The Michigan Daily-New Student Edition-Perspective-Thursday, September 9, 1993- Page 3
The Daily
is made
for you,
the student
by Melissa Peerless
Sometimesit'shard forotherpeople to
understand exactly what it is about this
plae.
Our parents can't understand why
waiting for that last phone call was more
important than going to Physics lecture.
Our friends from the residence hal
can't understand why we skipped Rick's
Happy Hour togo to the editors' meeting.
Our professors can't understand why
the feature story took precedent over the
term paper.
Sometimes, it's hard for us to under-
stand it ourselves.
Occasionally, working for the Daily is
notverymuchfun. Waiting forphonecalls
can become frustrating. Meetings can be-
comemonotonous.Storyassignmentscan
become overwhelming.
But it's usually not like that
lbere's something about this place -
something that makes us look past the
stressandthesleepdeprivationanddevote
somuchofourtime(okay, toomuchof our
time) to producing your student newspa-
per.
And it is absolutely yours. The Daily
belongs to every one of you as much as it
belongs to the handful of us who turn
blank pages into informative publications
each day. As we construct each story, edit
each word, write each headline, we have
you in our minds.
Ourjob goes beyond simply reporting
the news. We strive to'bring it back to
University students-notjusttelling you
what happened but also how it will affect
you. The city council zoning law seems
irelevant until you learn that it could
cause ine closure of fraternity and sorority
houses. The University's budget is much
easier to digest when it is boiled down to
tuition increases and program cuts.
Treating news from astudentperspec-
tive is the mostchallenging and important
* part of our jab.
Certainly, attending and covering
newsworthy events is exciting.
Standing inacrowd, clutching anote-
book as Democratic Presidential hopeful
Bill Clinton addressesathrong of scream-
ing students.
Watching with apprehension as an
equallylargecrowdofstudentsprotestsan
unfair University policy.
Braving three feet of snow to walk to
the police station and check the daily
crime blotter.
But the real excitement begins when
wegetbacktotheofficeandbegin to craft
our stories.
What was Clinton saying?Didhe take
a stand on student loans? How does he
plan to help the dismal job marketMichi-
gan students willbe entering in just a few
years? What did students think of his
speech?
How will the University policy that is
* so vehemently protested affect students'
,dailylives? Willourtuitionrisetofund this
program? Whose idea was this anyway?
,What do students think of the policy?
Whatdothesummaryreportsfrom the
:policedeparmentreallymean to us?Isn't
Fthis string of break-ins awfully close to
xcampus? How can students protect them-
selves from being victimized? Are stu-
dents afraid - what do they think?
What do students think?
0Weconstantlyaskourselves thatques-
tion. Even in reference to the Daily itself.
A University t-shirt that depicts cam-
pus landmnarks shows a picture of the
Daily-hanging on arack beside atoilet
Countless older students will be happy to
give you theirhonest (andprobablynega-
tive) opinions of the Daily.
Try as we might, with a readership as
diverse as the University community, we
can't always print what each person be-
lievesismostimportant.Ouropinions and
anglesarerarelypopular.Peopleinclasses,
onresidencehallfloorsandinsocialgroups
often harshly criticize the Daily. Daily
staffers become sounding boards for sug-
gestions and complaints.
'stemptingtolash out. Toaskthemif
they've everproduceda 16-page publica-
tion after a full day of classes and then
stayed up all night writing a Psychology
paper.Totellthem thatif they don'tlikeit,
we can always use more reporters and
editorial writers and music reviewers and
sports writers.
But it's more important to hear them
out.Tolistentotheir suggestions. To try to
make the Daily as much their newspaper
as possible. To realize that we publish the
Daily for you-not for us.
We spend alot of time here. We put a
tremendousamountofourselvesintoeach
and every word. It gets difficult.
3nRoM HE
EDITOR
Capture the passion
while you still can
by Brett Forrest
Daily NSE Editor
Jack Kerouac' s "On The Road" was in one hand and a tin of Copenhagen was
in the other. We were somewhere between Sacramento and Los Angeles, traveling
on Route 1. The passenger side door of the jeep was minutes away from becoming
permanently unhinged by the Pacific coast winds. It began to rain.
As I tossed the door in the back seat, pulled a Patagonia over my weather
beaten proboscis and elevated the volume of Led Zeppelin III to a tumultuous
level, I knew that this was ... well ... it.
I glanced at the driver as he belted out the lyrics to "Gallows Pole" in a Plant-
esque falsetto and found myself soberly questioning whether or not someone
my parents' age would act in such a manner. I made a serious but cursory
inspection of the instrument that was taking us from place to Place and realized
it was barely doing that. I took a gander at the road waving inches from our feet
and at the angry territories surrounding us and knew that place held no mercy
for our ilk.
At that point, I had several thoughts, important notions. Nobody expected
me at the hearth that night. I had to find provisions for none but myself when
the evening drew to a close. No person but my brother-in-arms at the wheel
knew exactly where I was in the world at that minute.
The importance of my cognizance laid not in the fact that the realizations
were true, but in the understanding that there would be a time when they would'
not be. I will have an authentic occupation some day. I will have a permanent
home of my own. Heck, I might even have a wife and family if I'm lucky.
But those days are in the future for me. Relatively, that destiny is not far
away. However, as I sat in the jeep and rattled toward the city of angels, that.,
forecast of security, responsibility and tranquillity seemed a less-than-hazy
image on a manufactured horizon.
I constantly hear that the future is what you make it. (Overzealous elders fee
a certain need to give people aged 18 to 22 the same advice they would not heed
at the same stage.) It is true, though. And a large part of who you become or wo
you want to become is forged during your college years.
Iknow,youhaveprobablyheard thisbefore.Ifeel itisimportantenough,though;
for you to get it again, from a divergent source, perhaps in a different way.
College is a moment in time like no other. It can be a mind-alteriuig
experience. People enter Michigan fascists and leave socialists. Students enroll
with the Dead on their headphones, but graduate with tickets to Metallica in
their pockets. Afew others, even, barely gain admittance with a2.0, butexitcum
laude. Strange and interesting changes will occur during the four (or seven)
years you will be an undergraduate student at the University.
Do one thing, though. Do me one favor and yourself one thousand. Take
advantage of what you have before you. Accomplish as much as you can to
increase your potential for having a truly successful and enjoyable lifetime.
Learn as much as you can about all there is to know.
Realize that your responsibilities, however burdensome they may now
seem, are actually small in stature to what they will probably be in adecade. Do
not waste the opportunity every young person has.
Go to the movies on the spur of the moment. Drive to Chicago on a whim
Study extra hard for a class you really enjoy. Spend an evening in an unfamiliar
bed.
These are the last years of your life when you can be selfish - and get away
with it across the board. These are the last years of your life when you are happy
to learn that the telephone is for you. These are the last years of your life when
you can make a huge mistake without it ruining your career and reputation.
You will not again have the opportunity to do almost anything you desire
without factoring in the spouse, children, dog, house and car. PleaseI implore
you. Do not be in a position when you are 40 years of age and wonder if things
would have been different if you had taken that trip to Boston two decades
earlier.
Experience. Create. Listen. Taste. Ponder. Study. Touch. Savor. Watch.
Learn. Grow...Become.
This is your life and ultimately you will stride down the paths that seem most
appealing. Sporadically, though, wind down a way unfamiliar to you. Live life
to the edge while you still have the ability to do so and are without the strings
that will tie you down in later years.
Oh, about the journey and the jeep, we did finally get to Los Angeles and all
points in between. After all the gallavanting, we even made it relatively safely
back to Sacramento. Once there, our hankerings for domestic victuals, soothing
quietude and the loving slobber of an overage hound were satiated. It was not
long, though, before we pounced on the next adventure.
Because, as Cary Grant said, "Eat when you're hungry. Sleep when you're
tired. And make love whenever you can."
UAC's improvisational Comedy Company performs on the third floor of the Union, near the UAC offices..
SUnparalleled union is largest at University
by Carmen L. Wells
The University Activities Center (UAC), the single larg-
est student-run organization at Michigan, was created in
1965 to provide the campus with a programming board
devoted to offering a variety of cultural, social and educa-
tional events. While at almost all universities such a group is
run by full-time staff members, here at the University, UAC
is operated by volunteer students who are in charge of all of
the organization's day-to-day administration.
The majority ofUAC's work is done in its 17 committees,
which cover a wide range of interests.
If, for example, you enjoy performing on stage, UAC
has four groups that might be for you. Amazin' Blue is a co-
ed a cappella singing ensemble that performs a variety of
music, including rock, jazz and blues. The group holds one
concert per term at the Rackham Auditorium. Comedy
Company is our student-directed and written comedy troupe.
It also performs once a term at the Lydia Mendelssohn
Theater and has taken its show to other schools in the Big 10,
most recently to Northwestern.
For those who have training in dance but are not dance
majors, Impact Dance could be the ticket. Auditions are held
in early Fall, and the company's performance is in the Spring.
MUSKET presents a musical performance each semester in
the Power Center. Most recently, the group's performance of
"Anything Goes" played to rave reviews and sold-out audi-
ences.
While the arts are certainly a major part of UAC, we
also have a few other groups devoted to bringing entertain-
ment to campus.
Eclipse Jazz brings performers into Ann Arbor to play.
Additionally, the group holds workshops for those students
who wish to fine tune their skills. M-Flicks is the largest film
group at the University. It presents at least three films each
week, including film festivals and sneak previews of upcom-
ing blockbusters. Laughtrack features student comedians
and professional headliners Wednesday nights at the U-Club
in the Union. Stop by some night for some great laughs.
Soundstage provides musical entertainment Thursday
nights also at the U-Club. Established bands, both local and
student, are featured each week. Special Promotions brings
exciting activities to the University. Past events have included
the CBS College Tour and fashion shows by Girbaud and
Mademoiselle magazine.
UAC, however, has not forgotten its obligation to
planning educational activities. College Bowl is a competi-
tive quiz contest that begins with an intramural tournament in
the Fall. The all-star team selected from that tournament
travels to other competitions during the winter term.
Michigan's team finished in the top 10 nationwide the last
three years.
Viewpoint Lectures sponsors a variety of lectures and
forums. Previous speakers have included Spike Lee, Betty
Friedan and ESPN's Chris Berman.
UAC's offices are located on the second floor of the
Michigan Union in Room 2105 and are open from 9 a.m. to
5 p.m., Monday through Friday. If you have any questions,
please stop by or give us a call at 763-1107. We look forward
to seeing you in UAC.
- Wells is UAC's vice president ofpromotions.
HAC wants low-income housing on the political map
by Homeless Action
Committee
Since 1988, the Homeless Action
Committee (HAC) has fought to put
homelessness and low-income hous-
ing on the political agenda in Ann
Arbor.
HAC is a political action group
whose work includes lobbying local
political leaders, educating the com-
,_
munity on issues of affordable hous-
ing and local government -priorities
and mobilizing public support for
political action to address the housing
crisis in Ann Arbor.
HAC was formed in 1988 by home-
less residents of Ann Arbor and stu-
dents who successfully pressured the
city to maintain the Daily Shelter
Program. During the winter of 1989-
90, HAC squatted two city-owned
houses that were slated for demoli-
tion to make way for a $10 million
parking structure (the Kline's depart-
ment store lot on Main St.).
In May 1991, the newly-elected
City Council and mayor voted to can-
cel plans for the lot.
Tha .;,-~v, L1411A t' t *, ti i
owned hotel (the Ann Arbor Inn at
Fourth St. and Huron Rd.) now sit
empty, while 1,500 people are home-
less in the city.
In November 1991, HAC focused
attention on the Downtown Club, a
former site of low-income housing
converted into commercial office
space in 1982. During the Fall, HAC
waged a campaign to re-convert the
building to low-income housing, dur-
ing which 19 HAC members and sup-
porters were arrested for trespassing.
On April 15, 1992, HAC joined
with Ann Arbor's Homeless Union to
establish "Salvation City" in down-
town Ann Arbor. This was the fourth
tent city erected in Michigan. Its pur-
pose was to raise community aware-
ness about homelessness and the need
for low-income housing.
The commissioners of Washtenaw
County, who had just bought the
Downtown Club for use as county
office space, responded to the protest
by suing the homeless people who
had organized it, spending $30,000 in
the courts.
During the Spring of 1993, HAC
joined with the Homeless Union of
Washtenaw County, Washtenaw Wel-
fare Rights Organization, the Baker-
m I -X- --, 111. - . m0