The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, November 28, 1984 - Page 3 Suicide pills face uphill battle Associated Press, High there A workman outside the state Capitol Building in Lansing starts to decorate the big tree on the front lawn for the Christ- mas season yesterday. The top of the building's dome is in the background. .- Highlight University Activities Center presents laughtrack and Tim Allen at 9 p.m. in the U-Club. Film MTF-Liquid Sky, 7 p.m., Alien, 9 p.m., Michigan Theater. Hill St. Cinema-Alexander Nevsky, 7 p.m., Hill St. Performances School of Music-"Basically Beethovan 3",8 p.m., School of Music Recital Hall; Percussion ensemble, 8 p.m., Rackham. University Activities Center-Laugh Track, Tim Allen, 9 p.m., U-Club. The Ark-Lady of the Lake & Hoot Night, 8 p.m., 637 S. Main St. Ann Arbor Libertarian League-Dr. Bette J. Erwin, "Psychodynamics and Political Preferences", 7 p.m., 1412 Mason Hall. Dept. of Chemistry-Organic Seminar, Yong Woon Jung, "TMSI and its Use in Organic Synthesis," 4 p.m., 1300 Chemistry Bldg. Division of Biological Sciences-Dr. Tahir M. Rizki, "Regulation of White Locus Transcription in Drosophilia", 3:30 p.m., Natural Science Bldg. Center for Russian and Eastern Europe Studies-Christine Worobec, "Crisis in the Post-Emancipation Russian Peasant Family: Myth or Reality? noon, Lane Hall. Meetings Rackham Student Govt. - 5:30 p.m., 4 Michigan League. Black Student Union-7 p.m., Trotter House. Michigan Gay Undergraduates-9:30 p.m., 802 Monroe St. Academic Alcoholics-1:30 p.m., Alano Club. Ann Arbor Support Group for Farm Labor Org. Committee-5:30 p.m., room 4318 Union. Science Fiction Club-8:15 p.m., Stilyagi Air Corps. Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship-8 p.m., 225 Angell. Miscellaneous Student Wood & Craft Shop-Power Tool safety class, 6 p.m., 537 S.A.B. U-M Rugby Team-Benefit Bash, 9 p.m., Rick's American Cafe. Transcendental Mediation Center-Introductory lecture, 8 p.m., 528 West Liberty St. Baby wi*th new heart imp roves A six month-old girl believed to be the youngest heart transplant patient ever showed "signs of improvement" and began oral feeding yesterday, a University Hospitals spokesman said. "Doctors at- C.S. Mott Children's Hospital say that the oral feeding and (her stable condition) indicate she is improving," spokesman Dave Friedo said. The girl, whose name was withheld at her parents' request, had been fed intravenously since the operation last Thursday. The girl needed the transplant because "two arteries from the heart to the body were in the wrong place ... and prevented adequate blood supply to the heart and body," according to' Friedo. The operation was performed by a dozen doctors led by Dr. Douglas Behrendt. - Dov Cohen Regan unmveil tax proposal (Continued from Page 1)' $5,000 a year in an IRA. THE RADICAL nature of the changes was reflected in the long line of lob- byists and accounting firm messengers who waited for copies as Regan began a news conference to outline the proposal. The plan virtually eliminates the special tax breaks given business in 1981 for investment, saying they are no longer needed because of the low rate of inflation. The plan is the department's answer to President Reagan's call last January for an alternative tax system that is simpler, fairer and more efficient. REAGAN, however, delivered only a qualified endorsement of the proposal, which has several controversial aspec- ts. (Continued from Page 1) Health Service has already said that it will not stock the pills. And SANS members say they understand that. Their goal is to make people think about nuclear war by equating it with suicide "We certainly take the issue of nuclear war very seriously," said Caesar Briefer, Health Service direc- tor. "I certainly understand the intent and share their horror (over nuclear war)," he added. But still, Health Ser- vice won't stock suicide pills. HOWEVER, THE very word "suicide" has caused some students to hesitate about backing the proposal. Earlier this month, MSA asked the group to reword the proposal before the assembly would vote to have it placed on the ballot. SANS, in spite of clarifying the proposal's language and adding a sentence stating that the group does not advocate suicide, decided to gather 1,000 signatures on petitions to have the measure put on the ballot. Some students, however, feel that the suicide pills may seem to advocate suicide. MSA VICE President Steve Kaplan said he opposes the use of the word. "With that word in there it will stop some people (from) thinking beyond the word suicide," Kaplan said. "If MSA endorses (the proposal) some people can say the student gover- nment endorsed the stockpile of suicide pills," Kaplan said. Others agree with Kaplan. They say the proposal appears to be an endor- sement of suicide. But for whatever the reason, only two of 12 students inter- viewed yesterday said they favored the proposal. "IT'S KIND of like telling people that (suicide is) alright when it's actually a sin," said Lynda White, an LSA fresh- woman. "I couldn't commit suicide, I'd rather just die," said Carolyn Cole, an LSA freshwoman. "It seems like pressure (to commit suicide) to me . . . and who wants to think about nuclear war," she said. "If the world's bad enough that you have to take a suicide pill ... you may as well just go outside (and have the nuclear war kill you)," said an engineering school senior who refused to be identified. DOUG VENABLE, an LSA senior said the proposal is too fatalistic. "I think it's a bad idea because I think people would be making nulcear war more probable in their mind." However, other students said they disagreed with the proposal for another reason - because, they say, it isstoo politically extreme. "It's just a political thing," said Firas Atchoo, an LSA freshman. AN LSA senior who refused to be identified agreed with Atchoo. "No, I'm not for it, I think it's going to extremes. But then again, I'm not into radical politics," he said. "I don't think it's ad- vocating suicide. I think they're going to extremes to get their point across," he added. "I just think its kind of silly." But according to SANS leader Karen Mysliwiec, the proposal is not intended to be silly or funny. "I don't find nuclear war particularly funny. In fact, I have nuclear night- mares," she said. "YOU CERTAINLY can't call a bun- ch of people who believe in what they're doing jokes," Mysliwiec said. "If we didn't give a damn about what we were doing, then I would laugh with people who say this is a joke," she added. The fact that some students have said the proposal is silly and too politically extreme has led others to question whether or not the group will effec- tively harness student support. And according to Eric Schnaufer, MSA's law school representative who has worked with the group on the wor- ding of its proposal, so far, most of the excitement generated by this measure has been on the printed page. "THEY HAVEN't sustained anything so far besides the media's interest," he said. The media has indeed been keeping an eye on SANS. In addition to local newspapers and radio stations, other state news organizations have picked- up on the proposal. "We used it on page three," said Ron Fonger, news editor at Northern Michigan University's newspaper, The Northwind. "We thought that the story had some merit because of what is hap- pening nationwide," he said. "We felt that it was certainly important enough for us to cover," he said. According to Fonger, the students e t NMU had mixed reactions about the proposal. "I COULD only say that reaction was mixed," he said. However, he added that "there was no laughing in the streets" about the proposal. The Detroit Free Press ran the story! on page one. According to city editor' Jim Crutchfield, the Free Press found, the story interesting because it came after a propoal.to make Ann Arbor a nuclear free zone was defeated in the city's Nov. 6 election. But above all, the story was interesting, he said. "It's certainly an eye-catching idea," he said. 'I wouldn't necessarily say it's important," he said, adding that it will be considered important if and when the students vote on the proposal. BUT WHILE students at NMU had mixed reactions about the story, Joe Serwach, a staff reporter at Michigan State University's State News, said that the story his paper ran on page three received lots of laughs from student government leaders there. "They basically laughed at the whole idea and think that it was pretty preposterous," Serwach said. SANS member Harvey admits that this attitude is a problem. Some people, he said, think that the proposal is nothing more than a publicity stunt. "They basically think it's just a publicity hype right now," he said. However, he explained that the movement's goal is "not to get on the publicity wagon, so to speak," but to educate students about nuclear war. "Whether it's a media ploy or whatever, we feel it's drawing atten- tion," said Ron Kost, a SANS member. Mysliwiec said it is ridiculous to think that the group is after the media's at- tention. "I always laugh at them and say I don't need my face plastered on newspapers," she said. "I don't think that anyone in the group is egotistical enough just to do it for the media," she said. SYMBOL... young men 16-35 "OF THE MAN WHO RECEIVES IN GIVING" _ FRANCISCANS DIRECTOR OF VOCATIONS, FRANCISCANS, TOR 2006EDGEWATERPARKWAY SILVER SPRING, MARYLAND 20903 ?: Please send me the free booklet at no obligation. Name. MDM age Address r___r___ ____r __ _______ ____r __h __h __d Write for free City State______Zip booklet (Check preference) Priesthood ____ Brotherhood - To submit items for the Happenings Column, send them in care of Happenings, The Michigan Daily, 420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Performing with string orchestra accom- paniment, double Grammy-winner Wynton Marsalis interprets standards like "Stardust" "For All We Know" and "When You Wish Upon A Star" in his own 5~ U~T~ nT~ m.........