
-stemmed
uary and
th Mathes
decision to
tenure
because of
this seventh day of testimony that three engineering
humanities department administrators did not
violate Marwil's right of free speech or act with
malicious intent when they refused to grant Marwil a
review of his qualifications to receive tenure.
UNIVERSITY ATTORNEY Robert Vercruysse,
who had asked Pratt on Monday to dismiss Marwil's
entire case, said yesterday afternoon the two
dismissal rulings 'severely undercut Marwil's case
and predicted Marwil might abandon his suit today.
Marwil's attorney, Jerold Lax, denied that the
dismissal ruling was anything beyond a disappoin-
tment, adding he had no intention of giving up.
Marwil, a former assistant professor in the
engineering humanities department who has been
off the University payroll since May 31, 1979, is suing
the Regents and three members of the humanities
department administrative committee: Department
Chairman'J.C. Mathes and Profs. Ralph Loomis and
Dwight Stevenson.
his vociferous opposition at those meetings to depar-
tmental policies.
"The court," Pratt said, "finds no evidence that the
assertions (made by Marwil at the departmental
meetings) played any role in the subsequent conduct
of the chairman or the department."
Pratt said the manner, not the context, of Marwil's
presentations was critical in the non-reappointment
decision.
THE JUDGE ADDED that Marwil's behavior at
the meetings "was a continuation of the type of
(abrasive) conduct that was a concern of the depar-
tment for some time."
In dismissing Marwil's contention that the ad-
ministrative committee interfered with his contrac-
tual relationship, Pratt said h6 found no evidence "of
any intent to interfere with (Marwil's) contract right
on the part of the defendants."
See 'U', Page 10
administrators were justified in terminating his con-
tract because the outspoken assistant professor's
"abrasiveness" was detrimental to the department.
The alleged violation by Mathes, Loomis, and
Stevenson of Marwil's constitutional right of free
Prof predicts
U.S., U.S.S.R.
confrontation
the conflicts, which did not lead to war,
By JOYCE FRIEDEN and the 13 per cent that did.
Some sort of military confrontation ACCORDING TO Singer, one part of
between the United States and the the rationale behind the militaristic
U.S.S.R. is highly probable in the years decisions of world leaders is the image
ahead, according to University they think they will project to their
Political Science Prof. J. David Singer. colleagues. "Nobody wants to be
In an interview yesterday, Singer thought of as naive, i.e. trusting of their
said President Carter's recent order to adversary," he said. "Or, if they are
deploy ships from the U.S.'s Sixth and willing to risk that, they are afraid to
Seventh fleets in the Persian Gulf area have their 'political virility' called into
and his call for draft registration of question: 'What'sa matter? You afraid
men born in 1960 and 1961 are "clearly of a little nuclear war?'
acts of confrontation." "Political decision-making has little
SINGER GAVE two possible reasons to do with rationality," Singer said at
for Carter's decision to order young another point in the interview.
men to register. "It is supposed to let The professor cited two opposing
the Soviets know he's serious (about views concerning military conflict,
protecting U.S. security interests), and saying some people feel conflict is less
it is also to protect him from the hawks likely when a strong power is facing a
at home," Singer said. "as far as the very weak one, while others see con-
latter purpose, the move was a com- frontation as less likely when two
plete failure. All it did was create a equally powerful countries are facing
climate in which a cowboy like Ronald each other.
Reagan could get nominated for "The person who believes in the lat-
president." ter theory is resting his hopes on a slim
Singer is in the midst of researching reed," Singer said. He said statistics
the "correlates of war," a project he show in 80 per cent of the wars being
began in 1964. "We are looking at what studied, the powers involved were of
conditions and events ,have been equal military strength.
historically and systematically "THE 'BALANCE of terror' is sup-
associated with the incidence of war in posed to be reassuring - no rational
the hope that we will discover enough people would go to war if they knew the
about the etiology of war to someday destruction that the enemy could cause
reduce its incidence," he explained. would be horrible and equal to what our
Singer and his researchers are side could do. That's like saying World
looking at the 225 incidents of military War I never should have happened,"
confrontation which have occurred sin- Singer said.
ce 1815 and have involved at least one Although Singer predicts a military
major power. They are trying to assess confrontation between the U.S.S.R. and
the difference between 87 per cent of SeC PROFESSQR. Page 11,.
Stretch it out
Workers complete the task of stretching hundreds of yards of fabric over
booths yesterday in preparation for the opening of today's Art Fair. Thousands
of visitors are expected to attend the event, which will end Saturday evening.
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