Page 4 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, November 30, 1990
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EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS
AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
420 Maynard Street
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
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.
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Budget crunch
'U' contends with likely cuts in state funding
S
S
AS PREPARATIONS FOR THE NEW
administration of Governor-elect John
Engler continue in Lansing, University
officials are bracing for expected cuts
in state appropriations to higher educa-
tion. Publicly, the University adminis-
tration is optimistic about Engler's
campaign promises of a renewed focus
on education; privately, however, offi-
cials are worried that Engler's deficit-
reduction strategies will reduce state
funding for the University.
There is reason to be concerned.
Engler will take over a state govern-
ment with a budget imbalance of at
least $300 million, and he has pledged
to cut spending while reducing prop-
erty taxes by 20 percent. State belt-
tightening will surely have a severe af-
fect on government agencies and ap-
propriations.
In recognition of likely cuts in state
funding for the University, President
James Duderstadt and others in his
administration have been actively lob-
bying state and federal officials, with
hopes of mitigating the impact of the
new state fiscal policy. University ad-
ministrators have been hesitant to pub-
licly vocalize their concerns, but several
have said they wouldn't be surprised
by a 10-15 percent cut in state funding.
If the state were to severely cut its
appropriations to the University, to the
extent of tens or even hundreds of mil-
lions of dollars, the administration
would face several options, all of them
unattractive. First, the University
would try to raise revenue elsewhere.
Duderstadt, recognizing the impending
necessity of alternative funding, re-
cently kicked off a major private
fundraising drive with the goal of rais-
ing the University's endowment to a
lofty $5 billion.
Still, such endeavors take time, and
this drive could take as long as five
years. In the meantime, student tuition
seems a likely target for a quick in-
crease in University revenue. Though
even double-digit increases in tuition
wouldn't cover the foregone funding of
the state, students can count on a hefty
tuition increase for the next school
year. If the Engler government gets
moving quickly enough, Duderstadt
has said a tuition hike for next term is a
possibility, albeit an unlikely one.
Additionally, the University will be
forced to cut many of its programs as it
scrapes to make ends meet. As students
continually clamor for more and not
less, any cuts will hit hard, and could
hopefully be avoided. But cuts will be
unavoidable if the state indeed reduces
University appropriations by the specu-
lated amounts.
President Duderstadt needs the sup-
port of the University community in his
efforts to lobby state officials. Cuts in
funding to the University will likely
mean discontinuance of University
services, layoffs of staff and faculty,
and higher tuition and bigger class
sizes for students. Though most of the
community is removed from the budget
and the budget process, the level of
state funding affects all of us.
To this end, the Michigan Student
Assembly and the Senate Advisory
Committee on University Affairs, the
main governing bodies of the students
and faculty, should look into ways of
helping with the lobbying effort. Also,
local unions should do what they can,
so everyone in the University com-
munity can help convince the new
Engler administration to maintain
University funding.
However, if the state cuts funds to
the University, the corresponding re-
sponse by the University should be
undertaken with the full knowledge and
input of the community. If programs
have to be cut, Duderstadt should seek
real student, faculty and staff advice,
which doesn't mean creating a power-
less committee made up of members
who are traditionally friendly to the
administration. And before the
University's Board of Regents votes to
raise tuition, it should explore all pos-
sible ways to cut the budget and all
other alternatives to increasing revenue.
In the past, the University has had
to contend with the uncertainty of how
large an increase it would receive from
the state. Now, it's not a question of
the size of the increase; the University
is facing a base budget cut, which may
create one of the biggest financial crises
the University has yet had to deal with.
As the administration struggles to
ward off the problem and prepares for
a worst-case scenario, the rest of the
University community must help out.
Duderstadt is doing his part; we should
be allowed to do ours, and should want
to.
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TAs try to break language barriers
To the Daily:
The article "Students Contend with TA
Accents" (11/1/90) might have been pulled
from the Daily historical files. It failed to
note any of the efforts made by the
University - and the TAs themselves -
to improve this situation in the last few
years.
In particular, prospective International
TAs (ITAs) in the College of Literature,
Science and the Arts are required to attend
a three-week intensive workshop co-spon-
sored by the Center for Research on
Learning and Teaching and the English
Language Institute (ELI).
The workshop offers opportunities for
practicing a variety of teaching skills
(before a videocamera) with feedback from
staff and peers, as well as Michigan under-
graduates who are hired to assist with the
program. The workshop includes exposure
to the culture of the American undergradu-
ate classroom plus sessions on diversity,
gender issues, nonverbal communication,
etc.
Language instruction, of course, is in-
tegral and is interwoven throughout the
curriculum. I welcome suggestions and
participation from interested students, and
a visit from a reporter during one of the
workshops.
Following the workshop, participants
are screened for oral proficiency at the
English Language Institute by both a staff
member there and a faculty member from
their own department. The score on this
test is used to determine whether the per-
son is ready to teach the following term,
and if so, the level of assignment. Those
not yet ready to teach take courses at the
ELI until they pass the screening.
Additional coursework at ELI and other
support services from CRLT are offered
during the initial year of teaching.
Most departments provide their own
training as well, following the ITA inten-
sive in August, to all new TA's in their
department. The TA contract negotiated by
the GEO mandates training - a contrac-
tual agreement demanded by the TAs
themselves. In the College of LSA, this
training is provided at the departmental
level through the LSA TA training pro-,
gram.
Prof. Murphy's attempt to equate poor
instruction in Math 115 with the use of
TAs belittles the significant efforts and
contributions of the teaching assistants in
that and other departments. Comparative
student ratings between faculty and TAs
might suggest that the problems lie not in
the level of the instructor. I might also
point out that one of the recipients of the
math department Distinguished Teaching
Award was an International TA.
Economics also made a TA award to an
ITA last year and at least one of the
Rackham awards this year went to an ITA.
The University has made enormous ef-
forts to address a serious problem. This
has included increased admission standards
on tests such as the TOEFL, required
training and screening in LSA, and follow-
up services at both CRLT and the ELI.
Recent research conducted by Sara Briggs
(of ELI) and myself, reported on at length
in the University Record last spring, indi-
cates a significant increase in undergradu- *
ate perceptions of ITA effectiveness, as,
measured by student ratings.
I feel privileged to work with this-'
group of graduate students - individuals-
who are courageous and brilliant and
committed, who have traveled to a foreign
country to pursue graduate work (many
against significant odds) and who are,
amazingly, teaching their subject in a sec-
ond language. Yes, I strongly believe that*
Michigan undergraduates have a right to be
taught by intelligible TAs and there are a
team of us here working to see that this is,
so.
I also believe that the International TA
has a right to be met half-way by the un-
dergraduate - and that currently they are
the victims of enormous prejudice and
xenophobia on this campus. Get to know
them as individuals. Appreciate their
unique contributions to your education.
Savor the opportunity to have another part,
of the world brought to you. And if you
have legitimate complaints, do let us
know. We truly care and are working hard
to make this a better situation for all in-
volved.
Barbara Hofer
Coordinator, ITA Training
for Research on Learning
and Teaching
Centerf
*1
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'Quo'
Rally embarrassed us
To the Daily:
I was disturbed to read that the "No
Cops, No Guns, No Code" rally turned
into such an irresponsible embarrassment
of"U" students.
Storming a building and injuring a se-
curity officer are not ways to persuade the
administration into reversing their deci-
sion. If it does anything it just gives them
more justification to tighten security
against not only rapists, but now against
unruly, potentially violent students.
Please, let us use more wisdom in how we
voice our opinions, especially when we
presume to speak for the interests of all
students.
It is hypocritical for us to consider our-
selves defenders of human rights and si-
multaneously violate the rights of others.
Jon Naatjes
Music school grad. student
Get rid of the pinkos!
To the Daily:
As a veteran of the Sixties, the student
demonstrations over arming campus police
remind me of the same old liberals and
their commie pervert friends.
What these wild-eyed pinkos need is a
good skinhead haircut and a bath!
. Don't hlme the National 1ifle
Association for all the rapes and assaults
on campus nowadays. If the school
administration hadn't allowed booze and
bars on on the campus, we wouldn't need
armed cops to give an attitude adjustment
to drunken, belligerent outside agitators.
What this country needs right now is
more flag-waving Americans! Right on!
Seriously, if having armed campus
police prevents even one coed from getting
raped, it's well worth it. Campus cops
won't prevent students or anyone else
form demonstrating. We Americans have
been demonstrating as far back as the
Boston Tea Party.
Dan McClellan
B.A. 1965
Cops will protect us
To the Daily:
With all of the ruckus being raised over
the "NO COPS. NO GUNS. NO CODE."
issue, an interesting question has been
raised. "What right dostudent protestors
have to infringe upon other students?" Or
more to the point, "What right do students
have to protest in the first place?"
Granted, students may not like certain
aspects of the University of Michigan, but
the fact is, people choose to be here. As in
the real world, if you don't like the way
something is done, you can always go
somewhere else. A lot of people say that
itt .not tl -- oi n D - __ 4%.-1, a ._
The Regents are not trying to hurt the stu-
dents. They only want to protect them.
We would like to voice our support for
the University Regents. Thank you,
Regents, for decisive action concerning the
growing crime problem on this campus.
We don't think that the Regents are trying
to do anything to hurt the students, but
rather are only acting in the students' best
interest.
The miniscule percentage of students
running around brandishing chalk and de-
facing the university should try to look at
the issue from not only a realistic view,
but also a logical one. These deputized of-
ficers are not going to shoot a student for
protesting, they are going to arrest a indi-
vidual for stabbing, raping, and bludgeon-
ing another individual. You can't stop vio-
lent crimes with kind words and a slap on
the wrist. It is a fact that crime has been
on the rise on campus, and it's time that
something is done to change this. The
Regents are doing something about it. We
do not worry about being shot by an
armed officer. We worry about being shot
by a criminal. Why don't the protestors
protest armed criminals? This may actu-
ally reduce crime. We hope that the
Regents don't back down. We hope for a
safe campus.
Matthew DePerno
LSA senior
Michael Attan
I M r._A
Deputization supporters respond
Castrate those rapists
To the Daily:
Castration is the one and only sure cure
for rape. Doctors who have studied the
problem maintain this premise. Castration
relieves offenders of their libido. This
could help those men who are repeat of-
fenders or those who use rape to punish.
The people who walk for "Take Back
the Night" would be doin! ~somethini
Castrated animals recover almost immedi-
ately, and lead happy lives. Rapists need
help and nothing else seems to give them
the help that will cure them.
Alexa Hope
Don't criticize Battle
To the Daily:
I thnrnuohl v eninved Michionn's victn-
i
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