E
OPINION
Page 4
Monday, October 24, 1988
The Michigan Daily
4
Edited and managed by students at The University of Michigan
iII.E~ tt ~i~s t ,~ ~ e 1it11 ~
Perspectives Son
protest
Vol. Ic, No. 33
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.
Fdf teedom of te .press
T HIS MONTH'S Michigan Review
contains an editorial destructive to the
initerests of all student organizations
that depend on First Amendment
rights. "MSA Can Redeem Itself' asks
the Michigan Student Assembly (MSA)
to lo bby "the regents, the
administration, the Board of Publica-
tions, the local media, and whoever
else is willing to listen and demand that
the Daily be held accountable."
It seems the Michigan Review is
now, as in the past, upset with the
Daily for its "typographical errors" and
"sometimes erroneous information." It
suggests that MSA document such in-
accuracies as part of an all-out publicity
effort.
Apparently it did not occur to the
Michigan Review that asking the re-
gents, who are elected government of-
ficials of the state of Michigan, to take
action against the Daily is like asking
Governor Cuomo or the New York
State Legislature to do something about
errors and typos in the New York
Times-.
While the Daily welcomes criticism
from its news sources, local media and
students including MSA, ultimately the
press is not accountable to the govern-
ment, which includes the regents and
administration of this public university.
The exception to this is the judicial
branch in libel cases, cases where there
is an intentional effort to inaccurately
defame someone. For this reason,
while the Daily has noted various
problems with the Michigan Review, it
will not ask a government body to look
into the affairs of the Review.
Not surprisingly the conservative
publication criticizes the Daily for hav-
ing members who are active in political
issues. It argues that there is a journal-
istic principle that journalists should
not make the news.
Such a principle is both unrealistic
and inappropriate as a government reg-
ulation. Major newspapers do in fact
report on their own reporters in many
different circumstances. Recently, po-
lice arrested a Detroit Free Press pho-
tographer at a fire while the photogra-
pher was taking photographs. The Free
Press covered both the photographer's
side and the police's side.
Newspapers, including the New
York Times, have covered the treat-
ment of their reporters abroad. Both
television and print journalists from the
United States have made the news be-
cause of accusations that they spy for
the U.S. government in the Soviet
Union and China. Within the United
States, famous journalists make the
news all the time - the Watergate re-
-porters Woodward and Bernstein,
Mike Wallace and his alleged racist
jokes and Bush's television nemesis,
Dan Rather, for example.
Then there is the issue of the private
lives of journalists. No one knows
how many journalists make it into the
news each year without even revealing
their occupational identity. Surely at
large events such as the June 12th dis-
armament rally in New York with a
million people, there are journalists in
attendance. In the end, even if it is as
just another face in the crowd or as a
statistic, everyone makes it into the
news. That is as it should be because
journalists should inform the public
about all of society.
WIether the Daily is an entirely ac-
tivist or an entirely non-activist news-
paper, whether the Daily covers activi-
ties that Daily members participate in or
not, whether the Daily has more unin-
tentional inaccuracies than correct in-
formation and whether the Daily meets
the Review's definition of profession-
alism or not, the government has no
place in its decision-making process.
Writing letters to the Daily and else-
where, distributing leaflets, suing in
the case of libel, stopping subscriptions
and advertisements and persuading
others to do so and ignoring the Daily
altogether are appropriate and effective
ways to hold the Daily accountable.
Better way
to prote st
To the Daily:
I write in regard to articles.
Pictures. Columns. I write you
as a third-year LSA major and I
write you as a witness. "Pomp
and Protest?" (Daily, 10/7/88)
Please. How about "Laws and
Nuisances?" I was at the
presidential inaugural demon-
stration. I saw everything.
startd out as a smal demon-
stration with a rousing speaker.
sto activistsh ramin them-i
assigned to guard the entrance.
What are they supposed to do,
let you through? Get real. A
ceremony interrupted by some
twelve or thirteen screaming
students...who would listen?
So you think Duderstadt is
wrong to keep his ceremony
prvt.Tha mybe the cae
But you dot gao assaultn
police officers, you don't try to
shove your way in anyway-.
(Well maybe some people
do..) But is't it the higher
officials you oppose? Campus
security was just given a job.
What I saw, were activists
pushing security. Security
standing there, big unmoving
pottos.Activists shovn
security some more. Security
sipl rfusn tobudge
Rollie Hudso launching him-
self at teir barrier and falig
backwards. Security warning
Rollie-launch aain.Rollie
being escorted to a security car
followed by the furiously
shreing activsts.
The crowd begins to gather. I
shake my head and sigh.
The activists join in the
hysterical scream. Security
looks at each other as the driver
tries to pull away. Activists
jump at each other as the driver
tries to pull away. Activists
jump all over the car. The se-
curity that had been standing
there, hands on their hips, start
pulling the screamers off their
Iarsaw no brutality. I watched
from a high-up ledge and I saw
Sandra Steingraber go down.
This was going too far and
now someone went and got
herself hurt. Hype and hysteria
and jumping on top of a car on
cement pavement do not mix.
It's that simple.
guess that's their option,
whatever floats your boat. But
it's getting old, dumping the
blame on some big icon of
pompous and oppressive elites.
And yes, I say this as a student
and a Democrat. If people were
madly jumping all over your
car, wouldn't you try to pull
them off? Don't you realize in
Detroit you would've been
shot? Please - I feel like I am
appealing to children.
Sensationalism. I know that
you canuote numerous other
effect, in your defense. Most
pepl I knwsrgi. I
dd. I chucke when I rea th
Daily's first account of the
eet.
Bveut it's getting old.
I know it is a cause you be-
liv in and I also agree that
events should have taken into
consideration more student in-
put. In other words, I know
yo have cause to be upset and
But is this hlow you show it?
By draggng down the whole
University with you, with
sanderous coverage, by rouis-
challeng you to print this let-
taer n itnedited form. You
most talented writing skills and
psuasve deviceseI have evr
plercan express. I onl ws
Come on, - there's got to be
a better way. -
-Te eAshe
New prez
p anders to
To the Daily:-
I am greatly disturbed by
this University's complete in-
sensitivity when it comes to
the goal of diversity. The re-
cent selection of Duderstadt as
President -- a selection made
without the slightest input
from the student community
- shows that this University
is committed to maintaining
the status quo: institutional
racism. The shocking treatment
of the Daily writers who were
arrested at the inauguration
shows that Duderstadt's
administration is hell bent on
October 10
behavior in
ba taste
To the Daily:
I was deeply embarrassed and
offended by the inappropriate
conduct and remarks by MSA
President Michael Phillips at
President Duderstadt's inaugur-
ation. He was supposed to be
representing me and all other
students of the University and
expressing our salutation (a
polite expression of greeting or
goodwill, according to my dic-
tionary) to the new president'.
Instead, Mr. Phillips seized the
opportunity to present his per-
sonal agenda in the form of a
list of "demands."
than
dent
sick.
to work for a diverse stu-
body. It makes me damn
The "nonviolent" protesterk
not content with simply taking
their stand, decided it was im-
perative to illegally enter Hill
Auditorium. The protesters,
somewhere between ten and
fifteen people, stormed the
three police officers at the door.
Actually, they stormed the door
repeatedly, chanting "two, four,
six, eight, Michigan's a police
state" in between attempts.
Where I come from, ten people
who physically hurl dthem-
alonesthre on-duty police offi-
cers, definitely qualify as vio-
I
N
Unf1 lfle rms
SINCE THE UNVEILING of President
James Duderstadt's Michigan Mandate,
the University community has pointed
out the cursory treatment of Hispanic
students, faculty, and issues. This lack
of concern is reflected in the Latin
American and Caribbean Studies pro-
gr'am which is not provided a program
office to answer students questions or
to plan and coordinate course offer-
ings. .
Latin American and Caribbean Stud-
ies was created in response to students
needs in 1985. Prior to 1985 students
had pursued independent concentra-
tions in Latin American Studies, a de-
gree the University did not offer. Pro-
fessor Rebecca Scott of the history de-
partment and Professor Daniel Levine
of Political Science took it upon them-
selves to organize a coherent approach
to studying Latin America and the
Caribbean.
Unfortunately, the University has not
responded to this faculty and student
initiative with any monetary or institu-
tional support.
The University has responded with
"active indifference," in the words of
Levine. He and Scott have both made
repeated efforts during the past ten
years to find support from the
administration, but none has been
forthcoming.
Lack of support creates degree
program which is inherently unstable.
The program has no secretary, office,
or coordinator. When professors who
teach Latin American and Caribbean
Studies take sabbaticals, there is no
faculty to teach these courses.
Courses in L atin America and
Caribbean Studies have increased in
popularity. Scott reports a rapid rise in
class size every year. In 1985, she had
about 25 students in her Latin Ameri-
can History class. Last year the number
stood at 87.
The number of Latin American Stud-
ies concentrators is also on the rise. In
1985, there were three students in the
concentration; now ten students have
declared. The numbers could be much
higher if the program had University
support.
Lack of faculty able to teach Latin
American and Caribbean Studies is the
program's main problem. Without a
director and long range planning, fac-
ulty that specializes in Latin America
and the Caribbean will be lost. There
used to be two history professors who
taught Latin American topics. Now
there is only one. Levine suspects that
if he left, no one would be hired to take
over his courses.
The University and Duderstadt
should make good on their promises
and provide support for the Latin
American and Caribbean Studies degree
program. Instead of telling professors
like Levine and Scott to spend their
time as lobbyists in Washington look-
ing for federal support, the Universi-
ties' own resources should be used to
further the diversity is promises.
Regardless of how laudable
that agenda might be and how
many students might agree
with it, the inauguraton was
neither the proper time nor the
appropriate platform for airing
it.
I apologize to the Duder- -
stadts and the rest of the Uni-
versity community for Mr.
Phillips' behavior. There are
students who truly wish the
new president well as he enters
into a very difficult and de-
manding job at a most critical
As for Mr. Phillips, I would
suggest that he should have
declined the offer to speak if he
was not willing to do what was
asked of him or, if he didn't
know how to conduct himself,
he should have tried to find
out. As it was, his partly in-
comprehensible message
("Duderstadt is illegal" is not a
terribly meaningful slogan) de-
livered with and air of smug
self-righteousness revealed a
man obviously deluded about
his own importance and did a
great disservice to the student
body.
' -Mark Knoll
October 7
Prote st
To the Daily:
Never before have I written a
letter to the Daily, primarily
because any letter to the Daily
that makes sense elicits half a
dozen nearly-incoherent-but-
very-heartfelt responses that
belittle the issues and bore the
readers. I expect this letter to
do the same.
I watched a few minutes of
the anti-Duderstadt inaugural
demonstration before walking
away in disgust. Each of the
four protesters who were ar-
rested happened to be Daily
staffers. The Daily felt qualified
to report on the event anyway'.
Sandra Steingraber has had her
say on the Daily's perspectives
page. It is about time to pub-
lent
in' a letter to the Daily on
October 14, Eric Baumann,
shocked by this outrageous vi-
olence against students, de-.
manded the resignation of just
about everyone in Ann Arbor,
Sorry Baumann, but your max-
tyred student protesters were
party to criminal activity. Fif-
teen students physically abused
police officers and inaugural
guests. Your silly "personal,
demands" are a perfect example
of the way students have dealt
with this administration -
extreme, uncompromising, andl
just plain stupid. If I were in4
administration, I probably
would not ask your opinion qf
the president either.
The protesters at the inaugu-
ral demonstration behaved like
spoiled, whiny children. It
makes perfect sense to deputize
a couple campus security offW
cers. The police should have
better things to do with their
time than baby-sit University4
students. Instead of voicing
their discontent, the protesters
threw a collective temper
tantrum.
Oh, by the way, it took mie
several days, but I finally fig-
ured out why the Daily keeps
referring to the protest as non-
volent. The protest was defi
nitely "moving, acting ,or
characterized by physical '
force", but my 1961 Webster's
New Collegiate Dictionary of-
fers one definition of violent
that makes sense: "extremely
convincing; nearly conclusive."
Neither the protest nor the
Daily's coverage was extremely
convincing. O.K. Nonviolent.
Your win the battle of defini-
tions. Big deal. Hope you en-
joy your hearings.
-Jeff Ritter
October 15
To the Daily:
Friday's paper was certainly
dramatic, with its front page
shot of Daily staff writer Rol-
lie Hudson being led off in
handcuffs. The opinion paga,
covered with photos of students
struggling with police officers,
was an editor's dream comne
true.
But I'm sure I'm not tle
only one who noticed that three
of the four protesters who we[$
arrested at Duderstadt's inaugu P
ration last week were Dai)y4
staff members. Two of theme
Cale Southworth and Sandra
Steingraber, work on the opin.
ion page. Just how carefully
did you coordinate your actions
with photographers Jessic4
Greene and Robin Loznak?
While some people who up*
hold the notion of "objectived
journalism would find it dis 4
tasteful that members of th4
Daily staff participated in the
protests surrounding the
inauguration, there is probably
nothing wrong with voicing
your opinions, taking part ii)
"guerilla theater," or even geth
ting yourself arrested, if you
like.
You do have a problemi;
however. when von featnre ra
ROWN LOZNAKIDoiIy
We were visibly affected,
students and security alike.
They immediately began clear-
ing people aside, shaking their
heads. The woman next to me
nudged my arm, "Lookit that
- I bet she's faking it." I hate
to admit it, but it would have
easily fit the scenario. I told
her, "This is the most ridicu-
lous thing I've ever seen." The
guy on my right laughed,
"Yeah. but I can't wait to see
crushing the fight for equality
and justice.
To add insult to injury, the
University and the Law School
are hosting the Federalist
Society National Convention
next semester. This gathering
of ultra, ultra-conservatives
will bring Meese, Bork, Rehn-
quist, and other intellectual
apologists for racism to our
campus. A thousand conserva-
tive Drofessors. lawyers, and
T~b~h, Ayrininii Pnc~rp 1~tt~r nn1i~v