Page 4-The Michigan Daily- Friday, March 6,1992 Editor in Chief 420 Maynard Street Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109 764 - 0552 MATHEW D. RENNIIE Opinion Editors YAEL CITRO GEOFFREY EARLE AMITAVA MAZUMDAR Edited and Managed by Students at the University of Michigan Unsignedl editorials represent a Majority ref the Daily s Editorial Board. All other cartoons, signed articles, and letters do not necessarily represent the opinion of the Daily. Hold city elections in November J'. - - *-(.04 01 A new group called Voter Initiative for Novem- ber Elections (VINE) is attempting to amend the city charter to move the April Ann Arbor city 'election to November. VINE has started a petition drive to place the issue on the November 1992 ballot. The group's political action is welcome. Separate April city elections discourages voting and limits student voting power. Correcting this wrong will increase voter turnout and help end the city's historic under-representation of students. About 20,000 people voted in last April's city election. As many as 55,000 voted in the last November election. One reason voter turnout more than doubles in November is that state and federal ,elections also occur at this time. Voters are con- fronted with important state and national issues in November. The publicity generated by the media and the candidates for these elections is far greater than anything the city could accomplish on its own. The media's coverage of the 1992 presidential campaign is proof of this. The city might as well take advantageofsuch publicity togetmore people to the polls. Holding city elections at this time would force the city government to be more ac- countable to the community. Moreover, this switch would encourage more students to participate in city politics. While stu- dents often become engaged in national and state MearesISa sighti ince an administration committee released a 1 report last fall detailing the role of women and minorities at the University little progress has been made to extend the role of minorities and women, who have been traditionally under-represented in the administration and the faculty. However, one positive note is that Dean Paula Meares, a Univer- sity of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, professor and head of the Illinois School of Social Work, has been approved by the University Board of Regents as the next dean of the School of Social Work. Meares will take over next February. The University is constantly extolling its com- mitmentto diversity and should be commended for recruiting Meares. However, it should make a ygreater effort to practice whatit preaches. It should hire more women and minorities in order to bring diversity to its ranks. Dean Meares will enter the University with a first-hand understanding of a university that has tbeen deficient in its minority enrollment. Blacks makeup only 5.7 percent ofthe student body at the University of Illinois, while Hispanics make up only 3.7 percent of the student population. In addition, Meares is the only woman dean who is a elections, many remain ignorant of city issues. But, if students were allowed to vote on city issues when they were already at the polls, they might become more involved in city government. This would help insure students' voices are not ignored by the city. Another benefit of the switch is the cost. The City Clerk's Office reports that the city expects to spendbetween$20,000 and $25,000 per electionif there are contests in all five wards. This year, the city expects to spend $50,000 for the combined cost ofApril and November elections. Holding two elections when one would suffice is simply a waste of tax dollars. The city is already experiencing financial woes and has had to cut back some city services as a result. If the budget is really an issue, April elections should be abandoned and the sav- ings redistributed. Monday is the last day to register vote in the April 6 city elections. Students are encouraged to register so they are not steamrolled by city govern- ment. However, In the long run this process must change. Voting rights legislation of the 1960s empha- sized the government's responsibility to ensure more participatory democracy. The city should recognize this and try to ease the voting process, rather than maintaining barriers to democracy. ' ... :..1 :::. ':. ::. ".' :.: ..:.::..L::"::.L": t:::... :':ti' J: :": :"' :Y':.1 ............... " V " " ": ".1 :.11". L. tiS": :: ": ;. . :.LL..:..1 ........ :.". {:; .."..,....":.1", }:"':":ti": ::L1V..1" ":. ::::: ":. :1 1 ". ".41.1. .1 .....: ....... ..:.. ..s............ :.....:.11".1.1 " : :':titi"f:":l":::Y:> :::Y: :.1 . 1....1....111. 1": '" :. ".: :....::. ::..Y.1"."..1 :.".":.L":. " .L":.1ti"i.1":.11.........:.L1":.1 .......... .. .. 1.; "1...i::: L ': 1.: .... ": :. .V "" "1 .1 ] ^ .1...:.....v.1":.....;..;::;:;:Ld.1.}:v}?Nsw. ::.v.:1:v::"xAkr":.Lr 1ti:":v}:ti":':11'"h". . .......................... " ....". :.:.......... ..1" ".1L11 L":.1".'.11"::.".":.".":.1 :.":::.1 :.Y::. . ."::. ::. : .. " 1Y::. ::: t:.1':.11". ::.".":.1V: :11 L":. L".::... ..:..t1....................... ...L ...:....... . ...................1':: :"."::::::::.1 :. :::::.1 :.". : ................................^:.1......................................................1"::::::.11111"::.1": RL.L.11.11 ror sore eyes member of a minority group. These statistics are comparable to the under-representation of women and minorities at this university. This trend is not unique to either Illinois or Michigan, but applies to universities throughout the country.AffirmativeAction programs and other programs dedicated to increasing the diversity of college communities is critical to making the Uni- versity more responsive to the needs of students. But further stagnation by the administration can only be expected. How much longer will it be acceptable for Colleges to employ atiny fraction of women and minorities? Dean Meares is a welcomed addition to the University. She is a qualified professor and dean of social work with vast experience as a social worker, special education teacher and tenured professor at Illinois. Selections on par with hers must be made if serious progress is to be expected. Department chairs, associate professors on tenure track, ad- ministrators and provosts all lack significant repre- sentation of women and minorities. The administration must avoid further lip-ser- vice and engage in serious recruitment of those without equal representation. A2 not a sl resort To the Daily: A recent editorial in the Daily ("Slowpokes," 1/28/92) brought home to me the strident and spoiled tone of many voices within the student community - and especially those of the Daily editorialists. The editorial certainly makes a valid point concerning the importance of timely snow- removal from streets and side- walks. However, the paragraph that deals with Ann Arbor's lack of snow-related activities sounds as if it comes from a child who always has everything it wants, and reacts petulantly when some activity is not available or is forbidden. The argument that Ann Arbor is a winter city (what does that mean, anyway?) lacking winter related activities for car-less students seems absurd. Why should Ann Arbor have winter-related activities? Because students are used to instant gratification for anything else? Why should students be permitted to sled in an arboretum, where people devote their energies to growing and caring for plants and plant habitats, and where the issue of liability comes into play? Tell me the same students who expect instant gratification will not sue when they are injured. The same people who moan about skiing (downhill?) and sledding obviously ignore photographs in the Ann Arbor News, which depict people skating up and down the Huron. I would suggest you continue your effort to ensure prompt snow removal, which is the responsibil- ity of a municipality, and move to some other university, one in a mountainous locale, if you want to downhill ski or sled! Nina Stoyan- Rosenzweig Rackham graduate student the Daily. We are writing to beg that he contribute to more of the Daily's opinion page. Each week, he brightens our otherwise ordinary Thursday Aileen Supena LSA sophomore Elizabeth Wewers LSA first-year student Through rose-colored glasses To the Daily: It was with neither pleasure nor surprise that I read the editor's notes on the inside cover of the May/June issue of Michi- gan Alumnus. One expects the magazine, published by the University's alumni association, to propagate a rose-colored vision of all things Michigan. This was no exception. Even so, I am compelled to respond to editor Noreen Ferris Wolcott's (class of '77, as the publication dutifully informs us) column. Ferris writes, "As for the day itself, majority rule underwrites the basic premise of democracy, and on Saturday, May 4, there was no questioning who the majority were. They stood and cheered; they waved flags; they decorated their graduation gowns and mortarboards with yellow ribbons and welcoming messages to President and Mrs. Bush,... and they broke into even bigger applause when, in speaking of 'political extremists who roam the land' he departed from the prepared text (as the chants of the hecklers in the stands could be heard), and added the phrase, 'abusing the privilege of free speech."' , But give Wolcott her credit. She gives cursory mention to "some two dozen graduates (who) publicly opposed Bush's participation in the spring commencement by standing with their backs to the president as he spoke, or holding up blood-red flyers." She fails to mention, however, the hundreds if not thousands of graduates who wore red ribbons opposing the Persian Gulf War, the protesters who marched outside the stadium, and the graduates who left the stadium when Bush began his speech. Moreover, in the ensuing pages we see Bush's image no less than seven times, while we are treated to only one photo of people opposed to the war. That photo, by the way, is dwarfed on the same page by a shot of students brandishing Bush's photo and biography in their commencement programs. Wolcott concludes, "The majority mood was truly one of celebration." There is no doubt that this is true. But why, I wonder, does she go to such great pains to paint an image of a 5,000- person senior class (save two dozen rouge graduates) gathered to express their overwhelming solidarity with the president? One had only to visit campus once last year (as I assume Wolcott did) to realize this was simply no true. The University, as President Duderstadt enjoys reminding us, is a campus of great diversity: diversity of heritage, diversity of culture, and yes, Ms. Wolcott, even diversity of opinion. Don't be afraid to show it. If anyone has "abused the privilege of free speech" it's the Noreen Ferris Wolcott who distorted certain facts and failed to report others to offer an impres- sion she had to know was false. Ian Hoffman Class of '9) r Chait makes our mornings To the Daily: morning breakfast with his Jonathan Chait makes our sarcasm and shared insight on the Thursdays. He is the best part of University. Thanks! Nationalism or Japan bashing? he recession this country is experiencing is hurting most Americans. Naturally, the economy has become the primary issue in the presidential campaigns. In recent months this coun- try has shifted its attention from trying to discover ways to heal the ill economy: finding a scapegoat for its sickness. Somehow, competition with Japan has'become twisted into racism against the Japa- nese people and Japanese Americans. There has been an alarming increase in racial discrimination and violence against Japanese Americans and Japanese citizens in this country. This is abitter irony, considering lastmonth marked the 50th anniversary of the U.S. government's internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. The 50th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor only intensified tensions. Today, as in World War II, a dangerous climate has developed where people of Japanese ancestry living in the United States are blamed for the supposed actions of the Japanese government. In Seattle, a local businessperson and Japanese, company made an offer to purchase the financially strapped Seattle Mariners baseball team. The people of Seattle opposed the sale apparently for no other reason than because of the Japanese company. The bid was rejected in the end. The people in Seattle apparently felt that be- cause of his Japanese descent he could not be entrusted with "America's favorite past-time." Ironically, many who play the sport are descen- dants of other countries. The Winter Olympic concluded just two weeks ago, and some reports indicate that figure skating gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi has not been of- fered the volume of endorsements usually offered to a gold-medal winner. Why is it that of all the companies that advertise during figure skating events only a handful could benefit from the added status of an Olympic Gold Medalist as its spokes- person? The reason is simple. Many sponsors are afraid that featuring a Japanese American as the spokes-person would damage the image of their product. This type of attitude not only acknowl- edges the existence of the racist sentiment against Japanese Americans, but promotes its escalation by not trying to confront it. The campaign for the presidency is unfortu- nately not immune to these anti-Japanese tenden- cies. Some talk about "patriotic" economic poli- cies. Others talk about getting tough with Japan. Even the most liberal candidates - often associ- ated with civil liberties - are participating in serious Japan-baiting. This type of racism, intolerance and discrimi- nation is sweeping the nation, and it cannot con- tinue. The onset of the Great Depression brought radicals into the political scene who were anti- Semitic and violently and bigotedly isolationist. Hopefully, Americans have learned a lesson. People of this nation should be wary of any type of national pride that feeds from hate and racism. :.V: .1'."::1:........ ..1. . ..1..1...... 1. .V.': ..1,...A. 1Y "1. .1 ".. .. .t ... " Reader, PolkDURiy tell hani-tru by Jeff Muir On Feb. 20, the Daily printed a letter written by Kingii Hinterland in which the author got an opportunity to express the "disgust, anger and sorrow" she felt "upon reading the article pertaining to the resignation of Amy Polk (2/5/92)." Hinterland took exception to a statement attributed to me in that Daily article she refers to ("I would simply say that I think your emotional comments tonight don't hold a lot of weight)," and then went on to determine from this one statement that I "obvi- ously gladly participate... .in the denigration of women" and that I engage in "sexism." First, let me say that the one sentence attributed to me in the Daily, from which Hinterland is amazingly able to psychoanalize my entire being and personality, was reported out of context and in a misleading manner. Following Polk's five minute long resigna- tion speech, in which she repeat- edly insulted me, I gave a two to three minute reply. Of course, of that two to three minute long resnonse. the Daily chose only to statement. The thrust of my statement was that it is important for people to remember that it was Polk who brought formal charges of "unethical behavior" and "misuse of Michigan Student Assembly resources" against me at MSA in a childish attempt to seek revenge upon me for my part in the reforming of the AATU. The lack of credibility in this charge was demonstrated by the fact that Polk could only get three members of the entire assembly' to vote for her resolution, while the entire balance of the body voted to dismiss the charges immediately. It is also important to remem- ber that it was Polk who wrote an article for the Daily which accused my party, the Conserva- tive Coalition (CC), of wholesale malfeasance and corruption for allegedly handing out committee and commission chair and vice- chair positions "like poker chips during a late night card game." The ridiculousness of these charges was well demonstrated not only in my own article (which pointed out that every legislative members and CC did not itself have enough members to compile the votes cast for most of the positions. (In fact, the indepen- dents swung most of these votes). Further, one must understand the argument which grounded my Michigan Review article about Polk. The point was not Polk's intelligence. On the contrary, the point was that while Polk likes to pretend to be offended by the realities of hardball politics, she is perhaps one of this campus' most adept paricipants in hardball politics. In her MSA resignation speech she again assumed the role of the injured little girl, shocked at the supposed brutality with which one of her political opponents returned her attacks. My point in responding to her was simply that I didn't buy her little act. Hinterland must really think herself something special;to maternalistically berate me for one out-of-context quote. It is people like her, people who are so eager to throw around accusations of "sexism" and "denigration of women" based on such floppy "evidence," that give feminism a bad name and who cause sexism 0 h. Nuts and Bolts WHAT TOOK YOU GUYS5 6,7 LC44C,.' YOU LANtDANFit )) R :, .-BE.EN $Ir7nN$ kT v avr? WHAT N'PPNEI)? [THEN ON 7H BPANE FE TRIED~ TO UNC A TSWAAP. by Judd Winick- eAREDPFOR LIFE PIROoM TH AtRuNE. ERU Uev To v . I I I