PAGE TWO THE MICHIGAN DAILY FRIDAY, APRIL 3, 1953 U TWO COMMENTARIES: The Rights and Responsibilities Of Universities and Their Faculties . . . elleri to the Cc/ior. By CAL SAMRA Daily Editorial Director THE RECENT statement by the Associa- tion of American Universities regard- ing the "Rights and Responsibilities of Uni- versities and Their Faculties" is, on the whole, a fair-minded, tactful presentation which deserves the respect of the entire University community. The report firmly insists on the necessity for a wide latitude of "academic" freedom, yet at the same time recognizes that there are certain res- ponsibilities which an instructor owes to his students. The AAU has set-up four criteria which define the responsibilities of the college instructor. An instructor may be removed if (1) his words or actions violate legal restrictions (such as advocating the over- throw of the United States Government by force; (2) he is a member of the Com- munist Party; (3) "an instructor follows Communist practice by becoming a pro- pagandist for one opinion, adopting a "party line," silencing criticism or im- pairing freedom of thought and expres- sion in his classroom .. ." and (4) he re- fuses to testify before a legally qualified investigating committee. The first three of these criteria are well- founded. No man has an inherent right to advocate the overthrow by force of a gov- ernment which, in all other ways, protects his freedom of speech. No man has the in- herent right to participate in activities which have such a goal. And, certainly, no instructor has an inherent right to foist his own pet dogmas on his students, to the ex- clusion of other opinions. The fourth criterion, however, seems to be ill-conceived. In the words of the report: "If he (an instructor) is called upon to answer for his convictions, it is his duty as a citizen to speak out. It is even more definitely his duty as a professor. Refusal to do so, on whatever legal grounds, cannot fail to reflect upon a profession that claims for itself the fullest freedom to speak .... In this respect, in- vocation of the Fifth Amendment places upon a professor a heavy burden of proof of his fitness to hold a teaching posi- tion . . This argument assumes that an instructor who invokes the Fifth Amendment and re- fuses to testify before a Congressional Com- mittee must, ipso facto, be guilty. This as- sumption is, at best, erroneous. It is con- ceivable-and this is often the case-that an instructor will refuse to testify on principle alone. Sensitive as they are to extra-legal encroachments on freedom, many college professors, though themselves violently an- ti-Communist, refuse to testify because of a natural aversion to oftentimes unquali- fied Congressmen prying into their minds. Perhaps they feel that Congressional com- mittees have no business interfering with the affairs of the nation's universities, which are, essentially, affairs of the mind. Per- haps they feel that such investigations smack of totalitarianism. Whatever the reasons, refusal to testify may mean guilt, but frequently, it doesn't. THE AAU STATEMENT also underlined the important point that "unless a fa- culty member violates a law, his discipline or discharge is a university responsibility and should not be assumed by political au- thority. Discipline on the basis of irres- ponsible accusations can never be condoned." Unfortunately, however, the report soft- pedalled this point, and found itself har- boring a contradiction. "It is clearly the duty of universities and their members to cooperate in official inquiries . - When the powers of legislative inquiry are abused, the remedy does not lie in non-cooperation or defiance; it is to be sought through the normal channels of public opinion." Is it the duty of the university to cooper- ate when, as the AAU points out, "discipline should not be assumed by political authori- ty?" Logically, it would follow that it is the duty of the university to object vehemently when political authority trespasses on aca- demic responsibilities. The writers of the statement timidly stopped short of this con- clusion, though all prior arguments anti- cipated it. The drafters of the AAU report appar- ently realized-but didn't make explicit- the fact that today, America's colleges and universities are being investigated by men who are not entirely qualified to conduct such a probe, some of whom do not give a tinker's damn about "academic freedom," anyway one wishes to define it. Congressmen who consider George Mar- shall a "traitor," Chip Bohlen a "security risk," and Agnes Meyer a "Communist sympathizer" are in no way competent to judge scholars who allow themselves a wide intellectual scope. The fact that these Congressmen-par- ticularly McCarthy, Jenner, and Velde- cannot agree among themselves as to the definition of a Communist complicates the situation. In the past few years, the term has been stretched to the breaking point by these gentlemen, and slapped onto countless unsuspecting persons whose loyalty had hitherto been beyond censure. As a result, numerous innocents have been vilified, their reputations irreparably damaged. If the victim is not a Communist, then he is either a "sympathizer," a "pinko," a "fellow tra- veler," a "parlor pink," or a dangerous "left- winger." These loaded terms, which mean different things to different people, have also been applied indiscriminately by pub- licty hounds who have never stopped to define them. In the course of their investigations, these Congressmen have unrealistcally ignored the important fact that, at one time or another, in one way or another, every American in the country has followed one or more as- pects of the "party line," indeed can't help following some of its facets because of its ~zig-zag nature. Even Sen. McCarthy, if he were to condescend to a bit of honest in- trospection, would have to concede that at particular stages in his career, some of his viewpoints coincided with the "line" as it was then being handed down. No one would accuse the Senator of harboring Commun- ist sympathies today because 10 years ago he was as vociferous as the Reds in his condemnation of Nazi Germany. By the same token, no one would accuse the Sen- ator of being a Communist because he, like the Communists, is pressing for a Fair Em- ployment Practices Commission. Yet Mc- Carthy has not hesitated to draw wild con- clusions based on just such circumstantial quirks. There are undoubtedly very few actual Communists in the nation's colleges. But every professor and instructor in the country has, in the past and in the pre- sent, held beliefs which happened to par. allel the CP "line" of that particular mo- ment. A Taft-inspired Republican in the Business Administration school, for in- stance, might feel that the best course to take in Korea is withdrawal of Am- erican forces. The Reds would like noth- ing better. Moreover, probably many scholars hold some beliefs which in some way may cor- respond to one or several aspects of the of- ficial Communist philosophy. Some may be materialists, some may be anti-religious, some may accept Marx's interpretive dia- lectic, some may believe in economic deter- minism, some may consider Maxim Gorky a great writer, some may believe that Ly- senko is a keen scientist and not really a crackpot, some may be socialists in the Thomist tradition. But they are not, on these counts, Communists by any stretch of the imagination. The vast majority of them are loyal to their country, its Con- stitution, its democratic principles. Any investigation designed to ferret out Communists in the college field must thus be extremely cautious and discreet. It can be just and successful only if the universities themselves, the only qualified investigators, assume the responsibility. By all means, it should not be conducted in such a way as to scare the wits out of educators and deaden their thoughts. The American scholar is one of the freest animals in the world, and should be al- lowed to remain that way. It is as much of a duty of a university to protect him from indiscriminate attacks as it is to guard it- self from the abuses of those who would es- tablish a police state. By PROF. I. L. SHARFMAN Chairman, Economics Department I WANT TO congratulate the Michigan Daily for its enterprise and sense of values in printing in full the statement of the Association of American Universities, adopted March 24, 1953, on "The Rights and Responsibilities of Universities and Their Faculties." It is a magnificent statement, which merits careful study by all members of the university community. In very brief compass it brings to focus all the important elements of the bitter controversies concerning academic free- dom which have been produced by the provocative tensions of the cold war. Its pronouncements on the nature of univer- sities and their role in American life, as well as its analysis of the obligations and responsibilities of university faculties, are unexceptionable. These pronouncements are eloquent, yet restrained; incisively ob- jective, they constitute, in their unswerv- ing emphasis upon freedom of thought and freedom of speech in both teaching and learning, a reflection of what we all cherish as the very essence of our way of life. But the basic goals, as thus enunciated, are dealt with, also, in the realistic frame- work of "the present danger." It is the con- clusions arrived at in this connection that have evoked dissent in some quarters. To the present writer these conclusions appear to be not only sound and statesmanlike, but imperative corollaries of the very freedoms we all seek to protect. They can be sum- marized very briefly, in words for the most part of the statement itself. Since there can be no question that "a scholar must have integrity and indepen- dence," and since membership in the Com- munist Party involves participation in "an international conspiracy whose goal is the destruction of our cherished institutions" and whose methods include, among other things, "thought control-the dictation of doctrines which must be accepted and taught by all party members," such mem- bership in the Communist Party "exting- uishes the right to a university position." Similarly, and possessing equal cogency, "if an instructor follows communistic practice by becoming a propagandist for one opin- ion, adopting a 'party line,' silencing criti- cism or impairing freedom of thought and expression in his classroom, he forfeits not only all university support but his right to membership in the university." Both results are indispensable, not only to the further- ance of the general welfare, but to the safe- guarding of the very academic freedom which is at stake. Since, furthermore, the professor as a member of the academic community "owes his colleagues in the university complete candor and perfect integrity, precluding any kind of clandestine or conspiratorial activities," and since as a citizen he owes equal candor to the pub- lic, refusal to speak out, when his con- victions on transcendently important pub- lic matters are at issue, "cannot fail to reflect upon a profession that claims for itself the fullest freedom to speak and the maximum protection of that freedom available in our society." Accordingly, and more concretely, "invocation of the Fifth Amendment places upon a profes- sor a heavy burden of proof of his fit- ness to hold a teaching position and lays upon his university an obligation to re- examine his qualifications for member- ship in its society." This conclusion, on its face, is strikingly mild and restrained- and need not necessarily lead to termina- tion of university service. It is true, of course, and fundamental, that under the Fifth Amendment no person may be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself. But vis-a-vis the university there is no question of self- incrimination; it is merely a question of whether the university staff member ac- cords to the public authorities such cooper- ation as his responsibilities clearly entail. However innocent of the implied charge that may be involved, the professor may yet show himself lacking in an essential qualification for university service. In any event, only a reexamination of his quali- fications is recommended; less than this would, in my judgment, constitute a dere- liction of duty on the part of the univer- sity. "When the powers of legislative inquiry are abused," the statement soundly con- cludes on this aspect of the matter, "the remedy does not lie in non-cooperation and defiance: it is to be sought through the normal channels of informed public opinion.' There are two further pronouncements of highly practical import in the present situ- ation which should not be ignored. They implement the basic idea of a university which had been developed earlier, and they reflect the restricted character of such lim- itations upon absolute freedom as the pre- sent danger may render unavoidable. (1) "As the professor is entitled to no special privileges in law, so also he should be subject to no special discrimination. Universities are bound to deprecate spe- cial loyalty tests which are applied to their faculties but to which others are not subjected. Such discrimination does harm to the individual and even greater harm to his university and the whole cause of education by destroying faith in the ideals of rniversity scholarship." (2) "Unless a faculty member violates a Skit Nite .. . To the Editor: IN READING Mr. Schmiedek s letter on Skit Night it is quite obvious that he has truly reached that exalted plane to which we all aspire. He has risen above the earthly garb of a "G.D.I" to the sublime plane of intellectual thought from which, no doubt with great martyrdom, he can actually praise an action of the affiliates. Hat's off to Mr. Schmiedeke! He has succeeded in eliminating in himself all of the "ism's" so prev- alent on this campus; that is, all but one, asinine-ism. -Ben Crane * * + Skit Nite .. , To the Editor: WE ARE sorry and quite amazed that the presentation of our skit, "The African Queen," caused such a negative reaction. We would like to state, in all good faith, that our intentions were not to be dis- criminatory or to create a false picture of present day African life. The title was merely taken from the much renowned movie, and the theme was basically that of a search for the lost queen of Michigan, which to some might seem an indication of our lethargy, but to us was a means of creating a friendly spirit of fun and col- lege. May we fully declare that the skit was a presentation by two non-discriminatory groups. Par- ticipating in the skit were people of the white and Negro races, also people of Catholic, Jewish, and Protestant faiths. Within this di- versified group there prevailed only a spirit of cooperation and fun, and the implications received from some of the people who wrote to the Daily previously, were the far- thest thoughts from their minds. We wonder if any of these peo- ple actualy saw our skit, because we feel if they had, they could clearly detect the tone in which the skit was presented, and would realize that there were no at- tempts to create international mis- understanding. -Gloria Vajda President of Victor Vaughan -Earl Cline President of Delta Upsilon * * * African Safari ...Tt* To the Editor: IN ANSWER to Mr. Salazar's let- ter regarding Mr. Samra's com- ments to the "young man from Nigeria" there are several points which I feel need clarification. First, he assumes that the let- ter from the Nigerian student was not printed because it disagreed with the policy of the paper. By his own admission Mr. Salazar was not aware of all the facts as proven by his statement, "As I gather the Nigerian student want- ed to protest . .. Secondly, and more important, are some of the personal opinions held by the writdr. He sarcastical- 'ly condemns the people of this country for what he considers their feeling that the rest of the world is "backward" and "savage." Pos- sibly I can show Mr. Salazar's il- logical reasoning by pointing out an example using the common cul- tural background of him and my- self. In most schools in this coun- try the Spa'nish culture as reflected through the language is taught. Also, the great appeal in this country for Spanish artists cannot be ignored. This example is not particular merely to Spanish America but is true of other cul- tural areas. It has always been my impression that the U.S.A. be- ing a "melting pot" is a fusion of many cultures. It is true that the average citizen here regards most other countries as technologically backward and this is a fault, but an understandable one. Living in a vast techological State the in- dividual finds it difficult to com- prehend diverse standards of liv- ing found in other places. I il Thirdly, I don't agree with Mr. Salazar's opinion that the people; of this country are not sincere in breaking down the dangerous so-1 cial barriers that exist between groups. Judging from my own ex- perience, the majority of people I have met are serious in their ef- fort to solve their complex social problems. I ask Mr. Salazar what positive steps he has taken to im- prove the condition of the peon in his country. In conclusion, constructive crit- icism is always welcome anywhere, but one should only do it when they are in a cposition to do so. How childish it would be of me to criticize Mr. Salazar's govern- ment when at home I have the same if not worse. -Jaime Botero, S. Colombia Bias Clauses . . To the Editor: IN THE Feb. 15th issue of the Daily appeared a list of the Bias Clause Fraternities. I think the writer of the article rendered a valuable service to this commun- ity. The same type of article should be written each year about the Bias Clause Sororities. In the abovermentioned article the Sigma Chi Fraternity was list- ed as one of the campus fraterni- ties having bias clauses in its con- stitution or ritual. Since reading the article I have been curiously wondering about the type of men at Sigma Chi because I knew their colored porter personally. Then on the front page of the March 26th issue of the Daily I noticed that their porter had died of a heart attack after 25 years of service with this same fraternity. Sigma Chi members were his pall bear- ers. I attended the funeral. Throughout the funeral ceremony I couldn't help studying the facial expressions of these six pall bear- ers. There was seriousness and re- gret; there was human warmth and tenderness; there was the sparkle of a few tears; there was the over-all impression that they shared the loss the same as the rest of the crowd that filled the church. My memory carried me back over the years to recall the many acts of appreciation, charity, and humanitarianism with which the men of Sigma Chi had showered "Sparky" the custodian. They even gave him a new car a few years ago. While the minister was busy with the funeral procedure I was trying to reconcile a paradox in the back of my mind. How could these men so revere their custodian and at the same time sit idly by and make no effort to remove the bias from their constitution? How could they look this man in the face day after day for 25 years' and not be reminded of the bar- rier they have built around them- selves against the fulfillment of the brotherhood of man? I was convinced at the funeral that these men have a consciousness of right and wrong. But why don't they avail themselves of the Big Ten Counseling Service and take posi- tive steps to remove bias from the law that governs admittance to their ranks? "Sparky" made a tre-.. mendous contribution to the civica life of this community. Why was-+ n't he able to serve certain mi- norities as members of Sigma Chi?, These men of Sigma Chi have a heart and a sense of decency. But+ how do you appeal to this good side of fraternity men when the issue of bias clauses is involved? I I trust that as soon a possible the men that knew "Sparky" will+ remove themselves from among the bias clause fraternities on cam-+ pus so that when the bad record is again brought before the public, Sigma Chi will not be listed. --Tom Harrison Don't Let It . . To the Editor: A recently rumored movement to prevent communists, fellow travelers and pinks from attend- ing 1954's J-Hop could be the next link in the long chain of civil liberty violations on this campus. While we certainly despise com- munism, would it be good sense to p ra ct i ce dance discrimination against these individuals? I think not. Perhaps one should ask whether at Soviet universities capitalists, fellow travelers and yankee ap- peasers (at least those not vaca- tioning in Siberia) are permitted to attend the Proletarian Prom. The answer would be no. But is this the example we, a democratic campus, should fol- low? What the proponents of a thought control J-Hop fail to re- alize is that they would be using totalitarian methods while, to the same tune, praising the American way of life. This is a rather two stepped way of looking at things. Such a move by the Lecture Committee would' be a direct con- tradiction of our democratic be- lief: "You may be completely out of step with my orchestra, but I shall defend with my life your right to the dance floor provided you don't bump into too many people." While a loyalty oath J-Hop is not imminent next year, it is the future students of Michigan that we must protect. Only the other day, I heard one "jazzier than thou" reactionary whisper to another, "Today, J-Hop; tomor- row, The International Ball." But we, the enlightened, must and will stand up and be counted. Don't let it happen on this cam- pus. Don't let it happen at the VFW. Don't let it happen at Rose- land. -E. Sterling Sader * * * Campaign Rules . To the Editor: I HAVE noted with thanks that in this al-campus election, our house was not recklessly plastered with campaign posters. I would like to commend those candidates whose posters were placed in ap- propriate locations, due regard be- ing given to common standards of neatness and good taste. However, a certain few candidates showed no regard for the privacy or rights of persons living in the residence Mr. Perry's behavior was especial- ly obnoxious in that he scorned all of the other legitimate means of campaigning which all of the other candidates for his post uti- lized. He took advantage of all his fellow candidates, who could not campaign "under the door," an effective method which quickly be- comes a nuisance if all candidates are allowed to practice it. Mr. Per- ry deserves only admonition for the disrespect he has shown to- wards the men living in the resi- dence halls and his lack of elec- tioneering ethics. Other cases of offensive cam- paigning included Fred Hicks and Al Strauss, who put their litera- ture in the toilets of the three quadrangles. Such tawdry means of reaching the voters as Mr. Hicks' "John Journal" deserve only contempt. As for Mr. Strauss who also went knocking door to door soliciting votes, he should have considered that he was interrupt- ing men's studying. I was disappointed that SL did not require its candidates to abide by the house rules. It will be a re- lief when SL stops its long-winded debating and backs up its claim to represent student wishes with action. I hope that SL will take responsibility for its candidates, for the nuisance of certain posters and the invasion of student rooms will determine the extent of fu- ture campaign privileges in the men's residence halls. -John Harlan On Co-ops ... To the Editor: VERY ofteh the Daily brings to light facts concerning prob- lems which are faced in the field of student housing. Two weeks ago there appeared an editorial la- menting the lack of integration apparent in the relationship be- tween foreign and American stu- dents due to a wide difference in choice of housing. Last Sunday a news story dealing with the prob- lem of discrimination found in off campus boarding houses was pub- lished. However, very seldom, if ever, is there any mention of the many good aspects of housing at Michigan. For example, in neither of these stories was a word said about the cooperative houses on campus, living units which years ago solved the problems spoken of. In the campus co-ops; which are centrally represented by the Inter- Cooperative Council, foreign stu- dents live and work side by side with Americans. Over 20% of our membership is made up of foreign students who see the American way of life first hand-by living it. With twenty-one years of co-op living behind the organization, in- ter-racial housing is taken for granted. This is only logical since there are no arguments against it, and no higher up pressure exists which can influence policy deci- sions concerning it. Therefore, we see that the total campus. situation in regard to housing is not as gloomy as one might assume at first glance. There are still many individuals who place basic democratic principles and international brotherhood far above epidermal social prestige and personal convenience. As long as these people exist and continue to combine thought and action, there will be a social system on campus which lives up to the prin- ciples of. theoretical American democracy. -Bob Farmer, Pres. Inter-Cooperative Council RESSZ~a**N ** Investigations .. . To the Editor: REFERENCE to Mr. Groulet's letter of March 26. "No person of integrity ever fears a character investigation, or even resents it. We welcome it"- if it be conducted by a person (or persons) of integrity. -Vernon W. Shepard Sixty-Third Yeat Edited and managed by students of the University of Michigan under the authority of the Board in Control of Student Publications. Editorial Staff Crawford Young Managing Editor Barnes Connable ..... City Editor Cal Samra .. Editorial Director Zander Hollander Feature Editor Sid Klaus Associate City Editor Hlariland Britg Associate Editor Donna Hendleman Associate Editor Ed Whipple Sports Editor John Jenks Associate Sports Editor Dicit Sewell Associate Shorts Editor Lorraine Butler Women's Editor Mary Jane Mills. Assoc Women's Editor Don Campbell .... Chief Photographer 4 t' f i 4. DAILY OFFICIAL BULLETIN', The Long Count A BY FOUR O'CLOCK Wednesday night, even the sprightliest of election work- ers stumbled and fumbled over chairs, can- didates and empty Coke bottles, and the counting had still an hour and a half to go. As the list of elected candidates added up in . what was probably the lengthiest SL tabulation in history, so did the gross, inexcusable inefficiency. The idea behind prolonging the SL ballot count to an anti-climactic point was to keep interest centered on the legislature results rather than on the counting going on in Lhe small rooms off the main ball room, where the results of the otner ballots were being tabulated, according to one election official. The slow-up resulted, however, in a falling off of official counters in the minor elections. eliminate the stream of people in and out of these rooms. What seems to have been a serious failing in organization was accompanied by just such irritations as adding machine operators who seemed puzzled when faced with adding machines and tabulation sheets being tossed around like scrap paper rather than being checked in and out and signed for by the tabulators. Several dozen ballots were discarded by one un-trained worker as void, only to discover later that they were actually valid. At least three students admitted to hav- ing changed or recorded ballots on behaif of favored candidates and one counter The Daily Official Bulletin is an official publication of the University of Michigan for which the Michigan Daily assumes no editorial responsi- bility. Publication in it is construc- tive notice to all members of the University. Notices should be sent in TYPEWRITTEN form to Room 2552 Administration Building before 3 p. the day preceding publication (before 11 a.m. on Saturday.) FRIDAY, APRIL 3, 1953 fiVol. LXII, No. 128 Notices Library Hours During Spring Recess. From Fri., April 3, through Sat., Apr. 11, the General Library will be open week-days from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The two study halls in the building will be open as follows: the First Floor Study Hali will be open from 9 to 12 noon and from 1 to 4 p.m., and the Basement Study Hall will be open from 10 to 2 noonn n d from29to n m.. xcent on East and West Engineering Libraries which will be open 9 a.m. to 12 noon and 2 to 5 p.m. Monday through Fri- day; Bureau of Government Library which will be open from 9 a.m. to 12 noon and 1 to 4 p.m. daily, Monday through Friday and closed on Satur- day: Mathematics-Economics Library will be open 8 to 12 Monday through Friday; the Physics Library will be open Monday, Wednesday, Friday 9 a.m. to 12 noon; Fine Arts Reading Room will be open from 1 to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday; Museums Library 1 to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, Satur- day 9 a.m. to 12 noon; Music Library will be open from 10 to 12 noon and 1. to 3 p.m.; the Study Hall at Willow Run which will be open only the regu- lar afternoon hours 1 to 6 Monday through Friday. Schedules will be posted on the doors of the Divisional Libraries and infor- mation regarding library service during the vacation may be obtained by tele- phoning the Director's Office, Ext. 750. Al Green Milt Goetr LAane Johns Judy Lnehno Business faf Business Manager Advertising Manager ton Assoc Business Mgr. berg Finance Manager . i 7