The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1946-03-13
Students at
Village Air


over 200 student veterans az
tended a meeting sponsored by the
Veterans Organization of the Uni
versity of Michigan Tuesday night
in the West Lodge Community
Building, at which they aired prob.
lens OF transportation, food costs,
housing, and heating.
The meeting, conducted by VIII
liam Akers, president of the L of
NJ. Veterans Organization. was the
first in proposed series OF gather
ings at which student veterans may
discuss their complaints and pre-
sent a united front in securing a
correction OF deficiencies.
At Tuesdays meeting, A. c.
Stoddard was elected chairman or
a coordination committee which
will be the central administrative
body for all student veterans re-
siding at the Willow Run project.
Created to provide close liaison
with the campus office OF the Vet
Grams Organization, the Coordina-
ton Committee is scheduled to
meet every Thursday evening in
the West Lodge Community Build
ing. From time to time. accord.
ing TO Mr.. Stoddard. the committee
will call a mass meeting OF all
student veterans in the Willow
Run area.
Not Free
During the discussion Tuesday
night, veterans revealed that be-
fore the had enrolled for courses
at the University of Michigan they
had received pamphlets which
stated they would receive free
transportation between the cam
pus and the Willow Run project.
This information proved TO be err
roneous, the veterans declared.
since they have to pay ten cents
each way on the buses provided by
the University.
I'VE don't consider that an
unreasonable price" said one OF
the speakers, but we wonder why
We were told one thing and have
TO do another"
Another problem which the group
decided TO investigate was the COST
of food and the type of menus at
the University-operated West
Lodge Cafeteria. 1t was generally
agreed among the student vets that
prices in the cafeteria seemed high
for non-profit establishment.
There was a general dissatisfac-
ton expressed with the recent
statement from Noel Burns, cafe
terra director, that high cost OIL
foods is due TO "organizational diff
equities" Said one student: THAT
statement could mean almost any.
thing"
Five Starehes
Complaints about the menus az
the cafeteria disclosed that at one
meal the veterans were offered
five starches. I'VE got enough OF
that routine in the Army" a vet
eran commented.
Discussing the housing problem
at the University OF Michigan, Mr..
Akers entioned that the Veterans
Organization would do everything
possible to insure that veterans
would be given the preference they
were prom sel in the new DORM
tory nearing completion on the
University campus.
He also stated that his group was
presenting proposal TO University
officials that student veterans
should receive preference in cam.
pus ormitories in proportion to
the percentage OF veterans on the
enrolment list. There are over
5000 veterans going to school at
the University of Michigan now,
he said, which is almost half OF the
entire student body.
As part OF the proposal for dor.
mitory preference. Mr.. Akers ex.
planned. the Veterans Organiza.
ton stated clearly that 1t did no,
want its policy TO deprive pros.
pectiye freshmen OF enrolment at
the University.
Goal Stoves Murder"
Those coal stoves are murder"
explained a veterans as he opened
the discussion Of heating and cook.
ing problems Tuesday night. Sew
eral suggestions we're made by the
group concerning this problem.
among them being that the Vet.
Grams Organization contact FPHA
officials 70 see II surplus oil-burning
units couldn't be secured from the
government.
we don't want the public TO
think we're chronic gripers." said
Mr.. Stoddard. "Our whole program
Is constructive in its objective:
namely, to provide more effective
coordination between the student
Veterans and the University