6 OPINION Page 4 Edited and managed by students at The University of Michigan 420 Maynard St. Vol. C, No. 59 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. Vote today for MSA Wednesday, November 29, 1989 The Michigan Daily 4 S TUDENTS WILL vote today and tomorrow to elect new Michigan Student Assembly representatives and to determine the course MSA will take on campus issues, the most pressing of which include the proposed discrimina- tory harassment policy, the mandatory class on racism, and the protest policy. If in the past MSA has not always imnressed those at the University as a cohesive, representative, or effective organization it is important that the representatives the student body elects this week possess the capability, de- sire, and inspiration to fight for the rights and freedoms of students. The Assembly is the main route by which students have access to the ad- ministration's decision-makers, and can help determine future policy. But MSA's power to affect these decisions is only as strong as representatives' persistence. The internal squabbles of the last semester have weakened MSA; it will be up to these new representa- tives to solidify the group - a first step towards joining students together and perhaps turning MSA into a stu- dent union. A workable discriminatory harass- ment policy is a necessary instrument to ensure that racism, sexism, and ho- mophobia are not perpetuated. The University must be willing to protect all its students. Students, the administra- tion, and faculty must be shown that there will be consequences for actions of exclusion and persecution based on race, gender, religion or sexual orien- tation. Without a policy, victims of harassment will have no means of re- dress. MSA's new representatives must also press for the establishment of a graduation requirement to combat racism by studying its forms and his- torical roots. Racist acts such as the re- cent spray-painting of swastikas on cars belonging to members of a pre- dominantly Jewish fraternity tear apart the student community. The class would not serve to impose values, but to give student s the opportunity to get exposure to ideas and perspectives which have been lost lost in the white, male, Western European-oriented texts still predominating in most depart- ments. Proposed protest policies, limiting the range of views that may be ex- pressed on campus, strike directly against first amendment rights. The question of someone's right to speech should be brought to the floor when their right conflicts with another's, but the protest policy is designed only to rid the administration of the inconve- nience of dissent. The issue of MSA spending has be- come more controversial this semester. Members of the Conservative Coalition on the current MSA have criticized spending money on things like the stu- dent delegations to Occupied Palestine and El Salvador, claiming money should stay "on campus." Yet it is clear that all students on campus have bene- fitted from these delegations, and the opportunity to learn about students in other parts of the world can only enrich the educational opportunities available at the University. In the past, participation in elections has been low. With such important is- sues on the table, it is imperative that students get together to use their voice. Choose by Corey Dolgon One night last spring, just after 1:00 AM, I was awakened by a phone call. An anonymous voice on the other end, some- what giddy and somewhat inebriated, thanked me for writing a Daily Opinion piece the day before. According to this caller, my article criticizing the Conserva- tive Coalition's Right-Wing agenda actu- ally helped the Party win the MSA elec- tion that afternoon. His unfounded (and somewhat unstable) theory was that all the closet conservatives around campus who were tired of student government dealing with women's issues, minority is- sues,education on international affairs, AIDS, etc. had been inspired to vote by my piece. Well, at the risk of being awak- ened tomorrow night, I feel compelled to warn the campus about what the next year might look like if the Conservative Coali- tion wins a majority on the Michigan Student Assembly during today's and to- morrow's elections. In the past, the Conservative Coalition has sponsored resolutions to derecognize UCAR and were responsible for cutting funds to the Ella Baker-Nelson Mandela Center for Anti-Racist Education. They have also suggested getting rid of the shanties on the Diag which have stood as an important symbol of solidarity with Black people of South Africa for several years. It's clear that the Conservative Coalition believes the fight against racism should have ended a long time ago. In fact, much of their talk at MSA concerns "reverse discrimination" and deleting the student organization guidelines that sanc- tion groups which discriminate on the ba- sis of race, gender, or sexual orientation. With the rising number of college groups around the country calling themselves the Board mi By Cale Southworth and Elisabeth Wilson In a recent letter to the Daily (11/22) Michael Brooks and Joseph Kohane, some of the leaders of the Hillel Foundation, claim that their organization is in no way trying to influence or control the Michi- gan Daily. As the student representatives to the University Board for Student Publi- cations which oversees the finances of the Daily, the Ensian and the Gargoyle, we see an attempt by Hillel and others to pressure the Daily. While Brooks and Ko- hane scream innocence at the top of their lungs, the Chair of the Board for Student Publication, Dr. Amnon Rosenthal, who is also on the Board of Directors for the Hillel Foundation, is pushing Hillel's anti-Daily political agenda there. Rosenthal's overlapping membership between the Board for Student Publica- tions and Hillel constitutes a conflict be- tween his own personal and institutional views and the editorial freedom of the Daily. While we have nothing against overlapping positions in general, Rosen- thal has refused to remain neutral or oper- ate in the interest of the paper. This sum- mer, Prospect - a Hillel sponsored orga- nization - threatened to sue the Daily (and, by association, the Board). As Rosenthal is able to influence the out- come, in terms of settlement or legal posi- tion through Board funding, this conflict is unacceptable. Members of Hillel have also organized protests against the Daily. Again, we have no objection to protests. But Rosenthal felt compelled to make public statements to the New York Times, the Detroit News and other newspapers against the Daily and in favor of the protest Hillel members helped organize. In the interest of editorial freedom, given Rosenthal's influence over Daily purse strings, we need a chair for the Board who will not intervene in the affairs of the Daily. During the April Board meeting, Rosen- thal deemed it necessary to take up the Board's time discussing the Daily Opinion Page's stance on the Middle East. He in- vited the members of the Hillel Founda- tion who sponsored the protest to condemn the Daily's political positions that they considered anti-Semitic. Assuming the Choice for NAAWP (the National Association for the There Advancement of White People), one has to have a c wander about a potential student govern- Choice P ment more interested in making resources Universii less accessible to minority groups. gle again The CC has also led a movement to ism on t stop the work of the Peace and Justice student o Commission, MSA's hardest working and bility to most productive commission, because nity's bas they believe that students shouldn't work cess andi on programs that address international is- We envis sues. Students all over campus have at- resources tended Peace and Justice sponsored events versity t to learn about happenings in Central ity enrol America and the Middle East. However, times iro the Conservative Coalition believes that all. We h students aren't interested in these issues. I commiss think their's is a dangerous idea - that work on students aren't concerned about events that withoutr occur outside the confines of the campus. limits of' But perhaps this belief is reflective of their campusn vision of the University. And this election encourag really comes down to voting on different and inter visions of what you think the University roles int should look like. fines of] MSA is an alternative, though; you hoice. People running with the arty have a different vision of the 4y. We have supported the strug- st racism, sexism, and heterosex- his campus and we believe that irganizations do have a responsi- meet the educational commu- sic values which include equal ac- the freedom from discrimination. sion a campus where the necessary s are made available for the Uni- o meet its commitment to minor- lment and hiring, and the some- n gates of academia are opened to have supported the rights of MSA ions and all student groups to the issues they are interested in restricting them to the arbitrary "campus issues." We envision a not only friendly to but one that es students to learn about national national issues, to care about their the community beyond the con- East Quad, and to be involved in I I 'With the rising number of college groups around the coun- try calling themselves the NAAWP (the National Association for the Advancement of White People), one has to wonder about a potential student government more interested in making resources less accessible to minority groups. Like Ronald Reagan's vision of a "city on the hill," the Conservative Coalition dreams of a "college on the hill." The University would became an elite, homo- geneous place where students were politi- cally obedient, socially ignorant, and in- terested only in their own careers. In essence, the conservative's envision an ex- clusive "yupp:e corporate training ground." Many people think the Univer- sity is almost there. the process of shaping and changing soci- ety. We believe these are the educational goals that create the kind of values that Thomas Jefferson, John Dewey, and Martin Luther King Jr. so cherished about this country, its citizens, and its potential for Democracy. And I still believe that the tradition of a progressive University stu- dent body will prevail. This is my theory, however unfounded or unstable it may sound. q NVote Southworth, Wilson and Weisbrot: Free student publications THE BOARD for Student Publications comprised of three professional journalists, three faculty and three stu- 4dents -- controls the finances of the Daily, the Ensian and the Gargoyle. It claims never to exercise editorial con- -trol over the three publications, but since its creation the Board's use and abuse of its financial power to influ- ence editorial policy has been an issue of dispute between the Board and the editorial staffs. The student representatives on the Board play a vital role in ensuring the freedom and independence of these student publications. Of the seven un- dergraduate candidates, two have proven themselves willing and able to defend the students' right to control the editorial content of their publica- tions: Cale Southworth and Elisabeth Wilson. The graduate student most qualified for the position is Mark Weisbrot. As the current student representa- tives of the Board, Southworth, Wil- son and Weisbrot have fought for fair student representation and for student interest in the publications. For almost a year, the Board operated without full student representation. When Weisbrot was appointed by MSA to serve as an interim representative, the Chair of the Board refused to recognize him. In- sisting that students need to have a voice in a body with so much influ- ence over the major student publica- tions, Weisbrot obtained a confirma- tion of his legitimacy from MSA and encouraged MSA to appoint two more representatives to fill the empty stu- dent spots. Weisbrot hasfworked on the news and opinion staffs of the .Daily for three years. The Board's dutlies~ include deinat- the funds which are generated by students in the first place. Southworth is the only undergradu- ate candidate to have worked at any of the three publications. In addition to writing news stories for the Daily, he was a member of the opinion staff, and served as Opinion Page editor. Though it is not essential that the student rep- resentatives have direct experience with the publications, it is a great as- set. His three years of work at the Daily give Southworth a perspective none of the others have - he knows how the publications work and what their needs are. Wilson - the only woman candi- date in the race for a position which has traditionally been held by men - proved herself to be a strong advocate for student rights at the last Board meeting. Despite being continually in- terrupted and silenced by the Chair and other non-student Board members, Wilson continued to try to check po- tential abuse by non-student members of the Board and to be an active ques- tioner as well as listener. Wilson's journalistic experience includes work- ing for National Agenda, a publication which lobbies Congress. The other undergraduate candidates have no experience with the Daily, the Ensian or the Gargoyle. Electing stu- dents who know nothing about the way the Board or how the individual publications work leaves open the possibility that they will try to influ- ence editorial policy to conform to their personal beliefs. Given the recent attempts by the Chair of the Board to deny student input, and his direct vio- lation of regental by laws, it is espe- cially imprtant to have students on the Board who will stand up for the inde- Laipulat( Board has no business dictating editorial policy, this entire presentation was irrele- vant. Obviously, Rosenthal disagrees. The introduction to Regental Bylaw 13.11 which defines the Board states it "has authority and control over all... pub- lications edited, managed, or promoted by students or student organizations of the University of Michigan." While Rosenthal and Hillel deny any attempt at manipula- tion of the paper, their actions (especially for those in positions of power) show otherwise. But the story gets worse. Rosenthal, re- senting the views of the Opinion Page during the winter 1989 semester, set out to find appointments for the Board who shared his view. He found two professors who had a gripe against the Daily. Raymond Tanter, a distinguished profes- sor of political science, has also served on the National Security Council. This in it- self does not make a conflict, but Tanter saw fit to enter the Daily on the day that a story about him was going to run. He screamed and yelled and threatened to sue the Daily. To this day it has not run. Tan- ter is also an outspoken advocate for Israel and shares much of Hillel's outlook on the Daily as he has said in his classes. In the same way that Rosenthal went out to find faculty who shared his dislike for the Daily, he chose to circumvent the proper procedure to choose the profes- sional members of the Board. The Board is supposed to be composed of three profes- sional journalists, three faculty and three students. These recent appointments to the Board are in violation of the Regents Bylaws. These people (and no indictment of their qualifications involved) are to be chosen "by the President from a panel of not less than six names proposed by the top editors of the Daily acting jointly with the editors of the Ensian, Gargoyle, and Genera- tion...." (Regents' Bylaw 13.11) The top Daily editors were never consulted about the recent selections. So the ruling is unambiguous. Although the editors have gone on to approve these people, the Chair of the Board did handpick the profes- sionals and not from a list given to him by students. With this as the history, it should be no surprise that the student representatives Ie Daily were shut out of the meeting and help- lessly voted against every proposal brought by the Rosenthal clique. Cale Southworth sent a letter with these and other concerns in it which the Board re- fused to grant time to consider. The first motion of the meeting was that the Board operate by parliamentary procedure. Despite an apparent consensus Rosenthal refused a vote on this point and conducted the meeting without any rules. Under parliamentary procedure, a challenge to credentials, which was obvious, would have to be considered first. Instead, Rosen- thal and his Board allowed people who were appointed in violation of the Bylaws and who should not have been on the Board to vote on their own legitimacy. The results were no surprise. The Board ignored questions of integrity and the student requests for the Chair and Tanter to resign given their conflicts of in- terest. None of the members of the Board, except Professor Gramlich, made any ef- fort to hear the student side of the issue. Neither Rosenthal nor Tanter attempted to clear their names or explain their open conflicts. As student members, we strongly ob- jected to the "business as usual" attitude of the meeting. In response, Rosenthal and his allies refused to recognize us, called us children and ignored members of the Daily editorial and business staff who wished to speak. Today we found out, with no no- tification from the Board,that the Decem- ber meeting has also been cancelled as was the October meeting following our ap- pointments in an effort to silence the cur- rent representatives. In the end the Board wasted a great deal of time which was needed to discuss such issues as handicapped access to the build- ing, a fund for investigative journalism and the position of the building director. As student representatives we cannot in good conscience allow people with direct conflicts of interest to run our meetings like a Mafia racket. We ask MSA to call for Rosenthal's removal and call on the community at large to that any manipula- tion of what is still a partially free student newspaper come to an end. Southworth and Wilson are currently student members of the Board of Student Publications. .1"::.'." .:' . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..: . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . ..N" Independent r l g i d rC' Thursday, the graduate student position on the Board in Con- these publications has been sacrosanct since the late 60s about the ramifications of legal relationships such as those be- t*nfan the annA nt he nnhki