0
OPINION
Page 4
Monday, March 10, 1986
The Michigan Daily
in
q
Edited and managed by students at The University of Michigan
Vol. XCVI, No. 107 420 Maynard St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Unsigned editorials represent a majority of the Daily's Editorial Board
Chassy
Shining example
3 OSA PARKS is honoring the
University tonight. It is a par-
ticularly appropriate time for such
a visit since Women's History Week
began on Friday and the
celebration of Black History Month
during February has recently
come to a close.
Parks, known as the Mother of
the Civil Rights Movement, prom-
pted desegragation of Mon-
tgomery, Alabama city buses after
refusing to give her bus seat to a
white passenger in 1955.
Recognition of Parks as a
significant force in the Civil Rights
Movement is important both for
her as an individual and for all
black women who have been
ignored throughout history. White
male historians have shaped
popular attitudes by researching
and questioning what is important
to them, and as a result have
frequently overlooked blacks and
women. This long term disinterest
preciptated the need for Women's
History Week.
As a champion of human rights,
Parks is a model for all members
of the University community. She
demonstrated that individual
power is crucial to social change.
Her actions speak to everyone who
has felt the frustration of fighting
unjust social institutions. Parks
exemplifies the need to take action,
however small or seemingly in-
significant, because it might be ef-
fective. Taking a chance on the
outcome of personal statements is
a necessary risk that is usually
discouraging because change is
gradual. For the majority of
people, exposing themselves to
public criticism is distasteful and
sometimes painful. Students, like
anyone, want to see the product of
their efforts immediately, or they
become discouraged.
Parks' dedication to humanity is
an inspiration to everyone who
dreams of challenging society but
lacks confidence in their right to do
so. Ensuring civil rights should be
the primary priority of society -
especially now that the Reagan
Administration is lobbying to
dismantle Affirmative Action.
It is significant to appreciate
that Rosa Parks is a black woman
who is a shining example of in-
dividual strength and human
determination.
WECANIT FOR
THE VICTO YOF
DE OCRACY
~I
@1986 THlE MICKIA DO4L
I
a
LETTERS:
Protection needed against dorm theftr
Abusive chase
To the Daily:
As a freshman I have had more
than my share of theft. I have
just returned from eating lunch
at a dorm. I do not live at this
dorm, and therefore must leave
my belongings unprotected out-
side of the eating area. In the
beginning of the year I was ner-
vous about leaving my book bag
unguarded. My fears were un-
founded, however, as I emerged
each meal to find everything in-
tact. This was until today.
I went to collect my bag, only to
find it had disappeared. When I
voiced my grievance to the
woman behind the main desk she
calmly suggested that I check the
ladies room as "that's where they
usually leave the stuff they don't
want." She made it sound like a
common occurence!
Sure enough, scattered around
the toilet were my notebooks -
but no bag. Needless to say I was
very upset. The bag was an ex-
pensive present and there was no
way I could retrieve it.
This wasn't the first time I had
ANN ARBOR police owe an
apology to a band of brave
students who protested nuclear
weapons development by Lawren-
ce Livermore National
Laboratories on Friday. The police.
seem to have forgotten that the fir-
st Amendment grants citizens the
freedom to express their views
without harassment..
Campus security and Ann Arbor
police, armed with helmets,
cameras, and video equipment met
the protestors at the Stearns
Building on North Campus where
Livermore was conducting inter-
views. John Weidenbach, director
of University business operations,
had locked the building, stating
that there is "no way of preventing
interrruptions without arrests and
we would like to avoid that
situation." Students were ran-
domly scrutinized before they were
allowed admittance, in order to
distinguish interviewees from
protestors. One of the police said
the building was not a public place.
Regardless, University buildings
are open to students.
While it may be arguable that the
protestors would have been so in-
trusive as to warrant their arrest
for disorderly conduct, there is no
defense for Ann Arbor police who
followed individual protestors af-
ter they had disbanded. Ann Arbor
police and University security
guards trailed a University bus
from North Campus, followed in-
dividuals to the Diag, and surveyed
them as they went to class.
Such behavior is intolerable in a
free society and University which
encourage free inquiry and ex-
pression. It is difficult to organize a
protest and speak out against what
is commonly and unquestionably
accepted by most students on
campus. Lawrence Livermore
Laboratories is a huge, powerful
organization and students have lit-
tle credibility in comparison. But
these students were moved by a
consciousness that each person is
significant enough to make a dif-
ference, but only if that person
cares to put themselves on the line.
That police further intimidated
these students for questioning
authority conflicts directly with
the goals of society and the Univer-
sity to create a tolerant, open at-
mosphere. As Councilman Lowell
Peterson, a first ward Democrat
explained, "I might have to send a
copy of the First Amendment to the
police department to see if they
haven't read it lately. What they
did is absolutely outrageous."
Police should be aware that they
abuse their position when they fail
to see the difference between
protection in a group situation and
harassment of individuals. The
seriousness of their action can not
be ignored.
Harassment unjustified
To the Daily:
Monday night, January 20, a
friend parked illegally in the
Delta Sigma Delta fraternity
parking lot. We returned to her
car to find that she had been
parked in. She apologized to a
member at the door for parking
in the lot and asked that the
blocking car be moved so that we
could leave. The member went to
get the car's owner and we retur-
ned to the parking lot. After
about ten minutes of waiting, I
tried the back door of the house.
I again explained the situation to-
two members. They figured out
whose car it was and told me I'd
find him two flights up in his
room. I asked if he could instead
be rung or called. Meanwhile, a
few 'brothers' had assembled on
the stairway to watch and harass
me. I was told that the owner
would respond to sexual favors
and I shouldn't expect the car to
be moved until then. When I got
angry, the response was, "What
do you expect when you park
illegally?"
I have no qualms withaDelta
Sigma Delta's private parking
policy. Perhaps the member was
justified in blocking us in order
to demonstrate that we had
parked illegally. The fraternity
may even have been justified had
they decided to have the car
towed. But their response toa
strange woman in their house is
frightening and appalling. What
do I expect for parking illegally?
A fine, a violation perhaps, but
not personal or sexual
harassment.
name withheld
January21
something stolen. I have had twoc
shirts and one pair of sweat pantsE
stolen since I arrived here sixf
months ago. Is this what the ad-
ministration means when it asks
us to consider additional expen-
ses besides tuition?1
No doubt people will continue to
steal, but the University whould
protect students as best it can. I
do not feel this is happening.'
There needs to be accesiblec
lockers in all of the dorms, not
just a few, to combat this in-
justice. Even the laundry rooms1
and dorm hallways are not safe.
People will snatch items directly
from your washing machine or
Daily coffee
To the Daily:
In the February 11 edition of
the Daily, you ran an adver-
tisement from General Foods In-
ternational Coffees that shocked
and offended me; I am writing to
you to explain why I felt this way.
First, the idea that women need
to plot in order to be asked out
again is offensive. Women, like
men, should date people that they.
are comfortable with, not people
who are tricked into asking them
for another date. Moreover, the
ad stressed thant men, not
women, make the decisions in our
society, and it implies that this is
not a thing to be changed by skill
or effort but can only be circum-
vented by game playing. In the
ad, suggestions one and three
portray woman as being
ignorant; "tips" numbers five
and six show women as being un-
couth and boring. Numbers four
and seven hint that a woman's
opinion is not important enough
to be expressed while numbers
two and eight again depict the
woman as being plotting and un-
dryer if you leave the area for
even one minute. I know this
from experience.
Maybe locks should be installed
on some washers keys held at
the front desk. Students would
then have the choice of leaving
the laundry room with the
knowledge that their clothes ark
safe. Books momentarily left in
the lounge and hallways, too, are
target items. They can be resold
or used by.the thief.
Aside from these thefts, dorm
living has been fun. But I won't
be living in one next year. I can't
afford it.
- Lisa Berkowitz
February 11
-a
ad sexist
trustworthy.
As a woman studying at the
University, I would like to think
that stereotypes such as these do
not exist and that both women
and men can act with respect and
honesty in order to accomplish
things. This ad stresses the
stereotype that men are the4
authorities in our society who
make the choices and give the
rewards while women must sit
back and play up to them in order
to get anywhere. Emphasis on
stereotypes such as these make
life more difficult for students
such as myself who are
struggling to live in a fair and un-
sexist manner.
As students, we should all be
concerned with changing
negative stereotypes that can af-
fect our futures. I hope that the
Daily can further this goal
taking a firm stand against this
type of sexism and by screening
out all advertisements containing
offensive stereotypes.
- Swati Dutta
February 11-
innovation
to rekindle the debates that so
recently raged through your
pages, perhaps for lack of ideas
and materials.
Not to sound overly negative, I
must commend the editorial
"Don't pay MSA," which ap-
peared the same day. I didn't
know about this issue, so I found
tha maita l:. i :,, r-at:i a nr T
Feynman 's book O.K.
We encourage our readers to use this space to
To the Daily:
This letter is in response to Ms.
Sanak's book review of February
20th concerning Richard Feyn-
man's autobiography surely
You're Joking Mr. Feynman.
Apparently she was expecting a
dry rendition of technical ex-
planations of his experiments and
personality profiles of "great
men" Feynman has worked alon-
gside. I'm sorry her expectations
were wrong but I do not see how
she overlooked the valuable
lessons that were present. The
public has been honored with an
autobiography by a highly
refreshing wit and charm that
reminds the reader that learning
about the universe one lives in
can be fun and interesting.
There are those of us at the
University who enjoy learning
and going beyond the textbook
not for the rewards of higher
grades or an additional note on
the resume but rather for the joy
of discovery and knowledge. We
don't need external rewards but
being able to continue on with
more research is our reward. Mr.
Feynman's book is both inspiring
and encouraging. He accepts that
there is uncertainty in the world.
To the Daily:
I am an avid reader of the
Opinion page because I like to
hear the thoughts of my fellow
students. However, I found the
Opinion page of February 17 to be
utterly annoying, as two of the
major issues were
Zionism/Apartheid and another
ma:,ifnetatin of ho nhrtin
Search for