Five years ago…
The student body prepared for the annual Naked Mile ,which
occurred on the last day of classes. The Michigan Student Assembly
said it recruited more than 200 volunteers to line the runners path
and protect them from safety hazards.
The Department of Public Safety and the Ann Arbor Police
Department planned to place extra officers on the street o protect
the runners, but had no plans on making any arrests. They were more
concerned with how much alcohol participants would drink
beforehand.
“Alcohol is a factor. Some of the runners, to get the
nerve to run, have a few drinks,” AAPD Sgt. Andrew Zazula
said. “Some have more than a few drinks. It is a definite
risk and a hazard.”
Ten years ago…
Juwan Howard, the first member of the Fab Five to sign with the
University in 1990, announced he would forgo his senior year at
Michigan to enter the NBA draft. Duing his time here, he led the
basketball team in both scoring and rebounding, earning him a place
on the All-American team.
“This is one of the toughest decisions I have ever faced
in my life,” Howard said.
The Fab Five gained attention in the early 1990s when Howard,
Chris Webber, Ray Jackson, Jimmy King and Jalen Rose became the
first freshman quintent to start in a national championship game in
1992.
“There will never been another class like the Fab
Five,” Howard said. “We just tried to come out and play
our best. We were strong individuals.”
April 18, 1986
Two University Regents said they might consider a revision of a
bylaw that requires people receiving honorary degrees to accept
them in person. This was in response to student protesters who
wanted the University to give a degree to then-incarcerated civil
rights leader Nelson Mandela. Students flooded the Regents meeting,
demanding the University grant Mandela a degree.
Regent Paul Brown said a bylaw might only be prompted by a
committee review, but added concern about the University getting
involved in political issues.
“There’s five Democrats and three Republicans on the
board and I don’t think we’ve ever discussed the party
line or what the governor thinks,” Brown said.
April 15, 1966
A Michigan Daily article studied the lack of female professors
at the University and in academia in general. Between 1952 and
1962, only 10 percent of doctorates awarded in the nation went to
women. The story noted that the mathematics, english, art history,
and psychology departments were noticeably lacking of female
tenured faculty.
Most professors admitted that they were worried about female
faculty getting married and handling the responsibilities of a
family and their work. Some professors said they looked for females
who tended to focus on their career.
“Although most men won’t admit it, they look at how
marriageable a single girl Ph.D. is. A potential spinster is a
better investment than an attractive lively girl,” Prof. Oleg
Grabar, art history Dept. chair said.
April 21, 1954
University President Harlan Hatcher said he would continue to
fully cooperate with the government regarding any investigations of
students or faculty. His statement was in response to a discovery
that a former student had worked as an FBI informant.
Several professors reacted with fear about the nature of
suspicion at the University.
“This kind of story makes all feel uneasy,” English
Prof. Arthur Carr said. “We begin to wonder what the FBI is
doing, who they are watching, and why.”
That same year, Hatcher suspended three faculty members after
they refused to answer certain questions in front of the House
Committee on Un-American Activities. Two of the faculty members
were later fired.
April 16, 1983
A top University budgetary committee recommended a 40 percent
cut in the School of Education budget. Education Dean Joan Stark
said the plan would result in the loss of quality programs, as well
as many professors leaving the University.
The cuts called for the elimination of the undergraduate
program, because the committee felt ”that the preparation of
teachers should not be the primary focus of the school.”
But the committee said that the cuts would allow the school to
focus more on research and intensive specialized programs.
— Compiled by Daily News Editor Jeremy
Berkowitz