Page 4- The Michigan Daily - Monday, September 16, 1991
JIbe Amidigan 1&ziljj
420 Maynard Street
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109 ANDREW K. GOTiTESMAN
Edited and ManagedS E diENrHND RSON
by Students at the STEPHEN HENDERSON
University of Michigan 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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Students vs
Police acted improperly on Sou
B ig crowds on South University should be no
surprise to local law enforcement officials.
Every Friday and Saturday night, and on selected
special occasions such as the 1989 NCAA men's
basketball championship, students flock to the
bars and restaurants on this central campus drag.
But last Friday night, when students from
Michigan and Notre Dame were involved in a
"potentially dangerous" situation on South U.,
police officers unwisely decided to disperse them
by firing tear gas cannisters into the crowd.
Admittedly, students must not be allowed to
endanger themselves or the surrounding commu-
nity. But evidence suggests police actions Friday
night contributed to the melee more than they
diffused it.
The incident occurred at about 2 a.m., when
students from both universities congregated outside
the overflowing bars and began chanting and
taunting in a kind of "pep rally." There were also
sporadic reports of fighting.
In response, police threatened to quell the crowd
with tear gas.
However, it wasn't until police actually fired up
to 12 tear gas cannisters into the gathering and
began macing randomly that the crowd turned
violent, throwing rocks and bottles.
In this situation, the police clearly acted as
Students, police should work ha
S eptember in Ann Arbor has always meant an
abrupt transition from a slow and peaceful
summer pace to loud music and unruly crowds. But
while there have always been laws and police to
maintain control, that supervision has a different
character this fall. In the first two weeks of school,
Ann Arbor and campus law enforcement officials
have been cracking down on the traditional party
scene. Police are issuing noise violation warnings
and tickets quickly, often, and to more students
than ever before.
This intensified police control is not without
valid reasons. The Bums Park Association (BPA)
- a group composed of this part of Ann Arbor's
yearlong residents -has existed for some time in
a tense and uneasy relationship with the students
who share the area.Tired ofthe music and rowdiness
that shatter their summer interlude, the BPA has
joined other local taxpayers in putting pressure on
the city government to stop the noise in their
neighborhood.
As a result, they initiated a proposal imposing
strict penalties against noise violators. A first vio-
lation is good for a fine of $50 to $500 - and as
much as 10 days behind bars. Fines for a second
offense begin at $100 and caninclude up to 45 days
in prison. Third and subsequent offenses carry
fines of $200 to $500 and up to 90 days in jail.
DNR
New chief was chosen too quick
ast week, the commission controlling
Michigan's Department of Natural Resources
(DNR) - acting against the wishes of Gov. John
Engler, the governor's staff, numerous environ-
mental groups, and the Michigan Chamber of
Commerce - appointed Rolland Harmes to run
the DNR. The haste with which the decision was
made has cheated Michigan residents of the oppor-
tunity for a more qualified and knowledgeable
candidate.
The DNR is not merely an insignificant collec-
tion of nature buffs and forest rangers; it is one of
the biggest and most important agencies in the
state, and its responsibilities affect every state
inhabitant.
The DNR not only issues fishing and hunting
licences and manages Michigan's sprawling and
impressive state park system. It also regulates
landfills, rules on development permits and where
or whether any new construction in the state can
take place.
The commission chose Rolland Harmes -
who works in the real estate division of the DNR 's
land managementdepartment-to head the agency.
Though Engler had correctly called for a national
search for a new DNR chief, Harmes is the con-
summate insider- a man whom has been with the
agency for 26 years.
. cops
th University Friday night
agitators, over-reacting to a scene that .did not
warrant wholesale riot control. Their actions cre-
ated confusion and violence more characteristic of
an uncontrollable mob than the crowd to which
they initially responded.
There is no questioning the fact that police
could not have permitted students to continue in
the direction they were headed. The intense school
rivalry and alcohol consumption could easily have
led to property damage and numerous injuries. But
the course of action the authorities chose to pursue
was inappropriate, and detrimental to solving the
problem.
In the future, police must find a way to control
potentially dangerous situations in a'manner that
does not exacerbate the problem.
Boisterous crowds respond more positively to
specific methods of crowd control that .isolate
belligerent individuals than to blanket, random
tactics.
In 1989, police failed to respond adequately
when students celebrating the basketball national
championship inflicted thousands in damage upon
the South U. businesses. Friday night, they over-
reacted to a crowd that was - for the most part -
peaceful. Somewhere. in-between lies a proper
means to deal with students involved in a possibly
threatening gathering.
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rder to reach understanding
With such outrageous penalties, though, it is
easy to lose sight of why noise violation laws are
important and necessary. Too often and too easily
we forget to show the courtesy to our neighbors
that we all sometimes desire. But account-break-
ing fines and criminal records are not viable so-
lutions to such problems..
If offenses are committed against certainpeople
of our community, the ensuing punishments should
be tailored to help improve existing problems
within that same community. Community service
provides a more constructive and appropriate solu-
tion.
Also, students should take it upon themselves to
alert their neighbors before a party takes place and
ask that those neighbors complain about the prob-
lems that come up without calling the police. These
few simple steps will relieve unnecessary and
unwanted consequences while building more trust
between longtime residents and their short-term
neighbors.
It is long past time for students to address the
divisions separating Michigan and every other
university community. The situation faces every
student at the University. Make sure that the nec-
essary precautions are taken to avoid the under-
standable wrath of the Bums Park Association and
the police department.
1y
Given the legendary bureaucratic morass in the
DNR, the commission would have done better to
continue the tradition it has followed during the
past 20 years by choosing an outsider.
Worse yet, three of the commissioners choos-
ing Harmes are themselves outsiders - literally.
They have not yet been confirmed by the Michigan
Senate, and state senators are hopping mad at what
clearly constitutes a subversion of their legislative
authority. While the pseudo commissioners have
done nothing illegal in ruling on who the new DNR
chief should be, their behavior is - at the very
least - questionable.
Hasty decisions and questionable procedures
rarely produce excellent candidates, and, unfortu-
nately, all indications suggest that this time will be
no exception. Harmes is already on record insist-
ing that people "ought to be able to make a living
cutting timber or oil drilling on public lands."
The state's environmental crisis-increasingly
polluted lakes, mercury levels which have made
eating Michigan fish a risky adventure, and the
disappearance of more than 70 percent of state
wetlands - require a DNR chief with more sen-
sitivity to the environment. And the commission
choosing such a chief needs to be more sensitive
about how it makes such a crucial decision con-
cerning Michiganders' collective future.
N. Campus
parking woes
To the Daily:
The limited parking options
for North Campus commuters are
getting worse. Either get to
campus before the lot is full (8
a.m.) or take your chances finding
a metered space.
The University Parking
Service stated there was never
sufficient parking for North
Campus commuters. Parking
space has been reduced by 1/4
due to the addition of visitor
parking. Does this imply that
visitors' parking needs are more
important than students' parking
requirements?
Some staff paid parking areas
are not fully utilized. Notably, the
Glazier Way parking lot (NC51),
originally slated as a commuter
lot, and the Fuller Road lot
(NC35) are at least 50 percent
vacant during daytime parking
hours. Parking Services suggested
parking at Crisler Arena.
This would mean driving to
Crisler, riding the commuter bus
to central campus, switching
buses, and continuing on to North
Campus. NOT!
Another suggestion was to
purchase a student parking permit
for $244. OUCH!
Additionally, the Parking
Services official felt that the
University's efforts are not
directed at students' needs.
Exactly whose needs are they
addressing?
We urge any North Campus.
commuters sharing our frustration
to clip this letter, add your
signature and mail it to: Dr. Susan
Kirkpatrick, Manager Parking
Operations, 508 Thompson Street,
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2413.
Mark Nelson
Tim Sutton
Joe Zahrn
first-year graduate students
Ticket sales unfair
To the Daily:
I am appalled by the audacity
of the Athletic Department's
decision to make the student
seating of Michigan basketball
games "first come, first serve."
This is a slap in the face to
people who have purchased
season tickets in the past and
would have a higher seating
priority under the old system.
Students have better things to do
with their time (such as study)
than to arrive at a game two hours
in advance just to get good seats.
In my own case, I work for the
parking contractor and arnve at
games at least ten minutes after
they start. Under the new system,
my fellow workers and myself
will get the last seats available
and we will not be able to sit with
our friends.
Although I am pleased that
more students will be able to sit in
the blue section, I believe that the
new seating procedure is unfair. I
call for a return to the old seating
priority system. I also urge others
who feel the same way to write,
call, or visit the Athletic Director
and complain.
James Elek
LSA sophomore
BYOB not
Greek cure-all
To the Daily:
If not for a last-minute
conversation with a Panhellenic
member, I, too, may have found
out about the IFC/Panhel BYOB
plans in the Daily ("IFC executive
board pushing for approval of
BYOB policy," Daily, Sept. 11,
1991).
Neither myself (IFC Trea-
surer) nor the secretary of IFC
Exec were contacted by IFC
President Matt Commers about
the Sunday meeting, for reasons
unknown to us. This ommittance
from Commers' BYOB strategy
meeting may be related to the fact
our national fraternity is not one
of the "95 percent" that require
BYOB at its chapters.
.Furthermore, the vote was
unanimously in favor of IFC and
Panhel examining BYOB as a
potential policy, to my under-
standing.
If the vote was indeed for
creation of such a policy, I hereby
withdraw my vote.
With BYOB, responsibility
will be "in the hands of the
individual," but the individual
will still be drinking at a fraternity
house.
Drunken accidents and
fraternity liability, Commers' two
main reasons for sending his
BYOB letter to fraternity presi-
dents, will still occur and perpetu-
ate one another.
According to Joe Foster, the
new IFC advisor, the fraternity
will only be a fraction worse off
in court. BYOB will not regulate
the alcohol in a drunk's system
when he or she stumbles down
fraternity stairs; BYOB only
verifies he or she brought three
beers in with him, not the two
pitchers he or she drank at the bar.
I did not commit to serving on
IFC Executive board in order to
ensure a "level playing field," in a
system where reputation is king;
this feat is impossible to perform
by occasionally important
legislation.
We still cannot enforce the
open party policy the IFC voted in
last year; it appears this time we
are again creating legislation
before we know how to make it
work.
If this is Commers' idea of a
last hurrah before he leaves office
in December, I hope the fraterni-
ties on campus are willing to
sweep up this mess he will leave
behind.
Will Thompson
IFC Treasurer
LSA senior
The Daily encourages
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school and phone number.
They can be mailed to: The
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Or they can be sent via MTS
to: The Michigan Daily
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or comments, you can call
Stephen Henderson at 764-
0552.
"
'U' should support student activities
by Wendy Shanker that one football game when we University sacked UAC with an
In regards to the editorial of were pelted with marshmallows, $8,000 bill, ensuring that the
Thursday, Sept. 12, 1991, soggy from the rain. dance could never happen. This
("Enough is Enough: Administra- In what classroom we studied same policy was applied to
tors must no longer dismiss Italian in the MLB may not stick another University organization,
student input"): I could not agree with us for long, but that time we Kuumba, with the same goals in
with the Daily more regardingr the tried to be on Club MTV will. It mind.
0
0
ineffective manner in which
University administrators handle
student issues without student
input.
I am the Special Events
Coordinator for the University
Activities Center (UAC), and our
organization is a huge part of the
Michigan Union. Areas such as
social policy of student-sponsored
events in the Union, security at
the Union and even the treatment"
of the University Club (which I
believe is headed for demise)
deserved student consultation.
I am afraid students do not
realize that the small losses they
are suffering in the Union, and
among other University officials,
dramatically affect them.
As a student, I understand how
involvine classes can become hnt
I am afraid students do not realize that the
small losses they are suffering in the Union,
and among other University officials, dra-
matically affect them.
-j
is in this vein - the value of what
happens outside of classes - that
I write this.
I am doing my best to bring
special events to this campus that
have never been here before.
Companies like Nintendo,
Mademoiselle magazine, Girbaud
and CBS television are knocking
down our doors to promote
themselves - at no cost to
students - on this campus. Yet,
again and again, I run into barriers
from University administrators
who worry more about the safety
I am not representing my
organization when I make these
remarks. I am speaking on behalf
of myself, a student who is
frustrated, angry and asking for
answers.
But I am also asking the
University administrators to come
to us before they lay down
security laws that do not have to
exist. I am asking them to support
programs like the dance UAC has
planned for Sept. 25 as a motion
to prevent alcohol abuse, rather
than close the U-Club. But most
6
6
Nuts and Bolts
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by Judd Winick
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