4A - The Michigan Daily -- Monday, February 12, 1996 ti e llut igttn 420 Maynard Street Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan RONNIE GLASSBERG Editor in Chief ADRIENNE JANNEY ZACHARY M. RAItm Editorial Page Editors NOTABLE QUOTABLE I'm not trying to separate myself. I'm trying to help my people. If I don't take care of mine, no one will.' - Darilis Garcia, president and co-founder of the Latina sorority, Delta Tau Lambda, explaining why she belongs to an ethnic-specific organization. Jim LASSER SHA RP AS TOAST Unless othlirwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the opinion ofja majority of the Daily's editorial board. All other articles, letters and cartoons do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily. FROM THE DAILY Moving violations 'U' vendor restrictions would spoil spirit Several of Ann Arbor's most interesting merchants may be forced to close up shop - or move it every five minutes. Last Monday, the Ann Arbor City Council passed an ordinance imposing additional fees and restrictions on street vendors. These include licensing fee hikes, mandatory liability in- surance and a five-minute limit for solicita- tion at any address. The University also plans to update its policy on street vendor activity on University property. It will focus on the grounds surrounding Michigan Stadium, Crisler and Yost arenas and the entire sports complex. If the policy changes pass, football Sat- urdays will never be the same. The city's new ordi- nance requires street solici- tors to pay a licensing fee more than double the cur- rent $35 annually. Manda- tory basic liability insur- _ ance will cost approxi- mately $500 peryear. While the fee increase may be justified and the liability insurance might be in the best inter- ests of the vendors and the city, the five- minute limit is beyond questionable. Ven- dors may stay at any street address for only five minutes before they must move to a different address - and they will not be allowed to return to any address for two hours after leaving. City Council approved assignment of a part-time enforcement officer to ensure com- pliance with the regulations. The idea of one part-time officer - however diligent his or her efforts are - is laughable. The plan promises inadequate enforcement - espe- cially for the ludicrous time limit at each address and the vague definition of "moving locations." What will constitute a "change of address?" City officials have not offered a clear definition. Depending on the degree of vendors' mobility, the special enforce- 4 U ment officer could face quibbles over inches as a direct result of the city's vagueness - reducing a city ordinance to a childish game. The University is less concerned with the time period in which vendors conduct busi- ness on its athletic campus - but whether they sell at all. A 1980 University resolution restricted vendors' hours from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on football Saturdays. Currently, the vending is restricted from near State Street to Main Street and Stadium to Hoover. The updated resolution would alter the time restrictions to three hours before and after foot- ball games, and also would include provisions for bas- ketball games and other sporting events. James Kosteva, Univer- sity director of community relations and a proponent of the resolution, cited safety and efficiency as the primary motivation for the change. He sug- gested that the Department of Public Safety and the Ann Arbor Police Department are unduly burdened with vendor issues on foot- ball Saturdays and cannot perform efficiently in more important areas. He also claimed vendors hindered movement of crowds to and from the stadium. Few would contest the fact that forging a path to Michigan Stadium on football Satur- days can be a trying task. However, most would agree the difficulty is largely due to the sheer number of fans - not the compara- tively few vendors selling hot dogs or shirts. The small space they take away cannot com- pare to the spirit and atmosphere they con- tribute to game days. Further restrictions on these vendors would be not only useless but detrimental. The University should weigh this before leaping to follow the city's poor example. T M RDNALV REAGAN! /f -T'W1 RONALVP 1 / r I I 'M IrONALT) 'REACAN! ='M RONALD? REAC-AN! - /'m RONALD REAGAN/ ° MA\. P 4"A ° I LETTERS TO THE EDITOR No racism at SAPAC TO THE DAILY: We are two volunteers at the Sexual Assault Preven- tion and Awareness Center. We have been aware of the controversy centered around SAPAC's Peer Education program since the firing of Janelle White. We have had very little contact with Janelle, Debi (Cain. director of SAPAC) or anyone else involved in this situation. Therefore, we refused from the beginning to take sides on this issue. However, there is one thing that we both feel very strongly about - SAPAC provides services to sexual assault survivors, regardless of their race, class, gender, sexual orientation or age, not available through any other organization on campus - services that we feelare necessary. We are scared that students will not feel comfortable coming to SAPAC for counseling services as a result of this controversy, we resent the fact that it has been made to be such a public and political issue. The allega- tions made toward persons on both sides of this issue are, if true, certainly cause to be concerned, but we do not believe publishing an explosive article in the Daily ("Accusations slam SAPAC," 2/8/96) is the way to solve the problem. We ask everyone to remember the following when attempting to decide how to discuss their side of the issue. You are only hearing one side. To us, that does not seem like enough information to discontinue work with SAPAC or use of its services. LAURA HoVEY RC SENIOR KYM AHRENS LSA SENIOR THE DouBLE X Gender roles grow as we do itle IX is like a bandage on a J.problem far too big for it to cover. In mandating gender equity in the University's Athletic Department, Title IX is meant to remedy a situa- tion in which women's sports and men's sports are unequal. But men and women's sports are unequal because men and women are un- equal, not because their monetary re- sources are un- equal.The roots of the problem go a lot deeper, and to girls and boys ofa much youngerage than Title IX can reach. It starts in pre- school times, KATE when we walk EPSTEIN around our houses in our mothers' high heels. Wearing these shoes - or pretty dresses or long flowing skirts - represents the height of,, feminine glory for little girls. And these clothes teach us what is prized in the female of the species. Men and boys wear clothes designed for comfort and convenience. Women's and girls' are generally designed for looks. Even if we are encouraged to run around sometimes, as little girls we learn that the best thing we can do is look good. And if that means that we can't run around and get sweaty and mess up our hair any time we feel like it, so be it. Looking good took up time that could have been devoted to playing catch. As little girls, we spent a lot less time learning the basic skills of many sports than our brothers. Then we were a step behind the boys at our first gym classes in elementary school because the hand-eye coor- dination needed to catch and throw is tearned, not innate. Gym class, with its competitive atmosphere, became a site for humiliation.rather than learning. VIEWPOINT Inaccuracies promote discrimination Bad reputation U.N. deficits could hurt humanitarian efforts The United Nations is a dirty name in Congress these days. When mentioned, Newt Gingrich sees red, Jesse Helms bel- lows four-letter words and Bob Dole derides it as an "out-of-control pursuit of power." And because of the United Nations' poor image, the international agency is now in financial trouble. Last week, the U.N.'s Secretariat an- nounced that the worldwide organization is planning to layoff approximately 10,000 - one-fifth of its employees - due to persis- tent budget deficits. Currently, the United Nations faces a daunting $500 million deficit in its operational budget. Many member coun- tries have not paid annual dues, causing this deficit. The United States, for example, has not paid dues for the last two or three years, amassing a $1.3 billion bill. The United Na- tions has no other method of income, so it depends upon these countries' contributions to remain afloat. Each member country must contribute to the United Nations' operating budget that pays for facilities, maintenance, personnel and communications. The amount of each country's share is tabulated by its national wealth. The United States - one of the world's richest countries - pays 25 percent of the budget. When member countries as important as the United States withhold dues, it creates serious financial problems. Many politicians argue that withholding funds will force the United Nations to reor- the United Nations suffers from the ineffi- ciency that most large governmental organi- zations do. Also, many member of Congress, including Senate Foreign Relations Chair- man Helms (R-N.C.), hold a deep mistrust of all intergovernmental organizations. He and his supporters fear that the United Nations is scheming to create a powerful world govern- ment. In addition, members of Congress tend to spread their paranoia because it resonates with Republican voters during election years. Whatever their motivations, their suspicions are misguided. Since the end of World War II, the United Nations has done a great deal of humanitar- ian work around the world. Through UNICEF, the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees, the World Food Program, the U.N. Development Program and several other or- ganizations, the United Nations has saved millions of lives and improved the lives of many others. The bureaucracy will bear the brunt of the budget cuts, but humanitarian programs will suffer. Proper delivery of aid depends upon an effective delivery appara- tus. The United Nations' bureaucracy is ex- tensive, but some of it is necessary to make sure that donor items reach needy recipients. The United Nations should streamline its operations; the organization itself admits the problem. However, Congress' approach - forcing results by bankrupting the organization's budget - is counterproduc- tive. It only hurts the humanitarian efforts the As any immigrant group in America, Arab Americans have had to face many chal- lenges: a new language, cul- ture and economic instability, just to name a few. Arabs have accepted these challenges, like past immigrant groups, adjust- ing to this new nation while retaining much of their heri- tage. Arab Americans have also faced a more sinister ad- versary in America: racism. While it is no longer accepted to stereotype and discriminate against most minority groups in this nation, and rightly so, discrimination toward Arabs is actively practiced and ac- cepted by much of the Ameri- can media, government and people. From Washington, D.C., to Hollywood, the Arab has been portrayed as violent, bar- baric and uncivilized. This is why an unfair, inaccurate and biased piece, like the one printed in the Daily on Janu- ary 24, offends, angers and saddens the Arab American community. The article, titled "Israel a lonely champion of democ- racy," made many inaccurate statements about Arabs, and left out important information crucial to the understanding of events in the region. Glar- ing errors in the article in- clude referring to Iran and Mauritania as Arab nations and describing the "many theocratic dictatorships sur- rounding Israel," when in fact only Saudi Arabia is a theo- cratic government surround- ing Israel. The article collec- tively labeled all Arab nations in the region "brutal, back- ward dictatorships." This statement is insulting and false. The Arab world, com- posed of 22 nations, consists ofa wide array of diverse types of governments. From theoc- racies, to democracies, to dic- tatorships, the Middle East is a diverse political arena. Therefore, the article's attempt to lump every Arab nation into a homogeneous category of backward dictatorships is sim- restrictions on women's rights, women in other Arab countries have opportunities to excel in education, work and many other aspects of life. Women in Iraq, Lebanon, Pal- estine, Jordan, Algeria, Tuni- sia, Morocco and Egypt hold important positions in the medical field, law and educa- tion, and their roles are cher- ished and valued by their so- cieties. Obviously, the author has never been to an Arab nation. The author also wrote that only 3 percent of Yemeni women are literate. In fact, more than eight times the stated figure are literate. One area that the article did a great disservice to the community is its description of Palestinian-Israeli rela- Arab countries are examples of de- mocracy, fairness and equality. tions. The writer claimed that Arabs living within Israel en- joyed the exact same rights and privileges as Jews. This argument is not true. Israel's Law of Return allows any Jew from any part of the world to become a citizen of the State of Israel. Another, the Absen- tee Law, denies any Arab who has left his or her home in Israel from returning simply because he or she is a non- Jew. These are examples of the treatment of Arabs that is unequal and discriminatory and invalidates the claim that Arabs in Israel receive equal treatment. The article also neglected to mention the over 1.5 mil- lion Arab residents of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. While many facts are disputed be- tween Israelis and Arabs, some simply cannot be de- nied: Palestinians have been under an Israeli military occu- pation since 1967 and under this occupation, Arabs were denied the right to vote; hun- dreds of Palestinian men, women and children were massacred by Israelis in the village of DeirYassin in 1948; Israel appropriated land for settlers from Palestinians un- lawfully; these settlers are per- mitted to carry weapons wher- ever they walk, but Palestin- ians cannot; and Palestinian Universities, such as Bir Zeit University, were closed by the Israeli government for years, preventing an entire genera- tion of Arabs from receiving an education they deserved. It is clear, therefore, that Pales- tinians are subject to state sanc- tioned discrimination. The article only served to perpetuate stereotypes and misinformation about Arabs - part of an ongoing battle with discrimination we face in America. It is unknown to many Americans that Arab Americans play an active role in this nation's government. Notable Arab Americans in- clude Secretary of Health and * Human Services Donna Shalala and Sen. Spencer Abraham (R-Michigan). The author of the original article was obviously not well in- formed, as has been proven here. We hope that the readers of the Daily always question the legitimacy and accuracy of the articles they read and take the initiative to inquire and educate themselves about all issues they encounter. We encourage the readers to ex- plore this issue' and form a valid opinion based on fact and truth. A critical reader must always question the mo- tives and purpose behind each piece of writing. We urge this community to be active seek- ers of knowledge and justice. Learning to catch in time to save us from the ridicule of our class- mates, which some of us did, can still provide negative lessons about women and sports. Most of the people teaching little girls and little boys to catch-and-throw are men. We may learn to catch a ball, but at the same time we learn the skill will be useless when we are adults. The damage done by our mothers stay- ing inside while we play outside with our fathers varies from one girl to another, but the overall effect is that boys devote more time and en- ergy to playing sports than girls do. Even if our mothers came out to play catch with us, even if our par- ents actively fought gender roles in terms of sports, the schools insti- tuted girls' athletic inferiority. Fed- erally mandated tests expected less of girls than of boys, even when they were testing pre-pubescent chil- dren, whose biological sex has no effect on their athletic ability. The idea that girls will always be physi- cally inferior to boys has so much power that in my high school, girls were expected to do fewer sit-ups than boys. Biologically, girls' lower center of gravity once they start to develop actually makes sit-ups easier for us than for boys. The lesson is "you can't win, so don't try." And sports and testing always empha- size winning. Even ifour homes and our schools didn't teach us that sports might not be worth the trouble, the media makes gender roles around sports hard to miss. Televised sports events almost always depict men's sports. The imbalance is overwhelming, and as little girls, we noticed. Our broth- ers could dream about becoming professionals, and no matter how far fetched those dreams were, they weren't made impossible by their sex. Sports would never get us very far. Worse, the sports on television that involved women reinforced the major point that appearance is a woman's most vital duty. Whether it be beach volleyball or figure skat- ing, women's looks get at least as much play as their athletic prowess. TV nearly never shows a woman whose body has been as compro- mised by padding as a football play- ers'. For glory and money, model- ling is a much better bet for girls than sports. Appearing, not doing, is a woman's job. The lessons learned on television and in the media illustrate that the problem of gender imbalance in sports feeds upon itself. Gender in- equality in sports in pre-pubescent children leads to gender inequality 6 0 0 . WHAT'S AFFECTING u' THIS WEEK MONDAY ii