4 - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, October 13, 1994 iw £Cti~ nau &dlg ANAL son AIL oft a AWRIL a a A016L Alk a I I NOTABLE QUOTABLE I I a 7 w >-s 4/ an an 1%& w w a F-% ow Em it I 420 Maynard Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan Jessie Hallada 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. 'All pigs and goats were ordered off the streets today by the Mayor of Port-au-Prince, Evans Paul, in anticipation of Father Aristide's planned arrival here [Haiti] on Sunday. '_as reported by The New York Times b ' N H - a t .::: .. f , -OU pON\. -W F . .:: H M Give students a voice A non-voting student regent is our only hope * nfortunately, the Board of Regents is composed of individuals elected, in large part, because of their stature within either the Republican or Democratic state party. As a result, many regents had limited prior knowl- edge of the issues surrounding higher educa- tion before their election. Add this to the fact that most party faithful don't have strong ties in the student community, and once elected, usually don't have the time or will to begin fostering those relations. The structure that emerges from this precarious mix is a govern- ing body that is out of touch with student interests. Currently, the regents meet every month in a session that is open to the public viewing, but closed to student input. Observers of these sessions notice that students have highly limited means for contributing to the very discussions that in large part determine their living environments and their financial con- ditions. Presently, it is not feasible for a student to win a seat on the board because no student is likely to win the Democratic or Republican nomination. Theoretically, a stu- dent could win election to the board through an independent candidacy or by nomination from a minor party, but given the abysmal success rate of independent or minor party candidates, that will not happen anytime -soon. Even if a student were to, somehow, gain major party nomination and win a statewide election, they still might not be allowed to -serve. The latest opinion from the state attor- ney general considers a voting student regent illegal, due to a perceived conflict of interest: officially, it is the regents who bestow diplo- mas upon graduation, and for a student to be empowered to give themselves a diploma is, according to present theory, illegal. Although this position might be overturned by a court challenge, the risk of losing a seat after an expensive campaign would deter most stu- dents from even throwing their hat in the ring. However, a voice speaking for student concerns before the board is clearly a neces- sity, and the creation of a special seat for anon- voting student regent is the best route. While this would not give students power equal to the elected regents, it would allow for a dialogue between governing and governed which has, for too long, been missing. The establishment of a seat for a non-voting student regent re- quires merely a majority vote of the Board of Regents, and can be accomplished as early as their next meeting, two weeks from now. Should the position be created, the presi- dent of the Michigan Student Assembly (MSA) would be an obvious choice for stu- dent representative. Because the voter turn- out is so dismally low for MSA elections, it is unlikely that a separate election for a student regent seat would draw any more students to the polls than MSA elections. This should not be an appointed position, because the representative needs to be cho- sen by the student body, so he or she can represent the most broad set of interests. The Board of Regents makes countless decisions that effect the everyday lives of students. The fact that students are not repre- sented on the board can only lead to misunder- standing between students and administrators, and detract from the mutual mission of progress. Before dumping more tuition in- creases and conduct codes on us, the regents should at least hear what we have to say. An accent The AATU The Daily errs does not a on health care poor teacher Anti-hazinglgisla..tion he Sigma Phi Epsilon house recently turned in its charter in response to strict sanctions for a hazing incident that occurred Sept. 4. Relatedly, after a trial ending last Friday, Michigan State University (MSU) was held accountable for hazing that took place in the Michigan State Marching Band. Across the state, hazing has constituted a strong and ever-present undercurrent in university orga- nizations. Fortunately, these two cases finally bring to the forefront those issues that have been laying dormant, lurking inconspicuously under the thin veneers of loosely-enforced policies against hazing. Hopefully, the Inter- fraternity Council (IFC) and state universities will continue to crack down on hazing inci- dents. More likely, it will require the initiative of students pushing through an anti-hazing statue for the state of Michigan to eradicate this ubiquitous self-debasement. The hazing revealed by the Sig Ep case was surprising only in that it was discovered and acknowledged. The actual hazing itself was not new information in and of itself, nor is it probable that Sig Ep played a different or more extreme role in hazing than many other frater- nities. Sig Eps simply got caught. The optimist hopes Sig Ep's example will encourage other organizations to terminate their hazing prac- tices. The realist notes that if not because it is the right thing to do, maybe organizations will stop these practices because they fear retalia- tion. Perhaps more unexpected was Jeffery Greenfield's story which unveiled hazing as an activity that extends beyond the practices stereotypically assumed to be limited to the Greek system. Jeffery Greenfield was a mem- ber of the Michigan State Marching Band until he was forced to quit the band in the face of harassed under university supervision and the presence of the band director. Seeking com- pensation for his trauma, Jeffery sued MSU for not taking reasonable actions to protect him. The trial has just ended and he was awarded $100,000 from the university. Al- though Jeffery received his rightful compen- sation, it frightens to think that the university itself was responsible for the hazing that took place. Ironically, the institution was held re- sponsible for the very practices that are gener- ally considered to be only a student problem. Clearly, this example shows that hazing is not just a student concern nor a small-scale problem of the Greek system. Although both of these cases were taken care of, many other organizations will continue to abuse the sys- tem and to abuse their members. Even though the University's Office of Greek Life acted responsively to the problem, the sanctions were not strong enough to deter hazing that continues to occur on campus. Anti-hazing legislation, which is already a reality in at least 38 states, would act as a greater deterrent to this practice. The discrepancy between the sanctions lev- eled by various institutions and organizations shows an inconsistency that only causes con- fusion and ineffectiveness. The lack of spe- cific anti-hazing policies in the IFC constitu- tion also contributes to this problem. The consistency that is obviously needed can only be provided by a state law. LSAseniorDaveGarciahas already drafted and submitted an anti-hazing statue to several University officials in hopes of gaining their support for a state-wide lobbying effort. The effort is expected to begin shortly after the Novemberelections. This page hopes Garcia's efforts will be rewarded, and hazing will turn reform To the Daily: Once again the Michigan Daily has provided us their in- sight" in solving all the world's problems. Though lacking in any depth whatsoever, the Oc- tober 1th, editorial, "Health Care Abundance" covers the issue of health care reform in the United States. In an "It's So E-Z" ap- proach, the Daily manages to take what has been a major problem/conflict of the United States governmentforyears and turn it into a snap-solution via their recommended two-step plan: 1.) Don'tgetsick, and 2.) If you do, don't spend much money getting better. Sheer brilliance. What exactly is the point of printing an "editorial" that is made up entirely of com- mon knowledge? No one would argue that not getting sick and advocating low-cost medicine will decrease our health care costs. Can you offer a more pro- found commentary? Citing your own critique that "Americans ignore overuse" you've shown you are not the exception. By printing such simplistic statements regarding the health care system you appear to be ignorant. By printing themover and over again, you appear to be ignorant and annoying. Please! - save the space. Jennifer Anne Zelenock, Inteflex Medical Program Hip-hip hooray for the G.O.P. To the Daily: With the editorial on the Contract With America, the Daily has once again misrepre- sented and mischaracterized the Republicans in Congress. The Contract With America is the culmination of the most productive and constructive opposition party in history. In the two biggest issues the Con- gress faced in the last two years, the Clinton Tax Bill and the Clinton Health Plan, the GOP has produced several alterna- tives. In 1993, Republicans in the House rallied behind Con- gressman John Kasich's Bud- get. In 1994, the Dole- Packwood proposal on Health Care received more cosponsors than any other plan. During the Bush Administration, Demo- crats did not offer alternative budgets and obstructed his make To the Daily: Though I am certain many responses will materialize re- garding Birk's letter of Oct. 6, I feel strongly compelled to voice my spontaneous reaction. I have little faith in the opin- ion of a student who openly admits they read the newspa- per during classroom sessions of their high-priced elite edu- cation. Can we really consider your experience as typical or significant ifthe Daily contains more "understandable" infor- mation than your teacher? As an engineer, upon gradu- ation you will probably work with people from around the world. You can be sure that your colleagues are at least as well-trained, if not better, than you. A heavy accent does not imply incompetence. As stu- dents, we have a responsibility to hear past the accent, to the greater insights and wealth of "Other" experiences beyond. You can be sure, a highly es- teemed institution such as the University does not employ any instructors who are not compe- tent in their field. In addition, most International TAs must attend an intensive 3-week workshow sponsored by a Uni- versity affiliated institute, be- fore they ever step into the class- room. Foreign TAs struggle with this kind of adversity on a daily basis at this University. It is very dismaying to read such ignorant, racist and short- sighted remarks from Univer- sity undergrads. What you "de- serve" is the most diverse and challenging education avail- able, and not an education which excludes the world out- side our borders. Amy Clark Beal School of Music TA Ignorance is bliss, so there must be many happy drivers To the Daily: In light of the recent inci- dent between a pedestrian and a bicyclist, I would like to illumi- nate this dark void of bicycle traffic behaviorwhich is promi- nent on campus. Myth: Bikers are a special case when riding on the road. Fact: Bicycles, when driven on the road, are legally consid- ered vehicles. Hence, bikers on the road are drivers. will survive, and grow stronger To The Daily: The outpouring of student support for the Ann Arbor Ten- ants Union has been very grati- fying to all of us at the AATU. We want to thank all of the students who have taken the time to attend MSA meetings, write letters to MSA, circulate petitions, or take other actions to save the AATU. We are sorry that some of your Representa- tives on MSA have ignored your input, but we want you to know that we were listening. We have no doubt that the majority of the students on this campus value the services of the AATU, and we are dedi- cated to finding a way to pro- vide those services to any stu- dent who needs them. To that end, we will be sponsoring a ballot question in the Novem- ber MSA election. This con- stituent initiative would raise the student fee by a mere 25 cents in order to assure that tenant counseling, advocacy, education and other AATU ser- vices will continue to be avail- able free of charge to all stu- dents. We expect this initiative to pass, but it will not take effect until January. This leaves the AATU without institutional support for its services to stu- dents during this term. Overthe next few months, we will be turning to students to help us cover the costs of those ser- vices. Here are some ways that you can help: *Pay your25 cents this term. We will be holding a bucket drive and will be regularly set- ting up tables in the Fishbowl and otherlocations. There's also a donation jar at the AATU office on the fourth floor of the Union. elf you can, contribute $5 and become a Special Student Supporter of the AATU. 'If the AATUhas saved you money in the past, consider donating back a portion of what we helped you to save. *Volunteer to help the AATU raise funds or to help out in the office while our regu- lar volunteers are out fundraising. For the past 25 years, the AATU has been there for stu- dents; now we are counting on students to be there for the AATU. While the past few weeks have been frustrating for all of us, we feel confident that your tenants union will emerge from this crisis stronger than ever. Carmen Crosby AATU Board President Pattrice Maurer Postcard from South U Don't be upset, but being a rea- sonably rational and fair-minded LS&A concentrator, I feel it is my duty to bring an unpopular piece of information to your attention, a fact that the University administration has mischievously attempted to hide. In U.S. News and World Report's annual authoritative study of Ameri- can universities, the U of M is ranked #1 in only one category this year, and it's not academic reputation - we have the largest pseudo-hip con- glomeration of Urban Outfitter- poster children in the land. Hurray. One does have to admire Ann Arbor's impressive diversity. Our's is the only city able to house a Cava Java and a bowel-churning Taco Bell on the same block. A casual walk down South University is illustra- tive: as the pumped-up frat boys and platform-shoed sorority girls head on to campus from the fringes of Washtenaw, stowaways chow on $.59 rainforest burgers in the McDonalds villa, Deadheads sniff incense and light candles in Middle Earth, while that fur ball of a dog scampers about, alchemists brood and concoct in the apothecary drug bin, professorial types lament in coffeeshops and pro-Wolpe con- struction workers feast on "kosher" hotdogs (yea, right those dogs are kosher beef). To be sure, South U is a chronicle of daily student life. In the mornings, the bagel subculture awakes and the caffeine dependent get their fix. Some peruse the Daily and decry the art staff's blasphem- ing of The Mongolian Barbecue, and others finger paint along with the staff of the USA Today. During the day, we're all thrust into adisturbing quandary: confront- ing those all-too familiar faces from the days in the dorm when I still thought frat parties were cool. (A fellow social commentarian named Twenge - sounds like a country- western tune-suggests that in such situations blab on about majors, lunch dates and how to pronounce Biakabatuka).Thesolution: just stare ahead, mouth a tune and avoid con- tact, like the Spence Abraham cam- paign. South U is the place where countless faces pass on the street and shifty eyes dart to and fro. I've al- ways wanted to shout out (to no one in particular): "Find another focal point, cowboy! I don't look that strange. So my hair style may not be the type you encounter on a regular basis atZBTdate parties ... I'm sorry that I don't have that western Michi- gan golden boy look..." I'll choose the preppy, corduroy Ethan Hawke look (in Dead Poets, not Reality Bites) over the style of the slovenly lead singer of Soul Asylum. To paraphrase a recent letter writer - Ann Arbor is the trendiest town, per capita, in the industrial- ized world. In middle school, the problem was that on the first day of school, one experienced great stress that your best friend would wear the same short-sleeved Polo shirt and Bugle Boy jeans as you would, thereby making a mockery out of one's veiled attempt to look cool and thus line up a movie date for Friday. Now in college, the issue is more boot related. It's as if Deiter and his leather-encased Doc Marten bud- dies succeeded in convincing mil- lions of impressionable American college youth to buy overpriced German Army paraphernalia from the Weimer era. Speaking of South U's fashion- ably challenged, in the evenings, less sophisticated punks stake out their territory on the corner of South and East U. In punk-speak, dyed green hair means capitalism is bad and thatthe Third World isn't devel- oping quick enough, purple means one believes that the forces of Zion- ism are poised to take over the world financial systems and yellow means you're protesting the loss to Colo- rado. I myself have beaded hair -a *I