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OPINION
MLK Day: The administration finally
tells it like it is
4
ARTS
Thelonious Monk:
Straight, No Chaser
7
1 i£tgan
Ninety-nine years of editorial freedom
Vol. C. No. 71 Ann Arbor, Michigan - Monday, January 15, 1990
CopyrghtO 1990
The Michigan Daily
ow
'U'
celebrates
King's
legacy
MLK Day helps
'U' spotlight
minority issues
Activists say
King's holiday
by Noelle Vance
*Daily Administration Reporter
Two years ago, University offi-
cials were accused of ignoring Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday,
but today many administrators say
the day's events help the University
community focus on minority is-
sues.
The University celebration,
which now includes more than 70
events, was first held last year,
largely as a result of student
protesters who, in 1987 and 1988,
denounced the University for holding
classes on King's birthday. Today,
the celebration has become one of
the most comprehensive in the coun-
try.
"Every year the program gets
larger and larger," said John Mat-
lock, director of minority affairs in
the Office of the Vice Provost of
Minority Affairs. "We have a com-
mittee that works most of the year
round. That's impressive," he said.
"But more impressive is what people
do afterwards. People should be en-
ergized to go forward and live (his)
principles for the entire year."
"The celebration has become an
rintregal part of the University's
greater effort to do things for diver-
sity," said Sociology Prof. Gayl
Ness, chair of the Senate Advisory
Committee on University Affairs.
In the last few years, "we've seen
the administration doing things from
the inside (to make the University
more diverse)," Ness said.
Part of the "general leadership
stategy" for increasing the number of
minorities at the University includes
increasing money for targeted oppor-
tunity recruitment and other pro-
grams, he explained. "While the
other part is to do this more ritualis-
tic or symbolic activity which at-
tempts to draw the community
around the issues of minorities."
Last year, students criticized the
University for calling King's birth-
day the "Martin Luther King
Day/Diversity Day" celebration.
They accused the University of try-
ing to use the day to promote its
own commitment to diversity in ed-
ucation instead of honoring King.
This year, while the University is
still receiving publicity for its event,
student leaders say the University is
more committed to the holiday, not
just its image.
"It depends on. how the activities
are run," said Delro Harris,aco-chair
of the Michigan Student Assembly's
Minority Affairs Commission.
see MLK, Page 2
not yet
by Mark Katz
Daily Minority Issues Reporter
In 1986, the U.S. government set
aside a day to honor Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr., giving federal
workers the day off.
In 1987, student activists mobi-
lized to pressure the University ad-
ministration to institute the same
annual holiday for the campus.
The administration agreed to can-
cel classes for the holiday last year
during "Diversity Day" - which has
since been converted to "Martin
Luther King, Jr. Day." Many ac-
tivists say their past persistence has
achieved concrete results and more
concern from the administration in
celebrating the day. However, others
assert that the University's MLK
Day celebration has room for im-
provement.
"The struggle to achieve the
Martin Luther King holiday was im-
portant in its symbolism, as a vic-
tory for student activism," said
United Coalition Against Racism
member Pam Nadasen, an Ann Ar-
bor resident.
UCAR and other activists pushed
for the day in 1987 by staging a
University class boycott, leading a
perfect
march, and offering alternative educa-
tion courses during King's birthday.
"If you look historically at
progress, it's been usually student-
led and activated," said Charles
Moody, Vice Provost for Minority
Affairs. "This case is not different
from what it's been historically."
Nadasen said, "The next logical
step now is to give the employees of
the University the day off. These
people should be no less privileged
than students."
Anthony King, student chair of
the faculty, staff, and student-run
MLK Symposium Committee and
chair of the all-student Commemora-
tion of a Dream Committee, agreed
that workers should be let off be-
cause "everyone should be allowed to
share in this day."
Still, King commended the ad-
ministration on a more sincere at-
tempt to plan for this year's MLK
Day. "Last year, I thought (Diversity
Day) was more of a mechanization
for quieting students and people out-
side Ann Arbor who looked upon
Michigan as a racist institution," he
said.
"This year, they seem to be more
See ACTIVISTS, Page 2
'We must uze a m..
kn owle d ge t ha~ r het
right. Now is th ime
p romis e o fdun cr 4 o r
pe nding nat A s
of brotherh10od ~\o ~
i nju st i ce t o t h sh ~r~
I -
LSA'
by Daniel Poux
Daily MSA Reporter
The LSA Student Government
will appoint students to the nine va-
cant positions on the Michigan Stu-
dent Assembly at a meeting tonight,
according to the Central Student Ju-
diciary's interpretation of the assem-
bly's constitution.
On Friday, the judiciary also
upheld its decision to invalidate last
December's election results for the
LSA positions on the assembly.
Previously, CSJ declared the elec-
tion results invalid because of ballot-
Michigan
swims
govern
ing and procedure mistakes during
the elections.
The 17-member LSA Student
Government - which is responsible
for filling by appointment any va-
cant seats on the assembly- con-
ducted interviews last Thursday and
Friday to decide who would be ap-
pointed to the nine open positions.
Junior Jeff Ehrlich, president of
the LSA Student Government (LSA-
SG), said 27 people were interviewed
by the government's interview
committee. LSA-SG is holding a
ment to fill MSA
vacancies
special meeting tonight to decide the
nine appointees, who will take their
seats at the MSA meeting tomorrow
night.
"It is unfortunate that this had to
happen," Ehrlich said of the exten-
sive election controversy, "but it is
our responsibility to make the best
of the situation."
Confident of the appointment
procedure, Ehrlich pointed out that
he and other members on the LSA-
SG would "uphold their responsibil-
ity to represent LSA students. We're
looking at the people, not the par-
ties," he stressed, "and we are guar-
anteeing qualified individuals."
A relatively obscure governing
body, the LSA Student Government
has appointed students to fill single
vacancies on MSA before, but has
received much attention recently be-
cause of the elections dispute. Much
of LSA-SG's work involves plan-
ning and advertising student-facul:y
dinners.
Jason Krumholtz, LSA sopho-
more and member of MSA, said
even though his position depends
upon the LSA-SG's decision, he ap-
proved of the government's handling
of the situation.
"This is the first time that an ed-
ucated decision is being made,"
Krumholtz said. "A lot of times,
students are in the dark during the
elections. This is the only way of
doing things right," he noted.
Jeff Johnson, engineeringjunior
and director of the Conservative
Coalition, disagreed with Krumholtz
and was concerned that the LSA-SG
was out of touch, and unqualified to
make the MSA appointments.
"I certainly - don't think that
they're qualified to come in out of
nowhere and make such a big deci-
sion," Johnson said.
Johnson also argued that the pri-
mary concern of the LSA-SG should
be the results of the disputed elec-
tions.
"Whether or not the students
make informed decisions is not the
question," Johnson stressed.
I lll. , ""-.-.- -
25 die in riots in capital of
the Azerbaijan republic
by
No.1
*Cardinal
by Michael Bess
Daily Sports Writer.
Excitement abounded at Canham
Natatorium Saturday evening as the
Michigan men's swim team knocked
r off topped rank Stanford.
A boisterous, sell-out crowd
attended the meet and provided the
Wolverines with energetic support
"throughout the night. Those who
could attend were treated to an
underwater showcase featuring some
of the nation's premiere athletes.
Michigan outscored the Cardinal 61
to 52 and received strong perform-
ances from a number of swimmers.
The Wolverines were led by
senior co-captain Brent Lang and
junior Mike Barrowman, both of
MOSCOW (AP) - At least 25
people died in the capital of the
Azerbaijan republic after ethnic
rioting broke out overnight, and
dozens more were killed or wounded
as the unrest spread across the
republic, official media said
yesterday.
Extra internal security troops
were flown to the southern republic
to try to quell the violence, and a
military commander of one besieged
area called for a state of emergency,
the television news program "Seven
Days" reported.
A witness in the city of Baku,
where the violence began, described a
street awash in blood and said vic-
tims there included two women
tossed from balconies.
It was the bloodiest clash in
nearly two years between Azerbaija-
nis and Armenians, who are locked
in a feud over Nagorno-Karabakh, an
enclave populated mainly by Arme-
nians but which is controlled by
Azerbaijan.
Most Armenians are Christians;
most Azerbaijanis are Shiite
Moslems.
The violence was set off by news
that an Azerbaijani had been killed
and another wounded by Armenians
in Azerbaijan's capital, Baku.
Radio Moscow said the incidents
were announced at a rally Saturday
night in Baku's central square that
was attended by about 150,000 peo-
ple.
"Calls were made at the rally to
drive the Armenians out of the city,"
the Radio Moscow correspondent re-
ported from the Caspian Sea port of
1.7 million people.
Mayor urges continuation
of King's unfinished agenda
by Mark Katz
Daily Minority Issues Reporter
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. left
his legacy by liberating not only
King's death, especially in the
1980s, "it seems that we as a nation
veered from the moral climate that
was very much a part of Martin
enough. "Transforming lofty ideals
into reality... and getting back on
course... underscores the real unfin-
ished agenda," she said.
a