SEPTEMBER 8, 2023 LOCAL HISTORY FROST from last page STOPPING BY THE WOODS ON A SNOWY EVENING truth which must serve as the touchstone of our judgment.” Talking specifically about Frost in his 1963 remarks at Amherst, President Kennedy said, “Our national strength matters, but the spirit which informs and controls our strength matters just as much. This was the special significance of Frost. He brought an unsparing instinct for reality to bear on the platitudes and pieties of society. His sense of the human tragedy fortified him against self-deception and easy consolation. “‘I have been,’ he wrote, ‘one acquainted with the night.’ And because he knew the midnight as well as the high noon, because he understood the ordeal as well as the triumph of the human spirit, he gave his age strength with which to overcome despair. At the bottom, he held a deep faith in the spirit of man and it is hardly an accident that Frost coupled poetry and power, for he saw poetry as the means of saving power from itself.” We believe JFK is right in his assessment of Frost and artists in general. After his assassination the next month — November 1963 — JFK’s personal secretary found in the Oval Office some books of poetry by Frost as well as “Ulysses” by Alfred Lord Tennyson. Both “Ulysses” and many of Frost’s poems, but especially “Spring Pools,” written while he was at U-M, are about the need for thoughtful and slow deliberation and not rushing into important decisions. It is safe to say that JFK learned from reading Frost and embraced these values. He gives his harness bells a shake To ask if there is some mistake. The only other sound’s the sweep Of easy wind and downy flake. The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep. SPRING POOLS These pools that, though in forests, still reflect The total sky almost without defect, And like the flowers beside them, chill and shiver, Will like the flowers beside them soon be gone, And yet not out by any brook or river, But up by roots to bring dark foliage on. The trees that have it in their pent-up buds To darken nature and be summer woods — poetry by Robert Frost written during his time at U-M GEO from page 8 significance of the agreement, noting that the achievements attained were a result of collective determination rather than unilateral generosity. The union's long-haul strike was the driving force behind these successes. According to U-M spokesperson Rick Fitzgerald, the agreement holds significant implications. It provides the university with the assurance that the fall term will proceed without disruptions, reaffirming the institution's dedication to its core educational mission. It's worth noting that the deal offers more favorable terms to U-M graduate students in Ann Arbor compared to those in Dearborn and Flint, despite the union’s consistent proposals for pay parity across campuses. While U-M-Dearborn graduate student workers will receive annual raises of 3.5 percent throughout the contract's three-year term, efforts are underway to align the minimum stipend on the Flint campus with the Dearborn standard. Additionally, graduate students across all three campuses are set to receive a $1,000 bonus. GEO’s treasurer, Prayag Chata, has started a solidarity fund to redistribute the bonus to members who lost their paycheck in April during the strike and to those who will not enjoy the full benefits of the new contract. Many members have pledged to donate their bonus, and anyone can make a contribution on givebutter.com/GEOStrikeFund. “We fought tooth-and-nail over ten months of bargaining and five months of strike action, forcing U-M to grant the largest salary increase in GEO history,” the union wrote early Friday on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. The University of Michigan and its graduate student workers have voted to restore equilibrium to their academic ecosystem. The impending resolution serves as a testament to the power of negotiations, advocacy and collective action in driving Let them think twice before they use their powers To blot out and drink up and sweep away These flowery waters and these watery flowers From snow that melted only yesterday. transformative change. The settlement underscores the pivotal role that graduate student workers play in the functioning of higher education institutions. As the curtain falls on this chapter of the University of Michigan's history, the reverberations of these negotiations within the university community and the broader academic realm are inescapable. The lessons learned from this strike will undoubtedly shape future dialogues surrounding equitable compensation, conducive working conditions, and the unifying spirit that propels progress toward shared goals. Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in the village though; He will not see me stopping here To watch his woods fill up with snow. My little horse must think it queer To stop without a farmhouse near Between the woods and frozen lake The darkest evening of the year. GROUNDCOVER NEWS 11
12 Publizr Home