Page 4-The Michigan Daily- Tuesday, April 14,1992 Ehe Mi in 1) 19 N / ;;- A (,. \ / \ \ \ -, / / / \ /7 420 Maynard Street Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109 764-0550 Editor in Chief MATTHEW D. RENNIE Opinion Editors YAEL CITRO GEOFFREY EARLE AMITAVA MAZUMDAR Edited and Managed by Students at the University of Michigan . - - 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. U' must hire more women faculty t / p f" , c r 7-v , H R NA ,e. J i *+ , Y Ab- S~s y \mu 4., -- 4, I +Rd11 'A./Y4I./ In this era where administrators espouse multiculturalism and campus awareness, focus is on the diversity of the student population, where the administration strives to create an equal mix- ture of cultures, races and genders. But as the student body becomes increasingly varied, the faculty ceases to provide a corresponding pot- pourri of role models. A recent study by the Uni- versity found that, while nearly half the under- graduates in Ann Arbor are women, only one fifth of the faculty positions and less than one tenth of 'the executive administration positions are held by women. What are the implications of these figures? First and foremost, the new report shatters the image.of the University as a place.of equal oppor- tunity. Michigan pales in the company of schools such as North Carolina, University of California at Berkeley, Washington and Northwestern. More importantly, it leaves female students only a handful of mentors from whom to draw inspiration. Carol Hollenshead, leader ofthe group which gathered data for the report, put it simply: "Students turn to faculty who look like them." The lack of female faculty and administrators places a greater burden on current women profes- sors and assistants. That is, the existing female professors have greater numbers of students com- ing to them for advice and support than their male counterparts, therefore these women end up either taking on too much responsibility or turning away eager, intelligent students. On the other hand, the University has recently taken some steps to increase the number of women in faculty and administration. Despite past efforts to increase hirings of women faculty, the number of female full professors inched up from 6 percent in 1980 to only 9 percent in 1990. A 1990 policy called "stopping the tenure clock" refers to women who are looking to begin a family just as they become eligible for tenure. This policy allows them an extra year to complete the typical seven-year tenure process. A 1991 policy allows women to negotiate the time allowed for paid sick-leave because of preg- nancy, as the normal leave may not be sufficiently long. The University has also advocated a special hiring plan, comparing University statistics to pools of women nationally and then allocating funds specifically for hiring senior women faculty. These steps promise a brighter future for women in the academic world, giving them increasing opportunity to build stable careers and families. No one should be fooled for a moment, though, into thinking the problem has been solved. '7oz46 / 7 ~-<.--- / t f I I On" CA&S4r- CANCEL1, WC -rC)F S,6 7,*/7. -, E tqf N' 4 " ......."............................. LETTER.S "t Violence at Olivet raises code issue .Olivet College administrators and parents of Olivet African-American students reached an accord to deal with racial tensions that surfaced after a brawl involving 70 Black and white stu- dents. The academic difficulties that the fearful Black students will encounter may be alleviated by this accord, but it is shameful that the students don't feel safe at their own university. Unfortu- nately, some students are calling for the Olivet administration to take steps to punish wrong-do- ers. Racial violence, however, should not be fought through administrative discipline, but rather through civil and criminal action in the legal sys- tem. The tragic irony of the African-American population's abandonment of the Olivet campus is inescapable. American universities remained seg- regated for hundreds of years, until political pres- sure forced the gradual reversal of such policies in the 1960s. Over two decades later, the situation remains so tenuous that Black students still find college campuses hostile to integration. Rumors spread through the Olivet campus sug- gesting that four African-American male students had attacked a white woman. The rumor was and Porn l son Kentucky senator recently submitted a dan- gerous piece of legislation to the U.S. Senate. The bill, called The Pornography Victims Com- pensation Act, would allow victims of sexual as- sault to sue pornography publishers if it is proven that pornography was a factor in the assault. Simi- lar legislation has been proposed in Massachu- setts. Though sexual assault is a very serious issue which demands attention, this bill is will result in censorship and tries to solve the problem at the expense of free speech. Ironically, feminists from the far left, led by University Law Professor Catharine MacKinnon, have formed an alliance with conservatives on the far right to ensure passage of the bill. Both sides have demonstrated an alarming tendency to place their own political agendas ahead of the First Amendment. The bill's premise is that pornography itself causes sexual violence, and that companies who publish it are accomplices to sex-related crimes. But this analysis ignores the fact that people who commit assaults are more likely to read pornogra- phy, not the other way around. The 1986 Congres- sional study on which the legislation is based concluded that the majority of those accused of sexual assault were regularreaders ofpornographic material. But the study ignored countless other personal and psychological problems that lead to assault. To attribute the violence to the pornography is a big jump in logic. Most people who read pornography do not tend toward violent behavior.. Proponents of the bill claim that the govern- ment would not be censoring pornographic mate- remains unsubstantiated and seems to have been spread for the sole purpose of causing trouble. Racist mobs do not often wait for verification, however, and soon massive brawling broke out. Fires were set in a dormitory which housed several Black students, and many went home fearing for their safety. Those concerned about racial tensions on cam- puses, however, should be careful not to fall into the trap of supporting codes of non-academic con- duct. Allowing Olivet College to punish those students responsible for the violence could lead to the excessive interference into the lives of stu- dents. Our own experiences here at the University should teach us to be wary of universities institut- ing parallel judicial systems. Students should be reminded that President Duderstadt, underregental authority, can dismiss students from the University at will. Such administrative powers pose terrific dangers to students' rights. Those who suffered terrible racial injustice deserve protection and just compensation. But the solution shouldn't involve administrative interfer- ence, but civil and criminal suits instead. I 0 C rials, but just holding publishers responsible for crimes they help fuel. This bill would not specifi- cally censor pornographic material, but would have a "chilling effect" on it's publishers. Pornog- raphy publishers would be scared away from pub- lishing anything that might bring legal trouble. If this bill were passed, it would not only lead to the inevitable demise of the $10-billion-a-year pornography industry - an institution that has been ruled constitutional time and again. Some who favor the bill may think this would be a good thing. In fact, it poses a clear threat to free speech. Soon Congress may determine that it is necessary to censor any material which refers to sex. After all, most beer ads, rock videos, and even Hollywood films include sexual references. Would Mackinnon claim that these mediums, too, lead to sexual assault? Though Catharine MacKinnon is gaining sup- port for her cause, many feminists still disapprove of her radical actions. Marilyn Fitterman, presi- dent of the New York Affiliate of the National Organization forWomen (NOW), along with Karen DeCrow, the former national president of NOW, wrote MacKinnon expressing their disapproval of her actions. They claim that censorship has been used throughout history in order to "protect" women and that only through free-speech will the feminist movement be successful. MacKinnon's intentions may be good. She is fighting for an important cause - a woman's rights to be safe from sexual assault. Unfortu- nately, her actions, if successful, may result in the censoring of us all. Quick to judge Israel To the Daily: This is in reference to Jason Forge's recent letter to the Daily (4/8/92). We agree that the death of Mustafa Akawi is a tragic event which should not be diminished, but it is an event that needs to be put into perspective. Contrary to what Mr. Forge wrote, the doctor who performed the autopsy never linked his death to ay "beatings or torture." In fact, this private American doctor hired by Mr. Akawi's own family stated that the death was a result of acute arteriosclerosis with a 90 percent artery blockage. The doctor also stated that the bruises were inflicted at least one week prior to death and did not contrib- ute to Mr. Akawi's death. But for a moment, suppose that there were definitive evi- dence to support Forge's conten- tion on the cause of death; history has shown that Israel is the only nation in the Middle East which prosecutes and justly punishes such criminals. Linking the Akawi incident to a blanket condemnation of Israelis ludi- crous, just as saying that the United States as a whole is responsible for the beating of Black motorist Rodney King by the Los Angeles Police Depart- ment. Forge contrives to link South Africa, where Blacks are not only prohibited from forming their own political parties, but cannot vote at all, to Israel, the only Middle Eastern country where Palestinians can and do form their own political parties. Simply stated, Israel's "application of Zionism" has not resulted in institutionalized racism. Instead, Zionism is the force which recently acted to absorb over 30,000 Black African refugees into Israel. Mr. Forge's linkage only belittles the horror of true racism. Eric Edidin LSA junior Joshua Freiwald RC junior Alan Landau LSA sophomore To the Daily: As most people know, this is National Rape Prevention Month. The Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center (SAPAC) and other organizations on campus have been sponsoring a series of events to raise aware- ness about rape and sexual harassment, and to show support for survivors of sexual violence. Our last event will be a rally on the Diag, at noon on Wednes- day, April 15. As partof this event, there will be a "Wall of Sexism" on the Diag beginning at 10 a.m. on Wednesday. As sexism is discrimination based on gender, as well as the institutional denial of power and access to power, examples of sexism can take many forms. We invite everyone to post examples of sexism on the wall - sexual objectification and degradation of women in advertising, devaluing of women in the media, articles abcut discriminatory policies, or Help trash sexist garbage Greek loyalty includes reform To the Daily: I am writing to extend a long- overdue but quite sincere congratulations to a brave and eloquent Daily reporter, my friend Melissa Peerless, for her piece, "Sorority Women are not Sex Objects." When it comes to the Greek system, it is the whirlwind of social activities and philanthropic events that receive the most attention. Much less talked about is the verbal and sometimes physical harassment of women at these social, and as Peerless pointed out, also philanthropic events. Or about the male- dominated gossip circuit that takes us back to the maturity level of, say, freshman year ... of high school. I won't stereotype by claiming that all fraternity men act this way. I will say that my friends and I have often been victims of both types of this nauseating behavior, and quite frankly, we are sick to death of putting up with it. I honestly love my sorority and have proved my loyalty to my house and my sisters many times. I also think that the opportunities the system has offered me usually seem to outweigh this stone-age behavior displayed by men, fraternity or otherwise. However, I will do what I can to protest it when it occurs so often and so blatantly in an organization in which I have sunk so much time, energy and money. Women that are considering pledging a sorority should by all means do so if a sense of solidar- ity, a network of friends, and a fun college experience are the benefits they seek. But keeping a sense of identity and doing what we can to discourage these sexist attitudes and behaviors are two strategies that will make these benefits worthwhile. Beth Davidson LSA sophomore more personal examples, such as sexist comments or slurs. There will be a space on the wall reserved for the contributions of survivors. The featured speaker for this event will be Andrea White, a service provider at Latino Family Services in Detroit, and a member of the Ojibwa tribe. Ms. White will be speaking about sexual assault and substance abuse in Native American communities. Following her speech, there will be a self-defense demonstration by Joyce Dorado. At the end of the event, we will invite the audience to tear down the "Wall of Sex- ism." Please come add your experiences with sexism to the wall before the rally, and stay to tear it down. By tearing down the wail together we will show that we will no longer tolerate sexism; on campus, in our communities, and in our daily lives. Mary Bejian SAPAC volunteer .". . f:.h h 1hSV.SSi COMUIT INhNSIGHT.1'J' hl Breakin the male political monopoly by Katherine Metres makeup. The big question now is, support Ms. Braun. How far have women come -- Virginia Slim- notwithstanding - since feminism's heyday in the late 1960s? We have drastically increased our numbers in the professions, we have become the majority of undergraduate students, and we have finally had om concerns about sexual haassment and rape brought to prominence. I et,a major goal of feminism remains unachieved. Women are pitifully underrepresented in national political leadership. There has never been a woman president, vice president, White House chief of staff, secretary of state, secretary of defense or chief justice of the Supreme Court - the most powerful positions in national government. There have been some strides in the legisla- ture, but we still have only 41 women out of a total of 535 in Congress. That's a whopping 8 percent to show for our 51 percent o~f the if ~latinn_ And thev tell ins are we any wiser? Will we recruit and finance women candidates? Will we exercise the franchise to elect them and those committed to appointing women? Or will our anger dissipate into the little Then there is Hillary Rodham Clinton. Even her husband, presidential candidate Bill % Clinton, acknowledges that she is "smarter" and "better organized" than he. An influential lawyer and , . There has never been a woman president, vice president, White House chief of staff, secretary of state, secretary of defense or chief justice of the Supreme Court. : . battles we fight to enlighten those around us? No matter how important the personal is, we cannot relinquish the political. Women are already picking up the banner and running with it. Witness the stunning upset of two-term incumbent Sen. Alan Dixon (D- Ill.) by an African-American woman in the Illinois Democratic primary last month. Carol Moseley Braun, the Cook County (Chicago) Recorder of Deeds, was asked to run by women's activist, Ms. Clinton also has received appeals to run for office. Not that she isn't running for office now; it is clear that she intends to be equal partner in a Clinton administration. During her appearance at the University, she detailed the Clinton stance on everything from education to the proposed North American Free Trade Agreement, as if she had devised them. 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