4 - The Michigan Daily -- Tuesday, December 13, 1994
c be Skbigun &tlg
420 Maynard
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Edited and managed by students at
the University of Michigan
Jessie Halladay
Editor in Chief
Samuel Goodstein
Flint Wainess
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.
[Op'She (Hillary) summoned a
sorcerer from a faraway land, Ira of the Unruly
Hair. And Ira gathered a legion of fellow sorcerers
and convened them in a secret star chamber, a
place so dark and dank no light could enter or
escape.'-Dr. Robert McAfee, lampooning the health care debacle of 1994.
7\
/ }
1 v/V
The student regent
The Regents should vote
This Thursday, the Board of Regents finally
has the opportunity to enact a plan that
would satisfy 97% of the student body: the
Board can pass Michigan Student Assembly
President Julie Neenan's proposal to allow the
MSA President to sit on the Board as a non-
voting member who would serve in the same
capacity as an executive officer. The Board
should pass this proposal without hesitation.
In the March MSA elections, 97% of the
student body voted in favor of having official
student representation on the Board. Since this
astounding vote, Neenan and otherMSA mem-
bers have tirelessly worked to make such a
concept a reality. Such a plan is certainly not
unique; in fact, the University is an exception
to the rule, as most peer institutions already
have at least a non-voting student sitting on
their governing board. At Michigan State Uni-
versity, four students sit at their Board of
Trustees' table during all meetings; they can-
not vote, but their input is heard and valued by
MSU's decision makers. Saginaw Valley State
University, another Michigan state school, has
had a student serving in an ex-officio capacity
on their Board of Control since 1972. It is no
longer a viable excuse to say Michigan's Con-
stitution does not allow such a student liaison.
Such a proposal is finally on the Board's
agenda for Thursday's meeting. Regent Wa-
ters must be commended for finally taking
action on this important issue and placing it on
the agenda at his last official meeting as a
to give students a voice
regent; it is a very gracious end to his 24 years
of service. All of the other regents should join
Waters in voting to allow a student to sit in on
their meetings - any further delay is unnec-
essary and unacceptable.
While this may be the first time that this
issue has officially appeared before the Board,
it is not new to any of the regents. This issue has
been discussed for years amongst the Board
and MSA and has been diligently pursued by
MSA for at least the past year. To procrastinate
dealing with this issue is a cop-out.
This page has continuously explained the
reasons why a student serving on the Board in
an ex-officio capacity is beneficial to the
Board, the student body and the University. In
addition to all of these aforementioned rea-
sons, the Board should accept the proposal
because 97% of the student body favors such
a plan. Having the University's student body
so overwhelmingly in favor of an idea is
extremely rare, if not unprecedented. To fi-
nally appease its primary constituents, the
students, the Board should pass this plan, if for
no other reason.
Neenan's hard work and dedication will
hopefully be rewarded on Thursday when the
Board can accept her and Regent Water's
proposal to allow the MSA President to be an
ex-officio member of the Board.
For once, the Board of Regents has the
opportunity to catch the University up to the
other state schools in Michigan.
RHA misrepresented by quote
To the Daily:
I am writing in reference to
your article about the Residence
Halls Association (RHA) that
ran in the Friday, December 9,
1994 edition of the Daily
("RHA votes to ban grapes in
dorm cafeterias"). More par-
ticularly, I take issue with your
choice of quotes. Near the end
of the article, you quote Heidi
Naasko, a Representative to
RHA from Henderson House,
as describing RHA as "an apa-
thetic organization." Regard-
less of her opinion that "it's
salvageable", Representative
Naasko was grossly out of line,
and incorrect, in making that
statement.
First off, RHA is anything
but an apathetic organization.
This is evidenced by the count-
less hours spent by many of the
Representatives in efforts to
improve life in the Residence
Halls. Perhaps Representative
Naasko should have stayed un-
til the end of the 3 hour meeting
with the rest of the representa-
tives that she labels "apathetic",
instead of leaving early to feed
quotes to the Daily. The devo-
tion is there, and it is unfortu-
nate that Representative Naasko
finds it more fitting to spend
her energy on obstruction and
slander rather than progress and
devotion.
Secondly, the Daily should
be more responsible in its quot-
ing. While Representative
Naasko is entitled to her opin-
ion, she is not entitled to slan-
der RHA as she sees fit. If your
reporter were to ask any of the
other Representatives in atten-
dance at the meeting how they
feel about RHA, you would
have found out that there are a
numberof devoted, hard-work-
ing, non-apathetic members
who feel radically different than
Representative Naasko.
Representative Naasko's
comment is not the sentiment
of a vast majority of the Resi-
dence Halls Association's Rep-
resentatives. If the reporter
would have taken the time to
properly survey the Represen-
tatives, she would have found
that apathy is far from being a
correct adjective to describe
RHA. I would personally use
devoted, caring, sincere, ener-
getic, hard-working and dedi-
cated. Representative Naasko
was completely wrong in her
generalization. And the Daily
was wrong in giving her the
medium to express her slan-
der. In the future, it may be-
hoove your reporters to solicit
opinions from several differ-
ent members of an organiza-
tion instead of focusing on two
extremely polarized views.
Randall Juip
RHA Representative
U.S. in Bosnia?
Clinton should heed Dole for a decisive policy
President Bill Clinton announced last week
that up to 25,000 U.S. troops could be
called upon to assist in the withdrawal of U.N.
peacekeepers in Bosnia-Herzegovina. This
came on the heels of new Senate Majority
Leader Robert Dole's (R-Kansas) strong criti-
cism of both the world community's sorry
response to the invasion of Bosnia and the
Clinton administration's hodgepodge of poli-
cies meant to bring an end to hostilities in the
Balkans. What cannot be denied is the fact that
UN and NATO efforts to date have been
largely unsuccessful in halting Serbian aggres-
sion and returning Bosnia to the Bosnians. It
would be wise for President Clinton to heed
Senator Dole's objections, which would mean
a simple return to his 1992 campaign rhetoric.
Before American troops are placed in harms
way - securing roads and airports amidst a
heavy Bosnian Serbian presence - a reassess-
ment ofAmerican policy is desperately needed
so that, in the event that American G.I.s are
caught in the crosshairs of the Serbians and
become another causality of the Bosnian war,
the American people can be reassured that the
new role undertaken by the U.S. military is
simply not another Clinton policy waffle.
It is abundantly clear that the so-called
"carrot and stick" approach to ending this
conflict has failed. The nationalist Bosnian
Serbs will not settle for a peace plan that
entitles them to half of Bosnia, regions which
will inevitably be united with the former Yu-
goslavia, now Serbia. In the face of Serbian,
and at times, Croatian military offensives, and
the shelling and strangulation of Saravejo and
other UN protected "safe havens", the belea-
gueredembargoed, depleted Bosnian military
has fought bravely to oust the Serbian aggres-
sors, who now seem to have the tacit backing
of the Russians. Some in the European Com-
munity have claimed that the Bosnian "civil"
war is not a black and white war, where lines
of aggressor and victim can readily be drawn,
plistic and naive. Yet after almost three years
of bloody fighting, the death of over 100,000
civilians, the injection of UN peacekeepers
into the quagmire and the periodic, yet incon-
sistent use of NATO air power to punish
Bosnian Serbian violations of UN Security
Council resolutions, it seems that the United
States is ready to call its well-intentioned
efforts to end the war and redraw the map of
Bosnia hopeless. Secretary of State Warren
Christopher and Secretary of Defense Will-
iam Perry recently commented that the only
avenue left is a diplomatic one, and that all
military options are moot considering the
gains already made by the Serbs. Some of this
policy backpeddling is due to Russian intran-
sigence and European opposition to "a wider
war," yet much of it is due to Clinton's failure
to make a decisive leadership stand in leading
-not following- our skittish NATO allies.
But Dole recommends a different path.
First, the withdrawal of all UN forces in
Bosnia, many of whom now are hostages of
the Serbs; second, the lifting of the arms
embargo on the Bosnians, unilateral if neces-
sary; and third, the use of NATO and Ameri-
can air power to assist the Bosnian military in
the war effort. Clearly this route is a difficult
and risky one, and -may involve the use of
American ground troops at some point in the
future if U.S. warplanes are shot down.
Clinton's plan, on the other hand, is to assist in
the UN withdrawal of peacekeepers, and then
to fall back on diplomatic means in signing a
peace accord. This page has long advocated
the lifting of the misguided arms embargo,
which has unfairly hindered the Bosnian mili-
tary, and the assertive use of NATO to punish
aggressors who violate international norms of
behavior. With strong GOP support in the
Congress, President Clinton should not fear a
more resolute American presence in the
Balkans, providing the Administration de-
cides upon a coherent strategy now, rather
Paranoia at
Angell Hall
To the Daily:
Oh my God, the "Establish-
ment" is taking away the rights
of the people once again.
This seems to be the re-
sponse that Adam Rodriguez
has to the signs in the bath-
rooms which read, "Those en-
gaged in illegal activities will
be prosecuted," (Students de-
serve dignity in the bathrooms,
12/9/94). While I agree that the
signs seem a bit harsh, I don't
think that they were meant in
the way in which Adam views
them. To read that sign and
immediately think that it refers
to bathroom sex and nothing
else seems to meto be a bit...oh,
I don't know...paranoid.
Doesn't he think that DPS has
more important things to worry
about in public restrooms such
as, say, violence and vandal-
ism. Call me crazy, but it seems
to me that those are the more
likely reasons to post signs of
this type.
Again, this seems to be one
of many instances wherepeople
rush to assume that the "Estab-
lishment" is taking away their
rights. Perhaps they should ex-
amine the more logical and usu-
ally more prevalent facts be-
fore deciding.
Chris Jamros
LSA Freshman
Mandate
should not
dominate the
university
To the Daily:
We are in complete dis-
agreement with the Michigan
Mandate's notion that the uni-
versity population should re-
flect the general population,
particularly the ethnic popula-
tion. The purpose of the uni-
versity is to promote knowl-
edge, not the diversity of its
constituents. The University of
Michigan is currently ranked
2nd among public institutions,
not because of its "ethnic di-
versity," but because of the
absolute quality of educational
achievement of its students. To
succumb to political pressure
by enforcing quotas can only
be detrimental to the integrity
of the University as a whole,
since such unfounded ideas
devalue the accomplishments
of students that have genuinely
earned their place, regardless
of race.
Shopping: the
American
national
pasttime
The people are tired and weary
but they move steadfastly toward
their goal, braving the ice and snow
of winter. Ahead lies the object of
their pilgrimage, its lights shining
brightly in the night: the mall.
Forget baseball - shopping is
the American national pastime.
During the holiday season, it is
almost elevated to an art (there's
the car pirouette into that just-va-
cated parking space, the tableau of
tired shoppers on the bench, and of
course the classical music of cash
registers clinking).
But before you set out shopping
with your friends and relatives, it's
important to know what you're get-
ting into. A clash of styles can
seriously disrupt theanvas of the
art of shopping. Before you ven-
ture out into the fray, use this handy
guide to classify your shopping
companions, looking ahead for
those nasty clashes of personality
, The Smug Shopper. "Sure,
I'll go shopping with you," they
say, and then proceed to follow you
so closely you trip at that quick turn
at the escalator. "Don't you have
anythingyou need to buy?" you say
sweetly. Your companion will then
reply that she finished all necessary
Christmas shopping in a) March, b)
May, c) July, or d) October. One'
year, my mother chose a) - when
I came home forspring break, she'd
finished all of her Christmas shop-
ping. "What if you disown me be-
tween now and then?" I asked.
"Hadn't thought of that," she said.
"But if somebody dies, I'll donate."
" "I'll know it when I see it"
This menace to society waltzes into
the mall with a long listof friends to
buy for and proceeds to wander
from store to store, claiming tha
the perfect gift for each person is
going to jump out from behind the
Salad Shooter display at any mo-
ment. Salespeople love this type.
but if you're stuck shopping with
him it's time to go buy a corn dog
at the food court and bide your
time. You're safe unless he decides
to buy something for you, because
it's never anything useful orpracti-
cal that grabs them by the collar.
Make room on your desk for a
ceramic deer, and just hope you
escape without being saddled with
a weeping clown poster.
Y The CheapskateBookiover.
You thought you were shopping
with someone until this companion
disappears into a bookstore and
nevercomes out. If you arrive three
hours later with your shopping
done, he will proudly announce, "I
just finished the last in the Mucus-
world trilogy! Now I don't have to
buy it! Hey, there's that Star Trek
novel I wanted to read ..." YouI
sigh, but realize you may have
solved one problem - you know
what to get him for Christmas now.
Wrong: he'll return the book you
gave him after he's finished it,
claiming that "Some goofy friend
of mine thought I liked to read."
" The Wanderer. This one
walks around the mall in a daze,
pulled by an invisible magnet to-
ward one store, and then another.
She'll idly finger something that
catches her eye in one direction,
then head to the other side. This
usually happens when you are try-
ing to walk in a straight line toward
an important place, like the video
arcade.
" Mr. or Ms. Efficient. Unlike
the Wanderer, this type has direc-
tion - too much direction. He
comes with a list, proceeds to each
store, buys what he planned on, and
marches out. Attempts at distrac-
tion ("Video arcade ... you must
Article shows LSA quality
reporter's bias should be
To the Daily:
As a student at the Univer-
sity of Michigan and reader of
the Daily, I expect to read a
paper of informative content,
of journalistic integrity. I ex-
pect the university's newspa-
per to respect those that it writes
for, and to uphold its reader'
rights.
Unfortunately, the Daily
does not share these expecta-
tions. This has been made
shockingly apparent by its print-
ing of Flint Wainess' article on
the judicial process in
Wednesday's paper.
Was Flint's article about the
judicial process? I don't think
so. Rather, he wrote a lengthy,
but oh so thorough, biased re-
port on a mere one case which
passed through thejudicial pro-
cess. Despite his earnest at-
tempts to shock me with the
sorted details of the case, I found
myself more aware of his fla-
grant bias than with the story at
hand.
I read the newspaper for
objective information, not for
whining sob stories. That the
Daily would disregard Aaron
Fekete's rights, much less his
privacy, while catering to the
whims of an obviouslyunstable
defended
To the Daily:
It is clear from Eric Berg's
editorial published Dec. 4 that
his four or five years here failed
to expand his view of society
beyond that of a high school
level. Had Mr. Berg learned
something here, he would have
discovered that each discipline
is valuable.
Mr. Berg, your statement
that LSA courses require no
work and have a difficulty rat-
ing of zero, make it clear that
you do not grasp what LSA is.
Instead, you reveal the degree
to which youreducation is lack-
ing, as it is oblivious you have
not acquired the skill of articu-
late discourse, nor the ability to
research that with which you
claim familiarity. Instead, you
opt for the grunt-like reasoning
of "Engineering Rules!"
When slamming disciplines
that are not engineering, it
would be advisable to consider
the following: who are the writ-
ers, journalists, scientists, film
makers and politicians?
The majority of these people
have LSA backgrounds, be-
cause such backgrounds arm
LSA grads with the ability to
David M. Bardallis
Jason F. Brady
Steven P. Schaller
University alumni
I