I
OPINION
Page 4
Friday, October 18, 1985
The Michigan Daily
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Research, finances key in State of 'U'
"The University of Michigan is indeed on
the move," University President Harold
Shapiro said Monday during his annual
State of the University address.
Focussing many of his remarks on the
current debates over the role of the Univer-
sity in conducting controversial scientific
research, he avoided specific references to
the Strategic Defense initiative program,
which is currently funding two University
professors'research.
Shapiro said that research institutions
have a' responsibility to answer the con-
troversial questions posed by society.
The Week
in Review
Later, Shaprio criticized a recent
resolution by the Rackham Student Gover-
nment for symbolically "ban(ning) an en-
tire class of government officials from
visiting our campus." The actual text of the
Rackham resolution did not mention "ban-
ning", but rather expressed a "firm op-
position" to visits by any officials from the
Reagan Administration unless they ap-
peared in a context where their statements
could be debated.
Shapiro credited faculty and deans with
helping the University through the budget
crises of the late '70s and early '80s, but
stressed that there are still significant
financial decisions to be made. Citing
deficits in faculty salaries, equipment, and
financial aid, he warned that many difficult
decisions remain.
"We can sustain or even enhance the
distinction of this University. To do this,
however, will require us to constantly con-
sider new ideas as well as our capacity,
even eagerness to reshape our academic
community," he said.
Following Shapiro's speech, 17 University
faculty members were presented with
awards for scholarship, teaching, and ser-
vice totalling $20,000.
Gone tomorrow
For six million Americans who were
making coffee and brushing their teeth, it
lasted two hours.
For the University, however, it was three
months in the making.
And for the students and faculty members
who appeared on national television as part
of the Today Show's broadcasting it was a
Warhol-esque fleeting moment in the
spotlight.
The planning started months ago, and it
began to take shape Tuesday as NBC
technicians and University employees laid
hundreds of feet of cables through the Diag
and Graduate Library.
While 300 invited guests sat in chairs
around the stage and a number of people
watched from behind the ropes surrounding
the Today show host set, Bryant Gumbel
alternated between interviews with Univer-
sity luminaries on the Diag and light-
hearted exchanges with Jane Pauley, who
was broadcasting live from Brown University
sity.
When Gumbel mentioned Michigan's
football victories, Pauley countered with
Brown's SAT scores, setting the stage for
the comparison of the midwestern football
factory and the Ivy League think tank.
Today made a valiant effort to portray a
wide variety of campus views, ranging from
activists to entrepreneurs. And just in case
anyone took the whole show too seriously,
there was weatherman Willard Scott being
carried off the Diag by grass skirt-clad
fraternity members.
Several dozen protestors, some of whom
spent the night on the Diag in search of a
prominent seat, made themselves heard
across the country.
Today probably didn't have any effect on
higher education in America, but it cer-
tainly was a fun day yesterday on Today.
Regental babysitter
As the Michigan Student Assembly
scrambles to submit an alternative code of
non-academic conduct, Regent Dean Baker
would likely advise the student government
to relax. "What I'm trying to say as clearly
as possible is that there probably will be a
code," Baker said Wednesday at the mon-
thly Campus Meet the Press.
Baker went on to say that, "If students
want input, they should sit down and do that
(draft an alternate code)," but later told the
panel that, "We (the regents) listen, but I
would certainly admit there is no exchange
of ideas."
Baker also affirmed the notion that
Regent's by-law 7.02 which would assure
student input on a non-academic code might
be rescinded. "The Regents can withdraw
that (section 7.02) from the by-laws, and I
guess if it came to a vote and there had been
no progress, it might very well be with-
drawn."
Baker said he is strongly in favor of the
establishment of a code, stating that "We
(the Regents) do have a responsibity as
public officials for the young people at this
University."
In response to questions about the Sep-
tember 20 regental resolution endorsing
Star Wars research at the University, Baker
staunchly defended the resolution, saying
"I'd do it again", and later asserted that
imposing restrictions on non-classified
research would "cut the heart out of the
University."
U.N.--Apartheid
200 students rallied outside the graduate
library Friday in solidarity with a United
Nations designated day of protest against
apartheid. Over 100 universities took part in
calling for freedom of South African
political prisoners and a cut-off of U.S. ties
to South Africa.
Student speakers took a multi-faceted ap-
proach to isolating the apartheid regime
and those who they consider to be American
apartheid supporters. Barbara Ransby
reminded students that the University still
holds $500,000 in stocks tied to South Africa.
Roderick Linzie, the Michigan Student
Assembly's minority researcher, pointed
out that the University itself has difficulty
retaining minority students.
MSA president Paul Josephson also tied
the University's proposed code of non-
academic conduct to political repression in
South Africa and the anti-apartheid
movement here.
Three students from Eastern Michigan
University, who helped to organize an anti-
apartheid rally there last month were also
on hand to lead a series of chants and
demonstrate the importance of inter-
University cooperation.
Following the rally, workshops and teach-
ins echoed and elaborated the protestors'
message. Workshops, which started Thur-
sday, and continue over the weekend will
4
... EMU students leading rally
deal with the origins and background of
apartheid and the possibilities for joining
the anti-apartheid movement in the U.S.
Other student actions occurred at the Un-
iversity of California, Berkeley, where 2002
students rallied against the University of'
California's $17 billion of investments in
companies that operate in South Africa.
Students at Cornell boycotted classes and
over 100 protested at a meeting of the board
of trustees. Cornell has $147 million in South
Africa-related investments.
The Week-in-Review was compiled by
Daily editor Neil Chase, Opinion page
editors Joseph Kraus and Jody Becker
and staff writer Henry Park.
i
Ee mbt an t
Edited and managed by students at The University of Michigan
LETTERS
Clarifying U.S. terrorist policy
.I
Vol. XCVI, No. 32
420 Maynard St.
Ann Arbor, Ml 48109
Editorials represent a majority opinion of the Daily's Editorial Board
.
Courting
L ast year's uproar over
women's safety on campus has
lost its bark, but not its bite; the
angry voices are dissipated, but the
message still rings loud.
Last March, The Women's Issues
Committee of the Michigan Student
Assembly proposed a list of
necessary actions to be taken by
the University to prevent sexual
assault on campus. The list in-
cluded, among other suggestions,
increased Nite Owl bus services,
establishment of a University-wide
escort service, installation of an
emergency outdoor phone system,
increased educational program-
ming throughout campus, and a
rape prevention center, funded by
the University, to implement and
coordinate the programs.
The Office of Student Services
ostensibly has taken responsibility
for the establishment of the rape
prevention center. However, as
yet, there is no physical evidence
that such a center is in the works.
The center intended to offer
regular educational workshops
across campus, peer counseling for
victims of sexual abuse, and "net-
working"-interdependent team-
work with other women's facilities
in the area. It may provide legal
services for victims and will be
open to everyone on campus.
These services are, however,
merely unrealized, if admirable
plans.
Before this desperately
necessary office can become a
reality, Student Services must
choose the centers only full time
Crisis
staff member, a coordinator. And
herein lies the delay. According to
Dr. Roselle Wilson, head of the
selection committee and assistant
to Johnson, Vice President for
Student Services, who has received
over one hundred applications, the
selection process will take the rest
of the term.
Meanwhile, MSA representatives
are doing the real work on real
rape prevention. They have begun
training facilitators for the
educational programs on sexual
assault. Currently, MSA is
organizing a pilot escort service in
West Quad, Barbour, and
Newberry to demonstrate the
necessity of such a service to the
University. MSA is still working to
convince the administration that
an expanded Nite Owl servicing
off-campus housing is invaluable to
the safety of women. However, the
University and the city are quib-
bling over responsibility for women
who live off-campus, and progress
stalls.
The University has demon-
strated some respect for the needs
of its women, but it has quite a way
to go. The establishment of the
rape prevention center is a first
step in acknowledging the very real
threat to women on this campus. It
takes some measure to protect
them, but so many more actions
are workable and desperately
needed. The University is-
providing rape prevention only an.
inch at a time. Such ad-
ministrative lethargy can cost
women their dignity or their lives.
To the Daily:
On October 14, the Daily prin-
ted an editorial entitled "One for
the Gipper" in which the editorial
board presented its views on the
U.S. interception of an Egyptian
airlines carrying four
Palestinians accused of hijacking
an Italian cruise ship. I feel that
this editorial misrepresented the
President's action and its reper-
cussions for future such
situations in two major ways.
First, the editorial claims that
"it has been U.S. policyto
bargain in good faith with
terrorists" and that the intercep-
tion "went against that policy."
This is a gross mis-statement
because the UnitedStates has no
such policy of bargaining with
terrorists. The merits of this
position are debatable, but the
fact that it exists is riot.
The Administration will not
negotiate with terrorists because
they believe this will only en-
courage more aggression of this
sort. The United States did not
negotiate with these hijackersnor
with those responsible for
hijacking a TWA plane this
summer, and is not negotiating
for the freedom of the six
Americans captive in Lebanon.
Obviously, then, this policy can
not have been contradicted.
Second, the editorial further
states that "the U.S. betrayed its
tacit support for the Egyptian
negotiations." Again, this is not
true. The U.S. opposed the Egyp-
tian bargain not only because of
the no negotiations policy, but
also because it was deemed too
lenient.
The government did not feel
that the hijackers should be
allowed to be tried by the P.L.O.
(The President originally
suggested that this would be ac-
ceptable, but later stated that the
U.S. could not support a trial
conducted by a non-
governmental unit).
After the discovery of the mur-
der of Leon Klinghoffer, the Egyp-
tian deal became even less ac-
ceptable. The terrorists had lied,
denying the killing, in order to
reach the deal with the Egyptian
government. The fact that Egypt
upheld her end of the bargain
while the hijackers did not is
inexplicable.
Like many of the Daily's
editors, I considered myself op-
posed to many of the President's
policies and dislike seeing hire
score such a major coup.
However, I believe the editorial
board tried too hard to discredit
this action and only succeeded ii
appearing uninformed and
biased.
-Robert Hilton
October 1
1
4
Shapiro 'slandered' RSG resolution
To the Daily:
At his State of the University
speech last Monday, President
Shapiro found it necessary to ad-
dress the threat to academic
freedom posed by the Rackham
Student Government. In doing so,
he also found it necessary to
misrepresent our actions. He
claimed that we called for ban-
ning officials of the Reagan ad-
ministration from campus.
In fact, our resolution only ex-
pressed our "firmest opposition"
to the appearance on campus of
Reagan administration officials
in situationstwhere opposing
views are not allowed to be
presented. Our main concern
was that the University should
not be seen as lending legitimacy
to the Administration and
thereby the policies it is pur-
suing, by allowing its represen-
tatives to appear in an honorific
context.
It seems that our concerns
were well founded. When
President Shapiro introduced
Vice-President Bush, he found it
necessary to alter the Vice-
President's list of credentials to
avoidremindingtthe audience
that he had invited a former
director of the CIA to com-
memorate the anniversary of the
Peace Corps. While this little ef-
fort to rewrite history may seem
trivial, it does clearly display the
consequences for honest scholar-
ship, when a university sees its
primaryresponsibility as cod-
dling authority.
The University that day
demonstrated a tremendous
willingness to violate individual
rights to try to ensure that Bush
got a favorable reception.
University security officers reser-
ved an :ea near the front for
Bush supporters. Furthermore
these officers did nothing when
Bush supporters physically
harassed individuals who came
to protest. They also did nothing
when Bush supporters, in
violation of state law, tore down
anti-Bush posters.
Given this sequence of events
it is very difficult to take
President Shapiro seriously when
he discusses academic freedom.
One step he. might take to in-
dicate that he hasn't totally
abandoned the norms of intellec4
tual discourse, would be to
apologize for publicly
misrepresenting the actions of
Rackham Student Governments
While President Shapiro is cer-
tainly free to disagree with the
resolution we actually did pass, it
is the height of dishonesty to use
his position to slander those he
disagrees with.
-Dean Baker
October 15
Baker is
Rackham
nment.
the president of
Student Gover
SDI would not protect U.
s~J
Do 'U'
officials really care?
To the Daily:
At the conference on "The
Strategic Defense Initiative and
Universities" last Friday, the ab-
sence of most, if not all Univer-
sity regents and administrators
including President Shapiro was
blatantly obvious.
As members of the organizing
committee for this event, we
know they all received in-
vitations. Their absence reveals
their disregard for the students
on this campus.
We spent four months carefully
planning a conference that would
address all perspectives of the
issue of Strategic Defense
Initiative research at the Univer-
demonstrations, nor, as we have
just seen, do they respond to
student concerns when presented
in an open forum. How else can
we reach them? They are run-
ning our university business -
one that takes research dollars
regardless of students' concerns.
We ask that regents and ad-
ministrators, as part of the
University community, listen,
respond to, and respect us. If they
cared about students and studen-
ts' concerns, they would have at-
tended the conference. But do
they really care???
-Diana Markel
Kati Towle
October 8
To the Daily:
As things now stand, the Soviet
Union can destroy us completely
any time they wish to pay the
price: suicide. This is called
mutual assured destruction.
Now I would like you to
imagine the situation after a suc-
cessful Star Wars program. I am
asking you to imagine that we
have overcome all technical and
economic programs to -build a
completely impenetrable shield,
one which will not let a single
missile through. I am asking you
to imagine that we have also
found a way to test it, so that we
know it will work the first and
only time.
Now suppose that as head of the
Soviet Union, you have deter=
mined to destroy the United
States. What do you do? One
thing you could do would be to
bomb yourself. Bomb Moscow~j
Leningrad, Kiev, Vladivostok.
While you're at it, bomb East
Berlin, Budapest, Warsaw. Get it
everything you've got. And let
nuclear winter kill off the United
States.
Do I have to drive home the'
conclusion? With Stars Wars, the,
Soviet Union can still destroy
for the same price as it can now
-Michael Shapiroe
October 16j
Letters to the Daily should be typed, triple-spaced, and
signed by the individual authors. Names will be withheld only
in unusual circumstances. Letters may be edited for clarity,
grammar, and spelling.
We encourage our readers to use this
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