4
OPINION
Page 4 Thursday, October 9, 1986 The Michigan Daily
I
etan t Michigan
Edited and managed by students at The University of Michigan
Vol. XCVII, No. 26
420 Maynard St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Unsigned editorials represent a majority of the Daily's Editorial Board
All other cartoons, signed articles, and letters do not necessarily represent the opinion of the Daily.
Yale's r
YALE'S SUSPENSION of
five students for protesting Yale's
South Africa related investments
should tarnish that University's
image as a supposed institution of
free inquiry. Four students also
faced a one-day suspension and a
semester of probation for their
actions. These are extreme
punishments for a non-violent
protest.
Yale's policy of divesting from
companies that do not follow the
Sullivan Principles of conduct in
South Africa is lame. The
Sullivan Principles, which are
upheld by only some companies
based outside South Africa,
mandate integrated workplaces,
management training for black
employees, promotion of black
employees, and aid to employee
education. Proponents of this
system recognize that even these
paltry measures are often not
enforced because there is no
incentive for the program to punish
corporate participants, who pay the
membership fees.
The Sullivan Principles do not
address the payment of taxes to the
apartheid regime, the transfer of
military technology and strategic
resources to the repressive
apparatus, housing rights for
employees or the right to vote or
any other political rights currently
denied to blacks. By adhering to
these outdated and ineffective
guidelines, Yale undermines its
moral legitimacy to punish its
students.
Federal legislation already
goes beyond the Sullivan
Principles in mandating various
embargoes and an end to new
investment in South Africa. By
)unishment
supporting the Sullivan Principles,
which are merely a figleaf under
which companies operate in South
Africa, Yale lags far behind public
opinion.
More importantly, those who
are against cutting economic ties
with South Africa can still agree
that it is un-ethical for Yale
University to discipline its
protesters. Yale's South Africa
related property should disqualify it
from judging students who protest
those holdings. If consumer
advocate Ralph Nader staged a
protest for the installation of air-
bags in cars, General Motors
corporation should not have the
right to try him.
What happened at Yale is a
perfect example of what could
happen if an administrative code of
non-academic conduct comes to
pass at the University of Michigan.
At Yale, students do not have
public trials; indeed, Yale will not
make any public comments on the
disciplinary process or reasoning
that it used in the case. Nor do
students have the right to appeal
except to the same administrative
unit that already disciplined them.
Yale has already judged these
students and they still face charges
from the city of New Haven for
"disorderly conduct," which may
result in a year of prison-a real
life case of double jeopardy.
Established before the
American Revolution, Yale
continues to demonstrate 18th
century ideas about justice and
ethics. Certainly Yale's image
should suffer for punishing those
who disagree with its antiquated
politics.
Students
By Kristin A. Cabral
During the various campus
movements of the sixties, students
sought to break from the "locus parentis"I
tradition of their I
home-away-from-home: the
university. The paternalistic, and even;
puritanical, practices by the
administration (ranging from resident hall
curfews to control over the visitation
rights of the opposite sex) dampened the
full freedom desired by many young
adults. Students eventually forced change
in these areas and gained many of their
demands. Thus, these living conditions
achieved by students of the past have
made life for students of today more
liberal and self-directing.
Unfortunately, two aspects of
contemporary campus life here at the
University have undermined this personal
autonomy and have created an atmosphere
of dependency. These developments are
tuition hikes and the code.
The astronomical increases in tuition
have made the financially independent
student a rarity. Just this past July, the
regents raised tuition by 4.3 percent for
Cabral is an LS&A junior.
in-state undergraduates and 8.0
for most other students, with
increases in several profe
programs. The majority of stud
not realistically earn funds to c,
their educational expenses thr
summer and/or off campus job. P
are students more dependent on
and family resources but increasin
hodge-podge of institutions: f
houses (banks, savings and l
federal and state governments,
sources, and even the Universii
This dependency, combined with d
financial aid and purchasing
penetrates a student's life long af
she strolls off the podium with
in hand. These institutional ties
legacy of liability, which a stud
not wrench himself or herself f
gain true independence.
The code of nonacademic con
the potential, at the least, t
dependency on what constitutess
course of actions a person is to un
A system of rules, under the
promotes an authoritative accou
of one's actions where it is n
needed. Should one follow hi
conscience by protesting ani
remain forever silent without th
lose
autonomy
percent punishment? The code can become a
higher jeopardizing institutional structure that
ssional undercuts private, individual and
ents can independent choices.
-over all On the other hand, if dependency is
rough a growing undercurrent on campus, then the
Not only University fails to adequately create a
parents sense of dependency where it is sortly
ugly on a needed. For example, the University
inancial poorly supports such public concerns as
oans...), campus safety. Protecting students
private directly through an escort service is more
ty itself. sensible than indirectly protecting
Decreased students from "harm" through a code.: A
power, student should be able to depend on th
ter he or University to safely walk through campu
diploma and to live without fear.
leave a As a result, the social and cultural
dent can' constraints of twenty years ago have
rom and given way to economical and personal
dependency. Unlike the students of
yesteryear, the ability to affordably attend
iduct has the University and to act out the most
o create precious of freedoms, such as speech And
a proper expression, are in grave danger.
ndertake. Autonomy and individualism j
ie code, becoming increasingly difficult to
intability maintain in society's ever-growing
not truly complexity. Striving to fully preserve
s or her our independence is only a rational way of
issue or life for the students of today and,
e risk of especially, tomorrow.
Wasserman
We tXNWT RLLY WPN4T To $UILD
THOUSANDSA TOUSANDS OF
OF N4U6L- \NWEAPONS YOU
NO, BUT Tf~1E T~WRAT OF BUILDING
T'WA GIVES US BARGAININ& Cki1?S
FO?, TASLKS WI'lIjTNE Sov Ir
ON1, V)IO AE OUR
2<4
Research funding
THE PROPOSAL of the ad hoc
committee for new classified
research guidelines for the
University has its problems; but it
is much more acceptable than the
committee's minority report, which
calls for no restrictions. If the mm -
ority proposal is adopted, the
University could see a dramatic
increase in military research and
reliance on the defense department
for funds.
Before the current guidelines
were adopted, University
researchers conducted millions of
dollars in classified research
projects for the military. In 1967,
for instance, the University was
home to 69 projects with funding
for over $12 million. Since the
1972 guidelines, the number of
projects and the funding for them
has dropped dramatically.
Currently, there are two projects
classified for "access only," which
means the researchers have access
to classified material but their
results will not be classified.
Together, the projects are budgeted
for about $367,000.
The University recently
increased its non-classified
commitment to the military through
the University Research Initiative. ,
Officials expect the University to
receive $20-$25 million for the
three projects . over a five-year
period. Once the three URI
"centers for excellence" are
established, the facilities could
them be used for more military
projects after the five-year URI
contracts have expired. If the
minority proposal is accepted by
the Board of Regents, the
University would have some of the
best equipped laboratories in the
country to carry out classified
research.
This scenario, coupled with a
federal shift of research dollars to
the defense department and the
Strategic Defense Initiative in
particular, could lead to a re-
establishment of the University's
Vietnam-era reputation as "The
Eyes of the Army."'
The University should not be
building weapons or related
systems. Restrictions on
publication compromise the
openness of the University com -
munity and security requirements
exclude some people, such as
foreign-born graduate students or
faculty without the right "contacts",
from doing research. Some of the
best private research firms in the
country are located near the
University and most would be
happy to accept multi-million dollar
research contracts.
LETTERS:
Emergency phones raise awareness
To the Daily:
While most people
have seen the new emergency
phones on campus, there still
seems to be a lot of mystery
surrounding where they came
from and what their purpose is.
The need for this phone system
was recognized in 1983 by the
Committee on Security, which
formed to develop and expand
programs that prevent assaults
on U of M's campus and
surrounding areas. The
Women's Issues Committe of
MS A, PIRGIM, the
Department of Public Safety
and Security, Housing, and
Health Services joined together
to form this committee.
Through their work, the need
was made known to the
Administration.
The University decided
to include the emergency phone
system in its revision of the
entire University telephone
system, thus minimizing the
cost to the University.
Therefore, it was three years
from the original idea to the
respond immediately, whether
the caller is verbally received or
not.
Public reaction has
been positive to the new
phones. Public Safety and
Security reports that students
are accepting the phones better
than anticipated and few prank
calls have been received. The
visibility of the phones has
sparked a new awareness of the
issue of safety among students.
The phones have also fostered a
sense of security in that
students are now able to take
action in a dangerous situation.
Daily's rape
To the Daily:
I want to commend you on
your recent extensive coverage
of the rape issues on campus.
In the last three years as a
student who reads the Daily I
have never notuced as many
stories on rape and the issues
surrounding it. I am impressed
that the problem is finally
To monitor the sucess
of the phones, Public Safety
and Security will periodically
compile and report statistics.
In August alone, six legitimate
emergency calls were made and
the callers were aided
effectively. While Public
Safety and Security is
surveying the use of existing
phones, they are also
investigating new locations for
phones. Your suggestions and
comments are critical. For a
complete list of emergency
phone locations, contact the
Women's Issues Committe of
the MSA at 763-3241 or 3009
Michigan Union.
If you feel in danger, it's
an emergency. Pick up a
phone.
This article was written
by Heather Rose, Junior
LS&A; and Jen Heitman, IPPS
Graduate Student. Sonde
Panico submitted a report foT
this article. All three are
members of the Women's
Issues Committee of MSA.
-Jen Heitman
-Heather Rose
October 3
coverage is responsible
v - _r
recently.
Thanks to the gutsy
reporters, Eric Mattson and his
article "What Men Learn In
Our Rape Cuture," (Weekend,
9/19/86) and the several articles
by Melissa Birks, students are
kept aware that this is a daily
problem and not something
that just occurs "once in a
anymore and that it is 'O.K.' to
talk about the unpleasant
subject and not to be afraid that
no one is sympathetic to an
issue that is very real in the
minds of all female students oi
this campus.
-Ieep up the upfront
coverage of the rape problem,
let's deal with this problem