A
OPINION
Page 4
Friday, November 1, 1985
The Michigan Daily
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LSA considers credit for
ROTC
An LSA panel is studying the possibility of
rescinding a 15-year-old policy which
prohibits ROTC students from receiving
LSA credit for military education courses.
ROTC students in LSA receive no-credit for
courses they take in the program.
Prof. Bruce Frier, a member of the sub-
committee which is reviewing the ROTC
courses said the subcommittee would look
at the "academic quality" of these courses.
In the past, faculty members argued that
the ROTC courses are "wholly non-
Th eek
in review
intellectual in character." Attempts to
reverse the ROTC policy of the LSA failed in
1970, 1975 and 1979.
Lt. Col. Steve Gerlach, chairman of the
army program, said the LSA should instruct
ROTC on how to make its courses "credit
worthy."
John Loeser, a post-doctoral member of
the Chemistry Dept. and member of the
Michigan Alliance for Disarmament
(MAD) objected on both academic and
political grounds to the ROTC courses. "It
doesn't fit into LSA and the military and the
University should be separate."
Revolving door
The Michigan Student Assembly's
minority affairs researcher Roderick Linzie
released a report on Thursday calling on the
University to increase its efforts to retain
minority students already attending the
University.
Last year saw a highly publicized renewal
of University administration efforts to in-
crease minority recruitment, but Linzie
charges in his report that the next step is to
improve the climate for minorities already
at the University.
"(Vice President for Academic Affairs
and Provost) Billy Frye and associate vice
president for Academic Affairs Niara
Sudarkasa have directed the bulk of their
response to the enrollment challenge to
recruitment ... The focus, although more
difficult, should be on improving the quality
of life for students who are currently
enrolled," Linzie said.
Sudarkasa, who authored a controversial
report dealing with minority recruitment
last year, responded by saying, "Any at-
tempt to separate recruitment from reten-
tion is a false dichotomy. The two must go
together."
Citing statistics which indicate that the
rate of black students graduating in four
years has gone up since 1975, he noted that
that rate is still considerably below the rate
for white and Asian American students.
To confront the problem, Linzie recom-
mended that a University-wide commission
on minority enrollment be established to
centralize support services, and that it put
an increased emphasis on promoting
minority faculty.
Sponsored by ...
The Campaign for Michigan, an effort to
supplement government funding for the
University has reached two-thirds goal,
having solicited $107.8 million. The overall
goal is set at $160 million.
Among the corporations who have
donated in the "large gift" category are
Dow Chemical, Ford and General Motors.
$66 million of the funds will be applied
towards the construction of seven campus
facilities, including the Kresge Business
Administration Library, and the new
University Hospital.
$36 million will be directed towards in-
creased endowment for faculty, students,
and teaching and improvement of research
facilities and library collections.
"Smaller gifts are being solicited in the
second phase of the funding campaign,
which will seek donations of $10,000 and up
from University alumni.
Shoutout ahead
Members of an Ann Arbor organization
called Citizens for Handgun Control have
presented the city council with a proposal
for legislation banning the possession of
handguns in Ann Arbor.
During a special session of the City Coun-
cil Monday Night, the group made public a
draft of the law which would ban the sale
and possession of handguns in the city,
exempting only specified police, military,
and security officers.
Donald Duquette, a University legal
researcher who is one of the members of the
citizens' coalition advocating the ordinance
says he is hoping for strong support. "We've
already got five votes (from Democratic
council members), and we're looking for
that sixth." Duquette also said that he is ex-
pecting to see counter moves to stymie the
ordinance coming from more conservative
corners.
"We're expecting a couple people from
the NRA (National Rifle Association) to
move in on us any day now," Duquette said.
While a law similar to the one being
proposed in Ann Arbor has been implemen-
ted in the village of Morton Grove, Illinois,
the NRA has been highly successful in
blocking such citizen initiatives for gun con-
trol by drawing from the political and
financial resources of the powerful political.
action committee that the sportsman's
organization has become.
The Week in Review was compiled by
opinion page editors Jody Becker and
Joseph Kraus and staff writer Henry
Park.
I
Sudarkasa faults MSA minority
report for separating recruitment
from retention.
LETTERS:
0
Eie dwsntichiganiI
Edited and managed by students at The University of Michigan
Caring protesters fight
Vol. XCVI, No. 42
420 Maynard St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Editorials represent a majority opinion of the Daily's Editorial Board
THIS WEEK Nicaraguan Pres-
ident Daniel Ortega suspended
a range of established civil liber-
ties, including the right to public
assembly, free expression, privacy
in the home, and freedom to strike.
Ortega justifies his government's
recent heavy-handedness as a
defense against "imperialist
aggression waged by North
America and the Contras.
Since the overthrow of dictator
Anastasio Somoza in 1979, Ortega
and the Sandinista government
have received much sympathy for
their anti-imperialist claims.
Spurred by publc disclosure of the
CIA efforts o mine the Nicaraguan
harbors and to systematically prop
up a government composed largely
of former Somozan National guar-
dsmen, the Sandinistas built a
justifiable international grievance
against the Reagan ad-
ministration.
Recent Sandinista initiatives to
restrict civil liberties, however,
have lent plausibility to the latest
Reagan administration allegations
that the Sandinistas
"systematically abuse human and
civil rights."'
Since 1981, the Reagan ad-
ministration has attempted to
reverse anti-U.S. sentiments
through familiar national security,
anti-communist appeals. In 1981,
Reagan responded to growing San-
dinista popularity by saying, "We
are the last domino."
Until recently, Reagan argued
that the Sandinistas were sup-
plying and actively supporting
rebel insurgencies in El Salvador
and Honduras. Although initially
upheld media reports as late as
March 1981, there has been no
evidence of any such shipments
and Reagan has eased his
Move
To the Daily;
In response to "Protesters Present
Foolish Image of 'U' ", I would like to say
that while the values presented in it are un-
fortunately prevalent throughout this cam-
pus and this nation, they are not only
questionable but dangerous.
Agreed, there are times when the "left-
wing" element at this campus appears to be
a clique that protests merely for the sake of
protesting. Granted, their presence is not
always pretty or proper. Granted also, their
fervency can often seem like an intrusive,
thoughtless outburst. It is an unpolished ef-
fort in a neo-gilded, pre-packaged age.
But they have one thing in their favor that
the "majority" cannot claim: they care.
They take the time and energy to get in-
volved. Most of all, they have the courage
and the belief in their convictions to take a
stand.
Perhaps they do only represent "a small
portion of the students." But do the
majority of the students represent
anything? Do they think and feel? Do they
realize that the way they conduct their lives
affects the world around them?
The letter indicates that they do not. The
greatest concern it raised was that it made
"the students of this university look pretty
foolish to alot of the people across this
country." It always seemed to me that
caring more for other people's opinions than
one's own values was wrong. It made one
subject to harmful peer pressure. It led to
mindless participation in activities no mat-
ter what the consequences as well as
destructive neglect of one's own needs and
feelings. Worst of all, it guaranteed the waste
of potential for a better-spent life and a
happier, more productive society.
Has it occured to the "majority" of this
campus that perhaps this "minority" is
more vocal because these people must
make up for their lack of numbers by
shouting louder? Have the "majority" con-
sidered the possibility that, if they were
to give the issues these groups raise some
thought, they might find themselves in
agreement? The protestors realize these
apathy
things. They know most of the people on
campus have not thought about issues
enough to even let it influence their treat-
ment of their fellow students in day-to-day
life, let alone their treatment of the rest of
the world.
If there is more dissent than assent to the
views these people express because of flaws
of reasoning, observation, or interpretation,
these errors should be made known. If the
delivery could stand some improvement,
then suggestions should be made. Perhaps
that was what the letter tried to say. But it
read as a voice advocating conformity.
Considering how much of that exists on
campus already, as well as the general
apathy prevalent that would prevent a
careful going-over of anything printed in the
Daily - even on the Opinion Page - it must
be attacked as vehemently as the picketers,
by waving their signs and chanting, attack
the social evils they find inexcusable.
-Rebecca M. Chung
October 30
6
0
charged that the Sandinistas
'systematically abuse human and
civil rights."
Since the revolution of 1979 and
the consequent Sandinista usur-
pation of power, there have been
some well documented human
rights abuses, especially in the
case of the Misquito Indians.
To the Sandinistas' credit, however,
political and social liberty have
remained surprisingly unimpeded.
What human rights abuses do exist
pale in comparison to those per-
petrated by Somoza or those that
flourish today in other U.S. suppor-
ted tyrannies such as South Korea,
Chile and the Philippines.
While many have criticized Or-
tega's as shortsighted action
because of the leverage it will give
Reagan in convincing the U.S.
Congress to continue funding the
Contras, the more pressing con-
cern is Reagan's shortsightedness
in dealing with the Sandinistas.
Since Ortega has agreed to rescind
the suspension of rights if the U.S.
ceases its aid for the Contras,
Reagan has an opportunity to call
his bluff. If Reagan is truly convin-
ced of the Sandinistas' totalitarian
nature, his obvious move should be
to suspend the aid and prove his
contention to the world.
In a state of war, even in a coun-
try as stable as the U.S., civil liber-
ties are often fragile. As recently
as World War II, the U.S. interred
innocent Japanese-Americans.
In order for Reagan to verify his
claims and justify any consequent
punitive measures, he must first
allow the Sandinistas to stand on
their record free from the threat of
"Yankee imperialism." Otherwise,
U.S. objections, as valid as they may
be, will appear groundless and
Coverage of S.
Africa teach-in inadequate
To the Daily:
While the Daily has been fairly
conscientious in its effort to keep
the student population informed
about the anti-apartheid
movement in the past, the Free
South Africa Coordinating Com-
mittee was extremely disappoin-
ted with the Daily's scant and
superficial coverage of our
recent Teach-in Against Apar-
theid and Racism. Essentially,
the article, with no photos, was a
series of unrelated and somewhat
unconnected quotes from
speakers who participated. The
article did not evenmention, for
example, how many people at-
tended. Our estimate being 600
over three days.
We feel that the Daily's
negligence in this instance is not
only unfair but unfortunate. The
article did not give recognition to
the high caliber of speakers in-
volved, or the power and emotion
in the message they delivered.
The event brought in speakers
from North Carolina, Atlanta,
New York, Chicago, Amherst,
and Detroit. Seven South
Africans gave personal
testimonies and political analyses
of life under Apartheid.
Some of these speakers have
spoken before the United
Nations, the Organization for
African Unity, and the United
States Congress. Many may not
visit Ann Arbor again for some
time. Particularly inspiring were
the words of Motlalepula
Chabaku, an older South African
woman who has been fighting
Apartheid for 36 years and who
flew up from North Carolina to be
ths in solitary confinement as
well as many years in the same
cell block as Nelson Mandela and
other prominent leaders of the
Anti-Apartheid movement. After
a total of ten years of "banish-
ment," he has recently come to
our country. Yet his family
members in South Africa still suf-
fer constant harassment.
Finally, the article did not
summarize any of the proposals
and resolutions which came out
of the very dynamic strategy and
Israel's
?6 the Daily:
The recent published letter by
Roland S. Rugers ("Activists at
the height of fashion", Michigan
Daily Oct. 30) is deplorable. Not
only are his views on inter-
national issues pathetically
ignorant, but they express the an-
ti-Israeli sentiment of the world.
If Mr. Rogers had been alive
during the second World War, he
would have surely been the one to
turn on the gas in the chambers,
for completion of the Iraqi
nuclear reactor would have
achieved the same results. How
can Mr. Rogers be so naive. It is
widely known that Iraq's public
statements confirmed their in-
tent to use the nuclear weapon
on the people of Israel and Iran.
The bombing of the plant was and
should have been praised by the
free world as contributing to in-
ternational security.
plenary sessions on Saturday.
Most immediately, we agreed to
hold a candlelight vigil in
memory of our brother Benjamin
Meloise, a black South African
poet hung by the Apartheid
regime last Thursday. Yet
another sign of how uncommitted
the Botha government is to
change. Especially in light of
P.W. Botha's recent statements
to the effect that the policy of one
man one vote is incompatible
with white plans in South Africa.
defense is not
The Israeli Defense Forces
"violation of national sovereign-
ty" in Lebanon came as a respon-
se to years of terrorist attacks on
innocentrIsraeli citizens in the
Golan Heights, including mass
slaughters of school children.
Protection of your own national
boundaries has never constituted
a "violation of national
sovereignty." Would Mr. Rogers
have the Israelis welcome the at-
tacks by doing nothing about
them?
It is ludicrous to equate a
nation's defense of its citizens
with corporate involvement in
South Africa. Unfortunately
Israel is struggling for its
existence against hostile neigh-
bors who have openly pledged to
"drive the people into the sea." It
must constantly live in fear ofat-
tack. This situation is very dif-
We strongly urge the Daily to pay
more attention to the stories
covered. Quiet peaceful actions
are generally as important as
more dramatic ones. Hopefully
the Daily's coverage will better
reflect this in the future.
-Barbara Ransby
October 24
Ransby is a member of the
Free South Africa Coor-
dinating Committee.
offensive
ferent than the reasons for U.S.
involvement in South Africa,
where the exploitation of human
beings is being conducted for
economic gains. While Israel is
fighting for the survival of its
citizens, South Africa is fighting
for their destruction. Instead of
protesting against Israel, people
should fight for its support.
Finally, Mr. Rogers' ignorant.
statement on Israel never being;,
condemned does not even deser-
ve comment. Anyone who listens
to the news knows that Israel is
constantly being erroneously
condemned for its actions. In the
words of Mr. Rogers, then, "Until
the true causes are attacked, no
constructive change will occur,
just another protest."
-Eddie Mehrfar
Dan Golovan
1October 30
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