Page 4-The Michigan Daily- Monday, February 1, 1993 cbe £itiga n1al .. >- -- 7N . -j. . 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 s ~ 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 I- . 0000, r. . , 'j 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 a1,t..r r Th ni;,vo;,it , th ,. m .ir.. n rio , Editors protected from+ tion. Gay and le from many oft sexual couplesr Northwood fam refuses spaces t They donotqual benefits. Even t discounts on Mi unavailable. One sexual hours. No one+ issue. However, tion and Awarer only campus or the constant ne and educationa offices that fall Affairs, SAPAC cut. However, th does not dimini every Universit3 or Ethnicity re courses, if any,t that institutional the Medical Sc partment - two est branches in t ten and enforce front this dynam These partici fects of miscor The only way to to these, and ott the complete pi estly and presen y will dest) h4 students rights, would remembe caps and gowns Although A Frank Cianciol tent neutral," ar any one group, directly targets fortheReform o and it's yearly h Bash. The Univ trying to end H appening ctivism?1 scheduled elsew pus is able to ho Hash Bash attr bind. Beyond t the University n nization that use for maintenance also directly aim cost the Univers To even get a pe been asked to p deposit. Although the at silencing NO will suffer. Thec Week must find without actually Diag. Other org -n -na. an :..0 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. 0 . -,.': 0 ~s-sss-. a 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 0 0