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OPINION
Thursday, January 16, 1986

Page 4

The Michigan Daily



te abt anichigan
Edited and managed by students at The University of Michigan

Fact competes with fantasy

Vol. XCVI,

420 Maynard St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109

Editorials represent a majority opinion of the Daily's Editorial Board


Encouraging trend

:MARSHALL McLUAN'S now-
famous statement, "The
media is the message" aptly
describes how college students
view themselves and how the rest
of the nation views them. For the
past five years the media have por-
trayed college students of the
eighties as selfish. Innumerable
studies have found statistics to
show that today's college student
favors money and personal success
over developing a philosophy of life
or working toward solving
problems like hunger and nuclear
war. On the basis of these figures,
a number of magazines printed ar-
ticles on the selfish college student
of the eighties, making the
inevitable comparison to the
politically active, concerned
college student of the late sixties
and early seventies.
It is partly in this context that the
recently released report on the at-
titudes of the fall 1985 freshman
class should be welcomed. The
report, published by the
Cooperative Institutional Research
Program and sponsored by the
American Council of Education
and the University of California at
Los Angeles graduate school of
Education, reported that the per-
centage of college freshmen who
consider it very important to make
Shop a
w /ANY STUDENTS think that
selecting classes is like
shooting dice: random chance
determines if courses will satisfy
or disappoint, stimulate or
anesthetize. However, students do
have the ability to affect the out-
come of each semester. The
method is simple: shop for classes.
Faced with deadlines, many
students fill out their CRISP elec-
tion sheets the night before
registration, and others, seeing the
word closed on the computer
screen, are forced to make last-
minute decisions. Fortunately,
students may use the next
twelve days to search more selec-
tively, and may drop, add, or
modify their courses until January
28.
Rely on first impressions. This is
the cardinal rule of class shopping.
If a professor bores, patronizes,
rambles, or pontificates on the first
day of class, don't expect im-
provement. On the other hand, if
the first lecture stimulates, expect
a stimulating semester.
In judging courses, reading lists

a lot of money decreased for the
first time in over fifteen years
The study also found that there was
an increase in the number of
students considering a career in
teaching.
These figures should give en-
couragement to the media to write
about the new, politically concer-
ned student. At the very least,
perhaps the report will force the
media to reconsider the image -
that it helped to perpetuate - of
the selfish young generation
motivated primarily by money.
But to blame the media solely is
to avoid the facts. Too many
students do see their time at the
university as four years of drunken
fun, acquisition of money making
skills, or both. Too few students
take advantage of the learning op-
portunities this and other univer-
sities have to offer, both in and out
of the classroom.
The recent report's findings are
encouraging. Fewer students enter
college with the main intention of
making money. If this trend con-
tinues in future years, it will force
the media to acknowledge that
students are socially concerned.
More importantly, this pattern
may produce a domino effect on
students themselves, and cause
them to reconsider their life goals
and personal values.
round
are indispensible. Many classes
require three or more hours of
reading per hour of class time.
Therefore, students should know
what they are expected to read
before committing themselves to a
semester in a particular class.
The idea of trying out different
classes should not intimidate
students. The myth persists that all
"worthwhile" courses are closed
well before the term begins, and
that class shopping is a waste of
time. On the contrary, only a han-
dful of courses are impossible to en-
ter early in the term. Instructors
are flattered by high attendance,
and will usually grant as many
overrides as possible to en-
thusiastic students. Of course,
students with uncommon interests
have an edge in acquiring
overrides, since their classes are
less popular.
Take advantage of the diversity
that the University offers. Sit in on
a few classes, collect syllabi, study
the course guide and time
schedule, and browse through the
bookstores. But do it now ... only
twelve shopping days remain.

By Jonathan Ellis
If fact continues to compete with fantasy
for campus headlines, how long before the
following become "news" items:
The top-rated University of Dollars foot-
ball team announced today that it will fran-
chise its football operation at schools around
the country.
"We think we have a success formula at
Dollars," a team executive explained. "If
delivered pizza and college bookstores can
franchise on campuses nationwide, why not
athletic teams?"
The University of Michigan athletic
department is reported to be considering the
lease of Michigan Stadium to a Dollars U.
franchise squad for Saturday afternoons
next season.
When asked where Michigan's own foot-
ball team might play its home games, an
athletic department official said, "Schem-
bechler just couldn't match the price
Dollars U. offered for the pse of the stadium.
Maybe Bo can play in Ypsilanti."
The Dollars U. franchise squad in Ann Ar-
bor would be called "the Michigan Stadium
Football Team," to differentiate it from the
University of Michigan football team, the
Ellis is an occasional guest contributor
to the editorial page.

athletic official reported.
"If Barnes and Noble can become the
Michigan Union Bookstore, surely no one
would think a Michigan Stadium Football
Team was connected with Michigan studen-
ts."
The official was referring to the situation
where the current bookstore in the Union
basement, while called the Michigan Union
Bookstore, is actually owned by Barnes and
Noble, a for-profit company. The University
Cellar, which is now on Liberty Street but
once rented space in the Union, is the
Michigan student-owned and student-
controlled bookstore. The Cellar is non-
profit.
In a related development, University of-
ficials have decided that another gala
celebration will be held on campus to com-
memorate the second national project
which was founded at the University, the
Students for a Democratic Society (SDS).
SDS, a radical protest group, was the
other 1960s movement which had its begin-
nings here, along with the Peace Corps
whose anniversary was celebrated last Fall.
Paralleling the Peace Corps festivities,
the SDS event will include participants of
national prominence. Reports have been
circulating that Attorney General Edwin
Meese, though an arch-conservative, will be
asked to headline the SDS commemoration.
"Ed Meese has at least as much in com-

mon with the founding goals of SDS as
George Bush had with the Peace Corps,"
commented one University administrator.
The possible Meese invitation was over-
shadowed this week by another University
announcement that, beginning next term,
all tuition fees will be cancelled. Instead,
University courses will be offered on a
"free-drop" basis like The Michigan Daily,
Under the play, the academic department
will be required to solicit paid adver-
tisements to fund their course offerings.
Commercials would be read by professors
at intervals during each class.
The possible effects of this funding change
are still emerging. Presumably the
Michigan football team could have in-class
ads saying where it has moved, if the
athletic department does rent the stadium
to Dollars U.
Classroom ads for the Michigan Union
Bookstore are still unclear. Would every ad
read in class have to tell you the store was
owned by for-profit Barnes and Noble, lest
the professor's 'accuracy in academia"
rating be compromised?
Ironically, the* big winner under the
academic ad plan could well be the Univer-
sity Cellar. As the student-owned and non-
profit bookstore, the Cellar might qualify
for classroom public service announcemen-
ts, free.


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LETTERS:
Zionism opposes S. African racism

.. . . . ,. . , i

To the Daily:
In response to Ibrahim
Dawud's letter "Zionism is racist
as Apartheid," (1/10/86) we
believe that Mr. Dawud appears
to be confused about the differen-
ces between Zionism and Apar-
theid. First, and foremost, Apar-
theid is a law accepted by the
white ruling government of South
Africa. This law racially
segregates and oppresses the
black people of South Africa.
Zionism, in contrast, is a belief
held by the majority of Jewish
people which states that there
sould be a Jewish homeland. At
no time is Zionism a law held by
the ruling government of Israel.
Also, Zionism is not a belief of
segregation and oppression. All
that Zionism contends is that the
Jews of the world should live
in Israel. From this standpoint,
Zionism and Apartheid are
diametrically opposed.
The Israeli government does
not support any form of mass
arrest or indiscriminate
uprooting of Palestinians in
Trael Tnstead the adontinn nf

squalid sort of lesser human and
are pathetically and abjectly
destined to remain that way."
While this is the policy of South
Africa, it is not a policy in Israel.
Mr. Dawud fails to recognize
the unprovoked, terrorist acts
committed by the Palestinian
Liberation Organization (PLO)
against the peoples of Israel. He
is quick to point out, in a negative
and incorrect way, the military
acts invoked by the Israeli
military. These acts are in
response to or defense of Israeli
National security and are only
directed at combatants, as was
the case in Israel's attack on PLO
headquarters in Tripoli a few
months back. Israelis, unlike the
PLO, do not attack non-
combatants by bombing
hospitals,nschool buses,band kin-
dergarten classrooms. When
Israel fights for her security, she
fights to protect Jews and non-
Jews alike from terrorism.
We do not deny that there are
religious and racial tensions in

occurances and take an active
part in either supporting or
protesting them. American Jews
scream in protest of Apartheid
because we know what it feels
like to live under years and
years of oppression. Until the
Israeli government adopts
policies of racial oppression as

law like the South African gover-
nment has; we will continue to
support Zionism, to promote as.
Mr. Dawud phrased it "our own
survival as a people."
-Stacey L. Colemai
Barry A. Schreier
January 13

Students

question the code

SECRETARY
OF
AGRICULTURE

To the Daily:
It was reported that the
University of Maryland College
Park Campus, "led all other
major colleges in the nation in
reported violent crime in 1984,"
with 53 violent crimes reported,"
(Daily Nov. 12). This is ironic
considering that the University of
Maryland implemented a code of
non-academic conduct six years
ago in order to reduce violent
crime and increase the safety of
students (Journal of College and
Higher Education Law, 1979).
The statistics show that
Marvland's nce rnPd snot solve

proposed code "is largely.based on-
Maryland's code. All that our
administration did was slightly
revise Maryland's code befora6
proposing it to the community,
Moreover, Regent Sarah Power
said' that a code should be im-
plemented because "the safety of
people are involved" (Daily
Nov. 15). However, it has been'
clearly shown that a code of non-
academic conduct does not im-
prove campus safety. The Regen-
ts seem to ignore the fact that
codes do not protect students at
other colleges.
Tharafnrpitist +h rocnnI


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