FAGE SIX THE MICHIGAN DAILY TUESDAY, DECE1'f 3ER 4, 1956 PAGE SIX THE MICHIGAN DAILY TUESDAY, DECEMEER 4, 1956 - I BY COUNCIL'S ADAMS: Text of SGC Letter To Sigma Kappa BY SORORITY'S BROWN Text of Sigma Kappa Reply to SGC (EDITOR'S NOTE: Following is thes MUSKET TICKETS now sold at MICHIGAN THEATRE Read and Use Daily Classifieds WILL your Christmas gift be remembered in July? (See personal section-classified) complete text of the letter sent by National Sigma Kappa President Wava Brown to Student Government Council President William H. Adams.) (EDITOR'S NOTE: Following is the complete text of the letter sent by Student Government Council Presi- dent William H. Adams to National Sigma Kappa Secretary-Treasurer Mrs. Margaret Taggart, Copies of the let- ter were also sent to National Pan- hellenic Conference, Mrs. Hogan; De- troit City Panhellenic, Mrs. Boyle; Sigma Kappa Province President, Mrs. Otto; Ann ArborCityrPanhel- lenic, Mrs. Hodgson; Alpha Mu Chap- ter Sigma Kappa; Cornell Chapter; Tufts Chapter; Dean Bacon; Vice- President Lewis; Regent Baits; Uni- versity Panhellenic President.) I r October 15, 1956 Dear Mrs. Taggart: At a meeting of the Student Government Council October 10, the Council directed that the fol- lowing statement be sent to the National Council of Sigma Kappa: "On December 5, 1956, the Student Government Council will make a decision on the question of possible violation of University regulations on the part of Sigma Kappa. At that time the Council will act on the basis of all available informa- tion. S t u d e n t Government Council considers this statement an official invitation to all inter- ested parties to present all per- tinent information which they 'desire." Serious question is raised as to the status of the Alpha Mu chap- ter of Sigma Kappa because of the "unexplained" suspension of chapters of Sigma Kappa at Tufts and Cornell. This has caused some to assume that the suspensions may suggest a restrictive mem- bership policy on the part of National Sigma Kappa. Student Governmet Council wonders whether similar action might be taken in a similar situation were it to arise at the University of Michigan. Such an action would clearly contradict the policies and regulations of the' University of Michigan under which Sigma Kappa petitioned and received reognition. Petition for recognition was made to Student Government Council and recognition was granted on March 18, 1955 with the understanding by the peti- tioning group and by the Student Government Council that the na- tional organization with which it was to affiliate did not prohibit membership in the organization because of race, religion, or color. For your information may I clarify the jurisdictional responsi- bility which rests with the Student Government Council. To this end I am enclosing the detailed story of the development of the Council as presented by Professor Lionel H. Laing, chairman of the study committee which recommended the establishment of the Council. From this statement you will note that Student Government Council replaces and assumes the functions and responsibilities of the former student government body known as the Student Legis- lature and of the Committee on Student Affairs. Actions of the Council are subject to, review by the Board in Review, the compo- sition of which is indicated in the enclosed statement. The Committee on Student Af- fairs was a Senate Committee com- posed of members of the faculty, administration and students. The area of its jurisdiction was stated as follows in Regents' By-law 8:13: "Full supervision and control of all student activities other than athletic activities and those falling within the juris- diction of the Committee on Student Conduct, shall be vested in this committee, and no such activities shall be organized or launched without first obtaining permission from the committee." Jurisdiction relating to recogni- tion or withdrawal of recognition of student organizations is de- fined in the following statements from UNIVERSITY REGULA- TIONS CONCERNING STUDENT AFFAIRS, CONDUCT AND DIS- CIPLINE, an official publication: p. 3 "No student organization is allowed to use University fa- cilities or to function as a University student organiza- tion until it has been offi- cially recognized by the Committee on Student Af-< fairs." (now Student Gov- ernment Council) p. 5 "In order to remain offici- ally recognized, it is required that the organization (1) continue to meet the condi- tions for initial recognition previously listed (2) the or- ganization act in good faith with the spirit of the regula- tions for recognized organ- izations ..-" Relating specifically to mem- bership in student organizations, the Council's jurisdictions are de- fined in the following regulation: p.3 "Recognition will not be granted any organization which prohibits membership in the organization because of race, religion, or color." (Committee on Student Af- fairs, May 3, 1949) p.6 "Action directed toward withdrawal of official recog- nition may be instituted di- rectly by the Committee on Student Affairs (now Stu- dent Government Council) or through the committee on the request of the President of the University. In either instance, immediate respon- sibility for investigation will be taken by the committee (Council.) If the action to withdraw recognition is based solely or principally upon failure of the organiza- tion to meet the require- ments for the maintenance of recognition the Committee on Student Affairs (now Student Government Coun- cil) will assume final judg- ment. After review of uhe evidence obtainable, officers of the organization concerned will be heard by the com- mittee (Council). If recog- nition is subsequently with- drawn by the committee (Council) the reasons there- fore will be publicly stated by the chairman of the committee (Council.) We are confident that National Sigma Kappa shares our pride in the Alpha Mu chapter which has made such an excellent record for itself on our campus since March 18, 1955 when it became a full member of the University com- munity. We sincerely hope to have your cooperation in clarifying the status of Alpha Mu chapter at the University of Michigan and look forward to hearing from you at an early date. Three Schools Offer Grants A training program in public administration including fellow- ships to study at three Southern universities next year is being offered to students who will re- ceive B.A. degrees next June, Beginning this June, recipients will serve with a public agency such as TVA or a city or state government and will continue their programs of study during the 1957-58 school season with gradu- ate study at the Universities of Alabama. Tennessee or Kentucky. The fellowships grant $1500 a year plus college fees. Completion of the twelve months training period entitles fellows to a certificate in public administration. Information about the program may be obtained by writing to the Educational Director, Southern Regional Training Program in Public Administration, University of Alabama. The deadline for sub- mitting applications is March 9., WILL your Christmas gift be remembered in July? (See personal section-classified) Dear Mr. Adams: Your letter of October 15, 1956, addressed to the National Council of gigma Kappa, recites the fol- lowing:j "Serious question is raised as to the status of the Alpha Mu chapter of Sigma Kappa because of the 'unexplained' suspension of chapters of Sigma Kappa at Tufts and Cornell. This has caused some to assume that the suspensions may suggest a re- strictive membership policy on the part of National Sigma Kap- pa." (emphasis supplied) Reduced to simple form and based on what some have "as- sumed," the charge against the Alpha Mu chapter can be para-1 phrased thus: The status of Alpha Mu chapter of Sigma Kappa at the University of Michigan is now being threat- ened, not because of anything the Chapter or its membership have done, but because someone "as- sumes" that its parent has vio-' lated, at other colleges, rules1 which have been adopted for the University of Michigan campus. It has been fundamental in the United States that: (a) Each be charged with his own offense in definitive and spe- cific language, (b) He is presumed innocent until proven guilty; and (c) The burden of proving guilt November 30, 1956! lies with him who makes the charge. Your letter makes no charge against the Alpha Mu chapter. On the contrary, you specifically state: "We are confident that Na- tional Sigma Kappa shares our pride in the Alpha Mu Chapter which has made an excellent re- cord for itself on our campus since March 1st, 1955 when it became a full member of the University community." (emphasis supplied) In addition we submit the fol- lowing for consideration:. 1. We have filed our by-laws and constitution with the appro- priate University officials and will keep them advised of any changes. 2. The scope of the proceeding instituted by the Student Govern- ment Council is so broad and un- limited that it constitutes, in our view, a dangerous precedent not only with respect to Sigma Kappa but in the entire American way of life. (a) There is no evidence what- soever of any misconduct by us or our chapter at the University of Michigan. (b) The Student Government Council is inquiring into the rea- sons for Sigma Kappa decisions made with respect to our own in- ternal affairs in areas other than the University of Michigan cam- pus. We believe that under the University regulations the geo- graphical scope of the Council's' authority is intended to ipe and is limited to the University of Michi- gan campus. This too is founda- mental in the traditions of our country. Our position is not peculiar to Sigma Kappa; no national organi- zation similarly situated, includ- ing churches, colleges, lodges, or universities, could acquiesce in an inquiry of this scope because ac- quiescence would result in others insisting on similar information from the -national organization whenever anybody questioned the propriety of its action elsewhere. 3. The Student Government Council is asserting power over the Alpha Mu chapter which, in a very real sense, can be treated as a hostage on the Michigan cam- pus. However, in this country, hostages are neither taken nor punished. Sigma Kappa and the Student Government Council may differ with respect to the scope of each other's rights, but it is un- just that the Alpha Mu chapter and its individual members, against neither of whom are any charges made, suffer because of such disagreement. We regard these matters to be of great moment with respect not only to Sigma Kappa but also to all fraternities and sororities on the University of Michigan cam- pus. We cannot bring ourselves to believe that the Student Gov- ernment Council nor the student body of the University of Michi- gan would condone the violation of the American principles against punishment without evidence of wrongdoing and punishment with- out responsibility. We shall await the decision of the Student Government Council with confidence. SGC To Consider Possible Violation (Continued from Page 1) Most campus controversy at that time centered around writ- ten clauses, which were reportedly in effect then in three sororities and 22 fraternities. Daily and editorial comment at the time was limited strictly to implications for the clauses. The regulation was accompa- nied by another calling for all recognized organizations to sub- mit their constitutions to the Of- fice of Student Affairs. Wording Broad On the other hand, the word- ing of the regulation is quite broad, applying to all organiza- zations which "prohibit mem- bership" on racial and religious grounds. And on at least one oc- casion - Trigon's tentative re- quest in 1952 for permission to affiliate with Pi Kappa Alpha Na- tional, which restricted member- ship to "white" men - no-writ- ten agreements were made an is- sue. The broad nature of the regula- tion is supported by a further! University rule providing that maintenance of recognition is de-! pendent on continued meeting of "the conditions for initial recog- nition" and on the organization's acting "in good faith with the spirit of the regulations for recog- nized organizations." No Statement Anywhere At the time of its reactivation last year, Sigma Kappa's, nation- al constitution was submitted to Dean of Women Deborah Bacon. Dean Bacon yesterday denied that her statement contained nol reference to race or religion that could be construed as cer- tifying Sigma Kappa's compli- ance with the 1949 membershipI regulation. "I simply certified to a written document," she ex- plained, adding that she could ilot possibly attest to the intentions$ of Sigma Kappa's officers to "act in good faith with the spirit of the regulations-" The third point of contention-is wthethire national's action-i it in fact was an attempt to re- strict membership-has bearing on the situation. In other words, was the local or the national granted recognition in 1955 and required to keep open membership policies, and if only the local branch, is it governed by national membership? Sigma Kappa local President Barbara Busch, '57Ed, has said that the local chapter has "no indication that the national would take any action" were the local to pledge a Negro'woman, con- tending it had "no knowledge of the nature of its sister chapter's differences with the national sor- ority." The question of "dual" recogni- tion was considered by the SAC in 1954, when it granted the Stu- dent League for Industrial Democ- racy recognition as a reactivated local group. Loosely Tied Assured that the local was only "loosely tied" to the national Stu- dent League for Industrial Democ- racy and the League for Industrial Democracy, SAC granted only tentative recognition on the basis of examining just the local SLID constitution. Full recognition was not granted until both the national SLID and LID constitutions had been ex- amined for conformity to Univer- sity regulations and approved. Dean Bacon yesterday con- strued SAC or SGC recognition of a local affiliated group as con- stituting recognition "of the na- tional organization as one suitedf for this campus. If the national{ is recognized, a group of persons may be its local representatives." Dean Bacon said that "very clearly" rules governing campus organizations "refer to nationals as well as to locals." There has been no suggestion by Sigma Kappa local that it has a separate constitution fromn its' na- tionai. In the efforts to affiliate with Pi Kappa Alpha, on the basis of local omission of a bias clause contained in the national consti- tution, provided that the national fraternity approved the omission and that there existed no agree- ment with the national concerning K CUL AK LAlIKIK iNI31 U t UVN KtUUt31. restrictions. The SAC action approving a dual standard was never tested, 23c EACH ADDITIONAL because of Trigon's later with- drawal of its offer to affiliate. And whatever the implications of the Tufts and Cornell suspen- All PrcsLess 10%' Ior CASH and CARRY sions, Gloria Tennant, '57Ed, afe v t a former active of the local, has charged that Sigma Kappa's na- tional imposed racial membership r restrictions on the local even be- fore the two suspensions occurred. E. Liberty St. The fourth question is SGC's & Fifth Ave. jurisdiction, which is based on a section of the regulations which PHONE says "Action directed toward with- NO 2-3123 drawal of official recognition may be instituted directly by the Com- mittee on Student Affairs ... In Use Our Convenient Drive-In Service either instance, immediate respon- sibility for investigation' will be taken by the Committee ... Under the SGC plan, approved by the Regents two years ago, SGC and the Board of Review "replace" the SAC and the Student Legisla- ture. -- Dos Du Pont, 4 h irle mle n whflo h ave d efin ie -military .7 I .....:. 4 1 commitments? I Oran A. Ritter, Jr., expects to receive his B.S. in chemical engineer- ing from Louisiana State University in June 1957. He's now editor- in-chief of the "L.S.U. Engineer," local president of Tau Beta Pi, and senior member of the Honor Council of his university. Oran's ques- tion is on the minds of many men planning a technical career. 'S ?"IIIG Ule ~'I 44t,I %.4 0 C P JUST ARRIVED! All Wool Shetland Cardigans 795 They just came in' Too late to sketch, but in 1 '4 Donald 0. Sutherland graduated from Virginia Polytechnic Institute in 1953 with an M.S. degree in chemical engineering and an R.O.T.C. commission. He was hired by Du Pont's plant at Victoria, Texas. After two years in the service, Don returned to his.career in engineering, and is now doing plant-assistance work in the technical section at Victoria. YES, Oran, we certainly do! We've employed quite a number of college graduates with definite military commitments, even when we knew they could work no more than a few weeks before reporting for duty. Take my own case. I was hired irn November of 1953 and month's salary. When he's entitled to a vacation but doesn't have time to take it before leaving, Du Pont gives him equivalent pay instead. Even if present employment is impossible, Oran, we definitely recommend your talking with Du Pont's repre- sentatives as well as those of other companies. The very least you'll gain will be valuable background and some contacts of real benefit to you when you leave military servict. I WANT TO KNO~fW MORE about xum.1in, with fDu Pont?9 the much wanted colors charcool brown, heather green, maize, jade green and peach . . m sizes 36 to 40. The quantity is small, so come early.