4- The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, February 20, 1996
UJel Stditgniktilg
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. RAIMI
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.
ROM THE DAILY
The greasy spoons
North Campus needs more food options
"NOTABLE QUOTABLE,
'Damn, how did we get out?'
- Michigan basketball player Maurice Taylor
on the teams members' immediate
reaction to their accident Saturday
MAr T WIMSATT MooKIE's DILMmA
AGE. 'ROPER GQ
AO 1 DT W FE~QVRT1E
LEpES TOEHE/ O
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LETTERS To THE EDfTOR
THE ERASA UE PEN
Thebestsitcoms
havea boof
condoms and a
bottle of honey
E very weeknight at 6 p.m., CBS
E airsre-runsof "Seinfeld," a show
populated by young adults who date,
mate and relate for our amusement.
One channel over, Homer eats do-
nuts, Lisa pontifi-
cates. and Bart
whacks people
with slingshots on
the Simpsons. Out-
side of Homer and
Marge, nobody a
does much dating
and mating on this
show. Neverthe-
less, you'll learn
plenty about sex , JEAN
from watching the IEN
Simpsons these WENGE
days: in the last
three months, watching the show has
guaranteed you'll see commercials
preaching abstinence.4
Each begins with atestimonial from
a young woman, telling us why she's
going to wait to have sex, or why she
should have waited. "You're worth
waiting for,"the ads conclude in stark
white type against a black back-1
I
I
Central Campus students have it easy
when it comes to lunch. Starting with
the Michigan Union and branching out to the
variety of food stores nearby, those who
spend time on the campus have options about
what they eat and what it costs. Working or
studying on North Campus looks a little
different. Options reduce from plentiful to
pitiful if a student is en-
rolled in the School of
Music, Art and Archi-
tecture, College ofEngi-
neering or involved in
other North Campus-
on North Campus the benefits that Central
Campus students reap at the Michigan Union.
While the Union contains only fast food
restaurants, students may choose from five,
as well as a cafe. At the Commons lunch
couldbe unappetizing Chinese takeout, soggy
pizza or a muffin from the cafe. While stu-
dents won't starve, the quality of life de-
N
Nl
\.O
based programs.
Residence halls are
scattered across Central
Campus, which is a con-
venient food source for
d students living in one of
them. First-year students
or others with meal plans
' can hike to Bursley -
NI
V
//
creases. Like the Union,
the Commons should of-
fer more restaurants.
Hidden upstairs in the
Commons is a cafeteria
with limited hours. Ifstu-
dents knew about it, they
might be able to catch it
open. A cafeteria-style
restaurant would be a
great option for students
on North Campus - the
cafeteria should expand
its hours to meet the needs
of more students. Also, a
bigger cafeteria would
enable more students to
enjoy it.
Students get tired of
:the only residence hall
y on North Campus with a
cafeteria - and use a
meal. But to pay $6 in
cash or shell out almost as much on Entr6e
Plus for a dorm cafeteria lunch isn't worth
the trip to Bursley. A quick lunch break
.would be cut shorter by the hilly walk and the
cafeteria line. Furthermore, $6 per day adds
up fast on a student budget.
The University constructed the newly
named Pierpont Commons to give students
- 7
MATT WIMSATT/ Daily
eating at the same five restaurants in the
Union. But on Central Campus, they are not
limited to one building with only two restau-
rants. North Campus already suffers isola-
tion from the rest of the University. To make
it a more enjoyable campus, administrators
must explore how to improve Commons
food choices.
Don't tread on me
HIV rider creates an infected underclass
Diversity
important
for Greeks
To THE Day:
I am writing in response to
the article "Being a minority in
the mainstream Greek system"
(2/9/96). In the piece. Eileen
Reynolds is quoted as saying,
"You have to take into
consideration that they are just
as un-diverse as we are," in
references to the minority Greek
organizations with respect to the
Interfratemity Council
organizations. I am afraid I must
disagree with her statement.
I personally cannot speak
for members of the Black Greek
Association or the Latino/a
Greeks but, as a brother of
Lambda Phi Epsilon. I can
firmly attest to our diversity,
both as a Greek organization
and as an Asian-Pacific
American organization. What
uninformed people need to
realize is that although we are
Asian-Pacific Americans, in
itself a very broad term meant to
describe the virtual plethora of
nationalities from which we
come from, we are still close to
our very distinct ties. To try to
pigeonhole a group whose
ancestors make up half the
world's population is sheer
folly.
Our active roster includes
surnames such as Nguyen,
Galvez, Kim, Liang and Chu.
Whether it be Vietnamese,
Filipino, Korean, Taiwanese or
Chinese, our brotherhood is
built upon our diversity as well
as our similarities. To say that a
Filipinon is just like a Korean or
a Chinese just like a Vietnamese
is equivalent to saying that a
German is just like an
Englishperson or a
Frenchperson just like an
Italian. In terms of our
similarities we are all Asian-
Pacific American. In terms of
our diversity we have all refused
to "lose our roots," to para-
phrase Sigma Lambda Beta's
.president Isaias Nono Cantu Jr.
This retention of our "roots" is
not exclusive, of course, as all
our brothers share in each
individual's culture. How else
would our brothers have been
able to learn about Filipino,
Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese
or Taiwanese culture had it not
been for our colorful ethnic
mix.
It is diversity from which
the United States supposedly
derives its greatest strength. It is
this same diversity that we, as
brothers of the Xi chapter of
Lambda Phi Epsilon at the
University, believe is truly our
greatest asset.
STEPHEN CHIU
LSA SENIOR
LAMBDA PHI EPSILON
Savic a good
MSA choice
To THE DaiLy:
When I first read the letter
sent by Hemandez ("Students'
Party should elect a better
candidate for VP," 2/6/96) ,1
was completely shocked. I
believe that he was completely
wrong in his assessment of Olga
Savic, the Students' Party vice-
presidential candidate.
Just because Savic felt it
necessary to tell the student
body that the Code panelists
were not trained enough to deal
with real problems. I am sure
Hernandez will agree to that
point. It seems that the
administration is trying to cloud
everything surrounding this
issue. That is unfortunate.
Savic is definitely one of the
hardest working Michigan
Student Assembly representa-
tives. She serves on many of the
committees and commissions,
she is the first one to volunteer
to paint banners or work on
MSA publicity and she herself
chairs the most active commit-
tee currently on the assembly:
communications. Anybody who
doubts her commitment to hard
work is-misguided.
In response to the issue of
decision-making, I have to say
that Savic is incredibly capable
of assessing situations and
making adequate decisions. Ask
anyone on her committee, and
they will tell you that she has
revived it from a rather do-
nothing thing to taking on
ambitious projects like web
pages, bagel drives in Mason
Hall and the MSA newsletter.
Olga works in more of an all-
inclusive framework, as
exemplified by her work. She
will not be a Flint Wainess or a
Fiona Rose, who will give lip-
service to involving everyone
while pursuing their own
agendas.
DAVIDDE STMA
RC FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS
Political expediency has soared to dan-
gerous new heights in Washington, D.C.
Rep. Robert Dornan (R-California), an ob-
scure presidential candidate, added a provi-
sion to a defense authorization bill banning
citizens with HIV from serving in the armed
forces. Congress must repeal this blatantly
discriminatory clause immediately.
President Clinton signed a $265-billion
defense bill last week. The legislation con-
tains several provisions necessary to the na-
tional defense, along with a 2.4-percent mili-
tary pay raise. In its present form, the bill will
force the Pentagon to discharge HIV-infected
service members within six months - re-
gardless of their state of health. The defense
department estimates there are more than
1,000 service members who are infected with
the HIV virus. The previous policy allowed
infected soldiers to serve as long as they
remained healthy, though overseas service
was not allowed. Given that the defense
department does not view these soldiers as
unfit, Doman's clause is not only unneces-
sary, but sets a disturbing precedent for other
employers.
Dornan's clause will affect the lives of
thousands of individuals merely to get a
jump start on his otherwise unnoticeable
presidential campaign. Doman and other
presidential hopefuls must stop using legis-
lative influence to bring themselves into the
limelight - ignoring what is best for their
constituents.
Clinton promised not to enforce the provi-
sion. He urged federal courts to declare it
unconstitutional and ordered the Justice De-
partment not to defend the provision in court.
But action must go beyond Clinton's steps -
Sens. Edward Kennedy (D-Massachusetts)
and William Cohen (R-Maine) have spon-
sored bi-partisan legislation to repeal the
provision. Overturning Dornan's clause is
the only foolproof means of ensuring that it
cannot be enforced.
The defense bill will have dire conse-
quences not only upon HIV-infected mem-
bers of the armed forces, but upon HIV
carriers nationwide. By passing the bill, the
government condoned discrimination against
HIV-infected citizens. Domestic military
service in non-combat positions is no more
conducive to transmitting the virus than work-
ing in any other sector. Employers should
have no qualms about hiring HIV-infected
employees. Government sanctioned discrimi-
nation threatens to once again permeate so-
cial policy.
Doman's addition to a vital national de-
fense bill is an obvious political ploy. Em-
ployer discrimination against HIV-infected
employers is a violation of civil liberties the
government should not advocate. If legisla-
tion to repeal Dornan's provision fails, the
government will create an HIV-infected
underclass. In spite of their skills, HIV-in-
fected citizens are not considered equal in the
eyes of America's government or employers.
The government does not need to lower their
status further.
LETTERS POLICY
The Michigan Daily, welcomes letters from its readers.
All letters from University studentsfaculty 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 be verified.
Ad homninem attacks will not be tolerated.
Letters should be kept to approximately 300 words. We
reserve the right to edit for length, clarity and accuracy.
Longer "Viewpoints" may be arranged with an editor.
Letters should be sent via e-mail to daily. letters@a,
umr ich. edu or mailed to the Daily at 420dMaynard St.
Editors can be reached at 764-0552 or by sending e-mail to
the above address.
ground.
Perhaps so, and suggesting that
teen-agers wait until they're 16 or 18
to have sex isn't too unreasonable.
But these ads go beyond that, wish-
ing for the bygone days when teen-
agers didn't have sex and good girls
always said no.
"I have enough to worry about,"
says a baby-faced cheerleader in one
ad as she lists her problems: Is this a
zit? Is my mom mad at me? Am I
going to get into college? "I'm not
going to get pregnant, or get sick or
worse," she says. "That's why I'm
going to wait until I'm married to
have sex." Fine, but there's a big
problem here: marriage does not pro-
tect you from AIDS or any other
STD, and it sure as hell doesn't pro-
tect you from pregnancy.
Having a steady partner does
lessenithe risk of contracting AIDS,
but quite a few women with the
AIDS virus got it from their hus-
bands. And yes, it's a lot better to
have a child when you're married.
Not surprisingly, however, a lot of
teen-agers involved in abstinence
programs end up marrying young
- and consequently divorcing
young. (The divorce rate for people
who marry when they're under 22
is around 75 percent.) So that leaves
our abstinence-preaching young
ming to raise a child without a father.
That's the other problem here -
the great majority of these abstinence
ads are aimed at girls. There's the
cheerleader saying she's going to wait
until she gets married. There's a bal-
let dancer saying she doesn't want to
ruin her future. And there's "Sopho-
more Mom," who says she's 15, has
a baby, and the guy "who said he'd'
love me forever" is of course no-
where to be found. "I should have
told him no," she concludes.
And no wonder - boys are no-
where to be found in the world of the
abstinence ads, either. It's the classic
double standard that we supposedly
left behind years ago - boys want it,
and girls should say no unless they
want to ruin their lives. Sex, once
again, has become the pleasurable
privilege of men.
The ironic thing here is that we do
have the solution to these problems
in our society. It's called birth con-,4
trol. Unlike marriage, condoms will
protect you from AIDS and preg-
nancy. They're not perfect, but they're
a much more realistic and less sexist
solution than telling girls they're re-'
quired to remain virginal until their
wedding day.
I much prefer the world the next
channel overon the sitcoms. On
"Seinfeld," Elaine hordes Today
sponges when they go off the mar-
ket; she ends up filling a closet with
boxes of her favorite birth-control
method. On "Ned and Stacey," two
men sit at a bar bragging that they
haven't gotten laid lately - both
had been run ragged by sexually
insatiable women. On "Partners,"
the engaged couple walks out in
their bathrobes talking about the
great sex they just had involving a
bottle of honey.
It's unrealistic in a different way,
perhaps, but it's a lot closer to reality
than the teen-agers in the abstinence
ads. On the shows, people have sex,
the women enjoy themselves just as
much as the men, and people use
birth control. The "sponge-worthy"t
01
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01
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l
VIEWPoINrT
Months after the Million Man March
BY LOREN MCGHEE
Reflecting on the Million
Man March several weeks af-
terwards, what I had once seen
as a phenomenal and histori-
cal gathering of proud black
men was beginning to show
slight tarnish around the edges.
Influenced by television and
the media and distressed by
my unusual indecisiveness, I
did what most adults would
do, I called my mom. She had
just returned from church and
dropping my brother off at
hockey practice when she an-
swered the phone. Under-
standing my dilemma as moth-
ers always do, she told me that
just the day before, a friend of
the family and recent returnee
from the march had called to
see when he could send the
That single experience be-
gan my new shaping of an
opinion. March coverage was
everywhere from The New
York Times to The Michigan
Daily, but I decided that I
would look in less obvious
places to form a final opinion.
Finding people on campus that
went to the march wasn't a
problem. Many of my advi-
sors, friends, and National As-
sociation for the Advancement
of Colored People colleagues
told me of their March experi-
ences. One person told me how
amazed he had been the Sun-
day after the march when he
walked in church early and it
was so full of black men that
he had to sit near the back for
the first time in years. "Black
men were in action every-
when we need each other the
most." The largest group of
people against the march were
spoken for by one classmate
who denounced Farakkhan as
a bigot. The classmate agreed
with the idea of the march, but
not with it's organizers. His
and all of these viewpoints
became stored in my brain file
now titled, "3M."
The "3M" brain file con-
tinued collecting information
until recently. With Martin
Luther's King Jr.'s birthday, I
decided that it was time for my
brain to issue a year-end re-
port/summary. Now time for a
reality check. There are still
more black men in prison than
in college, more than half of
all black children live in fa-
therless homes, and 45 percent
How TO CONTACT THEM
MICHAEL SWANIGAN
DIRECTOR, NORTH CAMPUS COMMONS
2101 BOINSTEEL BLVD. #2090
ANN ARBOR, MI 48109
7 A 7RAA
.