0 ~1- OPINION Rage 4 Tuesday, April 7, 1981 The Michigan Daily : 4 } te d m dtganv M Edited and managed by students of The University of Michigan What's in a name?Too much Vol. XCI, No. 152 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 I know the tops of my shoes like the back of my hand. I can always tell you the precise time of day. And I am familiar with the displays in practically every store window in Ann Arbor. You see, I spend a lot of time looking at store windows and my watch and my shoes. I have to. I am a victim of Moniker Amnesia Syndrome, a little-known mental disorder Editorials represent a majority opinion of the Daily's Editorial Board Our answers to the MSA candidate questionnaire f4 Witticisms By Howard Witt NCE AGAIN, students have the chance to influence the directions end goals the Michigan Student 4ssembly will pursue in the future through their vote in the annual MSA election today and tomorrow. Students will have the opportunity to mandate Jhether MSA concentrates its energies cn any of a number of issues ranging from campus security to the creation a University Department of the Ihysical Arts that would promote yoga And massage. Because of the very large number of dandidates vying for seats on the assembly, it would be impossible for s to endorse individual candidates. fistead, we will offer our own answers tb the issues questionnaire given to the candidates. On the facing page are MSA can- didates' responses to a Daily question- riaire in which they were asked to prioritize campus issues. Below are the responses we would give to the same questionnaire. * * * * " There are instances when MSA in- volvement in issues not directly related to the University is ap- iropriate-such as city ordinances af- fcting off-campus student housing. But, we feel MSA, for the most part, should devote its energies to issues dlose to home-such as administrative djecision-making and campus security. 41 is on these local problems that MSA Will have the most impact and influen- de, and therefore will be the most productive. " Clearly, MSA should continue to expand its commendable record of of- fbring student services. Beyond simply serving as the official student voice with the administration, MSA in past years has provided a number of valuable services to students-in- ciuding low-cost insurance programs, student legal aid, and course evaluations. These and other similar projects have been some of MSA's greatest contributions to students. The Assembly should continue to actively expand these services and continue its current work toward the creation of a credit union open to students. I In light of shrinking state financial shpport for the University, MSA's role as a student lobbying organization in Lansing will become increasingly im- portant. Thus far, MSA has not been a very successful lobbyist in the state capital, and has effectively confined its lobbying efforts to support for the Michigan Higher Education Student Association, a statewide lobbying group. In the future, MSA should place more emphasis on this neglected fun- ction, and develop its great potential to be an effective voice for students and the University as a whole in Lansing. Certainly, MSA members should not accept the University ad- ministration's "smaller but better" approach to budget cutbacks without careful consideration. But, we feel, af- ter a good deal of scrutiny, that the "smaller but better" philosophy is the wisest manner in which to go about meeting the University's fiscal crisis while preserving as much academic quality as is possible. Though we believe the "smaller but better" philosophy is sound, we also continue to emphasize the need for stepped up student input into the administration's decision-making. * In prioritizing issues, we feel that student input into administrative budget decisions should top the list. The decision made by the ad- ministration concerning those areas of the University that will suffer major cutbacks, and the general redirection of the University, will have the greatest impact on students' education. MSA, as the official representative of students, should devote its greatest energies atoward earning a real and legitimate voice for students in the administrative decision-making process. We feel that MSA candidates should place campus security, minority ser- vices and recruitment, and student housing as the issues of second impor- tance. In these four areas, MSA can play an effective role in bringing about positive change through responsible work with the administration, local and campus police, and local organizations such as the Ann Arbor Tenant's Union. The third classification should in- clude allocations to students groups, student involvement in tenure decisions, counseling services, and University investments. The problems related to these last issues are cer- tainly important, and MSA members should continue to work toward their solution. But, they are simply not of the pressing significance that many of the other issues are. We hope that students will join us today and tomorrow in electing responsible representatives to MSA who will work seriously in the true in- terests of students. urgently through a notebook as they hurry along the street, occasionally bumping into parking meters. Some have been known to wrinkle their noses and squint, pretending they have removed their contact lenses and can't see very well. Anything to avoid that awkward moment when someone calls their name and they can only respond with a feeble "Oh, hi." - God forbid you should meet an acquaintan- ce on the street whose appellation doesn't jump into mind and say, "I'm sorry, I've forgotten your name." It's as if you've said, "You could use a facelift" or "You smell like a horse." The world would be a much more pleasant place for MAS sufferers if people didn't get so upset and feel so rejected when others forget their names. My mother, for instance, sulks for weeks when I call her "Dad" by ac- cident. WELIVE A miserable life, we moniker cripples, always having to avoid potentially embarrassing situations. High school reunions are always out. So are parties where we might meet someone we know. History classes? Not a chance-we have enough trouble with the names of people who are still alive. There are even MAS victims who pur- posely break their arms or legs so they can get a cast for people to write their names on. I've tried any number of therapies to over- come my moniker amnesia. I have asked all of my friends and acquaintances to wear large name cards on their chests whenever they go somewhere where they might run into me, but most of them refused. I have attempted to remember people's names by using elaborate word and picture associations, but that didn't work either. One woman I know named Linda was so thin she reminded me of a lipstick container. When she called to me on the street one day I an- Z swered, "Hi, Maybelline." I HAVE TRIED discreetly to discover: people's names when they greet me. "Hi, Howard," they say. "Hi," I respond. "Can I see your driver's license?" And I have even tried to punish myself for forgetting names by placing myself in the rejected position. Just last week I drove to a Chelsea truck stop and went up to strangers saying, "I'm sorry, I don't know your name." "I don't know your name, either," the drivers snapped as they poured scalding cof- fee onto my legs. It was all to no avail, however. I still don't recall names. So if you pass me on the street and call out my name, don't be upset if I don't acknowledge you-it's not because I don't want to. Just remember that I suffer from ... ah. . . from.. . now wait a minute... -. that afflicts thousands. Moniker Amnesia Syndrome (or MAS as we refer to it around telethon time) is a dreadful illness that impairs the brain's ability to remember people's names. MAS sufferers typically walk with their eyes glued to their shoes or store windows in a desperate effort to avoid glancing at other people. They fear making eye contact with a friend or acquain- tance whose name they will almost certainly not remember. THE MORE CREATIVE MAS victims will stare intently at their watches or leaf Howard Witt is a Daily staff writer. column appears every Tuesday. His L . LETTERS TO THE DAILY: Dealing with MSA mud To the Daily: This letter is in response to Michigan Student Assembly President Marc Breakstone's let- ter "Wiping away the mud" (Daily, April 4). Breakstone's first point, arguing that MSA had a "cohesive" and successful year, is not under debate. As Howard Witt and other Daily reporters have seen, however, personal and political fights have reduced MSA's effectiveness. When Responsible Alternative claimed that MSA has neglected the students' basic needs, it was in response to the silly political resolutions the Assembly has made this year. We are convinced that students would rather see their $3.50 MSA fee from their tuition fund ser- vices directly beneficial to them. That is what Responsible Alter- native plans to do. Any radical left-wing group can debate inter- national politics, and they do not need to spend students' tutition money doing so. Picking apart each of the things that Breakstone credited to his administration, one finds that many things were accom- plished by his political opponents. Successes that were achieved on student housing were due to Responsible Alternative's presidential candidate Clarke Anderson. Breakstone also misquoted our literature to say that nothing has been done about campus security. If he read our literature carefully, he would see that we supported past work, but recognize a need for more - in- cluding better lighting and more, telephones on campus. Breakstone claims that the current Assembly has "won significant victories" or has "initiated long-range efforts" on minority issues. Ha! As the MSA minutes clearly indicate, not one successful project has come out of the MSA Minority Affairs of- fice yet this year. Ironically enough, one of PAC's focal elec- tion issues, as in the past, is minority1 affairs. It is unfor- tunate that minority problems on this campus are used by PAC only as a tool for election pur- poses which they have no in- dication of following up on. It is also ironic that the MSA Minority Affairs chairperson is running again on the PAC slate. Breakstone's "cleaning" letter sadly exemplifies how he will use his office as president to further PAC's dominance. It should be made aware to the readers that Breakstone ran on the PAC slate himself and is one of the major organizers, schemers and sup- porters. We believe that Breakstone wrote this letter because he is in- secure, as usual, about the threat Responsible Alternative poses as a competent group which may in- terfere in the continued dominance of PAC in University student government. PAC has again promised to do everything but cure cancer. We caution all students to see this as another example of petty political campaigning disguised as a concerned student's quest for truth. -Nancy Cronk April 4 IF YOUI4AVETO 'ASKNWYOU CA'T '; AFFORD ONE - ' L 989532+40 B 12 L 98953240 B A12 ne 12M I I . a a a b What has MSA done? To the Daily: With the 'Michigan Student Assembly election coming up soon, I began to ask myself, "What has MSA done in the past year?" Having been here since 1979, I've seen one MSA election and have heard hundreds of promises made but the promises don't seem to last much longer than the posters that pollute the campus for weeks before the election. The two "major" parties - the Student Alliance for Better Representation and the People's Action Coalition - only seem to care about the students long enough to get elected. Once they're in office they seem to forget about students and either retire to the administration building, or rant and rave at the administration from the Diag. It seems that MSA presidents are either administration- dominated good ole' boys or ex- tremist protesters who are totally ineffective at working for the things students need. With the University talking about major budget restrictions and the possibility-of eliminating academic departments, I would like to know where my student government fee is going! Studep- ts should demand both their money'sworth and their votes worth from their MSA represen- tatives. Its time that students realized that they will only get as much as they demand from their student government. Hopefully, this elec- tion will offer more than empty promises and candidates that only want to work for students at election time. -Mark Modras April 2 r i i i a { i i i i i i Y 1 { i y a b { * i a 9 M a a a ti a a ,, Feiger qualified candidate j'4- -~ I A -r - / b - / 7, ,,1 V. 1 / a c- -. -.l - - - - -- - - - -_ 3 y - To the Daily: Today and tomorrow Univer- sity students will find themselves confronted with another Michigan Student Assembly elec- tion. We feel that Jon Feiger can provide the necessary leadership and therefore endorse him for MSA president. Our past experience has shown that student leadership requires the ability to articulate student demands, the knowledge to devise constructive solutions and strategies, and the stamina to put in long hours behind the scenes. Jon Feiger has demonstrated these attributes through his commitment to increased student participation in the budget cut- ting process, his work in attem- pting to make the University's investments more responsible, and in his efforts to protect the entire University's interest by organizing students against the Tisch tax cut proposal. He has also taken steps toward ensuring students' long range in- terest by becoming actively in- volved in the statewide student lobbying group MHESA. And his work against a proposed city or- dinance that would require more parking space for group homes - such as fraternities, co-ops, and sororities - Indicates Feiger's recognition that students' in- terest often extends beyond the University. Most candidates espouse popular platitudes. But Feiger has a unique sense of of what needs to be done and how to achieve it. -Rich Goldaber Member, LSA Curriculum Committee -Jane Moore Former Member, Michigan Student Assembly Dan Solomon, Former President, LSA Student Government April 5 To the Daily: In response to Doug Shokes' essay on typing male-hating essays (Daily, April 2): Mr. Shokes, I am sorry to hear that you don't like to type "male-hating" papers. My advice to you is that because it offends you so, tell the authors of the next one you receive that you cannot type this on the basis of personal objection to the content. If you.are discomforted by being called insensitive and un- feeling, I am equally discomfor- ted by being called totally emotional because I am a woman. I am also equally discomforted by the fact that I will most likely receive a lower paying job than my male coun- terpart and be passed over for promotion more nften iiut past 20-plus years, wouldn't you tend to be a little antagonistic? Wouldn't you be a little angry af- ter years and years of people telling you that you are just a girl-a dumb broad? Yes, there, are women who hate men, not all men, but some of them. There are many more men who are women- haters. In your essay, you are generalizing about all women based on the premise of a few papers that you have typed. Papers usually generalize in or- der to get a point across, but the generalizations are valid only to a point because they are based on facts and researching of those facts. Your essay reeks of a "blaming-the-victim" policy. It is full of misconceptions, vnoij-nPCC and c narlie Stick to your typing d y I