Page 4- The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, November 21, 1990 RIb £idiiau Daig EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN 420 Maynard Street Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109 ewpoint NOAH FINKEL Editor in Chief DAVID SCHWARTZ Opinion Editor 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. r>> f.. , From the Daily MSA aftermath Action should heed the voice of student voters A W Lf S M~~~ VAA A4 1 UCLcx) JQThD 70 'Jo D RT4 1 V / ~ / PERHAPS THE LEADERS OF THE Michigan Student Assembly should take a break from their self-congratula- tory interpretations of the recent pro- tests against deputation to study the results of last week's MSA elections. While the assembly's Action leader- ship was conducting one of the largest -- and most broad-based - student protests in years, the students them- selves were busy voting against Action candidates at the polls. Why? Many of the answers are clear. Incessant bickering with political op- ponents, often at the expense of the student constituency, does not make for a good public image. Additionally, fiascoes like the office allocation deba- cle reflect poorly on the assembly's leadership. As a case in point, President James Duderstadt recently criticized the MSA leadership for neglecting numerous possibilities to meet with him and others in his administration: "We have tried to set up a meeting with her [MSA President Jennifer Van Valey] the whole term and have received no an- swer," he said Monday. Van Valey said she has not been contacted by the President's Office since the end of the summer, but ac- knowledged that she hasn't attempted to meet with Duderstadt, either. Regardless, the neglect of official channels can only hamper the ability of students and student leaders to get what they want - there's a time for protest and a time for discussion, but unfortu- nately Van Valey has yet to discover the latter. Primarily, the Action leaders seemed complacent with last spring's victory, and showed little inclination to live up to the promises they made which were designed to benefit students; instead, Van Valey and others in her party con- centrated on self-fulfillment, not stu- dent fulfillment. An election-day pro- test, even such a successful one, was not enough to sway voters back to the Action column. The election results clearly show a negative response to Action leadership. Still, why did the Conservative Co- alition (CC) do so well, garnering 10 of 24 seats, while independents and the Abolitionists did so poorly (the Abol- itionists acquired nary a seat)? Perhaps it's time for the Abolition- ists to change their name to reflect their platform. There's a lot in a name, and people who don't read past the head- lines are unlikely to vote for candidates whom they think will only dissolve the assembly altogether. Students only six months ago re- jected CC, yet now they have again achieved a plurality in MSA elections. Student voters are undoubtedly floun- dering in a sea of mediocre candidates, warily choosing whoever currently seems the least dangerous. However interpretations of the elec- tion vary, it is clear that the student body was not content with its current leaders. Hopefully, Van Valey and others on the assembly will take this vote to heart and remember the students in the coming months. Tell your parents about deputization By Patrick Kennelly Dear University of Michigan Parent, You may have heard about recent events on campus. The University's Board of Regents has decided to add armed sher- iff's deputies to the existing campus secu- rity force - despite opposition by the City Council, the Ann Arbor Police Department and the University commu- nity. You may also have heard that the re- gents intend to institute a "code of non- academic conduct." Such a code would al- low the regents to use academic sanctions to regulate student life outside the class- room and give them the power to enforce those sanctions without due process of law. Frustrated by the regents' repeated re- fusal to discuss these concerns, students and members of the community have sought to make their voices heard in other ways, including the widespread non-vio- lent protests which have attracted local and national media attention. We are writing to let you, a concerned Kennelly, a History graduate student, is a member of the U-M Students for a Safer Campus movement. parent, know why so many students op- pose this new policy and deplore the Regents' refusal to discuss these crucial issues. Cost effectiveness: We all want a safer campus, but we don't think arming University police will effectively deter the kinds of crime that occur on our campus - primarily burglaries and vandalism. In fact, there is no statistical proof that arm- ing campus police has lowered crime rates at other campuses around the country. Ann Arbor police already respond to se- rious crimes like sexual assault, and the University can help by spending its money on better lighting and more walk- ing escorts rather than arming its own of- ficers. The regents are set to spend from two to five million dollars to arm deputies - our tuition could be better spent on ed- ucation, and guns should be left to the city police. Democracy: As a state institution, the University has a responsibility to lis- ten to community voices and incorporate them into policy decisions. So far, the re- gents have not. While most students want a safer campus, in a referendum, 70 per- cent of them opposed arming campus po- lice without the input of the student body. The regents dismantled the University Council - the only mechanism that gave students and faculty any decision-making power. The regents' plan has been criti- cized by the Ann Arbor City Council and by Concerned Faculty. Furthermore, the city and coun@ Democratic parties have passed resolutions in support of the students' movement. Most recently, the Michigan attorney gen- eral determined that the regents violated state law by conducting their Nov. 15 meeting behind locked doors. The next day, 2,500 students joined to march in protest. Freedom of speech: Many students believe the regents will use this priva armed police force and "the code" to sti voices that might disagree with the admin- istration on issues such as tuition hikes, increasing minority enrollment, greater emphasis on teaching and equal protection for the rights of all students regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation or economic background. To support our efforts to make the University of Michigan a safer and more democratic institution, please inform President Duderstadt of your opposition to the Regents' conduct. Besides, who wants a quarterback named "Elvis" anyway? And what's with that last name, "Grrhrbhqck"? Heck, if he wants a vowel, we've got plenty in "Ohio" that he could use. And who can blame their university for wanting to send their band and that ridicL lous mascot down here for awhile? If our band marched like it had recently under- gone painful Achilles tendon lipposuction A fair trial U.S. mistreats Noriega in hope of guilty verdict LAST WINTER, THE UNITED States spent millions of dollars and sent p thousands of troops into Panama. The troops were there, according to the government, to capture Gen. Manuel Antonio Noriega and bring him back to the United States to stand trial for his alleged illegal drug trafficking. The U.S. Government's idea seemed appealing to the public, be- cause heading into the wilderness to catch a "bad guy" drug dealer seemed to fit into the cowboy scenario Reagan's politics had set up for President Bush. As a result, Noreiga was extricated and incarcerated in a Florida holding facility. Now, nearly a year later, the me- chanics of the trial are under way. But, in all the grandiosity of the entire idea, the U.S. government got carried away. In the effort to treat Noreiga like "the common criminal," he was placed in a holding cell much like most criminals awaiting trial. He was even given a lawyer, to provide him with proper counsel, consistent with constitutional rights. The Government claimed he r was to be given a fair trial to show his acts were indeed criminal and deserv- ing of punishment. However, one right of the accused was not granted to Noriega - confi- dentiality with legal counsel. A number of Noriega's conversations with his lawyer were taped via a phone tap. There is no way to ensure a proper, le- gal defense when the prosecution (the U.S. Government) knows the strate- gies of Noriega and his attorneys. This foul-up was a direct result of the Government's desire to have a "fair" trial, which conflicted with its need to see Noreiga found guilty. If Noriega was given a proper trial and found innocent, the entire United States CSrcOV CerJ r tbe PS enviforoment, M2ads &is di in g its rih-bgble ba p atc.conitarer t action taken to get Noreiga would look wasteful, unnecessary, and unjustified - which, for the most part, it does anyway. So what did they do? They simply stuck him with all the restraints of the American legal system, but waived his major benefits, and, most importantly, the right to consult counsel confiden- tially. It's really not that surprising that this trial got botched, for it was doomed from the start. The biggest stumbling block came in the form of jury selection. Who could be found that had not already heard the stories about "the tyrannical Panamanian dictator Manuel Noreiga" in the press? Could the United States actually provide an unbiased counsel for Noreiga? The ac- cused himself said that he could not expect to be given a fair trial in the United States, specifying the negative media exposure. The sad thing is that Noreiga was right. If the United States wanted to try Noreiga and find him guilty the easy way, Noreiga should have been given a military court-martial. After all, he was a general. In this type of trial, all of the "luxuries" of due process rights could have been put aside at the Govern- ment's discretion, and it could have achieved. its desired outcome. Jury selection would have been solved and Noreiga would be rotting in a small cell in the Everglades. But, as is not surprising, the U.S. Government messed up. With the royal slip-up, they have most likely cost the trial. A declaration of a mistrial may let Noreiga out, allowing him to leave the country and take off where he pleases. Hey, Saddam Hussein may soon be interviewing a new military advisor. By Ty Wenger This Saturday, amid the eerie stillness of the early morning haze, they will come. Like a foul stench blown by the sickly wind from up north, the wretched refuse, the reeking rodents, those vile vermin from the depths of Hades will return to in- fest our idyllic campus with their pesti- lence, filth and rot. They will descend upon our university, clad in their festering swathes of maize and blue, until they scurry back to their mosquito-ridden hole for another two years. Yes, Michigan is coming. Of course, who can blame them for wanting to visit our pristine learning envi- ronment, what with that two-bit slum Ann Arbor that they call home? Oh sure, maybe Ann Arbor's not all that bad when you compare it, say to Flint, Michigan - most noted for the fact that its population is comprised of more former-automobile- Wenger is the Editorial Editor of the Ohio State Lantern. engineers-turned-Hardees-employees, per capita, than any oher city in the nation. And then there's Detroit. Say no more. And who can blame their team for wanting to compete upon the hallowed grounds of the Ohio Stadium horseshoe, when they have to play in that erector set and paper mache disgrace that mars their campus like a pubescent zit scar? Furthermore, who can blame them for Who wants a quarterback named "Elvis" anyway? And what's with that last name, "Grrhrbhqck"? Heck, if he wants a vowel, we've got plenty in "Ohio" that he could use. vs. UM wanting to come here when all the Michigan players and coaches are origi- nally from the wonderful state of Ohio? They're just upset because we didn't want them since they couldn't pass our manda- tory athlete intelligence examination with such mind-numbing questions as, "If someone gave you one smelly rodent and then took it away, how many smelly ro- dents would you have?" your place? John can sure tell us a lot about the truck drivers and farmers that at- tend your school's games. And this whole thing with The - The Ohio State University - as if, there was some other school in the state people would rather attend, or where they would be able to be admitted. Now, that little mascot of yours is something else - it's k-la cute, which in comparison to some of the students on campus is quite a compliment. But what the heck is a Buckeye? And why is that something to be proud of? With a buck tooth little acorn running all over the field, I must say, it can be quite intimidat- ing to the opposing team. treatment, we would send them away, too. And everyone knows about the problems they have with that wolverine humping people's legs at football games. So, all in all, we at the Lantern kind of understand why those foul, foamy- mouthed, overgrown ferrets insist on in- festing our campus bi-yearly like a bad case of venereal disease. But it doesn't mean we have to like it Ohio and then some dufus comes along and dots the 'I.' That's pretty good. It's hardly ever mentioned that this takes two semesters to learn. The first: Spelling O- H-I-O. Four Credits. The second semester: Remembering to Dot the I (Another four credits). I must say, this is higher learning in Ohio at its best. Some people have ba- bies faster. The ultimate fact is that Ohio Sta@ will face off against Michigan this Saturday, and barring an unforeseen upset in Minnesota, it will be the competition for a chance to play in the Gator Bowl. What happened the last time the Buckeyes played in Jacksonville? Well, Woody Hayes just about bucked some By Mike Gill There's an old saying that goes: "It is far better to flunk out of Michigan than to graduate from Ohio State." What more needs to be said about the school that hails down south of Ann Arbor in a town named Columbus? The fact that The Ohio State Uni- versity resides in a town which believes so strongly that Christopher Columbus dis- covered America that it named itself after him, sh uld prove some point. But what do you expect from a school whose president's name is Gee - as in "Gee, I didn't know that?" Since getting facts straight is not a strong priority, it is easy to see why this school, formerly known as a Cow Now, that little mascot of yours is something else - it's kinda cute, which in comparison to some of the students on campus is quite a comDliment. But what