PERSPECTIVES
The Michigan Daily Friday, September 8, 1989 Page 5

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policy isses the

point

By The United Coalition
Against Racism
In the American Civil Liberties
Union (ACLU) case protesting the
University's recently adopted racial
discrimination policy, a federal court
has declared the policy unconstitu-
tional. The court indicated that the
policy was too vague and accord-
ingly too vast in its scope, thus
constituting a violation of free
speech liberties as guaranteed by the
Constitution.
Despite such a decision many
members of the University commu-
i nity still realize the necessity of a
policy protecting the right of people
of color to exist, study and partici-
pate as equal members of the
University in an atmosphere free of
intimidation and harassment.
Implicit in this realization is the un-
derstanding that speech is itself a
form of action and as such can inflict
damage, incite violence and in gen-
eral create an atmosphere in which
the civil rights, indeed the very
Slives, of people are endangered.
If we look to legal precedents, the
law is clear - free speech is not
guaranteed when the welfare of other
individuals is attacked. Individuals
may not legally yell "fire" in a
crowded theater, or state falsehoods
which publically attack the character
of another person (slander). Policies
regarding sexual harassment have
*further established a link between
speech and behavior, suggesting that
sexist and sexually laden speech can
greatly contribute to the creation of a
negative and abusive environment
which women should not be forced
to endure. Clearly, the same or simi-
lar standards can and should be ap-
plied to the area of racial harassment.
It is time that we reframe this is-
sue from one of an academic exercise
about free speech, where ideas are

separated from action and behavior,
to one in which attention is focused
on the violence and abuse perpetrated
in the name of free speech.
Distinguish for the Black people of
South Africa the difference between
the "nonharmful ideas" of apartheid,
ideas which some would suggest
should be protected through free
speech, and the violence of apartheid.
Explain to Vincent Chin, Michael
Griffith and Yusef Hawkins the dif-
ference between the protected
"nonharmful" ideas of racial hatred
and the violent racial hatred that
ended their short lives. From scream-
ing KKK and neo-nazi mobs in
Forsythe County to bat-wielding
youth in Bensonhurst, New York to
University fraternity members who
yell racial slurs at Asian American
and Native American students -
who can deny the reality of racist vi-
olence and hatred; who can suggest
that such hatred and violence should
be protected under the guise of free
speech; and who will deny people of
color the right to be protected from
such atrocities?
We believe that the University has
a responsibility to create and main-
tain an environment free of such ha-
rassment and violence. Since 1987
the United Coalition Against
Racism (UCAR) has demanded a ra-
cial harassment policy which would
hold racists accountable, while also
empowering people of color through
their primary input to and oversight
of such a policy. It was only in re-
sponse to this demand that the
University administration created and
adopted a weak, vague policy which
gave ample discretionary power to
administrators who themselves have
no great record of fighting racism
and minimized the input of people of

ABORTION
Continued from page 4
women as incubators, as wombs and
not as people. "When people focus
on abortion itself or the unborn
child, " states Burke Balch of the
"Right to Life" Committee, "they
tend to become ambivalent and often
come to us. On the other hand, when
you focus on the woman, it's an
obvious and natural thing to say
that, 'I know so-and-so who's had an.
abortion and she's a good person,
and I don't want to condemn her"
(NYT 7/21/89).
The National Organization for
Women (NOW) and the National
Abortion Rights Action League
(NARAL) have finally realized the
importance of grassroots organizing,
and local initiatives, as well as the
kind of national coordination which
expresses itself in marches like the
one that took place on April 9, when

over 600,000 women of all ages
took to the streets in Washington to
affirm their support for women's
choice.
The national leadership is now
gathering its forces together, pro-
moting not only the legal right to
abortion but the obligation of soci-
ety to fund abortions for all women.
"If we keep a broad agenda," argues
NOW's Patricia Ireland, "we can;
make progress. We need to talk not;
just about abortion and birth control,
but also about sex education, teen
pregnancy, maternal and child health,
the minimum wage and housing.
Can you choose to have a child if
you don't have the social and eco-
nomic basis to make that choice?
This is a great opportunity. It's an
organizer's dream." (Guardia.;
8/2/89).
Camille Colatosti is a member of
Solidarity and a graduate student in
English.

Students confront former LSA Dean Peter Steiner about the
University's failure to create a safe environment for people of color
on campus.

color, who are the direct targets of
racial harassment. In the end the lack
of a true commitment on the part of
the University and apparent sloppi-
ness in formulating the current pol-
icy led to its demise.
Today UCAR stands where it did
in 1987 - we call for the develop-
ment of a racial harassment policy to

hold those who perpetrate racial vio-
lence accountable. Implicit in this
demand is the belief that people of
color must be central in leading the
development and implementation of
such a policy. Without such a com-
mitment from the University, we
will most assuredly find courselves
on another hopeless road to failure.

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GE I

GEA TIT

. 2

The Personal Column
MICHIGAN DAILY CLASSIFIED ADS

Religious
Services
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Worship at 7:30 p.m.
Intern: Andy Rutrough, 668-7622
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1001 E. Huron (across the street from Rackam)
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WORSHIP at 10:30 a.m. Sunday followed by
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Questions?--662-3154
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Dan Carlson-Campus Coordinator

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Leadership Fxreilence Starts Here

The Registrar's Office is introducing a computer transaction
which permits students to access, in real time, course and sec-
tion enrollment information. Following is a set of instructions
which permits students to access that information by the com-
puter terminals supported by MTS.

OPEN

COURSE

INQUIRY

TRANSACTION

System Requirements
You must have access to the merit network either through an SCP node connection or through a
dial-up connection. Your communication software must emulate a PC-VT100 or you must have 2
access to a DEC VT100 terminal. PC-TIE, Kermit, Versa-Term and Procomm will all allow
VT100 emulation. Window does not allow VT100 emulation and cannot be used with this
system.
Availability


Weekdays 8:00 A.M. - 5:30 P.M.

Saturday 8:00 A.M. - 4:00 P.M.

G

UNION
Arts & Programming
presents a

"~4@.
*//
" "
"0

Instructions to Sign-On
You access the merit network in the usual way and at the "WHICH HOST?" prompt, you type
UM-OASINFO and press ENTER (return). Your screen will display the UM Data Systems
Center Public Menu where you should type COURSES and press ENTER (see illustration).
Menu Screen Format to Enter Course File

t

UM Data Systems Center Public Menu

NAME
COURSES
CURIO

APPLICATION
Course Enrollment Status
CURIO: DSC Information

STATUS
AVAILABLE
AVAILABLE

Friday, 10am - 5pm
&
Saturday, 10am - 3pm
Michigan Union, ground floor
& North Campus Commons

Directions: Enter an application NAME at the COMMAND prompt. For
further directions, enter HELP at the COMMAND prompt.
To exit this menu, enter QUIT at the COMMAND prompt.
COMMAND---COURSES
Message:

1 '

Running the Inquiry to View OPEN Sections of a Course