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Page 4-The Michigan Daily- Friday, April 16,1993
UlbE 13ihigtui1 t
1 E MOUES OF ICKIGAN I'LL TAKE
WITH ME WEl! J LEAVE..
420 Maynard
Ann Arbor, MI48109
Edited and managed
by students at the
University of Michigan
JOSH DuBow
Editor in Chief
EIN LIA EndoRN
Opinion Editor
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CRISPj "NJEFJ~LEtU1I.. .
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F CLASS Of 113
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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.
GETTI~If CTL WCI I UA&r7L-7
TAKE BACK THE NIGHT
Students should participate in rally/march
I.-
_ ' FPJA~~~L FhI tiN. i fi'S.
JULIE WASAT the backdoorofthe UGLi for
the Night Owl, instead of taking a six-
minute walk to her dorm alone in the dark.
Gwen doesn't go out at night on the weekends
unless someone comes to her apartment and
picks her up. Sarah spends the night at her
friend's house, setting the alarm for7 a.m., when
it will be light enough for her to walk home
alone.
Women, across campus and across the coun-
try, have become victims of the night. While
some have no problem walking alone in the
dark, many women fear the night and the poten-
tial violence that lurks in its shadows. Most
women, whetherthey choose to walk in itornot,
recognize the dangers of the night. That is why
the Ann Arbor Coalition Against Rape has
organized its 14th annual "Take BacktheNight"
rally and march.,
Beginning at 7 p.m. tomorrow at the steps of
City Hall, Take Back the Night events offer
programming for both men and women. The
purpose of the first rally is to unite men and
women in a demand for freedom from violence.
Then women will march across Ann Arbor in a
symbolic gesture to "take back the night," in the
hopes that for at least one night out of 365, a
woman is safe to walk the streets. Because the
idea is to empower women, the march is limited
to females only. Men, however, areencouraged
to participate in a men's rally which follows the
initial rally, to solidify the male stance against
violence as well.
The theme ofTake Back the Nightis freedom
- freedom for women too frightened to walk
alone at night and freedom for society from the
constraints the atrocities of rape have placed
upon all of us. While it is true that over 80
percent of sexual assaults are committed by an
acquaintance, attacks are still made by strang-
ers. In fact, a sexual assault involving a stranger'
was reported to the University's Sexual Assault
Prevention and Awareness Center (SAPAC)
just last week.Take Back the Night will provide
a learning, and possibly moving, experience for
all who attend. Unfortunately, women still have
to take the night back instead of it simply being
there for them.
AND hIAPPY If AT IICK'S.
Accusation of censorhip distorts the issue
by Ann Kraemer
Law student
FAIR WARNING.
Summer MSA must do a better job for students
I am writing in response to your editorial
entitled "Porn'im'ag'ry" (3/24/93), which
criticized the Michigan Journal of Gender
& Law (MJGL) for removing a tape that
contained commercial pornography from
an art show that it sponsored last October in
conjunction with a symposium entitled
"Prostitution: From Academia to Activ-
ism."
Your accusation that the MJGL was
guilty of "overt censorship" was made with
little thoughtand even lessknowledge about
what it means to censor something. "Cen-
sorship" is a term of art legally associated
with the First Amendment's freedom of
speech. It means that an official (the state)
removes or prohibits something which is
considered objectionable. Censorship may
violate theFirst Amendmentbutmany times
it does not. (For example, the state can
prohibit the actof yelling "fire"in acrowded
theater.)
Any person or organization that is not a
state actorcannot literally partake in censor-
ship, nor are these people or organization
held to the First Amendment's standards in
their relations with others.
Your charge that the MJGL is guilty of
censorship must first be based on the fact
that the MJGL is a state actor. This is a
tenuous position and athreatening one, too,
because it implicates other student-run or-
ganizations on campus. Is it the Daily's
position that all student-run organizations
on campus are in danger of violating the
First Amendment if they make viewpoint
based decisions?
Should the Black Law Students' Alli-
ance be forced to sponsor racist speakers?
Must the Gay Male, Lesbian, Bisexual Stu-
dents' Alliance ("GLBSA") display anti-
homosexual materials in its showcase? If
someoneputs thematerials there, isGLBSA
prohibited from removing them? Would
the Daily scream "censorship" in these cir-
cumstances?
Your editorial contains noconsideration
of the larger implications for branding a
student organization's acts with censor-
ship. TheDaily should refrain from making
inflammatory accusations of censorship
without being able toconductameaningful
discussion on the matter.
Let me add that certain facts were con-
spicuously skewed in your editorial. "Dis-
approval from the public" never "poured in
from every side" after the controversy was
publicized. The position of the MJGL was
understood and applauded by many - in-
cluding our local Washtenaw Women's
Lawyers Association.
There has also been ample opportunity
for the University community to view the
videotape in question. Besides showings at
various Ann Arbor theaters, the tape was
shown at Angel Hall twice, and the Daily
even interviewedpeopleaboutit. However,
the Daily chose to portray the situation as if
the video had not and could not be seen
because of the actions of theMJGL. This is
false.
There is no doubt the MJGL made mis-
takes in its handling of the symposium and
artshow.Giventheintensity of theliberalv.
radical feminist debate, the video material
should havebeen viewedby theMJGL Arts
Committee. It was not and.the tape began
playing without the MJGL's knowledge of
its pomographiccontents. The MJGL made
decisions about this difficult situation. It
does not deserve condemnation for that.
WITH EXAMS ABOUT to begin, summer is
fast approaching. The Michigan Stu-
dent Assembly will soon dissolve and
in its place the Summer Assembly will magi-
cally appear.
The Summer Assembly is the smaller group
of approximately 10 MSA members that hang
around for the summer and have the difficult
task of doing the assembly's most arduous work.
To avoid a repeat of last summer's incompe-
tent performance, here's a laundry list of things
we think the summer leadership should bear in
mind as they go about their business:
A majority of voting students rejected a
request from MSA to raise the student fee from
$6.27 to $7 this term. Last summer, assembly
leaders pushed for a fee increase without sup-
port from the student body, and forsaking many
other student concerns. The MSA leadership
should not request a similar increase this year,
unless it can provide specific rationale for rais-
ing the fee.
Unlike the student fee, students again this,
year approved support of the Michigan Colle-
giate Coalition (MCC), an organization that
lobbies for students in Lansing. The University
Board of Regents - still angry about the
coalition's support of a amendment to the state
constitution to cap tuition increases at the rate of
inflation - caught the Summer Assembly off,
guard by voting to axe the 35-cent MCC fee.
Assembly President Craig Greenberg should
strongly voice support for renewing this fee, and
present a request to the regents at their June
meeting.
Another concern the assembly should keep
an eye out for is the inevitable move to increase
tuition. With another expected 10 percent in-
crease in tuition and fees, MSA must decide
early how to oppose the increase. Last year,
showing its apathy, the assembly completely
ignored the regents' move to increase tuition,
while at the same time approving a resolution
expressing the assembly's "solidarity" with
Rutgers University students fighting tuition in-
creases in New Jersey.
MSA should lay out an aggressive and spe-
cific agenda carefully reasoning its opposition
to tuition increases. Moral platitudes and philo-
sophic statements against tuition hikes are not
enough. If the budget can be cut, then MSA
should suggest ways to do so.
Finally, the assembly must take a more active
role in opposition to the Statement of Student
"Rights" and Responsibilities. Last Summer,
the University, headed by Vice President for
Student Affairs Maureen Hartford, wrapped all
work on the "statement" with hardly a murmur
from the assembly, and with tacit stipport from
then-MSA President Ede Fox.
This is by no means an exhaustive list. But
these areas are where the assembly fell far short
last summer, and are areas that the administra-
tion is likely to act again.
Those MSA members who stay for the sum-
mer face a arduous task: fighting an increasingly
inflexible administration while saddled by an
apathetic student body more concerned with
laying out on the Diag than fighting the admin-
istration. But be forewarned: Summer is when
the administration acts - and it will be here
sooner than you think.
Daily headline
To The Daily:
Normally I find that the
Sports section is the most
redeeming part of the Daily,
however I was sorely
disappointed to discover that
it is not exempt from
occasional displays of first-
rate tackiness. I think that
your choice of "Time to lose"
as a headline (4/6(93) was
made in poor taste. Give them
a break; they did a pretty
damned good job of getting
as far as they did. To whom-
ever came up with the
brilliant headline - time for
you to get some class!
Michelle Reckman
LSA Senior
Every individual deserves respect
To the Daily:
As the headline in a New
York Times editorial page
(9/2192) well-stated, the
current moral need is urgent
to "let civility reign in the
homosexuality debate."
"Homosexual 'sickness',"
"homophobe," "unnatural,
mental disorders," "unloving
bigots"- all of these labels
are emotive, often unfair or
gross caricatures describing
the two opposing viewpoints
on the very sensitive issue of
homosexuality.
What is at issue here? In
view of the recent flurry of
letters, editorials and articles
in publications like the Daily
and the Michigan Review
that have dealt with homo-
sexuality, the need is clear
- we must truly learn how
to communicate in tolerance
with each other.
We need to clear away
the generalizaitons and
address the fundamental
concern involved here: why
do we believe what we
believe, and how are we to
act in light of this under-
standing?
Within the Judeo
Christian worldview,
according to biblical
testimony, homosexuality
represents something
contrary to the divine,
created order. The assertions
which try to deny this truth,
such as Bucci and Worden's
restating of Gomes' argu-,
ments in "Abusing Religion
Hurst Gays" (12/8/92) or
those of Rev. Christopher
Atwood, "Sexuality and the
Supreme Being," (3/5/92),
can and have been demon-
strated to be in serious error.
But this does not settle the
issue. On the other hand, for
those individuals who reject
these biblical notions of right
and wrong, their worldview
holds that there exists no
such divine, supernatural
standard of morality under
which acts such as homo-'
sexuality fail to conform.
We operate instead
strictly under the moral code
of true human love. From this
standpoint, we can affirm
fully the capability of the
expression of mutual,
genuine love between two
people, whatever their
gender.
However we must not
confuse this basic concern for
truth with the independent
conern for tolerance. That is,
we must not confuse the
rational question, "What is
the correct belief-system?",
with the ethical question,
"How should I act in light of
this knowledge?"
Speaking in plain terms, if
I morally disagree with an
act, I am not necessarily
being intolerant. Am I, for
example, being 'intolerant'
or a 'bigot' against a theif if I
deem the act of stealing as
morally wrong? Or, am I
recognizing that there is an
objective standard of
morality, of which stealing is
a violation?
For the Christian, the act
of homosexuality, or for that
matter, adultery or premarital
sex, are seen as violating
these same "objective
standards." Is this bigotry or
is it consistancy with deeply-
held religious beliefs?
Which belief-system is
the true standard for moral-
ity? In every individual's
attempt to determine the
correct answer to this
question, a self-evident
ethical and moral responsibil-
ity must guide us.
Regardless of our basic
disagreements concerning
standards of right and wrong,
we are morally obligated to
treat each other with the
concern and dignity every
person rightly deserves.
Ernesto Garcia
LSA Junior
DEATH BY SILENCE
Silencing gay instructor thwarts AIDS education
T WO HIGH SCHOOLSinthe Upper Peninsula
abruptly cancelled special AIDS preven-
tion programs last Tuesday after parents
and administrators learned that one of the coor-
dinators is gay. Succumbing to irate parents
screaming that they don't want "queers" or
"deviants" in their schools, the school system
cut these teenagers off from the only HIV and
AIDS education available to them. Homophobic
parents-and school officials lacking the integ-
rity and guts to put up a fight for the sake of
education - once again sacrificed children's
safety to perpetuate pathetic fears.
The most appalling aspect of the incident is
the complete disregard for the students - who
protested the program's cancellation in a letter
to the local newspaper. Correctly claiming that
the decision was "homophobic," more than 40
tPnoatrc cicant ' 1PttPr that npad "Right nnwu
not limited to remote areas in Michigan. These
homophobic fears are being echoed in Detroit
suburbs like Birmingham and at Ann Arbor
Public School Board meetings, where parent
opposition to a proposed AIDS education cur-
riculum includes, among other complaints,
claimsthattheprogram isafacade-thatits real
agenda has little to do with decreasing HIV
transmission and a lot to do with promoting gay
rights. In Birmingham, parents threatened to
removed theirchildren from high school classes
in response to a proposed AIDS awareness
curriculumthatwould teach, amongotherthings,
that homosexuality is normal. Fortunately, the
school board made some concessions but even-
tually approved the proposal.
As the Reproductive Health Curriculum
Committee of the Ann Arbor schools continues
tn invedIOrte sexual iucatinn nroi rams. it
. B-ba lteam
impresses fans
To the Daily:
Usually I have no interest
in basketball, but a story in
the Free Press about Juwan
Howard caught my interest.
The article explained how
Randy, a young boy with
AIDS at the university
hospital, had given up and
was expected to die. He was
a fan of the basketball team
though, so Juwan Howard
was contacted about coming
to see him in December. He
came and befriended Randy
as have other members of the
team. Randy has since rallied
and is doing well enough to
attend games with his new
friends. He is cheering
Michigan on.
Now news about the
basketball team hasn't been
good sometimes, but they are
an impressive group of men.
Recent experience in my
family has taught me what it
is like when someone you
Michigan Party starts off on wrong foot*
To the Daily:
Without commenting on
the ethics involved, LSA
Student Government presi-
dent, Bill Lowry, worked out
a deal to appoint a Michigan
Party candidate to the open
seat on MSA.
They did this however
without interviewing any of
the 15 other applicants, or
get.ng approval of the
overrule the president's
decision and to void any
appointments until interviews
were conducted.
After delivering four drafts
of the resolution, LSA-SG
vice president hand delivered
a explicitly detailed resolution
to the President of MSA,
Craig Greenburg. Greenburg
and Kight conveniently
.- -A..1 .i........- ,CT0
the assembly.
This was only the
beginning of a sadly nm
meeting, where the non-
partisan parties voted right
down party lines.
I'm sorry to admit that this
administration has broken
more MSA rules in one night
then previous presidents did in
a term.