Page 4-The Michigan Daily- Monday, November 23,1992
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Editor in Chief
MATTHEW D. RENNIE
420 Maynard Street
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
764-0552
Opinion Editors
YAEL CITRO
GEOFFREY EARLE
AMITAVA MAZUMDAR
Edited and Managed
by Students at the
University of Michigan
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Unsigned editorials represent a nmjority of the Daily's Editorial Board.
All other cartoons, signed articles, and letters do not necessarily represent the opinion of the Daily.
Duderstadt imposes conduct code
"We have no comprehensive code now, and the
University has none planned. This is not a priority
for m? or members of my administration."
- University President James Duderstadt, Nov.
27, 1990, in letter to students published in the
Daily.
"The president's purpose appears to be expan-
sion of the University's control over the students'
lives and control their conduct, change their be-
haviorand make them politically correct. Make no
mistake, this is the president's code. "
S- Regent Dean Baker (R-Ann Arbor) in speech
given at Nov. 19, 1992 regents' meeting.
University President James Duderstadt accom-
plished one of the primary goals of his ad-
ministration on Thursday when the regents passed
the "Statement of Student
Riights and Responsibili-
ties" by a vote of 6-2. Un-
fortunately, University stu-
dents did not set this goal
-it was imposed on them.'
Ever since the U.S. Su-s
preme Court struck down a
St. Paul, Minn. ordinance'
banning hate-related
crimes, the University has
been scrambling to draft a
new code that would stand
up in court. To do so, it manipulated suggestions
by former Student Rights Commission Chair
Michael David Warren, jr., and drafted a code that
pertained only to student conduct, not speech.
While this is a welcome (and perhaps Constitu-
tional) change, the code's passage and implemen-
tation still represents a major defeat for students,
who have fought codes of all types for almost 20
years.
But that opposition proved no match for
Duderstadt's implacable drive to instate a code -
any code - during his tenure. Since Duderstadt's
arrival, the administration has fought for speech
and conduct codes. Last year, the University hired
Dr. Maureen Hartford, who helped draft codes at
her last two university jobs, and put her to work on
a third.
Since that time, the University has spent count-
less resources drafting the code. Hartford and her
staff, as well as Associate Vice President for Stu-
dent Affairs Royster Harper, Director of Presiden-
tial Communications Shirley Clarkson and the Of-
fice of General Counsel have worked diligently to
produce the 13 or more drafts of the current code.
Money has been no object. The administration
has purchased full and half-page ads in the Daily,
conducted countless focus groups and meetings,
paid for a nation-wide mailing to students, and
distributed thousands of fliers promoting the code.
That cost might be worth the sum if students
were clamoring for action. Butif anything, students
have been begging for mercy. During the public
hearings held by Hartford, not a single student
spoke in favor of the code.
In a Michigan Student Assembly referendum
conducted last week, 93 percent of students op-
posed the current draft of the code. But that was not
enough to stop the administration or the regents,
who approved the code with only Regents Baker
and Veronica Latta Smith (R-Grosse Ile) voting
against. Even their Republican allies Neal Nielsen
(R-Brighton) and Shirley McFee (R-Battle Creek)
sold out students and voted to instate Duderstadt's
code.
The code is here for at least one year, at which
time the regents will review it again. At this point,
there is little that students can do, other than keep a
watchful eye on the code's implementation and
hope the administration is merciful when it tries to
punish them academically for their behavior out-
side the classroom.
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No Bullwinkle today?
To the Daily:
We would like to take time out
from our busy schedules to
express our disappointment in the
Michigan Athletic Department's
decision not to send the band to
the game against Northwestern.
My friends and I areseniors
and we've been faithful fans for
years. This year, being our last
season as students, we decided it
was necessary to make the four
and one-half hour drive to
Evanston, Ill. in order to see our
Wolverines clinch their fifth
straight Big Ten championship.
After watching Elvis Grbac
and Derrick Alexander hookup
for the first score of the game, we
had a feeling of familiarity rush
over us. It was as if we were back
at the 'Big House' in Ann Arbor.
We thought the only thing
missing was the other 100,000
screaming, cheering Michigan
fans. But we were wrong.
There was no "Victors;" there
was no "Let's Go Blue;" there
was no music at all. The Michigan
fans in attendance were shocked
when they realized there would be
no "Bullwinkle" today.
Now we understand that there
are certain financial hardships
with sending the whole band on
the road, but how about the pep
band (A dozen players and a bus)
or at least something (a cow-bell
player and a train ticket), anything
that would help us help our team
on the road. We made the effort.
We'd like to see the Athletic
Department do the same.
Kurt Albertson
Engineering senior
Mark Gedman
LSA senior
Kudos to the Daily
To the Daily:
Thank you for your wonderful
article on examining the role of
religion in the lives of University
students ("Balancing the books,"
11/13/92). Considering that most
media outlets portray people with
deep religious convictions as
fools or lunatics, it's nice to see
the Daily describe those of us
who actively participate in a faith
in a positive light, and acknowl-
edge that we have something to
contribute to the University
community.
Jim Huggins
Rackham graduate student
Innocent until proven guilt
To the Daily:
Could someone please tell me
if the news writers at the Daily
have ever heard of the phrase,
"innocent until proven guilty?"
I was shocked to see an article
on the front page entitled, "Stu-
dent to stand trial for date rape,"
(10122/92). I was shocked because
I knew the person that was being
accused. I stress the word accused.
The student has not been proven
guilty. Why then was his name
given in the article? The use of his
name before he is actually
convicted is a violation of his
privacy and his rights. The
accused has the same rights as the
accuser. Why wasn't the
survivor's' name mentioned? Did
you ask the accused student if you
could print his name?
Why was this case chosen (out
of the 14 rapes reported this
semester) to be put on the front
page? I think it's because the
accused is an African-American
male. This is not the first time the
Daily news writers have jumped at
the chance to print a front-page
story about an African-American
male student "accused" of a crime.
Last year the Daily printed a
Get the facts on Israel
To the Daily:
My only response after
reading Jodi Jacobson's article,
"Cling to hope for peace in
Middle East," (11/11/92), was -
"what?" I can not believe that the
Daily is so hard up for letters that
it chooses to continue the Middle
East argument by publishing a
completely irrelevant article and
still dare to head it as "Commu-
nity Insight."
Her anti-Arab argument all
begins when a Jordanian radio
station plays (in her opinion) an
inappropriate song. She then
assumes that this song represents
the entire Arab population and
their lack of democracy and their
unwillingness to talk. Then she
recounts her excellent knowledge
of history and declares that, "in
the Middle East there is no
history of democracy," and
furthermore she uses her insight
to tell us that, "hypocrisy and
mistrust abounds in the Middle
East." These statements are
offensive, stereotypical and
wrong.
front-page story about an African-
American male student from the
University that was "accused" of
being involved in the shooting of
an Eastern Michigan University
student. The Daily was quick to
report the name of the "accused,"
the details of his incarceration and
the dorm he lived in.
It turned out that he was
innocent of all accusations. Did
the Daily report the fact that he
was found innocent? No. If the
story was so important why
wasn't it followed up until its
conclusion?
I'm not saying that the accused
in this rape case is innocent. I'm
not saying that African-American
males are always innocent of
accusations against them or that
the crimes of African-American
males should go unreported. What
I am trying to say is that the Daily
should stop trying to portray the
African-American males of the
University as rowdy, uncivilized
criminals.
I ask the Daily to act accord-
ingly and respect everyone's
rights.
Emerson Moore
LSA senior
Her attack of the entire culture
seems to be the background she
uses to insinuate that the Arabs are
holding up the peace process. And
the world wonders why the peace
process is taking so long?
Attitudes need to change, and
Jacobson is going to have to be
the first to start.
Something for the Daily to
think about: a Jewish student, who
lived in Israel and is obviously
pro-Israel - is no kind of
"insight."
Shehnaz Khan
LSA junior
Morris nails the issue
To the Daily:
I would like to congratulate
Natosha Morris on her excellent
letter to the Daily ("Street
harassment is serious," 11/10/92).
I also am not a feminist but I
have severe distaste for men who
make anyone feel uncomfortable
and self-conscious and for
women who take those comments
as compliments.
Karen Habra
LSA senior
S
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Daryl Gates' skewed view of justice
L ast week's debate between former Los Ange-
les Police Chief Daryl Gates and American
Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) President Nadine
Strossen proved to be a confrontation between gall
and reason. Despite Gates' poor performance, he
enjoyed great support from the crowd. Moreover,
Gates can boast a successful book, a popular radio
talk show, and a busy lecture schedule. The former
L.A. police
chief's local
chapter of
groupies and his
rising respect
across the nation X
are entirely un-a
deserved.
-'Considering
that Gates pre-
sided over per-
haps the most
racist and brutal
police force in
the nation, mis- MMOLLY STEVENS/Daly
handled the L.A. riots, and resigned under pressure
from the mayor and governor, his shameful perfor-
mance during his 14-year tenure as police chief has
been too easily forgotten. Daryl Gates remains a
symbol of what is wrong with police protection and
race relations in this country. Moreover, his racism
and disrespect for the rights of the accused were
unabashedly clear in his speech.
Strossen properly articulated the primary prob-
lem with Gates' administration of the L.A. police
department: its racist behavior toward African-
American and Latino men.
umrh t1nnAWn h-a tin a : v . ah--r,4atin
officers involved in the killing of Malice Green in
Detroit should not have been suspended "without
the facts."
However, he stood up for the officers who beat
and brutalized King before he was even charged.
What Strossen referred to as Gates' "selective
fidelity to due process," was also apparent in a
remark Gates made last year. "Casual drug users
should be taken out and shot," he said. With state-
ments like that, perhaps Gates' resignation came 14
years too late.
Gates continued to categorically deny all charges
against him, denouncing the results of an indepen-
dent investigatory commission, which concluded
this month that much ofthe damage of the L.A. riots
was due to lack of police leadership.
Despite Gates' evasions, the commission's
charges are valid. Though riots had been predicted
if the officers who beat Rodney King were acquit-
ted, Gates failed to respond quickly. During the
riots, a time when immediate police mobilization
was necessary, Gates continued with business as
usual, attending a police fund-raiser. Local video
clips show L.A. police officers actually retreating
from dangerous areas.
In his own defense, Gates said the harsh treat-
ment of the officers involved in the King beating
deterred his officers from doing their jobs.
"Police back away if they realize how they'll be
treated for doing their jobs aggressively," he said.
During a crisis, fear is no excuse for inaction.
Though the need for drastic changes in the
justice system is clear, Gates discouraged the popu-
lar idea of having civilian review boards to check
the police. "Civilian review boards are easier than
thra nnirn .. -.-nnt n nlioia" hi c..i . -it -n-l
COMMUNITY INSIGHT
Brutality of inflatable doll is symbolic
a
by Carol Genyea Kaplan
The public rape and battering of
a female effigy in the form of a
blonde life-sizeinflatable "sex doll"
by sections 30 and 31 at the Nov.14
Michigan-Illinois football game is
an illustrative example of the per-
vasive misogyny in our culture.
I understand that until recently
- when stadium officials "cracked
down" on it - a similar practice of
"passing" a live woman and grop-
ing her has been part of some of the
men's entertainment at football
games. A faculty member of an-
other university told me that this
practice has gone on for years and
that he used to participate. "It was
fun," he said, "but if the girl
screamed too loud we'd let her go.
Contempt for women is indeed
"crack down" on the "passing
around" of live women at football
games. Well, that hasn't spoiled
their fun.
Now they act out their hatred
and contempt on a life-sized naked
inflatable doll complete with rub-
ber genitals. They punched it and
humped itand made other witnesses
- obviously because they thought
there was nothing wrong with this
symbolic brutality. And that is ex-
actly the point. These men were
oblivious to the implications of their
actions.
I am sure there are some among
the many who participated who will
say they feel not contempt towards
women. And there are those who
will excuse this behavior with a
"boys will be boys" dismissal.
"Come on." thev might sv. "we
and end result is the same: a society
that ultimately, albeit tacitly, en-
courages the rape and brutality of
real women - the mothers, sisters,
daughters, friends and wives of the
very men who would join in the
"fun."
At one point in this spectacle on
Saturday, the doll was punched onto
the playing field. We thought surely
that this would be the end of it, that
stadium security at the very least
would confiscate the doll. But, that
is not what happened. An official in
a yellow jacket bounced the doll
back into the crowd and by doing so
became a participant. He also didn't
"get it." It was against the civil rights
of every woman that witnessed and
endured this symbolic violence
which, in the end, was condoned by
official. t is time that e make sure
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