OPINION
Page 4
Tuesday, March 17, 1987
The Michigan Daily
LETTERS
Edited and managed by students at The University of Michigan
Vote Herz for Student Publications
Vol. XCVII, No. 113
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.
Yes on A
PROPOSAL A ON THE MSA ballot
today and tomorrow increases the
Michigan Student Assembly
mandatory fee by $1.72 and adds
$1.02 the following year. The
proposal would provide needed
funds to the Student Legal Services
and the Ann Arbor Tenants Union;
it deserves support.
If passed the overall fee assessed
to University students would
increase from $5.40 to $7.12 and
then the following year to $8.14.
This would provide $3.87 for legal
services in 1987-88 and $4.64 in
1988-89. It would also increase the
appropriation for
Union to $2.38 next
to $2.47 in 1988-89.
the Tenants
year and then
These increases are needed. The
salaries paid by the SLS are not
competitive with similar legal aid
programs. The increase would
raise salaries and provide funds to
hire a paralegal.
The Tenants Union is crucial in
light of Ann Arbor's housing
crunch. Tenants need an advocate
when dealing with landlords who
are operating in a sellers market.
While no one likes to see the fee
rise, in this case it's justified.
To the Daily:
Once again the Daily has
overstepped the bounds of
responsible journalism. This
is in response to the March 16
editorial endorsing Susan
Sherman for the undergraduate
seat on the Board of Student
Publications.
I do not dispute the view
that Sherman would make a
good board member, however, I
do object to the scathing
criticism levied upon Steve
Herz, the other candidate for the
position. It is clear that the
Daily has taken nothing more
than a cheap shot at Herz's
character by questioning his
responsibility and fairness as a
potential board member.
The Daily lists the
qualifications of Sherman, yet
they make no mention of the
fine work and dedicated service
Herz has given to the Daily for
two years as a member of the
news and sports staff.
Furthermore, they make no
mention of his excellent
service as an MSA
representative. The Daily is
quoted as saying in the
preceding editorial regarding the
MSA Presidential endorsement
that "past work in the
assembly. should be the
deciding factor." Thus, they
seem to feel experience is the
primary qualification in the
elections. It would appear true
then, that Herz is the most
qualified candidate based on his
past record. Yet, the Daily
doesn't seem to think that
experience is a factor in this
particular election; hence, I see
a terrible contradiction.
Sherman may have done some
excellent work in the Take
Back the Night marches and her
circulation of a petition to
improve off-campus lighting,
yet it is obvious she is not
Yes on B
Vote Students First in MSA
PROPOSAL B ON TODAY and
tommorrow's MSA ballot will, if
passed, provide a refundable fee
for PIRGIM to be administered
through the Michigan Student
Assembly. To keep PIRGIM on
campus, students should vote yes
on B.
Proposal B would add a $1.25
refundable charge to the mandatory
MSA fee. To get money back,
students would have to go to the
cashiers office in the LSA building.
Opposition to the proposal has
centered around the negativity of
the fee. Instead of checking to give
money, students have to act not to
give money.,
If the chetkoff was positive,
however, it would be only slightly
different from the donation system
in operation now. What PIRGIM is
asking for is special status similar
to that accorded the Ann Arbor
Tenants Union which receives a
portion of the MSA fee.
PIRGIM is deserving of this
status. It has had many successes
in fighting for Michigan's
environment. It has also worked
for local consumers by printing
guides to service charges at local
banks and publishing bar prices.
Once the fee is approved,
PIRGIM would be subject to MSA
audits to determine how its money
is being spent. While MSA would
not be able to exert direct over
PIRGIM, it can maintain
accountability.
PIRGIM is largely student run
and operated. It is one of the
strongest and most effective
student groups on campus. If
proposal B fails, PIRGIM says it
will leave campus. That would be a
loss for all students.
To the Daily:
This is my personal
endorsement for the most
competent and promising MSA
party, STUDENTS FIRST. If
you believe that I am basing
my support on their extensive
efforts on the CODE, women's
issues, combating racism and
sexism, campus safety, and
monitoring of military research
-- you're right. The uniqueness
of STUDENTS FIRST
candidates is the wide range of
activism throughout the party.
STUDENTS FIRST candidates
have been involved in
initiating preventative
measures against racism,
educating the community on
various forms of sexism,
maintaining a NO CODE
stance, advocating campus
safety reforms, repealing the
residence halls party
registration policy and
responding to student housing
inequities. STUDENTS
FIRST is backed by experience
and commitment toward the
welfare of students on this
campus. When you vote for
STUDENTS FIRST, you are
voting for students advocating
student concerns.
-Hillary Farber
March 12
nearly as qualified as Herz in
the workings of student
government.
The Daily believes that
Sherman's candidacy "presents
a welcome opportunity to leave
old grudges behind." Steve
Herz has never held a grudge
against the Michigan Daily; he
performed two years of loyal
service to them. Yet it seems
that the Daily has some sort of
vendetta against him by
Weine, Felto
To the Daily:
As a current MSA
Representative (Rackham
Representative, 2nd year IPPS
student), I wholeheartedly
recommend the Students First
Party to lead MSA in the
coming school year. In my
term on the Assembly, I have
seen Ken Weine and Becca
Felton pursue and complete
laudable goals and work
incredibly well with the
Assembly, their peers, and the
Administration. They have the
skills and experience to lead
MSA into a productive and
cooperative year.
Weine, an LSA junior and
second year MSA
Representative, has worked
diligently on the no-code issue
and has shown his leadership in
countless ways. Weine chairs
the Student Rights Committee
and has brought eductational
forums on the code into dorms
so students can be informed on
this critical civil rights issue.
While on the Assembly, Weine
has written and introduced
numerous resolutions showing
his creative initiative and has
discussed issues thoughtfully
and intently, articulating his
commitment to social change "
for 'the betterment of student
lives.
Felton, also an LSA junior
and two year Assembly
member, is a very strong
running mate and will lend her
skills and experience to the
leadership of MSA. Felton
co-authors MSA Report and
herein has shown
attacking his character and
questioning his responsibility.
Perhaps it is the Daily staff
themselves who have a grudge
against Herz that has no place
in this election.
-Stuart Harris
LSA
Executive Council
Member
March 16
)n are best
responsibility, dedication, and a
willingness to put in the time
needed to get the job done.
She chairs th.e
Communications Committee
and as such has worked for
increased dialogue between the
University community and the
Assembly. She wrote a
resolution, passed
unanimously, calling for such
actions as a bullettin board in
the fishbowl to post MSA
news, tabling to have face-to-
face contact between students
and representatives, and
publishing MSA's agenda in
the D aily. Incidentally,
Newblatt has said he wants toE
implement the first two of
these three. Credit for these
ideas belongs where credit is
due--with Felton.
Individually,, these
candidates are strong, but
together they present an
indivisible team linked by
experience, ideals, goals, and
freindship. In seeing Weine
and Felton work together on
the current MSA, the
announcement of their
candidacy is a natural
progression. As the leaders of
MSA next year, Weine and
Felton will provide their skills
and experience to the Assembly
and will turnMSA around-
into a productive and
cooperative body--for the
students, with the students, by
the students.
-Jen Heitmain
March i6
Wealth wins elections
Yes on E
PROPOSAL E ON THE MSA ballot
supports the students' right to vote
on any proposed code of
nonacademic conduct. Passage of
the proposal will insure that a code
is not passed over student
objections.
Often, student leaders find
themselves under pressure from the
administration to agree to some
kind of code. The administrators
Help for
CONCERNED CITIZENS OF Ann
Arbor and Ypsilanti have a chance
to help the homeless by partici-
pating in the Heart to Heart for the
Homeless walk on Saturday,
March 21. The march will raise the
level of community awareness
about homeless people as well as
raise money for several
organizations in Ann Arbor and
Ypsilanti. This is a perfect oppor -
tunity for people to help one
another and for students to act as
members of the community.
There are currently over 3,000
homeless people in Ann Arbor and
approximately the same number in
Ypsilanti. The average monthly
rent for a single room apartment
exceeds $400 plus a security
deposit of over $500. Even low
income housing facilities in Ann
Arbor have monthly rates
exceeding $300. With high rent as
well as the recent destruction of
many single person dwellings, few
homeless people have hopes of
finding shelter on their own.
Now that spring is coming,
have a great deal of leverage
through control of the MSA
funding mechanism.
Allowing approval only through
a vote of the student body would
take away the administrators
leverage. In doing so, it would
prevent the administration from
claiming student endorsement of
the code unless the students
actually support it.
'homeless
shelter alone serviced over a thou -
sand individuals, provided thou-
sands of free meals, and still had to
turn many people away.
People participating in the Heart
to Heart for the Homeless walk
will leave from West Park Ann
Arbor and Riverside Park in
Ypsilanti. The two groups of
marchers will meet at Carpenter
School where entertainment,
refreshments, speakers and
education about homeless people
will be provided. Walkers are
encouraged to get sponsors for
each mile they walk and donate this
money to Heart to Heart for the
Homeless. Ozone House can be
contacted for further information
and pledge forms.
The organization is co-chaired
by Mayor Edward Pierce of Ann
Arbor and Mayor Peter Murdock of
Ypsilanti. SAFE House, Ozone
House, The Salvation Army, SOS
Community Crisis Center and The
Shelter Association of Ann Arbor
are all sponsors of the event.
Money raised from the walk will
go to fund emergency shelters for
To the Daily:
The other night while at
work, I experienced a
disturbing encounter. Since I
work the graveyard shift
(midnight till eight am) at
Kinko's Copyshop on Liberty,
I'm used to encountering
strange people doing unusual
things. This, however, had to
do with two university
students, and an order they
placed. Two members of The
Flash Party, running for
president and vice-president of
MSA, came in around 12:30
and placed an order running
around 8,000 pages - yes; that's
an eight with three zeros.
Needless to say, I was a little
surprised, especially because
they were placing this order
from only ten originals. What
they were ordering were copies
of computer generated and hand
designed fliers, to post around
campus. You can see them on
kiosks, in classrooms, in the
fishbowl, almost anywhere you
look.
What bothers me about this
is not the fact that we have an
extra eight thousand pieces of
potential litter; I'll leave the
complaining about that for
ardent environmentalists and
the university grounds crews.
What does bother me is the fact
that this order totalled almost
three-hundred dollars. Curious
about this, I asked the
candidates where the money
was coming from; they replied
that it came out of their own
pockets, and moreover, that
before the elections were over
they will have spent over one
thousand dollars out of their
own savings. I was assured
that this is actually low
compared to the other parties,
whose spendings total between
two and three thousand each.
I can't speak for the
majority of students here, of
course, but that figure astounds
twelve thousand dollars
between them, we have an
amount equivalent to almost
half of MSA's budget being
spent just on the campaign.
There is a greater issue
involved here, obviously; when
campaigns resort to sheer
strength of financing to sway
the masses, we suffer from the
same problem that the country
is now facing on a national
level: we elect leaders full of
rhetoric and a meaningless
gloss put on them by their
public relations experts, instead
of men and women of
substance and character. On a
more basic level, it also
excludes many well-qualified
students from making a run for
an office, simply because they
don't have the financial
resources available to them.
We are in danger of becoming
ruled by a group of students
who can afford to use the office
as a stepping stone, something
that looks terrific on a resum6,
instead of men and women who
are seeking to better the
university life of their peers
here on campus.
Sadly, the majority of
students won't vote in the
upcoming elections at all
(again, this reflects the national
scene). With the resurgence of
political activism on campus,
one would think the student
electionsdwould reflect that
trend, and the percentages of
eligible voters participating in
elections would be on the rise.
Unfortunately, there hasn't
been a significant increase in
recent years. What we all need
to realize is that the single
most effective tool we have for
promoting social change (or, in
this case, university change) is
the franchise each of us has
been granted.hAn intelligent
review of the candidates
(perhaps the Daily could
publish an non-partisan guide
Gray honors King
To the Daily:
As the second national
celebration of Martin Luther
King, Jr.'s birthday passes, I
find myself mixed with hope
and fear. I hope that this
holiday has been appropriately
commemorated by all members
of this University, yet I fear
that few took the opportunity
to reflect on this great man or
on the state of equality in our
country and world today.
As I listened to the
Honorable William H. Gray
III's keynote address last
Tuesday night at Hill
Auditorium, I looked around
the room. It is rare that I, as a
white student, should find
myself in the minority on this
campus. I suppose it is not
surprising that on this
particular night, I was a
minority in the audience. Every
student who is concerned about
equal rights should have been
at this event. Sadly, tte4
auditorium was not full.
Martin Luther King, Jr. not
only fought for equal rights for
blacks. He fought for equality
among all people through
peace, respect, and love. Mr.
Gray urged us not to let Dr.
King's dream die. This
responsibility falls on all
people. I urge my fellow
students at the University 'toE
wake themselves from their
busy schedules of studying,
job-hunting, and socializing; to
remember that, as Martin
Luther King, Jr. himself said:
An individual has not started
living until he can rise above
the narrow confines of his
individualistic concerns to the
broader concerns of all
humanity.
-Beth Darmstatdter
January 18
Fight campus racism
To the Daily:
I have a quick question for
Harold Shapiro. I'm aware of
the fact that as of last fall a
program was created to
welcome incoming
freshpersons to the University
of Michigan. A large meeting
is held at Hill Auditorium and
President Shapiro addresses the
new students. I'm told this is
to create school spirit, better
morale, and most importantly,
pride in the University.
Frankly, in light of the
recent developments on
atmosphere on campus which
won't allow people such as the
perpetrator of the WJJX
incident to feel they can get
away with such ignorant acts.
Progress has been made with
recent expulsion of the man
from Couzens from the
residence halls and I applaud
the Regents' action, but let's
finish the job once and for all.
Our University should be
known for the superb education
it gives all its students and the
extensive research i