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Ninety-nine years of editorialfreedom
Vol. I C, No. 106 Ann Arbor, Michigan - Tuesday, March 7, 1989 Copyright 1989, The Michigan Daily
LSA faculty
discuss
graduation
proposal
BY MARION DAVIS
About 400 faculty, students, and
guests attended the monthly LSA
faculty meeting yesterday to hear
debate, question, support, and
opposition - but not a vote - on a
proposed graduation requirement for
anti-racist education.
Cost of the course, who would
be teaching the courses, and specific
course requirements were issues
debated throughout the meeting, as
faculty members voiced both support
and opposition for two proposed
requirements.
After an hour of discussion, the
faculty voted to continue debating
the issue at their April meeting. Any
new requirement must be approved
by a faculty vote in order to be
implemented.
"Racism has poisoned the
atmosphere on this campus," said
Prof. Peter Railton, a member of the
Concerned Faculty, which drafted the
proposal along with the United
Coalition Against Racism, Faculty
Against Institutional Racism.
He said a curriculum response,
would be a "potent way" to address
the discrimination and racism that
often results from students' lack of
knowledge about different cultures.
Catherine Wright, a visiting
lecturer in English language and
literature, said a graduation
requirement on racism is necessary
because students need a classroom
experience to address the issues of
race, ethnicity, and discrimination.
Wright said that the anti-racist
requirement would provide a much
needed forum where students could
express their belief.
Wright also read statements
concerning Blacks and whites written
by her English students to show
how a graduation requirement on
racism was needed. One of the
statements said that, "whites as a
group are destructive."
"Students need a classroom
experience to address these issues [of
racism]," said Wright.
Supporting the faculty proposal
because of the "interdisciplinary
courses it warrants," Prof. Warren
Whatley said students entering the
University are not presumed to
understand all the theories of
economics and physics, yet are
presumed to understand the concept
of race, which they may not have
any knowledge about.
The two proposals which are
being considered are the LSA faculty
proposal and the LSA Executive
Committee proposal.
One major difference between the
See LSA, Page 5
DAVID LUBLINER/Daily
Philosophy Professor Peter Railton tells why he supports the LSA faculty proposal for a graduation requirement on anti- racist education.
About 400 students and faculty attended the monthly LSA faculty meeting.
Eastern grounded
MIAMI (AP) - Strike-crippled Eastern Airlines
shut down nearly all operations yesterday and idled
6,000 workers, saying it could not afford to maintain
its business because pilots were honoring a 3-day-old
machinists walkout.
We cannot run an airline with unpredictability,"
Eastern spokesperson Robin Matell said in Miami.
"We cannot continue to inconvenience passengers, we
can not afford the steady financial drain."
Matell said Eastern would continue to run only its
most profitable routes, its Northeast shuttle service
between Washington, New York, and Boston aqd three
round trips weekly between Miami, Buenos Aires, and
Santiago, Chile.
Earlier yesterday, Eastern asked a federal judge in
Miami to order members of the Air Lines Pilot Asso-
ciation to return to work.
Meanwhile, pilots nationwide planned a job action
starting this morning that threatened to delay every
flight on every airline.
Eastern pilots have honored a strike by 8,500 ma-
chinists that began Saturday after a 17-month labor
dispute. The strike has grounded most flights, stranded
thousands of passengers, and pushed the nation's sev-
enth-largest airline to the brink of collapse.
_"You can't fly without pilots," Matell said. Obvi-
ously an operation of this type drains the cash very
quickly. It's an hour-to-hour evaluation for all aspects
of the operation."
He said the 5,000 to 6,000 idled employees were
being notified immediately of their "no-work" status
and would receive lump-sum payments ranging from
$270 to $640, depending on their normal wages.
The laid off workers include ticket and reservations
agents, secretaries and other clerical workers, customer
service workers and some management employees.
The lay off leaves eastern with about 7,000 active
workers, down from 31,200 before the strike.
Matell said Eastern would file bankruptcy only as a
last resort, but indicated the pilot's walkout may force
is pilots hoE
the airline to consider the option.
"The pilots are conducting their own economic
strike against company," Matell said. We believe that
it is an illegal weapon to gain ALPA's economic ob-
jectives.
We're not the ones who sought the strike," said
John Bavis, head of the eastern pilots' union. "This is
a strike that Mr. Lorenzo called."
He was referring to Frank Lorenzo, chair of East-
ern's parent Texas Air Corp., whose anti-union
reputation has galvanized Eastern's union employees.
t i Eastern's 5,900 flight attendants also have honored
the strike. Eastern is seeking $150 million in contract
concessions, while the machinists want $50 million in
raises.
The national pilots union planned a teleconfrence
for all members to explain the action set to begin at 6
a.m. this morning. Pilots would strictly follow avia-
tion safety rules, which could dramatically slow air
traffic.
for
strike
Locally at Detroit Metropolitan airport, airport
officials and area travel agents said travelers appeared to
be taking the inconvience in stride.
"We haven't had any complaints, and I'm the one
who hears about them first," said Renee Outland, a
Metro Airport spokesperson.
Many travel agents in metropolitan Detroit said
they had braced themselves for a barrage of telephone
calls from the upbeat or stranded travelers. Instead,
they have only received the usual complaints.
"We really haven't had any grief," said sally Walsh,
a booking agent with skyline Travel in Dearborn.
"We've had some inquiries, but nothing that's been
out of the ordinary."
Eastern had cancelled almost all flights yesterday,
but had supervisors haul baggage and de-ice planes to
keep its profitable Northeast shuttle flying some of its
scheduled trips between New York, Boston, and
Washington despite a snowstorm.
Former Engineering Dean,
Current Provost discusses
BY FRAN OBEID recently rejected a Black woman for a port. Vest has been exce
When Charles Vest was selected tenured faculty position, after she positive in working toward
as University provost and vice was recommended by two faculty nority education effort," Sc
president for academic affairs last departments. But members of UCAR
fall, concern arose from some Uni- "Although Vest has not had much Free South Africa Coo
versity community members that of a chance at his new position to do Committee contend therei
former deans of the School of Engi- anything, the way he handled the gerous trend being set b
neering now hold the University's Black woman faculty who was de- mishandling of minority
top two positions. nied a position exemplifies his role UCAR and FSACC mem
They predicted that military and as provost," said United Coalition of Vest insufficiently dealt
private sector research would become Racism member Lisa Parker, an "shanty incident" as dean
high on the new administrative LSA junior. neering two years ago.
agenda. Vest, in response, said: "It is my A scavenger hunt spor
This former engineering dean, responsibility to look globally at the several engineering societie
however, disagrees. Vest, who has records of progress of the individual of 1987 included on its lis
held the post since January, said a schools and colleges" and that fac- pieces of the Diag's anti-
top priority of his is to "increase the ulty decisions are handled within the shanty, UCAR posters, a
diversity of our faculty as well as individual schools. Action Movement posters.
our student body and to improve the Derrick Scott, director of the Though Vest did not t
total environment of the undergradu- University's Minority Engineering disciplinary actions, he me
ates." Program for seven years, praised students responsible and w
But some students and faculty Vest's record on minority initiatives sentatives from the societie
members doubt Vest's sincerity. as dean of engineering. UCAR and FSACC
They cite his lack of involvement "Each dean has gotten better in LSA senior Pam Nadasen
when the LSA Executive Committee terms of time, attention, and sup- See Vest
U ,
ptionally
Is the mi-
ott said.
R and the
rdinating
is a dan-
'y Vest's
y issues.
nbers say
with the
of Engi-
nsored by
es in April
t of items
apartheid
nd Black
aken any
t with the
'ith repre-
s.
member
said that
, Page 2
ELLEN LEVY/DaIy
In a recent interview Provost Charles Vest discusses minority issues, his involvement with GEO(
negotiations, and the extent to which academia can be critical of those who fund it.
Violence continues in Tibet
Democrat says he'll back
Tower nomination
BEIJING, China (AP) - Police opened fire on Ti-
betan protestors who marched through Lhasa and
burned Chinese businesses yesterday in a second
straight day of violence. Four Tibetans were reported
killed.
Security forces moved into the city's Tibetan sec-
tion and pulled people from their homes, taking some
away in jeeps, American tourists said. Chinese troops
also beat Tibetans, said the travelers, who spoke on
condition of anonymity for fear of police reprisal.
"One boy's face was completely bloodied," said a
man from New Orleans. "he was no older than 10.
Sunday. Western travelers quoted Tibetans as saying
that many more had died on Sunday and that at least
for Tibetans had been slain yesterday.
The U.S. State Department yesterday deplored the
use of weapons on pro-independence protestors in Ti-
bet and called for the restoration of order.
"We have made clear to the Chinese both publicly
and privately in the past our concern for human rights
in Tibet," said spokesperson Charles Redman in
Washington.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Sen.
is Howell Heflin of Alabama yesterday
's became the first Democrat to swing
behind John Tower's confirmation
7 as defense secretary, delivering a
major boost to the troubled
dJ nomination a few hours after
1, President Bush urged lawmakers to
ir "put aside partisanship" in the
"stand out as a jewel" in the Senate
debate.
But moments after Heflin's sur-
prise announcement, another South-
ern Democrat, Sen. David Pryor of
Arkansas, said he would vote against
confirmation because Tower would
"create more (problems) than he will
solve."
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