Local Vietnam veteran urges
Mich. to create state holiday
The Michigan Daily - Thursday, February 16, 1989 - Page 3
UCAR forum
focuses on LSA
racism course
BY GIL RENBERG
'WITH WIRE REPORTS
At a press conference held in
Lansing yesterday, Charles Tackett,
a local Vietnam veteran, urged
legislators to make Michigan the
second state to commemorate Viet-
nam Veterans Memorial Day on
May 7.
State Reps. Perry Bullard (D-Ann
Arbor) and Bill Martin (R-Battle
Creek) introduced a resolution to
create the holiday on Feb. 2. It is
expected to come up for a vote by
the end of the month.
Tackett has been lobbying state
and federal governments for this
holiday for seven years, staging let-
ter-writing campaigns, marches, and
hunger strikes.
Tackett who served in Vietnam
from 1967-1969, said it is important
to commemorate the war because
U.S. citizens need to realize that
sending armed forces overseas is not
always the answer to conflict.
"I'm not here for money, pride,
vanity, glory. I'm just here to try to
do my civic duty as an American,"
Tackett said.
His efforts have the endorsement
of the Michigan Student Assembly,
which passed a resolution supporting
Tackett last year.
It is important to have a holiday
that "is set aside to remind us that
we all have a democratic right and
responsibility to have a voice in
foreign policy and to object to un-
just wars," said MSA Representative
Corey Dolgon.
Dolgon said he feels Memorial
Day and Veterans Day are failing for
this purpose, since they "tend to
glorify war."
"Peace and freedom: that's what
this holiday is all about," Dolgon
said.
Last September, Maine became
the first state to honor the day. and
Tackett said he hopes Michigan will
be next.
BY ROLLIE HUDSON
Last night, about 70 students and
faculty attended a discussion on the,
proposed LSA prerequisite class on
racism. The discussion topics ranged
from the history of the proposed
class - now before the LSA
Curriculum Committee - to the
need for people to speak in support
of the proposed class, "powerfully
and from their hearts," as professor
Buzz Alexander expressed it.
Alexander, one of four panelists
who led the talk, began with an ex-
planation of how Concerned Faculty
consider such a course.
Roderick Linzie, a University
teaching assistant, explained to the
largely supportive crowd that the
university is designed to prevent this
type of student involvement from
occurring very often.
Mike Wilson, a first-year medical
student and a panelist, said "the de-
gree to which an institution changes
is proportional to the degree to
which people push for progress." He
added that it is not only access to
universities that is important, but
"what is taught."
Tackett
...lobbies in Lansing
Oscar nominee selections announced
BY MARK SHAIMAN
Although the Oscars won't be
handed out for another six weeks,
the nominees are in. And there were
a few unexpected twists among the
largely predictable selections.
Most notably, William Hurt did
not receive his fourth consecutive
nomination for Best Male Actor. In-
stead, honors went to Dustin Hoff-
man (Rain Man), Gene Hackman
(Mississippi Burning), Tom Hanks
(Big), Edward James Olmos (Stand
And Deliver), and Max Von Sydow
(Pelle The Conqueror). Olmos was a
pleasant surprise, showing that the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and
Sciences does occasionally
remember films that were released
earlier than December.
As for Best Female Actor, the
nominations were pretty straightfor-
ward: Glenn Close (Dangerous Li-
aisons), Jodie Foster (The Accused),
Melanie Griffith (Working Girl),
Meryl Streep (A Cry In The Dark),
and Sigourney Weaver (Gorillas In
The Mist). Weaver also garnered a
nomination for Best Supporting
Female Actor for Working Girl,
which is only the fifth time this has
happened in the 61 years of the
Academy Awards.
Joining Weaver in this category
are Joan Cusack (Working Girl),
Geena Davis (The Accidental
Tourist), Frances McDormand
(Mississippi Burning), and Michelle
Pfeiffer (Dangerous Liaisons).
The most interesting recognitions
came in the category of Best Sup-
porting Male Actor, encompassing a
wide range of talent. Relative
youngster River Phoenix (Running
On Empty) and Big Chill-er Kevin
Kline (A Fish Called Wanda) joined
the ranks of more established actors
Dean Stockwell (Married To The
Mob), Martin Landau (Tucker), and
Alec Guinness (Little Dorrit).
In most years, the nominations
for best directors and best films are
usually the same, but this time there
are a couple of exceptions.
Barry Levinson and his film Rain
Man both were nominated, as were
Alan Parker, Jr. with Mississippi
Burning, and Mike Nichols with
Working Girl.
However, The Accidental Tourist
is up for Best Film while director
and University graduate Lawrence
Kasdan is not, and the same thing
happened to Stephen Frears, who
directed Dangerous Liasons. In
place of Kasdan and Frears, the
Academy chose Charles Crichton (A
Fish Called Wanda) and Martin
Scorcese (The Last Temptation of
Christ).
The final choices of the Academy
will be presented Mar. 29, broadcast
around the world to an estimated one
billion people.
*Students discuss University safety problems
BY LISA FROMM
Lighting, the Ann Arbor police,
and the Nite Owl service were criti-
cized by students last night at a
safety symposium sponsored by the
Michigan Student Assembly.
While only 32 people attended
the event at the Union, "the quality
of the turnout was good," said MSA
Communications Chair Robert Bell,
adding that the crowd "really opened
up" during the discussions.
Many students said there is a
need to make off-campus areassafer
- especially near the fraternity and
sorority houses - by improving
THE
LIST
What's happening in Ann Arbor today
Speakers
"Ethics: The Cornerstone of Public
Trust" - Archibald Cox, Rack-
ham Amphitheatre, 1 pm. 1989
Neil Staebler Conference.
"The University and the Common
Good: The Politics of English Lit-
erature" - Prof. William Alexan-
der, Canterbury House, 7:30 pm.
Critical, ethical issues in teaching
and English.
"Arbitrage in the Financial Mar-
kets" - The Michigan Economic
Society, 140 Lorch hall Aud., 5-6
pm.
Visiting Writers Series - Mary
Gaitskill, Kuenzal Rm., Michigan
Union, 5 pm. Free.
"New Reproductive Technologies:
Ethical Issues from a Feminist
Perspective" - Dr. Sandra Tangri,
Howard University, Center for
Continuing Education of Women,
Comerica Bank, 3-5 pm.
"Evolutionary Jurisprudencee -
Peter Strahlendorf, Ph.D., Univ er-
sity of Toronto, East Lecture
Rackham, 4 pm.
"~From C-4 to Associate Dean in
Twenty Years" - Carolyn A.
Copeland, Assoc. Dean, LS&A,
Rm. 2 Michigan League, 12 noon-1
pm. Open to 'U' support staff.
"Dying as an Art: Suicide in Early
Modern. England" - Michael
MacDonald, History, Rackham, W.
Conference Rm., 8 pm.
"Reconstructing Deconstructed
Rights" - Patricia Williams, 100
Hutchins Hall, 7:30 pm.
"Thermochemical Kinetics: Ex-
periment and Theory in Partner-
ship" - Dr. David Golden, SRI,
1200 Chem., 7:30 pm.
"Mossbauer Studies of Fe3S4
Cluster in Proteins" - Eckard
Munck, University of Minnesota,
1200 Chem., 4 pm.
Meetings
InterVarsity Christian Fellowship
- Henderson Rm., Michigan
League, 7 pm.
American-Arab Anti-Discrimina-
tion Committee - Pond Rm. B,
Michigan Union, 6 pm.
U of M Student Chapter of Society
of American Foresters Mass Meet-
ing - 2520 Dana, 7 pm. All inter-
ested invited to attend.
PIRGIM Meeting - 4th Floor
Michigan Union Lobby, 7 pm.
Indian American Student
Association - Michigan Rm.,
Michigan Union, 5:30 pm.
Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry
- Hillel, Rm. 3, 6:30 pm.
Rainforest Action Movement -
1040 Dana, 7 pm.
Palestine Solidarity Committee -
2212 MLB, 7 pm.
Students Concerned About Ani-
mal Rights - 124 E. Quad, 6-8 pm.
Furthermore
German Club-Student/Faculty
Reception - MLB Conference
Rm., 3rd floor, 4-6 pm.
Islam: The Way of Life-Interna-
tional Coffee Hour - Rm. C,
Michigan League, 3rd floor, 12
noon-1 pm.
Pre-Interviews - Pansophic Sys-
tems, Inc., 1311 EECS, 6-8 pm; In-
tel, 1303 EECS, 6-8 pm.
Peer Writing Tutors - Church
Street Computing Center, 7-li
pm. ECB trained.
"Banking on Disaster" - Film on
debt and environmental disaster,
1040 Dana, 7 pm.
LASC Film Series: "El Salavador:
In the Name of the People" - An-
gell Hall, Aud. D, 8 pm. Free.
Northwalk - Sun.-Thur., 9 pm- 1
am. Call 763-WALK or stop by
3224 Bursley.
Safewalk - Sun-Thur, 8 pm- 1:30
am; Fri-Sat, 8-11:30 pm. Call 936-
1000 or stop by 102 UGLi.
Info*fest - North Campus: Burs-
ley hall, 5-7 pm.
Practice Interviewing on Video
(Limit: 15 Students) - Career
Planning and Placement Center,
Rm. 1, 3:10-5 pm.
Films by Stan Brakhage - Desist-
film, Dog Star Man, The7Dante
Quarteti, Lorch Hall Aud., 7:30 pm.
Performances
Frank Allison & Odd Sox/Pan the
Sirens - At the Beat, doors open
at 9:30 pm.
Soundstage - Flashback Live, U-
Club, 10 pm.
Israeli Dancing - Hillel, 7:30-10
pm. Leah Sadras, one hour in-
struction.
University Players - "Trojan
Women", 8 pm.
"In the Traffic of a Targeted City"
n -F «..... 0 ...1r --
lighting and installing emergency
phones.
Several students said the Nite
Owl service would be more helpful
if it ran 24 hours and expanded.its
routes to more than two.
The Ann Arbor police were an-
other target of criticism. "Ann Arbor
police should spend less time ticket-
ing and more time patrolling," said
Paul Seltman, a communications
committee member. Others com-
plained that police are not taking
students seriously enough.
"The University pays $600,000 a
year to the Ann Arbor police to pa-
trol more. Do we get $600,000
worth of protection?" communica-
tions committee member Jon Polish
said to participants.
Students said they feel unsafe
near the corner of Maynard and
Liberty, the walkway between the
Chemistry and Natural Resource
buildings, the North University
Building, and around the Hill dorms.
"It's (safety) a very big problem,"
said Laurie Solow, a participant rep-
resenting Alpha Epsilon Pi sorority.
"I don't feel like the University or
students are doing enough. It's defi-
nitely a problem that needs to be in-
vestigated," she said.
"I'm scared to walk alone at
night, and I never do," said Eva Saha
who represented Delta Delta Delta
sorority.
Most of the forum's participants
were from a fraternity or sorority,
"which says something very positive
about the Greek system and some-
thing very negative about the other
groups," Gretchen Walter, vice chair
of MSA's communication commit-
tee. More than 100 studentgroups
were invited to attend.
The second meeting, to be held
on Monday at 8 p.m. in the Union's
Anderson room, will deal with pos-
sible solutions. Walter and Bell plan
send their suggestions for improve-
ments to University regents, admin-
istrative officials, and the epart-
ment of Public Safety, as 'ell as
Ann Arbor city councilmembers and
police.
2 41)
iir/ .1.i :% "/i {'h-r "% ' 's 4 { . /j % 4 ,,Y"";
- /y fHE'n! ... / i
/ ~
'/"Ap'
'The degree to which an institution changes is propor-
tional to the degree to which people push for
progress.
- Michael Wilson, UCAR member
has worked with the United Coali- It is important that people study
tion Against Racism - which the history of racism from perspec-
sponsored last night's forum - to tives not exclusively white male in
develop a prerequisite class to order to "teach ourselves how to
address the issue of racism and other avoid the mistakes of the past," said
similarly related oppression in the Thomas Fujita, a panelist and
U.S. representative of the University of
He outlined the process a pro- Michigan Asian Student Coalition.
posed class must go through from its Additionally, Ransby said, "it is
inception, to a vote by the college's incumbent on us to desegregate the
Curriculum Committee, to a final syllabi" and that, there is a "reservoir
decision by that college's faculty. of literature to draw on to diversify
The racism class proposal will go the curriculum."
before a faculty-wide vote Mar. 6. When asked about the
Alexander said this type of initiative "objectivity" of such a course, sev-
is not unprecedented, as Stanford, eral panelists said that students
Berkeley, and Wisconson are under- would not be graded on their politi-
going similar changes. cal views, and that the class would
Barbara Ransby, a doctoral be taught by experienced
candidate in History and Afro- professionals who have made it their
American Studies, said there is an lives' work to study particular forms
important difference between of oppression.
Concerned Faculty's proposal and Tracye Matthews, director of the
LSA's revised version: the LSA Ella Baker-Nelson Mandela Center,
version excludes students from the added that this would present stu-
committee to oversee the course. dents an opportunity to stud~y
Ironically, she said, students are marginalized disciplines ofteh
fundamentally responsible for denied central positions in acadei:
encouraging the University to study.
JESUS.
Who is he? Why do 1 care?
Find out who, why, and what It all means to you.
You may be surprised.
TONIGHT
Bible Study
7:30 pm, Welker Room
Michigan Union
Sponsored by the Students of the Ann Arbor Church of Christ
Reach 40,000 readers after class,
advertise in .
JIut ~ldqt9uu agi - -_________
Weekend
MAGAZINE
MICHIGRAS/SOUNDSTAGE PRESENTS
1989
BATTLE OF THE BANDS
NEW BANDS ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY
- During Michigras March 16, 17, 18
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