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WOLVERINE OBSERVER
January 4, 1971
Page 2
Interpreting The
Anti-Crime Bill
During the previous month,
President Nixon enacted several
anti-crime measures which sup
posedly will significantly deter
and diminish the upsurging rate
of crime in America. According
to Newsweek, “the new omnibus
crime bill calls for 1,000 new
F.B.I. agents partly to meet
bomb threats and it somehow
widens the bureau’s authority to
mpye in immediately — in cases
involving bombings or police kill
ings it also authorizes the use of
federal funds to train and equip
state and local police agencies and
would permit F.B.I. agents to in
vestigate campus bombings.
It is really easy to reason that
the campus ^disturbances of the
past and present were a catalystic
factor that prompted legislative
passage of the bill. The bombing
in the Wisconsin University Math
Center, and the Harvard library
of international affairs which jeo
pardized the dives of everyone at
the locales are prime examples
of the unscrupulous criminal ac
tions that' warrant greater pre
ventive and investigative meas
ures.
However, a very delicate bal
ance exists between effective law
enforcement and essential indi
vidual liberties. Stricter law en
forcement is justified sis long as
the balance is ’ net impaired
through machi-nations 'aimed at
stifling just disent and inquiry.
The exercising of individual
liberties is justified as long as it
is channeled through rational, le
gitimate and purposeful actions.
In view of this, one can reasona
bly asert that in years to come
the anti-crime measure can prove
to be either beneficial or detri
mental toward academic freedom
to question and dissent.
If the F.B.I. and police use
their newly acquired powers to
discredit and thwart legitimate
student grievances and actions
then the nation would certainly
be much worse off than before
the bill’s enactment, what a
monumental injustice it would
be! Law enforcement officials
should be conscious of this as
they assume their expanded
powers) The prudent and just
implementation of them could
prove beneficial, otherwise it
could prove disastrous and the
pig calls would be justified. From
a different point of view we can
surmise that intensified police en
forcement can keep rihilistic in
stitutions in their senseless and
insane state of mind. In doing so
not only do they impede the pro
gress of their fellow youth, they
also gravely endanger their lives.
Maybe the anti-crime bill will en
able law enforcement officials to
better insure the safety of college
students, and prompt brotherhood
by proving that they really
aren’t PIGS, but responsible and
just human beings.
Perhaps this writer has over
simplified the matter because it
is really a very delicate and in
volved situation.
However, one can justly assert
that the clashing of injustices is
not the answer, it could result
only in : further polorization and
deep-rooted < animosities.
Therefore in the wake of en
actment of the anti-crime bill a
chqnel of communication between
law enforcement officials and
students is esential — not a chan
nel of awe and fear, but one of
mutual tolerance and under
standing. We conclude by saying
that it is the responsibility of
both the law enforcement officials
and students to preserve the deli
cate balance.
Pass Your EXAMS!
Inter-Organizational
Council Formed
S.G.A. President Cicero Hughes
called a meeting of all the organi
zations on campus for the ex-
presed purpose of forming an in
ter-organizational council. This
council would hopefully embody
every organization on campus, but
if attendance at the initial forma-
tional meeting is to be an indica
tion of the success of this endea
vor then the cause is lost already.
The only groups represented at
this meeting were, Phi Beta Sig
ma Fraternity, the Sociology Club,
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Sig
ma Gamma Rho Sorority and the
Kappas. It’s a known fact that
there are many more organiza
tions functioning on this campus
than were represented at the
meeting. Could jack of attendance
be attributed to the fact that
the other groups just didn’t give
a damn or are they too busy doing
their own thing, or just saw no
need to come. One thing is for
certain, nobody could say they
didn’t know about the meeting
because letters went to every le
gitimate group on campus.
An organization of this nature
could be very useful and timely
on this campus because we’re all
gravitating in different directions
around here and we direly need
a commoness of purpose. Also a
group of this magnitude would
be equipped to deal with anything
that concerned student life on
this campus in an effective man
ner, as opposed to a handful of
people (the same handful) being
constantly both hung-up and in
the limelight around here. We’re
constantly bullshitting ourselves
about organizing and uniting/
merging the schools in the Center
when “We ain’t got our own
shit in order.” It’s folly to attempt
to clean house elsewhere and you
haven’t cleaned your own house.
So come on pleople, let’s sup
port this council and prove to
ourselves that we can at least
be together on something one
time.
Robert Reese Editor-in-Chief.
Pass Your
EXAMS
C alley
It’s painful to read the testi
mony from Fort Hood and Fort
Benning where those who par
ticipated in the Song-my atrocity
are oh trial.
But it is' more painful still
when you realize that these trials
ate charades.
Who knows, maybe Lt. Calley
will be convicted; maybe not. The
point is that Calley and his men
are the smallest of war criminals.
What they did—and we’re not
talking about an “alleged” mas-
sa'cre, but the brutal murder of
several hundred children, women
and men is no better or worse
than what has been done by US
imperialism for a decade in Viet
nam.
The men on trial are merely
pawns—bloody pawns, inhumane
pawns, vulgar and swinish pawns,
pawns, but still pawns. What
about the Johnsons, Westmore
lands, Abramses, Nixons? What
about the military brass and the
capitalist system which sent these
filthy pawns upon their murder
ous mission? What about the
academics with their justify
tions? -
If Calley and few other pawns
are convicted, will it wash the
blood from their hands?
That seems to be the point of
it all.
Tuition rises,
are justifiable?
By ROBERT REESE
In an assembly just before the
holiday break President Middle-
ton after concluding his message
to the audience made some an
nouncements. One of the an
nouncements he made was that
tuition costs would rise and im
mediately the students reacted
with a' lot of chatter. What we
must stop to consider is that the
cost of everything is on the up
surge, and that includes educa
tion also. We must also consider
the fact that we foot only about
one third of our total educational
costs and thats an added burden
on the school. If you’ll remember
an article that was printed in
this paper (October Edition, 1970)
“Languishing- Education—Lavish
ing Defense” is was pointed out
that the Federal government ap
propriated a' mere 5.3 billion dol
lars or more for education. Then
to magnify the problem consider
if you will who gets first choice
of the money, a.) Large white
state universities b.) small white
state universities c.) white pri
vate schools d.) Black state
schools and lastly e.) private
black institutions. If present
trends continue, most of thel,500
private colleges about two thirds
of all institutions of higher learn
ing in the country may have to
close or turn public. I know for
a' fact our president spends at
least 16 hours a day trying to
raise or figure out ways to raise
much needed revenue. So lets pay
our tuition .with a smile secure
in the knowledge that its being
held at a minimum and that the
president and financial aid of
fice are trying to find all the
student aid money thats avail
able.
This paper urges students to
send Letters to the Editor on
any matters discussed in this
publication.
All letters must be signed
by the sender before publica
tion of them will appear in
this paper.
The Editor
Editorial
I hope that tnings haven’t got
ten so far out of hand that all our
illustrious greek organizations
have to do around here is mess
up the campus.
From what I can gather the
one that does the most messing
up is the best?
For those of you who don’t
know what I’m referring to, all
you have to do is just look inside
of Herndon Stadium or just look
down on the pavement around
here. It will cause somebody a
considerable amount of effort
to clean this mess up and I’m
sure the maintenance personnel
here has more to do than go a-
round cleaning up behind some
inconsiderate and irresponsible
people. I don’t know who started
this mess, but whoever did should
again assume the role of leader
and take it upon themselves to
clean this mess up and maybe the
others will again follow you? To
those fraternities and sororoities
that didn’t participate in this
mess-up, we commend you for
maintaining your sanity when
those around you obviously lost
theirs.
Suggestion
Box Should
Be USED
The African Students for Pro
gress have suggestion boexs up
for students to drop any grievan
ces or comments in them.
All students are urged to use
this medium of protest and they
promise that your grievance will
be taken up with the proper ad
ministrators.
Why is the
gym closed?
I had the experience of playing
basketball in the gym one even
ing and right in the middle of
a tight game, one of the security
guards broke it up and put us
out of the gym. There was no
activity going on in the gym at
that particular time and nome
planned for later, not even bas
ketball practice because the team
was out of town. There were a-
bout thirty odd guys who got
put out of the gym along with
me and all were students here at
M.B.C. except one fellow and he’s
a prospective student (wonder
if he changed his mind)? If the
fellows can’t play in the gym
during the evenings, where can
they play? The weak explanation
about nobody not being there to
supervise the gym isn’t valid,
some on campus student could
function as a work-study em
ployee.
It’s the little things like this
that foster student resentment
toward the administration.
‘Keep Off
the Grass’
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