4 OPINION Page 4 Wednesday, March 28, 1984 The Michigan Daily 4 Thou shalt hear Hal's commandments By Bill Spindle And on the one hundredth and sixty- seventh year of the coming of the students to campus, the regents said unto Harold, create a code of non- academic conduct for thy people the students. And it came to pass that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud of repressive academia fell upon the dorms and fraternities and sororities as the regents spake. And upon the lands of off-campus housing, which surrounded the holy campus, the homes of the peoples began to tremble. AND THE PEOPLE perceived the thunderings and the lightnings, and they were afraid; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood afar and tried to ignore it. But the power of the regents was held high above them. And the kegs at their parties drained more slowly, several marijuana deals were aborted, and none of the people dared enter the steam-tunnel catacombs, for it had been called a sin and those who enter sinners. And Harold questioned the regents, and asked, Why must I now bring this burden upon my peoples? For I have just led them through the barren desert of fiscal reductions. I have tested their faith with high tuition fees. And for many years I have forced them to seek knowledge without the help of professors in introductory-level cour- ses. HEARKEN THOU to our voices, spake the regents. Thou shalt teach them the statutes and the laws, and shalt show them the way wherein they must walk and the work that they must do. For the students have forgotten their gods the regents. They have reveled in progressive parties in the dormitories. They have debased and broken the monuments of the holy academic kingdom of the regents. And like ser- pents they have lain on the floor of laboratories after our chosen leaders have told them to leave. So Harold went to the people and spake the commandments of the regents: Thou shalt not own a dangerous weapon. Thou shalt not harass any member of the regents' peoples. Thou shalt not light fires in Univer- sity buildings. And the commandments went on past ten as Harold listened. Thou shalt not sell drugs, destroy property, steal property, forge documents, use fireworks, threaten thy neighbor, tresspass, or misuse fire ex- tinguishers. AND THE REGENTS said unto Harold, Come up to us unto the Fleming Administration Building, and be there: and we will give you the commandmen- ts engraved on sheet upon sheet of Xerox paper, and the law and the com- mandment which we have written, that thou mayest teach them. But as Harold went unto the building, the people corrupted themselves. And the regents spake unto him, Go get thy ass back there; for thy people that thou sheparded from high school have corrupted themselves. They have turned away quickly from the ways we \\ 1, i l commanded them, and they have begun to worship the false gods who sit in laboratories; they have spaken the names of their gods in vain; and they have written the blasphemous words, "No Commandments," on the cherished buildings of the gods. They have even considered writing their own commandments and wor- shipping them falsely. And the wrath of Harold waxed hot, and he said to the regents, Let me alone so that I may consume them and take their vote so that they will have little choice but to abide by the comman- dments. And they will blindly obey the commandments until the eternal fires of hell frost over, for only the hoary regents will be able to change them. For the students know not what they speak. They do not understand that the commandments arise from powerful and all-knowing gods. They do not see the love of their gods. They have forsaken their regents. Spindle is the Daily's editor in chief. \\ t A' / /r, apF-.Xf*q- 4 -- - -- - -- - i _ Edte tud att gan i Edited and managed by students at The University of Michigar- LaBan Vol. XCIV-No. 142 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Editorials represent a majority opinion of the Daily's Editorial Board Rape not racism WAS THE GANG rape trial of a 21-year-old woman in Fall River, Mass. a victory or a defeat for victims of such violent crimes? Four of the six men charged in the case were found guilty and sentenced to prison terms =.or either raping the woman, forcing 'her to have oral sex, or cheering on her assailants. But while the woman's attackers will soon be behind bars, the victim must face a community which is hostile to her for supposedly stirring anti-Portuguese sentiment in the area. In fact, so many thousands have rallied protesting her trial that the issue of whether or not the men were guilty of the crime seems to have been lost. The tragedy remains: a woman is raped, stands through 17 hours of questioning, her reputation is challenged, her name is printed in the newspapers, her trial is broadcast over cable television on channels, and she gets little support or comfort from men or women in her community. It seems that in all the ruckus, the rapists have been forgiven. While the woman's attackers face tough prison sentences, the victim must face an almost more painful punishment - rejection and guilt inflicted by the community. One Portugese resident of the community went so far as to say: "I don't care if these people were guilty or innocent. What hurts is what this case has done to my people." Apparently the man's national pride has been damaged. But what about the victim's life? The woman has had to move her. #,, 411 r-rs rywGR5!- r-' y } ' : -ILLINOIS Inmr' r 4 children out of the community. She has to stomach comments such as one from an elderly woman outside the courthouse who declared that, "She had no business being in a bar. She should have been home with her kids instead of destroying men's lives!" The victim's attorney said .one concerned citizen reported that angry residents had even placed cans in some bars to collect money to pay a hit man to kill the woman. The residents' charges seem somewhat ridiculous considering that the victim and the District Attorney are both of Portuguese decent. But that shouldn't even be an issue. Women are raped everyday, everywhere - no matter what nationality this woman's attackers, the crime is the same and the victim still suffers. This time the victim will suffer a little more. It is hard to understand why those charging that the trial represents anti- Portuguese sentiment don't feel more compassion toward the victim of such a violent crime. It's hard to imagine that a woman would purposely place herself under such close public scrutiny unless she felt that justice should be done and that the men should be locked up. While this case is technically a legal victory for rape victims, it certainly isn't going to encourage women who have been raped to come forth and identify their assailants. The bitterness shown the victimized woman can give rapists new hope that they will go unpunished and their crimes unrecorded. c LETTERS TO THE DAILY: Hartman responds to accusations To the DAILY: I am writing in response to the accusations of Battaglia, et. al. in their letter "Hartman's let- ter incorrect" (Daily, March 25). First and foremost, I entered into this MSA debate as an impartial third party. After the candidates spoke, I made recomendations based on their comments. The RAP, YOU, and IOU candidates who co-signed the letter must realize that a debate is a forum where the public judges the can- didates on what they say. To substantiate my point that YOU has no experience: when Scott Winkelman, the editor-in- chief of Consider, asked "Why are you qualified to be MSA president?" Ron Senkowski of YOU replied, "For myself and my vice-president, Susan Thomas, we have no prior ex- perience in any MSA activities." This was also confirmed by Mary Rowland, present MSA president, and by the Daily. If Senkowski was involved in any organizations, he certainly didn't tell us during the debate. I do stand corrected that Frego is the vice chairman and not the chairman of Students for Academic Freedom. I never directly stated RAP's views on military research or the code but since Frego is the vice chairman of a group whose only purpose is to advocate military rPean mu than nn .ni. .1 A nmP.,r movement." If ' Weinstein chooses to lie to me and the sixty students also present at the debate, that is his prerogitive. He did indeed say he was very ac- tive in PSN and the No Code group, it is not my job to check his speech for lies. If anyone cares to question any of these quotations, please feel free to contact me for I have the whole debate recorded on tape. I also find it amusing that the authors of this letter against me mentioned Scott Page and he didn't even co-sign with them. This leads me to believe that he MSA polit To the DAILY: After reading Marcy Fleisher's presentation of the different can- didates running for the Michigan Student Assembly, "MSA can- didates air their views" (Daily March 25) I was stunned by Mark Weinstein's platform. He claims he will propose that MSA representatives be paid and receive college credit for their positions. This is the most ridiculous proposition I have ever heard from a political candidate at this University. Student government acts as an environ- mental base for those interested to pursue objectives of the student population. It allows them to develop and improve BLOOM COUNTY either agreed with my letter, or president. I still strongly support disagreed with theirs, or both. Drew Plevin and LMNOP. The It is true that every voter has to false accusations and incon- make up his or her own mind on sistancies by the other can- who to vote for, I merely wrote to didates demonstrate that LM- inform the students- about the NOP not only has the leadership candidates from an unbiased qualities and new ideas but also position. Three of the people who has integrity that is lacking in the wrote the accusatory letter have other parties. their own selfish interests at For the good of the student heart since they are presidential body and the Univesity as a candidates themselves. This let- whole, I urge you to vote for Drew ter written against me demon- Plevin and his LMNOP party strates that YOU, IOU, and RAP today and tomorrow. are willing to distort the truth, -Andrew Hartman omit crucial facts, and even to March 26 outright lie in order to get elected icians don't deserve pay Ashes to ashes $ to dust G ETTING that nicotine craving as final exams loom ever,closer on the horizon and the term papers begin to pile up faster than they can be typed? Find another way to deal with the stress. Smoking, especially for young men, is not only unhealthy, it's too expensive for a college student. Too often it is the quick fix - that easy way to relax without taking all the time to exercise - but a costly fix in more than one way. A study smokes more than two packs a day will lose an average of $58,987 over his lifetime from cigarette-related medical bills and lost work. A woman in this category could lose $20,152. Students, especially if they get federal assistance, shouldn't be allowed to smoke, afterall, many have student loans to be paid back. For all those econ majors out there who smoke cigaretts: face the statistics. A cost-benefit analysis leadership skills, express the voice of students, and keep an eye on the administration. MSA is NOT a means for increasing one's income and college credits. I suppose Weinstein recom- mends that athletes be paid (collegiate and intramural) for their participation in sports. The University provides an environ- ment for students to further themselves academically, socially, and extracurricularly. We do these activities because we want to, not out of economic needs. Weinstein is right about one thing: student interest will cer- tainly increase if college credits are offered. . . and that's because MSA would be considered one of the biggest "blow-off" courses this University has to offer. The University might as well offer credits to band members, intramural officials, and student- employees of the University and of local merchants. Come on , Weinstein, these proposals ruin the beauty andat- tractiveness of extracurricular activities. Real politicians get paid, not amateurs. By the way, if you need a campaign manager, I am for hire.. . but only if you pay me. -Randy Moss March 26 by Berke Breathed 4