01
Page 4--The Michigan Daily- Monday, February 17, 1992
te £ticbgan 1aiIy
d(iIor in Chief
420 Maynard Street
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
764 - 0552
MA'ITHEW D. RENNIE
Opinion Editors
YAEL CITRO
GEOFFREY EARLE
AMITAVA MAZIMDAR
Edited and Managed
by Students at the
University of Michigan
Unsigned editorials represent a maijority of the Daily's' Editorial Board.
All ,tlhflr ,,,rti ontfvO t l tirt~l,.r l lttn)ir, /lr) not .,flflflC-ril tfron lpflf* d nrnnn fLfth In;1,
All (Ililbif..uI l(IIni, signeu ul t dl., (Af(C4 lUtllrs (1(1Inotj FceC).l LI)'ry representF(thelI(tiIUIofJJ 'le Llull)'.
:.MTH.AIY.
oP C)AtIc(/ ONEl G.- /le;: ~ Hl ?P"'C/ "s; -- a r
-r o - e l , I - N I m 1 -4 E SH R r NG 1 5 z
INCHS rI% %/E 'fO149
-- I'S*-
( - " "- - /e- ":'_ -'_ ." ","
%344
C, -
z
Blacks seek empowerment
A t last Tuesday's Michigan Student Assembly DPS. Women spoke abo
meeting, voices that are often neglected by ability, and refuted the r
the Assembly were heard. Students representing a could do anything about
variety of organizations, ranging from the Black But most of all, thes
Student Union (BSU) to Progressive People of that the Assembly, as the
Color (PPC) to Students Halting Institutionalized for students on campus,)
Terrorism (SHIT Happens) appeared during con- administration.
stituents' time. They voiced their opposition to the Not every student orb
upcoming decision to deputize the University po- not every student, has thi
lice force through the University Board of Re- get meetings with top lev
gents. The Assembly would do well not only to President Duderstadt ref
receive this message, but to carry it to the admin- students after the macinj
iStration. last year.
The students who spoke, most of them Black, Clearly, not all studen
voiced a variety of opinions. Many cited prior value by the administrat
instances of harassment by the University police, Assembly should devot
including that of a Black woman harassed near ensure the views of all typ
Angell Hall last term. Earlier, a Department of Fleming building.
Public Safety (DPS) officer randomly stopped Students hold a vc
African-American women near the CCRB looking deputization. Many are s
for a concealed weapon. The fear that the first issue. But MSA memb
victim of a DPS stray bullet will be a Black student regardless of the compos
is understandable. must represent adiverse c
Others took the long view and acknowledged the Assembly fails toi
that, as Black students, they have the most to lose presents a monolithic vie
when an armed police force is patrolling campus. administration. With i
Others cited fears about the large arsenal, includ- deputization at stake, stu
ing some 40,000 rounds of bullets purchased by this happen.
at MSA
ut their particular vulner-
notion that armed police
it.
e students were insistent
most representative body
take their message to the
ganization, and certainly
e resources or prestige to
el administrators. In fact,
used to meet with Black
g incident at South Quad
ts' views are given equal
tion. For this reason, the
e considerable energy to
pes of students reach to the
ariety of views about
urely even in favor of the
ers must remember that
sition of the Assembly, it
constituency. All too often
represents students, and
ew of student issues to the
issues as important as
dents can not afford to let
0I
2E T U E R^ .'::'::........!:'...........:..;"'.........l:!':::!:!...!.......!.t.!.....!:...!:......!.....::...":"'!."::":..::.!:..............."...:! : :
There's no place like home
Last Tuesday, the Ann Arbor Planning Commis-
sion unanimously voted to allow the Delta
Zeta Sorority to move into the Perry Nursery
School. Perry, which is located on Washtenaw
Ave., needed to sell its building and Delta Zeta
agreed to purchase the old school from the United
Way. Delta Zeta requested a special exemptions
permit from the Planning Commission, attracting
opposition from several nearby residents and rep-
resentatives from the Angell Elementary school.
The planning commission's final decision is a
positive sign for all students. Students and the City
,Council have a long history of conflict concerning
group student housing.
This hostility is especially visible when the
Greek system is involved. Last summer the plan-
ning commission barred Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity
from moving into a house previously occupied by
a sorority. This discriminatory decision was over-
turned in court. The commission also denied ex-
pansion approval for Sigma Kappa Sorority. In
both of these instances, the planning commission
wrongly tried to restrict students' living options.
Those that opposed issuing the special exemp-
tions permit to Delta Zeta cited parking and traffic
astheir primary concerns. ThePerry Nursery School
Firs Amendment
I ast week, the Michigan Senate passed an anti-
flag desecration, or "flag-burning" bill. This
act, sponsored by Sen. Gil DiNello (D-Detroit),
cleared the Senate by a vote of 26-6. Currently, the
flag-burning bill is stalled in the House Judiciary
Committee, which is chaired by State Rep. Perry
Bullard (D-Ann Arbor). For the state of Michigan
to preempt the U.S. Constitution in favor of its own
is a dangerous and unacceptable principle.
Of all rights Americans enjoy, none are as
cherished as the rights of freedom of speech and
political protest. This bill represents a serious
threat to these basic freedoms. If flag burning is
unilaterally deemed unprotected by the state legis-
lature, then what other First Amendment rights are
next to be open to reversal?
Conservative Democrats and Republicans may
be able to force a vote in the House and might be
able to muster the votes needed to pass the bill.
Gov. John Engler has stated that he strongly sup-
ports an anti-flag desecration bill and will sign it
immediately.
This statute is modeled after the Congressional
anti-flag-burning act which passed in the last ses-
sion of Congress, but was declared unconstitu-
tional by the Supreme Court by only one vote. With
its current make-up, the court may decide to re-
is right next to the Angell Elementary School and
uses the same driveway. School representatives
and concerned parents claimed that the increased
traffic in the area would be dangerous to children
walking to and from school. Though the safety of
these children is important, if Delta Zeta moved in,
the children would not be exposed to any height-
ened threat.
The complex problems with traffic and safety to
pedestrians is city-wide, and does not justify deny-
ing Delta Zeta its permit. In fact, if Delta Zeta
moved into the nursery school, the traffic will
likely be less than it is now. There are currently 208
car trips a day from the parking lot, according to
Karen Bolles, Perry Nursery School treasurer. A
sorority can be expected to make far fewer trips
than this, especially during the times that children
are going to school or coming home.
Ann Arbor is a college town. The City Council
should treat it as such when dealing with student
issues. Councilmember Bob Eckstein (D-5th Ward)
once referred to students as "swine," who deserve
to be treated as such. This is simply an unaccept-
able attitude for a city that harbors a large number
students. Hopefully, this recent ruling will help
l6ssen the long conflict between the two.
up in flames
strict political speech under the First Amendment
and reverse its decision.
Since the Supreme Court's rejection of the anti-
flag-burning bill, two of the most liberal members
of the Court, Justices Thurgood Marshall and Wil-
liam Brennan, have been replaced by two Bush
appointees, Justices David Souter and Clarence
Thomas. These new justices are considered likely
to reverse the ruling.
Flag burning has been recognized as protected
political speech. The standard arguments for ban-
ning flag burning go up in flames when compared
to other key decisions by the Supreme court. Cross
burning, the wearing of armbands, and other forms
of physical expression have been protected under
the First Amendment.
In Michigan, Bullard has been an advocate of
individual rights, and has opposed similar attempts
in the past. Bullard should continue to stall the bill
in committee and should not allow it to reach the
floor. If, however, the opposition is successful,
then the state of individual rights faces a grave
situation.
Members of the Michigan House must work to
ensure that this dangerous bill does not become
law, for if the state begins to censor unpopular
ideas, then the rights of all are in jeopardy.
Message is important
To the Daily:
I am surprised that the editors
of the Daily ("MSA unaware of
alcohol realities," 2/11/92) are
unable to recognize the role of
alcohol in problems faced by
campuses across the nation. The
reality is that alcohol has been
cited as a major factor in the
occurrence of date rape, property
damage and the South University
riots.
The fact is that most college
students are, for the first time in
their lives, in a position to
consume alcohol openly and in an
unrestricted supply. With these
new freedoms, one might think a
certain degree of education on the
subject could go a long way.
I cannot comment on the
success or failure of the previous
Alcohol Awareness Week, but the
message is a necessary one.
Perhaps format changes should be
made to increase the audience.
The issue should not have been
trivialized as wasdone by the
editors of the Daily.
Barry Hart
Rackham student
Ricky Green
not Mike McGee
To the Daily:
In Sports Monday Trivia (2/3/
92) asked, "Who holds the
Michigan men's basketball record
for points in a rookie season?" I
would like to differ with your
answer that "Mike McGee holds
the record with 531 points in his
'77-'78 rookie season."
Mike McGee holds the varsity
scoring record for a freshman
season. For many years before
1974, freshmen were ineligible to
play on the varsity team. The
rookie season for a player during
this period would be his sopho-
more year. Bill Buntin (534) and
Cazzie Russell (670) both scored
more points in their rookie season
than Mike McGee.
Freshmen and rookies are not
always interchangeable. This
season's captain, Freddie Hunter
was a rookie during his junior
year. Rumeal Robinson and Terry
Mills were rookies during their
sophomore years because of
Proposition 48.
-Do you think that a junior
college transfer would be consid-
ered a rookie during his first year
at Michigan? If you do, then
Ricky Green had 638 points in his
1975-76 rookie season.
Tom O'Brien
University graduate
Alphabetic diversity
To the Daily:
As a reader of the Daily for
my four undergraduate years at
the University, I have always
been impressed with your
commitment to diversity in your
Tell the whole Holocaust story
To the Daily:
I am writing in response to the
editorial ("Never Forgetting the
Final Solution," 2/4/92). There
has been much controversy about
the Nazis, Jews and the Holo-
caust, and I find it sickening.
First off, I want to say that I
am not a Nazi, and I believe the
Holocaust occurred. Nazis caused
great pain and suffering through-
out the world, but I think the
Daily writers and a few other
people have overlooked the fact
that others besides the Jews
suffered under the Nazis. For
example, the religious and
political opponents of Hitler who
were also thrown into the camps
and executed.
In regards to the polls that
were taken in Germany, you
reported that, "42 percent of all
Germans believe that the Nazi
regime possessed at least some
positive attributes." What those
Germans believe is the truth. The
Nazis, while preparing for war,
brought about an economic
recovery from the Depression and
World War I.
Hitler built the autobahn, the
first expressway in the world,
which the United States and other
countries copied.
The Nazis also made great
advances in medicine, unfortu-
nately at the cost of countless
lives.
Further, the Daily also stated
that, "62 percent of Germans
desire to end the discussion of the
Holocaust because they feel no
moral responsibility for the acts of
their parents and grandparents." I,
for one, am sick of hearing so
much about the Holocaust. I don't
need to hear about it every day to
remember it and take heed. I
imagine that is what the Germans
are feeling.
Also, why should younger
Germans feel a moral responsibil-
ity for the acts of their parents and
grandparents? They weren't even
alive when it happened! Do you
feel a moral responsibility for
what your parents and grandpar-
ents did?
I do not have a problem with
the discussion of the Holocaust
and other related subjects, but I
am tired of selected omissions of
the facts. If you are going to print
a story of this nature, you should
not forget to include the whole
story.
You're probably not going to
print this, but I feel that I had to
write something to remedy this
injustice of the facts.
James Andrew
LSA first-year student
0'
news articles and editorials.
Consequently, it was with great
dismay that I read, "Students
State Silly Sentiments" /213/92).
While the letter "S" not
inherently better than any other
letter, it is consistently allotted
greatly disproportionate space in
English dictionaries. Other
letters, just as valid, are some-
times afforded only a page or two.
To publish an article consist-
ing solelyof words beginning
with "5" shows a gross lack of
consideration for our language's
historically underrepresented
letters. I hope that in the future
you will think twice before
compromising your paper's
commitment to alphabetic
diversity.,
Paul Debevec
Engineering senior
RCOgMUNs NsGTah
Regents must be accountable to the law
by Rep. Perry Bullard
The University's plans to
deputize its own police force
under Public Act 120 should be of
great concern to students and the
rest of
Ann
Arbor
com-
mu-
pity. I
ac- a
tively T
op-
posed
the
lgs-
lation
in
1990.
I did
not
author the legislation as the Daily
stated ("Sending out an S.O.S. to
Bullard" 2/10/92). On the
contrary, I organized the opposi-
tion. After my efforts to stop the
bill failed, I sponsored successful
University independent police
authority on practical, financial
and philosophical grounds. The
University's scattered holdings
throughout the city of Ann Arbor
will make it very difficult for
officers or citizens to know
whether the University police or
the city police have primary
jurisdiction at a particular location
- confusion that could be
dangerous in an emergency
situation.
Establishing a University
police force will cost both the
University and the city substantial
amounts of money. A University
police force would eliminate the
nearly $1 million annually that the
city receives from contracted
police serviced to the University,
and from parking violations on
campus. At the same time, some
estimates show that the
University's police costs could
more than double with the
establishment of the independent
force. This is a bad budget choice
in a time of stagnant state budget
accountable police force invites
abuses that would be immune
from community-based political
pressure.The Legislature, despite
my efforts, did grant the Univer-
sity the power to establish its own
police force. The act requires
public hearings before the regents
decide to set up a police force,
and requires they provide for the
establishment of an oversight
committee of elected representa-
tives of students, faculty and staff.
It is now up to students,
faculty and concerned members
of the community to hold the
University to the letter of PA 120.
The campus community is best
able to identify its interests and to
protect them. Organizing to keep
citizens attention and action
focused on the regents' delibera-
tions about the police force issue
will be a necessary part of any
strategy aimed at ensuring the
regents comply with the law.
Should this month's public
hearings result in the regents
deciding to establish their own
Nuts and Bolts
WI AHA' DowN?
N to "NJ- W HA*,6
w4-IIt1NrIAT iWO ~WOI)
5smss R ~SENIORS SIoULP
BE "iJUST HANGIN"' WHEN'~
TN 8 AE S, PYSLEFT UNTIL
(
by Judd Winick
LAAAAo
01