University of Washington - Tyee Yearbook (Seattle, WA)

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SRE and SOS: the political center wakes But the organization that really pushed the voluntary ASUW was SRE, Students for Responsible Expression. This group claimed to represent the silent major- ity on campus. SRE hit the ASUW with a restraining order during the spring strike to halt political funding by the ASUW to the Strike Center. SRE con- tended that the ASUW took a political stand by funding the pro- gram which consisted of a day care center and communication and printing facilities. This pro- gram, according to SRE, did not represent the majority opinion of students on campus. SRE wants to educate students on campus as to where their money is going. According to President Craig Rhyne, it wants to keep the campus open, which the strike didn't do. The campus is controlled by the radical group, a hard core which does not re- present 33,000 students. While the purpose of the University is to educate, it shouldn't be one of formulating an opinion. It is re- pression wnen your are forced to belong to an organization which does not reflect what you think. Therefore, the answer is a volun- tary ASUW. SRE hopes to achieve this through legal means as any- thing in a system should be, the law will provide the means. Though Rhyne feels that the strike did not represent the majority of the students, he feels that apa- thy has to be conquered. The whole story is apathy. We pro- 30

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Al Zeller, the campus voice of the radical right, believed the campus should be politically neutral insofar as possible. 29

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pose to end this by going out and reaching people. SRE was not the only organiza- tion of the apathetic, silent, non-radical student to appear. As an aftermath of the emergence of SRE, there appeared on cam- pus a new group which claimed not to represent the silent majority, but the center of American politics, SOS, Stu- dents for an Open Society. SOS offers an alternative to SRE, YAF, SLF, SMC, says Presi- dent Jim Crawford. We want to educate students as to what is going on. Our government needs reform. We want to find out what's really happening, to go after things people have lost. Peo- ple need a purpose. College is a tool to achieve this. We want the same things as 'radicals' do, but we don't—we want to work with- in the system—if you break the system you create chaos, breaking laws only brings more laws. If something improves society we'll support it. If it destroys society, we'll condemn it. SOS sponsored meetings and brought speakers on campus in hopes of stimulating the student mind. It also sponsored open de- bate on all sides of issues. While voices were raised to shout down the radicals, the radicals were having a little trouble of their own. Traditionally an anti- war movement, the question of focusing on a single issue split radicals into various factions. The heritage of the spring strike of 1970 was an awakened majority of previously silent middle-of-the roaders. Here, a crowd reacts to a speech given by Ralph Nader in October. 31