Page 4-The Michigan Daily- Monday, February 1, 1993
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420 Maynard
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Edited and managed
by students at the
University of Michigan
JOSH DUBOw
Editor in Chief
YAEL M. CITRO
ERIN LIZA EINHORN
Opinion Editors
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Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of the Daily editorial board.
All other cartoons, signed articles and letters do not necessarily represent the opinion of the Daily.
Editorials
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From the Opinion J
ANALYSTS PITY OUR generation.
We will be the first to achieve less
than our parents, they say. The
lakes will dry up, the trees will disappear,
fires will explode in the sky and devour us.
Discouraged by the forecast, we brace our-
selves and prepare to move forward -
shutting doors, battening hatches and tak-
ing refuge in the basement, hoping the storm
will blow over.
But, just as science predicts a bleak fu-
ture for our generation, history teaches that
people can unite to create change. We are
the children of soldiers and activists -
fighters who survived the Cold War and
somehow came out ahead. We are the chil-
dren of Americans who risked their lives
stepping up to the plate - demanding an
end to segregation. These people created
the future - winning some of their battles
but only beginning the war.
Every generation must fight these battles
anew.
During the coming year, The Daily will
take an approach toward advocacy journal-
ism. We hope not only to continue provid-
ing a forum for ideas and discussion, but we
plan to bring this forum a step further -
toward solutions. We will take a closer look
at the far-reaching effects of the discrimina-
tory atmosphere for gays and lesbians on
campus, as well as the social and institu-
tional structures that lead to sexual assault.
Although a presidential nondiscrimi-
nation policy issued by President Harold
Shapiro in 1984 prohibits the University
from refusing admission or employment to
people on the basis of sexual orientation,
gays, lesbians and bisexuals are still not
DIAG POLIO'
Constant restrictions
T HE UNIVERSITY ADMINISTRATION,
through an overly restrictive new Diag
events policy has, for all intents and
purposes, banned political activism. While
the Michigan Student Assembly tried to
protest the policy last Thursday in front of
the Grad, it was a case of too little, too late:
only seven or eight people cared enough to
show up. The University, once known around
the world for it's political activism and en-
couragement of free speech, is now a place
where students are expected to keep their
political views to
themselves, and 1990. What is h
their feet off the
grass. We have putI
our nickname
"Little Berkeley"
to shame.
The stated pur-
pose of the policy
is to "protect and
advance the health,
safety and total en-
vironment of the
campus commu-
nity." However, it
appears to be, as
one MSA member
said, "control for
control's sake."To
make matters
worse, the Admin-
istration did not
even bother with
the standard proce- To student g
dure of consulting with MSA before passing
policies of concern to students.
The policy mandates that student groups
who wish to protest only do so between the
hours of noon and 1 p.m., avoid use of chalk
and bullhorns, and cover all maintenance
and clean up costs.
The lunacy does not end here. The most
restrictive measure of the entire policy is the
rule that prohibits demonstrations without
seven days advance notice. The nature of
political protest is the need to react to issues
as they unfold. When the United States
bombed Iraq, should students have waited
seven days to protest?
If the ramifications of this policy have not
yet hit home, consider this: the entire expe-
rience of being a University student has been
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caps and gowns
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Frank Cianciol
tent neutral," ar
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fortheReform o
and it's yearly h
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appening
ctivism?1
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nization that use
for maintenance
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cost the Univers
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been asked to p
deposit.
Although the
at silencing NO
will suffer. Thec
Week must find
without actually
Diag. Other org
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other forms of discrimina-
:sbian couples are excluded
he benefits married hetero-
receive - the University's
ily housing complex still
.o gay and lesbian couples.
lify to receive spousal health
he most simple benefits, like
ichigan football tickets, are
1 assault is reported every48
denies the severity of this
the Sexual Assault Preven-
ness Center (SAPAC) is the
ganization set up to handle
ed for counseling survivors
I programs. Like all other
under the Office of Student
receives an annual funding
he number of sexual assaults
ish. Additionally, although
y student must fulfill a Race
quirement, there are few
that deal with the dynamics
lizes sexual assault. Neither
hool, nor the Athletic De-
) of the largest and wealthi-
he University - have writ-
d policies which could con-
nic.
ular issues are the direct ef-
nceptions and stereotypes.
begin developing solutions
her issues is by looking for
cture - presenting it hon-
iting it often.
Yael Citro, Erin Einhorn
Daily Opinion Editors
roy activism
while those students who
r"Little Berkeley" don their
ssociate Dean of Students
a claims the policy is "con-
ed not aimed specifically at
it is evident that the policy
the National Organization
fMarijuana Laws (NORML)
emp legalization rally, Hash
ersity has a long history of
ash Bash through refusing
permits and tight-
ening restrictions,
butneverbeforehas
it so adversely af-
fected the general
University commu-
nity.
While past ac-
tion does not nec-
essarily prove that
Cianciolais stretch-
ing the truth, the
specifics of the
policy do. Events
on the Diag or
North Campus
Common (NCC)
are now restricted
to the cement, and
aif the event cannot
be accommodated
as such it will be
"considered map-
1993 propriate and ...
here."No other area on cam-
ld the enormous crowd that
acts, leaving NORML in a
he cement-only regulation,
ow intends to hit any orga-
s the Diag or NCC with a fee
and security costs. This is
ed atNORML, whose event
ity around $9,000 last year.
rmit for 1993, NORML has
put up a $9,429.18 security
new policy specifically aims
)RML, other organizations
organization planning Earth
a way to celebrate the Earth
stepping on the grass in the
anizations, for whom grass
may, ,fin th v p.1,, . ,-A.r..
by Karen Kennedy
School of Education alumna
I am writing in response to the recent
letter by Dan Lefkovitz and Aric Jacover
("Criticisms of Israel ignore important
facts," 1/26/93). In their letter, they try to
explain Israel's expulsion of400 Palestin-
ians, and in doing so, make it clear that
they are in agreement with Israel's ac-
tions. They write that they want to clear up
the "half-truths" and "generalizations"
they saw in a previous letter condemning
Israel's actions. Unfortunately, I found
their letter full of half-truths, generaliza-
tions and statements that are biased and
thatalso "cloud perception of the situation
as it exists."
Mr. Lefkovitz and Mr. Jacover state
that all400 Palestinians expelled are mem-
bers of the political group Hamas. The
Israeli government has already admitted
that approximately 20 of those deported
were not Hamas members and were wrong-
fully expelled. Many of the exiles are also
doctors, lawyers and teachers. Mr.
Lefkovitz and Mr. Jacover state that these
deportees don't have it so bad since they
were "given money and merely exiled
from the country." These deportees were
taken from their homes in the middle of
the night, dumped in a desert during the
winter and given $50 a piece. When they
were initially expelled, no time limit was
set for their return to Israel. Israel ex-
pected Lebanon to take care of these people
whom Israel did not want.
Why are 400 Palestinians being pun-
ished for the acts of a few? Does this not
strike you as blatantly undemocratic, as
well as against basic human rights, for a
country claiming to be a democracy?
What does Israel hope to accomplish
in expelling people for their political be-
liefs? This action certainly has not de-
creased political activity in the Gaza Strip,
nor has this action been without world-
wide outcry for its inhumanity as well as
Are Mr. Lefkovitz and Mr. Jacover
aware of the living conditions in the Gaza
Strip? Perhaps if they had some knowl-
edge of the hellish conditions brought on
by this long-term occupation, they would
understand why radical groups like Hamas
have become more appealing. Political
extremism arises when people have given
up hope that anything can be accom-
plished by more accepted means - like
the Middle East peace talks, which are
Why are 400 Palestinians being punished for the
acts of a few? Does this not strike you as blatantly
undemocratic, as well as against basic human
rights, for a country claiming to be a democracy?
for its sheer political stupidity.
It is very sad that six Israelis were
killed in the Gaza Strip, but it needs to be
made clear that the violence going on in
the Occupied Territories by the Israeli
Defense Force claims numerous lives ev-
ery day. Israel is militarily occupyingthe
Gaza Strip and the West Bank, and that
means that violence against the Palestin-
ians is a daily occurrence. The death rate
is much higher for Palestinians from Is-
raeli violence than the death rate of Israe-
lis killed by Palestinians. The total num-
ber of human rights violations of Palestin-
ians by Israeli Defense Forces since De-
cember of 1987 totals 1,097 deaths and
126,512 injuries requiring hospitalization,
as of Dec. 8, 1992 (The Washington Re-
port on Middle East Affairs, Jan. 93).
once again stalled.
I was in Israel and the Occupied Terri-
tories in May, 1992. The Palestinians I
met were hopeful that the talks would
prove meaningful and would resolve the
conflicts, but they warned that Palestin-
ians everywhere were feeling increasingly
hopeless and frustrated by life under oc-
cupation and the lack of progress to make
their lives better.
Instead of deporting 400 suspected
Hamas members, Israel needs to partici-
pate fully and faithfully in the Middle
East peace talks and start resolving the
problems brought on by occupying and
oppressing another people. Otherwise, the
violence will continue.
No country can be an occupier and
also have peace.
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MSA discriminates, disrespects
To the Daily:
This concerns the
Michigan Student Assembly
meeting held on Jan. 26,
1993, as well as upcoming
events of which individuals
should be aware. Much
could be said about the
seemingly ineffectiveness of
MSA within the campus.
Recent events, however,
provide examples as to why
University administrators
would look down upon
MSA and its viability as an
organization which actually
cares about student rights.
Present at the Jan. 26
meeting were several
University officials, among
them Associate Vice-
President and Dean of
Students Royster Harper
and Associate Dean Frank
Cianciola.
They came to speak
about current topics
affecting the student body,
Israel errs in deportation of Palestinians
most notably the Diag policy
and Lesbian-Gay Male
Programs Office (LGMPO).
Unfortunately, some mem-
bers of MSA treated these
individuals with a high
amount of disrespect.
Whether their claims were
valid or not, such actions can
only serve to belittle both
MSA and students in the eyes
of the Administration. MSA
cannot earn support for
student concerns without
demonstrating common
courtesy for the executive
officials of the University.
The second point I wish
to make concerns the
amendment passed at the Jan.
19 meeting that refuses funds
to student organizations until
the state of Colorado repeals
Amendment 2. Such an
action shows considerable
discrimination against these
student organizations based
upon political and social
views. Indeed, the very
amendment passed by MSA
is completely against the
Campus Constitution, which
expressly prohibits such
actions.
At the meeting, on Feb.
4, I will propose a resolu-
tion to repeal the amend-
ment denying funds to
student groups. I would
strongly urge all students to
send messages to the MSA
representatives and let them
know that they must not
discriminate against people
based on a political view.
Indeed, they might also
wish to inform their
representatives that by a
show of respect for adminis-
tration officials, the
University may well be
more interested in the
opinions of the student
body.
Mark Biersack
MSA representative
Photo story
belittles Andrew
To the Daily:
As one of the thousands
of South Floridians who
huddled in the dark on the
morning of Aug. 24, 1992,I
was more than interested in
your "After Andrew" photo
story. What I found, almost
offended me with its callous-
ness.
There is nothing routine
about the inconvenience.
South Dade will not be the
same for decades. Granted,
within a few years, the
homes will be rebuilt, the
streets cleared of debris, the
makeshift insurance agencies
gone. But Andrew will not
be forgotten. The trees and
flowers will take almost 20
years to reach their pre-
hurricane state. The mental
scars will also remain.
Divorce has risen 30 percent
since the storm. Most
families lost all of their
personal items.
The homes that my .
friends and I should have
returned to during vacation,
are gone; and with them,
some of the happiness of the
memories they contained.
I realize that it is impos-
sible to understand what has
happened without having
been there, let alone without
having experienced it. I also
realize that the media has to
make it seem that everything
is returning to normal.
Everywhere you look,
there is a reminder of the
a
Inauguration waste of money
To the Daily:
Two months ago, Bill
Clinton won the presidential
election because he was
"economy conscious" and
concerned about the federal
deficit.
However, on Jan. 20,
1993, Clinton shamelessly
threw himself a $33 million
Granted, a few inaugural
events were open to the
general public, but how many
average citizens took time off
work? How many average
citizens can afford the
expense of going to Wash-
ington, D.C.? I, for one,
question the entire affair and
the character of our presi-
Instead of our country
spending millions of dollars
that we simply do not have,
wouldn't we all be proud of
a simple inaugural event put
together entirely by
volunteerism and donations
from loyal citizens?
Clinton was elected to get
down to business and run
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