Page 14 - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, September 8, 1988
STUDENT LIFE
M-ulating other SAs?
issue Stand
New University
President James
Duderstadt
B RYAN TUTAK
When the University of Col-
orado's Board of Regents voted not
t4ivest from South African com-
panies at their March meeting, more
that 100 students and student gov-
einment representatives leaped on the
resents' table, crushing it and caus-
iNg about $500 in damage.
b"There was this rush," Regents'
Secretary Bud Arnold said. "People
wype chanting and stomping on the
taple. We were amazed and dumb-
fq nded. It's still kind of a mess."
STUDENT governments are
notorious for outrageous stunts, and
oarsis no exception. The Michigan
Student Assembly, which posters
t campus with scathing criticisms
oche University administration, has
pished the tolerance of both the
University's Board of Regents and
stidents, conservative and liberal
aike.
MVSA is committed to improving
the integrity of the University, as-
s pbly leaders say, which often
nyans ignoring popular opinion.
"I's our job to stand up and tell the
regents that they're wrong," said
MSA Vice President Susan Over-
dorf, an LSA senior.
MSA has hardly failed at this.
Last January, LSA senior Michael
Phihlips, then chair of MS A's Stu-
dept Rights Committee, brought a
student in a kangaroo outfit wearing
a placard reading "justice" when he
spoke at the regents' meeting.
Phillips said his friend symbol-
ized the "kangaroo court" outlined
ugler the proposed code of non-aca-
demic conduct, which the regents
approved last April. After his
spech, Phillips said, "There's a lot
of people who respect (the regents).
I'm not one of them."
LATER IN the term, MSA
passed a resolution demanding Re-
gent Deane Baker (R-Ann Arbor) re-
sign because, as Phillips put it, "He
is the most homophobic, racist,
sexist, paternalistic man that I ever
met."
But some student governments
shun extremist tactics in favor of
inoffensive and conservative meth-
ods. University of Illinois student
government President Peter Hardin
said he prefers to negotiate with the
board of trustees rather than irritate
them.
"I don't think we've ever criti-
cized our board," he said. "We've
taken the approach of working with
the administration to solve problems
rather than protest. We get more ac-
complished in an open conversation
over a drink."
Colorado's student government,
now under moderate leadership, has
little choice but to listen to the re-
gents, said new Co-President Chris
Drummond. "Protests are an effec-
tive way to make change," he said.
"But we have eight white male re-
gents who are Republicans and one
white male who is a Democrat.
They're not about to listen to
protesters."
AND FOR all MSA's glam-
orous efforts, the code remains intact
and Baker is still a regent. Some-
times MSA tactics appear to be acts
of frustration rather than serious at-
tempts to effect change, and Phillips
has often expressed bitterness toward
the University.
"The administration doesn't care
about students anymore," Phillips
said during a regents' meeting.
"They never did in the first place."
But the assembly has paid a high
price for its verbosity; its con-
stituency support is disappearing.
Less than seven percent of the Uni-
versity's 35,000 students voted for
candidates in MSA's last election -
the lowest voter turn-out this decade.
And the College of Engineering's
student government wants.to revamp
MSA's constitution.
OVERDORF defended MSA's
style, saying the assembly must use
drastic measures to convey its mes-
sage. "We have to advocate student
issues strongly," she said. "We don't
have enough power to be involved in
negotiation."
Yet the conciliatory student gov-
ernments have more active constit-
uencies than MSA does. More than
30 percent of Colorado's 23,000
students voted in last spring's elec-
tions. About 12 percent of Illinois'
37,000 students voted in its last
election.
But moderate student govern-
ments, Hardin admitted, often are as
unsuccessful as liberal bodies.
"Students get dismayed about how
long it takes to get results," he said,
adding that, after several meetings
with the trustees, they still refused
to divest from South Africa.
THE COLORADO and Illi-
nois student governments, unable to
affect national and international
politics, turned to mundane campus
concerns. Drummond said he wants
to create a sense of community at
Colorado with a computer program
listing biographies of students, fac-
ulty, and administrators to draw to-
gether community members with
common interests.
Hardin said the Illinois student
government's major ongoing project
is staffing committees to review
academic policies with faculty. The
body is working to get emergency
We
phones on campus and improve the
training of campus security, he said.
MSA, on the other hand, has
condemned apartheid, U.S. interven-
tion in Third World countries, and
CIA interviews on campus. MSA
also has sent representatives to El
Salvador to report on human rights
violations.
"IT'S IMPORTANT to deal
with controversial issues such as
South Africa, Central America, and
military research," MSA External
Relations Committee Chair Zach
Kittrie said. "The vast majority of
students otherwise would not think
about them."
But LSA graduate Tobin Smith
said addressing non-campus issues is
pointless. "Resolutions are a piece
of paper that don't mean a whole
hell of a lot if you don't have stu-
dents backing them," he said.
Kittrie said apathy about student
government is a universal problem,
adding that credibility does not rise
and fall with politics but depends on
the services the body provides.
"Student governments become
legitimate by doing things that stu-
dents want them to do," he said.
"Ultimately, students don't care how
their government comes out politi-
cally. Students want to see services.
They want as much as they can for
their money."
COLORADO'S student gov-
ernment, funded by an annual $270
student fee, offers free student legal
services, funds a hospital for stu-
dents, sponsors social activities on
campus, and operates a recycling
center. The government also con-
tributes to the student newspaper and
student radio station.
Illinois' student government,
charging students one dollar per
term, publishes a magazine that rates
classes and funds a student interest
lobbying group.
MSA, charging seven dollars per
term, provides students with Advice
magazine, which rates classes; funds
the Ann Arbor Tenants Union,
which offers free counseling about
landlord-tenant rights; funds the free
Student Legal Services; and offers
low-cost health insurance. Student
publications and social activities are
administered by other campus
groups.
Unqualified., insensitive, and
ignorant
"We will look back years from
now and say that Jim Duderstadt
did more for student activism in
the '80s and '90s than Vietnam
did in the '60s and Richard Nixon
in the '70s."
-Rackham Rep. Corey Dolgon
1WELCOME TO MICHIGAN
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-19
Communism Not dead yet
"The University administration
doesn't like Stalin, they just like
his methods."
-Rackham Rep. Gus Teschke
Regent Deane Most hated regent, with Regent Neal
Baker Nielsen (R-Brighton) a close second
(R-Ann Arbor) "He is the most homophobic, rac-
ist, sexist, paternalistic person I
ever met. This man is working to
take away students' rights."
-MSA President Michael Phillips
University's code Opposed because students didn't
of non-academic vote on it
conduct "MSA should use every resource
to force the repeal of the code.
MSA should use every resource to
restore students' democratic
rights."
-MSA President Michael Phillips
Central Opposes state terrorism
Intelligence "The CIA commits terroristic and
Agency illegal acts. They could be con-
victed under the principles of the
Nueremberg trials. It's our moral
and legal obligation to oppose the
CIA."
-Rackham Rep. Gus Teschke
Public Interest Supports the environmental
Research Group organization
In Michigan "MSA has always lacked the good
(PIRG IM) organizational leadership that
stays around year after year. PIR-
GIM has that."
-Rackham Rep. Corey Dolgon
Honorary Opposed degrees given to Jeane
Degrees Kirkpatrick, Ferdinand Marcos, and
the Shah of Iran
"The degrees have a useful func-
tion - to recognize great people.
Most of the University community
doesn't think these people are
great - this is an anti-democratic
selection in operation."
-Rackham Rep. Gus Teschke
Campus Security Opposes deputization
"Armed campus security would be
to students as the U.S. Cavalry was
to Native Americans."
-Music School Rep. Marni
Rachmiel
Marijuana law Supports $5 fine for possession
"Any community efforts to repeal
the law are misguided and should
be redirected toward real prob-
lems like homelessness and
housing."
-Rackham Rep. Corey Dolgon
Housing MSA funds the Ann Arbor Tenants
Union
"Since the University guarantees
housing to students only for their
first year at school, and the hous-
ing market in Ann Arbor is so
tight, it's important for students
to know their rights in a tenant-
landlord relationship.
-AATU Member Claudia Green
Tuition Lobbies state legislatures for in-
creased funding and wants the
University administration to freeze
tuition
"Their justification for raising
tuition is not getting adequate
money from the state. They know
they will only get a one percent
increase. But that gives them an
excuse to raise tuition."
-MSA Vice President Susan
Overdorf
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