Page 4 -The Michigan Daily - Friday, December 7, 1990
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EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS
AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
420 Maynard Street
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
Viewpoini
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.
From the Daily
Animal abuse _
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Frivolous testing means
IN TIMES OF CRISIS, WORLD FO-
cus often changes. Today, in a world
preoccupied with impending war in the
Persian Gulf, hunger in the Third
World, and sweeping changes across
Eastern Europe, several "smaller" is-
sues tend to get lost in the shuffle. One
of these issues is the cruel treatment of
animals in the name of research.
Each year, various animals are used
as "guinea pigs" in a variety of tests.
Most of these experiments are required
by the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) in order to determine the safety
of a given new product, and some are
necessary for the preservation of hu-
man life. But many of them are not,
and that presents a problem.
The FDA requires that all new drugs
and new ingredients in food products
be tested on animals, starting with ro-
dents and gradually moving up the evo-
lutionary scale to primates. And this
requirement is generally a good one.
But a line must be drawn between what
is necessary to humans and what is
frivolous. For instance, while testing a
new AIDS drug is necessary, the cal-
ous testing of new cosmetics on these
animals is not.
Testing of cosmetics, supposedly
regulated by the government, in reality
is not. In fact, the guidelines for hu-
mane testing often go ignored by re-
searchers. Often, the method of testing
unnecessary cruelty
a new chemical for use in a cosmetic
product consists of injecting doses of
the chemical into the animals until a
dose proves fatal. Or, in one example,
while testing for a given chemical's
effect on the eye, the chemical was in-
jected directly into the eyeball until a
lethal does was achieved. This is
frivolous, inhumane, and unnecessary.
The treatment of these animals is all
the more heinous in light of new tech-
nology that can simulate all of the
known functions of the human body.
Computers can mimic each and every
reaction and chemical response that oc-
curs within the body. Life-like recre-
ations of animals, such as Cornell Uni-
versity's "Resusci-Dog," can actually
bleed, cough, and respond to outside
stimuli. While not yet perfected, there
is virtually no reason that these new
technologies cannot be phased in to re-
duce the number of unnecessary animal
deaths.
It is not right, as many animal rights
groups do; to engage in publicity stunts
such as inking furs and threatening
testing sites and the researchers them-
selves. These people only damage the
argument against animal testing.
Only when the public sends a mes-
sage to companies that sponsor re-
search, by not buying their products,
will this cruelty end.
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New city law limits tenant privacy
Immigration Act
Easing entry restrictions will benefit the U.S.
By Michael Appel
and Jeri Schneider
Beginning tomorrow, tenants can write
a letter to their landlord demanding that
they receive three days written notice be-
fore the landlord or maintenance workers
enter the tenants' home. The new city
"privacy" ordinance, which provides for
this right, was passed by city council
Nov. 19. The law also allows tenants to
delay proposed entries for up to three days
in certain situations.
Unfortunately, this ordinance was
rammed into law by the Republican cau-
cus on a series of 6-5 party-line votes. It
is a cynical distortion of the original pri-
vacy ordinance proposed by tenant advo-
cates more than a year and a half ago. That
proposal was structured around a basic
right to privacy which includes: 1) notice
to tenants before a landlord's entry into the
tenant's home and, 2) the tenants' power
to refuse entry and negotiate a reasonable
alternative entry time. In the original draft,
tenants also had the ability to waive the
notice or permission requirements if they
wanted quicker entry.
The law that city council did pass fails
to provide tenants with these basic protec-
tions. Instead, the landlord-drafted ordi-
nance creates a two-tiered structure which
is designed to place hurdles in the way of
tenants' control over access to their
homes. Tenants who want to enforce their
rights under this ordinance must follow
the required procedures and understand the
limitations on their control over landlord
entry.
The first tier, which applies to all
rental housing arrangements throughout
the city, offers tenants no more protection
Appel works for the Housing Law Reform
Project of Student Legal Services.
Schneider works at the Ann Arbor
Tenants' Union
than what current landlord practices pro-
vide. In fact, it could prove to be a weaker
standard of privacy than current case law
establishes, according to tenant attorneys.
Landlords are merely required to make a
"good faith effort" to notify the tenants
and knock on the door before entering.
Tenants can refuse entry, in which case the
landlord must follow the notification re-
quirements of the second tier.
However, the real gap in this procedure
is for the tenants who receive no notice
and are not home when the entry occurs. It
will be difficult for such tenants to show
in court that a landlord's entry violated
their privacy. If such entry occurred, the
tenant would have to show that the land-
lord intended through "bad faith" not to
give notice.
If the proposed entry time is problem-
atic for the tenants, they may delay the en-
try by up to three days by notifying the#
owner in writing or by phone no later than,
12 noon on the day prior to the day of the.
proposed entry. After that, even if the.
tenants have good reason to delay the entry
longer - such as final exams, guests, or a
death in the household - the tenants lose,
control over access to the unit.
In addition to the problems highlighted
above, the ordinance lacks damages provi-.
sions for violations. Tenants can withhold
rent for a violation of the Housing Code,
but unlike other state tenant protection
laws, this local ordinance does not specify.,
the damages for which a tenant is eligible.,
Instead, tenants will have to show "actual,,*
sdamages" due to the privacy invasion and,:
The landlord-drafted ordinance creates a two-tiered
structure which is designed to place hurdles in the
way of tenants' control over access to their homes.
. ,
FOR MORE THAN A CENTURY, THE
"American Dream," be it myth or real-
ity, has inspired millions of people
from all over the world to seek entry
into this country. Influenced by visions
of a "Land of Opportunity," immigrants
poured onto our shores until the
Immigration and Nationality Act of
1924 virtually shut the faucet on the
flow of legal immigrants.
Now the faucet has finally been re-
opened with the passage of the land-
mark Immigration and Nationality Act
of 1990, signed into law last week by
President Bush. The Act allows for
450,000 immigrants annually and re-
peals many of the restrictions of the
1924 law, which put quotas on certain
nationalities.
Although the Act doesn't "open"
American borders to all who wish to
enter, it is a much more liberal law than
the previous legislation. It will allow
for many talented people from foreign
lands to migrate to the United States.
For example, the old restrictions on
Asian immigrants have been repealed to
a large extent in the new measure, and
the talents of many from that region of
the world are anticipated.
The 1990 Act also reflects world
changes occurring in the post-Cold
War era. Old immigration legislation
once favored refugees from Communist
nations and closed others out, but the
new law has eradicated such political
undertones.
Previous immigration laws made it
difficult for immigrant-hopefuls with-
out family, work, or skills in the
United States to gain admission; the
1990 Act is less restrictive. The
450,000 immigrant cap will increase
total immigration by more than 30 per-
cent and it is hoped that the act will
curtail illegal immigration from Mexico
and other Latin American nations by
allowing those who may have entered
the United States illegally to do so le-
gally.
The ongoing debate over whether
America is a diverse "melting pot" or
"salad bowl" has continued since im-
migrants have been settling here, but
whatever the case, the new immigration
law will certainly do nothing to dispel
that debate. If anything, it might bring
some needed diversity back to a society
that has finally opened the door after 66
years.
,,.
.
The second tier can only be initiated by
a letter signed by all tenants in a unit. It
requires landlords to give written notice
prior to entry, but only allows tenants to
delay that entry by three days. Tenants
who want to receive this notice must write
a letter to their landlord invoking the entry
restrictions described in subsection (3) of
Section 8:529 of the Housing Code. For
most tenants, these entry restrictions will
then take effect three days after that letter
is mailed.
After the second tier is initiated, land-
lords must "mail a notice of the proposed
entry at least five days prior to the date of
entry or hand deliver the notice three days
prior to the proposed entry." Any tenant in
the unit can shorten or eliminate the wait-
ing time by giving the owner written
permission to enter for a specific purpose.
convince a judge of the dollar value of
those damages.
The ordinance provides a few more pro- c.
tections, such as a required lease notice and;
notes to be left after entry. However, it'
does not include important sections of the. ;
original privacy ordinance, such as protec-
tions against sexual harassment and the"
right to change locks to keep out a land-
lord who continually violates tenants' pri-,.
vacy.
Any tenants interested in using the pro,
tections in the law should call Student Le-
gal Services (SLS) at 763-9920 or the'
Ann Arbor Tenants Union (AATU) at
763-6876. Tenants interested in working
to pass a real tenant privacy ordinance
should call the AATU or the Housing Law
Reform Project of SLS at 936-0836.
Support the student effort against Middle East war 4
IRAQI PEACE SETTLEMENT
By Daniel Kohns
As our government prepares to order
university-age youth to die and kill in the
Saudi desert, an urgent duty has been
bestowed upon students at the University
of Michigan and across the country. Many
of our contemporaries - the majority
people of color and poor - are compelled
to enlist in this nation's armed forces in
order to feed their families or pursue a
higher education.
duty it is to represent all citizens of the
United States redirect their efforts toward
eradicating the horrendous racial, social,
economic and sexual inequalities at home
and away from domination of the people
and countries of the Middle East and the
world over.
The fact that mandatory conscription
into the U.S. armed forces is not yet a re-
ality must not detract from our determina-
tion to prevent the imminent war. If it is
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The fact that mandatory conscription into the U.S.
armed forces is not yet a reality must not detract
from our determination to prevent the imminent war.
government officials run counter to -the
needs and rights of this nation and its peo-
ple. Peace and justice in this country must
not and cannot be predicated upon the de-
nial of any people's self-determination.
With a view to informing our commu-
nity of the peril of the looming war, and
in the hope of encouraging the expression;
of a clear and determined student voice in
opposition to U.S. foreign intervention
and in affirmation of justice for all citizens
of our country, the Michigan Student
Assembly Peace and Justice Commission,
various student organizations and individ-
ual University community members have
recently joined to form the U of M Stu-
dents Against U.S. Intervention in the
Middle East.
In its first mass action, this group will
hold a rally today at 12 noon on the Diag.
Anyone and everyone is encouraged to at-
tend and call on Washington to BRING
THE TROOPS HOME NOW!
Those of us who are not forced into
such a position must take it upon our-
selves to demand that those whose stated
Kohns is publicity co-chair of U-M Stu-
dents Against U.S. Intervention in the
Middle East.
our ideal to live and participate in a just
society, if this is indeed to become a coun-
try "of, by and for the people," then now
more than ever is the time to convert our
ideals into action and let it be known that
the hawkish objectives of a small group of
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Condemn Zuberi to a life of Houses of the Holy
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