Page 4-The Michigan Daily- Tuesday, March 9, 1993
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Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Edited and managed
by students at the
University of Michigan
Josii DuBOw
Editor in Chief
YAEL M. CITRO
ERIN LIZA EINIIORN
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.
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THE CIRCUS BEGINS
Student jury to rule on first Code charges
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E KANGAROO COURT began its attack on
Tstudent rights this week as the first three
accusations were filed against students for
allegedly violating the Statement of Student
"Rights" and Responsibilities. Now that spe-
cific allegations have been made under the
wholly unjust conduct Code, it will be made
clear why University students voted resound-
ingly against the Code last November in a
Michigan Student Assembly referendum.
The Code, which passed the Board of Re-
gents last November and went into effect Jan. 1,
empowers'the University to punish students
academically for non-academic actions. Ac-
tions punishable by the Code include kidnap-
ping, stalking, forced consumption of any liquid
or solid and unlawful possession of alcohol or
other drugs.
Alleged drug sales, physical harassment and
stalking are the charges currently being levied
against the first three accused students. Univer-
sity involvement in prosecuting these cases
demonstrates the current Code serves no pur-
pose other than to give the University authori-
tarian power over students where U.S. law
already applies.
The first case to be examined involves the
accusationofdrug sales. Drug dealers can easily
be prosecuted under federal and state laws.
While selling drugs is illegal, an individual
vendor presents no imminent danger to the
University community and bears little correla-
tion to a student's academic conduct.
The University can hand down sanctions for
violating the Code including formalreprimands,
SI NT HISTOl
Campus quiet for Wom
YOU KNOW we are in the middle of
Women's History Month?
Don't worry if you didn't - you can
hardly be blamed. The University has been
resoundingly silent about Women's History
Month. With the exception of a few individual
residence hall programs, very little has been
community service and a University housing
transfer or removal. The University administra-
tion is naive to believe such punishments would
thwart the activities of a drug dealer.
But when dealing with the charge of physical
harassment, the necessity of a code becomes
more complex. Physical and sexual harassment
are serious problems on this campus that need to
be addressed.
However, the first charge under the code was
filed not by a survivor of sexual harassment, but
by a male student who said he was physically
harassed by another man, an Engineering stu-
dent. While this is a serious charge, it is some-
thing that could be handled more succinctly by
local or University police.
The stalking case raises even more serious
questions about the Code. While an accused
undergraduate student is about to be tried under
the code for stalking a woman in the Union, a 22-
year-old senior was arraigned in Washtenaw
County court Feb. 18 for allegedly stalking a
female student in the Union.
All facts indicate that the student to be tried
under the Code and the student arraigned for
stalking are the same person. This means the
student will be judged in two separate courts and
may potentially face two separate punishments.
The U.S. legal system is far from perfect.
IftheUniversity considers itsmonth-old house
of justice so superior it supersedes municipal
law, it should have made suggestions to the U.S.
Department of Justice and brought "justice" to
the entire nation instead of limiting it to the area
within 30 miles of campus.
RY
Zen's History Month
that this campus cannot show even half of Flint's
commitment with our much larger resources is
nothing short of pathetic.
It is easy to forget that women have their own
separate, distinct history. In today's society, it is
often taken for granted that women can get an
education, vote and compete for jobs. But we
cannot forget the women in history who defied
social paradigms to make great contributions to
society.
Taking women's history for granted is dan-
gerous because even though women have taken
great strides, there is still a long way to go.
Women -53 percent of the U.S. population -
compose only six percentofthe U.S. Senate. And
although women have access to most formerly
male-dominated jobs, they are paid uniformly
less than their male counterparts. If we become
complacent about women's gains, we will lose
the momentum for change.
This is not to suggest we should celebrate
women's history in March and ignore it the rest
of the year. On the contrary, all facets of history
should be recognized every day as part of human
history. But Women's History Month - like
Black History Month, orChicana/o HistoryMonth
- is a time to celebrate the history of a group
whose accomplishments have been downplayed
or ignored.
The University should understand this and
make March a time of honor and celebration of
women's history.
Walking alone is everyone's freedom
0
Brian and I had been hanging out in his
dorm room and listening to music. It was
pretty late by the time I dragged myself off
the futon and decided to go home.
"I'll call NightRide for you," he offered.
"That's okay, I'll walk," I said, trying to
think up an excuse.
"Are you sure? You'll be okay?" He
I
I
On the Fence
I
said, "I'll pay if that's a problem ... would
you like me to drive you?"
"No, I want to walk home," I said. "I
can't explain. It's important to me."
"As long as you feel safe," he said as I
left.
Out into the cold air. The snow was
crunchy underfoot. Meryn Caddell sang in
my mind:
"VUP tup VUP tup
Take the chance that only chancy chicks
would take
and walk through your cold neighbor-
hood..."
The music caught the rhythm of my
footsteps as I walked across campus.
"VUP tup VUP tup
walk through your cold neighborhood
with icy heels
and clicks they make ..."
It was cold. I wrapped my arms tight
around me, trying to shut out the wind.
It was quiet, especially once I got off
campus. Porch swings creaked. A dog
barked somewhere and I jumped involun-
tarily. A shadow leapt across the sidewalk
and my body jerked to an alert, adrenaline
pounding in my ears.
VUP tup VUP tup.
"Why is this important to me?" I won-
dered. It is cold out here, it is dark out here,
Iam awoman walkingaloneatnight. Imagi-
nary men lurk behind bushes and around
corners. This is not safe.
I thoughtback tohigh school, when I had
wanted to hike the Appalachian Trail one
summer. My father had forbidden me to go,
saying it was too dangerous for me to hike
alone, that he was afraid I would be raped.
That it wasn't safe.
When I had wantedtogo toEuropeafter
my senior year it had been the same thing.
That I was too young.
When I had wanted to go to Chicago for
the weekend with a friend. That it wasn't
safe.
When I had wanted to stay out an hour
pastmy curfew on homecoming night. That
it was too late.
When I had wanted to go out to a coffee
shop alone at night. In Grand Rapids. That
I'd get raped.
"VUP tup VUP tup ...
with icy heels and clicks they make
but don't get raped ...knock on wood'
This fear of rape instilled by my father
has haunted me for a s long as I can remem-
ber. It has proscribed my actions - what I
may and may not do, where I may and may
not go.
It has made it impossible for me to do
many things I dearly wanted to do-things
my brother did in high school without cen-
sure from my parents, things he did without
even thinking about them. Like hiking alone,
or staying out until 3 a.m. or sleeping over
at houses of friends of the opposite sex.
Now, as I walk alone at night, I think to
myself that it is more than just the necessity
of getting home. I could get Safewalked, I
could call Night Ride. But I walk alone
instead. Why?
I like the thinking space. The twenty
minutes it takes me to walk home are enough
to sort out my ideas about the day, to think
about what to have for dinner, to plan what
I have to do for tomorrow. I like not having
to talk to people I don't know about things
I don't care about. I like looking at the trees
and the snow and contemplating the nature
of beauty.
But that's not all of it. I think I have a
need to prove my freedom to myself. To say
to myself that men, who have 'created the
problem of rape, are not going to keep me
"in my place" through a fear of violence.
That I can go wherever I want and do
whatever I want, because I am an adult
person, and that being a woman does not
mean that certain freedoms are forbidden to
me.
Brian asked if I felt safe. Of course I
don't feel safe. Four times I have been
chased by men on the street: at twelve, at
fifteen, at sixteen and at nineteen. At eigh-
teena man followed me homeand gotinside
my house. At twenty I was surrounded by a
group of skinheads on State Street. Even
though nothing really violent everhappened,
each of these experiences was terrifying.
Foreach one, my family and friends blamed
me forbeing in the wrong place at the wrong
time, and most of all, for being alone.
I am not trying to criticize Safewalk or
Night Ride, or any of those other organiza-
tions. On the contrary, I think they fulfill an
important need.
ButI also feel that for me,personally, to
let the fear of violence dictate my actions
would be saying to myself that the men who
have threatened me have won, that they
have power over me, that they can control
me through a fear of assault.I cannot let that
happen.
And so (VUP tup VUP tup) I walk alone
at night. It may not be safe, but to me it is
vitally important.
*1
planned in
celebration
ofthemonth
-no speak-
ers, no ex-
hibits, not
even a "spe-
cial" dinner
in the resi-
Women's
History
Month
MARCH
dence halls similar to the one offered during
Black History Month.
This is sad.
It is especially sad when we compare our-
selves to the University's Flint campus, where
students and staff are celebrating Women's
History Month with a myriad of activities. The
Women's CenteratFlinthas abudgetof $7,000
for these activities and has devoted a great deal
of time to planning lectures, movie series, art
exhibits and other festivities.
Although the Flint campus has a much
smaller staff and student body than Ann Arbor,
they have demonstrated the importance of
Women's History Month by making its cel-
ebration a priority intheir community. The fact
U' neglects students for research
-
REAST-FEEDING
Florida permits breast-feeding in public
E FLORIDA SENATE last week boldly of legislation due to assumptions that few moth-
passed a bill that finally guarantees moth- ers have been harassed or arrested while breast-
ers the right to breast-feed their babies in feeding. But immediately after the Florida Sen-
public without the threat of arrest or harassment ate endorsed the new law, Senate phones were
from law enforcement officers. The move - flooded with calls from around the state from
unprecedented in this country-has been over- women who have received ill-treatment for nur-
looked by both federal and municipal govern- turing their child in a public area, who had been
ments. State Senator Lana Pollack (D-Ann Ar- afraid to speak out.
bor) said no similarlegislation has been consid- These women said they had previously kept
eredinMichigan.Infact,shesaid,beforeFlorida silent because they did not want to spend the
enacted its new law, she had heard no discussion money on court fees or lawyers since all states
of the subject consideredbreast-feeding underthe vague guide-
The U.S. SurgeonGeneralhas recommended lines of indecent exposure statutes. Other moth-
breast-feeding to be the healthiest way to nur- ers, feeling too intimidated to breast feed in
ture a baby. It is scary to think that in 1993, public, have expressed fears that by coming
Florida is the only state with a law that exempts forward with a complaint, they would have been
nursing mothers from obscenity statutes and stigmatized.
openly endorses breast-feeding as the preferred It is ironic to note that all states - except
To the Daily:
This is essentially an
open letter to all students and
faculty on things that should
concern one and all.
I will graduate this May
(if this letter doesn't change
that) and I am reflecting on
whether my $60,000
(roughly) was money well
spent. I will admit that I am
satisfied with professors and
teaching assistants on the
whole. Other things, how-
ever, cause me grief. I began
my college career attending
the number eight rated
undergraduate institution in
the land.
I feel, however, in an
effort to make this a research
oriented institution by the
James Duderstadt era, I will
be ending my career at a
university ranked in the
twenties. It seems that with so
many undergraduates, around
24,000 (correct me if I'm
wrong), some emphasis
should be placed on under-
graduate academics.
Having spent such a large
amount of money in the past
four years, I feel my academic
accomplishments should be
awarded with appropriate
acknowledgement on my
diploma. All LSA under-
graduates will receive
diplomas that either say
"Bachelor of Science" or
"Bachelor of Arts." I feel my
monetary contribution to the
university bank account
should at least merit
acknowledgement of my
major field of study. Further,
L like many other graduating
seniors, have earned degrees
in more than one concentra-
tion, but will only receive one
diploma. Could the cost of
printing one diploma be so
great that the University could
not give proper credit to an
individual who has fulfilled
the requirements for a second
degree? I doubt it.
The University is, without
a doubt, just another bureau-
cracy, creating nothing but
increased opportunity for
disenchantment for the entire
University setting. If I am to
pay tuition that increases
annually at a percentage twice
that of the inflation rate, I
deserve to see results.
I feel I've seen nothing
but increased research
expenditures and lessened
emphasis on undergraduate
academics. Research is
definitely important to the
academic community, but not
at the expense of undergradu-
ate academics, which remain
the heart and soul of the
University setting.
It's time that the under-
graduates, and all students for
that matter, receive the
undivided attention of the
university figureheads. This is
still an institute of higher
learning created for the
people, for the students.
Make it that way.
Reed Bingaman
LSA Senior
Both sides
wrong in
Meizlish/Brown
debate
To the Daily:
I was relieved to read
Jackie Coolidge's letter,
"Meizlish/Brown incident out
of hand" (2/9193), in the
Daily. I had begun to think
that no one on this campus
supported free speech in this
episode without having as
their motivation the perpetua-
tion of the sort of boorish
conservative attitude demon-
strated by Brown's clueless
example and response. Look,
Shawn, you're not nailing
another Luther's list to the
church door; the fact that you
are permitted to usethe
example you did by the
Constitution does not make it
less sophomoric or irritating.
Since virtually everyone
in the world has condemned
Debbie Meizlish's handling
of the incident already, I will
confine myself to saying that
I unconditionally support free
speech. That is why I agree
with Coolidge that if the code
is implemented we will be
subjected not only to
overreactions such as
0
0
Don't base judgment on sexual orientation
To the Daily:
What is it about some
heterosexuals that causes them
to think of themselves as fully
rounded humandbeings, with
ambitions, hopes and drams,
This judgment of sexual
activity aside, I think Ms.
Reed ought to ask herself why
she feels the need to "balance
the free advertising' the Daily
supposedly gives homosexual/
society because of their sexual
orientation" is certainly
arguable. Was Whitman a
greater poet for being
homosexual? Cole Porter a
greater song writer? Tennes-
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