4 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, February 13, 1996
Ulije ijwna &dlg
420 Maynard Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Edited and managed by
students at the
University of Michigan
::
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RONNIE GLASSBERG
Editor in Chief
ADRIENNE JANNEY
ZACHARY M. RAImi
Editorial Page Editors
Unless otherwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of a majority of/the Daily':s editorial hoard. All
other articles, letters and cartoons do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily
FROM THE DAY
Leading the way
Engler's allocation to 'U' signals better days
NOTABLE QUOTABLE,
It's strange as hell.'
Republican County Chair Roger Linn, of
Woodbury County in western Iowa, commenting on
the respective positions of the Republican
presidential candidates.
MtATT WIMSATI MoolE's DiLEMMA
(ALL of You 11 4RoN T ETEQUAL
AtMUNTS 11415 YEAR AND MAY(e.
' _... SoM'NING F©VoloSE IN THE ACK
\ fH ERS LE EToVRS FRoMA
LE ST E EDSTOR
LETTERS To THE EDfToR
G ov. John Engler unveiled his 1997 state
budget last week. It calls for a 4.4-
percent increase in funding for the Univer-
Ssity. The change is welcome after last year's
scant allowance; it gives tentative hope that
Engler may have realized the importance of
adequate state funding for the University.
The University's $301.5-million alloca-
tion is the largest for any school in the state.
This year's turnaround is especially heart-
ening. The University's 4.4-percent increase
is 1.4-percent higher than last year, and it
constitutes the largest increase in approxi-
mately 10 years. Moreover, the state distrib-
uted increases evenly, with all schools in a 1-
percent range.
Perhaps the governor has discovered
higher education as a worthy destination for
State money comprises 38 to 40 percent of state money. It is wise for the state, and
the University's operating budget in a given for the University, that Ann Arbor recei
year. Last year, the University was slated to fair share of the overall increase in the
receive a mere 3-percent increase, but the budget. If the state neglects the Univer
appropriation process got lost in politics. To causing the quality of its programs to di
add salt to the wound, the state House Appro- ish, the entire state will lose.
priations Committee voted to withhold the The new money also will help to
allocation increase; later the House voted the down tuition costs, both present and fu
same way. It cited the University's failure to Clearly, the money for the school must c
comply with the 30-percent limit on out-of- from somewhere-if not from Lansing,
state students - a non-binding agreement from students' pocketbooks. Whatever
between the University and the Michigan year's tuition increase will be, it will p
Legislature - by admitting 33.4 percent of ably increase more slowly because o
the incoming class from outside Michigan. higher allocation. This helps current stu
After a bitter fight between Ann Arbor and -and it creates more educational oppor
Lansing, the University ieceived its increase. ties for the young people of Michigan.
Furthermore, the state's distribution of The budget must be approved by the
higher education funds was grossly uneven islature. Engler deserves commendatio
in the 1996 budget. The state offered the acknowledging, however grudgingly, th
University only a 3-percent increase, while portance of Michigan's system of hi
Michigan State enjoyed a 7.5-percent in- education - and the University's pla
crease. Past incidents demonstrated that some that system. Now he must fight to ensur
Lansing lawmakers were willing to punish passage of his program. With Lansi
the University's students for minor statistical newfound commitment to the Univer
discrepancies ofthe Office of Undergraduate Michigan can be confident it will remain
Admissions. leaders and best."
Risky busineM
State budget is riddled with contradictions
good
ves a
new
rsity,
min-
hold
ture.
come
then
this
rob-
f the
dents
tuni-
Leg-
n for
e im-
igher
ce in
e the
ing's
rsity,
"the
t is always questionable when a politician
makes important decisions based on po-
litical intentions, especially when millions of
people will feel the consequences of the
decisions. Yet that is what Gov. John Engler
did with his proposed state budget last week.
Consequently, the Michigan Legislature must
accept his budget cautiously.
Engler's general fund budget for the fiscal
yearbeginning Oct. I calls for expenditure of
$8.2 billion - an overall spending increase
of4.4 percent from last year's
percent over the next year, hardly keeping up
with the 2.5-percent inflation rate. This tiny
increase is unacceptable. If the economy is as
"robust" as the governor says, funding must
rise higher than the rate of inflation. Engler
also has proposed drastically cutting the adult
education programs in the state, taking $100
million from a worthy program. Withholding
funds in a time of prosperity is unjust.
The budget proposal contains recommen-
dations of merit. Due to a strong economy,
MSA spends
too much
money
To THE DAILY:
I've found the recent
discussion of the Michigan
Student Assembly's
financial woes rather
amusing. After all, no one at
the Daily complained when
(Probir) Mehta and Vice
president (Sam) Goodstein
pushed through a measure to
spend over $5,600 on two
new computers for the MSA
office.
And while (Erin) Carey
complained in this forum of
MSA's poor image, she
made no mention of the
$1,000 the assembly
approved to send herself,
(Andy) Schor and (Karie)
Morgan to Arizona for a
weekend at the end of this
month. I believe that if the
Daily were to ever document
where this assembly has
been spending its money,
our "public image" would be
much worse than it is.
DAVID C. BURDEN
MSA REPRESENTATIVE
ENGINEERING SOPHOMORE
SAPAC 's
crisis line
aims toward
safe space
for survivors
TO THE DAILY:
As members of the
Sexual Assault Prevention
and Awareness Center's
crisis line, we were sad-
dened and dismayed to
consider the possible
repercussions of items
recently published in the
Daily.
We are concerned that, in
light of recent headlines,
community members
affected by sexual and
domestic/dating violence
may feel unwelcome at
SAPAC.
We hope that, after
reading this letter, anyone
who may have felt alienated
by recent news articles will
feel free to call the crisis
line.
We joined SAPAC
because of its tremendous
commitment to issues
surrounding emotional,
physical and sexual and
domestic/dating violence in
our community.
We have chosen' to
remain volunteers atSAPAC
because we are wholeheart-
edly committed to continu-
ing this work and providing
support and resources for
people affected by this kind
of ,
forms of oppression can
interact with sexual and
domestic/dating violence,
and we are sensitive to the,
fact that oppression and
sexual and domestic/dating
violence often interact to
create each caller's indi-
vidual experience.
We understand the
importance of these
complicated interactions,
and we strive to always
incorporate this understand-
ing into our client counsel-
ing work.
Our greatest fear is that,
after reading last week's
article ("Accusations slam
SAPAC," 2/8/96) and
editorial ("'Out'-spoken:
Cain must resign as director
of SAPAC," 2/9/96), even
one person may feel unable
or unwelcome to call the
crisis line or visit a SAPAC
counselor.
Those of us on the crisis
line strive to create a safe
space for any caller; in order
to do this, we must remain
open-minded, caring and
trustworthy.
Our commitment to
SAPAC, the University
community and especially
those affected by sexual
violence remains unchanged
by recent events.
We hope that any person
who is working through
issues of sexual violence
will feel welcome to call our
line and talk to a counselor.
NEETHI RAO
LSA SENIOR
DANA ROSS
LSA SENIOR
RYAN WECHSLER
LSA JUNIOR
CARRIE FLETCHER
LAW SCHOOL ALUM
Michigan
Party has
kept its
promises
TO THE DAILY:
In fact, in keeping with
our campaign promises of
last year, we have produced
Michigan Student Assembly
On-Line, a student represen-
tative to the Board of
Regents, a $ 17000 increase
in student group funding,
student representation on
key University bodies such
as the Michigan Leadership
Institute Board and the
Committee for a
Multicultural University, a
solvent Student Legal
Services and a debate series,
and we will continue to
work for campus-based
health care reform. In the
coming months, we will be
unveiling innovative
proposals on student radio
and the structure of student
fees.
Finally, it should be
SAPAC
volunteers
continue to
support the
organization
TO THE DAILY:
I am writing again
concerning the controversy
surrounding SAPAC due to
the editorial printed in the
Daily ("Out'-spoken: Cain
must resign as director of
SAPAC," 2/9/96). This
article claims "the organiza-
tion ... has lost the support
of its volunteers." As the
letter submitted by Kym
Ahrens and myself ("No
racism atnSAPAC," 2/12/96)
stated, we have not stopped
supporting our organization.
To do so would not be a
benefit to us as concerned
volunteers in the University
community, nor to the
community as a whole. Since
the editorial staff was not
present when Kym and 1
delivered our letter to the
Daily, I am wondering if
anyone ever read it. I am
frustrated to think that my
opinion, and that of many
other SAPAC volunteers, is
not being represented to the
University, and that I have to
open up the paper and read
that as a SAPAC volunteer, I
have stopped supporting this
very important organization
when that is not at all true.
Again, I urge you to
remember that the accusa-
tions that are jeopardizing
the integrity of our organiza-
tion are exactly that, alleged
accusations. And, I remind
you that SAPAC staff is
legally bound not to discuss
these issues. Only one side
of the story is being exposed.
You have the right to
express your opinion in the
editorials, but please give
my opinion equal representa-
tion. Do not claim that I
have stopped supporting an
organization I work very
closely with, when I clearly
have not removed my
support. Sexual assault exists
and is a serious issue that
affects all of us. To discon-
tinue my work at SAPAC
would only be ignoring this
reality.
LAURA HOVEY
RC SENIOR
LETTERS POLICY
The Michigan Daily
welcomes letters from its
readers. All letters from
Universitystudents,faculty
and staff will be printed,
space providing. Other
materials will be printed at
the editors' discretion. All
letters must include the
writer's name, school year
or University affiliation
and phone number. We will
not print any letter that
cannot h vrified A d
THE .ERAsAu.L PEN
The night before
Valentine' Day,
and a chosen
one in sight
E ver since New Year's we've
been assaulted: Row upon row
of pink and red-wrapped chocolates.
Ads for expensive flower arrange-
ments. Underwear decorated with
hearts. The guilt
factor involved
here makes it:
worse than Chri- ,
stmas: How bet
tertomakeupfor
2"''
a year of yelling ~
atyourboyfriend ,
than buying him
silk boxers with
little Cupids on
t h e m ? JEAN
Valentine's Day TWENGE
is, to make a
paradoxical
statement, genuine faux romance.
Real stories of love are much more
fun (or at least sort of real stories,
like Beverly Hills90210.OKmayb
a little more real than that). At any
rate, the best part of couples' stories
is often how they met. These gener-
ally fall into sven categories. (f
they didn't, do you think I'd be
writing this column???)
. Common activities. You go to
your class on Post-modern Medit-
tion and Elementary Chainsaw one
day, and there she is: the woman Of
your dreams. Theater seems to be
the biggest breeding ground for ro-
mance (or at least for some furtive
boinking). For one friend of mineit
was love at first sight in the prop
room backstage. "The first time I
saw him," she says of her boyfriend,
"he was carrying a couch."
School. It's difficult to make
romantic conversation in class, but
sometimes ardor manages to find its
way into discussions of chemistry
formulas or Spanish verbs. One
friend of mine's parents met in a
Spanish class at City College in the
1960s, where the students were
seated in alphabetical order. His last
name was Bloom, hers was
Dershowitz, and as my friend put it,
"for once there weren't any Cohens
in the class." Thus romance was
born. My own parents met because
my mother proofread my father's
papers in college. To this day, my0
father can't spell.
f Matchmaking. This can happen
in a variety of ways, though my
favorite was accomplished by a col-
league of mine in the psychology
department who does her research
on human mate selection. When she
told me she'd found a guy for me, I
believed her - this was a profes-
sional I was dealing with here! (And
a year later, the results attest to her
expertise.) I've tried my hand at this
ancient form of meddling on occa-
sion as well. In college, I managed
to set up one of my female friends
with a guy friend of mine who was,
to change the common phrase, 21
and never been kissed. A physics
major headed for grad school, he
was determined to study and under-
stand the subtleties of dating just as
he'd studied and understood quarks
and accelerators. One night he
knocked on my door, stuck his head
in, and said intensely, "I think I've
figured out this kissing thing!" Just
as quickly he closed the door and
walked back down the hall, leaving
me laughing hysterically.
Work. There's nothing like find-
ing love over the hamburger grill at
McDonald's. My cousin and his girl-
friend met working in a Baker's
Square restaurant outside ofMinne-
apolis. When I asked them to de-
scribe how they started dating, my
cousin said they "bonded over pies."
Such a romantic courtship - what
can I say.
Nerd love. An informal work-
shop at MIT whimsically dubbed
"Charm School" includes a session
on "Nerd Love," supposedly in-
tended to teach students the proper
way to ask for a date and other such
skills. Where I went to college, the
nerds didn't seem to need much
help: I'd always see couples study-
ing together at the science library,
exchanging smoky glances over
their 30-pound Mammalian Bio -
ogy textbooks.
Over the Net. These are the
types who fall in love with someone
who they've never met in person I
guess it has its advantages - no
smoky bars, no figuring out what to
wear, no taking showers anymore.
It's also probably better thanthe
couples who meet, decide they look
good together and take two years to
figure out they hate each other.
budget. Highlights ofthe bud-r
get include no new taxes, a 5-
percent increase in higher edu-
cation funding - including r
the 4.4-percent increase for
the University- and holding
down the growth of spending
for the Michigan Department
of Corrections.
The budget has one fatal
flaw. It assumes that Presi-
dent Clinton and Congress
will agree to welfare and Med-
icaid reforms based on a plan
by Engler and other governors. Since the
president and Congress still differ greatly, an
agreement is unlikely. Apparently, Engler
ignored this important fact in his budget.
The outcome of the federal budget debate
is crucial to Michigan because welfare and
Medicaid are two ofthe state budget's largest
programs - Medicaid alone accounts for
one out of every five available state dollars in
1996. If the president rejects or significantly
alters plans on welfare and Medicaid, the
state would be short $320 million. Then, the
state would be required to cut from other
areas of the budget - cuts that promise to be
painful. With this in mind, the governor's
budget is difficult to accept.
Engler's commitment to higher education
has not been duplicated in his recommended
fining for K-12 schnols His ner-nunil in-
114
6
Engler has not proposed new
taxes. He helped higher edu-
cation with the proposed in-
crease in funding for the Uni-
versity, the highest increase
in many years. Engler also
gave the go-ahead to Project
Zero, a program to help pro-
vide jobs to welfare recipi-
ents. These recommendations
should be adopted.
The state will also in-
crease corrections spending
- which eats into education
funding - by 3.7 percent,
increase in two decades. Al-
MATT WIMSATT/Oaily
the smallest
though four new prisons will be built with the
funding increase, Engler has recommended
more probation and parole officers be hired,
looking at options besides incarceration.
However, with four new prisons, it is likely
that prison conditions and security will suf-
fer.
Although Engler's budget contains rec-
ommendations toward the right direction, his
previous record - along with this budget's
inconsistencies - is worrisome. The state's
children only will be able to take advantage
of the state's higher education system if K-12
receives appropriate funding increases. Such
increases are noticeably lacking in Engler's
budget. And with his questionable assump-
tions about achieving welfare and Medicaid
reform. it is hard to exnect that this budget