OPINION
Page 4 Monday, March 28, 1988 The Michigan Daily

Edited and managed by students at The University of Michigan
Vol. XCVIII, No. 119 420 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.
The dolphin holocaust

Stabilize students'

rents

DOLPHINS ARE BEING MASSACRED
by the thousands in the eastern tropic
Pacific Ocean by tuna companies; this
has prompted the Earth Island Institute
(ElI) to call for a boycott of all tuna
products.
Tuna companies, such as Star-kist
and Chicken of the Sea, have killed over
six million dolphins since the early
1960s according to the conservative
figures of the U.S. National Marine
Fishery Service. A boycott of tuna
should be respected in the hopes that the
tuna fishing industry ends its carnage
against dolphins.
The threat to the dolphins arises when
tuna fishing companies net dolphins
along with their catch of tuna. Schools
of'tuna often follow the dolphins, so
fishing fleets look for their tuna around
dolphins. Since dolphins are mammals,
they must come to the surface to breathe
air, and therefore are much easier to see
than the tuna. The fleets employ
helicopters to search out the dolphins
and direct the fishing fleets to those
locations.
This method of searching tuna used
by selected tuna fishing fleets usually
results in horrendous massacres of
dolphins. The dolphins get caught in the
nets the boats set out for the tunas, and
end up drowning because they can't get
to the surface for air. Other dolphins die
from being crushed in nets filled with
tons of tuna.
Special holes in the nets are designed
to let dolphins out, and, according to the
U.S. tuna fishing fleet, a very dubious
figure of 95 percent of the dolphins are
'saved.
The "success" rate, however, is
misleading. A CBS News documentary
showed that in the last two years, over
200,000 dolphins were killed by this
fishing method. The ElI says the U.S.
Fleet alone is responsible for about
20,000 deaths a year. Clearly, the
Support
L ESBIAN AND GAY awareness week
kicks off at noon on the Diag with a
rally for gay and lesbian rights. These
events should be strongly supported
and attended by all students interested
in ending the anti-gay and lesbian big-
otry rampant at the University.
Gays comprise at least ten percent of
American society and thirteen percent
of the University community and
deserve inclusion in the regental bylaw
14.06 against discrimination. The
University of Michigan Board of
Regents, however, has refused to
include sexual orientation as a form of
discrimination prohibited openly by the
University.
The remarks made by Regent Deane
Baker (R-Ann Arbor) at several past
regents meetings are even more
vicious. Baker has said, "I know of
instances of homosexuality on this
campus which I cannot and will not
tolerate...." It is outrageous that the
regents are unwilling to protect more
than ten percent of the student
population from open attacks and
discrimination.
The administration is dead set against
advancing gay and lesbian rights. Not
only did Interim President Robben
Fleming prevent a conference on gay
rights from taking place on campus
during his previous reign as University

attempts made by the tuna companies to
save the dolphins are nowhere near
enough.
Legislation to protect the dolphins has
been in affect for over a decade. The
Marine Mammal Protection Act sets
quotas on dolphins killed by the U.S.
fleet. Currently, the quota is 20,500, but
it has declined from the much higher
figures originally set. It is a strange
coincidence that as the quota became
more stringent, the number of boats in
the fishing fleet has declined.
In 1982, there were 100 boats, now
there are only 35. The missing boats
weren't sunk by Moby Dick, but have
just switched flags, so they are no
longer under U.S. jurisdiction. This
allows tuna companies to kill dolphins
without fear of retribution.
The ElI is a non-profit organization
comprised of scientists and researchers
working to preserve our environment. It
has international credibility, and its
warnings about the threat to dolphins
should be heeded. Most of the tuna
caught in the world is caught without the
aid of dolphins, so it is not unreasonable
to ask the tuna fleets of the Pacific to
switch tuna catching methods. Until the
change, all tuna should be boycotted in
protest of the horrendous dolphins
massacres, which have resulted in 6
million killed. Save the dolphins.
To voice your protest to the tuna
companies involved please contact the
ElI at the following address for a list of
the murderers:
Earth Island Institute
Save the Dolphins Project
300 Broadway, Suite 28
San Fransisco, CA 94133
Attn: David R. Brower, Chair
ga rights
President, but the current administra-
tors won't follow through on their
promise to include anti-lesbian and ga
attacks in the Tell Someone campaign
against discrimination. T h e
administration does not considergay
and lesbian rights legitimate, nor are
they interested in the welfare of these
students.
Thus, it is up to students to come out
in support of gay and lesbian rights.
People should voice their disgust at the
patronizing and bigoted opinions of the
regents and other administrators and
attend the letter writing campaign to
have the bylaw changed. This is hap-
pening on Wednesday at noon in
Fishbowl.
In addition, LaGROC is providing a
wide range of interesting and informa-
tive events each evening this week;
students are urged to attend and
support.
In a society which represses sex,
blocks equality between gender and at-
tacks those with different sexual orien-
tation, students need to fight for lesbian
and gay rights. Harvy Milk, San Fran-
sisco city council member and one of
the first gay rights activists, pointed out
that no struggle can be isolated and that
progress toward gay and lesbian rights
was progress for human equality.

By Lisa Russ
The landlords' "just say no" to rent sta-
bilization campaign has flooded campus
housing with red-lined propaganda about
the horrors of rent control. Landlords as-
sume that students who, according to
landlord Randy White are all the "kid(s) of
a plastic surgeon in Detroit," will listen
like robots to their landlords, pay any rent
that landlords dish out, and vote against
rent stabilization.
But the landlords are wrong. With yearly
tuition increases and financial aid cut-
backs, students have less money to spend
for basic necessities such as food and
housing. Landlords have taken advantage
of a low campus-area vacancy rate (rarely
rising above five percent) to jack up rents
to an average of $487 for a one room
apartment. This is up 67 percent from
1983-84.
High rent inhibits the ability of students
from lower or middle income families to
attend school in Ann Arbor. High rent
also takes a significant bite out of the
pockets of students who can afford to at-
tend university here.
While students may feel they have little
control over tuition increases, or federal
financial aid decisions; students can take a
very simple step on April 4th to control a
big part of their semester expenses by
voting on proposal C to stabilize Ann
Arbor's rents.
Jim Morris, an Ann Arbor landlord and
spokesperson for the opposition to rent
stabilization said in the Ann Arbor Ob-
server that he "doubts that the 'kids' who
rent from him will support 'anything that
Lisa Russ is a member of Ann Arbor
Students for Fair Rent.

stupid."' U-M junior Tom Kemp re-
sponded in the article: "We pay $480 and
electricity for a one bedroom apartment
....Yeah, I'm going to vote for rent con-
trol." Rent control may sound stupid to
Jim Morris who pockets the profits from
his rents; but it is the only sensible plan
being presented to students to control their
high rents.
Landlords like Jim Morris through the
guise of an organization entitled "Citizens
for Ann Arbor's Future" have spread a lot
of misinformation about rent stabilization.
Its time for the truth.
Rent Stabilization
The rent stabilization proposal on the
ballot for April 4 will keep landlord's in-
creases to 75 percent of the national infla-
tion rate. Landlords will also be allowed to
charge increased rents in case of a rise in
property taxes, to cover the increased cost
of heating fuel, and in cases of capital im-
provement or economic hardship. These
rent increases added together cannot
amount to more than 15 percent. Essen-
tially the rent stabilization proposal al-
lows landlords to continuesto make their
current rate of high profits. It also pro-
vides tenants with the security of knowing
that the landlords will not charge signifi-
cantly more rent from one year to the
next.
Students who live in run-down apart-
ments and have trouble getting their land-

lords to make repairs (city administrators
have admitted that much of Ann Arbor
housing does not meet city housing code
standards for health and safety) can laugh
at the landlord's advertisements that rent
stabilization will cause the decline of up-
keep services. Particularly amusing is the
landlord warning that under rent stabiliza-
tion carpets will have to be fixed with
duct-tape. Apparently landlords have so
seldom visited their property that they are
unaware that most of their apartments do
not have carpet and that when carpet is
there; duct tape is not an usual.sight.
In reality, rent stabilization will increase
incentives for landlords to make repairs.
The Ann Arbor proposal ties all rent ad-
justments (inflation, fuel charge, capital
improvement etc.) to compliance with
state and city housing codes. Landlords
who do not fix those broken steps or make
repairs on the damaged wiring won't be
able to raise the rent at all. Under rent sta-
bilization, landlords are bound to make
those repairs in a hurry.
In contrast to privately-owned rental
property, non-profit units are excluded
from the ordinance. Just like housing co-
operatives, fraternitites and sororites are
not intended to be covered by rent stabi-
lization. Similarly, university residence
halls would also not be covered. However,
since almost all students do rent during
their stay at the University, they will
benefit from rent stabilization.
Proposal C on rent stabilization on the
Ann Arbor ballot for April 4 is a chance
for students to take some control over
their own economic situation and to keep
some of their money in their own pockets
- a chance that students cannot afford to
pass up.

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LETTERS:
University won't help grad students

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To the Daily:
This week, teaching
assistants are personally
experiencing the effects of the
1986 "tax simplification"
legislation - tax increases of
anywhere from 200 percent to
1000 percent over what they
paid last year on annual in-
comes generally between
$5000 and $10,000. This
bizarre and seemingly
incredible situation, of which
we were warned in January, has
finally hit us concretely in
amounts of $200 to $700 extra
appearing on our March tuition
bills, with more to come in
April.
The mindlessness and
unfairness of this action by
Congress in making tuition-
waivers fully taxable is bad
enough (House Resolution
1692 has been introduced to
reinstate the $5250 exemption
on tuition waivers; the bill is
being supported by the
University administration and
its lobbyist in Washington.)
However, we learn that other
large and well-known
universities around the country,
including our peer institutions,
have taken measures to
mitigate the catastrophic effects
of this new tax on their
graduate student teaching
assistants.
Cornell, Harvard, Purdue
and other schools have simply
increased graduate students'
stipends to cover the new tax.
Northwestern and Stanford have
re-classified tuition waivers to
make them tax-free. Virtually
every other large state school
in the country - including
Michigan State - reduces
teaching assistants' tuitions to
in-state level, a measure which

The Graduate Employees is
holding a rally on the Diag this
Thursday at 12:30 to protest
this terribly unfair tax burden
and to urge the university
administration to help us out.
This ridiculous change in the
tax law must be repealed by
Congress. But in addition, the
administration must be

convinced to take immediate
action to reduce the burden.
This would seem to be
imperative not merely out of
concern for present graduate
students but also for future
students who will not likely
want to come here knowing
they will be charged an extra
$1500 annually.

TAs should delay tuition,
To the Daily: ' March bills and attend the rally
On Tuesday March 22nd, on March 31st on the Diag. As
graduate student teaching for not paying the tax liability
assistants received their March section of the bill, you risk a
tuition bill on which there ten-dollar late fee and a hold
appeared a separate charge for credit.
TAs' tax liability on their The GEO's current position
January-March tuition waiver. is that TAs should at least
The Graduate Employees
Organization (GEO) is urging Ignore Nazi e
TAs to: discard the top half of
the bill at the appropriate spot To the Daily:
(call GEO for info); attend a The Neo-Nazi party is
rally on the Diag at 12:30 on certainly an organization whose
Thursday March 31 to protest values are completely out of
the excessive tax burden; and touch with society and should
not pay the tax liability section by no means be supported by
of the bill. any sane individual. On the
There is some confusion, other hand, protesting the racist
however, as to the reason for demonstration by throwing
and the effect of refusing to pay rocks and rotten tomatos, then
the tax liability section of the consequently getting hurt and
March bill. Let me now being arrested is no way to
clarify the matter. counter their activities.
We are urging mild civil Although they had the right
disobedience and active idea, the protesters were only
participation in a rally in order playing into the Nazis' hands.
to 1) galvanize the victimized Obviously, the fascists were
RAs and TAs and provide their expecting protesters, as one
anger and frustration a public could tell by their shields and
voice; 2) challenge t h e the way they asked for police
University administration to protection. The Nazis, in the
p u b licly defend their end, got what they wanted from
interpretation of the tax code their demonstration: a show of
and their insistence that out-of- force (with the help of the Ann
state TAs b- charged with taxes Arbor police) and most of all
on out-of-stage tuition waiver
rates; 3) send a message to Recycle the Daily

By its action, the
administration is unilaterally
making graduate study here for
its Regents Fellowships
scholars, as well as all other
teaching assistants, $1500
more expensive than at any
other school. - Steve Coe
Graduate student, History
March 26
payments
delay payment and sustain a
hold credit until the fall term of
'88. Beyond that, we'll have
to see what transpires in
Washington and Ann Arbor.
- Don Demetriades
GEO President
March 26

,,:

demonstration
- attention.
If people would just learn to
ignore these demonstrations,
the Nazi party would not get
this chance to beat up innocent
people. Most of all, they
would lose the attention that
they thrive on. This is the best
way to hinder the activities of
organizations like this.
-Mary Gross
March 24
Gay rap session
To the Daily:
Ever have questions about
homosexuality? Want to know
more about what being gay
means to someone who is?
Want to meet and ask questions
of people who are gay?
Then come to the Gay Rap
today at 6:30 in the Kuenzel
Room (2nd floor Michigan
Union). You'll do s o m e
exercises to help y o u
understand more clearly your

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