4 -- The Michigan Daily - Friday, April 15, 1994
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420 Maynard
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Edited and managed
by students at the
University of Michigan
JESSIE HALLADAY
Editor in Chief
SAM GOODSTEIN
FLINT WAINESS
Editorial Page Editors
'I thought that kind of activity died with the beginning of
AIDS.'
-Maureen Hartford, responding to a question about a
recent Daily story on the Mason Hall bathrooms
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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.
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Holocaust revisionism
Bogus revisionist ads should not run
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S poradically throughout the past two
months, advertisements have appeared
in this newspaper calling attention to "revi-
sionist radio" programs, or other broadcasts
that challenge the existence of the Holo-
caust. Predictably, these ads are not exclu-
sive to The Michigan Daily - they are
cropping up on college campuses through-
out the nation. The fact that these programs
espouse lies, anti-Semitism and hate should
go without saying. The Holocaust was real,
and there are millions of dead Jews, gypsies,
homosexuals and others to attest to the atroci-
ties and attempted genocide of Nazi Ger-
many. What does not go without saying is
the fact that this propaganda has made its
way onto the pages of mainstream college
newspapers.
Before passing judgment on these adver-
tisements, a distinction must be drawn be-
tween advertisements and opinion/editorial
pieces. An op/ed page, specifically the one
at this newspaper, is a forum for the commu-
nity, a place where different viewpoints are
aired ---but the space on the page is not paid
for. An advertisement is a commodity, a
piece of property, so-to-speak. Business
staffs, which are separate from editorial
staffs, commonly reject advertisements for
a variety of reasons, without justification. It
is, of course, the right of the publication to
do so, and it is not censorship - nor is it
unethical - to reject an ad. With this in
mind, the publication of these ads in the
Daily, and in other publications throughout
the nation, is unacceptable.
Holocaust revisionists such as Bradley
Smith and Ernst Zundel, the purveyor of
these hate-infested "revisionist" radio and
television ads, flock to campuses because
they believe that editors and publishers of
college publications are potential outlets for
their views. Their reasoning is that college
students are more likely to ignore the facts in
the name of rebellion, more likely to place
spurious notions of the marketplace of ideas
over common sense. Unfortunately, this hap-
pens all-too-often.
By condemning the running of these ads,
are we embracing the notion of absolute
truths? No, our eyes are still our only true
guides; a forum for any notion, no matter
how zany, still our only true goal. But there
comes a time when a line needs to be drawn,
when the reality of a newspaper's limita-
tions must be realized.
The Ernst Zundel-sponsored ads are a
perfect example. The ads themselves do not
seem to be tinged with hate. They merely
ask questions, and potential listeners can
tune in to decide for themselves about the
merits of the program. But this is precisely
why the ads are so insidious. The latest one
begins with a simple question: "Did Presi-
dent Roosevelt know that Pearl Harbor was
going to be attacked?" This question falls
well within the bounds of historical revi-
sionism, which is an accepted field in
academia. However, the ad then degener-
ates into questions such as, "Did the Ameri-
can and British governments 'dream up' the
Nazi gas chamber and extermination camp
stories ...?"
The answer is no. The Holocaust is per-
haps the most well-documented crime
against humanity in the history of the world.
The Nazis were proud of their attempts at
genocide, and recorded their horrors --
including the gas chambers - for all the
world to see. That is, all the world that wanted
to see. On a recent episode of "60 Minutes,"
Zundel proved that his theories are based on
bigotry and lies as he disregarded tapes from
Himmler himself admitting the existence of
the gas chambers at the Nazi death camps.
Holocaust education is finally on the rise
across the nation. There is no worse time
than the present to begin turning a blind eye
to reality. Newspapers across the country
need not give credibility to the incredulous.
Learn the rules, MSA
Dean answers Comm
dept. charges
To the Daily:
Your editorials
concerning the Department
of Communications contain
numerous factual errors and
misleading assertions.
In "Purging, with tenure,"
your statement about
breaking up the Department
is very misleading. There has
been no decision to "break
up" the Department. An
advisory committee with a
broad charge will study the
final mission and structure of
the Department, but by no
means will it be restricted to
the option of breaking it up.
You imply that faculty
can be promoted or not at
whim. Promotion decisions
focus on faculty members'
past, present and expected
accomplishments in
teaching, research and
service. The debate about the
Department's mission never
arose in recent promotion
cases.
You allege a "purge of
popular culture" LS&A. Our
support for the study of
popular culture through
appointments, promotions
and resources is clear and
will continue. When a
candidate for promotion is
not successful, we often
authorize that the position be
filled in the same field of
inquiry.
You cite statistics on
promotion rates in our three
divisions. By adding to these
statistics instances of
assistant professors who
were not recommended for
promotion by their
departments, the difference
in promotion rates between
the natural sciences and the
social sciences and humanity
largely disappears. The
remaining overall differences
Think of other
standardized test
biases
To the Daily:
Ms. Twenge, you seem to
have hit on some very
interesting points about the
SAT. However, before you
crucify ETS for writing a
biased test perhaps you
should consider more
carefully the real reasons
why women, minorities and
the poor do statitically worse
on the SAT. Areas with more
money can afford better
schools with better college
prep programs. School
districts with less money are
not as capable at producing
students who are well
prepared for entrance exams.
Also, because many of
America's minorities are
flv r-rrarnantA n nil.
are about five percentage
points, not evidence of
significant differences in
promotion rates.
Your second editorial,
"Chaos in the Comm. dept."
refers to a "multimillion
dollar lab ... collecting
dust." The appearance of
such a fanciful member is a
mystery, and is a vast
overestimate of space
renovation cost. The only
dust involved is from current
work to convert the space
into a Laboratory for Mass
Communications Research.
As to Shira Orion's
appointment, to recruit
faculty to the University, we
must often try to find
employment for their
partners, through teaching,
research or administrative
appointments or by working
with a search firm to find
non-academic employment.
Ms. Orion was qualified for
admission to the Law School
and well-qualified for the TA
position. Law School
students are appointed as
TAs in other courses in the
College, so this appointment
set no precedent. TAs are
used regularly in her
assigned course, so a
commitment of new
resources was not required.
Her performance as a TA
was very positive. The
tuition waiver and stipend
were guided by the GEO
contract and were the same
compensation other non-
resident TAs receive. The
appointment was neither
unusual nor unethical.
We have tried to build a
Communication department
comparable in quality to all
LSA departments. In the
mid-1980s we decided to
expand tenure-track faculty
and in 1990 to seek an
outside chair, with the full
backing of the Department
faculty. We anticipated that
children to schools that may
not be as good at preparing
students for SAT type tests.
Lastly, concerningwomen, I
have seen documentaries on
"60 Minutes," and "20/20"
that are showing that as early
as elementary school, female
students may experience a
form of sexual bias from
their teachers (male and
female). This reasoning
would place the blame on an
imperfect world where,
hopefully, everyday people
everywhere are taking steps
to correct the problems of
racial, sexual and economic
inequality. That is why we
have scholarships directed
towards minorities, the poor
and women. Until such a
time when we are truly
equal, Universities must use
the best tools available to
determine who is the best
and the brightest.
tenure-track faculty would
grow as the new chair led
efforts to produce a plan to
shape the Department's
future. Unfortunately, these
efforts failed to produce a
plan with broad support. This
failure was an important
factor in Prof. Malamuth's
decision to leave. The
Department has not been
micromanaged. We asked for
a planning document
(required of all units) that
would guide important
investments in faculty and
programs. Despite several
years of trying, the
Department could not
produce such a plan. This
fact, coupled with
governance problems and the
absence of senior leadership
by faculty, led me to appoint
an interim chair from outside
the Department. A faculty
advisory committee, with
Departmental representation,
will advise me and our
Executive Committeedabout
the future mission and
organization of the
Department. Given its
current state, I seen no
alternative.
You characterize Prof.
Malamuth's work as being
about "pornography, not
communication." His work is
very much about
communication, in this case
about the links between the
content of messages
transmitted through mass
communications and
dispositions toward sexual
violence against women.
Your trivializing
characterization of work that
addresses an issue of major
importance in society was the
last in a long list of mistaken
facts and judgements that
made your editorials a sad
example of the editorial art.
EIE GOWDENBERG
Dean of LSA
When they are dead,
we wil be free
To the Daily:
They say Kurt Cobain is
the spokesperson of our
generation. They also say he
is, or was, the first of our
generation to "burn out"
instead of fading away in the
tradition of Jim Morrison,
Jimi Hendrix and Janis
Joplin from the Sixties. They
being the New York Times,
MTV and anyone else who
claims to be a spokesperson
of Generation X, or whatever
it is. If that is true, and I
think it is, I welcome the
future. Soon, those people
that so many worship, ie.
Eddie Vedder, Evan Dando,
Juliana Hatfield, the ugly
guy from the Spin Doctors,
etc., will be dead. And when
they are, we will be free.
Goodbye...
Twas the weeks before
graduation
And all throughout the 'U'
Not a regent was raising tuition
Believe it or not - it's true!
All of the seniors were restless
Tossing and turning in their beds
While visions of high-paying jobs
Danced provokingly through their
heads.
Many thought about their futures
The road soon to be taken
Others (like myself) wax nostalgic
About the women they have
foresaken.
So gather around, boys and girls
Prepare to be dazzled by my wit
If you would rather be reading
something else
For you I have two words: tough shit
It all began in Mary Markley
A naive, skinny kid from the West
Befriended by Hadas & Feiglin &
Bittens
He was soon put to the test.
He met a girl with hair of gold
(Heather S.)
Whose breasts he was thrilled to
touch
But in a month he got the pink slip
"From now on," she said, "you're
going dutch."
4
He then met Flam & 'Chelle &
Parker & Ellis & Powers
The female friends he so did seek
They told him why he wasn't getting
girls
"Jeremy," they said, "you're just a
geek."
So he spoke to Ron Meisler & Dan
Berkove
The guys who got all the "chicks"
"It's easy," they explained, "just get
'em drunk
And tell them you work at Rick's.
My problems would be over if I
rushed, he thought
A fraternity would be the key
But as Cary Latimer would help to
illustrate
This is by no means a guarantee.
"Cut your hair," said Matt Suskin
"Learn your sports," said Wish and
Vandrielm,
"What I think you really need,"
advised Goldsmith,
"Is a low-fat, protein packed meal"
He fell in love with Liorr Kierkut
But then he tumbled off the horse
Once again, he searched for advice
Who could get him back on course?
He found some solace in his friend
Brad Miller
The man he admired the most
"Read books," he said, "you'll
expand your head
And to the ladies you will soon be
host."
He was Grateful for his friend Ar
"Jeremy," he said, "you're one
desperate dude."
"I agree,"said Kush, "he hates to ski
And does things in the nude."
So he bought himself a Firmflex
Tried slicking back his hair
He even played with the
"alternative" look
But the women - they didn't care.
"Smoke a bowl," said Arash
"Get a job," said Topopo
Ian said, "Let's get some wings."
But then, out of the blue,
his dreams came true,
the doorbell rang - "Cha-ching!"
Now, Ronit! now, Rachael! now,
Marcy and Heather!
(They told him that his body was as
light as a feather)
On, Aela! on, Heather F.! on,
Robin and Amy!
(On whom I always had a big crush-
can you really blame me?)
He went out with Andee Weissman
But soon, she was calling him "Satan'
And Jeremy, now done, was back to
square one
Once again masturbatin'.
So while we're watching Cathy
What's-Her-Name
Give us her little shpiel
About shonnine malls and men's
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disturbing trend became apparent dur-
n g
Tuesday night's MSA meeting -MSA
leaders are more concerned with their own
political agendas than the representation of
the community.
The controversy began over three weeks
ago when supporters of the Ann Arbor Ten-
ants' Union (AATU) came to an MSA meet-
ing to speak of their concerns. MSA was
considering withdrawing the tenants' union's
funding, and they desired to defend their
organization. After 30 minutes of debate,
then MSA President Craig Greenberg an-
nounced the end of constituent's time, and
the meeting proceeded without further com-
ment from AATU constituents.
Amidst an immediate outcry by Assembly
proponents of the AATU, Greenberg then
quickly ended the meeting and the issue dis-
sipated for the time being.
Three weeks later, on Tuesday night, new
President JulieNeenan attempted to endspeak-
ers' minutes again after 30 minutes. How-
ever, who should protest but former President
Craig Greenberg, who claimed that anyone
who read the MSA Compiled Code - the
student government's operatingrules-would
realize that speakers' minutes were actually
60 minutes and not the 30 minutes he had
allowed just two meetings earlier. Clearly,
constituent's time was as long as was politi-
cally expedient for Greenberg.
The Assembly treated Greenberg's com-
ment as a joke and erupted in laughter. Sym-
bolically, MSA was also laughing at student
concerns and its own ineptness for several
explicit reasons.
their own rules and operating procedures.
The Compiled Code directly states that
speakers' minutes are to last for 60 minutes.
During the AATU debate controversy, then,
not only did the President and Vice Presi-
dent of the Assembly disregard MSA rules,
but all other Assembly members who did
not protest the decision were equally at
fault. There is no reason for this blatant
ignorance of the rules.
Moreover, the excuses of the Assembly
members are weak at best, and it appears that
Greenberg's action was a blatant abuse of
power. True, he has the authority to run MSA
meetings, but during the AATU debate, he
structured the meeting around his own ideo-
logical beliefs. It was disheartening to see
Greenberg-and the rest of the Assembly-
simply laugh off this abuse at Tuesday's
meeting.
Constituent's time is designed to facilitate
communication between MSA-the student
government -and the community. By sim-
ply invalidating speakers' minutes, the As-
sembly is essentially telling the community
they do not play an important role in MSA.
Thus, representation by Assembly members
and student access to MSA is hindered. When
the student government on campus is not
representative and accessible to all, questions
of legitimacy inevitably arise.
Finally, the new leadership of President
Julie Neenan and Vice President Jacob Stern
must also be criticized. They too did not
comprehend MSA rules, and were corrected
by a former Assembly member in the process.
While they have the opportunity to institute
important change in MSA and on campus,
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