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

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It has been said that the students of the seventies are an apathetic variety. No longer are they able to muster rallies of several thousand students for such things as war protest or the Bam strike. A large gathering for the tuition strike numbered in the hundreds. Yet it looked like some of the old political interest of the sixties was still there, when upwards of 1800 students jammed Hill Auditorium October 1st to hear anti-war activist Jane Fonda and friends. The crowd was decidedly enthusiastic. Former Michigan Daily editor and now activist Tom Hayden received a resounding ovation, as contrasted with the smattering of applause he received at the John Sinclair- Jonn Lennqn concert two years ago. Perhaps some of this could be attributed to a local boy makes good attitude concerning Hay- den ' s marriage to Jane Fonda. But other members of the program received warm responses from the audience as well. Bob Chenowith, a former POW, now activist, garnered a standing ovation speak- ing on the American cultural invasion of a third world nation. Also appearing were Jean-Pierre Degris, a former political prison- er in South Viet Nam, and some musicians headed by Holly Near. The top attraction on the bill was, of course, academy award winning actress Jane Fonda. Fonda reminded the audience that the work of the peace movement was not over. The main purpose of her tour of 14 states and 23 cities was to stimulate concern over the 200,000 political prisoners still in the jails of South Viet Nam . The star of Klute exorted students to write their Congressional representatives to cut off Uni- ted States funding of the Saigon prison camps. At a press conference earlier, Fonda was asked what she hoped to accomplish in light of student apathy of the seventies. Because of the demonstrations and the activism of the sixties, 35 senators supported an anti-war amendment and we ' ve stopped the bombing of Cambodia. I think the press tends to over- look the fact that anti-war sentiment is still very massive. We have created the situation of a massive police force in Saigon, and we are responsible. She later lauded the fact that an Ann Arbor faction was being formed to carry on the work of her tour. Fonda felt that new interest in the Anti-war movement was a result of public shock over the Watergate affair and a resulting realization of the corruption of the Nixon administration. In all probabilities the demonstrations of the sixties are but a memory. But the turn- out for the Fonda lecture demonstrates that anti-war sentiment is still very much alive. Perhaps it will take new methods to mobilize the sentiment and achieve the motives of the anti-war movement. 87

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A campus of over thirty-five thousand can ' t help but appear to be overwhelming- especially to the individual coming from a smaller, less diverse environment. The tremendous size of the student body at the University of Michigan is something to which all students must adjust in one form or another. Fortunately, U of M provides for a wide range of minority groups that are an integral part of the Ann Arbor campus. One of the major issues involving minority groups and the University ' s policies is minor- ity enrollment. Government intervention and student activists over the past decade have enforced a minority enrollment quota system which ultimately works for the minorities. Once a minority student finds himself at the University of Michigan, he is not ignored. A variety of minority advocate groups have offices in the Michigan Union which provide a wide range of services from counseling, to scholarship information, to getting acquainted with University proced- ures. In addition to racial and ethnic minorities, there are also many social minority organiza- tions. Disabled Advocates, Gay Awareness groups and Women ' s Organizations also have facilities in the Union. One of the primary functions of these groups is to serve as an The ultimate purpose . . . is to adjust to the demands of the Univer- sity . . . and to reinforce individuality and person- al growth. BBB everybody looks for mainstream information service to the rest of the Univer- sity that normally does not become involved with their activities. For example, the Gay Awareness groups spend a great deal of time going into classrooms and lecture halls to promote better understanding of the individ- uals in their organization. Some of the special minority services can be found in Trotter House, which acts to assist black students during their stay here at the University. Trotter House provides the black student with a sense of belonging. The International Center similarly provides a warm atmosphere for foreign students. In addition to the usual counseling services offered by these organizations, the Inter- national Center coordinates various activities -fairs, dinners, dances-that involve foreign students with the rest of the University Community. The Center also sets up special conversation sessions to help foreign stu- dents with the English language. The ultimate purpose of these minority organizations is two-fold. First-to enable the minority student to adjust to the demands of the University-be they of an academic or more personal nature-and second-to rein- force tne individuality and personal growth of the student from within his own back- ground. 89