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Page 4-The Michigan Daily- Monday, September 30, 1991
teb Mittiganuai1y
420 Maynard Street
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
Edited and Managed
by Students at the
University of Michigan
ANDREW K. GOTTESMAN
Editor in Chief
STEPHEN HENDERSON
Opinion Editor
F
11-1
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.
Student Services
University should replace Swain with someone more receptive
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uite often, the University hires an administra-
torwho does aless-than-perfectjob. Somewhat
less often, the University hires an administrator
who completely disregards the responsibilities as-
sociated with their position. Such is the case with
outgoing Interim Vice President for Student Ser-
yices Mary Ann Swain.
Since Swain assumed the vice presidency last
fall, the Office for Student Services has forgotten
that it was created to provide student services, not
student regulation. Swain has consistently ignored
student perspectives on University policy, and her
term has been characterized by the attitude that the
administration knows more about what's best for
the students than students themselves.
The University is encouraged, as it searches for
her replacement, to find someone who will more
.effectively deal with students and their concerns.
The first example of Swain's attitude came last
year with the -creation of a deputized University
police force.
This policy, which did not initiate in Swain's
office, met with overwhelming student opposition
- opposition that was ignored.
Instead of actually considering student ideas,
Swain conducted a series of so-called "student
forums" where many voices were heard, but few
listened to.
Swain also demonstrated her disdain for fonni-
dable student input in the policies of restricted
access to the Michigan Union.
Last year, Swain responded to a series of violent
incidents during weekend parties at the Union by
restricting party attendance. While her actions
may have been justified, the policy was created
with little or no student input.
And at the beginning of this term, students
attempting to enter their student union on Thurs-
day, Friday, and Saturday nights after 9 p.m. were
denied access unless they could present valid stu-
dent identification.
This policy is even less defensible than the first,
and the fact that it was implemented with abso-
lutely no student input only reinforces Swain's
blatant unwillingness to include students in deci-
sions that directly affect their lives.
Swain has been single-handedly responsible
for the exclusion of student input from the policy-
making process over her term, and few will be
sorry to see her go.
The next Vice President for Student Services
must not follow Swain's example. Constructive
dialogue with the students that truly addresses
their concerns must be the rule, rather than the
exception. Whomever takes the post should under-
stand that students must have a say in matters that
affect them.
Unless that happens, the only student service
performed by that office will continue to be lip
service.
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Ann Arbor
Community offers a multitude
A well-rounded college education includes far
more than basic vocational training and ex-
posure to the liberal arts. Students should be exposed
to the many different facets of American society
,and world cultures. TheAnn Arbor community and
the many University of Michigan cultural organi-
zations do an outstanding job of providing cultural
and historical experiences for their students, as
well as other Ann Arbor residents.
The University boasts a number of museums
that cover a wide spectrum of human interests. The
Alumni Memorial Hall on State St. displays a
'collection of art, which include ancient statues and
modern paintings. The Kelsey Museum offers
countless hours of fascination in the anthropological
sciences. The University also has aNatural History
Museum, as well as the Gerald R. Ford Library on
North Campus, for those fascinated by the tumul-
tuous years of the Ford Presidency.
The University Musical Society does a splen-
did job bringing cultural organizations from all
over the world to perform before Ann Arbor au-
diences. Zubin Mehta and the Israel Philharmonic
have visited. Symphonies from Oslo, Leningrad,
and Chicago stun students and residents with their
moving renditions of modem, classical, and ro-
mantic music. The King's Singers from England,
and the New York City Ballet are due to perform at
of cultural experiences
Hill Auditorium this coming season.
Prices for such concerts would be phenomenal
anywhere else in the country, but the Musical
Society, with the understanding that University
performances should be primarily for students,
offered a half-price sale for all tickets for all
students. Rush tickets are also sold the day of the
concerts at low prices.
Smaller organizations, like the Residential
College (RC), also do their part. The RC sponsored
an art exhibit, featuring the photography of Barbara
Morgan, and modem dance choreographed by
Martha Graham. Students had the opportunity to
examine beautiful black-and-white photography
and witness a ten-minute emotional dance, called
Lamentation, free of charge.
In addition to University activities, several
smaller art galleries are already open all over Ann
Arbor, displaying the talent and creativity of Ann
Arbor residence and Michigan students.
Very few communities offer so many opportu-
nities to examine art or ancient history at such
reasonable prices and convenience.
Students owe it to themselves to take a week-
end, every now and then, and see what Ann Arbor
has to offer. After leaving Ann Arbor, students may
never again find these opportunities so readily
available.
Don't boot RQTC
To the Daily:
In reference to an article on
Sept. 17 ("Committee issues
report on U' climate for gays"),
the University should not heed the
special committee's recommenda-
tion to ban the Reserve Officers'
Training Corps (R.O.T.C.) from
campus if the Defense Depart-
ment does not change its policies
on gays and lesbians.
The Department of Defense
(DOD) is not a self-guiding body.
It responds immediately to the
Secretary of Defense and the
president. If either of these two
men wanted to change the
department's policy on gays and
lesbiand, they could.
The executive branch is not
the only branch that spawns the
DOD's policies. Its policy also
grows out of Congressional
mandate. This only makes sense.
The president may have the
authority, but Congress has the
bucks. If Congress wants it, so be
it.
If people want DOD policy to
change in regard to gay men
lesbians, the threat should not be
to throw R.O.T.C. off campus, but
to throw their elected representa-
tives out of Washington.
Another factor is that throwing
R.O.T.C. off campus would hurt
the social and intellectual fabric
of this University and deny high-
quality students a chance at a
high-quality education. In contrast
to students who can spend their
four years on campus doing as
they please with not financial
worry or responsibility to no one
but themselves, R.O.T.C. students
have to accept great responsibility
at an early age to reap their
financial benefits. This responsi-
bility causes them to think deeply'
about their commitments to our
nation and its military, and to
question their beliefs on war and
peace. They question all views
and authority, not just conserva-
tive ones.
On a campus with a plethora
of politically correct speech and
appearance and a dangerous
willingness among many here to
sacrifice the rights of certain
students to avoid stirring up the
sensitivities of others, ROTC
students add a fresh and thought-
ful contrast.
Michael Barron, Jr.
LSA senior
Hockey tickets
cause headaches
To the Daily:
As a first-year student, I knew
my chances for getting good seats
for hockey games this season
were dim. But I knew that the
University policy for distributing
the tickets was going to give me a
chance to get one. Or so I thought.
Now, I knew that getting to
the Union three hours late on the
day of the ticket sales was not
going to help - I figured I should
go to my classes. My friends were
waiting fo me downstairs in a
huge, uncontrollable mass on the
ground floor. Th re was not a
marked line - nothing was roped
off. I figured with all the poeple
there and since the tickets had
only been on sale for three hours,
that there would be many left.
Well, I found out that a few
people had collected 50 I.D.s and
checks and had camped out in
front of the ticket window. Now,
there's nothing wrong with
waiting in line that long, but those
few people took about 200 tickets
in the first minutes.
At least I knew the tickets
were only $45. But then I read in
the Daily that the tickets were
$50! I called the ticket office and
the price was confirmed by a
young lady who said the original
price had been a misprint. I finally
got to the front of the line and got
out my check. I was told they
were out of reserved seats, but
they were selling general admis-
sion seats for the same price.
What a deal!
I was just about to leave when
I was told I would have to pay a
three-dollar service charge when I
picked up my tickets. For what
service?
Maybe I'm just blowing this
out of proportion, and I should
just deal with it. But the idea of
standing around for hour to buy
non-existent reserved tickets
because of a few people seems
quite ridiculous.
David Chute
tngineering
first-year student
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Bergalis bil
Mandatory AIDS testing won't
imberly Bergalis, a young woman who was
infected with AIDS by her dentist, received
extensive media attention when she travelled to
Washington, D.C. to deliver an emotional plea to
Congress last week. She testified in support of a
bill, sponsored by Rep. William Dannemeyer (R-
Calif.) in the House of Representatives, that would
,equire mandatory AIDS testing of health care
,professionals who perform invasive procedures,
and would also permit patients to be tested for the
virus without their consent.
While Bergalis' story is certainly a tragic one,
this bill, bearing her name, has the wrong focus for
dealing effectively with AIDS.
In her testimony, Bergalis stated, "I didn't do
anything wrong, but I'm being made to suffer like
this." By stressing that she is an innocent victim of
AIDS, she reinforces the perception of AIDS as a
disease exclusive to homosexuals and drug-users
who somehow "deserve" it.
Thousands of people in the United States are
suffering from AIDS, and the disease demands our
national attention. But Kimberly Bergalis has come
to symbolize more of a reactionary fear than the
need for serious attention. AIDS is undeniably a
frightening disease, and the medical profession
needs to provide an environment that is safe for
#patients and doctors.
solve the problem
But representatives from leading national health
care organizations have testified in Congress that
the testing would be basically useless and could
cost up to a billion dollars a year. The testing could
give only a false sense of assurance because it
responds to antibodies months after a person is
infected. And even if the testing. was done several
times a year, it could offer no additional assurance
that someone was free from AIDS at any given
time.
More importantly, testing health care profes-
sionals several times a year is vastly expensive.
These funds could be more wisely directed toward
research for a treatment or cure, and are greatly
needed.
Medically, it would be more effective to con-
centrate on how AIDS is transferred than on who
specifically is infected with the disease. Medical
procedures should ensure protection from the
transfer of AIDS, regardless of who is infected. It
is safer to assume anyone could have AIDS because
testing is not shown to be infallible.
A judgement on the way in which someone has
become infected with AIDS should play no part in
dealing with the disease. All victims of AIDS are
suffering, and the current House bill only lets
irrational fears and self-righteous jud gements
prevent real progress in addressing the problem.
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by Daniel Stewart
America is becoming a
second-class nation. We are
losing ground economically and,
at a time of democratic revolution
around the world, we are faced
with the same stagnant political
system we have had for decades.
Newly liberated countries look
to the United States as a role
model, not realizing that the two-
party gridlock which has devel-
oped in this country is causing our
government to become something
less than a truly representative
democracy.
What is the cause of our
political stagnation?
The answer is simple: money.
Here's how it works. The Repub-
lican and Democratic parties,
having established themselves as
successful vote-getting machines,
attract all the campaign funds
donated by favor-seeking busi-
nesses and lobbying groups. The
voters, seeing only two mediocre
parties competing for office,
become understandably apathetic
toward politics.
The crucial link in the chain,
incumbents under the philosophy
that attleast things will probably
not get worse.
What can be done to stop this
downward spiral into stale
mediocrity?
This answer is also simple:
"What do the people who elect
me want?"
Second, the advantage of
incumbency would be reduced to
name recognition and a visible
past record.
Without their traditional
The Republican and Democratic parties, hav-
ing established themselves as successful
vote-getting machines, attract all the cam-
paign funds donated by favor-seeking busi-
nesses and lobbying groups.
Eliminate the pervasive influence
of money on politics by making
significant changes in campaign
finance regulations.
Suppose, for example, that
private campaign donations were
eliminated entirely, and that each
candidate who could show some
minimum level of popular support
would receive a fixed campaign
allowance from the government.
What would happen in the
campaign arena?
First, the power of rich lobbies
and special interests would be
drastically reduced. Of course,
financial advantage, incumbents
would be forced to rely on
substance in their campaigns
rather than media saturation. In
the hot fire of competition among
equals, issues would again come
forth in campaigns. The selection
of candidates would also widen,
with independents and third-party
candidates placed on an equal
footing with their Republican and
Democratic counterparts.
Lest this example frighten
taxpayer with thoughts about its
cost to them, a comparison to the
current system in which private
9
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Nuts and Bolts
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LITrTLE FRATWABCOT
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