4.- The Michigan Daily - Friday, January 12, 1996

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BRENT MCINTOSH

MCINTOSH CLASSICS


420 Maynard
Ann Arbor, Ml

Street
48109

Edited and managed by
students at the
University of Michigan

MICHAEL ROSENBERG
Editor in Chief
JULIE BECKER
JAMES M. NASH
Editorial Page Editors

:..

The Year ofthe Code, Hanford,
Nike and otherpreditionsfor'96


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.
Last chance

Students lose as 'U' cuts journalism

As of the first day of classes, 99 people
were on the waiting list for Communi-
cation 202, better known as Freedom of Ex-
pression. Those who don't make it into the
class are out of luck - after this semester,
the phenomenally popular course likely will
disappear from the University's offerings.
Freedom of Expression is just one of the
many classes the department of communica-
tion studies is sacrificing for its new image.
No longer a home forjournalism, the depart-
ment will focus its new curriculum - ap-
proved just before the break - on the "con-
text, effects, structure and process" of the
media. In other words, the new program will
be all theory and no practice. Students will be
the losers in the overhaul.
Beginning next fall, none of the
department's current courses will be offered.
Instead, curriculum officials are building the
program from the ground up. For some areas,
this will mean little more than a renumbering
of old classes--the topics will remain essen-
tially the same. However, other courses will
not make it into the new structure at all.
Classes such as News Writing and Writing
for the Mass Media will no longer fit into the
curriculum.
Killing these and other similar classes is a
mistake. Officials in the communication stud-
ies department and in LSA have been clear
about their reasons for the change: They
claim that "pre-professional training" - as
they refer to any courses that study the prac-
tice ofjournalism - is inconsistent with the
college's liberal-arts mission. Yet they ig-
tiore the fact that students have long ex-
pressed a strong demand for such courses -
and not simply as training for the journalism
profession. The writing skills students ac-
quire in so-called "media writing" classes are
applicable far beyond newspapers and maga-

zines. Does every student who takes news
Writing plan ongoing intojournalism? Doubt-
ful. Given that nearly every section of the
course this term is wait listed, it would seem
that such classes have a much broader appeal
among the student body.
However, student wishes are clearly not
communication and LSA officials' top prior-
ity. If it were, they would have figured out
some other solution to the journalism ques-
tion than eliminating it entirely. For those
who do seek professional journalism train-
ing, the University is no longer even an
option. Personnel officials at both the Detroit
Free Press and Channel 50 have stated they
would not hire a graduate of the new theoreti-
cal program who lacked some sort of experi-
ence. Former Provost Gilbert R. Whitaker Jr.
himself admitted the problem last year, pro-
posing that students interested in journalism
should go to Michigan State.
An acceptable solution? Hardly. While
administrators may be truly concerned with
LSA's "mission," it is equally true that they
have demonstrated a complete disregard for
the field ofjournalism - further evidenced
by their decision this fall to do away with the
graduate journalism program.
In releasing their new curriculum, com-
munication officials have been short on spe-
cifics. They know some courses will disap-
pear, but cannot say which ones. They know
some nontenured faculty will not be rehired,
but refuse to say exactly who. Presumably,
these details still need to be worked out. It
would be nice if, in doing that job, adminis-
trators took students' wishes into account.
But for students interested in media writing
courses, it seems that is too much to ask.
Students on those waiting lists deserve
good luck in getting into their courses. Sadly,
it will be their last chance.

ime to dust off the old crystal ball.
I should make it clear that by using "the
old crystal ball," I do not intend to mock
witches, fortune-tellers or other predictors
of the future. Nor do I wish to offend "old"
people, or people named Crystal. Events
predicted by "the old crystal ball" in no way
refer to actual persons, living or dead; any
resemblance is purely coincidental.
I make these disclaimers because 1996
- all of 12 days old - will be the Year of
the Code. University President James J.
Duderstadt has tricked the regents into be-
stowing on us a lovely Code of Student
Conduct. With it, here's how Michigan's
year will shape up:
January: The residents of East Quad sud-
denly disappear. Students are baffled at first,
but soon read in the Daily that the whole
dorm was expelled from school for what
Duderstadt terms "general moral decadence."
Two days later, the entire Daily staff is
expelled for routinely using the term "dorm"
to refer to East Quad, which is actually a
"residence hall."
February: In a shocking move, Duderstadt
is charged under the Code for "undisclosed
violations," according to Maureen A. Hart-
ford, vice president for Student Affairs.
Duderstadt claims exemption because he is
not a student, and thus not subject to a "Code
of Student Conduct" - but Hartford rightly
points out that Duderstadt "was a student at
some point in time." On closer inspection of
the Code, Duderstadt's objection is struck
down and Hartford proclaims herself presi-
dent of the University.
March: In the interest of gender equity,
President Hartford expels all male athletes
and adds women's ping pong, kick-boxing
and full-contact checkers.
The men's swimming team, suddenly

homeless, enrolls at Washtenaw Commu-
nity College and brings the tiny school its
first Division I national championship. In a
fit of rage, Hartford expels WCC from
Washtenaw County.
April: The men's basketball team, now
playing for Ferris State, shocks the nation by
defeating Kansas for the NCAA title. Hart-
ford has Kansas' student section imprisoned,
for chants pertaining to Robert Traylor's
girth, which she says "created a threatening
atmosphere" for the 300-pound center.
As Hash Bash rolls around, the adminis-
tration embarks on its annual crusade to
banish it-until Hartford has them deported
for allegedly "engendering a situation hos-
tile to those who choose a life of drugs." She
is later seen smoking a fat joint on the Diag.
The Naked Mile goes on unaffected by
the Code, but a freak snowstorm kills or
maims all 1,277 runners, none of whom
finish. Duderstadt, now a scab reporter for
The Detroit News, describes the scene as
"gruesome, in a strangely erotic way." Un-
deteried, the crew teams announce a "Fully
Clothed Mile" for the next night. Atten-
dance is sparse.
May: Hartford proposes elimination of
the political science and musical theater
departments, which she says are guilty of
"wholesale moral failure, poor nutritional
choices and other nasty things."
At the last possible moment, a higher
power steps in: Nike announces that it has
signed a $9.7 million sponsorship deal with
the departments. Professors will be outfitted
in the latest hi-tech Nike teaching gear, and
Haven Hall will be renamed the Michael
Jordan School of Political Science and Other
Tough Academic Stuff.
June: Nothing happens in June.
July: The city of Ann Arbor attempts to

raise parking fines, but Hartford nixes the
idea because it "discriminates against stu-
dents who have cars but no change for th
meter" - a group she claims has been sys-
tematically oppressed.
Not satisfied by the city's offer to reduce
tickets, Hartford has all city employees
flogged and declares herself mayor.
August: The Daily resumes publishing,
but with the mandate that it must come out
on weekends, days "against which it has
traditionally discriminated."
September: Hartford has the entire Greek
system kicked off campus. The only frater-
nity members who notice are those on th
Interfraternity Council, who are shot.
Hartford later forces herself to reinstate
the Greeks, and charges herself with "bellig-
erent discrimination against Hellenic
peoples." The charges remain unsubstanti-
ated, but she has herself caned anyway.
October: Per Hartford's instructions,
Admissions announces it will no longer ac-
cept white males, men with full heads of
hair, the wealthy, or people over 5-foot-7.
Not to be outdone, the Deion Sanders/Nik
Political Science Department announces that
texts by men will no longer be studied.
November: Hartford, now governor of
Illinois and New Jersey, has the undefeated
and No. 1-ranked Northwestern football team
indicted for "intellectual oppression." Ohio
State promptly wins the Big Ten, which
Hartford trumpets as "a tremendous victory
for stupid people everywhere."
December: Hartford removes December
from all Michigan calendars for "tradition
ally containing too many exclusionary holi-
days." Nov. 30 is followed immediately by
Jan. 1.
- Brent McIntosh can be reached over
e-mail at mctosh@umich.edu.

A


JIM LASSER

SHARP AS TOAST

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NOTABLE QUOTABLE
'The national
fraternity was
concerned that
we weren't a
fraternity at all -
that we were just
a drinking club.'.
-John Sheehan,
president of ZBT
fraternity, explaining
why the national ZBT
organization is investi-
gating the local chapte*

-i


Buckle up
Seat belt bill would save lives, money

A Lansing lawmaker recently rekindled a
10-year-old debate that affects every
driver in the state of Michigan. Earlier this
month, Rep. Frank Fitzgerald (D-Grand
Ledge) proposed a bill that would give police
the power to pull over and ticket drivers
solely for not wearing seat belts. This would
nake the state's current law more effective
while dramatically reducing the number of
fatalities that result from people failing to
wear seat belts.
Currently, Michigan's seat belt law is
Incomplete. Drivers only can be ticketed for
ignoring the statute if they are stopped by
police for other offenses. Fitzgerald's bill
;would change this, giving police the "pri-
nary power" to stop drivers who are not
wearing seat belts.
Not only would this bill give police the
necessary authority to enforce a sensible law,
it would save many lives each year. In 1994,
60 percent of the 1,005 people in Michigan
Jkilled in crashes were not wearing seat belts;
:officials say that many of these deaths could
have been prevented if the drivers had buck-
led up. Thousands of people also are seri-
ously injured each year for failing to wear
feat belts. Fitzgerald's bill would reduce this
number as well.
- Michigan would be the 11th state to adopt
,such a measure. Fatalities are lower in the 10
states that give police the primary power,
lending credence to Fitzgerald's argument.
HOW TO CONTACT THEM
State Rep. Liz Brater
(D-53rd district, Central Campus)
412 Roosevelt Building
Lansing, Ml 48909
1 Cf 't '7' n I 77

For example, five months after a similar bill
was adopted in California - the first state to
pass such a measure - there were 16 percent
fewer traffic fatalities. Also, 75 percent of
drivers in these 10 states wear seat belts,
compared to only 63 percent in the other 38
states that have mandatory seat belt laws.
Opponents of Fitzgerald's bill claim it
would limit personal freedom and choice.
However, the issue of seat belts goes beyond
an individual's choice whether or not to wear
one - it is a question of public safety and
public dollars. These critics not only over-
look the number of lives that would be saved,
but they ignore the benefits the law would
bring to every driver. The adoption of this
bill would save the state an estimated $60
million in health care, insurance rates and
other related costs each year. Furthermore,
both health and auto insurance rates would
be less likely to increase if there were fewer
fatalities resulting from car crashes - sav-
ings that would then be passed along to every
driver.
For years, public service announcements
have been telling Michigan residents to
"Buckle Up!" Yet not enough of them are
listening. Not only would this bill help save
lives and keep insurance costs down, it would
raise the drivers' consciousness about the
importance of wearing seat belts. Such ben-
efits make the bill a sound piece of public
policy.
State Rep. Mary Schroer
(D-52nd district, North Campus)
99 Olds Plaza Building
Lansing, Ml48909
X1Z71 J7Q_4701)

LETTERS

Daily neglects
non-LSA
students
To the Daily:
Just a comment: Every time I
see a picture of someone in the
Daily, he or she is an LSA senior/
junior/etc. I understand your of-
fices are near the LSA depart-
ment - but ...wow - don't you
get out at least once in a while?
Take a trip to North Campus
or the Medical Campus once in a
while.
Tim Strong
Rackham student
Asian faculty,
students still
struggle with
discrimination
To the Daily:
In the article, "Minorities are
now 15% of 'U' faculty," (12/1/
95) I was troubled by ,the quote
stated by Prof. George Brewer.
He said: "The only problem I've
ever had with the discussion of
minorities is including Asians. It
gives a distorted view of the
progress made with other minori-
ties like African Americans."
Regardless if Brewer was mis-
quoted or quoted out of context,
the quote leads readers to believe
Asian Americans should not be
included as aminority group. This
is not a new issue. There is a
common misconception, fostered

dates as far back as the 1800s, a
time when anti-land laws prohib-
ited Asians from owning land in
the United States. Moreover,
Asian Americans, to this day, still
confront discrimination of vari-
ous forms like the "glass ceiling
effect" and measures in Congress
to eliminate financial funding to
legal Asian immigrants.
These statistics on faculty of
color, because of their vagueness,
hide many of the complex issues
facing faculty of color. For in-
stance, according to this article,
the category "Asian Americans"
compose 7.9 percent of the fac-
ulty of color at this university.
However, the statistics do not re-
veal that a largeproportion of the
"Asian American" faculty include
Asian academics who have been
invited to the University from Asia
and have not experienced the same
discrimination as Asian Ameri-
cans living in the United States.
These statistics conceal that
most Asian/Asian American fac-
ulty are not tenured or on tenure
track. Instead they are lecturers
and temporary supplemental-in-
structors. Moreover, Asian/Asian
American faculty members are
highly concentrated in the medi-
cal and health departments. These
statistics ignore that Asian Ameri-
can lack presence in a majority of
the other departments like the
humanities and social sciences..
The point suggested by
Brewer's quote is that the gains of
Asian American faculty may
shortsight the need to increase
numbers of other "minority" fac-
ulty such as African American
faculty. However, the problem
with comparing the successes of
minority groups with each another

tinuous process. There should be
no point were we say, "OK, we
have enough multidulturalism."
No statistic can reallydetermine
when we have achieved diversity
at this University. Numbers do
not reflect quality. If the Univer-
sity is really committed to creat-
ing a diverse and multicultural
community on campus, we must
realize that there are multiple
components to diversity and
multiculturalism, and multiple
ways we can achieve it.
Ann Kim Pham
LSA junior
Former MSA'
employee
leaves legacy
To the Daily:
It is with sadness that I advise
you of the recent death of Mary
Samuelson. Mrs. Samuelson, a
long-time University employee,
served as administrative assistant
to the Michigan Student Assem-
bly and its predecessor, the Stu-
dent Government Council, from
the early 1960s until her retire-
ment in 1978.
Mrs. Samuelson, or "Mrs. S."
as she was known, was beloved
by generations of student'leaders.
In fact, respect and affection for
Mrs. S. were often the sole unify-
ing forces among students of dif-
ferent political persuasions and
factional loyalties.
Following her retirement in
1978, Mrs. S. returned to her fam-
ily home in Jameston, N.Y. (the
home also, she was proud to re-

and her family is advising indi-
viduals who wish to remembet
her to send their donations to
Jamestown Public Library where
they will be used to expand the
collection of large-print books.-
Irving Freeman
Michigan Student Assemlw
1976-1978
Inexperience
no excuse for
Griese's play,
Blue's losse§
To the Daily:
A few notes about the column,
("Quiet as it's kept, Griese's still
young; give him time," 1/10/96).
What about Grbac in 1989? He
came in during the Notre Dame
game and almost brought the team'
back, if it hadn't been for The
Rocket returning his second kick-
off return for a touchdown, they
might even have won. I d '
remember how many gan*
Grbac quarterbacked that season
but they won them all until the'
Rose Bowl and I think he didn't,
quarterback in that game.
What about Collins replacing
Grbac in 1991 and setting tons of
records in both games when the
other team forced Michigan to
beat them with the pass?
Sorry, Michigan beat OSLO
spite of Griese. Note how many
passes he threw in the second
half.
Though I do agree with you
that the Wolves should be brought
out against the rest of the team
and coaches than Griese but I