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Page 4 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, November 13, 1992
l E YC igttn ttYl
420 Maynard Street
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
764-0552
Editor in Chief
MATTHEW D. RENNIE
Opinion Editors
YAEL CI"TRO
GEOFFREY EARLE
AMITAVA MAZUMDAR
Edited and Managed
by Students at the
University of Michigan
Unsigned editorials represent a maujority of the Daily's E ditorial Board.
All other cartoons, signed articles, and letters do not necessarily represent the opinion of the Daily.
FROMTEDAILY
Court rightly rules against NEED
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arly Thursday morning, the Court of Common
J2 Pleas, a student court that governs Michigan
Student Assembly affairs, ruled in favor of MSA
on all three charges filed against it by the NEED
Service, a student charity group. The NEED Ser-
vice, led by advisor Saliya Khalid, took action
against MSA after it refused to renew the service's
office space this year. Khalid alleged that MSA
violated the Service's student-organization rights
on discrimination and freedom of speech grounds.
The court ruled unanimously on all charges save
discrimination, which garnered a4-1 vote. In light
of Khalid's many groundless accusations in the
past, these charges must have been difficult to take
seriously.
Khalid's history with MSA illustrates the prob-
lem. In February, Khalid was looking to recover
some papers she left in a meeting room in the
Union the previous night. Upon hearing that these
papers had been lost or thrown away accidentally
by the staif, Khalid allegedly threatened the build-
ing staff with physical violence. She had to be
restrained by campus safety officers.
A month later, Khalid spoke at an MSA meet-
ing, and accused the Conservative Coalition (CC)
and the Michigan Moose Party of perpetrating this
malicious act. She compared CC with the reac-
tionary John Birch Society, and proceeded to pass
out a folder containing what she said to be a
summons and complaint made against MSA.
The contents read as follows: "The next time
that you will be served with a summons and
complaint, it will be real!!" The other sheets in the
folder were blank.
Khalid conceded that she would not file these
complaints if CC did not win the MSA presidency
in the upcoming election.
Later, Khalid had a run-in with an MSA em-
ployee, and demanded to see the NEED Service's
mail ahead of schedule. This confrontation ended
with Khalid exploding into a lit of verbal abuse,
accordi ng to Heather Lowman, the MSA employee.
After being reprimanded for her behavior by
MSA coordinator Colleen 'Tighe, Khalid dutifully
responded, insisting that Tighe was "stressed" and
suffered from "a serious psychological deficiency,"
but was willing to "refer (Tighe) to a local commu-
nity clinic in (the) Ypsilanti area."
If this behavior seems .childish - if the un-
founded allegations of an MSA conspiracy against
the NEED Service appear brash - then there may
have been good reason for the court to doubt the
allegations. In truth, one is naturally led to suspect
that Khalid is not a victim of MSA, but rather of
paranoia.
After hearing the case, the court not only ruled
against Khalid, but declared that her testimony was
not credible, recommending MSA take action
against the NEED service for perjury. Hopefully,
MSA will pass up this invitation to get mired in yet
another foolish lawsuit, and will heed the warning
of Brian Kight.
"It would just be another one of those big,
stupid, goofy court cases," he said.
.....
Read it, know it, join the debate
AIDS: Facing the deadly epidemic
The complete name is Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, but we know it as AIDS. AIDS is a sexually
transmitted disease which causes the breakdown of the immune system leaving the body vulnerable to infection
and other diseases. There is no known cure for AIDS. The number of people infected with AIDS is rapidly
growing and so are the misperceptions of how it is actually transmitted. What are the facts? Who should be
concerned? Is there hope for a cure?
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Gay community must stay strong
Illinois should retire Chief Iliniwek
IAT hen the Wolverines play Illinois Satur-
day, the point spread won't be the only
controversy. The Illini are currently embroiled in
a controversy regarding the team's use of the
Chieftain as its mascot.
If this game were being played in Champaign,
an Illini student dressed as a tribal Chieftain would
mock the importance of a spiritual dance and
perpetuate a racist stereotype of Chief Illiniwek.
At issue is the misrepresentation of a Native
American tribe wiped out by European settlers.
For the University of Illinois to continue this
policy simply because it fears the loss of alumni
donations is disgraceful.
I ast year, the governing board o f Illinois voted
to continue use of the Chieftains as the team's
mascot, despite the pleas of more than 30 campus
groups, Native Americantribes, and Native-Ameri-
can students on campus.
As campuses across the country re-examine
their team mascots, it is the students and the Native
Americans at hand who should be considered. Only
seven of 35,000 Illinois students are Native Ameri-
can. That, however is no reason for the governing
board and administration to overlook their inter-
ests.
Illinois continues to sell sweatshirts and other
paraphernalia with the chieftain's face. If a whole
race of people are to be caricatured, those respon-
sible may as well consult the victims.
by Ron Genotti
and Joe Easthope
AIDS/HIV raises some vital, spe-
cific issues in the gay-student com-
munity. We would like to point out
that, although we may sometimes use
the phrase "gay and lesbian," this
article is written from a male point of
view and we do not assume to be able
to speak for the lesbian half of the
community.
General society harbors many
misconceptions about AIDS/HIV.
There are, however, a few crucial
misconceptions within the gay com-
munity itself:
If a person has AIDS/HIV, they
must be promiscuous.
This is perhaps the biggest mis-
conception in the gay-student com-
munity. AIDSIHIV is not a matter of
promiscuity; it is a matter of unsafe
sexual behavior. People can have as
much or as little sex as they want to
have. It is not the quantity of sex, but
the quality of sex --safe or unsafe -
that puts someone at risk.
It is better not to know than to
know a diagnosis.
The truth is that the earlier a diag-
nosis is made, the sooner one can
make appropriate.lifestyle changes
- quit smoking, drinking alcohol,
etc.
It's us or them.
The AIDS epidemic, like many
Genotti is an M.B.A.first-year
student. Easthope is an LSA senior.
epidemics, is thought to have polar-
ized the community between the "in-
fected" and the "uninfected." This is
not the case. AIDS has brought us all
together: infected and uninfected,
male and female. The genuine and
committed response of the lesbian
community in the first stages of the
AIDS epidemic is an example of this.
Another concern is that of funda-
mentalist"moral superiority."While
the gay and lesbian community would
like to spend all its time and energy
on the AIDS crisis, it now faces the
added challenge of battling those who
use AIDS as a "hook" on which to
"hang their prejudices." Many gay
and lesbian students who have AIDS/
HIV find themselves redefining their
lives, and do not need the added guilt
and shame wrought by many funda-
mentalist religious groups.
The gay and lesbian community
experiences overwhelming losses on
a daily basis. Waking up each morn-
ing to a litany of names in the obitu-
aries is a numbing experience. How-
ever, there have been positive im-
pacts of the AIDS epidemic. AIDS
has empowered the community. The
"invisible minority" can no longer be
silent. The "fight or flight" motto of
the past has given way to a "fight or
die" response. In addition, AIDS-
related activism has spawned a re-
newal in lesbian and gay activism
and, more generally, civil rights ac-
tivism. Facing the enormous inten-
sity of AIDS, we have united and
strengthened our community.
Communities can stop violence
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A rmed youths wounded 11 students in Detroit
public schools last Wednesday. Police sus-
pect gang-related activity led to the shooting out-
side Mumford High School, only one of a few sites
of violence. This threat to life and limb is yet
another factor discouraging students from attend-
ing school, and the schools need to find a way to
stop it.
The school system has already taken some
steps to combat violence. The district presently
conducts random weapons searches, totalling 32
last year. The school also has a Public Safety
Department made up of 139 officers, eight of
whom have been deputized by the Detroit Police
Academy. As these methods have not solved the
problem, a series of new ideas are being discussed
that have the potential to help reduce violence in
the schools.
The president of the Detroit Federation of
Teachers has proposed a SWAT-team type of op-
eration that would tight gang warfareinand around
schools. The fact that such a plan is on the table
should convey the seriousness of the problem.
A new plan (involving fewer snipers) from the
principals of the Detroit schools looks promising.
Among the suggestions are: installing electronic
doors that can remain unlocked on the inside but
locked outside; installing permanent metal detec-
tors at the doors of all 23 high schools, some of
which already have them; and increasing police
and Public Safety Department patrols of the area.
While such plans might make the schools more
secure, there is only so much they can accomplish.
The other method of attacking the problem of
guns in the Detroit schools concerns the students
themselves. Students join gangs because of the
strain put on their homes by the devastating eco-
nomic breakdown in the city. These gangs foster an
environment disruptive to other students who want
to learn.
Community involvement is critical. A coalition
called "Stop the Killing," co-founded by the South-
ern Christian Leadership Conference, has called
for the development of community policing and
support groups. The new organizations are meant
to emphasize education and turn gang members
away from crime. The community has a role to play,
and should foster an environment conducive to
education.
Violence in Detroit's public schools is symp-
tomatic of much greater societal ills. Detroit Public
School students are already burdened with inad-
equate schools because of inadequate funding.
Nevertheless, the community must take steps in the
short term to at least provide for the physical safety
of Detroit's students.
Fight with fact; AIDS affects everyone
Court should uphold Miranda
by Geoffrey Cislo
and Dylan Stewart
"When ignorance, superstition and
prejudice prevail, preventable disease
will be allowed to slay right and left."
These insights taken from a 1926
pamphlet examining the deadly per-
ils of diphtheria were not meant to be
grim omens of today's AIDS epi-
demic, yet the words still ring true.
They epitomize the present obstacles
that prevent our society from effec-
tively dealing with an invariably fatal
disease. Many health experts believe
the disease is just at the beginning of
its catastrophic place in history.
The potential costs of AIDS are
staggering. The palliative care of
AIDS patients presents a formidable
challenge to a health care system that
is just beginning to come to terms
with its own financial crisis. The non-
financial problems that AIDS poses
for America today are equally formi-
dable. Ignorance about AIDS, its
transmission and prevention still pre-
vails. Fear of AIDS is flourishing
while attempts to educate the public
struggle in the wake of the virus,.
How unfortunate it is that AIDS
first appeared in the gay populations
of our country. These people have
been exemplary in halting the ram-
pant spread of the disease among their
own ranks. Non-gays deluded them-
selves with the idea that the disease
could not affect them. Tt is imnerative
Misperceptions
concerning the
AIDS virus
by Kristin Hoppe
The following are common
misperceptions concerning the AIDS
virus:
Heterosexuals are dot at risk
for HIV infection -wrong.
It is not who you are but what you
do that puts an individual at risk.
Center for Disease Control statis-
tics show that the fastest growing
increasein HIV infection intheUnited
States is occurring among women.
They are being infected through un-
protectedheterosexual contact, often
with a partner who uses injection
equipment, and sharing infection
equipment themselves. World wide
approximately half of those individu-
als infected with HIV are males and
half are females. The major mode of
transmission worldwide (i.e. 65 per-
cent of all cases) is unprotected vagi-
nat'intercourse.
A person who has had unpro-
tected sex with one or more partners
and tests negative on an HIV anti-
body test can assume that previous
sexual partners were HIV negative
- wrong.
A person is not always infected
upon exposure to HIV. For example,
a person having unprotected sex with
an HIV infected individual may be-
come infected on the first exposure
or the 200th exposure.
Lubricated condoms contain
enough Nonoxynol-9 to be an effec-
tive spermicide - wrong.
For maximum protection, it is
recommended that additional prod-
ucts containing Nonoxynol-9 be used
in addition to a lubricated condom.
Five cc's or 1 tablespoon of
spermicidal foams, creams or jellies
orproducts containing apremeasured
amount of Nonoxynol-9 such as sup-
positories, vaginal film (VCF) and
the Today sponge can be used.
A person who tests positive for
the HIV antibody has AIDS -wrong.
The HIV antibody test is NOT a
test for AIDS. A positive antibody
test only indicates that a person has
the virus (HIV) that causes AIDS.
The person who is HIV infected may
havenosymptoms,somemild symp-
toms, or multiple symptoms, more
severe symptoms.
A diagnosis of AIDS is based on
a positive HIV antibody test and the
appearance of one or more of 23
specific symptoms defined by the
Center for Disease Control and a
severely suppressed immune system.
The average length of time be-
tween infection with HIV and diag-
nosis with AIDS is 10 years.
An individual who abstains from
oral, anal or vaginal sex and doesnot
inject drugs is at minimal risk of
becoming HIV infected. One can
greatly reduce the risk of becoming
infected by using barrier protection
(latex condoms or latex squares) with
spermicide during all sexual activity
and by not sharing needles.
Anoenvnma rnnnfsAntiH.1mV
eases in the past.
The experience with diphtheria
in the early 1900s provides a fairly
modernexample. Diphtheria had long
plagued cities before medicine could
fathom its cause. Sinful living or di-
vine retribution were its supposed
origins. To avoid the scorn of soci-
ety,patients often persuaded doctors
to conceal their infection. The only
effective public health measures were
isolation techniques such as quaran-
tine,removal ofhealthy children from
infected homes, and mandatory test-
ing. Given the stigma of the disease,
resistance to these actions was un-
derstandably great.
Only the use of these classical
measures against infectious disease,
however, provided the containment
of diphtheria and reduction of its
incidence until a cure was found.
The AIDS epidemic presents the
same difficulties that faced care giv-
ers in the early 20th century. It is
paradoxical that the civil liberties
fundamental to all people, including
AIDS patients, may be contributing
to the spread of this horrific disease.
Only two states are doctors le-
gally entitled to breach confidential-
ity and inform the spouse of an in-
fectedpersonthat they are at extreme
risk of contracting a lethal disease. In
no state are patients and health care
professionals compelled to divulge
their HIV-infection status to each
other, giventhat--howeverunlikely
W hile the voters of the United States were
focused on the presidential election, the
U.S. Supreme Court heard a crucial case regarding
the rights of the accused. The question before the
Court was whether the Miranda ruling should be
overturned.
At the heart of this controversial case is a
Michigan resident named Robert Williams Jr.,
who was interrogated in 1985 about the deaths of
two men who had been found shot on a rural road.
A tape recorder captured Williams' admission that
he supplied the murder weapon. However, police
never told Williams that he had the right to remain
cilar na i t havP an attnrnrav nrpcant ri ahtc that
During the Court arguments, Justice David
Souter asked whether the elimination of appeals
based on Miranda would lessen crowded dockets.
The size of courts' dockets is irrelevant. Protection
of the rights of the accused has traditionally been
the legal system's first priority, not an interest to be
weighed against short term expediency.
The recent beating in Detroit makes clear that
the police cannot be trusted to look after citizens'
rights. The 1963 ruling resulted from continued
police abuse of the law. Moreover, people who have
been arrested of a crime are often confused, fright-
ened and unable to think clearly, or simply ignorant
nftheir riohtc (iVPcn the die idnintnaie a nolice
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