4, 4The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, February 8, 1994

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'It's a glorified closet. You lean Into one of the walls, and it
caves in.' -David Noel,
Homeless Action Committee member speaking about the YMCA

420 Maynard
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Edited and managed
by students at the
University of Michigan

JESSIE HALLADAY
Editor in Chief
Sam GOODSTEm
FIN T WANESs
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.
Out s
Out in the cold
Resident staff selection process is unfair to applicants

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ob recruiting is again underway here at
the University, and all the usual ele-
ments appear: an applicant submits a re-
sume, goes through the interview process and
receives notification of his or her acceptance
orrejection. Most companies try to make this
process as painless as possible to attract the
brightest and best. Unfortunately, that is not
the case here at the University.
The University is presently conducting
the search for effective resident staff for
next year. Due to the late time frame of the
selection process, those who put their names
in the applicant pool must forfeit the secu-
rity of housing for next year until Feb. 28 -
the final notification date. In a college town
where house hunting begins in November,
this demonstrates a lack of consideration on
the University's part for the students willing
to apply.
For the nearly 500 students who fail to
secure a resident staff position, the housing
choices are few and far between. They can
pick from the remaining off-campus hous-
ing, usually those units that are far from
campus or otherwise undesirable, or they
can return to the residence halls. Coinciden-
taly, the University failed to fill the resi-
dence halls this past year and had to downsize
budgeted services due to reduced revenue.
What better way to ensure that the halls are
filled than by having 500 desperate stu-
dents, all rejected staff applicants, who are
suddenly without housing for the next year?
The present system needs to be revamped,
placing students' interests first. Currently,
the resident staff selection process begins in
mid-January with mass meetings and distri-
bution of applications. The first round, a
group interview known as the "classroom
session," takes place in late January, and
students are notified at the beginning of
February whether or not they will continue
in the process or have been eliminated. Those
who continue move on to the more selective
building interviews, which also have sev-
eral rounds and culminate in final selection
on Feb. 28.

The University should develop ways to
begin the process during the fall semester.
The University cites the completion of the
fall semester's academic records as the pri-
mary reason for the delay until January, as
a student must have a 2.5 GPA and 48
credit-hours to be eligible for the position.
Yet, most applicants could not have their
grades pushed below a 2.5 by one semester.
And if an applicant was on the borderline,
provisions could easily be made. In addi-
tion, if students know that there is a danger
of grades falling short of the eligibility
mark, those who truly want the positions
will have an extra incentive to work harder.
The University should begin the process
by holding mass meetings in November.
The first round of the evaluation process
could also begin at this time, and if a student's
fall term grades made him or her ineligible
for the position, he or she could simply be
eliminated after this first round - early in
the winter term - instead of before. This
would move up the time frame of the entire
selection process, so that rejected students
could join the housing hunt with the rest of
the population.
There is, of course, a problem with this
plan - the fact that Housing would have to
eliminate, based solely on grades, other-
wise eligible students whom they have al-
ready spent time interviewing. However,
this inconvenience is minor compared to the
predicament faced by those students who
find themselves without housing at the end
of February.
Resident staff play a key role in the
machinery of the University, as they be-
come the confidantes, primary University
publicity representatives and rule enforcers
for students. To ensure that the best candi-
dates apply, the University should make the
process less stressful and more professional
for the applicants. The applicants for resi-
dent staff positions are not only students,
but also are potential employees. The Uni-
versity must treat them with the respect they
deserve.

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Speak out about Kevorkian

By DENNIS DENNO
There has been a lot of
talk and opinions floating
around about bringing Dr.
Kevorkian to our spring
1994 commencement, and I
would like to express some
thoughts on the matter.
Many people have said
that the idea of bringing Dr.
Kevorkian is only "wishful
thinking." Why should it be
only wishful thinking? If
the students at this
University want Dr.
Kevorkian, or any other
speaker, at their
commencement then so be
it. By saying it is too late,
only wishful thinking, etc.,
we are saying what the
administration wants us to
say. They want us to think
it is too late so that we
forget about it. If the
administration was
seriously willing to bring
Dr. Kevorkian, all they
would have to do is make a
call and ask him to speak.
Dr. Kevorkian personally
told me he appreciates
Dennis Denno, president of
Students for Dr. Kevorkian, is
a second-year Rackham
student

what we are doing, and I
am sure he would be more
than willing to come if the
opportunity presented
itself.
When I first approached
the administration about
this idea, they told me that I
was too late, that the
Honorary Degree
Committee had already
chosen our commencement
speaker, but they would not
tell me who it is. When I
approached President
Duderstadt after the
regents' meeting and
asked him who our
commencement speaker
will be, he told me that the
University will release that
information when they are
ready, which, according to
him, will be two weeks
before commencement.
I do not see the
controversy behind this
request. Like the Daily
said, "The administration
has a responsibility to its
students to be more open
and communicative about
this issue." Under the
Freedom of Information
Act and the Open Meetings
Act, Students for Dr.
Kevorkian has requested

the minutes and a list of
the speakers chosen from
the Honorary Degree
Committee. As of Feb. 3,
we have not heard a word
from the administration.
We also requested a
meeting with the president
and the regents. Again, the
administration has been
silent. What are they afraid
of, the students they are
supposed to represent?
As students, we also
need to question the
validity of having the
administration choosing our
speakers behind closed
doors.
Once again a public
University is making
decisions in private. The
Board of Regents and
President Duderstadt are
public officials, yet, by not
talking to us, these people
are not doing their job.
If you are upset with
your University
administration, call them
and tell them that you want
Dr. Kevorkian to speak and
that you demand to know
who will speak at
commencement. After all,
graduation day is yours, not
the administration's!

The eight
degrees of
collegiate
love-life
The month of flying cupids and
red construction paper hearts is upon
us once again - Happy VD! (That's
Valentine's Day, not whatever else
popped into your mind.) I usually
spend the beginning of February
pining away for my prince on the
white horse who will come to save
me, his rusty armor clanking with
passion as he swoops into West Quad
and slowly takes off... well, anyway.
Back in the real world, none of
us can live up to those medieval
ideals or the romantic couples in the
commercials who give each other
the perfect gifts without asking. In
real life, if you get a dozen rose
delivered to your doorstep, you will
open the card to find they are from
the guy you broke up with two years
ago and not your current boyfriend,
who will give you a 50-cent card
two days late (this actually happened
to me once). Realism is noticably
absent around this time of year. So
in an attempt to fill this gaping
Valentine's Day void, I present to
you my list of the eight types o
college couples:
Science Sweethearts. These
are the remarkably studious science
types who somehow, one night while
studying pig anatomy in their
Mammalian textbook, decided they
were perfect for each other. They
tend to "study together" at the
library, exchanging smoky glances
over their 30-pound textbooks.
Unlike many of the other types, they
actually do get work done, possibly
because it's harder to have running
commentary with your lover on
chemistry formulas than it is on,
say, Freud's theory of sexuality.
Siamese Twins. You never,
and I mean never, see these two
apart. Their roommates end up with
singles; by the end of the year they've
turned the second bed into a display
stand for their potted plants. These
are the cute couples who hold hands
in class, sit together'in the dining
hall and generally disgust (read:
make insanely envious) everyone
around them.
Rollercoasters. One minute
it's all glee and bliss; the next, they're
hurling their Calculus books at each
other and screaming at the top of
their lungs. You probably live next
to someone like this.
Discussers. Prone to stay up
until 3 a.m. on Saturday night
discussing the existence of free will
or the concept of causality in the
Western world. Somewhere along
the way, probably when discussing
Freud (see above), they decided that
there might be more to life than
Aristotle. Not being terribly
adventurous, they decided to seek
this added dimension with someone
who also thinks that there is nothing
more to life than Aristotle.
Long-Distance Honeys. When
I was in the Union Bookstore in
September, I noticed a distinct hole
in the greeting card section - all of

the "I miss you" cards were
completely sold out. AT & T,
Amtrak, all of the major airlines and
Hallmark love this kind of
relationship, but most of the rest of
us don't. Pertinent guidelines: say
"hello" before you attack each other,
keep your picture shrine up to date
and hang up that phone before you
run out of money for books. E-mail
is the word here, kids.
Beautiful People. When not
preening themselves, these two take
pleasure in parading around in front
of all the people who have crushes
on them - or once did and are now
complaining that the good ones
always go for the attractive jerks.
- Innocence Times Two. Made
up of two people who didn't date in
high school because there wasn't
anyone smart enough for them.
Previously, they were mesmerized
by public displays of affection,
tending to watchother couplesas
intently as they did the
demonstration in physics lab. As
soon as they hook up with someone,
the experiments begin in earnest.
Warning: prone to take notes after
making out.

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Heal ingold wounds
Ending the trade embargo with Vietnam makes sense

T he domestic scars from the Vietnam
War, an issue that changed college cam-
puses forever and drastically divided our
country, are finally beginning to heal. Presi-
dent Clinton's announcement, last Friday,
that he is going to lift the trade embargo
against Vietnam illustrates an important
shift in the American psyche. We are fi-
nally putting the war behind us and looking
toward the future.
The fact that Clinton was able to rally
such immense support for lifting the em-
bargo speaks volumes. Although the mo-
tives for this move are most likely financial,
as Vietnam has one of the fastest expanding
markets in Asia, the overwhelming support
in Congress and the relatively small amount
of protest coming from the American pub-
lic over this lifting show that the overall
changes are ideological as well as eco-
nomic.
The president received mixed support
from veterans' groups. Many individual
veterans have stated their approval for the
plan, however most veterans' organizations
oppose it. Many veterans' groups, like The
American Legion, feel that continuing the
embargo is the only way to attain continued
cooperation in the search for MIAs and
POWs from the Vietnamese.
But the MIA/POW issue is all but dead.
The number of MIAs and POWs remaining
in Vietnam is minimal. This is not in any
way to devalue the importance of ensuring
that the remains and records of all veterans
are obtained, however it is unrealistic to

ceived all the cooperation it can expect and
opening relations between the countries is
the best way to move forward.
President Clinton stressed the fact that
this is in no way a normalization of relations
between the two countries. It will allow for
the United States and Vietnam to open liai-
son offices in each other's capitals and
engage in trade, but will not restore diplo-
matic relations.
The embargo is the best way to move
ahead with the MIA/POW investigations. It
is also a necessary step toward domestic
healing. And don't doubt that a domestic
fissure still looms large, three decades after
the close of the Vietnam debacle. Presiden-
tial nominees testifying on Capital Hill, to
take only one example, are continually be-
ing derailed because certain members of
Congress are unable to accept the fact that
American involvement abroad wasn't unani-
mously supported.
Attitudes are beginning to change, but
the U.S. government can do more to foster
this by completely normalizing diplomatic
relations with Vietnam. A great leap for-
ward has been taken, but in order to com-
plete the closure of this incredibly painful
issue more needs to be done. The United
States must fully recognize Vietnam and the
reparations we promised them must be paid
in full.
For 30 years the Vietnam War has haunted
America's politics and people. Time has
played the largest role in our ongoing heal-
ing process, but finally we have chosen to

~6
SAPAC 'w
By JASON DANDY
On the front page of the
Monday, Jan. 31 Daily was
an article by Judith Kafka
entitled, "SAPAC to search
for volunteers." Judging
from the content of the
article, the title should have
read, "SAPAC to search for
female volunteers, except
for positions where
sensitivity and ability are
not necessary."
There are several
reasons I say this. In the
fifth paragraph, Emberly
Cross, SAPAC's phone-
line coordinator is quoted
as saying, "Ideally, we'd
like to get as many people
as are qualified." This is a
good thing. SAPAC would
like as many volunteers as
possible who have the
necessary qualifications. In
the next paragraph, we see
the idea of necessary
qualifications reinforced:
"Being a qualified
volunteer at SAPAC,
however, means more than
merely expressing interest.
Because the center deals
with sensitive and serious
issues, the center selects its
volunteers carefully."
Again, it appears to be a
good thing. As we go on to
the next ari naranh we me p

rongly ign
neither did you. In
paragraph eight we can
clearly see that the
statement was definitely
not an error. "Cross said
this last stipulation is in
effect because about half
the callers wish to speak
only to women, and the
center wants to meet the
needs of these callers."
Now, if half the callers
wish to speak only to
women, then why must all
the people on the phone-
lines be female? Can't
some men be trained and
allowed to counsel some of
the other half? I realize that
most likely a woman who
has been raped would wish
to speak to a woman who is
sensitive to her situation
rather than a man, but I
also realize that it is highly
probable, should I get
raped, that I would rather
speak to a man who is
sensitive to my situation
than a woman. To ignore
this possibility by flatly
refusing to allow men to
work the phone-lines is to
ignore the fact that men are
raped, too. Studies suggest
that as many as one in 10
men are raped.
In the ninth paragraph,
we see more of what Cross
s.a "e a.i nal the

ores men
against women. Now, I am
well aware that no one
said "and it doesn't matter
one whit if they know
about sexual assault and
violence against men," but
the omission is much more
subtle and harmful. It
doesn't directly attack men
but it still builds the
stereotypes of woman-as-
victim and man-as-
immune, or at least, man-
as-unable-to-relate.
In actuality, according to
a study of cross-gender
violence, the frequency of
violent acts perpetrated by
men against women is
equal to or less than the
frequency of violent acts
perpetrated by women
against men. But the
number of centers for
abused men is
astonishingly (or perhaps
not so astonishingly) small.
It is likely so few centers
to help men deal with
domestic violence and
sexual assault exist because
there is very low demand. It
may be that statements like
those above that have kept
men silent or unwilling to
ask for help in an
environment that tells them
that women are victims,
never men.
Pmrhnn. the nmanN.

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