Page 4-The Michigan Daily- Tuesday, October 1, 1991
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420 Maynard Street
Ann Arbor, Michigar 48109
Edited and Managed
by Students at the
University of Michigan
ANDREW K. GOTTESMAN
Editor in Chief
STEPHEN HENDERSON
Opinion Editor
Kgym
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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SRC
Cut me off? Am 1 hearing this?
Dad, it's the third week of school!
II ITISon, I appreciate your dilemma.
Your timing is incredible. Trust me. It'll help in your
transition from academia to
the real world...
- ---- i
by Thomas Keenan
What am 1 going to do? Get a job? I've got classes. I've got
bills! What about my studies, for pity's sake?
- -
Besides, it was you or the condo, and, no offense, it wasn't
that difficult of a decision...
7
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MSA Commission should mobilize campus
I n the wake of increased police action against
students this term, one might expect the
Michigan Student Assembly (MSA) to take the
lead in organizing some form of student opposition.
More specifically, one would expect the assembly's
Students Rights Commission (SR C) to assume that
role.
So far, though, MSA and SRC have reacted
only with trepidation to the situation. And SRC
Chair Michael Warren has demonstrated no less
than political ineptitude in his response.
As Chair of the SRC, Warren has been endowed
with an important post and a responsibility to try to
ensure students' rights. Unlike most MSA activi-
ties, the SRC is not for show; it helps to organize
and solidify coalitions of students to address con-
cerns over rights violations.
In the past, former SRC chair Corey Dolgon
was often criticized for acting prematurely and
using protest too often as a way to show student
opposition. But at least Dolgon did something.
It has been two weeks since the tear-gassing
incident on South University took place, and
Warren's only reaction has been to form an in-
vestigative subcommittee which has yet to meet.
As the chair of SRC, Warren should be the most
outspoken proponent of students' rights on cam-
pus. The SRC chair must be the investigatory arm
of MSA. Warren's job is to gather information,
foster discussion, and help coordinate a student
response. As of now, Warren is 0 for 3.
And the assembly has tacitly accepted Warren's
lack of resolve.
MSA President James Green and his cohorts
have yet to even acknowledge Warren's inaction.
Amidst the growing concerns over police violence,
Green has concentrated his efforts on furthering
the agenda of the Conservative Coalition and little
else.
It is becoming clear that the police are engaged
in an overly aggressive crackdown on Michigan
students. With increased patrols, attempts at en-
trapment and unreasonably high fines, students'
rights violations are becoming increasingly com-
monplace.
President James Green and SRC Chair Michael
David Warren were both elected on a promise to
make MSA a conduit for student concerns. But
their failure to respond to police activities would
indicate otherwise.
The police crackdown encompasses students of
all kinds - the very students who elected Green
and his party. These students deserve more force-
ful, potent leadership.
'U' women
University must act on committee recommendations
R ecently, the President's Advisory Commis-
sion on Women's Issues (PAC) released its
report assessing educational issues affecting the
achievements of females at the University. The
report said, "the University too often ignores
women's preferences, perspectives, and needs,
adversely affecting our ability to attract and keep
talented students, faculty, and staff." The Univer-
sity must take nc tice of this report, and begin to
actively encourage the advancement of women
throughout the University.
On our campus, only 8 percent of department
chairs and full professors are women. Of the 1,105
full professors, only 7 are women of color. While
28 percent of the assistant professors and 24 per-
cent of the associate professors are women, very
few are tenure track. Moreover, the number of
assistantprofessors recently dropped from 30 to 28
percent. Viewed collectively, these statistics
demonstrate an overall lack of commitment to
expanding the roles and number of women in the
faculty.
Vice President for Student Services Mary Ann
Swain is the sole woman administrator, and she
serves on an interim basis. Yet, women are found
in far greater numbers in lower-level jobs, where
they comprise 75 percent of the University
workforce.
The disproportionate number of females in
power positions even manifests itself in the class-
room, where women are sometimes discriminated
against by TAs and professors. As one female
stu.dent said, "In one of my classes, the women
were totally ignored. The TA taught only to the
males in the class." Another student said, "When
I speak in class I am constantly interrupted. I feel
attacked and alone."
The report also said sexual harassment is far
from being eliminated. Many female students have
reported sexual harassment and many instances of
harassment go unreported.
The report called on the University to do the
following: integrate women 's goals into the
University's strategic planning; hire significantly
more women faculty; increase the representation
of women in University leadership and adminis-
tration; adopt the policy on sexual harassment; and
declare 1992-93 the University of Michigan Year
of The Woman.
Rather than addressing women's problems in
name only with a publicity oriented program like
it's Year of the Woman, President Duderstadt and
the regents must implement the recommendations
outlined in the report and make specific progress
towards improving the campus invoronment for
women. Only by further involving women in the
administrative and educational roles of the Uni-
versity can progress be made.
'U' should
open housing
To the Daily:
The bigotry demonstrated by
certain supposedly educated and
enlighted residents of married
student housing and the
University's Board of Regents in
regards to gay people on this
campus is appalling and
embarassing to me as a graduate
student. The reasoning used to
support the idea that couples
living in same-sex relationships
should have no officially sanc-
tioned place on our housing is so
transparently fueled by ignorance
and fear that it surprises and
saddens me that this is happening
at a place where we claim to be
advancing humanity an its quality
of life through knowledge and
example. This issues must be kept
alive until justice is served and
gay relationships are seen as life-
giving and life-affirming adn gay
people themselves are accorded
the human rights and dignity
which is their due.
If our society is ever to grow
into a true appreciaionand
celebration of its wonderful
diversity, those who claim
leadership and didactic roles in
that society, including the
University, must act and speak
from a position of truth and
knowledge, not ignorance, hatred,
fear and compacency.
Timothy Huth
Rackham graduate student
A higher
level of thinking
To the Daily:
This letter, in a sense, is
directed to all people, no matter
what your ethnic, social, cultural
or economic background may be
and can be applied to several
scenarios.
As I was walking out of the
Central Campus Recreation
Building (CCRB) the other day
with my girlfriend, I walked past
a group of African-American
women. I am an African Ameri-
can. My girlfriend is white.
One of the women looked at
my girlfriend, then looked at me
and mumbled, "sell out." I was
surprised. Don't get me wrong.
I'm not naive. I know society as a
whole deems our relationship as
unacceptable. I have heard all of
the deragotory comments before
either directed at me or other
"unacceptable" couples.
So, why was I surprised? What
surprised me was her stark and
matter-of-fact attitutde as she
said, "sell out." Who is she to sit
on her high and all-mighty throne
and pass judgment on me like
that? I'm sure others have felt the
same way, but weren't bold
enough to say it to my face. How
did she know we were dating?
Could she see my eyes twinkling
and my heart flutter? For all she
knew we could have just been
friends or acquaintances.
Thinking on her level, I should
have replied: "By the looks of
your light complexion, someone
in your family could have 'sold
out."' But that would have been
dumb, stooping to her level.
I am pissed off, fed up and
frustrated with that kind of
thinking embedded in brothers
and sisters of all colors and
creeds. Now that we are at an
institution of higher learning, we
should move to a higher level of
thinking. People of color should
not fall into the trap of "tunnel
thinking," like many of our
Caucasian counterparts have been
known to do. Just because I
choose to date a white woman -
or for that matter a non-black -
does not mean I'm not "down"
with the black cause or that I'm
doing this because I seek higher
social status (like so many
wannabe psychologists and
sociologists have hypothesized).
You don't know me!
Therefore, don't ever so
fashionably make a blind judg-
ment about me. I'll continue to
date women - Black, white,
hispanic, Oriental - who
exemplify the qualities I value. I
respect others' rights to associate
with and date whomever they
want; I should be shown the same
respect.
Rudy Redmond
Engineering senior
Clean up the mess
To the Daily:
This letter is to once again
address the campus groups
putting fliers on the sidewalks
(and University buildings and
statues in certain fountains). I am
not protesting the use of the fliers,
just the method in which they are
removed.
As far as I can tell, the papers
stay taped down until grounds
maintenance crews can clean
them up.
With fraternity and sorority
rush upon us again, should not the
groups themselves clean up their
messes? The names of the
organizations are usually printed
directly on the flier, so they can
be held responsible. It is not the
job of University employees to
take care of such things.
Andrea Berez
School of Art sophomore
The Daily encourages re-
sponses from its readers.
Letters should be 150 words or
less and include the author's
name, year in school and phone
number. They should be mailed
to: The Michigan Daily, 420
Maynard, Ann Arbor 48109.
Or they can be sent via MTS to:
The Michigan Daily Letters to
the Editor. The Daily does not
alter the content of letters, but
reserves the right to edit for
style and space considerations.
Questions or comments should
be directed to Stephen
Henderson at 764-0552.
Mules ahead
Jazz trumpeter was ahead of his time
T he death of Jazz trumpeter and composer Miles
Davis last Saturday marks the end of one of the
most influential and dynamic careers in 20th cen-
tury music. Davis is recognized worldwide for his
role in shaping the ever-changing landscape of
jazz.
.zMiles made early contributions to music as a
player in the Charlie Parker quintet in the mid
1940s. His collaborations with John Lewis and
Gerry Muligan in 1948 spawned a new strain of
music called "cool jazz." This music conatained
flowing solos of the early Bop era set to a laid back
swing beat and richer harmonies than those of
early jazz.
But during the mid 1950s, Davis began to feel
ihat cool jazz, with it's growingly complicated
orchestrations, was losing its soul. So he changed
it.
He formed the Miles Davis quintet, which fea-
tured such great talents as John Coltrane, Red
Garland, Paul Chambers, and "Philly" Joe Jones.
This quintet took jazz to a new level. Roundabout
Midnight (1955) contained - pieces, like its title
track written by Thelonious Monk, filled with
feeling and melancholy, and others, like Ah-leu-
cha with the driving beat of "hard Bop."
Davis collaborated with arranger Gil Evans in
1958 to record George Gershwin's Porgy andBess
with a symphony of jazz musicians. This ground-
breaking album lead many critics to anticipate a
future for so called "third stream" music, whereby
jazz and classical elements would be combined.
One yearlater, Davis changed gears once again. He
began experimenting with modal scales and re-
corded "Kind of Blue," the first album of this new
genre. Miles branched out into new fields of music
with the release of Bitches'Brew, where he is
credited with starting the movement towards fussion
- where elements of rock were added to jazz.
Not content to remain in one field for long,
Davis kept switching the harmonies, orchestra-
tion, and feeling of his music - often offending his
fans, and leaving his colleagues no choice but to
play catch-up.
But his non-stop innovations in music, in addi-
tion to his unique sound as a trumpeter and the
hands-on role he took as a band leader were the key
to the great music he created.
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PC isn't just a sign of the 90s
by Joan Lowenstein
Although "PC" is relatively new
terminology, political correctness
has been around for a long time.
If you were an abolitionist in the
19th cen-
tury South, MICHIGAN DAILY
it was po- ELEBRATES
litically 00_
correct to a
get out of
town. If you
were an an-
archist dur-
ing WWI,it
was politi-
cally cor-
pressed by the majority of the
people, or by those in power, has
simply been a way of life. Luckily,
we have a constitution that protects
dissent.
The First Amendment isn't re-
ally necessary for those in the po-
litically correct majority. Someone
who says, "Let's nail Saddam
Hussein" or "Just say no to drugs"
doesn't have to worry about being
punished for expressing controver-
sial views.
But people who choose to burn
the American flag, or belong to the
Communist Party, or to protest a
popular war do need to be protected
from the "majority rule" mentality
that would silence their expression.
In the 1940s when Jehovah
Witness children in West Virginia
chose to follow their religion and
not salute the American flag, po-
litically correct West Virginians~
In the 1960s when college pro-
fessors in New York refused to take
loyalty oaths to affirm that they did
not belong to "subversive" organi-
zations, state university adminis-
trations wanted to fire them. But
Justice William Brennan said that
teachers especially should be al-
lowed a "free play of the spirit" and
the Court held the oaths unconsti-
tutional.
That atmosphere of free spirit is
what has allowed women, Blacks,
Hispanics, Asians and others the
ability to invade the traditionally
homogeneous universities, and to
suggest a change in attitudes and
even (gasp) curriculum that have
been politically correct for centuries.
So it is particularly ironic that
President Bush, an advocate of
censorship for war protesters and
family planning clinics, would come
to this uiniversitv and talk about
0
by
Joan
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Nuts and Bolts
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Y'VAHA-1pRAND KEEPI
MY UFF! I WT CARE
by Judd Winick
WELms IACLEVER
rect to keep
quiet. If you
were in
Hollywood in the 1950s, it was po-
litically correct to turn in your left-
wing colleagues to the Committee
on Unamerican Activities. And if
I
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