University of Michigan - Michiganensian Yearbook (Ann Arbor, MI)

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jf Opposite page clockwise from left: Students dem- onstrating in the Israeli Rally on the Diag. Next: The Arab-Israeli open discussion. Next: stu- dents in front of the Grad Library demonstra- ting against U.S. involve- ment in Chile. Next: A large turn-out for the Israeli Rally. Left this page: Dramatizing a CIA agent observing the Chil- ean government. students react to Chilean plight On September 12, it was learned from Santiago that Socialist President Salvadore Allende had died, in coup orchestrated by rightwing generals. Allende never had smooth sailing in his efforts to lead Chile down a socialist path. A long series of crip- pling strikes had made chaos of the Chilean economy. In bringing down Allende, the military had the support of those sections of the citizenry which had been disadvantaged by socialist reforms. Pro- Allende elements had no comparable police force and have been systematically repressed. On October 7, less than one month after the coup, we received word that Egyptian tanks and men had poured across the Suez Canal while Syrians struck Israel on the Golan Heights in a renewal of violence in the Middle East. Each side blamed the other for initiating hostilities. With heavier losses than in the 1967 six-day war, the Israelis were able gradually to push Arab forces back to the boundaries at which the violence had or- iginated. The UN moved in to enforce a stalemate situation in hopes of later settle- ment. At certain moments, it seemed as if the university community might react to these events with the same discouragement and apathy that has characterized campus polit- ical feeling in the last couple of years. For many on campus, this is just what happened. But there were also some scattered signs of the activism of the late ' 60 ' s. For those who cared enough to say any- thing about it, the Chilean Coup was a moral and political outrage. Demonstrations march- ed to Representative Esch ' s office in hopes that he would make a public statement on the coup. An open letter, signed by certain concerned members of the Ann Arbor Community, including students, TF ' s and faculty, requested that the U.S. Foreign Relations Committee investigate possible ITT and CIA involvement in the Chilean affair. Two teach-ins on Chile were soonsor- ed by the University Catholic student Chapel. Reaction to the outbreak of another Middle East war was more mixed. Some Arabic and Jewish students here felt strong loyalties to their respective sides. Jewish students par- ticipated in a demonstration and sought fi- nancial aid for the Israelis. On the other side, a conference of certain campus radical mili- tants denounced Zionist Imperialism . In total, social-minded students had to be discouraged by these tragic international developments. But it is gooqthat discourage ment aid not drown out active concern. 83

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SGC student apathy or action? As the revelation and accusations sur- rounding the Watergate affair surfaced throughout 1973 and 1974, Americans be- came aware of an unending parade of nation- al political corruption and scandal. Myster- ious campaign contributions found their way into political coffers; seemingly sincere state- ments have become inoperative . Eventually the vice-president resigned and pleaded guilty to income tax charges. The President fired special prosecutors whose investigations got a little too close to the Oval Office. The White House staff told the courts that two of the infamous Watergate tapes had never existed. The average length of the term of a U.S. Attorney General decreased astronomically. Voices crying for Nixon ' s impeachment or resignation swept over the land. Reactions to this bewildering string of occurrences were very dependant on the ind- ividual ' s outlook. Hardened skeptics about the American political system grew even more hardened in their pessimism. Optimists had their hopes shattered, perhaps beyond repair. Many people wondered if an uncor- rupted representative democracy was merely a pleasant fantasy of Utopian dreamers. Still others may have thought that clean government could be found outside the field of conventional civic politics. In fact, at first glance, the college would appear to be one place to find such a government. Students, as yet untouched by the ambition and avarice that often accompany power politics, ought to be able to create models of demo- cratic government. Unfortunately, UM student government is hardly an example of uncorrupted democracy in action. SGC elections have been contin- ually plagued by scandals, computer foul-ups, and low student turn-outs. For instance, fewer students voted in the October 1973 SGC elections than ever before. Less than one thousand votes were finally tallied and charges of fraud and illegal tactics were rampant. The results were none the less certified and students who won their council seats by literally one or two votes became SGC members. And it is not easy to forget the election of the Spring of ' 73 when charges of ballot-box stuffing caused the whole election to be thrown out. Once pre-election shenanigans have ended, subsequent council proceedings have been marked by name calling and accusations. Last fall, charges of embezzlement and thievery were hurled at the SGC president. SGC is composed of so many factions that its effectiveness as the student body has been virtually destroyed. In response, last November, the Regents authorized the form- ation of a committee of students, faculty, and staff to study SGC ' s problems. Modern day demonstrations both in Ann Arbor and Washington sometimes act as if a committee will cure all ills. Whether this particular committee will improve SGC is open to question. Defenders of current SGC activities, how- ever, claim that student apathy is the real problem with student politics at the U. If students really cared, they say, SGC would be an effective organization. In reality, the exact relationship between SGC ' s activities and lack of student interest is very tangled and unclear. Did SGC ' s ineptness give rise to student apathy or did lack of student involvement create an atmosphere of irres- ponsibility in SGC? Whatever the casual relationship, U of M students realize that to find examples of in- effective democratic government they need not look to Washington, Lansing, or City Hall. They can find it right here on campus. 84