41
OPINION
Page 4
Sunday, October 21, 1984
The Michigan Daily I
Students
mobilize
to cheer the champs
F OR ALL THOSE who thought student
activism had been stifled on this campus,
guess again. Students don't turn out in large
numbers to protest the University's
proposed code or this nation's foreign
policy, but when it comes down to the nitty-grit-
ty things such as baseball, students make their
voices heard.
Last Sunday over 200 students stormed the
streets of Ann Arbor following the Detroit
Tigers' win over the San Diego Padres for the
World Series title. The mobs of students may
not have been protesting pressing issues, but
from the actions of the celebrating fans, it
would have been difficult to distinguish them
from radical '60s students by observation
alone.
Well, maybe there were observable differen-
ces. The '80s students shouted "We're number
one. Detroit Tigers are number one,"instead of
Although they "trashed the lobby" of the
UGLi, destroyed one expensive reference book,
sprayed beer on innocent bystanders in study
areas, and broke several outdoor lamps,
overall theirs was a non-violent celebration.
Anyone that doubted the power of '84s
students to mobilize should have been assured
that students still have it in them. Even, if it
only shows up during jubilant partying.
Opposition to proposal C
The University administration and Board of
Regents has opposed this ballot proposal. The
University chapter of the American
Association of University professors opposes it.
And the Michigan Student Assembly this week
passed a resolution saying they oppose it too.
What is everyone on campus so opposed to?
Proposal C, better known as the Voter's
Choice amendment, is, of course, the offen-
ding ballot proposal the campus is so worried
about.
And for good reason. If passed, the amen-
dment would slash state taxes back to Decem-
ber 1981 levels. It would also make all future
tax hike decisions subject to a public referen-
dum - and nobody really likes having to raise
their own taxes. If passed, the proposal would
impact the University in several harmful ways.
As much as $32 million in state aid would be
put in jeopardy and students could expect a
tuition hike of between 19-21 percent that would
nearly blow their socks off.
MSA's resolution against the ballot proposal
coupled with the administration's disapproval
should send a clear message to student voters
and their parents that this measure is not in
their best interests.
Nuclear confusion
While regents and administrators haven't
held back on their opposition to one local ballot'
proposal, another which would make Ann Ar-
bor a nuclear free zone has created a lot of deb-
ate, but no formal policy positions.
The regent's meeting this week, as well as
the Senate Assembly, resembled a debating
Daily Photo by DOUG McMAHON
University students come to life and ditch their books in a show of support for the Detroit Tigers -
World Series champions for the 1984 baseball season.
passage of the ballot proposal.
The whole issue becomes rather confusing
considering that University President Harold
Shapiro once wrote in an article for a magazine,
that he thought the Universtiy should remain
"an intellectually open community and not the
ally of a particular point of view." Apparently,
Shapiro doesn't think the regents' resolution:
condemning the Voter's Choice amendment is:
an example of the University becoming 'the
ally of a particular point of view." And ap-
parently, Alan Price thinks he has a right to
say how the nuclear free proposal impacts the
University.
No wonder no one really knows where the.
University stands.
A change of heart
The University Club Board of Directors has:
had a change of heart and decided to invite the:
public, including Daily reporters, to their.
special meeting where they will discuss the U-:
Club's recent violations of its liquor license.
Last week, the president of the board told the
Daily the board is a private body which doesn't
have to let the public into its hearings. The
Daily had tried to cover the meeting, con-
sidering the board to be a public body which is
prohibited by law from holding meetings closed
to the general public.
The U-Club was cited this summer and once
again this fall with a violation of its liquor'
license for serving customers who were not
members of the club.
The bar owns a "private club" liquor license
which allows it to sell alcohol to club members
only. Students, professors, staff members, and
alumni are considered automatic members of
the club.
At the meeting the board is expected to agree
to acknowledge the violations and explain why
they happened. It is doubtful the board would
challenge the state Liquor Control Coin
mission.
The Week in Review was compiled by
Opinion Page editor Jackie Young.
of "U.S. out of Vietnam." They held Tigers
flags and wore Tigers t-shirts. You wouldn't
have caught one of these students burning an
American flag, and God forbid, never a Detroit
pennant.
They were looking for something, though ob-
viously not a better political system or some
idealistic principle. As one Tiger fan put it: "It
was wild man. We were looking for something
and we found it."
They didn't disrupt classes, after all, it was
Sunday. But they did their best to find students
studying. The mob of loud-mouthed celebrators
traveled across the campus, hitting the
Michigan Union, the Law Library, the
Graduate Library, and the UGLi, to name a
few stops.
match with those pressing for the University to
show its distaste for the arms race on one side,
and those who fear any infringement on
academic freedom on the other. The middle of
the road viewpoint is that there are concerns on
both sides, it is not the role of the University to
come out with a formal position on this par-
ticular issue.
"We have a much greater likelihood of per-
suading others to stop if we ourselves show a
willingness to stop, at least for a while, so as
to see what type of reciprocal action that
elicits," Medical School Prof. David Basset
told the regents Thursday.
Philosophy Prof. Carl Cohen disagreed with
this reasoning. Cohen told the regents that the
proposal is a "pernicious" attempt to use
criminal and civil law to suppress some types
of intellectual activity.
Two University students also used the regen-
ts' meeting to scold members of the ad-
ministration for not supporting the idea of a
nuclear free zone and using University
stationery to indicate "the University
viewpoint" when supposedly there has been no
official stand taken, such as a regents'
resolution, on the matter.
LSA junior Ingrid Kock and LSA senior
Nancy Aronoff contended that the University's
assistant vice president for research, Alan
Price, had misrepresented the University.
Price wrote in an August memo that there are
six major flaws with making the city a nuclear
free zone, and went on to list them. The memo
was sent to people who had expressed an in-
terest in joining a group formed to prevent the
A
Edited and managed by students of The University of Michigan
Reagan is anti
Vol. XCV, No. 40
420 Maynard St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Editorials represent a majority opinion of the Daily's Editorial Board
Destructive Indifference
By Alan Tate
Perhaps for the first time in our nation's
history, an incumbent president's perfor-
mance must be measured with the Con-
stitution of the United States. By appearan-
ces, at least, President Reagan has failed to
uphold his responsibilities with respect to the
Constitution.
Reagan's directive 84 sought prior con-
straint on speech through establishment of a
pre-publication review and would have exten-
sively expanded the use of lie detector tests in
government. This is consistent with Reagan's
assault upon our right to know by opposing
our freedom of speech. In October of 1981, he
sought extensive weakening of the Fredom of
Information Act, and in April of 1982 he issued
an executive order seeking to maximize
classification of all government documents.
Only a man who doesnot believe in the First
Amendment can so consistently act as
Reagan does.
IN ARTICLE 10, Section 8 of the Con-
stitution, the power to declare war is granted
only to Congress--not to the president. Yet,
Reagan, on the basis of a number of overt lies,
invaded Grenada on his authority alone.
Whereas in our past our entry into wars has
been predicated upon attacks upon
Americans, ("Rememb
Lusitania, Pearl Harbor
was predicated upon a
the students by the Gren
state department had r
plicit assurances that th
be harmed. Indeed, they
the Grenadans. The s
were divided in two secti
"liberated" on the mit
other group of three
"saved" until much 1
never taken hostage no:
Cubans and Grenadans a
no students came under
U.S. troops invaded their
In the prosecution of
prohibited standard dire
by the press, another di
First Amendment. The da
in a free society (ours?
the press's prerogative,
choice for the press.
Given this pattern, it is
has not been the Ameri
investigated the disturb
Reagan's account of the
cident of a year ago. Fir
leaning June issue of D
more fully in the Augu
Nation, the Soviet accu
Constitution
er the Alamo, Main, been granted credibility while Reagan's claim
,etc.") this invasion of innocent error has been profoundly:
possible" capture of discredited. With the KAL 007 being the
aadans--this after the Korean president's personal pilot, with
eceived official, ex- unusually extensive U.S. surveillance
e students would not throughout the plane's flight path at the time,
were not harmed by and with a U.S. defense department jet flying
tudents in Grenada with the Korean jet shortly before it invaded
ons, one of which was Soviet air space, how can we believe that in-
ial assault, but the vasion was merely due to instrument error,?
hundred was not At the least, Reagan is involved in a hideous
ater--yet they were cover up. At worst, as with his willingnes to
r endangered by the endanger the American students in Grenada.
round them. Indeed, Reagan has actively sacrificed over 250 in-
hostile gunfire until nocent civilians to test American radar jam-
area. ming equipment or to spy on a Soviet missile
this attack, Reagan test known to be in progress at the time.
ct front line coverage I am told the Anti-Christ will appear in
irect violation of the robes of piety. While the truth of this is yet
angers of the front line be seen, clearly, the greatest threats to our
) have always been constitutional freedoms have come from-
not the president's within: Joseph McCarthy and the House
UnAmerican Activities Committee, and
s not suprising that it Richard Nixon's hard line anti-communism.
can press which has Unless he can satisfactorily resolve the issues
ing contradictions in raised above, he who votes for Reagan this
Korean air liner in- year votes against the Constitution.
T HE REGENTS' monthly public
comments session is not known
for its meaningful exchange of ideas.
Students or members of the com-
munity are allowed five minutes to ex-
press their concerns regarding the
University - concerns which are
usually ignored or met with only the
most brief response. But Regent Deane
Baker (R-Ann Arbor) took this
disregard for alternative opinion even
further on Thursday after listening to
LSA senior Lee Winkelman describe
what he views as flaws in the
proposed code for non-academic con-
duct.
Instead of providing a constructive
response, as is so desperately needed
regarding that issue, or even just
ignoring Winkelman like the rest of the
regents did, Baker obnoxiously asked,
"Are you a member of PSN?"
The question didn't come out of a
sincere concern for Winkelman's
political beliefs, nor should it have sin-
ce an opinion on the code has nothing to
do with whether one is to the left or
right. Baker's motive was simply to
discredit Winkelman's argument by
associating it with the Progressive
Student Network.
"PSN" is a dirty word to the regents.
They are the kids who sit. in labs to
protest military research and a lot of
them even have long hair. Evidently
their opinion doesn't mean as much to
Baker who would rather hear a "nor-
mal" student speak. The problem with
"normal" students, though, is that
they aren't informed and just don't
care. Though the PSN may at times be
a bit extreme, they are at the very
least involved with issues that affect
this University. That involvement .is
exactly what the public comments
session is supposed to encourage, not
discredit.
But whether Winkelman is a mem-
ber of PSN or not, the real problem is
that the regents have no intention of
taking alternative viewpoints
seriously. Baker shouldn't have asked
the question he did, but by the same
token the other regents should not have
remained silent as they did. The
average public comments session is an
exercise in futility for those speaking
their mind. The students who speak
.are there because they care. Unfor-
tunatly, they are met with indifferen-
ce. The regents yawn, get up to get cof-
fee, read the newspaper - anything
but listen conscientiously. And
President Shapiro rigorously clocks
five minutes on the stopwatch. It is
silly.
And that is too bad since the regents
could use a good talking to. The
proposed code is a perfect example of
where student input is necessary, but
ignored.
For the student who cares enough to
talk to the regents and who puts up with
the kind of discreditiing Baker threw
around, being met with all of those
empty stares must be especially pain-
ful. If the regents don't care, why
should the students or community?
Should that indifference spread, the
entire University would be the loser.
The regents should show that they
care so that the students and com-
munity know that it is crucial for them
to care as well.
st in the British right-
efense Attache, then
st 18-25 issue of the
sation of spying has
Tate is a graduate of the University who
now lives in Seattle, Washington.
BEIJING, CHINA - When it
first printed a marriage ad, "The
Market" newspaper received a
protest of letters. The weekly was
accused of publishing material
"incompatible with Chinese
marriage conventions and social
traditions."
Today, three years later, the ad
column does not have near
enough space for those who want
to be listed. And this is just one
sign that China now is worried
about its large number of un-
married people.
"IF ONE person stays single,
it's absolutely a personal mat-
ter," said. Xu Jiashe, manager of
a marriage agency here. "But
when hundreds of thousands of
people over 30 remain single, it
becomes a social problem. r
Sociologists point to several
reasons for the high number of
unmarried people.
- Many young people had to
forego marriage when they went
to work in the countryside in the
"cultural revolution."
- Many missed out on
marriage because they opted for
higher education.
- Young women, with their in-
creasing role in society, have
become more critical of prospec-
iv a- th iah te tr..ai;inn
The fourish ing
of the Chinese
m atchmakers
By Huang Quing
paign calling on all sectors, in-
cluding party organizations at all
levels, to help find marriageapar-
tners for young people.
The nationwide effort, backed
by trade unions and women's
federations, involves a variety of
activities. Enterprises are being
urged to sponsor more sporting
and recreational activities for
young people, creating oppor-
tunities for a love match.
Publications have started special
columns giving advice to lonely
hearts, and a wave of articles and
programs have focused on the
problem.
Today Chinese find mates in a
variety of ways - by themselves,
through arrangements made by
parents or go-betweens, and by
, - ---.. ----
rate in this group.
Gu Shugin, 50, the head nurse in
the city's Chaoyang Hospital
pediatrics section, has become
something of a celebrity by
helping link up nearly 1,000 people
between 20 and 50 years old. "I'm
very glad to see that 146 pairs en-
ded up getting married."
deAnother renowned match-
maker is Zhang Guorong, who
speaks about his spare-time ac-
tivity with pride. "It's not dif-
ficult to be the go-between for a
couple of people, but it is difficult
to be a mtchmaker for hundreds,
especially to be one trusted and
respected by the public."
More than 3,000 people have
registered with Zhang, who never
asks anything from his clients.
T . is r la : nn.,a 'Inu o i c~: -
gatherings such as tea parties
and plans excursions. "We just
provide opportunities for these
people to meet," said Xu.
Other-active groups include the
Women's Federation, which has
sponsored dances, movies, con-
certs and the like, and the
Education Trade Union, which
has held dances for more than 300
unmarried teachers, graduate
students, and researchers.
The most successful social
gatherings are said to be the
parties held in front of the Hall of
Prayer for Good Harvests in
Tiantan Park (Temple of
Heaven). These parties - run by
the Park and the Beijing Evening
News - have been going on since
early July. They usually involve
150 go-betweens to help the
"lonely hearts" establish con-
tact.
On a less traditional note, the
park recently has installed a
computer system which stores in-
formation - including
nationality, ageheight, health,
education, profession, and in:
come -on registrants. }
But newspaper advertisements
have not been displaced. Indeed,
in addition to the Market, the
Chinese Youth Journal and the
national magazine, Women of
China., also have started the ser-
.. .... .... ........... ..