Page 4 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, January 29, 1992
Ab idwrn1ailg
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420 Maynard Street
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
747-2814
Edited and Managed
by Students at the
University of Michigan
ANDREW K. GOTTESMAN
Editor in Chief
STEPHEN HENDERSON
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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Deputization hearings a far cry from fair
Yesterday, the University announced the staff to make their concerns known, and
dates on which the board of regents will deputization is too important and too controversial
.~~hld public hearings on deputization. an issue to prevent anyone in this community from
Unfortunately, the timing, length and na- being heard. The time allotted for the hearings
tre of the hearings hardly live up to the should be properly extended to facilitate more
spirit of Public Act 120, the legislation input.
tat allowed for deputization under the regents. Perhaps the most disappointing part of the
More importantly, the hearings' structure is an University's announcement is the fact that the
impediment to meaningful community input, hearings will not provide an opportunity for dia-
The hearings will take place on Wednesday, logue with the regents; speakers will merely ad-
Feb. 19 from 4 to 6p.m. and on Thursday, Feb.20 dress theregents. This typeof public session, much
from 4 to 5 p.m. They will be conducted much like like the regents monthly public comments ses-
the regents' regular, monthly public comments sions, is a farce. The regents are likely to listen
sessions: Those who wish to speak will have to politely to the speakers and then ignore what they
sign up beforehand and will be given five minutes have to say. Even worse, they could revert to their
each to address the board. usual practices and sit comatose through the hear-
But the week of Feb. 19 and 20 is the week ings.
before spring break, when many students are pre- The administration should implement hearings
occupied with mid-terms and the impending vaca- during which the regents actually take part in
tion. Additionally, many students may have planned discussion with speakers.
months ago to leave town by Wednesday or Thurs- Public Act 120 established the hearings as an
day of that week, and will not be able to attend the opportunity for the community to adequately voice
hearings. The administration could easily have its concerns about deputization. Even the Univer-
picked a time more conducive to student participa- sity must acknowledge this fact. Rather than de-
tion. emphasizing the hearings, and neglecting commu-
The hearings are also too short. Three hours nity concerns, the administration should follow the
simply isn't enough time for students, faculty and spirit of the legislation.
SRC should work harder to protest hearings, educate students
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...Meanwhile, the Students Rights Commission
(SRC) seems all too willing to play by the
administration's rules. Despite persistent attempts
by the SRC and others to construct a more amiable
environment for the deputization hearings, stu-
dents have failed to achieve substantial conces-
sions froi'i the administration.
The SRC, with the help of other students should
start now by protesting the tokenized hearing pro-
cess, and insist that the administration lengthen the
meetings. Equally strong must be the SRC's com-
mitment to keep students informed about the hear-
ings, and ensuring active opponents of deputization
attend. At last night's Michigan Student Assembly
meeting, SRC vice chair Robert Van Houweling
seemed hasty to let the University take care of
publicity for the hearings.
He appeared content to have the administration
announce the hearings through Daily advertise-
ments, and invite concerned students by mail. This
is a mistake.
It is clearly the SRC's responsibility to mobilize
students for the hearings, in addition to informing
students in the community about the event. The
SRC needs to take the deputization issue to the
students by canvassing individuals, advertising
and circulating fliers. It would do well to use some
of the techniques Cottage Inn Pizza and other local
businesses use to reach students in the residence
halls.
Another positive role the SRC could take in-
volves educating students. One quarter of the stu-
dents here were not around during last year's anti-
deputization movement. By holding its own edu-
cational forums the SRC could reach students who
are unaware of the issues.
The SRC can't let deputization slip by withonly
token gestures to get students involved. The com-
mission must live up to its name, and assure that
students' rights are respected.
Ypsilanti is
my kind of town
To the Daily:
There are several issues I
would love to debate with you
regarding your opinions on the
Deja Vu issue (1/22/92). But, for
the time being I would like to
address the statement, "Moreover,
it is foolish to suggest that Deja
Vu, which grosses over $1 million
dollars (sic) a year and is patron-
ized by over 2,000 customers per
week, is in conflict with the moral
standards of Ypsilanti."
Would it be reasonable for me
to say that this means that
Ypsilanti residents are the only
people visiting this establishment,
thereby reflecting the entire city's
moral standards? The last I heard,
Deja Vu offers the only nude
dancing in southeast Michigan.
Could it be possible that maybe
one or two of its patrons are from
outside the city?
Or, if I have misunderstood
your intent, would it mean that
Ypsilanti residents are concerned
only with the tax revenue that this
business generates, and should not
"bite the hand that feeds them?"
As a resident of Ypsilanti, I
am becoming used to the subtle
and not-so-subtle derogatory
remarks from Ann Arborites,
many of whom have never even
set foot in Ypsilanti.
It's easy to understand how
people get the impressions they
have, based on this type of
statement. I would certainly
appreciate more complete and
accurate coverage of this issue in
the future, rather than the one
dimensional portrayal which you
have just published.
Amy L. Doyle
Rakham graduate student
Let people speak
To the Daily:
Wednesday, Jan. 22 marked
the 19th anniversary of the
Supreme Court decision Roe v.
Wade, legalizing abortion.
Traditionally both sides of the
abortion debate hold rallies to
recognize the significance of the
event. This year's rallies by both
the pro-abortion and anti-abortion
forces were marred by rather
disturbing behavior.
The Ann Arbor Committee to
Defend Abortion and Reproduc-
tive Rights (ACCDARR), which
participated in the pro-abortion
rally, refused to allow the anti-
abortion student group, Students
for Life, its opportunity to use the
Diag for its own rally.
ACCDARR instead took
control of the Graduate Library
steps, taking and hiding the
microphone to be used for
speeches, and persistently-
chanting to drown out anything
the Students for Life had to say.
Once Students for Life was
finally able to begin their rally,
the many speakers the group had
specially brought in were ha-
rassed and yelled down by the
pro-abortionists.
The pro-abortionists had their
opportunity to present their side
of the issue in their rally, yet they
refused the anti-abortionists their
right to express their side as well.
Is the ACCDARR side of the
abortion issue so weak that it
cannot stand up to scrutiny and
rebuttal by the opposing side?
What was ACCDARR so
afraid of that it could not allow a
group with just as much right to
speak air their own views? The
behavior of the ACCDARR group.
at these rallies was reprehensible
and inexcusable, doing far more
to hurt their own cause then the
opposing side.
I urge both sides, especially
the obnoxious members of
ACCDARR, to stop such grand-
standing and disruption and
engage in an intelligent dialogue
over this complex issue.
ScottGast
LSA sophomore
Colorless violence
To the Daily:
Black-on-Black violence is a
terrible thing. So is violence.
However tautological that point
may sound, it is important to
stress it.
The Daily reported (1/21/92)
that two nationally recognized
speakers (Hooks and Archer)
decried "Black-on-Black"
violence in their MLK day
addresses. Hooks and Archer's
intentions are praise-worthy.
Nothing could be better for
the African-American community
than for it to ban together and stop
crime. Nothing could be more
rewarding for the African-
American community than to help
each other raise their own
economic status. Black groups
should continue to work together
and solve their problems.
However, are the problems
found in skin color or in crime
and violence? The term "Black-
on-Black" implies that skin color
should be the only factor in
deciding who suffers violence.
Wouldn't it make more sense to
fight "neighborhood violence" or
"inter-community violence" or
perhaps violence on the poor? For
that matter, why not fight crime
and violence in general?
It is peculiar that on a day
honoring a man who sought racial
unity through non-violence,
Hooks and Archer, from what the
Daily reports, fail to consistently
connect these ideas in their
speeches. I understand, or at least
attempt to understand, the
ugliness of young Black men
murdering each other.
Yet, the term "Black-on-
Black" implies that the answer is
to murder lighter-skinned people.
I know this is not what Archer
and Hooks mean, and I respect
their intentions.
However, "Black-on-Black"
shifts attention away from the
violence and anger that cause
problems. It focuses instead on
skin-color which makes the term,
by definition, racist.
Ben Reames
RC first-year student
Babes and.beer
Fraternity flier reveals the source of the brotherhood bonds
O nce again, it is time for first-year male students However, Theta Delta Chi is not just one bad
to go out and listen to their primal mating urges. apple. The fraternity system as a whole promotes
Fraternity rush has begun once more. This festive this kind of sexist and objectifying behavior. All
time is hon- - men in fraternities are not sexist, however all men
ored by deco- in fraternities are affiliated with a sexist and insti-
ratingtheDiag tutionally segregationist system.
with colorful real fraternity Fraternities came into being during the middle
banners and a labou of the last century. Aside from the exclusion of
tackingup fly- women, many of these fraternities also had the
ers over every exclusion of Jews and Blacks written into their
square inch of a charters. Although these provisions are no longer
the University. explicitly enforced, somehow the effects are un-
As expected, comfortably similar.
for it happens There are very few Blacks in the mainstream
every semes- -~Greek system and there are clearly houses that are
ter, someofthe sunderstood to be of certain ethnic majority. In
flyers don't -addition, there is still the segregation of men and
held back. -=.. women, each adhering to a different set of rules.
They aimright One can babble on about brotherhood and the
toward the -ideological dogmas of a fraternity however, a
heart of why Brotherhood! Rush OAX! more pressing issue is how these institutions play
men seek to be 700 s. state St out in reality.
in fraternities Fraternities are social organizations. The pur-
in the first place, women. pose is not to eradicate sexism or fight the repres-
This term's winner for most sexist flyer is Theta sive gender roles imposed upon men in today's
Delta Chi, with their outstanding portrayal of the society. The purpose of fraternities, for all practical
objectification of women that takes place in frater- purposes, is to create social situations where men
nities. The flyer, which has since been taken down, and women can come together and meet. This is a
read "What is a real fraternity all about?" Beneath very natural and healthy desire. However, what
this sentence was a beautiful woman wearing close actually happens is a subconscious social phenom-
to nothing leaning on a keg, which she clearly enon, where members of a fraternity meet on their
brought to the party herself because fraternity lowest common denominator.
parties are now BYOB. The bottom of the flyer The sexism in fraternities is an intensification
reads "Brotherhood! Rush Theta Delta Chi!" of the sexism that pervades society. This flyer is no
Brotherhood, as it is commonly understood, is different than most beer and car ads which use the
a bond between brothers. It is an association of size of a woman's breasts to sell fermented grains
men united in some common interest. and gas efficiency. However, sexism and the objec-
If this woman and this keg somehow promote tification of woman should not be tolerated in
the conception of brotherhood, one must question society at large and should beequallyintolerablein.
what the fraternity conception of brotherhood is all the fraternity system. What is a real fraternity all
about. about?
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Bad service
by Kreg Nichols
There is nothing more
annoying to me than bad service.
Unfortunately, that is exactly
what I've experienced during my
first semester at the University.
You might think I'm complaining
about the staff or administration
of the University. However, it is
not the University that has
disenchanted me, but the service
provided within Ann Arbor.
Ann Arbor is not a bad place.
It's small enough that there is no
rampant crime and I feel rela-
tively safe walking the streets at
night. What bothers me is the
service provided by Ann Arbor
business toward its student
population.
It should be a business goal to
provide both polite and good
service if a business wishes to
survive. Normally a business'
service is checked by customers
should not
number of local restaurants. The
service has been nearly perfect.
The most reasonable explanation
for this is that the waitstaffs are
usually made up entirely of
students.
There could be two explana-
tions for this. First, the
waitperson/student's income is
directly proportional to the
service they provide. Secondly, a
waitperson who is a student most
likely feels a slight kinship to
their fellow peers. As mentioned
before though, restaurants are the
exception.
The greatest example and most
common cause of my ire is Ann
Arbor's banks. I can understand
and accept a certain amount of
indifference seeing that this is a
college town.
After all I am sure that college
students are not the banks' prime
customers. Yet, I come from
be tolerated
September, I have visited my
bank a number of times. Each
time I was greeted in the same
manner by an unfriendly teller.
They often seemed anxious for
something, possibly for the arrival
of their lunch break or closing
time. During the course of the
semester I received help non-
grudgingly only once.
Even though I am a student, I
feel that I deserve better service. I
finally decided to take this up
with the management of my bank.
After complaining to a rude teller,
she seemed very happy to
apologize. Her anxiousness to
reconcile made me uneasy.
The way she suddenly acted
- as though she felt horrible for
what had been done - left a
feeling of insincerity. I then
kindly asked to see her superior.
After talking to the manager she
said that the problem would be
0
Nuts and Bolts
INOTS AND BLSWK5O S-r ~Cc*~ttvuES.
-rM(THlE US WACN IM41EViSION ANtD EAT ________
by Judd Winick
ONLY 00 CA Sropmts
MADNESS. SENPFAN MAIL
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