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OPINION
Page 4
Sunday, January 15, 1984
The Michigan Daily
Abstinence makes the
'U '
THE UNIVERSITY Housing Office rerati-
fied the 18th Amendment to the Con-
stitution in dormitories when it issued new
guidelines for alcohol use (or non-use) by dorm
residents.
Associate Housing Director John Heidke cir-
culated a memo last month to all resident staff
members in a move promoting "responsible
use" of alcohol by residents, though how the
new rules will do this is unclear as long as
students can belly up to the bar at the various
local watering holes, fraternity parties, and
down home get-togethers.
The policy, bans drinking in such public
places as lounges, hallways, lobbies, and
janitor's closets-those of you who've been
grow sober
estimated that the computer system could save
the University-$500,000 a month and would alsq
be an improvement on the current Michigai*
Bell's Centrex phone system..
Whether or not the changes come within the
next couple of years, the wave of computer
{ dependence will have to be ridden sooner or
later. But what consultants and University
administrators are now saying is "surf's up!"
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nipping at the sauce with Mr. Clean should be
especially disappointed; outlaws the mention
of)alcohol in advertisements of parties; makes
it taboo to use house council funds or to collect
money at the door of a party to pay for alcohol;
and forces residents to register all parties with
the appropriatethousing authorities. The policy
also mentions that the legal drinking age in
Michigan is 21, so most of you dorm dwellers
are not only being naughty when you drink,
you'l'e breaking the law. Lastly, the guidelines
warn that vandalism and other unruly behavior.
gives mom and " dad Housing Office
reason to cancel your lease.
The get-tough gesture replaces a three sen-
tence policy which said residents must observe
state law and refrain from drinking in public
areas. Heidke said the new policy was not "a
major change," but merely an attempt to clear
up any confusion as to how the old policy would
be interpreted aid to make the policy uniform
for all dorms.
As with the old, apparently ignored rules,
resident advisors willprobably be the enfor-
cers. Just how a resident advisor is supposed to
coerce residents to follow the new scripture is
unclear. But renaming them "resident cops"
might be a start. Can temperance leagues be
far behind?
Daily Photo by DEBORAH LEWIS
Officials in the Housing Office and Plant Operations this past week af- breathalyzer test show they be suspected of having one too many.
firmed their conviction that there is no virtue in excess. Dorm residen- Should residents or employees want to empty a few bottles it will have
ts now must follow strict and uniform guidelines concerning alcohol to be done on their own turf - not the University's.
consumption and plant employees now face the possibility of a
Overdue corrections
Students with overdue books will be patrolled
by more than their own sense of honesty as the
corrected Geac computer system starts to sniff
out our campus "outlaws of overdue."
Since September a bug in the compute
system that regulates the circulation-of library
materials has kept officials from notifying
students about overdue books. The libraries as
a result have not been charging fines when the
books are eventually returned. One does have
to be sympathetic towards the poor under-
classmen who stares at the librarian with
wide-eyed innocence and whines: "I didn't
know it was overdue-no one notified me!" As
Jim Cruse, head of circulation service for the
Graduate library put it, "It would be unfair to
charge people if, they are unaware that their
book is overdue."
Exactly when fines will again be issued is
still uncertain. Word has it that it will be a week
or two but no one is really sure. In order to warn
the would-be-offender, ,library officials plan to
publicize the return of rigid fine enforcement.
After that no one will be spared.
On the basis of fines collected in previous
terms, the Graduate library alone estimates
that it lost $10,000 because of last term's mixup.
The loss of fines and all of the delinquent books
that aren't circulating, have provided the
libraries with a very real incentive to get Geac
fully operational. For students, though, the
tighter measures might be seen as a step
backward-after all, two weeks isn't long
enough6to fully appreciate a good book.
The Week in Review was compiled by
Daily staff reporters Jim Sparks, Jackie
Young, associate arts editor Jim Boyd, and
editors Janet Rae and David Spak.
Heavy breathing
So much for hiding the Wild Turkey inside a
file cabinet. Now University officials are get-.
ting the scoop straight from, the drinker's
mouth. That heavy breathing you may have
heard from the Plant Operations department in
the last week and a half is part of a crackdown
on drunk snowplowing.
Plant employees suspected of bending an
elbow on the job must now "voluntarily" sub-
mit to a breathalyzer test. If the employee
shows a blood alcohol level of more than .1 per-
cent, the person could face disciplinary action,
including possible dismissal. Employees 'who
refuse to take the test may be suspended or
fired.
Although Department officials say that there
have been few problems in the past, the
breathalyzer is hoped to prevent accidents
resulting from the boozing worker operating
heavy machinery. So far union representatives
for the employees have said little about the use
of the new device. -
Plant Operations might be setting a con-
structive new trend. A breathalyzer in the ad-
ministration building might encourage policy
reports written in understandable English, and
a breathalyzer in the Daily newsroom would
certainly cut down on the number of typos
found in the paper.
Riding the new wave
Even those who don't wear calculators on
their belts are going to be assaulted by the
ever-encroaching computer, if a new $34
million telecommunications system slotted for
the spring of 1986 is approved by University
regents.
The system would make it easier for students
to plug their own computer terminals into the
University's system, and it would even be
possible for homework to be turned in by dum-
ping it into a professor's computer base. The
visionary among the planners see the
possibility of two-way video terminals that
would allow a student to talk face to face with
professors-and all in the convenience of your
dorm.
In addition, the new system would directly
link the University to Flint, Dearborn,'and
Detroit through the use of Michigan
microwave technology. Special phones could
also be installed around the campus so that
emergencies could be reported more easily.
A consulting firm hired by the University has
Edited and managed by students at The University of Michigan
Si
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Vol. XCIV-No. 87
420 Maynard St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Editorials represent a majority opinion of the Daily's Editorial Board
St.
Nicholas' backyard
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USUALLY churches and other non-
profit humanitarian groups are
the only ones concerned with aiding the
homeless - streetpeople. That is why
it is surprising that the most vociferous
opposition to Ann Arbor's planned
Fourth Ave. shelter 'omes from a
church.
In a letter to city council, members
of St. Nicholas Greek Orhodox Church,
which is located adjacent to the ap-
proved site, expressed fear that the
shelter would create "greater poten-
tial for victimization, including the
possibility that some of our
parishoners would be victims." Such a
statement from a group cf people who
have aided the homeless through
several programs in the past is puz-
zling. It is as if they are saying, "We'll
help you but we don't want you
sleeping in our backyard."
These streetpeople roam city
streets, some looking for food or retur-
nable bottles in trashcans, begging for
money, and occassionally trying to
seek temporary refuge from the cold in
unlocked University buildings. Their
life is difficult and two recent murders
which police have linked to specific
streetpeople has made it worse.
City council has dealt sporadically
with the problem of where to house the
homeless. The city's Advisory Com-
mittee on Emergency Housing ap-
proved the new shelter at 415 N. Fourth
Ave. a week ago. The city's 'housing
commission, and the zoning board
will make such approval more dif-
ficult. But it is time to stop the delay.
There are currently two shelters for
the homeless in the city, one run by St.
Andrew's Episcopal Church and the
other by the Salvation Army. Yet
there is still a shortage because
several other facilities have closed
their doors due to a lack of community
support. Dare we include the mem-
bers of St. Nicholas in that group of
non-supporters.?
The church says that young people,
senior citizens, and women frequent
the church daily and the parish is
worried for their safety. The letter to
council states that the church would
have to pay more for security and that
the shelter might "detract from the
appearance of (church) property."
While it may be easy to condemn the
parishoners of St. 'Nicholas, it is
possible to understand their objec-
tions. But isn't a primary function of a
church in any community to help the
hungry, the poor, and others who can-
not help themselves? And aren't the
parishoners prejudging their potential
neighbors?
It appears that the members of St.
Nicholas Church are only mouthing
their prayers. Occasional acts of
benevolence do not give them the right
to claim their security is more
precious than that of the homeless.
Not many groups truly dedicate them-
selves to helping the homeless these
days. The Darishoners of St. Nicholas
,KjA
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Blacks feast a
By Pamela Douglas
LOS ANGELES - It's a time of
irony, a time when impossible
dreams are coming to life while
bare survival seems impossible
for many black Americans.
In 1984, a black mother can tell
her children that if they're pretty
enough or smart enough or
powerful 'enough, they can
become Miss America; or an
astronaut, or run for mayor or
governor or even president,
because Vanessa Williams,
Guion Bluford, Harold
But that same day, at the Trio
Crisis Center in south central Los
Angeles, Kay Sanders,-49,;a black
woman with graying hair, was
rescuing children no one else
would touch.
She works without support
from any agency. As a last
resort, she'll move a desperate
family into her own apartment.
She now has 10 children living
with her and sees 50 others at her
center every day.
.Meanwhile, teen-agers from
probation school on a tour of city
hall compete to sit in their coun-
cilman's chair, believing, really
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fed the children and is keeping In the midst of the bounty of
them until the mother completes hope, the children at Trio only
a rehabilitation program and fin- hint at uncounted, and un-
ds another job. touched,, numbers all over the
Across the country, black country - not merely an under-
adults who dropped out as teen- class but an invisible class in a
agers are turning to community land where public policy extols
colleges and other schools in dramatic success and denies the
burgeoning numbers to bolster existence of need.
their basic skills. Talk to them Black Americans - even those
and you learn they're after more who are not middle class - are
than a certificate, more than a swept up in that thinking. "Let
job. They're ready for self- them eat heroes" might be the
respect. motto. Some of the glory might
At a takeout chicken place, translate to practical salvation.
Sanders found a 4-year-old child But the harvest is still bitter-
sprinkling salt and pepper on a sweet.
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