0 Page 4--The Michigan Daily- Wednesday, September 16, 1992 MA'T HIEW 1. R ENNI1 1 420 Maynard Street Ann Arbor, Michigan 49109 764 - 0552 Opinion Editors YAEL CITRO GEOFFREY EARLE AMITAVA MAZUMDAR Edited and Managed by Students at the University of Michigan f~fFR*'c AO-RDIN&- RH~p~c VFoy 'L lF IN IWIS CouN7?R>'a ANY i ~LAST - woRD OU) CAN Fr~L IT NW -rHEc-?ENEWAL orF 7THE 5 iFi-Y 4[Fl , A- Unsigned editorials represent a inajoritY of the Daily's Editorial Board. All other cartoons, signed articles, and letters do not necessarily represent the opinion of the Daily. Sororities: what's the rush? 4 I N THE &7-(,RN OF 13/1 S /C V/h/-UES a a W hen new students arrive at the University, they are forced to acclimate themselves to anentirely new life-style within a matter of weeks. Unfortunately, the sororities on campus prey on the insecurity that accompanies this adjustment by scheduling rush before the first day of classes. The hasty timing of rush pressures women into making an uninformed - and permanent - decision about joining the Greek system. This year, rush began three days before classes started - and just two days after the residence halls opened. Before most women even had time to get fully unpacked or explore campus, they were spending long hours traipsing from sorority house to sorority house hoping to meet future sisters. The rushees are not to blame. Many fear that they will miss out on the University's social life if they stay behind when roommates and hallmates eagerly hit the streets for the first set of parties. Moreover, people who rush quickly become so involved in sorority activities that they lose touch with their non-Greek friends. The system stifles : friendships between Greek and independent women. And since University sororities only offer fall rush, women only have one chance to make up their minds. And they don't want to wait until the w next year, since sophomores have less chance of getting in to many houses. Sorority rush is inconvenient for sorority mem- bers too. Rush chairs force house members to attend party after party, chatting up new members. Those who fail to attend are often slapped with heavy fines. Through this lengthy process sisters waste hours trying to select the perfect pledge class. And rush doesn't end with the beginning of classes. Women - both sorority members and rushees -spend the first two-and-a-half weeks of school scrambling to find time to balance their studying, their social life, and their sorority sen- tence. Sororities can provide social and sisterhood activities for University women. For many women, their best college memories stem from sorority events. Many people's sorority sisters become their best friends. But what sororities must realize is that the best way to foster true sisterhood is make the decision of whether or not to rush a real choice - not an exercise in coercion and indecision. To do this, sororities must at the very least move rush later in the fall term or offer an additional rush during winter term. This way, everyone will have a better chance to get settled during the hectic first days of the school year, and sororities will have members who will really be an asset to the house-because they want to be there, not because they are afraid of what will happen if they are not. =- O F F P/WHAT A FEA WHAT A 3E A . .r' , t c. / 2/ ............. 'RQ-CAP'ITAL PUN4IS~tMEN4To I FLL CHOiCEE-,r Code: students' rights, responsibilites KNOW YOUR RIGHTS: Part II T his is the second of t/wee installments of the University of Michigan's Statement of Students' Rights and Responsibilities -affectionately referred to as the code. Due to the fact that this code, 4f ad opted, will directly affect the life of every student here on campus, the Daily thinks it is important that every student be able to read the code in its entirety. Yesterday, we left you wondering what happens, barring any unusual circumstances, if a student is found guilty of violating the standards of the code. Friday, the Daily will be holding its first ever Issues Forum, where the issue will be. .. the code. Bury the draft issue W hen Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton spoke be- fore the American Legion last month, he thought he had put the Vietnam draft behind him once and for all. But recent accusations that Clinton concealed information about his efforts to stay out of Vietnam have raised the draft-dodging spectre once again. The question of integrity brought up by the draft issue could make or break the candi- date in November. For this reason, Clinton must rebut with a stern response to the attacks this week and prove that - after thoughtful consideration and unlike his Republican counterparts - he had the courage of his own convictions. Sparring over Clinton's draft record may have come to a head when Clinton addressed the Na- tional Guard yesterday in Salt Lake City. Clinton told his audience that he wouldn't be afraid to fight a war. But painting himself as a hawk isn't a solution. He must address integrity. First, he must explain the incongruities in his statements, and present a detailed account of his actions. The American electorate is a forgiving one -Kennedy's admission of failure in the Bay of Pigs incident and the spiraling comeback of Wash- ington D.C. Mayor Marion Barry despite his drug conviction are two examples of this. Then, Clinton must explain candidly why he did what he did. Why not explain that he did everything he could to stay out of a war he did not support, as evidenced by his writings at Oxford? Why not remind the electorate that the Vietnam war was not World War II, and it was as much an honor to dodge the draft in 1968 as it was to sign up in 1942? Next, Clinton has to break the monopoly the Bush Campaign has on the draft issue. While it is true that Bush acted heroically in single-handedly crashing his plane into the Pacific and killing his entire crew while flying his first mission, it is unlikely that this act helped turn the tide of the war (at least not for the benefit of the allies). If Clinton deems it best to lay off this issue, that's his deci- sion. But there is no excuse for dropping the ball on the Quayle issue. He has to remind the electorate of the issue it was so obsessed with in 1988 - that Quayle too was using political chits to stay out of Vietnam. But Quayle, unlike Clinton, was not actively opposing the war, but publicly supporting it. This measure of hypocrisy should make clear who really lacks integrity between these two. And the ammunition doesn't stop with Quayle. The long list of other top GOPofficials who avoided serving in Vietnam includes Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney, House Republican Whip Newt Gingrich, Sen. Phil Gramm (R-Texas) and Repub- lican National Committee Chair Rich Bond. To sit on this information while he is repeatedly labeled a draft-dodger sounds like the punching bag tactics of Michael Dukakis, and they may yield the same results of his failed election. Rather than being apunching bag, Clinton needs to stop pulling punches. It is only with an aggres- sive - and honest - response to these accusations that he can emerge from this glut. I'M I5AAAC K 0 DFl FLINT /y+ V. Formal Mechanisms When informal resolution is impractical or unsuccessful, individu- als are urged to employ the formal mechanisms available. The broad principles of the formal mechanisms are described below. A. Filing a formal complaint Students, faculty and staff may file a formal complaint under these standards against a student at the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs. The judicial advisor will consult the Office of the General Counsel regarding such complaints. The judicial advisor will conduct a preliminary investigation to deter- mine whether there is sufficient evidence of a violation to initiate a formal hearing process. Such a review ordinarily will involve interviewing any complaining witnesses and the accused, as well as other necessary witnesses. If the judicial advisor determines that a hearing panel might find a violation of the policy, and the complaint has not been satisfactorily resolved, either informally or by the judicial advisor, a formal hearing process may be initiated. B. Notice of complaint, hearing and actions The judicial advisor will notify the accused within 10 working days after the filing of the complaint, as well as provide the accused with a complete copy of the complaint. All records and documents taken in pursuit of the complaint must be made available to both the accused and complainant. C. Composition of hearing panel The hearing panel will consist of six students. At the beginning of each academic year, students will be randomly selected from the student body to serve as potential hearing panelists until a pool of 50 eligible students is selected. Those who indicate a willingness to serve as panel members will be included on the list of eligible students. The hearing will be chaired by a faculty or staff member drawn from a panel selected by the Student Relations Committee of SACUA. The chairper- son conducts the hearing and is a non- voting member of the committee. This chairperson selects a hearing committee from the eligible pool of panelists. The chairperson shall ensure that panelists are both dedicated to their duty as well as unbiased. The chairperson's selec- tions may be reviewed by both the complainant and the accused. The complainant or the accused may challenge a committee member based on bias or other cause. The committee member shall be disqualified if the chairperson determines that the challenge is justified. The panel may be waived at the request of the accused, in which situation the chairperson will hear the case and will cast the only vote. D. The hearing procedure The chairperson may consult with the General Counsel's office before, during, and after the hearing regarding procedural matters. The judicial advisor is responsible for presenting the charges against the accused. The accused retains the compelled to be a witness against himself or herself. The hearing itself is closed to protect the privacy rights of those involved in the hearing. Panel deliberations will be in private. The chairperson will communicate the results of the hearing to the accused and to the complainant. E. The decision of the hearing panel If four members of the panel determine that the action(s) of the accused students is more likely than not a violation of the policy, it will impose an appropriate sanction. If the accused accepts the finding and sanction, the result will be communi- cated to the Vice President for Student Affairs who will enforce the sanctions. If the accused disputes the finding or recommended sanction, he or she may appeal to the Vice President for Student Affairs. Such an appeal must be submitted in writing to the Vice President for Student Affairs within 10 working days after the notice of the decision of the hearing panel. The appeal statement should contain the grounds for the appeal. The Vice President will review the appeal statement and the evidence and determine if proper procedures were followed, the decision was supported by the evidence, and the sanction was appropriate. The Vice President may not levy an increased sanction. F. Records Detailed records will be main- tained by the judicial advisor about any actions undertaken under the policy. Accordingly, records will be maintained by the judicial officer of informal or formal complaints, hearings, mediations, resolutions, findings and sanctions. Confidential- ity of the records will be maintained to the extent required by law, including the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act. The judicial advisor will annually compile and release detailed statistics and examples of the administration and enforcement of the policy. However, some data may not be releasable if the identity of individuals involved would be revealed. G. Threats and intimidation Threats or other forms of intimidation or retaliation against a complaining witness, any other witness or any member of the hearing panel constitute a separate violation of these standards. H. False accusations A student who knowingly and intentionally files a false complaint under this policy is subject to discipline by the judicial officer. VI. Sanctions Hearing panels should fashion sanctions commensurate with the offending conduct. Because educa- tion may be the most effective and appropriate means of addressing behavior that violates these standards in a University community, the University encourages hearing panels to design sanctions which include an educational element. One purpose of the sanctions is to help students understand their behavior in the context of this academic community. It may be inappropriate for the Hearing panels should impose such sanctions where appropriate. Certain factors should be considered in fashioning the sanc- tions. These include the intent of the accused, the effect of the conduct on the victim and the University community, the degree of remorse of the accused, whether the student has violated the standards in the past, and whether sanctions such as education and community service are likely to change the student's conduct. The most severe sanctions, suspension from specific courses or activities, suspension from the University and expulsion, should be imposed only in very serious cases, including the willful failure to comply with a lesser sanction. The range of potential sanctions is as follows: A. Formal Reprimand: The individual receives a formal repri- mand for violating the standards of behavior and a warning that future violations will be dealt with more harshly. B. Community Service: The individual performs an appropriate amount of public service that is both beneficial to the community and likely to assist the individual in understand- ing the harm caused by his or her conduct. C Class Attendance: The individual enrolls in and completes a class that helps the person understand why the standards prohibit the conduct involved. D. Restitution: The individual makes restitution to the victim. E. University Housing Transfer or Remnoval: The individual is trans- ferred to a another room or housing unit, or is removed from University housing entirely. Additional policies identifying responsibilities of students living in University Housing are available in the document Guidelines for Community Living. The disciplin- ary process and sanctions described in that document may be applied as appropriate. F. Suspension from Specific Courses or Activities: The indi- vidual is removed from a course or activity; or the individual is moved to a different section of a course. G. Suspension: The individual is suspended from the University for a defined period of time. When a student is suspended in the middle of a term, his or her tuition is forfeited. The Vice-President for Student Affairs shall consult with the dean, chair or director in the unit in which the student is enrolled before suspension is imposed. H. Expulsion: The individual is expelled from the University. When a student is expelled in the middle of a term, his or her tuition is forfeited. The Vice-President for Student Affairs shall consult with the dean, chair or director in the unit in which the student is enrolled before expulsion is imposed. I. Combined Sanctions: A combina- tion of the sanctions described above may be imposed. Cu 0 U U cr. . :~Wh o yo u trust > .. "Unfortunately, the Bush campaign's misuse of the integrity issue extends well beyond the i aft. "Who do you trust to run this country?" the president asks on the campaign trail. Naturally, what the president refers to, however covertly, is Gov. Bill Clinton's reputation for being an adul- terer. Questioning the Arkansas governor's moral integrity and trustworthiness is an effective tactic - one the president would be a fool not to use. Unfortunately, Clinton has yet to introduce the tactic into his own campaign. Integrity is annimpor- tant qualification- and George Bush has demon- strated that he has far less than Bill Clinton. Clinton needs to revive the spectre of Iran- Contra. Then Vice President Bush told the Amer- unequivocal support of them. Would a man with integrity have lied about his involvement in a criminal activity, time and time again? The Bush Administration's pre-war policies toward Iraq offer anotherexampleofthepresident's duplicity. President Bush used Saddam Hussein's attempt to construct nuclear weapons as a partial justification of the Gulf War. Hearings in Congress have revealed, however, that the Bush Administration illegally provided Hussein with foreign aid, disguised as grain cred- its, that they may have used to expand military programs. Again, the man campaigning on integ- rity broke the law. And let's not forget Panama. As CIA director 0