OPINION
Page 6 The Michigan Daily Thursday, May 12, 1983
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The Michigan Daily
Vol. XCIII, No. 4-S
93 Years of Editorial Freedom
Managed and Edited by students of
The University of Michigan
Editorials represent a majority opinion of the
Daily Editorial Board
UGLi situation
UNIVERSITY STUDENTS have little to
cheer about in the new plans to renovate
the Undergraduate Library. Though the
renovations may improve the library environ-
ment slightly they lack significant student in-
put.
The library is in desperate need of
renovations. The building is a true eyesore on
campus and the interior seems to be designed to
maximize noise while minimizing study space.
David Norden, head of the UGLI, plans to add
three hundred new seats to the building by
removing part of the library's book collection.
He also plans to carpet three floors of the
building in an attempt to muffle the persistent
chatter. Norden said he may also restrict
smoking to the fourth floor lounge.
The problem with the renovations is Norden's
failure to incorporate student input into the
project. Norden claims that he is taking student
concerns into account through the suggestion
box in the UGLi and a student survey conducted
three years ago. This is a poor excuse for
"student input".
It isn't even the first time in the past six mon-
ths that the University library system has been
chastised for failing to involve students. In
December of last year, Norden and Director of
University Libraries Richard Dougherty were
virtually driven out of the MSA chambers by
the shouts of enraged assembly members,
when they announced plans to remove vending
machines from the Graduate library.
At that time Dougherty said he was not
willing to reconsider his plans to remove the
machines because the lounge renovation had to
take place during the Winter recess when they
would be least disruptive. Norden said that
while he might be interested in additional
student input the renovations must take place
during the summer in order to minimize the in-
convenience. While this is a valid concern
neither he nor Dougherty have solicited studen-
ts to find out what type of study facilities they
want.
What is needed is a student-faculty advisory
board to make suggestions to Norden and
other library administrators about what they
want in the Undergraduate Library. The
Michigan Student Assembly should demand a
student voice in these decisions that directly ef-
fect a student's ability to study and concen-
trate.
As of now the renovations will go on as plan-
ned. When the tens of thousands of students
return in the fall one can only hope that their
ideas for a better Undergraduate Library con-
cur with those of David Norden.
Changing perspectives
4
By Franz Schurmann the people and thus have control little more than a v
over policy. What is "up there" "trickle down." Now,
One of the paradoxes of the has the power, the wealth, the case of Iran, an ostens
contemporary world is that the privilege. weaker country can t
governments of countries which We Americans can read our figurative nose at the
once seemed immensely power- own adulation of what is above in power - and it app
ful now find it hard to make even the profligate use of the word there is little the power
their most trivial policies work. "super," as in Superbowl, super- about it.
The Mitterand government im- power, supermarket and so forth. Meanwhile, Japan
posed some minor austerity We see it in the way the world Germany have discove
measures in France and ignited economy is analyzed, as in a Nor- horizontal "ripple
the fiercest street demon- th which is always assumed to be technology and c
strations there since May 1968. at the top of the scale, and the products abroad eari
Three and a half years ago, the South which is naturally "down profits and creates
Soviets tried to help out their there." We also have recently en- trouble than the strong
revolutionary comradestin countered it in the Reaganites' down approach which b
Afghanistan and now have their supply-side theories, with their disastrously, during1
own Vietnam on their hands. promise of "trickle down" to the perial heydays.
Ronald Reagan packed the En- less fortunate folks below. Not just in the world
vironmental Protection Agency The notion of hierarchical ver- but in everyday life
with his henchpeople and suf- ticality, with its corrolary people increasingly re,
fered his worst domestic political assumption that government is told what to do - or if ti
embarrassment as a result. And the primary organizational force telling, increasing]
if he perseveres in his efforts to in society, worked beautifully for frustration because few
impose his will on Central the United States during World All the laments about
America, chances are the tide of War II. As a result, it intoxicated losing respect for
Marxism will run stronger than many Americans with the teachers and elders
ever, thought that what we did in war- point: It is harder and1
How could the U.S. government time we could do in perpetuity . exercise power and
- which carried out history's Even Ronald Reagan, who and more and more
greatest economic buildup during preaches getting government off must be wielded thro
World War II, beating into un- people's backs, believed he could suasion.
conditional surrender such somehow use government to do Japan and German
mighty countries as Nazi Ger- just that. After all, he lived his headstsrt on the rest of
many and Imperial Japan - entire adult life, save for his own 1950s, when their s
have come to such weakness so presidency and a few years defeated nations forced
soon? before it, in an era when the U.S. take the low-profile, h
one place to begin addressing government was resplendent in path. Ronald Reagan m
this complicated question lies in its power and moral assertion. sider that path himself
the distinction between two ap- What happened? As some in- his dealings with the
proaches to government - the ternational economists have Ironically, he could eni
"vertical" and the "horizontal." noted, it appears that the world is more of what he wants
In most modern countries, coming more to operate on will by threatening th
people have long been con- horizontal rather than vertical Pershing II missiles.
ditioned to think of the world as principles. In earlier days, for
operating along a vertical axis: example, the developed countries
Parents are above their children could simply manipulate poorer
and thus have command over countries through dependency Schurmann wrote thi
them;governments are above relationships, leaving them with for the Pacific News Se
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