40 OPINION Page 4 Monday, November 21, 1988 The Michigan Daily 0 Polic By Sandra Steingraber Last night I heard the screaming Loud voices behind the wall Another sleepless night for me It won't do no good to call The police Always come late If they come at all Tracy Chapman, "Behind the Wall" The word on the street Is that the writing's on the wall And the cop is on the beat - Michelle Shocked, "Graffiti Limbo" Women and the police. There are two schools of thought on the subject. One sees the police as the protectors of women - vulnerable members of society victim- ized by crimes specific to their gender: rape, domestic violence, sexual harass- ment. More police, or increased police ,: protectors "protection," thus means increased "safety" to depend on men to serve as for women. ers and protectors. Wom The other world view sees police as the predisposed to see the armedc enforcers of a patriarchal social order set her neighborhood streets as up to further male privilege and power at reassurance rather than as an the expense of women's interests. Poor tential harassment or threat. women of color fill the prisons of this One of my female students country; women political dissidents are prime targets for police brutality; vice squads harass and arrest prostitutes. k . . or brutalizers? their defend- en are thus cop patrolling an image of image of po- was recently It is easy to say that both are true or that truth lies somewhere at the midpoint of these two extremes. But we need to un- derstand exactly how ,and when the police function as our protectors, if ever, and how and when law enforcement serves as a subterfuge for maintaining male power. Here in the sheltered Disneyland of Ann Arbor, we are heavily indoctrinated to see law enforcement as a protective rather than repressive institution. This is not a diffi- cult process: women are already socialized without a passcard. The creation of a deputized University police force has been surrounded by a lot of administrative propaganda about im- proving "safety" and "protection" for stu- dents, especially women. This is appeal- ing bait to swallow. Some conservative candidates for Michigan Student Assembly even campaigned on this platform this year. Unfortunately, the facts just don't sup- port the image. Most crimes against women occur at night when the deputies are not on duty anyway, and the vast ma- jority of rapes on campus are committed not on the street between strangers but behind closed doors between acquaintances. So far, the University deputies have done nothing with their powers of law enforce- ment except brutalize and threaten students who are attempting to petition the Uni- versity administration for a redress of grievances. Most recently, this has in- harassed and ticketed by an Ann Arbor po- lice officer while carrying an empty plastic cup (completely drained of beer) down the street late one weekend night. Unable to produce any form of I.D., she was com- pletely panicked by his repeated threats of arrest. She realized much later that (unlike South Africa or Guatemala) it is perfectly legal in this country to walk the streets Edited and managed by students at The University of Michigan 420 Maynard St. Vol. IC, No.53 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. No room at the um KY de RINGED BY BARBED WIRE, circled by thousands of scavenging gulls, ex- uding foul odors over the surrounding community, the city landfill stands at the edge of town as a graphic reminder of what is wrong with how Ann Arbor deals with its garbage. Besides that, it is now almost full. Earlier this month, the Ecology Cen- ter submitted a proposal for a waste reduction and recycling ordinance to the Ann Arbor City Council to relieve the growing solid waste crisis. The ordi- nance requires residents to sort their recyclable materials and place them in city-provided containers. This simple gesture would halve the amount of garbage hauled off to the landfill. When it comes to garbage, the United States has a disgraceful national record. In Japan and almost all Euro- pean countries, recycling has been an ititegral part of the waste disposal pro- cess for years. Fortunately, some im- provement is forthcoming. Many U.S. cities now have recycling ordinances and are achieving participation rates twice as high as Ann Arbor's voluntary recycling program. Recycle Ann Arbor and the Ecology Center have been using mostly second hand trucks and inefficient technology. Currently, there are only enough trucks and staff to do curbside pickup once a month for Ann Arbor residents. Meanwhile, studies have shown that 40% of the waste is readily recyclable. Unfortunately, other urban centers faced with overflowing landfills have chosen a more dangerous alternative: incineration. Burning municipal solid waste introduces dioxins, heavy metals and other dangerous pollutants into the atmosphere, even with the best pollu- tion control devices. Recycling and incineration are not compatible. Incinerators are extremely expensive and are mostly efficient for reducing the volumes of materials that could otherwise be recycled or com- posted. With a serious recycling pro- gram, many of the materials, such as paper and cardboard are no longer available for fuel. This greatly reduces the volume and therefore the efficiency and economic feasibility of incinera- tion. The City Council must adopt this or- dinance or a plan similar to it. Recy- cling programs are the only logical and responsible strategy to solve real and immediate problems facing the people of Ann Arbor. Anyone who has any doubt should drive out to the dump and spend an hour smelling the air and watching the garbage-eaters circle our waste. By the Kappa Sigma Fraternity In their November 11 th column, mem- bers of the University of Michigan Asian Student Coalition (UMASC), the United Coalition Against Racism, People Orga- nized for Women, Equality and Rights, the Free South Africa Coordinating Commit- tee, Indian-Pakistani American Student Council, Asian American Law Students' Association, and Delro Harris, accused the Kappa Sigma fraternity of being racist. This was a complete departure from what representatives from these organizations told members of Kappa Sigma on a per- sonal level, and from what Kappa Sigma and UMASC had agreed upon during me- diation held to resolve the situation. This representation of the racial incident that occurred at Kappa Sigma was a collection of misquotes, twisted facts, and blatant untruths. First we would like to present the inci- dent as it actually occurred. Supporting facts have been agreed upon in mediation by members of the Kappa Sigma Frater- nity, representatives from UMASC, and Susan Rhee - a victim of the incident. These are the true substantiated facts, and they vary greatly from the unconfirmed rumors that provided the basis for their column. The incident occurred at a Kappa Sigma Party that was attended by non-members of the fraternity, including the Asian American students who were victims of the incident and who were there by invita- tion. An individual who was not a mem- ber of the fraternity, nor a student of the University of Michigan, made a racist re- mark as the Asian guests were leaving the house. This remark was entirely uncalled for and at no time did any member of the house condone his behavior or attempt to protect the individual. The victims of the incidents left the house, and then returned and demanded that Editor's Note: The Daily received the column to which Kappa Sigma refers on 1119188, prior to any mediation between the two parties. ,nies ch the offender apologize for his behavior. Brothers within the house honored their request and did search for the man in order to obtain a personal apology. The man clearly could not be found. In mediation conducted by the University, members of UMASC were in complete agreement with the facts as presented above. It was only in the column that the facts were intention- ally distorted. - Despite known facts, the authors of the editorial implied that the offender may have been a member of Kappa Sigma. This was a blatant distortion of the truth. The offender was a non-member. He had no affiliation with the house whatsoever, nor was he a member of the University of Michigan. - In mediation, members of UMASC agreed that Kappa Sigmas did conduct a search for the offender. The colum'n de- parted from this known fact and claimed that "members of Kapipa Sigma refused to look for him," for the simple purpose of discrediting the fraternity. - In a letter sent to Kappa Sigma fol- lowing the incident, members of UMASC threatened the house by saying that they should cooperate "Unless Kappa Sigma wishes to be known as a haven for racist pigs." The threat made by members of UMASC is a clear indication of their in- tention to discredit the fraternity. - Contrary to what was stated in the column, no member of the fraternity laughed at the racist comment. By saying that members of Kappa Sigma "laughed at" the racist comment, the authors at- tempted to perpetuate an artificial story, again for the sole purpose of discrediting innocent members of the fraternity. - There was also a gentlemen's agree- ment to print no further columns relating to this incident while mediation was in progress. By honoring this, Kappa Sigma willingly forfeited the right to defend themselves publicly. During mediation, UMASC violated this agreement and pub- lished the column, which they knew through the proceedings to be false and slanderous. - In mediation following the publication cluded locking students in the stairwell of,, the Fleming Building. Any time physical and verbal ha rassment, brutality, or tactics of intimi- dation are leveled by police against po- litical protesters, women will, as a group, risk suffering more physical and psycho logical harm than men. The image of po, lice as brutalizers of women is incarnate on the startling self-portrait that graces the cover of political songwriter Michelle; Shocked's most recent album (lyrics, quoted above): Two huge San Francisco police officers - slung with gunsl: expressions of indifference on their fleshyl faces - grip the singer by the throat a she falls, screaming in pain, into sub mission. This photo is so startling in party% because is stands out as the stark antitherf sis to the popular image of the burly city cop as the defender of the weak and vulnerable. These are images we need to internalize. arges of the column, members of UMASC ad- mitted that the column was unfair. The also agree -to correct the factual inaccura- cies in the column as well as apologize t' Ron Bauer and David Wigler for unjustly accusing th.em of racism. It was also agreed that UMASC would listen to a speaker, lecturing on the unjust an unethical use of the press. - Following this agreement, represent4 tives of UMASC withdrew fromthe sam mediations that they had originally inti- ated, without giving substantial reason or sufficient explanation. - Finally, it should be made clear thaV1 Kappa Sigma was under no obligation to attend mediation regulated by the Univer sity, and their willingness to do so voluP tarily indicates a 'true effort on their part 4 combat the problem of racism on campu, and ensure that such incidents do not occu in the future. :1 The members of the Kappa Sigma Fr-Z ternity wish to stress the fact that our primary purpose in writing this column IF' not to discredit the organizations involvedr in any way demean their importance on campus but only to clear our name whic ' was unjustly tarnished. We hope that our actions will help prevent such misfortunes from occurring in the future. Such occur- rences are unfortunate and serve only to do. unnecessary damage to all parties in- volved. Minority groups have consistently been a positive force on our often troubled campus and it is our most sincere desire that they will remain so in the future. The Kappa Sigma Fraternity deplores l racism of any kind, and prides itself in the racially diverse membership it has been able to enjoy over the years. The members of Kappa Sigma are very proud to be a part of a brotherhood that includes people from a variety of ethnic and religious a backgrounds, including Asian Americans, Indian Americans, Hispanic Americans, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews and Christians. This diversity has helped the fraternity to thrive throughout the years. The column labelled all of these gentlemen as racists - an accusation which is ironic and ab- surd. Iromise representative of his attitude during the Minority Affairs Committee meeting. UMASC agrees that not every single member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity can be held responsible for the negative and ; resistant response received by the Asian ; American students at their house on the night of October 7. Yet, if Kappa Sigma R allows men such as Wigler and Bauer to continue in their positions of leadership A and influence, then the house effectively is stating that Wigler and Bauer have done an accurate job of representing the house and its views. We have attempted informal mediation and the process has failed. Part of the pur- pose of mediation is to ensure that all parties be satisfied, a goal which mandates compromise. UMASC does not believe that compromise is appropriate in a case involving racism. We do not believe that victims of racism should have to sacrifice r their principles to achieve justice. At this time, no further option is avail- able for redress. Under current University policy, no formal complaint can be filed. regarding incidents occurring on Greek. system property. UMASC, with the sup- nort of UCAR _the Knrean Ctnipnt w . 'U' neglects Asians UMASC: no comr ALTHOUGH THE University has recently increased the number of programs designed for minorities, it has continued to neglect the needs of Asian students. Inadequate though they are, minority programs do exist in orientation, counseling, housing, lecture series, faculty hiring and curriculum. But in each of these programs, Asian concerns are dxcluded. The Minority Spring Visitation Pro- gram is an orientation program for in- coming minorities. Because program hosts are arranged through minority douncils which are predominantly llack, the program has failed to recruit Asians. -'Asian groups on campus could help find Asian hosts, and could also sug- gest issues of concern to prospective Asian students. The University has ig- nored this obvious resource. Until this year, there has not been an Asian counselor at Counseling Ser- vices.. Now that one has been hired, Asian students can finally talk with someone who will understand the nressures unique to them. This year the University of Michigan Asian Student Coalition (UMASC) has established their own lecture series, which has been well attended. The program "Target of Opportu- nity," which is supposed to attract mi- nority faculty, does not include Asians. Currently, none of the money can be allocated for Asian faculty. Although there are very few Asian professors in the humanities, the ad- ministration argues that the number of Asian faculty is not unrepresentative. University Asian history and political science courses are not taught by Asians. The University's curriculum marginal- izes the culture and languages of Asian Americans. Although there is a well- developed Center for Afro-American Studies, there is none for Asian Ameri- can studies. Every year dozens of students are turned away from the class "The Asian American Experience," but the University has not responded with more faculty or funding to create a comprehensive Asian American Studies program. The Korean langna not nffered- By UMASC The University of Michigan Asian Stu- dent Coalition (UMASC) is writing to clarify our stance as well as certain factual statements that were made in an article authored by UMASC, the United Coali- tion Against Racism (UCAR), People Organized for Women, Equality and Rights (POWER), the Free South Africa Coordinating Committee (FSACC), the Indian and Pakistani American Student Coalition, the Asian American Law Students Association, and Delro Harris (Daily, 11/11/88), regarding the October 7 incident at the Kappa Sigma fraternity house. UMASC wants to make it clear that we do not hold the entire Kappa Sigma house directly responsible for the racist act that occurred at the fraternity house. We ac- knowledge that not all members of Kappa. Sigma were present at the party. Additionally, it was discovered by both UMASC and Kappa Sigma that two members who were personal friends of the victims took their own initiative and did look for the offender. However, it was not until after the incident that people were informed of this search. Additionally, the - At the party on October 7, Wigler laughed at one of the victims when she mistakenly confronted the wrong man with making the racist comment. - Both Wigler and Bauer claimed that the letter written by one of the victims re- questing an apology from the house was offensive and therefore justified their re- fusal to give an apology. - On October 30, Bauer acted as repre- sentative for Kappa Sigma by cutting off all communications between UMASC and Kappa Sigma. It was discovered during mediation that Ron Bauer was not present on the night of the incident and did not know the facts. - On November 7, at the Minority Af- fairs Committee meeting, Wigler deliber- ately tried to misrepresent the situation by attempting to speak for Susan Rhee, one of the victims of the racist remark. Susan Rhee was not present at the meeting to speak for herself. Bauer's and Wigler's attitudes through- out this entire incident have been ones of strong resistance to dealing with the issue. While Ron Bauer did not revoke previous verbal apologies that had been offered to nn. of .th n etta_,t .whn h,A _ a n nl -