Page 4-Sunday, November 18, 1979-The Michigan Daily
Ninety Years of Editorial Freedom
Daily endorsements for
LSA Student Government
0
Vol. LXXXX, No.64,
News Phone: 764-0552
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan
For LSA-SG President:
Dan Solomon
O NE CANDIDATE seems deter-
mined to wage a powerful fight to
make LSA-SG more accountable to
students. The other contestant believes
students deserve a greater role in the
eventual educational choices they
must make every day in the Univer-
sity. Both are experienced and well-
trained in confronting the serious
issues students will have to face in the
upcoming decade.
But one candidate outshines his op-
ponent because he possess a more con-
crete awareness of the specific
programs needed to overcome the
current flaws in this institution's
teaching system. That candidate is,
Dan Solomon, a junior who has spent
two years fighting the ills of University
bureaucracy very effectively.
Solomon, who represents the SAID
party (Students for Academic and In-
stitutional Development), has worked
on the LSA Curriculum Committee, the
LSA Executive Council and the LSA
Administrative Board. In addition, he
has mingled frequently with many
University administrators to promote
student concerns. He has proved his
dedication and he has demonstrated
his effectiveness.
With this past experience, Solomon
has the tools to put his ideas into
motion. Those ideas include a proposal
for more non-major courses to be of-
fered in various departments, and
those contracts would be separate
from the standard ones taken by those
concentrating in the particular field of
study. He also believes the University
has failed to provide enough of a diver-
sified curriculum so that students
could absorb all different views and
philosophies of society. That problem,
he says, could be overcome by gre'ater
student input in the process.
Solomon also feels strongly about the
lack of student participation on the
LSA Executive Committee. In fact, he
wants to check and see if the Univer-
sity may be violating the law by ex-
cluding students from that board.
J.P. Adams, the SABRE '(Student
Alliance for Better Representation),
certainly possess n capacity to- deal
with student issues. As the Special
'Projects Coordinator for the Michigan
Student Assembly, he has organized a
plan to remodel the Fishbowl and
worked on Friday's Torch Light
Parade. No doubt he is strongly
determined to revamp the existing
weaknesses in LSA-SG's structure,
problems he feels contribute to the
government's low rating among most
students. He also is particularly aware
of the need to bring more students into
the battle against the administration
for more rights.
But Adams does not have the vision
and understanding that Solomon so
clearly possesses. Solomon knows that
students have been cheated out of a
larger role in what affects them on this
campus, and he has the experience to
change the status-quo.
The following are the Daily's choices
for this week's election for LSA-SG
offices. Forty-one candidates are run-
ning to fill the 15 posts.
SAID
BETH LORI-incumbent council member,
cites tenure, affirmative action, curriculum
changes as her top three goals, "I want to
change things for students."
GREGORY WERT-incumbent council
member, cites courses for non-majors,
student involvement in tenure decisions, and
affirmative action goals as areas in which he
wants to work.
MITCHELL MONDRY-has a three step plan
to get student members on the LSA Executive
Committee. Frist, he wants to make the
committee release the minutes of the
meetings, then get the meetings open to the
public, then finally get students on the com-
mittee as voting members.
MARGARET TALMERS-incumbent council
member, wants more courses for non majors
so students won't be "wiped-out" in grade
competition by concentrators in the field.
MARK ALONSO -incumbent council mem-
ber, cites changes in the curriculum as his top
priority, wants courses to "provide an oppor-
tunity for students to think critically about the
world-instead of being afraid of grade com-
petition."
SUSAN LABES-thinks of herself as a "new,
breed" in SABRE, she wants to "begin to put
action into our promises." One of her top
priorities is increasing student input into
tenure decisions.
J.P. ADAMS-stresses a stronger internal
organization to provide greater accoun-
tability to the University community.
MIKE MILES-wants "to affect positive
change within a student government which
possesses tremendous amounts of potential
but has yet to display its true talents in im-
proving a liberal arts education."
TRICIA VALENI-supports mandatory cour-
se evaluation by students to increase student
input into tenure.
SABRE
ment to affirmative action goals, wants to
improve education at the University by en-
couraging interdepartmental courses, wants
to increase student participation in all levels of
decision making in the University.
JIM LINDSAY-calls LSA-SG "orne of the
best ways for improving the University,"
supports increasing student input in tenure
decisions through gaining voting student
members on tenure committees,
strengthening departmental organizations,
and instituting mandatory course
evaluations.
SHARON BRAY-calls for students on the
committees in the college which make tenure
decisions, "Students are at the University to
learn, thus students should have a right to
vote" in tenure decisions.
INDEPENDENTS
PAC
"D" GHOSH-the person with the single
longest tenure on the council running for re-
election, she has been one of the council's
most active members.
VICKI ROWELS-notes the dismal failure of
the University in meeting the B.A.M. strike
demands, and supports continued commit-
DAVID MICHEL-stresses the importance of
student evaluations in having student input
into the tenure process, calls for more LSA
counselors.
ELIZABETH SCOTT-"education" is the key
issue for LSA-SG, calls for increased student
input on tenure decisions and increased
student involvement with government.,
THE MILWALIKEE JO RNAL
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Ly
V4
LSA-SG must deal
with local concerns
9
7ME MILWAUKEE JOt UNAL
'Sub! Are you questioning my veracity as an entrepreneur?'
"So the flame goes a little higher! So what?"
THIS YEAR'S LSA-SG election
offers another opportunity to
analyze the most important issues the
college's student government must
face to make this University a better
place in the upcoming decade. The
outgoing decade brought some minor
improvements, but the challenges
remain. Students have not been given a
fair share in the decision-making
process, and that lack of participation
has resulted in decisions unreceptive
to student needs.
Generally, each party proposing
candidates in tomorrow's election has
attacked the key student problems in
the University. Students have not had a
large role in the tenure process, in
curriculum changes, and in other
policy matters monopolized by the
administration and the faculty. Almost
every candidate realizes those flaws,
and has expressed determination to
combat them.
It is the SAID party, however, which
appears most dedicated to enhancing
the quality of education. Whether it's
to increase the rate of minorities in both
the student body and the faculty, or to
alter curriculum restrictions, SAID
has something to say about it. The par-
ty also has candidates experienced in a
number of committees who have dealt
directly with the problems facing
students.
SABRE and PAC also comprise an
impressive list of candidates, but they
don't seem to offer plausible solutions
to the essential problems. Some of
their candidates do not have any con-
ception on how to approach the tough
issues.
The Washtenaw County Coalition
Against Apartheid (WCCAA) has en-
tered the political arena, but its can-
didates appear too restricted to one
issue-divestiture of University funds
from banks and corporations doing
business in South Africa. While that
goal certainly deserves attention, it
should not be the focus of LSA-SG. The
Michigan Student Assembly, a broader
campus organization, has jurisdiction
over that issue.
The government of the University's
largest college has to spend all its time
on the issues which most directly af-
fect students. It must concentrate on
getting students involved in the tenure
process. For too long, those selections
ave been decided solely by the
faculty. It must help the ad-
ministration deal with the anticipated
budget constraints of the upcoming
decade. There will be a lot of
discussion about proposed program
cutbacks, and students should have a
say in how the administration dissects
programs.
In addition, Affirmative Action has
been dealt severe blows in this decade.
Despite the Regents' commitment to
raise the rate of black enrollment, very
little has been done.
And most of all, the apathy disease
has still not been cured. As shown by
last year's elections, very few students
care about their government. If that
problem is to be resolved, the next LSA
government will have to become more
accessible and reach out to students. If
not, the body will remain relatively
anonymous.,
California takes more swpes
at state government spending
The escalating tax revolt in
California, reconfirmed by the
overwhelming passage a few
weeks ago of a ceiling on gover-
nment spending, is beginning to
reveal its effects in a significant
slowdown of residential suburban
growth.
That state's legendary subur-
ban sprawl of luxury housing
developments into former citrus
fields is being cut off at the
pockets. Behind the slowdown is
what some experts are calling a
new "balance sheet mentality"
toward residential planning-an
attitude reflecting the gact that in
many areas new housing
developments no longer pay
enough in added tax revenues to
finance required municipal ser-
vices such as roads, schools,
police and fire protection.
The new tax measure, called
proposition 4, fixes all state and;
local government spending at the
revenue limits of 1978-79,
allowing for future increases only
to accommodate population
growth and inflation. It was
passed by a huge 74 per cent
margin, the largest victory
margin on a state ballot measure
since 1946. A measure designed
along similar principles was
defeated two-to-one in 1974.
Most experts agree that the
new measure will reinforce and
perhaps amplify the impact, of
Proposition 13, the trend-setting
property tax cut measure passed
in California last year. So far,
most impacts of that tax cut have
been cushioned by the state's
enormous tax revenue surplus,
which has, to some extent, bailed
out local communities.
But the impact on new housing
is already clear. For instance,
By Mary Ellen Leary
The State Office of Planning
and Research studies the post-13
revenue-cost equations from new
developments in ten cities. It
found that none expected new
developments to pay for their
own essential services with the
taxes they would yield. The dif-
ferences before and after
Proposition 13 were startling.
Sacramento, for instance, the
state capitol, had been weighing a
huge new development with some
25,000 single and multiple housing
units. Before June, 1978, it was
estimated that the development
would produce a net gain to the
city revenues of some $1.7 million
annually. After Proposition 13
passed, however, the city
discovered the development
would cost at least $4.3 million
annually.
A large development contem-
plated for the city of Anaheim
was suddenly discovered to
represent as much as $35 million
in revenue loss over ten years'
time. Neither plan has yet been
approved.
This new "fiscal zoning"
became a major factor in slowing
home construction in California
even before the recent federal
mortgage-tightening moves, and
it contributes to a housing shor-
tage so severe it is being publicly
defined as a "crisis" and "the
worst housing shortage since the.
end of World War II." The dif-
ference is that during the post-
war housing crisis, incentives
were plentiful to spur new con-
struction. Today, there are incen-
tives to stall it.
Since passage of Prop. 13,
of service.
Service costs tend to be higher
in undeveloped suburban fringes,
and lower inside cities where
facilities are already in place.
Therefore, David Shulmen, a
UCLA economist who has studied
the impacts of tax cutting, sees
"a higtoric reversal of Califor-
nia's trend towards urban
"sprawl." He has noticed an in-
crease in new housing permits
and new economic activity within
the city limits of Los Angeles sin-
ce Prop. 13, contrasting with the
pre-13 trend of growth outside the
city.
Another significant trend was
spotted by a League of California
Cities analysis of growth in 12
cities since Prop. 13. The League
found not only a slowdown in
development, but "a shift in the
balance of residential, commer-
cial and industrial growth."
Communities are tending to give
development preference to those
competitors offering the highest
tax yield, which usually means
industry. Even suburbs which on-
ce cherished their clear, quiet
residential quality are now
looking favorably on applications
for industrial development.
This same goal of maximum
tax yield wasinvolved, in part, in
the city of Riverside's vote Nov. 6
to approve lot-size regulations for.
new housing in most of its urban
open space. By mandating
requirements that property
remain in three to five acre sizes,
Riverside has insured a slow-
growth future, but has also
guaranteed that only very expen-
sive homes will be built within
lighting, schools, and parks, and
even to guarantee payment of
future maintenance costs.
Prop. 13 has also brought to a
halt the construction of public
buildings. All through state
history, these have been financed
by bonds resting on property
taxes. Since Prop. 13, no
municipal or local government
bonds have been issued in
California, except rare revenue
bonds clearly resting on a
remunerative project such as a
parking lot or a ball park.
Writing about the new Prop. 4,
Jack Beebe, economistkwith the
Federal Reserve Bank. in San
Francisco, observes: "When
coupled with Proposition 13's
reduction in property taxes, it
might seriously restrict
economic incentive to permit new
home building, giving local
government reason to block
growth . . . Proposition 4 would
provide added incentive to
restrict growth, since added
population must be supported
within a predetermined real per
capita appropriations limit."
This new priority on tax yield
among city planners may have
even more far-reaching impacts
in terms of the quality of life in
the cities and suburbs of the near
future, says city planning
professor David Dowell of the
University of California,
Berkeley.
"'Unfortunately," he says,
"decisions on zoning and on
development now are being made
on the basis of -profit: on the
maximum yield they can
generate. This is a preversion of
planning. It prevents con-
sideration of social goals a com-
munity may have, of desirable
housing styles and classes, of ad-
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ski, Gregg Haddad, Leslie Harris, Bonnie Jczkovitz, Margaret