4 OPINION Friday, November 22, 1985 Page 4 The Michigan Daily d Students reelect LSASG incumbents ,w For what appears to be the first time in history, an incumbent has been reelected president of LSA Student Government. Michelle Tear of the SAID party piloted her slate to a virtual sweep on Monday and Tuesday's elections. In addition to Tear and Michael Rolnick, the new vice-president, all 11 members of TheWeek in Review the SAID party were elected as represen- tatives. An additional four members of the Action party filled up the 15 representative seats. Steve Herz, president of the Action party, finished second in the balloting. Noting that much of his campaign had centered on making LSA-SG more responsible to students, he said of the newly elected SAID slate, "If the effort they showed in cam- paigning is indicative of the effort they'll be putting in, then the students were the real winners., Keith Titen of the CAUSE party finished third in the largest presidential field in four years. He too complimented Tear for her campaign. "(Tear) made a big presence in the campaign. If she did that during the school year, and kept people informed, that would be just what the student body needs. She's got the energy to do it," he said. Fourteen percent or 2,388 of the eligible students voted this year, up by 700 from last year. MSA referenda TWO NON-BINDING Michigan Student Assembly referenda passed by wide margins in voting on Monday and Tuesday. A two-part referendum on the new com- puter fee which will begin next term to collect $50 from each student and $100 per term thereafter passed in both parts. Oh the first half of the computer fee referendum, students voted 1,855 to 476 that they do not approve of the fee. On the second half, students indicated by 2,142 to 177 that they want input on Univer- sity computing policy. Students passed the second referendum 1,468 to 359, approving change in the MSA constitution. That change, most importan- tly, would result in biannual elections for MSA, an increase of about 25 percent in the number of MSA representatives, and a restructuring of internal MSA committees. Although both referenda are non-binding, MSA will almost certainly work to im- plement and interject changes. The issue of computer fees should remain in the news a long time to come, but in spite of the over- whelming need for student input there is no guarantee students will win that input. Computer error The votes are in, and it's clear that the student body does not support the Univer- sity's mandatory computer fee. In its special election this week, the Michigan Student Assembly asked students if they supported the $50 fee for next term and $100 each term there after to pay for the Univer- sity'scomputerexpansion. 1855 students said they did not support paying the fee, while less than 500 supported the Regents plan. In response, MSA President Paul Josephson said the assembly might urge a student boycott of the fee as one of several strategies the assembly will consider. Douglas Van Houwerling, Vice Provost for Information Technology and the man who introduced the plan to the Regents, respon- ded late Wednesday night by saying he regrets having to charge students the fee, but he emphasized that his office is pur- suing other sources of funding for computer services. These sources, he said, include donations from private corporations, and reallocations from the University's general fund. The student body also easily supported changes in the MSA constitution this week that will allow the assembly to hold two elections each year, and to increase its number of representatives. vulnerability. Afterall, a student suc- cessfully sued the University of Colorado last year after injuring himself on a tram- poline at a fraternity at the school. If the courts hold the universities responsible for what goes on in a fraternity, or for that mat- ter, a co-op, shouldn't universities have jurisdiction over crimes that occur in frats? These are issues the council addresses as progresses in drafting an alternative to last year's code proposal by the administration. Meanwhile, however, patience with the council's progress is running thin among the University's decision-makers. Univer- sity President Harold Shapiro reportedly has threatened to propose a code to the regents for approval in January unless the council has finished work by then. And Friday, in informal meetings with members of the Michigan Student Assembly, several regents expressed skepticism at the coun- cil's desire to finish a code, and said they want to take action on the issue soon. The Week in Review was compiled by opinion page editor Joseph Kraus and staff writers Jerry Markon and Kery Murakami. I 0 Showdown looms What does a drunken brawl in a privately- owned fraternity house have to do with the University? That's what those who opposed the code last year asked, and that's what some ask again this year, as the University Council haggles over how far the Univer- sity's jurisdiction should reach in affairs of non-academic conduct. On the other side of the question are those concerned with the University's legal 6 01 e ftCt ian Batlij Edited and managed by students at The University of Michigan Vol. XCVI, No. 57 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Editorials represent a majority opinion of the Daily's Editorial Board Wasserman ANYONE RER Homeless shelter 0 6 0 A NN ARBOR Mayor Edward Pierce has declared this week "Homeless Awareness Week". Many community groups have responded by volunteering time and donating items to the Ann Ar- bor Shelter Association's renovated church at 420 W. Huron. Community involvement with the shelter is the key to its continued success and improvement. Even more important is a cooperative ef- fort toward helping the homeless find homes. Often, shelter users have lost their jobs, government benefits, or have broken up with their families. They need a base from which to get back on their feet, save some money, and hunt down a job or government support. It is crucial to establish residence in order to apply for employment or government aid. Few. employers can make contact with or hire these people if they have neither an ad- dress nor a telephone number. According to a recent shelter survey, about half of their guests are mentally ill and one quarter are alcohol or drug users. This is indicative of the larger problem; people need to be a part of the community in order to survive, but for many the price of community is beyond their means. In February, the Ann Arbor City Council Task Force on Housing Problems reported that there is a shortage of affordable housing in Ann Arbor for moderate or low in- come residents. Even when ear- ning minimum wage, it is nearly impossible to scrape together enough money for the required security deposit and first month's rent. Back in 1982, St. Andrew's pastor, Reverend Lewis convinced his parish to rent a house for the homeless, but neighbors com- plained that the house violated zoning laws. So Reverend Lewis opened up the basement of St. An- drew's. These days, some neighbors of the W. Huron shelter complain that shelter users are undesirables who gather in West Park and litter the area with empty bottles. Other neighbors are more compassionate and have even considered volun- teering at the shelter. As November slips into Decem- ber, contributions of time, food, or old clothing are crucial. Seven Krogers in Ann Arbor and Ypsilan- ti are donating bottle and can refunds to the shelter at their customers' request. With more funding, the Ann Arbor Shelter Association will be able to im- plement a daytime program with counseling services. Hopefully, "Homeless Awareness Week" has helped to open up the eyes of the community to the plight of the homeless. It is up to the individual community member to lend a hand or look the other way. I LETTERS: Big business ignores world hunger To the Daily: How can we teach big agricultural businesses the realities facing our world today? There are millions of people star- ving all over the world, including the U.S., yet many multinational corporations only concern them- selves with sales and profits. Recently I came across an ar- ticle, in the business section of the New York Times, that discussed how farm suppliers, such as those of agricultural machines and fertilizers, are suf- fering from one of the worst farm economies since the Depression: sales are down, profits are minimal, and there is an over supply of new equipment. The best reason that I found in the en- tire article for this poor farm economy was said by the author himself, Keith Schneider, who states, "The trouble in America's agricultural areas is mainly a result of the farmers doing their work too well." Of course there are other reasons for the poor economy: reducing acreage of crops that require lots of fer- tilizer, foreign competition, and availability of low-priced used farm equipment. The ma~in rse!~cin forrmy i cn People can try to convince big businesses to help the hungry but it all seems like a waste of time. Big executives are ruthless, how do you think they got where they are now? I am positive there are many others who agree with me that educating the younger generation on the subject of world hunger will have more of an impact. Having people that know about the subject and can provide solutions must go to all levels of schooling from elemen- tary to post graduate. It is through the learning institutions that people will become infor- med, I just hope it isn't too late... -Ricardo Rengifo November 15 Sperm Wars 'gimmick inappropriate To the Daily: I am writing this letter in response to the "Sperm Wars" picture and byline in today's (Nov. 20) Daily. I must say, these people will go to any means to get attention. I had to read the paragraph about four times because I could not believe that a protest group would actually put on a theatrical presentation depicting sperm as missiles. First of all, I don't believe that the comparison between human reproductive capacity or preven- tion is in any way, shape, or form, similar to halting the Star Wars plan. I believe that protesters have the right to hold their views, but I also think that it should be done in an appropriate way. Personally, I found their action offensive and tactless. How can protesters expect to gain respect when they put on antics like this? Their action was done to gain at- tention . with the belief that students would listen to them if they had a gimmick like the ex- ploitation of sex, to attract them. They got some attention but probably over half the audience was laughing at these people for their foolishness, and in the process, their opinion of this protest group went down. The analogy between sexual functions and prevention to Star Wars is irrelevant and tasteless. It makes fun of sexual relations, and it causes me to pray that these people never get elected to a. public office in their lifetime. Their tactics are out of line. Anyone who freely acts like a sperm cannot be taken seriously. Silverman says she doesn't want this campus to be a part of the destruction of human life, but. she seems to be for the preven- tion of human life by the use of diaphrams. My point is that the protesters should think through their methods of protesting to decide if it is really appropriate. -Catherine Paler November 20 BLOOM COUNTY by Berke Breathed i