4
OPINION
Page 4
Friday, March 13, 1987
The Michigan Dail
MSA
el'ection
guide:
P arties take
stands
on
FLASH Blue Party Bigfoot Party Students First
UCAR DEMANDS/PARTY David Sternlicht Seth Klukoff for David Newblatt Ken Weine for
for President President for President President
John Villanueva David Vogel for Charles Heckstall Rebecca Felton for
for V. P. V.P. for V.P. V.P.
1. Submit a specific plan to guarantee a substantial increase in Black student enrollment. yes yes yes yes
2. Establish an Office of Minority Affairs with an autonomous supervisory
commission elected by the minority campus community. yes yes yes yes
3. Create a Financial Aid Appeals Board to make sure no student is forced out
of the University because of economic discrimination. yes yes yes yes "
4. Establish a mandatory workshop on racism and diversity for all incoming
students. yes maybe yes yes
5. Set up a program of orientation for minority students to meet and talk with
already enrolled minority students and faculty to minimize feelings of isolation. yes yes yes yes
6. Institute a program of tuition waivers for all under-represented and economically
disadvantaged minority students until the goals for minority enrollment are realized yes yes yes yes
7. Create a minority Student Lounge and Office in the Michigan Union where minority
students can meet in a comfortable and supportive atmosphere on a regular basis. yes yes yes yes
8. Establish a required course on diversity and bigotry to be taken by all matriculated
students before graduation from the University, with input from the Center for
Afroamerican and African Studies. maybe maybe yes yes
9. Full observance of the Dr. Martin Luther King holiday including cancellation
of classes and the closing of offices. yes no yes yes
10. Honorary degree for South African leader Nelson Mandela at May commencement. yes maybe yes yes
11. Full, public, and immediate investigation of all reported incidents of racial harassment,
and a mechanism set up, to facilitate the on-going reporting and documentation of
such incidents. yes maybe yes yes
12. The immediate removal of all those involved in incidents of racial harassment from
University housing since they have demonstrated their inability to live in an
integrated setting. maybe yes yes no
UCAR
demands
After recent racist incidents the
United Coalition Against Racism
(UCAR) issued twelve demands to
the University.
Opinion Page editor Henry Park
interviewed the presidential and
vice-presidential candidates of the
various parties to see where the
parties stand on the twelve demands.
The results are in the chart to the
right.
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LETTERS
Edited and managed by students at The University of Michigan
Only Students 1st will save
PIRGIM
I
Vol. XCVII, No. 111
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.
Meese strikes again
ATTORNEY GENERAL Edwin
Meese recently unveiled his latest
assault on constitutional rights.
This time it is in the guise of drug
enforcement.
Meese's fresh assault comes in
response to President Reagan's
directive that mandatory drug tests
be given to all federal civilian
employees in "sensitive" positions.
Reagan's implication was that the
federal workforce is riddled with
drug abusers, and the idea was to
cut drug use by attacking the users
(demand) rather than arresting the
dealers (supply). This "free
market" solution to the drug
problem is without legal basis and
has no rational means of
implementation.
But now the Meese Justice
Department has formulated
guidelines to implement the policy.
The new guidelines stipulate that
federal employees must release the
contents of their bladders within a
few feet of "monitors" who in turn
immediately measure the
temperature of the urine sample to
assure that it indeed just passed
from the body's system and was
not smuggled into the restroom.
Employees whose urine registers
positive for drugs would be
retested using a more expensive
analysis. Once positively proven
to contain drug traces, the
employee would be remanded to
drug counseling and rehabilitation
services. Those who refuse the
tests are, according to the
guidelines, considered
insubordinate and subject to
discipline and dismissal. Such
procedures are patently ridiculous.
There are serious problems with
this policy. A major weakness is
the lack of probable cause.
Employees are assumed to be
guilty and must prove their
innocence. That this logic is
diametrically opposed to the legal
system and precedents seems to
have escaped both the attorney
general and the president.
The policy is blatantly
unconstitutional. Mandatory drug
tests go to the heart of American's
constitutional right to be free from
"unreasonable search and seizure."
There is no greater invasion of
privacy than the searching and
seizing of body fluids without
probably cause.
Still another problem is the
fallibility of the tests themselves.
One in five employees tested will
give a false positive reading. False
positives can be triggered by a
variety of over the counter or
prescription medications. A more
expensive analysis can eliminate
much of these errors, yet even
these are not infallible. Employees
whose results show a false positive
would be stigmatized. In many
cases jobs will be lost and careers
or families ruined.
Financing for the program is
also dubious. Perhaps the money
would come from further cuts in'
education or health care.
Since becoming attorney
general, Meese has been
determined to impose his ideology
on the American legal system. His
interpretation of established laws,
whether on abortion, the rights of
the accused, or affirmative action,
varies so greatly with the substance
of these laws that he has repeatedly
attempted to secure their
nullification.
A government that engages in
Big Brother tactics such as
humiliation, intimidation,
surveillance, assumption of guilt
without probable cause, and
requiring its citizens to prove their
innocence, is retreating from the
foundations of democracy and
freedom. The legal system should
serve the people, and uphold
individual rights rather than treating
them as an afterthought.
To the Daily:
The treatment which
Michigan Student Assembly
has given to PIRGIM has been
disgraceful. PIRGIM petitioned
MSA for support in obtaining
a refundable fee of $1.25 per
student each term. MSA
declined to support the
refundable fee; instead MSA
chose to put the question to the
students during the election
(Proposal B) which is certainly
MSA's right. However, MSA
also chose to put a conflicting
question on the ballot
(Proposal C), which will only
serve to confuse the voters.
The conflicting question asks
whether students will support a
positive check off for PIRGIM
of $1.25 per student each term.
If both these ballot questions
receive a majority, then the one
with the most yes votes will
be the winner. A positive
check off would not raise
sufficient funds for PIRGIM to
remain on the campus so it
would be of no benefit to
PIRGIM. If Proposal C passes
it will not be implemented
because PIRGIM will have to
leave campus, and if it fails,
then it will also -not be
implemented. Therefore,
Proposal C is meaningless.
The only effect it can have is
that it can prevent Proposal B
from passing if each one
receives a majority and if
Proposal C receives more yes
votes than Proposal B. The
only purpose of Proposal C is
to confuse the voters.
I believe that most students
support PIRGIM, and that
MSA should not work against
PIRGIM. More importantly,
MSA should not intentionally
try to confuse the voters. To
intentionally try to deceive the
voters is outrageous.
PIRGIM has only come
under attack because MSA has
recently become controlled by
conservatives. The
conservatives complained when
liberals on MSA supported
divestment from South Africa;
they complained when liberals
opposed the Contras; they
complained when liberals sup -
ported increased financial aid;
and they complained when
MSA opposed the re-zoning of
Burns Park to save student
housing; but the liberals have
never worked to kill PIRGIM,
and they have never tried to
Eliminate international issues
deceive the voters.
The voters have a chance to
show how they feel about
PIRGIM in the upcoming
MSA election. Every MSA
member and supporter of the
Bigfoot Party, the Blue Party,
and the Flash Party on MSA
voted to sponsor Proposal C,
which would kill PIRGIM.
Every member and supporter of
the Students First Party voted
Make assembl
Dear Daily:
Your "Election time" editorial
on the problems of MSA was
very thought-provoking. I hope
that you will allow me to
respond.
Indeed, as you stated, MSA
has many problems. Among
them, the major problem is
low student turnout for elec-
tions. Just about no one votes.
You state that a poor image of
MSA is at fault. I would like
to propose that it's more an
overall lack of image, positive
or negative, that is to blame.
The cause of the problem
centers around a scarcity of
information for entering stu-
dents. Entering students can be-
long to any one of a dozen aca-
demic schools ranging from
Natural Resources to Nursing
to LSA. Each separate school
has a student government that
holds elections.
Most entering freshman,
some sophomores and even a
few upperclassmen live in
dormitories. Each dormitory
has an individual student gov-
ernment, a Representative As-
sembly. Every floor of every
corridor elects a Rep. Ass.
delegate and alternate, and
dormwide elections are usually
held for Rep. Ass. officers
every year.
And then there's the Univer-
sity student government,
MSA, that holds elections.
In short, it's pretty darn
confusing!! And to magnify the
problem, the differences bet-
ween these governments are
never ever explained to entering
students. After that first year,
students, on the whole, become
disinterested with the confusion
that surrounds student-run
government and decide not to
vote.
Thus, while communication
is very important, as you state
in your editorial, basic infor-
mation is also crucial. And the
against Proposal C. There is a
clear difference in t9
upcoming election. If you
want to see PIRGIM remain-ate
the U of M, then you should!
vote yes on Proposal B, vote'
no on Proposal C, and vote fo.
candidates on the Students First,
Party ticket.
-Bruce Belcher,1
Chair, MSA Rules and,
Elections Committee
March 9,
y accessible
key is to get more information,
to both beginning and contin4
uing students through as many
networks as possible. Fresh-
men need to be told at orien-
tation how the student gover-
nment works, even if it's just'
mentioned in passing.
Counselors should be asked
to pass on the word that MSA
offers many positions of leader-
ship. If a student fears running
for office, it should be men-
tioned that there are many
interesting committees open. to
students that do not require a
campaign.
Other things could be done to
increase student knowledge of
MSA, as well. The idea that
you proposed of a sound
system on the Diag has grea
merit and potential. Publi
serv ice advertisements in your
publication are another option.
Purchasing Diag boards an-
nouncing upcoming agendas or
regularly sending MSA repres-
entatives to dorms and greek
houses are also great plans of
action.
I think the task of creating an
image for the Michigan Stu-
dent Assembly is largely up to
the members of that bod,
They must decisively take t
initiative.
And I would like to str4
the urgency of today. As oor~'
University is facing a.rash
racism, students are becomi'
more and more active in caf
pus political affairs. These nei
activists need to know thA
MSA has established chann
with the Regents and t+,
President's office. They need '
know that it is MSA to who,
they can go to in timesof
strife.
-Zachary Kittr*
Candidate for L
Representative to M
Bigfoot Party
March
To the Daily:
As vice-chairperson of
IMPAC (Involved in Michigan
Political Action Committee) I
had the pleasure of organizing
and creating the recent
referendum petition regarding
the role of MSA at the
University. The petition,
which many of you had signed,
called for a campus-wide vote
on whether MSA should be
restrained from proposing and
endorsing petitions and
resolutions on national and.
international affairs which do
not directly concern students at
this University. In just one
day, IMPAC was able to
obtain 1800 signatures, more
than enough to insure a ballot
question. We were happy that
the wishes of the students were
finally going to be addressed.
However, problems
immediately arose. As I
attempted to meet the
requirements and submit the
petition, I and members of my
group had to deal with
numerous hostile people of
MSA who would constantly
attempt to dissuade us from
submitting the question. by
question, in order to bypass
much of the red tape which we
had encountered. MSA did
finally pass such a resolution,
albeit with different terms, last
month. However, there are
various loopholes in the
document in order to allow
them to continue their political
shenanigans at MSA and
thereby disregard the wishes of
the students who elected them.
It is at this point that I realized
that the only way to attain at
this point thzt I realized that
the only way to attain the
goals of the petition, is to
become an MSA candidate.
At this time, then, I am
running as an LSA
representative candidate for,
MSA on the BIGFOOT party.
The party's platform, as well
as my own, have made this
issue top priority. The party
and I vow not to propose or
endorse political resolutions at
MSA as well as to try and stop
the government from doing so
in the future. But we need
your help on the election days,
March 17 and 18. I need your
vote, so that I complete the
task and ston the asemh1v
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