4 - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, October 27,_1994
Iw dirliguu &iit g
If every politician who ever promised someone a
job provided it, we'd all have three jobs and the
dog would be working too.'
-Libertarian U. S. Senate candidate Jon Coon, during Monday's debate
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.
BSU and the bylaw
Black Student Union s policy violates 14.06
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o govern effectively, any institution must
T uniformly apply its laws and bylaws, and
must base those regulations on solid principles
acceptable to the governed community. This
is no less true for MSA or the University than
it is for the state or the nation.
Yet the University has been less than uni-
form in enforcing a key bylaw which prohibits
discrimination in a variety of forms. Regents'
Bylaw 14.06-known simply by its number,
14.06 - requires the University not to sup-
port, directly or indirectly, organizations which
exclude people based on factors such as gent
der, age, race or even Vietnam-era status. The
bylaw was in the news a great deal last fall,
when it was amended to include sexual orien-
tation, and has been a source of contention
over issues such as University Housing privi-
leges for same-sex couples.
Butnow, the 14.06 issue is once again race.
Last week, state Senate candidate Alma
Wheeler Smith met with members of the Black
Student Union (BSU) before the BSU's regu-
lar meeting at the Trotter House. The Daily
sent a reporter to cover her visit, but the
reporter was turned away - not because he
was a reporter, but because he was white. The
BSU clearly stated their policy to the reporter
several times: BSU meetings are open to any
Black student on campus, clearly implying
that reporters are welcome. That is, Black
reporters are welcome.
As an organization, the BSU has the right
to restrict its membership however it wishes.
Members clearly feel the issues they deal with
necessitate something less than an open-door
policy, and this is their prerogative. The mis-
sion or effectiveness of the BSU is not really
under debate. The true issue is that the Univer-
sity, in providing BSU with a significant
amount of money (around $30,000 per year)
as well as meeting facilities, and MSA, in
providing funds for the BSU, are both in viola-
tion of their own bylaws. The BSU has not
hidden its membershiprequirements fromMSA
or the University - its application for student-
group status from MSA explicitly states that
members must be Black. In discriminating
solely on the basis of race, the policy violates
both the spirit and the letter of 14.06.
The University and MSA must make it clearj
to the BSU that the organization faces a choice:
it must either open its doors to members of all
races or lose access to University and MSA
dollars and facilities. It is not necessary to
judge the BSU in this case, only to acknowl-
edge that the University community, with its
diverse membership, has demanded a standard
of nondiscrimination. The exclusion of non-
Black students from BSU meetings constitutes
a failure to live up to this standard, pure and
simple.
The same ultimatum must be given to any
other organization which may exclude people
from membership in violation of 14.06. Any
group which cannot abide by the bylaws of the
University should not receive support, finan-
cial or otherwise, from the University commu-
nity. It all comes down to the simple principle
of equality. Every student pays tuition, every
student subsidizes MSA, and thereby subsi-
dizes groups such as the BSU. Consequently,
every student must have equal opportunity to
become a member of these groups.
It is an issue of fairness and uniformity. The
University cannot enforce Bylaw 14.06 in some
areas and ignore it in others. If the BSU wishes
to maintain its status and privileges as a Uni-
versity organization, it must revise its policy.
The University cannot endorse discrimination,
no matter the circumstances under which "it
occurs.
My so-called ife
Ohhow times have changed. Not
too long ago, I depended on
Morrissey, Mr. Michael Stipe and a
lipsticked Robert Smith for relief, a.
a melancholic antidote to the ups an
downs of being a freshman. Now,
I've got air mail and the Thursday
night pleasures of Jerry Seinfeld,
George, Elaine and Kramer. Here is
some e-mail chit-chat about my life,
between an ex-Daily columnist, the
lords of television comedy and the
gothic poets of the alternative
subacultcha:
Morrissey: I got nothing to do
Absolutely nothing. Couzens Hall
sucks, my latest album bombed and
I'm still sexually confused. I figure
we all could just hang out and mope
tonight, and maybe listen to "Louder
than Bombs" a couple more times.
MichaelStipe: And what'sup with
that Confederate flag down the hall,
Jas? Those guys have been giving m
dirty looks all night. We should sen
Bill Berry over there to straighten
them out.
Mikev Mills: Yea. Whatever. I
gotta hook-up tonite or I'll explode.
Jerry: Jason, what about this Su-
san from the sixth floor who came to
visit you this afternoon? I like her
spunk.
George: Who do you think you
are, using a word like spunk? Sheesh
Kramer: She had real nice hair,
oh la la. I bet she brushes it all the
time.
Views on the November election
Curbing drunk driving?
Misguided new law to take effect Nov. 1
As of November 1, another double stan-
dard concerning alcohol and people un-
der 21 will take effect in Michigan. This new
law mandates that any driver under the legal
drinking age who is caught with a blood-
alcohol content (BAC) level of .02 -slightly
more than one beer or a dose of cough syrup -
will face license suspension, community ser-
vice time and substantial fines as well as
related legal fees and court costs.
Clearly, this is just another law that will fail
to accomplish anything meaningful in the
fight against drunk driving. Rather, it seeks to
discriminate against younger drivers by dou-
bly penalizing them: first for drinking under
the legal age, and second for drunk driving.
Yet drivers in the 15-19 age group alone
account for only 7.1 percent of the driving
population, meaning that this law will ignore
90 percent of the driving population's drink-
ing habits.
Getting tough on underage drinking is one
thing. So is getting tough on drunk driving.
But by attempting to merge both of these
issues into one law, neither of these goals will
be realized. If the law works to perfection, the
teenagers who don't drink frequently to begin
with won't drink at all, realizing they could
lose their license over one drink. However,
statistically, far more teenage drunk drivers
have BACs much higher than .02 or even .10
-the limit for everyone over 21. This law will
have no effect on those drinkers, who pose far
more serious a threat than those who have one
or two drinks. At its worst, this law will further
stress an already overburdened court and pro-
bation system bv nlacine drivers who were not
tion in the same category as serious offenders.
If the Legislature's goal is to curb underage
drinking, that is an issue in itself. Teenagers
and young adults caught drinking under the
legal age can be charged with underage drink-
ing, and if convicted should be punished appro-
priately. If the point is to curb drunk driving,
the Legislature should go after drivers of all
age groups equally. But to lower the BAC level
exclusively for underage drinkers is ridicu-
lous. Under this new law, a first-time offender
under 21 who consumes one beer will, in
addition to facing underage drinking charges,
be penalized by losing his or her license for a
period of time. This will render that person
unable to drive to work or school. On the other
hand, a 30-year old caught with the national
drunk driving average of a .17 BAC may not
lose his or her license long enough to keep from
driving to work. The discrepancy in these
situations underscore the stupidity of this new
law: it will have minimal effect on drunk
driving statistics, but will have lasting reper-
cussions on under-21 drinkers given punish-
ments that don't fit their crime.
This law is nothing short of age discrimina-
tion, and should be abolished unless equal
punishment and treatment are accorded to drink-
ers of all ages. If the Legislature wants to lower
the legal BAC limit to .02 for all drivers, it
would be a fair -if somewhat overzealous -
change.
But to lower the legal limit solely for under-
age drinkers is patently ludicrous. Drunk driv-
ing is drunk driving, no matter how old the
person behind the wheel may be. Guilt should
not decrease when one reaches the "magic" age
In Christie's
defense
To the Daily:
I was greatly offended by
the letter from Mr. Pokrywka
("Christie dishonest with vot-
ers") in the Daily on 10/20/94.
Over the past few years I have
been extremely active in
Democratic Party politics in-
cluding working on staff for
Senator Paul Tsongas in his
bid for the presidency in 1992.
Likewise, I have served with
Mike Christie on student gov-
ernment for the past two years
and have come to know him as
someone who is willing to work
hard for students. That is why
as a fellow student I am ac-
tively supporting him in his
bid for Washtenaw County
Commission. His election to
the County Commission would
help to amplify the voice of
students in local government.
The County Commission
is not a partisan body, in fact
the ruling coalition is a group
of four Democrats and four
Republicans working together
to run Washtenaw County ac-
cording to their vision of effec-
tive county government. The
legislative powers of"thcounty
commission are relatively in-
finitesimal, instead serving a
legislative role the county acts
as an administrator of programs
that are created by the state and
federal government. While
funding and the enacting of
legislation for programs like
Head Start come from the state
or federal government, it is the
county government that is
charged with administering the
program. Therefore, the focus
of County Government should
be on the effective and effi-
cient delivery of services to its
constituents.
Mike Christie would fight
to improve the efficiency of
county government by review-
ing alternative methods of de-
livering services to find out the
best way to deliver services
efficiently with low adminis-
trative and overhead costs. U
of M students need Mike
Christie as their Washtenaw
County Commissioner.
Paul Scublinsky
Chair, Democrats for Mike
, Christie, Jr. for County
Commission
Rivers vs. Schall
To the Daily:
I am writing in response to
Mr. David Kramer's letter
("Rivers is best choice for stu-
dents," 10/10/94). In his letter,
Mr Kramer asserts that Lvnn
result is resorting to vague as-
sumptions and stereotypes. I
challenge Mr. Kramer to pro-
vide one iota of evidence sup-
porting these charges. It will be
a long search, for these allega-
tions are totally untrue. Mr.
Kramer, name-calling is for.the
ill-informed and the small-
minded. Let us focus on tan-
gible evidence to evaluate the
candidates in this race.
Lynn Rivers is a represen-
tative in the state legislature,
and president of the Ann Arbor
School Board. She has also
served the people of this dis-
trict as a Tupperware salesper-
son. Now she is running for the
U.S. House of Representatives.
John Schall is a lifelong
memberof this district, a gradu-
ate of this University and
Harvard's John F. Kennedy
School of Government. He
served in the Reagan White
House upon graduation work-
ing on public policy. At age 30,
he was appointed Chiefof Staff
in the Labor Department, the
youngest chief of staff in the
Cabinet. Throughout his career,
Mr. Schall has worked with
health care, unemployment,
budget reform and education
programs, all salient issues in
this district. Mr. Schall has seen
government from the bureau-
cratic side, and as a result, he
knows what government can
and can not do. More impor-
tantly, he knows how to make
government work for the people
of this district.
Here is the evidence Mr.
Kramer, sans vitriolic untruths.
When the facts are compared, it
is clear to see who is more
qualified to represent this dis-
trict in Congress.
Jeff Canfield
LSA junior
Coon for Senate
To the Daily:
It'selection time again! The
politicians are politicking,
while the electorate is pulling
its hair out and trying to wade
through the waters of all the
choices that they have. One
choice, however, is crystal
clear: Jon Coon, the Libertar-
ian candidate, should be elected
as the next senator from Michi-
gan.
Jon Coon is the only Senate
candidate talking personal re-
sponsibility and individual lib-
erty. He will defend the Consti-
tution, Bill of Rights and the
freedoms that many Americans
have fought and died for. He
will bring competition to the
Senate and put each and every
member of the House and Sen-
Constitution with a national
referendum for tax increases.
Jon is the only candidate sup-
porting American's second
amendment right to own a gun.
He was the organizer in the
"Brass Roots" rally in Lansing
on September 255, in which
10,000 people attended (the
largest rally at the capitol, ever).
On the crime issue, he stresses
the need to utilize prison space
for violent offenders.
Although Jon Coon is not
running on either the Demo-
cratic or Republican party
ticket, he is certainly a credible
candidate. Political guru and
editor of Inside Michigan Poli-
tics Bill Ballenger said, "Jon
Coon is running a strong cam-
paign, is very articulate on the
issues, and I expect him to do
very well." He has been en-
dorsed by economist David
Littmann, rock star/hunter Ted
Nugent, and the Gun Owners
of America, to name a few.
In conclusion, please vote
for Jon Coon, Libertarian, for
U.S. Senate on November 8. It
is a vote that will secure the
future of a truly free and viable
country. Should you wish fur-
ther information about Jon,
please feel free to call the Coon
senate headquarters at 1-800-
JON-COON.
Martin F. Howrylak
LSA first-year student
Carr: pro-choice
To the Daily:
In response to the AP ar-
ticle printed in the Michigan
Daily on October 25 ("First
lady stumps for Carr"), I must
make a correction to a tremen-
dous misprint made in the ar-
ticle. The second column of
the front page article reads as
follows: "'In the single issue
of choice alone, Bob Carr re-
spects women,' said Demo-
cratic lieutenantgovernorcan-
didate Debbie Stabenow, not-
ing Carr's pro-abortion
record."
The error lies in claiming
that Bob Carr has a pro-abor-
tion record. No one is pro-
abortion. There are simply
people who believed in a
woman's right to choose. The
journalist who wrote this ar-
ticle for AP quoted Stabenow
correctly, indicating that Carr
is PRO-CHOICE. AP report-
ers need to leave their personal
politics at home, stick to re-
porting the facts, correctly
identify political alliances and
interest groups. This type of
an article is just a smearjob, of
which, the most blatant
FALSEHOOD is to call any-
one pro-abortion. It's an insult
Jeremy Katz: So Lick, come on,
what's up on the relationship front?
Fes up. Let's hear it, ahora por favor.
JL: Oh, you mean Susana Maria
who likes to stick out her tongue all
the time and make funny faces? I go
a B in Psych 380 because of her -
she's very distracting, in a fun sort of
way. Anyway, we're going to a
hockey game this Friday night.
Elaine: No way! Get outta here!
Are you telling me that you're going
on a date?
JL: Well, I wouldn't call it that. I
don't believe in dates.
Costanza: Forget that - I almost
killed myself walking over here fror
Pinball Pete's when some maniac
biker came outta nowhere, almost
killed me and then vowed to hunt me
down at any cost. But Galaga... what
a great game!
Seinfeld: Yea, Galaga is under-
rated ... I've always been partial to
Moon Patrol.
Robert Smith: About this Susan
does she wear black lipstick? N
black lipstick, no go buddy. Does she
wear fishnets? She's not a Republi-
can, is she?
Lichtstein: Look, this is my col-
umn folks ... not a forum for the cast
of a T.V. show about nothing or a
Rolls Royce-driving, Elvis look-alike
with an ego the size of Bill Berry's
eyebrows. I wanna hear what you al
have to say about what I'm gain,
through. She's in Spain now, and I'm
not much without her. I mean, George
has the Yankees, Kramer's got his
Cubans cigars and his golf game, and
even Robert Smith is married.
Mr. Berry: I take offense at that
crack.
Stipe: Gotcha. Here's what I see
is the stark difference - only a fe
years ago our Jason friend was a sa
dolt, like Morrissey. Now those days
are over, except for the fact that the
U-M International Center has con-
spired to deprive him of all that he
loves ... I feel a song brewing ... Like
Natalie Merchant, Susan knows just
what he needs (track 4 on Rrrhh!).
Morrissey: But life is sad, chap.
Any attempt to hide or gloss over that
fact isjust afacade, a bugger. I'mond
eternally sad, morose representation
of a man, and forJason to be anything
but suicidally depressed, like I said in
"Girlfriend in a Coma," is just mad-
ness ... sheer madness.
Elaine: Run that by me again cow-
boy?
01
IT
George: I know what it's like to
be washed up, unemployed, alone
living with yourparents. We'vegott
lot in common. My parents live in
Boca Raton with the palm trees and
mini-malls, yours are from West
Palm. Like me, you wear glasses and
are a hopeless obsessive-compulsive.
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