Page 4-The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, December 2, 1992 --- -. - - - - -- .1 -1111-1--owlerw. E 4ffr i cbgttn at lV 420 Maynard Street Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109 764-0552 Editor in Chief MATFIEW D. RENNIE Opinion Editors YAEL CITRO GEOFFREY EARLE AMITAVA MAZUMDAR Edited and Managed by Students at the University of Michigan Unsigned editorials represent a majority of the Daily's Editorial Board. All other cartoons, signed articles, and letters do not necessarily represent the opinion of the Daily. FRMaT IL D I.L ............... .:||||||||.||.. I ' CEM ER7 r C b~ op,,,E0ON 'qO 9 t . -.:: - I D ..-.-"{' AL. t0 "'V u\>\Z ap T AdoWMEI lFIE I> O ;. 1~ a a r University becon The University has long had a reputation of being on the cutting edge of technology. That is why it is surprising that the University lags far behind other universities in offering cable televi- sion to residents of University housing. Fortu- nately, the Housing Division is trying to rectify this situation and is currently considering install- ing cable in all residence hall rooms by next fall. Installing cable would make the un- savory dormi- tory experi- ence a little more pal- - pable. For the past several weeks, the Housing Dii sion has been meeting with t t Columbia \\ - _ Cable, an Ann Arbor cable - service, to ne- gotiate a con- tract. The Uni- versity al- ready has a contract with Columbia for the University's mar- ned housing units, and Alan Levy, housing direc- tor of public affairs, said negotiations are going well and he expects to get a contract by the end of this month. Cable television was initially to be installed in 1986 along with new phone lines, but Housing bailed out, and students are still without cable. While the University procrastinated, nearly every other public university in Michigan acquired cable access for dorm residents. As aresult, dorm residents must settle for fuzzy television reception. Many fashion make-shift an- ies cable-ready tennas out of coat-hangers and aluminum foil to get television reception. Now that cable is coming, dorm residents can look forward to many benefits. Dorm cable rates will be less than the standard rate. Students who don't want the service need not worry, cable service will be optional, and those don't have to pay for it. who aren't interested RH-ai RICH CH©I/Dail y In addition to standard cable service, University- specific cable stations will also be avail- able. There will be a housing channel which announces spe- cific dorm ac- tivities and pro- grams. An edu- cational chan- nel that would offer tapes of guest lecturers, movies and television shows to supplement curriculum is , ' t't r i .; ... . . t ' Y ...t" : . *.. . t......,',.t...,........t .l.*......... .. . . . i ' . .....:..::.:.:...V,:::.:.:.t\:. . . . also in the works. A cable station devoted to student programming is under consideration as well. Cable opponents claim the service would be a distraction for students, and that students could not resist the temptation of having MTV in their own rooms. But there are already plenty of distractions on campus, and students are mature enough to decide for themselves what they do with their time. And if they are not, cable hits such as "Ren and Stimpy," "Mystery Science Theater 3000" and "the Donna Reed Show" should offer them hours of television enjoyment. It is good to see that Housing is finally catching on to the cable trend. U.S. double-crosses convicted spy A handful of people assembled last month at Ann Arbor's Hillel to hear Judith Barnett, the lawyer of imprisoned spy Jonathan Pollard, speak out against the injustice of the now-infamous Pollard case. While Barnett entertained questions concerning Pollard's life sentence for espionage on behalf of Israel, the convicted spy continues to rot away in high-security Marion prison. The real question is why Pollard is serving such a harsh sentence, especially considering the plea Pollard and his lawyer bargained with the government. In 1985, Jonathan Pollard was arrested and accused of selling classified documents to Israel. Pollard's lawyers arranged a plea bargain: he agreed to plead guilty, and the Justice Department agreed not to seek a life sentence in exchange. When the judge handed down the sentence, though, Pollard got life, with a recommendation for no parole. Notonly had the government broken its promise, the sentence itself was completely disproportional to any other sentence handed down to a spy working for an allied country. During sentencing, then-Secretary of Defense Casper Weinberger sent a memo to sentencing Judge Audrey Robinson stating that Weinberger could conceive no "greater harm to national secu- rity than that caused by Pollard." This is a ridicu- lous exaggeration. The information Pollard sold was mainly about the location of Palestine Libera- tion Organization headquarters in Tunis and other information that posed no threat to American secu- rity. Yet, Pollard, who has already served seven years in prison, has been locked up longer than any other allied spy in American history. In fact, the average period of incarceration for Soviet spies during the Cold War was only five years. After the sentencing, Judge Robinson explained that one of the main reasons he had imposed such a harsh sentence was that Pollard had leaked infor- mation on joint Israeli-South African missile tests. Yet, the prosecution papers contain no mention of this. The government may have fed Robinson inac- curate information. Espionage against the United States is certainly a serious crime. Yet the Pollard's sentencing repre- sents a serious breach of good-faith plea bargaining and basic justice. Pollard, who certainly represents no threat to the American public, is locked away in one of the highest-security prisons in the nation. Jonathan Pollard may be guilty. But in all like- lihood, he has been subject to an unjust sentence because of the widespread fear of American Jewish "dual loyalty" to Israel. The only way for Pollard to be released now is for the president of the United Sates to commute the sentence. This is a matter President-elect Bill Clinton should look into. Strive for accuracy To the Daily: There must be clarification regarding the article, "Graduate students to perform environmental audit of U-M," (10/28/92). Though a good portion of the article was accurate, there were some fundamental misquotes which must be addressed before they are misinterpreted by the University community, especially those people with whom we have had a good working relationship. It is not true that the chemistry department "couldn't care less about the environmental dangers of chemicals." What was actually said was "they don't care as much about waste minimization as they do about safety and compliance." Further, in talking about the business school portion of the project, Lori Kaplan did not say, "reorganizing the administration may be part of the plan." In contrast to this confrontational statement, she suggested that an administrative shift such as appointing a liaison to coordinate environmental activities might be appropriate. We hope in the future editorial changes and reporting at the Daily will strive with better success to be accurate for two reasons. First, the misrepresentation of just two words can have devastating effects on the working relation- ships of the subjects of the articles. Second, the readership of your paper deserves to read the truth reported accurately. Pam Bloch Lori Kaplan Pollution Prevention Master's Project Homosexuality is a sin To the Daily: With regards to your editorial about Christian homosexuals remaining excluded from the National Council of Churches ("Gay Christians remain ex- cluded," 11/19/92), I couldn't disagree with you more. First of all, you obviously have a very shady grasp of Jesus Christ and what Christianity is all about - which leads to your inept attempt at judging God's laws by human opinion. Homosexuality is a rebellion against God - a sin. This is not subject to interpretation. The Bible clearly states this in Romans - it is fact. Sin is sin, no matter if it's homosexuality, pre- marital sex, rage, slander or lying - it's all the same in God's eyes; "for the wages of sin is death," (Romans 6:233a). The real issue at hand is not whether the church is discriminat- ing against one sin or another. The real issue is what are we going to do about rebellion and how does this affect the American churches? The Bible is the word of God and the only foundation of Christianity. Christians must be willing to accept homosexuals as people - for all fall short of God's glory. But acceptance is not the same thing as approval. Sin can be overcome through Jesus' death and resurrection; "but the Gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord," (Romans 6:233b). This, obvi- ously, is not a license to justify or rationalize sin with human logic - re-i Ut-Thr,~wnI ()~A;1 To the Daily: Although I admittedly have not studied the latest version of the "Statement of Student Rights and Responsibilities," I am disturbed by your reports that there is no provision for the right to counsel in any hearings under this code. In terms of what due process safeguards should apply to these proceedings, we should think of the interests that are at stake. Part of the due process formula in law is that the greater the property or liberty interest at stake, the greater the abundance of due process safeguards which should be afforded. For instance, most of us might agree that a minor sanction should not trigger the same due process safeguards as a more harsh and lasting punishment. Below are two extreme examples from criminal law. Although the sum of 25 dollars has different meanings to different people depending on where they are on the economic ladder, most of us might agree that the maximum penalty of a fine in this amount should not call forth a full array of due process safeguards. However, if the maximum penalty is capital punishment, then we should afford all the current due process safeguards and probably more. Living in a racist society, we should also be certain that none of the discretion- ary decisions leading to a sen- tence of capital punishment were racially inspired. With regard to infractions under a student code, if indeed we are to have one, we should not only define each punishable behavior with precision, we should attach specific penalties to each infraction, much the same as the state does with its criminal Examining code, due process I code. The assignment of specific due process safeguards would then be dependent on the maximum penalty which might be invoked in any particular case. Consequently, whether or not we afford the right to counsel would depend on the weight and significance of the interest at stake. For instance, being expelled from the University constitutes a significant penalty; for most students it would be devastating. Prospects for future education and a future career may be at stake. Indeed, the damage to ego, to reputation, to life may be so great that other penalties pale in comparison. In such a case, both the liberty interest and the property interest are so great that other penalties pale in compari- son. In such a case, both the liberty interest and the property interest are so great that a full array of due process safeguards ought to be applied. Where the infraction is of lesser consequence to the Univer- sity and the maintenance of an educational environment, we would hopefully apply more mild sanctions, hence fewer due process safeguards. I have no knowledge of whether this perspective on due process has been discussed. I assume that it has and that it has been discarded. However, taking even a minimalist perspective, I do believe that denying the right to counsel in cases of permanent exclusion from the University based on non-academic conduct violates fundamental concepts of due process and invites litigation. Tom Croxton School of Social Work professor 4 SAPAC volunteer resigns Harmful AIDS laws infect states IFt took a Louisiana District Court jury only 12 minutes to convict Salvadore Gamberella last Friday of knowingly transmitting the HIV virus that causes AIDS to his former girlfriend. Louisi- ana is just one of several states that have passed broad legislation making the transmission of HIV a punishable crime. Transmitting HIV knowingly ought to be punishable, either in criminal or civil court. The Louisiana law, however, punishes any- one who transmits the virus, rather than targeting only people who knowingly transmit the disease. These laws completely ignore the most funda- mental rights of the accused in our judicial system and institutionalize the stigmatization of AIDS victims. The logic behind the law is twisted and sets a dangerous precedent. It would seem that propo- nents of the HIV law would condone prosecuting anyone who spreads a virus under any situation. Can doctors who follow strict safety guidelines in good faith, yet unintentionally infect a patient with a virus (which is always a possibility), be liable? How about CPR or first-aid recipients who people what precautions to take against the virus - not through legislation that tramples on our most fundamental rights. The recent Texas case, where a woman who had sex with as many men as possible with the intention of spreading HIV, is aperfect example ofcriminally punishable behavior. It is a travesty that any HIV victim would spread the virus with an intent to harm another individual. But broad legislation, like that in Louisiana, lumps all AIDS victims into one criminal class of people. Realistically, even laws that apply only to people who transmit HIV knowingly would be difficult to enforce. People cannot be convicted in the U.S. legal system without being found guilty "beyond a reasonable doubt." It is virtually impossible to determine whether the accused told his or her partner that he or she was HIV positive. Thus, the courts must approach cases of HIV transmission carefully and strictly adhere to the axiom of inno- cent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Unfortunately, the Louisiana case tossed out some basic tenets of American justice. Much of the To the Daily: I have been working as a volunteer with the Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center (SAPAC) peer education program for two years. I have grown immensely because of my work there; I have been personally empowered as a survivor of sexual violence, and continuously inspired and educated by my peers, supervisors and the people with whom I have done work- shops. In the two years that I have worked with SAPAC, I have witnessed a slow but steady and committed effort by staff and volunteers to make SAPAC an organization which is welcoming, accessible and prepared to meet the needs of the diverse group of women and men who are survivors, the different communi- ties which desire ed acation about the issues of sexual assault, and the multiplicity of students and community members who desire to devote time to SAPAC. I have been continually amazed by SAPAC's comprehen- sive commitment to the issues of sexual assault, and continually aware of the pivotal role that SAPAC has played in my personal recovery and education. It is with these connections to continued efforts to be a more accessible organization that values student input. 'I went through the extensive peer education training this Fall. Ms. Cain came to only one session of many, a workshop on racism in which she did not fully participate. I felt her lack of concern for this workshop, and consequently, her lack of support for me as a student volunteer at SAPAC. Since this initial contact, I have continued to feel her absences at student activities and events specifically related to sexual assault. A community reception was held in her honor on Columbus Day; I was angered by this scheduling and by her absence at an event that same evening, co- sponsored by SAPAC and the Baker-Mandela Center, that discussed rape in the context of the Latino community. Following this, at a reception in her honor at SAPAC, she dismissed the concerns of students and others once again by thanking us for the "Michigan Welcome." I feel that this generalization trivialized and ignored the genuine concerns that students have had with the hiring process and selection of Ms Cain as the new director. My concerns emerge alongside A___ __ . ,. r _ _.{., _.. -1