OPINION The Michigan Daily 40 19 tti o g Friday, May 31, 1985 Changes in activism Page 5 movements for a lot Vol. XCV, No. 9-S As a student at the University of start and when 95 Years of Editorial Freedom Michigan and Editor-in-Chief of The something mysterio Michigan Daily in the early '60s, Tom to a very subjec Managed and Edited by Students at Hayden co-founded the student activist someone to do s The University of Michigan group Students for a Democratic Society create a spirit and t (SDS).DAILY: So does 1 Editorials represent a majority opinion of the (SDS).DAL:Sdost P Now a state assemblyman in Caifornia, of yuppyism? Daily Editorial Board he spoke with Daily reporter Kery HAYDEN: I see Murakami about the recent surge of ac- journalism in the w tivism on the nation's campuses. don't mean anythi -label started with su Diverse viewpoints er wees Then it was applied Mercedes-driving, Californian, of whic M AYOR ED PIERCE has announced that his office DAILY: I'm sorr wiladvertise publicly all non-elected openings on say was that the met the various city commissions. These commissions include vative and apatheti the Human Rights Commission, the Mayor's Energy Ad- over? visory Board, and the Zoning Board of Appeals. Notices of DAILY: Do you think this recent HAYDEN: Tha openings will be given to local news media for publication surge of activism will be able to sur- problem with label: vive a summer of inactivity? it's already begu and broadcast and also to the Ann Arbor Public Library. HAYDEN: There aren't many rules something else. I about changing social movements. I the label that stu Many of the boards and commissions have a wealth of think it's real. I think it's genuine. I vative. Students power to shape the city of Ann Arbor. A perfect example of think it's morally based. I think legitimate worries this is the Zoning Board of Appeals. The Board deals with students want to express idealism they'll get a job tha issues concerning zoning for residential and industrial combined with practicality. If they sister graduated in asres. Thencentng znix ofr eslo entind hedwstrn have some effect, they'll be back. Not with a nursing de: areas. The recent influx of development i the downtown without an occasional identity crisis friends were unsu area reflects the current trend of the zoning boards. It and debate about where do we go jobs. That was unh doesn't look good for low- and moderate-income housing. from here, but I think the days of It made it easier fo students classified as self-centered demonstrate. It do Ann Arbor is a diverse community and the commissions and apathetic are over. that students and boards of the city should reflect this fact. Students, DAILY: Did you face similar academically in or both undergraduate and graduate, constitute nearly one- problems during the summers of the ceed after college. third of the population of Ann Arbor and should be en- 60's? vatism, that's comp . . t o rHAYDEN: I don't think com- a totally different s couraged to become more involved i city government. parisons can be made accurately. I free of economic pr Many times in the past, the members of the commissions don't even see it (the summer) as a DAILY: There's and boards were friends of city council members or of the problem if students have a commit- being presented, t ment to a better world. The form of America, divestme mayor. In turn, they often rubber stamped the ideas of the action may change. They may read education cuts. Is i mayor or certain council members. They did not consider more and do less, but the issues will see as particularly what would be best for the city. be still alive in September. The you see anything students will be out then. There's a together? "In the past," says Pierce, "citizens were not aware of danger of comparing it to the 60's HAYDEN: All th the upcoming opportunities to serve on boards and com- though; in trying to decide what portant as well a: missions unless they had close ties to the mayor or city mistakes were made, what things to which I think you council members. There are too many able and qualified repeat.. There are too many prisoners will find a way to ta of the past. That's the main these issues. What i people in the community to limit the selection process to a thing-not to compare it to the past. is a growing restless few insiders." We should take it (the surge of ac- growing restlessne With thss new process, Pierce has taken an inexpensive tivism) as a sign of new-born taking constructive andWimpl sthis owrdess Painrcit h govenrnennxoensf idealism. Receive it as a new phase. problems of the wo and simple step toward making city government work for Nothing that's new can be fully un- years-a decade- the people of Ann Arbor and not the special interests of the derstood by looking at the past. These apathy, students are politicians. students have had more impact on After a decade o - South Africa than anyone else in the protests were futile whole history of apartheid. They Students are beginn TrRE IA Vl.I* Gw E i4 -SOLVlN9 &Jl0l t ought to be very proud. disagreements (wi - DAILY: Why do you think this has want to play some FLy I Eoup * started all of a sudden? What ties it togethe HAYDEN: I've been a part of social of a lack of social d BLOOM COUNTY c RiP .PEifisf WEt UIIAT$ P.~ -~~ A C EVERPEVICEf NICE JOB, AR. JONS! P~oeltois C: + ° NEc ARS Off IN A !t5 AlR L -lR Few lMV5 PIP APIRaNTy . a IE you MY 50 _____________________ /f,: rg time. Why they they start is us. It comes down tive decision by omething. They hen it begins. this mean the end you've started on orst sense. Labels ng. The "Yuppie" >upporters of Gary ulte progressive. to some kind of , quiche-eating h there are few. y, what I meant to edia has portrayed as being conser- c. Are those days at's a common s. It's applied and n to change into never believed in dents are conser- s have more s about whether an in the 60's. My Ypsilanti recently gree. Most of her ire about getting eard of in the 60's. .r us to go out and esn't surprise me compete hard der to try to suc- That's not conser- mon sense. It was ituation. We were essure. a lot of issues the CIA, Central ,nt, Reagan and his there any one you significant, or do that ties them ese issues are im- s the arms race left out. Students ake action to all of ties them together sness to apathy; a ass with society not e action with the rld. After several of being told of e tired of the label. f being told that it was inevitable. ting to assert their th society), they role in the future. r is an uneasiness irection on dealing with the issues. The nuclear arms race being out of control, the destruc- tion of the environment continuing, a very uncertain economic future in which you might not do as well as your parents. You feel like you've got to do something. Students are a barometer. If they're apathetic it's a sign of the times. When they wake up with idealism and begin challenging society then life gets a little more in- teresting. I'm tired of being the old liberal relic. I want some new blood to replace me. DAILY: I know you don't like these comparisons but I have to ask you. Do you have any words of wisdom for these students? HAYDEN: No, I think they're doing just fine. Trust your hearts. Don't get caught up in side issues. DAILY: Side issues? HAYDEN: You get a thousand students marching; off in the corner people are debating,.where do we go from here? People get mentally paralyzed by that question. They don't let it develop naturally. If today there's a demonstration, go to it. If they have some impact, they'll feel secure and their morale will go om. That's the worst crisis, if nothing- happens they'll either become more radical or else they'll drop out of school. I hope that the authority in this country-the university ad- ministrators-will be more respon- sive to students than in the 60's. You wouldn't have seen a Perry Bullard (D-53rd District), or a Lana Pollack (D-Ann Arbor) in office as you do these days. As a student in the 60's I saw that as a possibility. But I couldn't vote. The blacks I was trying to register couldn't vote without taking their lives into their own han- ds. In the 60's you wouldn't have had all these resolutions directing cities, states, and counties to divest. The fir- st national demonstration Iever went to was against Chemical Manhattan Bank's interests in South Africa. We were alone. Now you have Congressmen getting arrested for the same cause. All this means that the movement will be different. The movement in the 60's grew out of ex- cluding blacks, students, and others. The only alternative was a movement on the outside. Because of the work, today -it's more. complex. The movement has more alternatives to follow than in the streets-city gover- nment, state government, the Board of Regents. We didn't have that. by Berke Breathed ERY 6l'RIKINC I WILL Ir WORK ON A S H RISH ANYMOPY ? MN1? AFRICAN 7w wu-AMA/I? AMAyR I 1.tW T/ wH(wPIeN5' ilb tH(E U.5.?