Page 4-The Michigan Daily- Tuesday, November 10, 1992
Editor in Chief
420 Maynard Street
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
764-0552
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 matjority of the Daily's Editorial Board.
All other cartoons, signed articles, and letters do not necessarily represent the opinion of the Daily.
Higher education reforms fail
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-E fERS
Second of two editorials
The Amendments to the Higher Education Act
of 1992 have drastically changed the
Upiversity's financial aid procedures, by making
ittnore difficult for students to receive assistance
frqm the government. Moreover, the federal gov-
ernment has reduced the amount of money avail-
alyle for Pell grants, while increasing the number
of eligible students. The U.S. Congress has yet to
respond adequately, and continues to severely
underfund the federal financial aid program. This
half-hearted commitment, in connection with
sneeping and confusing changes in the rules gov-
eriing financial aid have made the difficult job of
the University's Financial Aid Office that much
nmore difficult.
: The Act places a disproportionate emphasis on
vocational and technical training schools. It man-
dates that 30 percent of all financial aid resources
gg to vocational schools. By doing so, the govern-
mnntreduces the amount of aid normally available
toy colleges and universities. While vocational
trainingis undeniably important, funding to higher
education must be augmented - especially con-
sdering the new challenges facing the United
States in the global market.
Another detrimental change in the Amend-
nments is the elimination of home and farm equity
a&.a consideration for receiving financial aid. This
Michigan voters'
I ast Tuesday, the people of Michigan voted
overwhelmingly to enact term limits. By lim-
iting U.S. House members from Michigan to no
nimre than three terms in any 12-year period and
IS. Senators from Michigan to no more than two
tems in any 24-year period, Michiganders have
handicapped the influence of Michigan's repre-
sentatives in Congress. What the people believe to
be~a channel for filtering out government corrup-
tion is a ploy by frustrated special interest groups
that have grown tired of the Democrats' hold on
the House of Representatives.
Term limits passed in 14 states, including elec-
toral powerhouses such as Michigan, Florida,
Washington, Ohio, and earlier in California. These
states will lose considerable influence in Congress
as their representatives will be less experienced
and will be unable to gain influential positions that
are based on seniority. In contrast, states repre-
sented by veterans such as Sens. Strom Thurmond
(R-N.C.) and Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) are
unlikely to throw their incumbants out of office
and will gain disproportional influence.
The group that rallied to put term limits on the
ballot was financed primarily by conservative
Kansas billionaires David and Charles Koch.
Unable to win at the ballot box, the frustrated right
is trying to legally prevent sitting liberals to demo-
cratically retain their seats.
i Supporters of term limits cite the 22nd Amend-
change makes it easier for families with low in-
comes but valuable homes to get aid - which is
fine - but actually penalizes those who save for
college.
This policy makes it easier to hide true income
status, and prevents those who are truly in need
from receiving aid.
The act mandates universities refund tuition to
students who drop out of school early. Currently,
the University refunds tuition only through the
fourth week of classes. The Act would change that
for the better, requiring schools to give refunds
until the end of the term, insuring students who
drop out are not short-shrifted.
However, the act forces universities to treat
first-year students differently, giving them propor-
tionately less money if they withdraw from school.
This government-sponsored bribe is intended to
force first-year students to stay in school.
The act does make non-subsidized loans, like
Stafford loans available to all students, regardless
of financial need. This means that students who
don't have financial need will pay compounded
interest on these loans.
The well-intended Amendments do attempt to
alleviate some difficulties, but for the most part
they have left the situation more confusing and
have built more obstacles. Congress should return
to the drawing board and produce legislation that
helps the needy rather than hurting them.
6
Street harassment is serious
s t ersonal
ment as proper precedent. Voters should remember
that the Republicans pushed through this vindictive
amendment to keep Democrats like Franklin
Roosevelt from serving extended tours in the Oval
Office.
Rep. Bill McCollum (R-Fla.) has introduced a
similar constitutional amendment that would limit
the terms of all representatives from every state.
Fortunately, this bill is currently bottled up in the
House Judiciary Committee. If passed, it would be
the latest step in checking voters' rights. The Con-
stitution already has a built-in mechanism to limit
terms: the ballot.
The fact that 93 percent of incumbants seeking
re-election won nationwide demonstrates that many
voters have grown quite fond of the incumbants
who represent them. What they have expressed
through the term limit referendum is apparently a
desire to limit other districts' incumbants. Ann
Arbor, for example, sent Bill Ford back to serve his
14th term and voted for term limits.
The battle against the wholly undemocratic term
limits is not over yet, though. Term limits violate a
citizens' right to choose a representative. Michigan
courts have not yet had an opportunity to rule on
this controversial issue.
The Supreme Court, when faced with the case,
will likely strike it down. Then, the only remaining
means by which to limit constitutional is to amend
the U.S. Constitution.
To the Daily:
(This letter is directed to
Michelle Thompson in reference
to her letter, "Don't speak for all
women," 10/19/92)
First of all what does having a
B.B.A. in finance and your
boyfriend being a senior at the
University have anything to do
with street harassment?
It is obvious that you did not
read the piece ("A letter to a tall
blond guy," 9/29/92) yourself or
maybe you didn't comprehend it,
otherwise good common female
sense would have told you she
had every right to be offended.
Every woman does not like to be
told how nice something looks
that she is wearing by a strange
man especially if there are parts
of hcr body showing that she is
unaware of.
Second, you claim that there
are some women who would kill
for a look and a nice comment
from a man. I hate to break it to
you, but it does not take much for
women to get a comment from
men on the street these days. I
don't care if we are tall, short, fat
or skinny - we can be guaran-
teed to get looks and comments
simply because we are womn
and we possess those mystical
reproductive organs that men
love, desire and hate us for.
And since when does being
told, "Mmm ... They's some nice
shorts you have on," - when the
highest part of your leg near your
butt is showing - become a
compliment? The comment was
obviously referring to her butt
and not her shorts. How would
you like it if you were walking
down the street and some strange
man coming towards you looked
directly at your breast and said,
"That's a nice blouse?"
Furthermore, where do you
get off labeling this woman as a
feminist? I am not a feminist, but
I am a young lady and I will
express my discontent if a man
makes me feel uncomfortable by
sexually objectifying me in
public.
Most of the comments made
by men in the streets are degrad-
ing and I cannot see how any
woman whether she be feminist,
racist, classist, lesbian or what-
ever welcome such comments.
You are both egotistical and
ignorant to even write a response
to this letter and attempt to speak
for even a portion of the women
in this society with your out-of-
touch views. If there are some
women out there who welcome
these vulgar degrading comments
from men out in public- it is
evident they have a personal
problem and so do you.
Natosha Morris
LSA junior
Fall Fashion excluded BBP
To the Daily:
First off, I enjoyed the fashion
issue of Weekend (10/22/92). But
I found it lacking. You are right,
the world is neither all black nor
all white; but it is neither all tall or
all thin either - like most of your
models.
I am a fashion conscious
individual, buI I am not very tall
or thin. I do not consider this a
handicap. There is an incredible
fashion world for BBP (big
beautiful people), to borrow and
alter slightly a magazine title
"BBW" - Big Beautiful Woman.
You entirely overlooked this
branch of the fashion industry. We
are tired of being ignored by
fashion editors because we are not
size fives. Just because we are not
society's misguided ideal of
beautiful, that does not mean we
aren't in fact beautiful. We are
still people, after all. The stereo-
type of a fat woman in a mumu or
a big man in a polyester suit is a
myth and rather offensive.
I dress to suit my style - bold.
colors and wild patterns. I do not
let my size limit me - in fashion
or in life, regardless of the
restrictions in our society.
Cristy Cardinal
LSA sophomore
Daily misses the point
To the Daily:
Josh Darsky's letter ("Colum-
bus Day program, enlightening,"
10/20/92) in the Daily was, to any
lucid reader, a mockery of the
goings on at the anti-Columbus
rally. Darsky's commentary
seems about as concerned with
modes of "oppression" as you
folks are with egalitarian editori-
alizing. Your decision to entitle
the letter "Columbus Day
program, enlightening," is a clear
indication that the Daily continues
to tread swill in the festering
gur e of PC bilge-water; contriv-
ing to keep afloat the half-backed
beliefs of any marginalized group.
Rather than "enlightened,"
Darsky's saccharine gushing
betrays the extent to which he was
sickened by Rasul Muhammed's
hate theory.
I guess it was the sarcasm that
threw you.
Eddie Alterman
LSA senior
It only gets worse
To the Daily:
Poor babies. According the
article,' "Late start, Thanksgivinig'
lead to shorter term, stress for
students," (10/30/92) a week has
been cut from the term and those
accursed professors haven't
"curtailed" their coursework.
Everything just seems so much
harder.
Scott Ryan claims, "It seems
like everything is happening all at
once." Jennifer Davis adds, "I
came here with the idea that it
would be a bit faster than high
school, but this seems awfully
fast."
No shit. I have news for you
people and everyone else: It only
gets worse.
James Elek
LSA junior
Speak-Out poorly
covered in Daily
To the Daily:
Your coverage of the sixth
annual Speak-Out did not do
justice to the survivors who spoke
there. Speak-Out is an incredibly
empowering event where survi-
vors of sexual assault and
domestic violence can convey
their stories in an atmosphere of
complete support.
Every other day of their lives,
survivors are made to feel
ashamed and guilty. They are
either put on trial or silenced,
while perpetrators of these
horrific crimes escape quietly.
Speak-Out is a time when
survivors speak to hundreds of
people, unembarrassed of the
crimes they could not prevent.
Considering that one in every
thtce women and one in every ten
men are assaulted, this night is
meaningful for a large number of
people.
Perhaps a sixth Speak-Out
seemed like old news to Daily
staffers, but placing it on page
three was simply another silenc-
ing mechanism.
The photograph used was of a
survivor who had been a model
was told that she was sexually
assaulted because of her looks.
The Daily only objectified her
even further.
The article itself strung
f
0
6
No justice in Justice
s
W hen addressing host of problems that
plague the operation of the U.S. govern-
ment, the incoming administration must be sure to
address the credibility gap which has become
virtually institutionalized in the executive branch.
The Department of Justice would be a good place
to begin. A slew of scandals have plagued Justice
for years. Now that Americans have chosen a new
president, the time is ripe for reform.
The Justice Department is the largest law firm
in America and is supposed to represent the inter-
ests of the American people against violators of
federal law. But the Justice Department tends to
enforce laws selectively. The current department,
for example, stands accused of an immense cover-
up involving U.S. policy toward Iraq and the
failure to prosecute an Atlanta bank branch that
admittedly funneled bad and illegal loans to Iraq.
The head of the Justice Department, Attorney
General William Barr, recently named federal
Judge Frederick Lacey as special prosecutor to
investigate the Bush administration's handling of
this prosecution.
The Department's stonewalling, however, is
markedly similar to that of former Attorney Gen-
eral Ed Meese, who held off an Iran-contra inves-
tigationlong enough to allow Col. Oliver North to
shred key documents. Today, it has become clear
ghat this highly politicized executive department
is accountable only to the president. The Justice
lepartment's record in aiding the executive branch
VIEWP.OJNT
Power, dating violence
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at the expense of the small businesses. The
executive's constitutional responsibility is to en-
force laws as passed by Congress and interpreted
by the Supreme Court. Historically - even before
Presidents Reagan and Bush -the Justice Depart-
ment has consistently failed to do so.
It is clear that the Justice Department must be
held more accountable to the people and the law.
The question is how best to accomplish this, with-
out having Justice micromanaged by someone out-
side the executive branch. Establishing effective
oversight of the Justice Department is the obvious
tool. Moreover, empowering the U.S. Senate to
choose a non-partisan special prosecutor to inves-
It's a topic that people rarely
discuss. And yet, according to na-
tional statistics, one in every three
women on this campus will experi-
ence physical violence from some-
one with whom she shares an inti-
mate relationship. National statis-
tics indicate that the vast majority
of domestic violence is perpetrated
by men against women.
Often
when we_
think of do-
mestic vio-
lence of bat-
tering we
don't think
of dating
violence.
The reality
however, is that dating violence is
extremely prevalent particularly
among high school and college age
students.
Dating violence is about power
and control. The goal of the abuser
is to use a variety of power tactics to
control the behavior of his victim.
lowing are listed as some factors
Dating violence is
about power and
control. The goal of
the abuser is to use a
variety of power tac-
tics to control the
behavior of his victim.
that may indicate you are in an
abusive relationship:
Are you frightened by your
partner's temper?
Do you go along with what your
partner wants because you fear his
anger?
Do you find yourself apologiz-
ing to your partner or others when
you are treated badly by him?
Do you make decisions about
activities and friends according to
what your partner wants or how he
will react?
Does your partner ever hit you,
pinch you, pull your hair, or in
other ways physically hurt you?
If you respond yes to one or
i