4 OPINION Page 4 Friday, January 25, 1985 Edited and managed by students at The University of Michigan A lack of commui Vol. XCV, No. 95 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Editorials represent a majority opinion of the Daily's Editorial Board Out of order Very much like the bully down the street, the United States has picked up its marbles and gone home now that the World Court isn't fun anymore. The United States has always been one of the strongest supporters of the world court. Now, however, in respon- se to Nicaragua's suit over U.S. mining of Managua harbor and other incidents resulting from U.S. covert aid to Nicaraguan rebels, the United States is withdrawing from the court before a decision has been reached. The administration's rationale for the withdrawal, according to a statement released by the State Depar- tment, was that they had formed, ".. . the impression that the court is deter- mined to find in favor of Nicaragua in this case." The statement also cited a technical grievance for the with- drawal: Nicaragua has not yet recognized the World Court and thus would not be subject to a similar suit brought by the United States. In ad- dition, the State Department questioned the Court's jurisdiction, claiming that the case concerns "an inherently political problem" as op- posed to "a narrow legal dispute." The withdrawal, however, is an inef- fective way for the United States to respond to international pressures. In so doing, the administration comes just short of admitting to a violation of international law. There are still a great number of questions concerning U.S. conduct in Nicaragua, and the World Court is the proper forum for those questions to be answered. It is unfortunate that the administration would lack the conviction to defend that conduct. Equally unfortunate is the damage to U.S. credibility in international relations. Through its years of support for the World Court, the United States had established a reputation as a defender of international law. This decision, combined with the recent U.S. withdrawal from UNESCO, will damage the country's standing in the eyes of its allies and politically neutral nations. As Reagan begins his second term, it is important that he work toward in- ternational cooperation. The decision to withdraw from the World Court is a move in the wrong direction. The decision displays both a lack of faith in his own policies and a disturbing short- sightedness in international relations. By Robert Honigman Second in a series of four articles. When I drove up to Ann Arbor in the Spring of 1977 I was aware that there was a housing crisis in the city. A secretary ushered me into the office of Dr. Ostafin in the SAB Building, who I had not seen in 19 years. he expressed surprise at seeing me and faintly remem- bered the housing paper I had once worked on with his help. Ostafin kindly provided me with the current University housing statistics. Since 1958, 15,000 new students had been added to the Universtiy's Ann Arbor campus, raising it from 21,000 to 36,000. Over the same time period the University had built additional housing untis on North Campus for some 3,000 students. The Natu re of the University I asked Ostafin why the University had never carried out its major residence hall project on North Campus. He replied that there had never been a major housing plan for North Campus - all planning had been ten- tative and on an ad hoc basis. I asked Ostafin why University housing failed to avert the housing crisis. He said the while it would be nice to have more housing, the University's housing program was not a failure. In fact, Ostafin said he was retiring soon and was going to write a book on the University's accomplishments in student housing, and he would have a hard time restraining his pride in its achievements. There was no housing crisis - Ostafin assured me - students who really wanted to remain in the residence halls would find vacancies opening up in the fall. I left Ostafin's ofice feeling confused. The huge housing complex I had envisioned for North Campus - replete with a fraternity row -had never been planned. I went across the mall to the Michigan Union and talked with Kim Keller of the Ann Arbor Tenant's Union just to reassure myself that there was indeed a housing crisis in Ann Arbor. She reassured me that there was - showing me various articles from the Ann Arbor News. Then she referred me to Johnathan Rose and Paul Teich of the Center for National Housing Law Reform. They too reassured me that there was a housing crisis in Ann Arbor - its rents were among the highest in the nation. In a letter to the MSA Newsletter they wrote: "We have seen horrors in Ann Arbor student housing of people living in a closet, two groups of tenants literally fighting over the right to occupy a house, ads offering a 'reward' for finding a house for rent, and rent rises of 60 percent in one year." What had gone wrong? The University not only denied the existence of a housing crisis, but seemed to have forgotten that it had created the housing crisis itself. Students blamed greedy landlords for the situation and seemed ignorant of the role of the Unversity. I couldn't escape the feeling that perhaps because I was silent all those years, the housing problems of students had never received the public attention they deserved. If I had spoken out and written letters to the Michigan Daily, I might have alerted the University community not only to the housing crisis that was occurring, but to the oppor- tunity for a great North Campus student campus as well. There is little doubt that a major housing program on North Campus would have had a beneficial effect on student life as well as preventing a major housing crisis in the city. For each student attracted to the University, approximately 2.5 support personnel and their families are also attracted. Thus, it wasn't merely 15,000 students ad- ded to the Ann Arbor population since 1958 - it was these students plus some 35,000 support personnel and their families, altogether some 50,000 people attracted to an already over- crowded and overpriced housing market. By concentrating students on North Cam- pus, inexpensive parking and mass transit could have been easily developed - perhaps a The Michigan Daily nication monorail as a Daily editor once suggested. Moreover, housing built in the early sixties before construction costs doubled would have built in low-rent structures. And studen- ts would have had the benefit of living in a community close to other students and their classes rather than being swallowed up by scattered and isolated off-campus housing. With some of the best experts in the country on its faculty, the University could have designed a model campus, a national showcase of physical beauty and social fun- ction. Instead, the actual housing conditions for students in 1977 were far worse than in 1958. Parking and transportation had deteriorated enormously. The Ann Arbor police were issuing more than 25,000 parking tickets a month, and Universty housing brochures urged students "not to bring a car to cam- pus." Roommate problems had also in- creased enormously - since four to seven person apartments were now commonplace. And the price of housing was among the highest in the nation, despite low quality and constant landlord-tenant disputes. Although I didn't know what had gone wrong or why, I suddenly realized in 1977 that what I had thought were student housing problems, were not housing problems at all. I had reached the second level of understan- ding. The University didn't want to solve student housing problems. For some reason it chose to ignore them. I had been naive to imagine that I alone in 1958 had forseen a housing crisis or suggested a new type of housing. The University em- ployed dozens of full-time experts who dealt with nothing but student housing, and who understood it far better than any outsider or student. There was no communication gap. The real problem students faced was that they had en- tered an institution that was indifferent to them. And I had a dark sense of foreboding that there were other areas of student life - less visible but far more important - that the University was also neglecting. Honigman, a University graduate, is an attorney in Sterling Heights. Tomorrow: "The University's motives I Cramer Remaking the Ranger I K EMO SABE is happy again. Because of a Los Angeles court's decision, actor Clayton Moore, who made the Lone Ranger famous, has earned the right to wear his mask in public. An injunction requested by the company with the mask's copyright had prohibited Moore from leaving the house with his famous eye covering. While this case will most likely never be written up in the law journals, it is a classic example of the thousands of useless and wasteful lawsuits filed each year. Wrather Corporation of Beverly Hills, the company which brought suit, claimed that it would be confusing for viewers to see the legendary hero ap- pearing around the country. Moore claimed that he and the Lone Ranger are "one in the same," and that ap- pearing in dark glasses would jeopar- dize that valuable relationship in the public eye. So off the two parties went to court. The actual dispute, however, was not so terribly concerned with alienating Long Ranger fans. It concerned money. While the injuntion was in ef- fect, Moore was making public ap- pearances and advertisemen- ts-cashing in on the Kemo Sabe name- recognition. Meanwhile, Wrather was promoting a new Lone Ranger feature film, starring a younger actor in the title role. Moore's nationwide ap- pearances were getting in the way. So after two years of wearing sunglasses in public, Moore can once again say "Hi-o Silver" with a .clear conscience. The question remaining is, why wasn't this case thrown out of court in the first place? The legal system is continually perpetuating a I4 Moore ... back in black backlog of cases that often subjects the parties involved to severe emotional and financial strain. Thesedays, when the hero rides into town to save the day, it takes five months before the villians can have their say in court. People working in the legal system are constantly frustrated with delays and scheduling problems thanks to that backlog. No longer is there a hero to champion the case of those trapped in the bonds of litigation. Now, when it seems there is nowhere to turn for justice, even the age-old guardian of fairness and truth seems to be part of the problem. What America's courts need is a real Lone Ranger. rD1EE FW AiRF~6 &9 I4t MJ ATNtAJ4LL QF A LOT NICEftR~ I _im I __ LETTERS TO THE DAILY Critic made uninformed accusations To the Daily: How is it that critics like Bruce Poindexter ("Daily is all talk without any action," Daily, Jan. .23) who do not know me nonetheless see fit to make pronouncements about my lack of actual experiences in the world (I am "ensconsed within ivy- covered cells") and my "no Doesn't the use of such unsound methods really tell us more about the critic than his target? I might add that someone infantile ad hominem attacks. named "Poindexter" is probably - Brian Leiter ill-advised to set a precedent of January 23 The Michigan Daily encourages input from our readers. Letters should be typed, triple spaced, and sent to the Daily Opinion Page, 420 Maynard, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109. BLOOM COUNTY by Berke Breathed ... ...:.tv::: .*... ...m.. }:..... ' ..{" ..n :}..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..:.::.:............... :..:::.: ".x...v.....~::t.....M . ::{:i:vV":x.......... ........: ..........;::::::":.::::::::::A:.::::::::::..................... . . 5o77wi wMi m/< esOTp O IFOR AT 8 y q MON/TH/S Of AGE, VHE S/fl/TON HAD AMRfT6 R N tPvtAgIrY1 AT 5ChOOLAMP 66ACKA14Y ~RI ..MY Rfin%5 WERE W lw PAP5.