Page 4-The Michigan Daily- Wednesday, November 11,1992
lclitor in ief
420 Maynard Street
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
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MAITIIEW I. RENNIli
Opinion Editors
YAITI MIUMRA
(;tiIIZRI;Y [ARTII
AMITAVA MAZUIMIOAR
[dited and Managed
by Students at the
University of Michigan
Unsigned editorials represent a ma~cjnrity of the Daily's Editorial Board.
All other cartoons, signed articles, and letters do not necessarily represent the opinion cf the Daily.
'U' amends students out of code
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he University cranked out what is most likely
Tts final draft of the Statement of Student
Rights and Responsibilities Friday, throwing one
bone to students, and hitting them over the head
with the other.
On the one hand, the Statement no longer
contains provisions allowing the University to
punish students for assault and harassment crimes
committed anywhere in the world. Instead, it
creates a University hegemony zone, barring cer-
tain illegal student behaviors including assault
and harassment when exhibited anywhere in"Ann
Arbor and its environs." That is a sensible change.
The University should not try to put itself in the
role of world court; barring some crimes like
sexual harassment world-wide, while prohibiting
murder only when committed in Ann Arbor set a
clear double standard.
Unfortunately, with this welcome change came
a negative one. In previous drafts, the University
intended to punish the "illegal sale, distribution, or
manufacture of drugs," only when committed at
University-affiliated events or facilities, which
included Greek houses and co-ops. But when the
University formed its new hegemony zone, it
brought these crimes under that umbrella as well.
Students who commit these crimes in their own
houses and apartments will now be subject to
University sanction, even though they are already
subject to state and federal law.
But the major blow the University gave to
students was its inclusion of an amendment proce-
dure that completely usurps students' role in the
process. Student Rights Committee Chair Robert
Van Houweling originally proposed an amend-
ment procedure that would allow various repre-
sentative bodies to bring forward amendments,
which would then be subject approval by a judi-
ciary panel, a student vote, and approval by the
University Board of Regents.
The administration accepted the student vote
procedure, but removed the student vote. More-
over, the panel of randomly-selected jurors now
has the authority to alter any amendments that
come before it, further marginalizing the role of
students and the public in the amendment process.
"That completely takes the teeth out of the
amendment procedure," said Van Houweling. "My
goal wasn't to make it easy for students to amend
(the Statement), but to make it hard for the admin-
istration," he said. Additionally, Van Houweling
said the administration specifically violated guar-
antees that it would adopt the procedure as origi-
nally proposed.
Last month, Vice President ofAcademic Affairs
told the Daily, "I'm comfortable with (the amend-
ment procedure) as a process, understanding that
the final decision will be made by the regents."
Apparently, she wasn't comfortable enough.
Indeed, as the document now stands, an administra-
tor can propose an amendment, guide it through the
panel, and send it to the regents. Or, the administra-
tion can avoid this troublesome process and go
directly to the regents, robbing students of any role
in shaping the document that is intended to protect
them.
The reasons keep adding up why the administra-
tion should scrap its current code and draft a
minimalist code that covers only what is mandated
by federal law. Students will have an opportunity to
give their views in an MSA referendum this month
which asks whether they support the current draft
of the code. We suggest they vote "no." But that
may be the last input they have.
Young 's police reforms fell short
ast Thursday night, Malice Green, an African
American, was beaten to death by seven
Detroit police officers, six of whom were white.
That a Black man was-murdered by white police
officers should come as no surprise. That this
occured in Detroit - which has a majority Black
force and one of the most effective affirmitive
action programs in -
the nation - re-
veals, with horrify-
ing clarity, that no
African American,
anywhere, is safe ..-~
from the police.af " "
Green was
stopped by two of-
ficers for reasons
that are still un-
clear. One of the
cops ordered him ..
to let go of some-
thing he was hold-x
ing andbegan beat-___________
ing his hands with
a steel flashlight Members ofa concerned parents
when he refused. of Thursday's beating death,
Two EMS units ar--
rived shortly thereafter, followed by five other
police officers. Green was then pummeled in the
face, chest, stomach and hands, and died shortly
thereafter.
The department responded swiftly. All seven
officers present were suspended without pay, ef-
fective immediately. Still, the fact that seven po-
lice officers either beat a man to death or stood by
as their colleagues did so indicates a fundamental
weakness in police-community relations.
When Coleman Young was elected mayor of
Detroit in 1973, the Detroit Police Department was
overwhelmingly white, riddled with racists, and
brutal in its treatment of Blacks. Young's greatest
accomplishment has been to integrate the force and
heal the gap be-
tween the police
and the commu-
nity.
This is why the
beating provides a
wake-up call. As
Young told the De-
troit Free Press, "If
this could happen
here, it could hap-
pen anywhere."
Detroit Police
Chief Stanley
Knox has pledged
." . _. to take legal action
AP PHOTO against the officers
up rearrange flowers atthescene involved. How-
ever, two of the of-
ficers, nicknamed
"Starsky and Hutch," have a history ofharrassment
complaints. If the officers involved in the Green
beating are just a few bad apples, then why weren't
they removed before'?
An EMS technician present at the murder sent a
very revealing computer message to his boss: "What
do I do if I witness police brutality/murder?" It's a
question we all must ask.
To the Daily:
After reading Governor Ann
Richards' remark in the Daily, "I
looked at the list of women
elected and to be elected and I
decided that Bill Ford is your
token male" - ("Texas governor
inspires local female candidates,"
10/27/92) - I am reminded of
the quote, "Sexism is every-
where, are you part of the
problem or part of the solution?"
Scott Smith
Rackham graduate student
Davis deserved to play
To the Daily:
When did Jeni Durst become
a judge of talent ("For Better or
Durst," 10/26/92)? When Moeller
put Ed Davis in the game against
Minnesota you thought it was to
"curb scoring?" Do you think
Moeller looked at his players,
searching for one that would give
Minnesota a break? If anything,
Davis has been kicking butt in
practice and earned a spot on the
field.
Fourth string. Do you know
that at a national football power-
house like Michigan that means
nothing. Our second string would
be starters at other Big 10
schools. The third and fourth
string players would be second
string or better at other Division I
schools and All Americans at
Division II or Ill.
If Michigan's first string
begins to stomp on an opponent,
it is because the scout teams did a
heck of a job at practice.
Perhaps you need to learn a
few rules of the game, first being
that Moeller put Davis on the
field because he belonged there
and Davis proved that by scoring.
Secondly, there is never "the last
guy on the bench" in any sport
because every player is an
integrated part of a team.
Nicole Beaudry
LSA senior
The Safehouse Crisis Line number
was incorrectly reported in the
Daily.
T'he correct number is 995-5444.
To the Daily:
I am writing in response to
Bradley Cohen's article, "Many
Reasons to Support Israel," (11/2/
92).
92). am surprised to find a
second-year Law student at the
University making such ground-
less judgments. By saying that
"Arabs have supported interna-
tional activities against Jewish and
Israeli civilian targets," he is
trying to pass his opinions off as
fact.
What he regards as an inherent
Stop spreading
To the Daily:
I would like to address the
contents of a letter written by
Joshua Darsky ("Columbus Day
program, enlightening," 10/20/
92).
Darsky wrote: "Columbus was
Jewish, and his mission was
financed by wealthy Jews ... he
sought to bring the world under
the control of the Zionists."
Unfortunately, Mr. Darsky, you
did not brush up on your history
before voicing your anti-Semitic.
opinions. Columbus was a devout
Catholic. Unless King Ferdinand
and Queen Isabella were wealthy
Jews - I think you are mistaken
as to how his mission was
financed. Furthermore, the Zionist
movement did not exist until
truth about Arabs is actually
nothing more than the stereotypi-
cal anti-Arab view.
The Arab population cannot
control the military regimes across
the Middle East. As a Palestinian-
Arab American and a supporter of
peace, who, like many other
Arabs, acknowledges Israel's right
to exist, I urge my fellow students
not to listen to anti-Arab or anti-
Jewish views displayed in the
Daily.
Muhammad Farha
LSA senior
anti- SemitiSm
1897. There were no Zionists
who could seek control of the
world.
As for the idea of an "Interna-
tional Jewish Conspiracy" -
Jews are less than one percent of
the world's population. It would
be very difficult for such a
minute number of people to even
come close to world domination.
It is a shame, Mr. Darsky,
that your personal sense of
empowerment comes as a result
of placing blame and promoting
stereotypes. To use the same
quote that you used in your letter:
"If we don't deal with the facts,
we will be subject to propa-
ganda."
Alisa Warshay
LSA sophomore
Change MSA, vote in elections
To the Daily:
Students' images of the
Michigan Student Assembly are
so low and voter turnout is so poor
because, although MSA might get
things done, they are not very
relevant to students' needs.
I attended the Oct. 28 MSA
meeting to see what MSA is all
about. In the first hour and a half
they did such trivial things as
argue vehemently over the bolding
of one word in an upcoming
referendum on the November
ballot.
MSA should be trying to unite
the students of this campus, rather
than divide them - as the current
system does by creating many
irrelevant controversies. Also,
instead of just doling out money to
student groups, MSA should
create its own programs to better
and more directly serve students.
MSA should bring in speakers,
promote concerts and hold open
discussions to educate, unite and
excite the student body.
In order to make this a reality,
we must change the type of
representatives that serve on
MSA. On Nov. 17 and 18, make a
change for the better -vote for'
Independent candidates.
Craig Greenberg
LSA sophomore
gro
OMIUNT hpfINSIGHTr peae11nM1dd 111Eas
Cling to hope for peace in Middle East
Congress looks more like America
C ome January, the U.S. Congress will better
reflect the diversity of America. Last week's
election marked a number of firsts in ethnic repre-
sentation, and it made significant strides toward
decreasing the gender inequity on the Hill. These
changes will empower minorities and women and
benefit the entire populace.
The sheer numbers of women and Blacks in
Congress increased substantially. Women gained
19 seats in the House and four in the Senate.
African Americans picked up 37 seats in the
House and one in the Senate. House Speaker
Thomas Foley (D-Washington) has already an-
nounced plans to convert one House men's bath-
room into a women's room to accommodate the
new members.
Senator-elect Carol Moseley Braun (D.-Ill.) is
not only the first Black woman to be elected to the
Senate, but she will be the only African American
now in that chamber. In addition, five southern
states will send Black representatives for the first
time. Other minorities increased their representa-
during the Clarence Thomas confirmation hear-
ings, the erosion of abortion rights, a general anti-
incumbent feeling, and redistricting which was
legally mandated to favor minority candidates where
possible.
The "old boys' network" which largely controls
the Congress may be in decline. This provides
opportunities to reorient a legislature which many
citizens feel is out of touch with the nation's prob-
lems. Better representation of women and minori-
ties not only increases the likelihood that the gov-
ernment address the concerns of those groups, but
benefits the country as a whole. It takes advantage
of pools of talent previously shut out of the political
process, introduces new ideas, and strengthens the
progressive coalition needed to address society's
inequities.
However exciting these gains are, it will require
a concerted effort to continue the trend. Congres-
sional candidates will not have the advantage of
redistricting until the next census. While it is en-
couraging that there are now seven women serving
by Jodi Jacobson
Oct. 30, was the one-year
anniversary of the Madrid Peace
Talks. A year ago, Arab leaders
sat down face to face with Israeli
leaders - a monumental event. I
remember the day vividly because
it was a day that I woke up and
shed my naivety.
In the Middle East,
there is no history of
democracy. Laws and
agreements are
merely a means to an
end, not an end to
themselves.
Living in Jerusalem at the time
of the peace talks, I could not help
but feel excited and hopeful. On
that October morning, I tuned into
Jordan Radio, (my Hebrew not
being advanced enough to listen
dreaming, as Gorbechev droned
on, of a world where peace was a
reality. Then I woke up.
What woke me was the over--
enunciated Englishof the woman
on Jordan Radio. She announced
that the station would not'return
to the conference until Egypt
spoke later that afternoon. Then
she played "All Roads Lead to
Jerusalem," a song claiming
Jerusalem to be the center of the
world. I do not know who
performed it, nor does it matter. I
sat up in alarm and looked out my
window, across East Jerusalem to
the Old City. Nothing had
changed. Jordan still wants
Jerusalem, not peace. I thought I
was going to be sick. Jordan
wants my home, my room.
It was a harsh awakening for
an American who had been
taught that all problems could be
solved by talking, just calmly and
rationally discussing things. In
the Middle East, reason succumbs
of order in the region. In the west
Therefore, Syria can
agree to talk peace
with Israel, and then
turn and encourage
the Hizbulla to declare
jihad against Israel
and resume all plans
to push the Jewish
state into the sea.
we generally abide by laws and
agreements. In the Middle East,
there is no history of democracy.
Laws and agreements are merely a
means to an end, not an end to
themselves. Therefore, Syria can
agree to talk peace with Israel, and
then turn and encourage the
Hizbulla to declare jihad against
Israel and resume all plans to push
the Jewish state into the sea.
Hypocrisy and distrust abounds in
the Middle East. It has for
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