Page 4-The Michigan Daily- Monday, February 10, 1992 r ic Lirbigan ailu Fditor im Chief 420 Maynard Street Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109 764 - 0552 MA'f'IIEW 17. RENNIE Opinion Editors YAEL CITRO GEOFFREY EARLE AMITAVA MAZUMDAR Edited and Managed by Students at the University of Michigan / 1--7 ._'- Unsigned editorials represent a majority cf the Daily's Editorial Board. All other cartoons, signed articles, and letters do not necessarily represent the opinion of the Daily. Sending out an S.O.S. to Bullard As the deputization hearings approach, it is becoming increasingly clear that the ,."i " :~tt :i : students stand alone in the fight to pro- ) tect the campus from an armed militia. "" The possibility of any organized campus movement effectively countering the mo- mentum of the deputization process alone seems slim. Clearly, students need help from outside the campus, specifically state Rep. Perry Bullard (D- Ann Arbor). Bullard has historically supported students' rights. In fact, Public Act 120, which Bullard authored, is a bill that bolsters the position of the students. The act mandates the creation of an oversight board consisting of two students, two staffers, and two administrators. The board will be responsible for overseeing the activities of the University police. The bill also mandates public hearings to ensure at least some community input in the deputization process. The hearings, as they have been scheduled, violate the spirit of the legislation. The two meet- ings were scheduled back to back, leaving little time for the regents to consider public suggestions. Additionally, the regents allotted only three hours of public speaking time. Students must sign up beforehand in order to speak, and are limited to only five minutes speaking time. Since Bullard wrote the law, he is in the best position to step in and guarantee that the adminis- tration adheres to the spirit of the law. At the very least, he could publicly challenge the administra- tion, through a press release or by other means, by insisting that the law not be ignored. Bullard's work to help protect the community through Public Act 120 is appreciated, but today, he is needed to take a very forceful and public stance against the tyrannical policies of the admin- istration. In fact, Bullard would do the University community a great service if he were to appear at the hearings and ensure that the regents comply with the law. Now is not the time for Bullard to take a back seat. Students' rights are being ignored and ne- glected. If Bullard does not step in now, things will only get worse. sKUZE Pr ISK pJ 25 r _ too ; >1 N 3tSHFNiL ' I' O i 2 1. ,0 >FCI'tE rr ' L. Iq Y FR. o Sot4EriN'- 14 & 0 u!-r -rHEF SZ oN5 ia}???:iiUii::L ta ": i ":i o: }:i'X:P~i.ttt ::. . ..::::.::: ::: ::::. :":. :V:................... :."::. . .. ."{ Chalk-in begins fight against cops It was a nostalgic and reassuring sign to see students chalking on the Diag last Wednesday and taking an active stance against the upcoming deputization of the University police force under the Uni- versity Board of Regents. Chalking be- came a symbol of last year's anti-deputization r movement. It is encouraging to see students work- ing to educate and to increase awareness about the wdangers of a deputized police force, and the hasty manner in which the University is rushing through the process. An organization called SHIT Happens (Students Halting Institutionalized Terrorism), has recently formed to warn students of the impending threat of an armed police force. SHIT Happens is focusing on the upcoming public hearings con- cerning deputization. As the chalk on the Diag tells us, the regents have ordered a prodigious 40,000 rounds of am- munition and 5,000 rounds of silver hollow tipped bullets to stock the University arsenal. SHIT Hap- pens asserts that the issue is not just about this -. unnecessary and dangerous purchase. More im- portantly, it is about the massive implications that regental deputization will have on police account- ability. The University police are presently ac- countable to the sheriff of Washtenaw County, who is in turn accountable to the Washtenaw County voters. If the proposed deputization goes through, the University police will be accountable to the re- gents, who are effectively accountable to no one but themselves. Perhaps the most outrageous action taken by the administration is the decision to schedule time in a manner allowing only a few dozen students to speak at the upcoming deputization hearings. Those without an opportunity to speak have little hope of exerting influence beyond showing up in large numbers and writing letters - which may or may not be read. Everyone connected with the University has a right to be heard. An alternative to the current token hearings would be hearings at which all concerned could voice their opinions about cam- pus safety. In this way, the University might even- tually have a security force suited to the commu- nity. The chalk-in was the first deputization protest of the year. Such agitation is a necessary part of the movement to see the police force disarmed, dis- solved, or at least under community control. Daily cartoon was offensive to Latinos To the Daily: I found the editorial cartoon by Greg Stump (2/3/92) to be very offensive. The portrayal of Latinos as being non-Americans/ foreigners is blatantly false. Does Stump realize that people in Central and South America call themselves Americans? America does include all the Americas - not just the United States. However, if Stump is referring to the Latino communities in the United States as being un- American or foreign, he is making an obviously racist statement. Does he consider them foreign because they are bilingual? The United States is made up of many cultures and races - not just European descendants. Ever since the United States took part of Mexico (California, Arizona and Texas, just to name a few), Chicanos have been labeled as foreigners. It is very sad and depressing to see that people still think like that. I think Stump owes the Latino community an apology. Nancy Lee Walker LSA senior Stunted students? To the Daily: Perhaps a better title for the "S" piece (2/3/92) is: "Silly Students Suck, Suffer Social Stunting." Todd Beeby LSA sophomore Photo was not needed To the Daily: While Bennett Seacrist's letter (1/28/92) warranted the response it received (2/5/92), was it truly necessary to include the photo. I didn't think so. Kari Upham LSA first-year student To the Daily: I am writing in response to Ms. Vines' article "What piece of work is man (2/6/92)." Although I have known Vines since high school and value her friendship, I felt compelled to respond to her article. Though I do not agree with the causes of most of the so- called "men's movements" and I admit that men are in no way oppressed (they still dominate America's political and business spheres), I feel that Vines' article was very one-sided and unfair. First of all, men's movements are fringe groups; most men are not obsessed with their places in society as Vines claims. Second, Vines unabashedly reveals her bias throughout the article. In her section describing the men's movement, Vines says that the members of this move- ment "fenagle" legislation; and Vines stereotypes the typical member of the mythopoetic as "a violent, hate-mongering Gloria Steinem in a long beard and loincloth." Vines follows this section of her article with a section entitled the "the critics," as if she hadn't maligned the men's movement enough already. Third, there is a major contradiction inherent in Vines' article. While admitting that society often looks down upon males who cry openly, she calls upon men to "let the tears flow." Yet when Vines is confronted with societal pressures she finds her " 'proper' niche in society." Sounds like a double standard to me. Even more offensive than the article itself, are the accompany- ing photographs. First, we see a photograph of a man looking at a Playboy magazine. The photo is entitled " Man reading," as if the man was some sort of lower primate on display at a zoo. exhibit. Then we see a collage of tatoos, guns, beer, and condoms, thus categorically reinforcing all of the negative male stereotypes that one could think of. Let's face it: not every man is a "detached or unemotional lug" or a "football-cheering, beer- drinking Al Bundy." Sexist remarks hurt their victims, whether male or female. David Miles LSA junior Write the Daily The Daily encourages its reders to voice their opinions. Letters should be 150 words or less. Op-ed piecesshould be no more than 3,000 characters. Send all letters to: The Michigan Daily, 420 Maynard, Ann Arbor, 48109. The editors reserve the right to edit all contributions for style and space. Feature on movement unfair " :Administration reneges on pledge * C MMUNFITY.... . ISIGIT :_ ................. . m.. BSU declares war on deputization Throughout the history of the University's drive toward deputization, the adminis- tration has earned a reputation for ignor- ing student concerns. After all, the origi- nal decision to deputize was made over the summer, when most students were not on campus. But now, through irresponsible and underhanded dealings with the Student Rights Commission (SRC), the administration has further cut students out of the process. This time, the administrative debacle involves e advertising for the upcoming deputization hear- "sings. The hearings are required, by law, to precede deputization through the regents. These hearings represent the last chance the community will have to express its fears about deputization, concern about the oversight board and other key issues. Vice President for Academic Affairs Mary Ann Swain agreed in meetings with the SRC that the administration would take care of advertising for the hearings. The SRC naively assumed that the administration, because of its resources, was best equipped to handle the advertising. Unfortunately -- but not unpredictably - Swain and the admin- istration reneged on their promises. In early January, the administration agreed to put together and pay for three sets of ads to be published in the Daily. The first set was to include two ads. announcing the dates and times of the hearings. The second set of ads was supposed to explain how students could go about writing letters about deputization to the SRC. These letters were to be published in a volume to be distributed to the regents at the hearings. The third set of ads was to run immediately before the hearings and publicize them. Already, the administration has violated two of its promises. As of last Tuesday, the day the first ad was to run, the administration failed to run any sort announcement. Following complaints from the SRC, the administration did run one quarter-page ad in Friday's Daily. The ad encouraged students to write the SRC and announced the scheduled hear- ings. But the ad failed to even print the location of the hearings. Moreover, because the ad ran so late, few students will be able to write in their concerns. The original deadline for submissions of student letters to the SRC was the Sunday, Feb. 9. The administration's ad provided students with a full two days to write letters. But the administration's biggest defense for the short and token nature of the hearings - they run a mere three hours - was that student letter- writing would compensate for this. Swain's tactics have insured no mass letter-writing will take place. It was foolish for the SRC to rely on the admin- istration to publicize and event so crucial as the hearings in the first place. Even so, the administra- tion has betrayed both students and the spirit of the legislation calling for public hearings by trying to keep the hearings a virtual secret. by David Marable Many of us were outraged by the illegal deputization of the University campus police. In particular, we abhorred the lack of concern expressed by the campus administration on issues concern- ing African-American students, specifically on the subject of our conflict with the Department of Public Safety (DPS). Characteris- tically, the racist administration has made no efforts to calm the growing tension between DPS and Black students. We are now paying the price for the under- handed tactics that the Regents of the University of Michigan used in order to give campus security "license to kill," a plan initiated by President James Duderstadt and his band of cohorts to keep the "critical mass" in line. As African Americans, we can not submit to these "under-the- table" dealings. Black students, as well as other students, were deliberately excluded from the decision to deputize the campus police. For example, the vote for deputization deceptively occurred during the summer of 1990, a time when the majority of the student body was conveniently not present. Duderstadt and his "militia" are initiating the second phase of their plan. Public Act 120, as it is called, is soon to go into action. If this act goes into effect, the board of regents will have direct control over the already threatening armed campus cops. This act is have always been of an oppres- sive and repressive nature. As Black students, we have a history of struggle and activism on this campus. We have defined it through our own means, goals, and accomplishments. Set-backs of those accomplishments have hit the University level. Examples to date are the non-student oriented deputization process, the implementation and abuse of the Union policy, and the excessive armament of DPS officers. These events are dangerously and inevitably targeted at African Americans. If you have not recognized the ominous presence of the armed campus cops, then take a look at the treatment of African Ameri- cans during social gatherings. Most people can agree that armed campus police do more to intimidate students than to improve our comfort and safety. On Jan. 8, 1992, the Political Action Committee of the Black Student Union (BSU) sent a letter to President Duderstadt to request a meeting with him. Unfortu- . nately, we became victims of the University bureaucracy and were referred to Associate Vice President for Student Services Eunice Royster Harper. If we wanted a meeting with the associate vice president, we would have requested a meeting with her. In the past two years, Duderstadt has failed to respond to a variety of serious events concerning African Americans. Couzens and South Quad Resi- dence Halls (fall 1991). University Black students were sprayed with chemical Mace in South Quad. Duderstadt refused to meet with concerned students on this issue. s A Black student was stopped and harassed by Ann Arbor police, DPS, and Housing Security upon returning video equipment from a student program, while a white student with the same equipment passed by and was ignored (winter 1991). We are disappointed and outraged at President Duderstadt's blatant disrespect for our organi- zation and refusal to meet with us, despite his alleged "commitment to diversity." He has responded to other incidents concerning the Daily and other student groups. His true colors have become quite obvious, or let us say, lack of or dismissal of color in his adminis- tration, faculty, and student body. We had hoped that the disrespect shown to Black students during incidents such as the South Quad macing last year would not be repeated. Obviously, we hoped for too much. The historical relationship between the police and Black people has been one of abuse and disrespect. We feel that armed security will exacerbate hostility and diminish our quality of life. We cannot permit the emergence of another armed threat to our people. Therefore, the Black Student Union, BY ANY iR ANC N'CCARV *wil etnn Nuts and Bolts wHAOTCA DooNG? GON _5_PPENV? A SALE ON P3KCOATS. 0 . *b by Judd Winick COLD YOO? jj I