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OPINION
Page 4 Monday, September 16, 1985 The Michigan Daily
Edited and managed by students at The University of Michigan
Couzens:Where's the brew?
Vol XCVI, No.8
420 Maynard St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Editorials represent a majority opinion of the Daily's Editorial Board
Kidnapped!
T HE RECENT kidnapping of El
Salvadoran President Jose
Napoleon Duarte's daughter un-
derscores the frightening circle of
violence that has plagued the Cen-
tral American country for much of
the last decade.
Ines Duarte de Navas was kid-
napped from the campus of Nueva
San Salvador University on
Tuesday, as she arrived for her
classes there. Two of her
bodyguards were shot and killed in
the attack, and another woman was
also taken.
So far, no group has claimed
responsibility for the kidnapping.
Duarte's political enemies or so-
called "allies" might conceivably
have committed the action.
On the left, Salvadoran rebels
have been waging a bloody civil
war that has claimed countless
lives in the past five years. Those
rebels claim that Duarte, a former
rebel himself, has sold out to a
bompromise government that
allows El Salvador's traditional
ruling families to remain powerful..
On the right, critics of Duarte
such as Roberto D'Aubisson, his
thief opposition in last year's elec-
tions, see him as a threat to their
traditional power. In addition,
right wing death squads working to
quell support for the rebels have
long used abduction and
assassination as a means of
terrorizing the populace and
discrediting the rebels.
So Duarte is caught between the
warring factions in the middle of
the violence all around him. Nor is
le free of guilt himself. A recent
report issued by Americas Watch,
non-partisan human rights
organization, documents Duarte's
government as continuing to
violate human rights.
There have been some im-
provements according to the
report.
Where in the early 1980s it
seemed the government was
systematically assassinating its
opposition, it has cut back con-
siderably now. However, at the
same time, the rebels have begun
to use terror tactics with greater
frequency. Last summer, left wing
rebels claimed responsibility for
the killings of four off duty
American marines.
Violence continues to be a
political tool on all fronts, as Ines
Duarte's kidnapping clearly
illustrates. Nevertheless, there
does seem to be hope that the coun-
try may slowly work itself out of its
cycle of killings.
In the year and a half since he
was elected, Duarte has gradually
widened his political base. In elec-
tions held since the presidential
election in June of 1984, Duarte
supporters have won by in-
creasingly wider margins.
The report that government
human rights violations are
decreasing is an encouraging sign,
while the simultaneous news that
the rebel violations have worsened
suggests that they have grown
more desperate.
Although there is no end in sight
for El Salvador's troubles, Duarte
now seems the man most likely to
lead his country away from the un-
ceasing bloodshed. His daughter's
kidnapping, sadly, is an aching
reminder of how far the country
still has to go.
By Marc Carrel
Drinking. Partying. Both of these words are
often brought up when talking about the
"college atmosphere." At the University of
Michigan, things may be a bit different;
especially after a meeting of the University
housing authorities where they have agreed
to discuss the question of alcohol in the dor-
ms. Enforcement of the Michigan 21-year old
drinking age may soon be a consistent policy
campus-wide.
It is true that over the past several years
residence halls have become stricter about
the law, yet this year the bottom may fall out.
This may be due indirectly to Jerral Jackson,
the new building director of Couzens Hall,
who has instituted a strict enforcement of the
drinking law in his dorm.
Jackson is not new to Michigan, where he
was an undergraduate, nor is he a newcomer
to directing a university residence hall.
Jackson was a building director of two halls
at Eastern Michigan University where, he
says, he "fueled them down."
Hisstrict enforcement of an alcohol policy
there, raised the grade point average of the
students in a coed dorm, termed the "Animal
House" of campus, to a 3.0, just a year and a
half after he arrived.
But that fact does not change the way he
began things at Couzens this year.
The way he has done things has caused as
much anger among Couzens residents as the
Carrel, a Couzens resident, is a Fresh-
man in LSA.
things he has done. Memos had been placed.
in mailboxes which (1) stated the policy of no
kegs allowed in the dorm, and (2) labeled the
dorms quiet hours as 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. Both of
these issues caused the formation of a forum
between Jackson and Couzens residents.
This past Wednesday, when the forum was
held, tensions were high, but Jackson did not
rattle. Answering people's accusations that
he was taking the blame off himself when the
residents went to other dorms to drink,
Jackson agreed that they would.
He said though, that it was not the reason
for implementing such a strict enforcement of
the policy. He stated he is acting in this way
because he was hired to do a job and he is
going to do it.
Jackson apologized for not informing the
students as to why he instituted the dorm
quiet hours without their input. He said that
quiet hours would be voted upon in three
weeks after people form their own habits of
studying and socializing.
Residents of Couzens reacting to the policy
stated that if they had known it was to be a
"dry dorm" they would not have signed
leases. Others argued that all the enfor-
cement will do is breed secret parties behind
closed doors, while one resident said that it is
an inconsistent policy of the University of
Michigan.
It is.
I have been to several parties in only my
first two weeks here at Michigan, all with
hoards of people, and all with kegs. At a
Markley party, security took the kegs away,
at West Quad and Alice Lloyd they did not
even get involved.
This inconsistency is definitely dangerous.
As a resident of Couzens; if I wish to attend a
party, I will have to look outside of my dorm.
Attending a party across campus has many
ramifications. One is being injured or worse
through a car accident, nor can sexual assault
be ruled out. Granted these are extreme
possibilities, but the chance still exists.
I respect Jerral Jackson and his policy, just
as I respect the fact that I am under the
drinking age. But respect does not curb
irresponsible drinking. Maturity does.
If there is going to be a policy held by the
University, it should be a unilateral policy en-
forced equally throughout the campus. Either
all dorms should be lenient, or all should be
tough. Anywhere in the middle, and we will
still have chaos, or at least the possibility of
chaos.
When this meeting takes place on Wed-
nesday, you can be sure that there will be
many watching the outcome. Jerral Jackson,
in explaining how he will be enforcing the
policy said "If you act in a responsible
fashion,syou probably won't have a problem..
Acting responsibly of the whole person;
academically, morally, socially."
Jackson said the reaction so far of Couzens
residents is similar to the reaction of his
residents at Eastern Michigan. Referring to
Couzens residents at the forum this past Wed-
nesday, "It's something to think about, we've
brought them together; whether they want to
admit it or not..."
Yes. It surely is something to think about.
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Dashed Hopes
sfy
T HE HUNDREDS of posters
plastered around campus and
distributed throughout the com-
munity pleading for leads to Shawn
Moore or his assailant now sym-
bolize only dashed hopes.
The naked body of Shawn Moore,
Who had been missing since August
31, has been found and identified,
and a suspect has been taken into
custody.
There is no adequate consolation
for the anguished parents of
Shawn, and no means of explaining
his violent death.
Heartening, however, is the
dilligence with which the com-
munity participated in the search
for Shawn and his abductor.
It is unfortunate that such a
tragedy must occur to heighten
awareness of the constant threat of
violence to our community and
children. From this tragic lesson
let the community be reminded
that constant concern for our
neighbors might help prevent such
losses.
Student searches intrusive'
By John Ross
When America's 40 million
school kids go back to class this
fall, they might do well to bring
along lawyers.
Last January, the Supreme
Court approved searching of
students provided there is
"reasonable suspicion" that the
search will yield evidence of a
violation of the law or school
rules. The decision, which stem-
med from a New Jersey case
known as "TLO" in which a
student's handbag was searched
and marijuana found, was the
first time the high court had
sought to clearly define a school
official's authority to conduct
searches.
But American Civil Liberties
Union attorneys around the coun-
try say "TLO" seems to have
opened the way for more abuses
instead.
They say the standard of
"reasonable suspicion" is much
broader than the "probable
cause" demanded in searches of
adults. And Norma Rollins, who
heads an ACLU task force on
juvenile Fourth Amendment
rights, charges that school ad-
ministrators bend the definition
of "reasonable suspicion" to
their own ends.
Last February, an Elyria, Ohio
gym teacher strip searched 20
the "TLO" decision, reasonable
suspicion must be assigned to
specific persons, asserts Harvey
Gitler of Ohio's ACLU. Searching
an entire class with no real
suspect "was an unconstitutional
invasion of these girls'
privacies," Gitler says, adding,
"They were forced to expose
themselves after the teacher
threatened to call the sheriff."
Soon after the Ohio incident
came reports that a female prin-
cipal in Duchess County, New
York routinely searched sixth
grade boys, forcing them to
remove their sweaters and shoes.
Similar searches by teachers and
principals had long been a prac-
tice in that rural district, and one
high school principal claimed a 50
percent "find" rate, usually un-
covering cigarettes, according to
Linda Lloyd who speaks for a
parents group opposed to the
searches. Three candidates
backed by Lloyd's group were
recently elected to the local
school board.
Parents' opposition to school
searches is coming from other,
sometimes surprising, quarters.
Last May in Plymouth, Connec-
ticut, high school seniors on an
annual outing were made to strip
to their shorts in an effort to
locate a suspected bottle of beer.
Several of the students com-
plained to their police officer
fathers and one officer filed a
complaint against the principal.
Whatever its shortcomings,
"TLO" has been strongly endor-
sed as a key to safe schools by
American Federation of
Teachers leader Albert Shanker.
But his organization com-
plained loudly when, in late
August, a Milford, Connecticut
school board member proposed
searching teachers and students
alike. "Students surrender some
of their rights in school situations
for greater safety. It's like going
to the airport," protested AFT
national spokesperson Ruth
Whitman.
Searching and seizing will not
be the only constitutional issues
tested in the schools this fall.
In East Rutherford, New Jer-
sey, school superintendent Al
Marbaise is pushing hard to drug
test high school students. Despite
a temporary restraining order
obtained by the local ACLU,
Marbaise claims national sup-
port for his program.
"Why is it more intrusive to
test kids for drugs than it is for
sugar diabetes?" argues Mar-
baise. Under his program, failure
to submit to the proposed drug
tests could mean exclusion from
school.
On still another legal front in-
volving student surveillance,
ACLU attorneys in San Diego are
currently trying to enjoin the
city's school administration and
police department from "con-
tributing to the delinquency of
minors" by conducting extensive
undercover investigations in
several high schools.
Over the past two years hun-
dreds of San Diego teenagers
have been arrested on drug
charges after youthful looking of-
ficers infiltrated classrooms at
four schools, often without the
knowledge of teachers and prin-
cipals.
Such investigations, a popular
practice in California as well as
East Coast high schools,
generally involve police cadets,
fresh from the academy, with lit-
tle experience in collecting
evidence. "In San Diego, they
would hang out with the
'stoners,"' says Greg Marshall,
the ACLU attorney seeking the
injunction. "They'd make friends
and urge the students to bring
them small quantities of drugs.
They've encouraged kids to cut
class. We know of one case where
the officer was dating one of the
students."
by Berke Breathed
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BLOOM COUNTY
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