The Michigan Daily - Friday, September 29, 1989 - Page 3
Experts debate
existence of,
animal rights
by Jim Jankens
The question "Do animals have rights?" was debated
last night in front of a packed auditorium in Angell
Hall.
The debate, sponsored by The University of
Michigan Students of Objectivism organization, fea-
tured David Wills, the president of the National Society
for Animal Protection, arguing for the existence of an-
imal rights, and Dr. Edwin Locke, a professor of psy-
chology at the University of Maryland, arguing against
them. WXYT radio talk show host David Newman acted
as mediator.
Calling medical researchers, "heroes", and animal
rights advocates, "enemies of the people", Locke said,
"either you do animal research, or man suffers."
He argued that the concept of rights pre-supposes the
existence of reason, volition, and moral principals, and
since animals do not have these cognitive abilities, they
have no rights.
Wills countered that "To have a right is to have an
interest", and since it is obvious that an animal can act
in its own best interest, it follows that animals there-
fore have rights.
"We have no right to do what we do," Wills said,
"and they have a right to expect better treatment from
man.".
Locke accused the animal rights position of being
subjective and based on intuition, and stated that their
position "is not pro-life, but anti-man."
BSU greets
new Black
students
by Vera Songwe
Daily Minority Issues Reporter
The third annual Black Student Welcome drew over
200 students to the East Quad auditorium last night.
"This is not entertainment," said Dr. Abdul
Muhammad, director of the Nation's of Islam's Dope-
Buster Program in Washington, D.C. and the keynote
speaker, "I hope I say something today that you will
remember, because whether or not power comes to the
Black community depends on you."
The problems of Blacks in America persist it is be-
cause the Blacks have been doing something wrong,
Muhammad went on to say. He urged the students to try
to correct this problem. "If we have not solved the prob-
lem it is because there is something we are not doing."
Muhammad said he hoped students were not just in-
terested in talking about the problems facing them, but
rather he hoped they were more concerned with finding
solutions or, better yet, becoming part of the solution.
Attempting to empower the students, he spoke to
them about their ancestors and their ancestors' past
achievements, comparing the past to the desperate state
of Black America today.
"Why are you so contained with your enslavement,
what has happened in the intervening centuries to make
you so complacent?" he asked the crowd.
"You have an education that makes you suffer," he
said, "because you cannot treat your patient and you
will not have any peace of mind until you do something
to elevate your community."
"Protect yourselves from becoming victims of edu-
cation," Muhammad told the students.
"I thought he made really good points" said
Elizabeth Cole, a graduate student in Psychology, after
the speech. "I would have rather, though, that he em-
phasized the significance of slavery to the world econ-
omy."
Muhammad's speech was followed by a question-
and-answer session and a speech by BSU president
Matthews.
"I hope the speech made Black students able to see
themselves as a being a collective whole so they can
better understand the problems within their commu-
nity," Matthews said.
Dr. Edwin Locke, professor of psychology and business management at the Univeristy of Maryland, defends the
use of animals in medical research last night in Angell Hall.
"The animal rights position puts (Dr. Joseph)
Mengele (the Nazi doctor who used concentration camp
prisoners as the subjects of his experiments) on the
same moral plane as (Dr. Jonas) Salk (who discovered
the Polio vaccine with the aid of animal research),"
Locke said.
Judging by their applause, the crowd appeared to
support Wills. Both sides spent the majority of the de-
bate arguing the philosophical bases of rights, rather
than discussing the alternatives, if any, to animal use in
research.
Funding for the event was provided by the Michigan
Student Assembly, the Office of the Vice-President for
Student Services, the Associate Dean for Budgeting, and
the Ayn Rand Institute.
Stockwell residents receive rude awakening
by Darci McConnell names," says Lavrack. there have been at least eight obscene calls to Baits resi-
Residents in Stockwell Hall and two other residence Although the names and numbers of residents are dthe bsB
halls have been roused out of their beds by an obscene available in the recently released residence hall student dents this term.t,'
phone caller with a disturbing message - he knows directory, they are listed alphabetically and not by hallH.
their nnmee o r rm in number. H eincv'- floor charts however list prising since the directory has come out.
,'
t e r names.
According to Stockwell Building Director Julie
Lavrack, nearly half the residents in Stockwell received
obscene phone calls late last Friday and Saturday nights.
The caller phoned rooms on each hall in order, ad-
dressing residents by their first name and asking sexual
questions.
"I guess this problem [obscene phone calls] happens
every year... it's fairly unique that he knows everyone's
V I .A* a1flLJ1,A. g11vU611*i 3, .JV t. i,,Z VT ?V Gtk n
residents numerically by room number.
"Only university staff would have access to floor
charts - but that's wide ranged. University staff could
be anyone from the director of housing to desk staff,"
said Lavrack.
Residents of two other halls have also been disturbed
by obscene callers.
Baits Hall Coordinator Director Doug White said
Mosher-Jordan Building Director Jackie Mims also
cited two incidents of obscene phone calls to residents.
As a result of the calls at Stockwell, building secu-
rity was notified and has contacted residents in the halls
to discuss the calls.
"At this point security is trying to be pro-active.
They are ready to put taps on as many phones as possi-
ble," said Lavrack.
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