4 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, February 1, 1994 U~fje~d~imt~A96.6 420 Maynard Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan JEsSIE HALLADAY Editor in Chief SAM GOODSTEN FUNT WAIsss Editorial Page Editors Unless otherwise noted unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of a majority of the Daily's editorial board. All other articles, letters, and cartoons do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily. I 121*'a 1=17 u 'A- : mu&ua I I1VEt"1 1 I IV VMIL.1 I Foresightat tNA Greenberg and Kight put tuition waivers to a vote Michigan Student Assembly Presi- dent Craig Greenberg and Vice-Presi- dent Brian Kight have made an admirable decision -they have opted to put their con- troversial tuition waivers up to a student vote in March. On this ballot, students will have the chance to determine whether MSA lead- ers should be funded, and whether or not this proposed funding should be through the ad- inistration. Two weeks ago, Greenberg announced that the President and Vice-President of MSA would each receive a $2500 tuition waiver every semester. The money would be pro- vided by the Vice-President for Student Af- fairs. As expected, the reaction within MSA and among the student body to this dubious agreement was intense and mostly negative - and with good reason. The original deal with Maureen Hartford, Vice-President for Student Affairs, left out any guarantee that the waivers would last indefinitely - leaving open the possibility of the administration using the scholarship as a political tool. Clearly, MSA's constituents - the entire student body - did not give overwhelming consent to this idea. The $10,000would come out of students' pockets every year, and they deserve a say in where their tuition dollars go. At a time when the relationship between students and their government is rocky at. best, Greenberg and Kight's gesture takes on paramount importance - and demonstrates integrity. The funding of student leaders in theory is by no means a faulty premise. Typically, the hours spent by MSA leaders in fulfilling their responsibilities are equal to those of a full- time job. Many students simply cannot afford to put this much time into a non-paid en- deavor and must shun involvement in student government, thereby artificially narrowing the poolof potentialstudent leaders. Students should be represented by the most qualified candidates, not by the most financially stable. Furthermore, the distribution of tuition waivers must take into account any conflict of interest that may exist. MSA leaders should receive their money through an endowment fund that is given as a gift by the administra- tion to students for the advancement of stu- dent leadership. The University could donate upwards of $150,000 to this fund, money that will con- tinue to earn a substantial amount of interest over the years. This will guarantee that there is no financial relationship between the ad- ministration and MSA leaders - in short, no conflict of interest. Greenberg and Kight have made the nec- essary move for both MSA and students in calling for a vote on the matter. While they still claim that the tuition waivers are fair and necessary, they have put aside personal feel- ings about the issue for the greater good of MSA. This action should increase MSA's cred- ibility with students. If tuition waivers are to be instituted, the process must insure that students leaders do not find themselves in a symbiotic relationship with administrators. But perhaps more importantly, student lead- ers must have the support of the people they represent. "Liberals Beware - She's Here!!" --The College Republicans and The Young America's Foundation, in a poster advertising Kay Buchanan's upcoming speech on campus. 'D-VEAT AT COMMENCEMNT. wwvUAreiy . w DR. JACK KEVORK IA N LSAt/RA / M 40I AIWLY Lisa Turtle - proving that moral agenda. interracial friendships can A speech by Kevorkian No perfect world indeed exist. Samuel would be valuable in that it without "Saved by the "Screech" Powers - would allow students and demonstrating that the faculty to test their own Bell" socially inept do have a place beliefs and see if they would To te Daily: in our society to exist and classify Kevorkian as a hero. We are writing in response flourish. Levin acknowledged, to Ken Sugiura's article on These seven characters however, that some already Wednesday, January 26 ("To represent the hope and dreams have voiced opinions. The suffer fools gladly - or of America's youth. Granted, "some people," a pseudonym maybe not"). We have a the Tori episodes kind of for society, have made it clear couple of complaints. First of sucked, but Ken, if your that Kevorkian kills, and all, what the hell does that perfect world exists without society does not like those title mean anyway? Secondly, "Saved by the Bell," we who kill. Why else, in a he refers to a better world as a want no part of it. democratic society, would it place where the show "Saved JOEL SHAPIRO be that Kevorkian is by the Bell" does not exist. LSA senior constantly getting into We must disagree. In this ERIC SKLAR trouble? world of sexism, racism, and LSA graduate It must be then, that it is economic troubles, "Saved Let Kevorkian speak Levin's own "warped by the Bell" and its glorious morality" that causes him to cast stand as a shining To the DaIly: disregard the opinion of the beacon of hope. This is in response to the multitude of our citizenry A closer analysis of the letter by Jared Levin on whom Kevorkian has show reveals the true nature January 25, 1994. Along with offended. Levin's of a perfect world. Bayside Levin, I would like to see Dr. classification of the "ending of Principal Richard Belding - Jack Kevorkian speak at the lives" (killing) of the showing that authority need Spring Commencement. terminally ill as a stand for not be wielded with an iron Unlike Levin, however, I "individual human rights" is fist. Zack Morris-always would not describe Dr. as biased as Kevorkian wanting to better his lot in Kevorkian as a "hero." himself. I think most people life, all the while protecting Kevorkian as an individual understand how impractical his friends and his school. has provoked considerable and morally difficult it would Kelly Kapowski - a symbol (nationwide) attention by be to legalize killing in any of innocence and purity, persuading and acting upon form. So even if Kevorkian representing all that is good. others according to his own was a man who I had great A.C. Slater-representing the personal beliefs about death. admiration for morally, I eternal paradox of a man with It is paradoxical that Levin would still have a much easier a good heart battling his would speak harshly of "some time calling Jalen Rose a hero primitive competitive instinct. people...imposing" their for college students than I Jessica Spano -showing that morality, when it is Kevorkian would Dr. Death. an intelligent woman need not himself who most HENRY KRATCHMAN be an outcast in our society. passionately espouses his own LSA senior Code editorial mislead By MAUREEN HARTFORD Student leaders were also Hearings of the Judicial and MARY LOUISE closely connected with Board have been submitted ANTIEAU drafting the specific by an individual student via After reading language of the SSRR. A this method. "Amending the Code," the telephone survey was I would also like to editorial which ran January conducted and finally, address your comment 24, 1994, we feel public forums were held to alleging that "[o]nly compelled to clarify several gather community-wide recently has any issues that were raised. We input. information been available support the Daily editorial The policy did not about how these student staff's right to criticize the develop in a vacuum jurors are trained, or many Statement of Student devoid of student concerns. other aspects of the Rights and In fact, when the policy Statement's inner Responsibilities. However, was near completion it did workings." we expect that criticism to not contain any provisions This statement is not at be based on fact. for amendment. all true. A reporter from We would like to begin Amendment procedures The Michigan Daily was by agreeing that the were initially proposed by a present at the first Judicial Statement of Student representative from the Board training on March 6, Rights and Responsibilities Michigan Student 1993. Several in-depth (SSRR) is indeed a very Assembly. The language of articles covering the important policy. Because that proposal was debated training session appeared in the policy has the potential by myself and several the Daily the following to seriously impact the student leaders until we week. educational opportunities arrived at the language of Our most recent training of students, student input the current amendment session was also attended was critical to the SSRR's procedures. by a reporter from the development. Student input It is true that the process Daily. Copies of the was gathered in several of amending the SSRR is training manual for Judicial ways. Each student was difficult and perhaps Board members were mailed a draft of thespolicy tedious. However, it was provided at both training and was asked to provide the intent of the students sessions and are available their thoughts and with whom I was working to any interested person. concerns. Ahmost 3000 to make the SSRR difficult Additionally, video tapes of responses were received for the administration to all training sessions are. Those in the middle always get trampled I love letters to the editor. How else can one be compared to a lobotomy patient and still come back to write another column? The tacit rules of journalism dictate that a columnist should either a) ignore letters to the editor, or b) ridicule their authors in an attempt to fill space as Mike Royko often does. But, since I am soft-hearted as my correspondents know, I can't help but answer some of their charges. Either that, or I'll take the Royko approach. You be the judge. The Missingthe Point Award goes to Jason Pollack, who is inordinately enamored with his own wit and his extensive knowledge of violin sonatas. "She appears to condone, nay to applaud, the physical attack on Nancy Kerrigan," Mr. Pollack wrote. And what did I say in the column? "What happened to Nancy Kerrigan was deplorable, and I do not mean to condone the attack against heror anyone connected with it." Hmmm ... I see a few contradictions here. Come on, Jason, you even stole my vocabulary word. I learned "condone" for the GRE fair and square. Having grownup in Irving, Texas, home of the Super Bowl champion Cowboys, I do indeed understand that hitting someone on the knee on the way to the locker room is against the rules of football. All I am saying is that in football (or in men's figure skating), beingcharming, demure and beautiful willgetyou nowhere. Being strong, tough and a good athlete - all the things Tonya Harding is - will. This is why I believe she would be the obvious winner in almost any other sport. But not in figure skating, where beauty seemstobe score-deep. But in this age of simplistic journalism, subtlety is lost. I support Tonya Harding; therefore I must condone the attack on Kerrigan. The point is much more complex than that, but as always there is Right and there is Wrong, and nothing in between. TV has taught its lessons well. I laughed out loud at Joel Jacobs' suggestion that "every one" of my columns "in some way accuses the entire male population of mistreating or stereotyping all women." I have written a few columns on feminist issues, true, but I fail to see how columns on roadtrips, people eating Cheez Whiz, vegetarianism and Beavis andButt-head'sviewofhealth security contribute to male-bashing. And in my columns on gender issues I have defended assholes over the much more PC Nice Guys, acknowledged that men are often nicer to women than to men, argued that "vestigial" sexism also applies to men, and admitted that my own brushwithsexualharassmentactually accrued me advantages for being female. It is the feministswho should be on my back, Mr. Jacobs. But yet again an argument is reduced to easily understandable labels. I write about feminist issues; therefore I must be accusing all men of mistreating all women. Therefore I must be a female sexist. Someone call "Hard Copy" - I think we're getting simplistic enough to merit a story. I have never maintained that "the entire male population" is responsible for sexism. All of us are responsible for sexism, and I am the first to admit that women are sometimes their own worst enemies (that includes Tonya Harding, who stayed with an abusive husband for four years.) A woman named Phyllis Schafly was almost solely responsible for the defeat of the Equal Rights Amendment. Blaming all men for the sins of the past and the state-ofthe society is no solution; many men I know seem to have a guilt complex for their gender even though they may have done nothing to hurtwomen. Though I am glad they understand the problem, I do not believe that they need to suffer for things they did not do themselves. As for reverse discrimination against men, I have 0 0 01 Commence silence Seniors deserve more input in choosing speaker Dennis Denno is on a mission. He is doing everything in his power to have Dr. Jack Kevorkian speak at spring com- mencepients as well as receive an honorary degree. He spoke with Kevorkian's lawyer, Jeffrey Fieger, he initiated public debate on the issue and he routinely goes to MSA meetings to summon student support. But despite his attempts, the administration is not only denying the proposal, but it is doing so without providing reasons. Denno said, "(the administration) told me to pretty much forget the whole idea." Basically, adminis- trators responded with a firm "no" to his proposal, and proceeded to tell him that they have already selected a speaker. Unfortu- nately, they will not reveal this mysterious person's identity. Should Kevorkian be a speaker at com- mencements? Is he too political? Would it be a poor reflection on the University to endorse "Dr. Death?" The answers to these questions are irrelevant - for the issue is really not about Kevorkian at all. It is, instead, about student rights, and about a University taking full control over an issue that should involve student opinion. After all, commencements are for the graduating class, they are not for the administration. The students need to have more say in a matter that involves them so greatly. There has been speculation that the University's unwillingness to reveal the iden- tity of the supposedly selected speaker is because of security reasons. This is a logical assumption; for example, if the President were scheduled to speak on a certain date, it would be risky to give public attention to this so far in advance. If the University truly has already picked the speaker, and if security really is the issue, then why don't they just say so? The Administration has a responsibility to its students to be more open and commu- one wonder what dark secrets lurk behind closed doors. Certainly it isn't feasible for students to determine the commencement speaker in a student-wide election. What if they voted every option down? And, how could it be possible for the University to present students with a whole list of available options? It would be ridiculous for the University to ask important people to speak at commencement with the possibility of later turning them down after a student vote. So while a full- blown democratic vote is illogical, the sys- tem certainly needs repair. More student rep- resentation is a must. Currently, there is a six-person committee that is responsible for selecting and voting on commencement speakers. This committee has two student representatives. Although this is a start, we need student voices to be better represented. Two students don't make a senior class. They need to have stronger voting power, and the board needs to include more student members. It is already Febru- ary, and the approaching commencement is no longer a distant affair. By now, it is prob- ably only wishful thinking that Kevorkian could be on this year's agenda for com- mencement speakers -- this, however, does not change the fact that graduating seniors deserve a greater voice in choosing future commencement speakers. We look forward to proudly congratulat- ing the graduating class of 1994, and we wait with anticipation to hear yet another influen- tial speaker. Recent commencements have been filled with impressive speakers such as President BushGovernor Engler and Hiay Clinton. Hopefully the trend will continue. But no matter who the speaker is, it is hard not to feel bitter toward an unsupportive and uninformative administration that quickly dismisses zealous pleas coming from earnest