OPINION Page 4 Sunday, March 25, 1984 The Michigan Daily __ m -m Edited and managed by students at The University of Michigan Vanishing student input Vol. XCIV-No. 139 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Editorials represent a majority opinion of the Daily's Editorial Board SMART for MSA ADMINISTRATORS and regents pulled the old disappearing student vote trick this week. Now you see it, now you don't. The Michigan Student Assembly voted down the newestversion of the proposed code of non-academic conduct for students. A good percentage of the University regents and administrators told them it probably wouldn't make any difference-if the students won't back any form of the code, the regents will simply take away their ability to reject it. Currently, University bylaws say the code cannot be passed without the approval of MSA. But at least four regents and several administrators said last week that they might be willing to change the bylaws to sidestep, student oppostion to a code they feel the University needs. downtown West Lafayette, Ind. They didn't need another trip into the middle of nowhere. The other good thing about the Musketeer' victory was that it made Michigan a heavy favorite. The tradition-rich Wolverines were expected to pound Xavier into the ground. How can you respect a school whose name starts with an "X"? The final score Thursday night? Michigan 63, Xavier 62. Lucky for Michigan it was a mismatch. IN THE COMING year, the Michigan Student Assembly will continue to find itself confronting the issues of military research, the proposed student code of non-academic conduct, and the Solomon Amendment. MSA must also extend its efforts to reverse declining minority enrollment, it must combat the high campus crime rate, discrimination against homosexuals, and student apathy toward the assem- bly. While all of this year's candidates for MSA are aware of these issues and concerns and most of them have a responsible view of the role MSA should take to combat them, we believe that Scott Page and Steve Kaplan of Student Michigan Actively Reforming Today (SMART) would ad- dress them in the most sensitive and effective manner. SMART's platform is a well though-out evaluation of student sentiment and a realistic set of goals for the assembly. SMART opposes the proposed code of conduct and the Solomon Amen- dment and is the only party that specifically calls for continued efforts to extend the current University guidelines on classified research. Like the other parties, SMART is placing great emphasis on increasing campus security. Page and Kaplan are proposing an evaluation of the current Night Owl bus service and hope to better adapt it to the needs of students off-campus. SMART is also considering the implementation of an escort service and hopes ,to assstthe University in the installation of an emergency telephone system. SMART offers the most concrete proposals for increasing minority recruitment and retention. Page and Kaplan hope that MSA would work as a liason between admissions office and the Alumni Association in order to implement their minority recruitment proposal. They believe that in in- volving minority students and alumni in the admissions process, enrollment would necessarily increase. The other candidates have only spoken in generalities. One element unique to SMART's platform is the establishment of a revolving student loan program that Page has envisioned. The program would enable students to draw from a $10-20 million fund created out of the Michigan capital campaign. It is, ad- mittedly, a grand plan, but Page and Kaplan are the only candidates who could conceivably pull it off. Their greatest strength lies in tested and successfull leadership, and -in their intimate knowledge of MSA and its abilities. Page has done an outstanding job as president of the Student Alumni Council, increasing the breadth of student participation and applying the participation to diverse and strong campus programs. It is that type of leadership that MSA desperately needs. The other candidates talk about increasing student involvement, Page has already succeeded at increasing student involvement. Page has experience working with the regents and administration and would definitely bring a cooperative attitude to the assembly's interrac- tions with them. It is unfair to assume that Page would bow to the wishes of the regents simply because he would avoid a confrontational stance. SMART's platform is representative of student concerns and Page's abilities would aid in an effective com- munication of those concerns and in constructive efforts toward their solution. Kaplan Chairs MSA's housing committee and shares with Page a broad knowledge of the resour- ces available to MSA. SMART offers the greatest hope of effective leader- ship. Andrew Plevin and Helen Maynard of Let's Make Needs Our Priority (LMNOP), while not lacking in en- thusiasm and a few good ideas, offer no real hope of effectively implementing them. For instance, they have proposed limiting dorm access to one door after 11 p.m. 'Though this might effectively cut down on crime, Plevin was unable to explain how it might be done (chaining doors is in violation of the fire code). Plevin and Maynard have their hearts in the right place but don't seem to know the ropes well enough to get that much accomplished. Mark Weinstein and Randy McDuf- fie of It's Our University (IOU) face a similar problem. There is nothing to suggest that Weinstein would be able to deal effectively with the ad- ministration. Both he and McDuffie lack any real experience and they speak in confrontational terms when referring to the administration. Wein- stein's affiliation withPSN and No Code should not be as big an issue as it is. However, it points out a problem Weinstein might face were he elected: could he fairly represent broad student concerns, or would he lean too much in favor of one end of the spectrum? When asked what MSA is currently doing poorly, McDuffie had trouble an- swering. It should not be a difficult question to answer. RAP and its president, James Frego, and vice president Cheryl Collins have some interesting answers to problems they see with MSA - answers that are completely unacceptable. RAP would establish guidelines to govern MSA funding to political groups. The assembly would classify each student group based upon its "political" nature and the conduct of its participants. This classification plan could poten- tially be undemocratic and result in a great deal of conflict within MSA. It would be difficult to effectively classify a group such as the PSN. Frego is also "sick of debate" on military research and finds too much "nit-picking" going on. That kind of impatience has no place in MSA. Ron Senkowski and Susan Thomas of Your Own University (YOU) offer the most dismal choice for next year's assembly. They have managed to whip up some fancy publicity, but nothing else. Their extensive platform is deceiving. It offers no substance and has all been thought of before. There is nothing to recommend them. Because Scott Page and Steve Kaplan offer the best combination of experience, potential for strong leadership, well-rounded priorities, and an understanding of MSA's role as the student voice, they would make the, most effective leaders for MSA. Even after MSA took its first official vote on the code Thursday, President Mary Rowland pointed to the futility of MSA opposing the code. "They know we are against the code," she said. "I can't see (how) taking any formal vote on it is going to make a difference." Meanwhile, code opponents may soon have another ally-the American Civil Liberties Union. Students have asked the group's Ann Arbor chapter to investigate the proposed code, and at a meeting tonight, the chapter will discuss what actions,if any, itcould take. Tourney fever Michigan has played its way into the final four of the National Invitational basketball Tournament with wins over Marquette and Xavier. With three straight victories on their home court, Bill Frieder's Wolverines earned the right to take on Virginia Tech at Madison Square Garden in New York tomorrow night. But the key Michigan win this week did not take place at Crisler Arena. While the Wolverines were wearing down Marquette Monday night, the mighty Xavier Musketeers were playing Nebraska at home in Cincinnati. If Nebraska had won that contest, Frieder and friends would have been shipped out to Lin- coln, Neb. for Thursday's game. An audible. sigh- of telief. was released at Crisler when Xavier pulled out a one-point win. After all, the beleaguered Wolverines have already travelled to such hot spots as East Rutherford, N.J., Iowa City, and lovely University gave them free of charge. The Tax Reform Act of 1984, which is expec- ted to go on the floor within two weeks, in- cludes a provision to make the waiver tax- free again, but it is possible the University will not reimburse TAs for taxes they've already paid, even if the bill is passed. "If it's the government's money, we can't give it back to the (TAs)," said Dan Gamble, the University's manager of compensation and staff relations. At the same time as GEO is trying to get money from the University, it is also trying to collect from TAs who haven't yet paid their union fees. Tomorrow, the union will give the University a list of TAs who h'ave not yet paid the fee. Once the University contacts the TAs, they have 15 days to pay, or they may lose their jobs. Scalping tips if you're going to scalp football tickets, don't do it in a public place. And if you do decide to scalp those tickets, sell them to some rich alum, and ask a lot of silly questions to make sure the blue fan isn't a graduate from a police academy. John Haughton, an engineering junior, might offer these tips. Thursday Haughton stood trial and was found not guilty of charges that he scalped tickets to last November's Michigan- Ohio State football game. While he admitted that he had made a deal over the phone to sell four tickets to what turned out to be a police officer at a price of $240, he argued that the deal never went through. The law defines scalping as selling tickets in a public place for greater than the advertised price. Haughton said he never actually4 carried out the sale in public. When they met in front of Ulrich's, Haughton testified he asked the officer," '. . . this is going to sound silly, but I've gotta ask, are you a police of- ficer?' " When'the officer Thomas Seyfried replied, " 'As a matter of fact, I am,' Haughton said the deal went no further. But Seyfried confiscated his tickets, and charged him with scalping. Marilyn Eisenbraun, assistant prosecuting attorney, didn't buy Haughton's testimony. "I don't have to prove that there was an ex- change of money or tickets. It makes sense 4 that Haughton would say: no price was; discussed, after all, he was caught red- handed. What else could he say?" Perhaps Haughton could have asked the six jurors how many time they have scalped tickets in their life. The Week in Review was compiled by Daily associate sports editor Jeff Bergida and Daily editors Jackie Young, Cheryl Baacke, and BillSpind/e. Michigan's NIT path led to New York, not Nebraska. TA power Teaching assistants angered that they're taking home about $75 a month less since January, are filing a grievance with the University to get back money they have lost due to a new federal tax. The president of the Graduate Employees Organization, Celeste Burke, said the union will file the grievance tomorrow to try to get the money refunded or reopen contract negotiations. The extra bite out of TAs paychecks resulted when Congress adjourned in Decem- ber without re-enacting a bill which makes the tuition break for TAs tax-free. TAs only pay two-thirds of their tuition, and until Congress failed to re-enact the bill, they did not have to pay any taxes on the third the LETTERS TO THE DAILY: Rowland To the Daily: There is quite an array of can- didates running for the positions of president and vice-president of MSA this year. Students have important choices to make in deciding the kind of MSA they want for the future. After con- siderable thought and discussion, we would like to express our sup- port for Mark Weinstein and Randy McDuffie of the IOU Par- ty. The two of them, along with their slate, have the principles and the understanding necessary for an active, committed, and ef- fective MSA next year. Their priorities ofrincreasing student involvement and better communication with the regents show a clear understanding of the central issues facing student government today. The ideas that flow from these priorities, and IOU's experience with student issues and organizations, provides them with the background necessary to deal with University politics. Scott Page and Steve Kaplan of the SMART Party are sincere in their efforts and offer good ideas for MSA. Unfortunately, they have a false sense of the Univer- sity power structure and place too much faith in the goodwill of the University administration. We are afraid this will lead to a year of frustration for them, for MSA, and for students. Drew Plevin of LMNOP lacks a clear concept of the role of MSA. He offers fine ideas for short- term projects. Something like a "Meet the Faculty Fair" merits MSA's support but could be bet- ter performed by other Univer- sity groups like college student governments or the counseling office. More importantly, these Soglin endorse IQUParty of knowledge of MSA projects. Their ignorance and their lack of skills will lead to a year of failure for MSA. Their main issue in the campaign is "communication." To that we say "communicate what?" Last and least we come to Jim Frego and Cheryl Collins of RAP. Their promise to stop funding political activities and to keep politics out of MSA is absurd. We live in a political world, every issue is political and MSA has a responsibility to educate students about all sides of an issue. Their plans for MSA are narrow and shortsighted and offer little hope of constructive, long-term educational change. Unlike all the other candidates. Mark Weinstein, Randy McDuf- fie, and the IOU slate offer a clear and comprehensive agenda for MSA and the concern and dedication necessary to continue the struggle for students' needs. -Mary Rowland Jono Soglin March 23 Rowland is president- and Soglin is vice president of Michigan Student Assembly. Hartman 's letter incorrect To the Daily: While we respect the right of Andrew Hartman to express his opinions about the MSA presiden- tal candidates, we feel it is necessary to correct some of his mistakes. "LMNOP most qualified to lead MSA"(Daily, March 23). Far from being a "joke," the YOU party has perhaps the most extensive platform of all the par- ties. The ideas Hartman casts aside as neither good nor new but merely rhetoric are not only very sound; and substantial but original and necessary (e.g. alumni network and financial aid resear- ch). As for experience, YOU representatives have a wide variety of experience in campus organizations. The represen- tatives from the many schools, without exception, are involved on the highest level with their own schoolhgovernments. Ron Senkowski has been involved in dorm governments, un- dergraduate English and political science associations, and various Career Planning and Placement programs. Hartman states that Jim Frego, the presidential candidate for RAP, "is chairman of Studen- candidates, RAP stated that, "The proposed Code of Non- Academic Conduct is unaccep- table and should be heartily rejected by the students with the help of MSA." On military research, RAP's stand is for a student referendum in the fall. Hartman also states that Mark Weinstein of IOU is a "bigwig in the NO CODE group." Weinstein has had close to minimal in- volvement with this group. The association of Weinstein and the spray painting of the buildings is false. Weinstein does not condone such action. According to Har- tman, "IOU is a group of elite radicals on campus." The truth is that a majority of IOU can- didates are not involved in the PSN. While Weinstein did use the words "pressure the regents" it was taken out of context. Wein- stein meant pressure and con- frontation of the regents only over issues of the greatest con- cern to students. (e.g. gay rights). Hartman implies that Scott Page of SMART "will be looking out for the regents more than for the students." This is unsubstan- tiated. According to the MSA News, SMART "firmly opposes the Code of Non-Academic Con- duct." This shows that Page has the ability to oppose the regents when necessary. A student. voter should not make his decision for MSA on the basis of one letter. A decision should be made by looking at all the information available on the candidates.. We are sorry to see ,Hartman use his position as a co-sponsor of the MSA debate to endorse a candidate and call the legitimacy of the other can- didates positions into question. -Dave Battalgia Gretchen Morris Karl Edelmann Ron Senkowski Jim Frego Mark Weinstein March 24 GCCAT ceygl_ ~WC- (XED THE E To PROTEC- T TEE REDCED U CARE C AONKY TO VMLT EOSAIt s19 SMA R T's the best party To the Daily: It is interesting to note that, in Andrew Hartman's letter (in with a man who presented clear and cogent solutions to student concerns in the MSA debate.