4 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, October 26, 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
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.

'There is no question we are not going to elimi-
nate the ombudsman's office.'
- Vice President for Student Affairs Maureen Hartford
O. Jo. WHAT REALLY HAPPENED. & s
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Needed: $27.6 million

R unning an institution like the University
of Michigan, with its diverse and ad-
vanced programs and facilities, requires a
great deal of capital. The University obtains
this capital from many sources, such as en-
dowments and tuition, but one of the most
important of these sources - that of state
appropriations, has become less and less de-
pendable over the past decade.
As the state's most prominent institution of
higher education, the University is completely
justified in expecting financial support from
the state. Because of the business and prestige
it provides to the state, as well as the immea-
surable contribution to Michigan's students,
the University needs to be near the top of the
state's priorities.
With this in mind, the Board of Regents has
decided to ask the state for an appropriation
increase totalling $27.6 million. Realistically,
the Legislature will probably only provide a
fraction of this request. But this would be a
mistake. As is the case in most election years,
one need not travel far to hear candidates
drone on about the merits of education - the
Legislature would be wise to listen to these
campaign slogans and appropriate the full
$27.6 million increase for the University.
The effects of lower state appropriations
are felt most harshly by University students.
Revenue shortages brought about by appro-
priations below the rate of inflation always
end up being made up in tuition hikes. As the
national economic boom left state coffers over-
flowing, universities statewide were granted
more money this year. Yet, the University of
Michigan received only an incredibly modest
increase. Some have said this is because pow-
erful legislators consider the University to be
elitist. Others say the University simply hasn't
been as smart in adding pew campuses (and

thus, getting more revenue) as other schools
have been. Regardless, if the Legislature does
not want to see its most prized university
become simply a home for the wealthiest Michi-
gan residents, it will grant the University the
requested monies.
Fortunately, University students can make
a difference in affecting future appropriations.
The upcoming November elections represent a
valuable opportunity to elect pro-education
legislators. And while appropriations are the
domain of the Legislature, executive leader-
ship can only serve to strengthen the hand of
those that believe it is more important to ensure
that higher education is well funded than to put
together some sort of tax cut gimmick.
So far, gubernatorial candidate Howard
Wolpe has walked circles around incumbent
Gov. John Engler on this issue. Last weekend,
Wolpe could be found soliciting student opin-
ions in the MUG. In addition, he has pledged to
reopen the Michigan Education Trust, and
would continue to work with President Clinton
to make sure student loans are accessible and
obtainable.
Michigan may be a world class school, but
it should not be forgotten that its primary
purpose is to provide a quality education for in-
state students who otherwise might not be able
to afford one. Howard Wolpe is well aware of
this fact. Governor John Engler so far has not
signalled the same awareness. It is in the best
interests of the student body both now and in
the future to support pro-education legislators
and executives, in the hope that they can re-
verse the pernicious trend of declining appro-
priations and higher tuition. How a candidate
feels about the University's request for a $27.6
million appropriation increase is a clear indica-
tor of who those pro-education officials might
be.


All men must take responsibility for rapist

To the Daily:
As a long time Ann Arbor
resident and student at this
university, I feel compelled at
this time to share some of my
ideas concerning rape and vio-
lence against women with as
large a group of men as I can
contact.
I hope we all know that
there has been a series of pub-
licized assaults in the Ann Ar-
bor area, the most recent oc-
curring on Thursday, Oct.13
on the grounds of Community
High School which is located
down town in the block be-
tween Division, Fifth,
Catherine and Kingsley.
It is embarrassing that it
took this particular event to
shock me into action. I know I
am surrounded everyday in all
parts of my life by women who
have been assaulted. However,
this event has special signifi-
cance to me as a graduate of
Community High and a person
who identifies Community as
a positive space in my experi-
ence. Embarrassing as it is I
must note that it took a crime
that feels close to home to af-
fect me. I expect that I may not
be alone in this experience.
I urge the MEN in my com-
munities to speak and act in
support of the women in our
communities.
Lack of action is the same
as compliance with the vio-
lence. Women are scared to
pass us on the sidewalk at night.
How does that feel? How does
that really make you feel? It
doesn't feel good to me. How
does it feel that our families,
friends, co-workers, teachers

and students are walking around
wearing helmets to prevent at-
tack?
These are painful things to
face. Even more painful is fac-
ing my personal contribution
to the continuation of the vio-
lence. It is most important for
us as men to start there. Face
the ways in which we perpe-
trate or act out violence against
women in our daily lives,
whether or not we are actual
rapists. Take responsibility.
This is the work that we
have to do. We must take the
responsibility as men for rape.
We must name our individual
and collective contributions to
terrorism against women. Men
are the rapists. Without us, there
is no rape. That's all there is to
it.
It is a personal issue for
everyone. Where are our fami-
lies and friends right now? Are
they in danger? We must come
clean with the women around
us, be honest maybe in ways
we haven't been before. Let us
admit to and cease the things
we do that terrorize women.
Let us realize that we may not
know all of the ways in which
we contribute to the problem.
Let us not deny the dangers and
fears women are facing, or our
fears for them.
I know that I have not been
as supportive as I should be of
the women I care about the
most. I've doubted and teased
my mom for her fear of walk-
ing alone at night in our down-
town Ann Arborneighborhood.
"Yeah right, it can't happen
here, not to us." But it is hap-
pening to us. Where is my mom

now? Is she safe?
I apologize right here and
now to my mother. Mom, I
should neverhave doubted your
fears or judgement.
Through denial I have con-
tributed to the discomfort of
even the woman most impor-
tant to me in the world. I must
realize that I have probably per-
petrated and continued the vio-
lence against women in many
otherways, some of which may
be harder to admit in public.
I urge all my brothers, peers,
co-workers, teachers and oth-
ers in our community to en-
gage in introspection, and to
translate your self knowledge
into action as you see fit. Be
Honest. Make a stand.
How are we going to relate
to each other as men concern-
ing rape? How much will we
compromise ourselves, our
loved ones, our community?
Don't put up with violent "men
talk" while silently fearing for
your loved one's safety. Stand
up in the workplace, in school,
on the street, at home against
violence against women. WE
MUST ACKNOWLEDGE
THAT IT IS OUR BUSINESS.
Let us ask the women we
love and respect for ways in
which we can be effective. Let
us figure it out for ourselves.
It's our problem.
There is a war and we are
living in the war zone. Which
side are you going to come
down on? There is no middle
ground. It is time to take a stand
and take action.
Joshua Meisler
LSA Sophomore

Srvingthe
best minds of
10our generation
"So what can you DO with
a degree in history?" sneers
Uncle George, and panic strikes
the young student's heart.
That's what she was worried
about, too. She likes history,
she's good at it, and her grades
show it. She really has gotten
hooked on her class on the
Czars; Prof. Sonnenkivel is al-
ways challenging her and re-
ally making her think. But as
Uncle George says, what can
you DO with it?
One smarty-pants answer is,
"What do you know about it,
George?" What did Uncle
George study that made him
rich'? He made his money the
old-fashioned way: he worked
hard, and he can smell a bar-
gain in a barrelofherring. Those
are his talents, and he has honed
them well over the years. But
they have no relation to college
courses or to education.
Another smart answer is, "Any-
thing!" The record shows that
there is almost no correlation
between what you study in col-
lege and what you do for the
rest of your life. Students of all
different subjects do all differ-
entthings after graduation, with
all different results. A glance at
the education of the Forbes Four
Hundred orof the last ten presi-
dents shows that "Anything!"
looks like a pretty good an-
swer.
A more thoughtful - and re-
spectful - answer might be,
"That's the wrong question,
Uncle G." The right question
may be, "What do you learn
while studying history - or
astrophysics, or linguistics?"
And the answers to that ques-
tion might include: something
about the world you inhabit,
including the inhabitants; how
to learn quickly and well; how
to absorb other peoples' ideas
and to put your own into clear
speech and lucid prose; and
maybe even how to think
through your own ideas -
thinking at several levels, in
different ways, about new and
different things. Those are
among the things that you learn
while studying whatever sub-
jects at college; they are useful,
they prepare you to DO many
things, and they add up to an
education.
Uncle George and the so-called
"real world" keep hammering
at you: the economy's a mess
and you'll never make as much
as yourold man. You need good
grades to get into a good col-

lege to get a good job. While
you're there, you must study
something useful, something
that pays off bigtime.
That message, repeated from
grade school through high
school and into college, is the
single greatest bar to education
at Michigan today. Not politi-
cal correctness, not the re-
search-oriented faculty, not di-
versity nor the lack of it, not
booze nor drugs nor Nintendo,
but the fear that Uncle George
and his sneering questions gen-
erate: that's what keeps the best
minds of this generation from
education.
And it is truly a waste.

0

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The 'comeback kid'

S

Slowly but surely, the "comeback kid" is
doing what he does best. Elected with a
meager 43 percent of the vote, thrust into the
political limelight at a time when voter cyni-
cism transcends rationality and stuck with a
Republican opposition bent on obstruction-
ism, President Clinton was doomed to diffi-
culty. Pile on a few bows to southern Demo-
crats in Republican clothing and big business
- gays in the military and renewing China's
Most Favored Nation status, for instance -
and the Clinton administration was sure to be
a one-term wonder.
Quietly though, the President's economic
policies have begun to pay off. And a new
Washington Post-ABC News Poll reveals that
the electorate just might be starting to pay
attention. The survey found that eight out of 10
credit the Clinton administration for the
nation's robust economic upturn. In addition,
his approval rating has improved to a strong 49
percent.
Opinion polls, essentially, are merely snap-
shots of the population. Often, they serve to
reinforce the "horse race" coverage of cam-
paigns, ignoring substance for the focus on
how issues will affect reelection chances. But
even as a substantial part of the electorate
continues to feel alienated from Washington,
these polls clearly indicate that in the end, the
Clinton campaign was right: it's the economy
stupid.
This begs the question: since the economy
has been booming for months, why is it only
now Clinton is beginning to gain respect and
approval? The answer is two-fold. First, for-
eign policy triumphs always help. Hawks have
bombarded Clinton's foreign policy in North
Kanren ne nnencement_ hnt are now heinp-

tion has defused a major crisis. In Haiti, those
same hawks railed against a lack of national
interest, only to find the military dictators
forced out with no American casualties. But
more important, with the congressional ses-
sion over, the Clinton team has been able to
spend more time educating about the relation-
ship between its policies and economic growth.
The simple fact is this: the Democrats have
a strategy for the United States' economic
future, the Republicans don't. Just ask the
Federal Reserve - they'll be the first to say it
was real deficit reduction (and figures just in
show the Clinton administration reduced the
deficit significantly more than even it planned
to) that allowed the lowering of interesting
rates and the freeing up of capital.
Still, while cutting the deficit and enlarging
the economy, the Clinton administration has
found ways to lower the disparity between the
classes. The Earned Income Tax Credit helped
needy families, investment in the cities is be-
ginning to again be realized and jobs with solid
wages are being created.
Moreover, even though the President waged
a sloppy battle to defend real health care re-
form, he took on an issue that his Republican
predecessors never even addressed. He had a
plan that would have reduced the competitive
disadvantage health care costs have put big
business in, allowed the working poor to re-
ceive preventative medicine and revamped the
archaic structure of Medicaid. To his credit, the
President has promised to continue this fight in
the next congressional session.
The war is far from won. But the latest polls
do show that the President need not give up.
His policies are slowly putting America's eco-
nomic hn-e harlc in ordir and the American

4,

Wolpe visit
not about
politics
To the Daily:
I am writing in response to
Joshua Ginsberg's Oct. 24 ar-
ticle in the Daily regarding the
visit of gubernatorial candi-
date Howard Wolpe to the
University campus. Wolpe vis-
ited the MUG eateries in the
Union last Sunday night to
speak to students and find out
their views on issues that con-
cern them. The fact that he was
willing to make time in his
schedule to address students
and their views, illustrates a
concern for students and the
issues that are important to us.
Unfortunately, Ginsberg
chose not to focus on the event
itself or concerns brought out
by students, but rather that the
College Republicans were in
attendance. The headline itself
is misleading: "Wolpe speaks

one listening who cares any-
way.
Too often students' views
are ignored or trivialized either
because we do not have a lot of
money to contribute to cam-
paign warchests or because we
are not a cohesive, reliable vot-
ing bloc. This in turn results in
political apathy on the part of
many students and perpetuates
the cycle of low voter turn-out.
Wolpe's presence and willing-
ness to listen to student con-
cerns-whetherhe agreed with
them or not - did a great com-
munity service by showing stu-
dents that our views do matter.
His visit got people thinking
about the election and the im-
portance ofgetting out the vote,
regardless of political affilia-
tion. This is a lot more than
John Engler can say about his
service - or lack thereof - to
the student community.
I find it sad that the College
Republicans had to follow be-
hind passing out literature, not
because of partisan politics, but
because the campaign litera-

about students, and a leader
that is not only willing to listen
but genuinely cares about our
views and the issues that affect
us. Too bad Joshua Ginsberg
did not focus on the real issue
- it would have made a great -
story.
Erin Essenmacher
LSA Sophomore
Share your
opinion about
a journalism
concentration
To the Daily:
I was pleased that the Daily
endorsed our proposal for a
new journalism program that
is autonomous and pursues the
mission of teaching journalism

,""

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