Page 4 --The Michigan Daily - Thursday, March 25,1993
4ho
420 Maynard
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Edited and managed
by students at the
University of Michigan
JOSH DuBow
Editor in Chief
ERrN LIZA EINHORN
OpinionEditor
- 0 -TAS.DEA10i
69~'am w1+1LsiME 'sj4 -riST_ 41H,/I/ '(TA1ooK ,4AIY
t~1 -~ ' IVEI'T -FbY, W~ILL YA? FARETIC P1,#
/ / $vMi Avrb$A
t jitwrI
, r
l ,~ y " / 1 /! .d''Y Iyt ,y4( ' --
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.
GENDER EQUITY
Pitting women
against men not the answer
Wvl-H TH-E5E NEW RE-rFRIC-r1,
l H1AiTo ITT 7NREE &UIS TobAY
Q\J SPECIAL OSR, eR (rob'S AKEY
THE WO -r -i- THE'R -rU)FF
G&v -r, NEXT7WeFfKpA
".ms-
HEY .RFMEMER /Kt'kW1 K OWI, /ICAN)-r
KOOL -AlD ? ~m c-N rJ// &uSS
0
0
T HE 22 MEN on the Michigan gym- Women's spo
nastics team were officially informed grow. Just like it
last week that after 1994, their sport will there was no n
no longer receive varsity funding. They can women because
keep their scholarships, but for many Michigan dirty, it is now a
gymnasts, the direction of their remaining years toward promotin
at the Univer-
sity has shifted.y
The Michigan.
Athletic De-
partmenthow-w
ever, takes no
responsibility.
The blame, itf
claims, rests
with the status
of high school#
boys' gymnas-
tics, and with
women.v
TheAthletic .
Department an-
nounced last While Mens' gymnastics takes a cut ...
week that in the interest of complying with the women is just a
Big Ten's recently enacted Gender Equity Act, although more t
it would cut the men's gymnastics program and this University
raise the women's soccer team to varsity status. only 33 percent
The Gender Equity Act -passed unanimously Ten merely man
by Big Tenpresidentslast June-
mandates that by 1997, member=
schools raise female participation
so that 40 percent of total varsity4
athletes are women. The move for
women's soccer is positive, but
cutting men's non-revenue sports
intheinterestofachieving gender
equity merely fuels the backlash
against women athletes and ben-{
efits no one.r
Granted, it may be difficult for
an athletic department that re- -
ceives all of its funding from rev-N
enue-generating men's sportslike '2
football, basketball and hockey to:>
reserve 40 percent of its profits f ~ "
for women athletes. But depart-
ment administrators have repeat-
edlyespousedthattheirfirstcom-
mitmentistopromoting theexpe-
rienceofindividualathletes. How- £°
ever, the University has repeatedWomen's soccer reache
placed the bottom line over edu-
cational responsibilities. status.
Women have benefitedin the past few years gives men and
astheirprograms havereceivedincreased fund- ition is high en
ing and scholarships, but women athletes are number of stud
now being told they cost the department money. funds.
Rhetorically, the athletic department values Gender equi
men's teams and women's teams equally, but enacted Title IX
while it supports women on paper, its actions 1972 and gave
tell them they are the reason their male friends offer men and
are being cut. comply. It is 20
This is not what college sports should be being tossed aro
about. like 60-40. It do
One of the reasons football and men's bas- women athletes
ketball make money is because millions of sports. The Ath
dollars have been spent promoting these sports. with athletes an
Football hasbeenthepremier athletic institution trimmed and fu
at Michigan for the past hundred years and also look into
continues to be the main focus for both alumni administrative
and students. athletes should
rts have never been allowed to
was assumed 30 years ago that
eed to offer sports teams for
good girls wouldn't want to get
ssumed that even if funds went
g women's sports, no one would
watch.This isnotthecase.
It was once said that no
one would patronize a fe-
male doctor. It is the same
attitude that says no one
' will watch "weak"
women go in for a lay up.
The Athletic Department
has in recent years tried to
promote women's sports
- to the point of giving
away tickets - but this
practice must continue for
several years before it can
make an impact.
The demand for strong
athletic programs for
is strong as it is for men. Yet
ian 45 percent of the students at
are female, women comprise
of Michigan athletes. The Big
dates Michigan move that ratio
" to 40 percent. This
by no means con-
stitutes "equity"
and non-revenue
male athletes
should not have to
suffer for this very
simple goal to be
.reached. Funding
is not the only ob-
stacle standing in
the way of gender
equity. The major
hurdle is attitude:
while revenue
sports are consid-
ered sacred,
women'ssports are
considered aprivi-
legemadepossible
h e's by these sports.
Chargng
°arsty dentfeesisnotnec-
essary to fund an
sportsprogramthat
women equal opportunity. Tu-
)ugh already and only a limited
ents would benefit from these
ty is not a new idea. Congress
of the Educational Equity Act in
all public schools until 1978 to
women equal opportunity and
) years later and athletes are still
und to reach a half-way solution
es not have to be a dual between
and men who play non-revenue
letic Department needs to work
d coaches to see where fat can be
nds can best be spent. It should
saving money by streamlining
ranks. Manipulating the lives of
be the absolute last resort.
(>0~
. 1.
1
. -
Ti
: ':,
: ,
Doctor killed by one man, not
By Peter A. Thomason
Co-Director Washtenaw County
Rescue
As I suspect most people were, I was
shocked and saddened to hear about the
murder of Dr. Richard Gunn in Pensacola,
Fla. last week. I was shocked because of the
cold-blooded way in which it happened,
saddened because of the pain his family is
surely experiencing, but also because of the
repercussions this will have on the pro-life
movement.
I fear that this isolated incident will lend
credence to some people's perception that
pro-lifers are radical religious fanatics who
will stop at nothing to impose their world
view on American society. The fact that
Gunn's death followed the bombing of the
world trade center which has been attrib-
uted to a group of "fundamentalist" Mus-
lims and that it took place during the stand-
off with the Branch Davidian cult in Waco,
Texas, only makes it appear that much
more like the work of another self-appointed
arbiterofdivinejustice. ButifIcanmakean
analogy, Michael Griffin no more repre-
sents the pro-life movement than David
Koresh represents historic Christianity or
the men arrested in the World Trade Center
bombing represent the vast majority of
Muslims. Hopefully, most people, wher-
ever they stand on the abortion question,
will recognize that Gunn's murder was
born out of frustration and a heterodox
understanding of the Gospel. Even if one
concedes that such an act might bejustified
on the basis that it would save the lives of
innocent unborn children, the execution of
the act is indefensible in that it violates the
very principles regarding the sanctity of
human life that pro-lifers base their actions
upon.
Washtenaw County Rescue and the other
pro-life organizations we have been asso-
ciated with have always taken anon-violent
approach to stopping the killing of the un-
born. While blocking the entrance to an
all pro-ihfers
individual who does not represent the pro-
life movement as a whole, but as who he
was, according to the reports I've heard,
previously given to bouts of violence and
irrational behavior.
The fact that Griffin appears to have
been pre-disposed to use violence to solve
his own personal problems should not be
seen as an indictment of his belief that
unborn children have a right to live. One of
the unfortunate consequences of an event
like this is the guilt by association that
follows for others who have something in
common with the perpetrator of the alleged
crime. This is like saying that all Sicilians.
0
aI fear that this isolated incident will lend credence to
people's perception that pro-lifers are radical religious
fanatics who will stop at nothing ...'
abortion facility might be confrontational
in one sense, it is still non-violent. We have
never advocated or tolerated the use of any
tactics that could reasonably be construed
as violent.
I believe that all the area law enforce-
ment agencies we have dealt with over the
years would attest that this is true.
As much as I can say that Gunn's com-
mitment to performing abortions is utterly
abhorrent tome, Griffin's actions areequally
abhorrent. I only hope that the general pub-
lic will recognize them as the actions of an
are suspect because some Sicilians are
known members of the Cosa Nostra and
have connections to organized crime.
Washtenaw County Rescue remains
committed to using non-violent interven-
tion to provide help for women in crisis
pregnancies and save the lives of unborn
children wherever we can. We condemn the
actions that resulted in Gunn's death butwe
also believe that Gunn's actions, i.e. the
killing of unborn children, are equally inde-
fensible in light of the sanctity of human life
from conception to natural death.
0
Breast-feeding in restrooms found
To the Daily:
Reading over the Daily's
editorials at the beginning of
this week, I stumbled upon
an interesting article about
Florida's legalization of
public breast-feeding,
"Breast-feeding; Florida
permits breast-feeding in
public" (3/9/93).
I had never heard of any
law prohibiting public breast
feeding, not dreaming that
any woman could be
arrested and cited with
indecent exposure for such a
harmless and natural act. I
thought to myself that most
likely it was an outdated
law, and that as soon as the
other states recognized this
legal flaw, they too would
follow Florida's lead.
When I found Kinsey
Foster's letter ("Public
Breast-feeding is inappropri-
ate" 3/12), I quickly realized
the mentality behind the
people who support this
unreasonable law. Foster
repeatedly reminds his
audience that he considers
breast-feeding to be a
"beautiful" and "natural"
... no reason t
To the Daily:
I have a few remarks to
address to Kinsley Foster,
"Public breast feeding is
inappropriate" (3/12/93). As
a mother and a student, I run
into sentiments like these
daily. Not only is the idea
that breast-feeding is akin to
using the toilet short-sighted
and puritanical, it is also one
of the major reasons why
women in the third world
are raising sick and mal-
nourished children through
the improper use of formula
A woman's body is
ideally suited to provide
act, yet he proposes that
women hide themselves and
their babies in public
bathrooms in order to nurse
them. I can understand why
the woman in the restaurant
didn't go to the bathroom to
nurse her baby. The majority
of public restrooms are dirty,
smelly, and there is often a
cloud of cigarette smoke
hanging in the air, not to
mention the fact that there
are not usually any seats in
the bathroom. Would you
expose your baby to those
kinds of conditions and
suffer through that unpleas-
antness if you didn't have to?
I also wonder if Foster
realizes that for the first few
months of an infant's life, he/
she must be fed every two
hours. If a woman is not
chained to her home and, as
we decided above, chooses
not to nurse her child in a
restroom, what is she
supposed to do? Two hours
is a very short time span in
which to accomplish
anything. Perhaps while
doing her errands, the mother
could push her shopping cart
to hide this natur,
unappealing ,,,
over to the side, run out to
her car, nurse her baby, run
back into the store, and
resume her shopping.
As for Foster and his
friends being "shocked" by
breast-feeding in public,
perhaps they should look at
the cause for their discom-
fort. In nursing, the breast is
stripped of any sexual
connotation; it is simply a
means with which to nourish
a child. Is bottle-feeding a
child in public inappropriate
also? If the source of their
discomfort is not sexual,
what is it?
I am confused by why
Foster says women who
breast-feed in public "lack
self respect." Clarification
please! It seems to me that
the woman who is coura-
geous enough to realize
breast-feeding for the
healthy, time-honored,
essential act that it is,
deserves the utmost admira-
tion.
Bryn Gerich.
School of Nursing
sophomore
al function
by Mom and Dad" student.
And why, instead of
sniveling to the Daily, did
you not confront the lady
herself and tell her how you
felt? Because she might have
shed some light on the
subject?
I'm tired of narrow-
minded individuals like
yourself who seek to justify
their bigotry with such words
as "I could see how shocked
people were." There's safety
in numbers, right?
I'll tell you what, if you
perceive that eating in the
bathroom enhances the
MCAT hopefully
coming soon to a
location near you
To the Daily:
This is in response to
Sabina Lim's letter, "MCAT
deserves test space on
campus" (3/11/93), expressing
concern about the availability
of the MCAT on the Univer-
sity campus.
Ms. Lim and other medical
school aspirants should know
that we, too, share this
0l
concern.
While the University is not
directly involved in the
administration of the required
admissions tests, the offices of
the Vice Presidents for
Academic and Student Affairs,
along with Career Planning
and Placement and ISA
Academic Advising have
worked together to seek an
alternative arrangement with
Educational Testing Services
(MCAT publisher) and current
independent test administra-
tors.
JUST PLANE WASTEFUL
City Airport idea wastes
NCE AGAIN, DETROIT Mayor Coleman
Young's misguided ambition may cost
taxpayers millions of dollars. The city
has asked the Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA)toapproveanexpansionplanforDetroit's
downtown City Airport. The expansion would
cost approximately $379 million, $122.3 mil-
lionto come from federal funds. Local taxes and
bond sales will cover the rest of the costs.
The plan, which calls for a 22-gate passenger
terminal and a new 7,200-foot runway to ac-
commodate alljets except 747s, is simply inap-
propriate. If the FAA approves the plan, 2,500
homes would berazed, 118 businesses relocated
and a train line rerouted at taxpayers' expense.
'T- A -t% .-r -raxrn .m-mahe.... noneiA _-
even more tax dollars
airport that only runs 15 commercial flights a
day.
The proposed City Airport expansion is an-
other example of the Young administration's
misguided efforts to revitalize downtown De-
troit. One can only hope that City Airport's
expansion will not resemble the People Mover,
the multi-million dollar disaster that still haunts
the city's balance sheet. The mayor incorrectly
assumed that there was a need for the People
Mover in Detroit. He is likely making a similar
error with City Airport. Despite the mayor's
ramblings to the contrary, Detroit's economic
problems lie much deeper than City Airport.
Economic improvement cannot be forced upon a
Kitv b vynrnnin nirnnrc that rm nnlv 15 half-
The choice to breast-feed is a
difficult one to begin with. A
woman has to watch her diet,
make time in her schedule,
and often forego an uninter-
rupted night of sleep.
In addition to this, you are
asking a woman to hunt for a
bathroom every time her child
is hungry. Aren't you being a
little prude? Why does .a
woman who's interested in
what's best for her child shock
you? And as for the woman
who was breast feeding in
your class, would it have been
better if she interrupted class
to go and seek a bathroom?
After much negotiating, the
most suitable option for this
spring is to create additional
spaces at the WCC test site.
We agree that as one of the
largest feeder schools for
medical education, the
University of Michigan merits
being an established testing
site: students should know that
their concerns have been heard
and supported.
We are confident that a
solution will be reached so that
future students sitting for the
MCAT will be able to do so in
the comfort of their own
campus.
01
Simone Taylor
I