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Page 4 -The Michigan Daily- Friday, January 10, 1992
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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
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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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'This past month, Americans made new year's
resolutions inhopes of recognizing their weak-
nesses and improving their behavior. But some
campus organizations - notably the Michigan
Student Assembly (MSA) - would do well to
make some resolutions of their own this term.
MSA must reconsider its initial pledge to represent
and serve all students and take on a more outspo-
ken and active role in student issues.
The arbitrary and unfair decision to kick stu-
dents out of classrooms in Angell Hall after1 p.m.
eliminated one of the last late-night study areas for
students. This policy proved especially burdening
during exams. Yet MSA, as usual, remained silent.
Come the November MSA election, demands
for a 24-hour library constituted one of the few
concrete campaign pledges of the candidates. MSA
should act vigorously this term to fulfill this pledge.
MSA's tacit approval of the administration's
restrictive Union policy - forged without student
input - was another MSA embarrassment of
1991. The subsequent "negotiations" between MSA
and the administration yielded only piecemeal
concessions.
Now, students will be greeted by nicely dressed
security guards in more pleasant surroundings, but
they will still be carded upon entering their own
student union on the weekends. And the matter of
the new policy's inflexibility regarding non-stu-
dent entry into the Union is also still unresolved.
Rather than kowtowing to such administrative
Child savin
bullying, MSA President James Green and the
assembly should strive to eliminate the new Union
policy altogether.
MSA let another issue slip bye without a word:
the decision to lower the number of credits repre-
sented by each history and political science course.
The end result of this policy is to force many
students to graduate in five, rather than four years,
thus bolstering University bank accounts.
Tuition increases are sure to be considered this
term, as they are every term, by the University.
MSA ought to do everything in its power to ensure
the administration does not hit students' families
with a hefty tuition increase during this time of
economic turmoil throughout the nation.
Perhaps the most disheartening example of
MSAinaction during 1991 was that of the Student's
Rights Commission (SRC). As police incompe-
tence and ferocity skyrocketed, the SRC remained
silent. MSA's record is tarnished by inaction. It has
done little more than go through the motions of a
governing body, and has nestled itself into an
apathy-driven slumber. If the assembly wants to
make itself more credible to the administration and
to students, that is fine.
But that does not mean MSA - the primary
vehicle for student represention on campus -
should sit idly by as students' rights and student
power on campus erodes. This term, MSA would
do well to make one simple resolution - to do
something.
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Senate bill sanctions violence in classroom
I ast year, Sen. Lana Pollack (D-Ann Arbor)
introduced Public Act 521, which banned
corporal punishment in Michigan public schools.
This session of Congress, Sen. John Schwarz (R-
Battle Creek) authored legislation, Senate Bill
338, which revises the law to allow "reasonable
physical force to maintain order." This represents
a misguided return to an age when beatings were
accepted as a method of maintaining discipline.
The amended Schwarz bill passed the Senate
33-1. Pollack cast the only dissenting vote. The bill
is scheduled to be taken up by the House Education
Committee on Feb. 4.
This bill applies to classrooms, school buses,
althletic events, and school cafeterias. In any of
these areas, teachers are free to use violence when
they deem it necessary to maintain order.
Even though corporal punishment is still tech-
nically banned, the loophole in the bill will allow
teachers to use violence in circumstances that
previously would have been illegal. The Michigan
Education Association (MEA) lobbied heavily for
this change in the law, citing two examples of
teachers who lost tenure due to illegal use of
corporal punishment. It is saddening to see the
MEA siding with abusive teachers who may lose,
rather than siding with children who will be harmed
by these teachers. Clearly, an atmosphere that
promotes violence for misconduct is not condusive
to learning.
A key provision in the bill is that it holds
students, teachers, and administrators accountable
for discliplinary actions. This new legal standard is
currently undefined but provides for the possibility
of potentially litigious situations.
Corporal punishment has no place in a civilized
society. The effect of Senate Bill 338 is to allow
corporal punishment to exist in fact even if it is
technically "banned." Corporal punishment fos-
ters violent behavior, rather than eliminating it.
Children tend to emulate adults, especially their
teachers. When exposed to violence they are likely
to use violence.
Another danger of corporal punishment is that
it places too much power in the hands of whoever
metes out the punishment. Vague definitions of
what beating is acceptable and what beating is
excessiveleaves students vulnerable. By the end of
this school year, it is likely that a further amended
version will be on Gov. John Engler's desk, ready
for him to sign. Engler must refuse to sign this
anachronistic and dangerous bill.
Daily slams Armer
To the Daily:
David Schechter's article
(Dec. 10) has quite a neat new
statistic for basketball fanatics.
The Slamometer will most
definitely be a fun and obviously
interesting way of measuring the
success of the Michigan men's
basketball players, especially the
incredibly potent and exciting
freshman class.
But this is not a letter to praise
Schechter for his ingenuity.
Rather this is a response to his
comments about Chip Armer. In
the article, Schechter seems to
deem Armer's skill as a basketball
player as merely ordinary because
he saw limited playing time and
because he is no Chris Webber.
Well Mr. Schechter, last night
he wore a Michigan basketball
jersey and sat with the team while
you sat in street clothes some-
where in Crisler Arena.
Armer busts his butt as hard as
anyone else on the basketball
team and has probably given the
first squad more competition than
any team Michigan has played
thus far. Give the supporting cast
a break. They're as important as
the starting five, and the Fab Five.
Reed Bingaman
LSA junior
CIA harassment
To the Daily:
This letter may be contrary to
your political beliefs, but it
contains carefully researched
facts. I only ask that if you take
issue with any of the assertions in
them, that you do research of your
own to verify or debunk them.
Since returning from Thai-
land, (I taught English during a
stay of over two years) where I
inadvertently, through no fault of
my own, (I thought I was getting
into the used book business)
penetrated a CIA-run heroin
exporting and covert action
network, I have been subjected to
an Orwellian nightmare. I have
been constantly harassed. I have
recognized some of my harassers
as the same CIA operatives I
encountered in Asia. My life has
been threatened five times. My
house has been entered illegally. I
have been relentlessly harassed on
the telephone. That I have come
to the attention of the CIA is not
unusual. It is a fate shared by over
1.5 million Americans that the
CIA has files on. That I am
constantly being harassed by it is
unconscionable. Any domestic
action by the CIA directed at an
American citizen on American
soil is strictly prohibited by
congressional law. My response
has been to disseminate informa-
tion and to research and to fight;
not only for my personal situa-
tion, but for the cause of freedom,
generally. I hope you won't find
my letters and rhetoric too
bombastic, but when one is an
object of ongoing injustice, strong
emotions and strong language
come easily.
Joseph T. West
Oakland, CA
reasoning. The board argues that
the SRC's only response to last
semester's tear-gassing incident
was a report. This is untrue.
In fact, the tear-gassing
subcommittee engaged in high-
level conferences with the
University administration, the
Ann Arbor Police and the City
Council. Based on the
committee's investigation, the
police have agreed to develop
formal procedures for the use of
tear gas and have promised to
submit them to MSA for review.
The Warren Commission
submitted a 55-page, decidedly
unflaccid investigative report on
the South University incident. In
so doing, it established a factual
and philosophical basis for
criticizing the use of tear gas.
By contrast, last year's SRC
displayed true impotence.
Although it convinced impressive
numbers to gather on the Diag, it
utterly failed to influence the
University or the city. Had the
Van Valcy administration sought
to put teeth into the review board
overseeing the department
perhaps the disturbing incidents
involving University police
drawing their guns on students
would not have occurred.
Warren is by far the most
effective SRC chair in the last
five years.
Tricia Posselius
University graduate
01
Warren effective
To the Daily:
Wednesday's editorial,
"Warren Again," (1/8/92) was
astonishing. For the third time this
year the Daily has personally
vilified the same student - this
time without even printing his
riposte to the prior attack. In the
interest of fair play, I challenge
the Daily to print this letter within
a week.
The editorial board's argument
that Mike Warren did not deserve
reappointment as Students Rights
Commission chair rests on faulty
Bye-bye Barbie
New doll surpasses Barbie by building self-esteem
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Press focus s not even-handed
She has legs up to her shoulders and breasts as
full as two ripe grapefruits ready to fall from
a tree. Her eyes are as blue as the waters that meet
the shores of uninhabited islands and her skin is as
white and flawless as a new fallen snow.
Her long golden hair glistens like the phospho-
rous of the Indian Ocean in the moonlight. Her
buttocks are firm - her stomach flat and her waist
thin. She is not only beautiful but intelligent, for
she can play many roles. She is a ballerina, a
successful sunbather and the owner of both a
Corvette and a travel van.
,Does she sound like a woman that could be had
only in a dream? Well, this dream can come true.
This svelte woman can be had by all men and
women for just $10. She's manufactured by the
Mattell Co. and can be bought in any toy store. Her
name is Barbie.
Luckily, there are people who see that the Barbie
doll is an inadequate ideal female for children. A
new doll has hit the market to combat the negative
self-images that the Barbie doll can create.
The Happy To Be Me doll, manufactured by the
High Self Esteem Toys Corp., hit the market just
before Thanksgiving and is selling out in stores all
over the country. Happy's measurements of 36-27-
38 (as opposed to average dolls' 36-18-33 figure)
are more representative of real women than the
Barbie doll. Compared to other dolls like Barbie,
her feet are flatter, neck is shorter, hair is darker,
waist is larger, hips are wider, and legs are shorter.
Many studies prove that female dolls contribute
to how little girls view themselves and play a
significant role in how they perceive beauty.
Barbie's figure only leaves little girls disappointed
when they fail to compare to her fictitious frame.
Happy provides girls with an opportunity to realis-
tically identify with a doll.
Although the current model of the doll is white,
there are designs to create African-American, His-
panic, Asian, and Native-American Happy dolls.
For more than three decades, children have been
presented with the Barbie doll, an insulting model
of women. Real women don't necessarily have
long legs or perfect breasts. Their noses can be
huge and their hair may not glisten. Real women
have real bodies and real physical features.
If any battle against the objectification of women
is to be won, children need to be shown that the
beauty of a woman is defined by a wide variety of
factors, and is not proportional to the firmness of
her behind.
by Rev. Levon Yuille
Once again, we are sadly
witnessing a public official being
accused of malfeasance in office.
It is always disheartening to
witness the career of anyone.
being damaged by situations and
circumstances that cvershadow
years of dedicated, hard work.
This seems to be the plight of
Leonard Bryant and Thaddina
Sanders, two people with whom I
have had many pleasant and
-productive encounters, while
working in the Ypsilanti commu-
nity for the betterment of the
citizens and the public housing
community in particular. Truly,
we are all witnessing a tragedy.
A lot of media attention is
being given to Mr. Bryant for
allegedly mishandling $100,000
and inappropriately using credit
cards to the amount of $37,000.
This adds up to approximately
$137,000.
What I'm trying to understand
is why the media in Washtenaw
County have given so much
attention to Mr. Bryant and his
alleged misuse of $137,000, but
have given the incident of alleged
Yuille is President of the
Minister's Alliance of Ypsilanti,
Ann Arbor and Vicinity
malfeasance regarding the
Washtenaw County Library very
little attention by comparison.
The media quietly dropped the
case involving the director and
treasurer or secretary of the
Washtenaw County Library,
whose malfeasance in office
amounted (according to the
media) to $400,000. I can't
understand what makes the
alleged misappropriation of
$137,000 more noteworthy and
newsworthy than $400,000.
You will forgive me for not
remembering the name of the
Library Director and Secretary,
but I've read so little about them
in the media that I've forgotten
their names. Yet, all of us know
the names of Mr. Bryant's former
board of directors. But I can't
seem to remember who the
Library board was or who was
overseeing the Library, which
allegedly had not had an audit in
over a decade.
It's difficult for me to under-
stand how WAAM and The Ann
Arbor News can always find
space to print or report negative
stories about the African Ameri-
cans of Ypsilanti, but rarely run
positive stories.
Their counterpart, the
Ypsilanti Press, had at least eight
positive articles covering the
African American community in
the first 15 days of December.
The Ann Arbor News and radio
station WAAM had none.
It's hard to understand how
WAAM can run negative stories
two days in a row (Dec. 18, 19)
about Mr. Bryant, but had found
not one positive story in 18 days.
The Ann Arbor News is not much
better about the African American
community in Yipsilanti.
When the Minister's Alliance
honored Michigan's Teacher of
the Year, which was attended by
the government, education and
religious community in Ann
Arbor, The Ann Arbor News and
WAAM could not send a reporter
from around the corner.
I believe I have presented
myself as an African-American
community worker who avoids
using the "R" word.
But it is becoming harder and
harder to understand things. And
let me quickly add that I feel our
conservative Republicans have
been more sensitive to African
'Americans than our so-called
liberal friends.
I hope my letter will help
people understand why it's harder
for me to not use the "R" word.
Please help me understand.
0
9
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