4A - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, February 22, 1996
ale £irchrigun &ig
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. R.AIMI
Editorial Page Editors
..
Unless otherwise noted, unsigned editorials ref lect the opinion of a majority of the Daily's editorial board. A l
other articles, letters and cartoons do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily.
FROM THE DAILY
On shaky ground
Code resolution panelists are ill-prepared
"NOTABLE QUOTABLE,
'This is a goofy way to nominate a president.'
- Political science Prof John Kingdon,
commenting on the US. system of
presidentialprimaries
MATT WMSATT MoolE's DEMMA
r~
- 4
1~
LETTERS To THIE EDITOR
nce again, Code of Student Conduct
implementation has hit a snag - this
time, a potentially crippling one. Internal
disputes among the members of the Student
Resolution Panels-the so-called 'juries' of
Code proceedings -threaten the stability of
hearing process jurisdiction. Panelists are
complaining of insufficient training and
power-mongering among some members.
Most important, many have expressed fun-
damental disagreements with the principles
of the Code itself.
Student panelists also noted the uncon-
vincing leadership that currently governs
Code proceedings - an observation that
should strike fear in the hearts of all who face
charges under the Code. The internal dis-
putes between panelists illustrate in living
color the inherent flaws of the University's
new disciplinary system. These flaws have
plagued the Code since implementation, and
will continue to hinder proceedings unless
officials take self-correcting measures.
- The origination of the conflicts can be
partially blamed on the hasty and ill-planned
recruitment of student panelists. At the be-
ginning, of the semester, each of the
University's schools was responsible for se-
lecting a total of 60 students required for the
panelist pool. Several schools reported re-
cruitment difficulties-student governments
were busy with other projects and could not
dedicate an appropriate amount of time to the
selection. Other schools did not have student
governments or any other central organiza-
tion to mediate recruiting. Many complained
ofthe time crunch caused by deadlines. As a
result, schools were forced to forgo the full
application process for many potential pan-
elists.
The repercussions of this move were pre-
dictable: The students on The Student Reso-
lution Panels are partially evaluated, reluc-
tant, and hastily and poorly trained.
In the future, substantial improvements in
recruitment methods will be necessary to
ensure adequate resolution panels. Schools
must have more time to recruit, evaluate and
select panelists. The applicationprocess must
be followed. Above all, Code officials must
design more sufficient training programs,
based on knowledge of the proceedings. As
Ben Novick, panelist and RC senior, said,
"The training was utterly inadequate ... be-
cause the officials of the Code are still unsure
of how this Code works."
The panel's problems signal bad news for
anyone facing a hearing - if Code officials
are ill-prepared and student panelists are
fighting among themselves, who is left to
determine justice?
While it is too late to select a new pool of
panelists for the current term, the administra-
tion must act quickly to remedy the blunders.
Supplementary training sessions are a good
start. Panelists must understand that the role
they play is not to be abused or taken lightly.
Likewise, students' doubts must be respected
and not held against them - Code officials
would be wrong to exclude dissenters from
their place on the panels. The best these
officials can do is relieve some of the stress
they created - and make sound decisions
about how to steady this shaky structure.
One for the price of two
Chang should not be tried under the Code
A multiplicity of disciplinary systems does
not guarartee justice. It does not guar-
antee a more civilized society. It does not
guarantee charged citizens a fair trial. In fact,
an increased number of disciplinary systems
will ultimately detract from the justice sys-
tem as it stands in America today. The Uni-
versity adopted the Code of Student Conduct
despite this.
Now Code officials
must learn to recognize
Code-appropriate situa-
tions. They must also rec-
ognize inappropriate
situations and keep the
Code from interfering
where it does not belong.
Such an interference will
impede the state and fed-
eral courts in their legiti-
mate pursuit of justice.
Such is the case in the
current allegations fac-
ing Rackham student Kei
Chi Chang, the man ac-
4"IriV
'I'wt
Chang couldbe punished twice for one crime.
The University's frustration with the al-
leged crime is justified. Chang possesses
more than 560 books and many art reproduc-
tions -literature he claims is his own, but
the evidence indicates otherwise. The art-
work and literature are rare and valuable, and
University library officials are understand-
ably upset. Donald
Riggs, dean of Univer-
sity Libraries, said, "It
might be impossible to
reconstruct many of
these volumes."
J18110However, although
Chang's alleged crime
is disturbing and frus-
trating, the University
still must step back and
allow the courts to
/ handle the issue. Unfor-
tunately, administrative
indications point to prob-
able Code proceedings.
JOSH WHITE/Daly With recent internal
Code disputes and lead-
ership troubles, the Code is currently not an
effective tool for justice. Moreover, the lack
of case precedents - a substantial concern
since implementation - establish no solid
ground on which to build a fair hearing.
Given the current state of the Code, it should
be kept far from cases that can be more justly
tried in the state courts.
The University has a vested interest in
this case. But the administration must not
confuse a vested interest with a right to
judgement. Interference in this case would
be inappropriate. The case is set for trial in
circuit court - a place where guilt and
innocence can more lezitimatelv be deter-
Basketball
fans need
enthusiasm
To THE DAILY:
In the past couple of
months I have read a couple
of letters dealing with the
problems of being a
basketball fan for the
University. I have to agree
with them, the University
could take steps to not only
make the games more
enjoyable for the student
fans, but increase the gam's
popularity to an all time
high.
First and foremost, get
rid of the alumni and older
people sitting in the blue
section on the opposite side
from where the benches are
located. Replace them with
students. This will accom-
plish two things. One,
students, who I agree are the
"real" fans, would get better
seating. Secondly, the team
would get a boost from the
greater noise level. The
Duke game could be seen as
a good example of what I
mean. During the game the
crowd was one of the
loudest I have ever heard,
and they kept it up for most
of the game. Still, halfway
through the second half I
saw a family of four leave its
seats, which were only two
rows from the court. If
students were allowed to sit
in those seats they would
most probably not leave,
unless another Purdue type
game occurred. When I talk
to friends from other power
houses of college basketball
they explain that fans come
out of their games with
busted eardrums from all the
screaming. Another interest-
ing point is that a school like
Temple may be an easy
target on the road - they
seem invincible at home and
that is due to the crowd.
Finally, take a look at the
home conference record so
far for Michigan this season.
The games they won were
on days that the crowd
helped boost them to
victory. On the losing days,
the crowds were not really
loud or had it together. This
means two things: Either the
University should take the
initiative and change things
or the fans are not good
enough.
The later I have to doubt
after seeing Moonlight Jam
and the game against Duke.
JOSE ALVAREZ
ENGINEERING FIRST-YEAR
STUDENT
No censors
on the 'Net
To THE DAILY:
difficulty in defining such
terms.
, The Internet indecency
act is the latest attempt of
our government to try to tell
us what our beliefs should
be. The hypocrisy of the bill
is very evident. An adult
may walk down to the
corner store and pick up a
Playboy magazine, and yet
if that person were to even
mention something indecent
(as deemed by our govern-
ment), they might be facing
jail time and fines!
One of the big arguments
against this is that kids can
too easily access this
material on the Internet.
This is true only if parents
are not concerned about
what their kids are getting
into. There are many
software programs that will
block out web sex sites, and
with online services such as
America Online, regulating
what your kids see is as easy
as pushing a couple of
buttons. It should be the
parents' responsibility as to
what their kids are viewing,
and definitely not the
government.
Don't get the idea that
I'm advocating pornography
just because I'm defending
my rights against a mis-
guided Congress (not to
mention Bill Clinton). I just
don't want to see various
other parts of our lives
become regulated, because
those in Washington think
it's in our "best interests."
Hopefully, this law will
soon be declared unconstitu-
tional, and we won't have to
worry about Uncle Sam
looking over our shoulder at
our computer screens.
AARON CLEMENTS
ENGINEERING FIRST-YEAR
STUDENT
Swimsuit
issue exists
to entertain
sexist men
To THE DAILY:
This letter is in response
to Michael Rosenberg's
column in the Daily
("Sportsmen of the beer
salute Sports Illustrated," 2/
15/96). As a female reader
of Sports Illustrated, I find it
highly sexist and ignorant
for Michael to assume that
women don't read Sports
Illustrated. Although the
majority of Sports Illustrated
readers may be male, I think
that it is rude to assume that
women, because we are
women, aren't interested in
reading about sports. I
disagree with the swimsuit
issue on the grounds that if
it is a so-called swimsuit
issue, why are the women
eugenics
paranoia
To THE DAILY:
I wish to criticize Edward
Chusid's erroneous analysis
("Science is moving to
eugenics," 2/06/96) of B.
Bower's article "Gene Tied
to Excitable Personality"
(Science News, 149(1), p. 4)
and refute his exaggerated
prophecy of modern science.
First, Mr. Chusid's claim
that the Science News report -
is evidence of modern
science's endorsement of
eugenics is unjustified.
However, the Science News
author never proposed that
the reproductive freedom of
individuals diagnosed with
personality disorders be
restricted.
Second, Chusid's
statement that "... human
personality's traits ... (are)
governed by one gene" is
also incorrect. The Science
News article states that
researchers have identified a
"gene that (simply) partici-
pates in shaping a specific
personality trait" and further
adds that "(g)enetics alone
does not determine personal-
ity." The report's author
clearly confesses the
limitations of heredity in
determining human behav-
ior. He does not propose the
use of the research findings
in ".:. genetically engineer-
ing humans," as Chusid
unjustifiably states.
Third, Chusid is wrong to
argue that "curiosity" is4"
most responsible ... for all
human advancement"
because, not only does
Harvard University anthro-
pologist Stephen Jay Gould
suggest in "The Mismeasure
of Man" that the "...evolu-
tion and structural organiza-
tion of (the) brain" - and
not curiosity - is largely
responsible for the diversity
of human behavior, but
Chusid fails to cite previous
literature to defend his far-
reaching but otherwise blind
faith in curiosity.
Chusid's apocalyptic
vision of a future in which
modern science will
resurrect Hitlerian and
Stalinist governments that
destroy "curiosity and social
development" is representa-
tive of his inadequate
knowledge of modern
genetics, his inability to read
scientific literature properly,
and his distorted conception
of the direction in which
modern science is moving.
Some of the world's most
readers and include men in
swimsuits too.
KATHY MANN
LSA SENIOR
Fear of
is
SHAIUNG THE TREE
Adventues in
bodybilding
ith spring break around the
f tcorner, I'm anticipating the
possibility of squeezing into a bi-
kini, and I've started working out at
the Central Campus Recreation
Building. When you first walk in, it
can be a little intimidating to see all
those good bodies that seemingly
have full command of every con-
traption in the
place. I've de-
veloped a basic ".-. .-
set of rules for
survival.
The people
who really need
to be there are
not. One thing
that stands out
are the numer- p
ous cute skinny ~~ ''
girls who wear KATiE
Spandex. These HTHN
are the chicks CHINs
who travel in
packs and know all the cool stretches
They also can bounce up and down
on a Stairmaster for more than an
hour and keep smiling. It's best to
avoid them.
If you, like me, have an average
body, and can't resist the tempta-
tion to wear some kind of skintight
stretch material, cover yourass. Lit-
erally. It's not that hard to find an
oversized T-shirt.
And if you've ever participated in
a 10K run or if your IM team was
successful at something, the CCRB
is the place to wear the T-shirt. Even
if you don't look in shape, people
will think you are, or you were and
became incredibly ill.
I tend to avoid the Gravitron. It
scares me. I avoid the Nordictrak
because it also scares me. My par-
ents have one at home to entertain
themselves during the holidays as
their children attempt to use it.
There's a bit too much coordination
involved.
If you do find yourself on one of
those complicated machines (like
the Gravitron or that climbing thing),
pretend you know what you're do-
ing. Never ask for help or advice -
it's the equivalent of a first-year
student in South Quad asking for
directions to the Michigan Union.
You just don't do it.
The sign-up lists for machines are
optional. Just jump on the damn
machine when it's free. Nobody will
know you weren't there first unless
they've been checking you out, and
if they've been checking youdout
they're unlikely to kick you off a
machine.
If there's a big, muscular, scary-
looking guy standing over you wait-
ing to use one of those arm ma-
chines, take your time. Don't let'.
him intimidate you. Just because
you can't even lift the thing once.
doesn't mean you don't have every.,
right to sit there and think about it.
Besides, once he gets on, he won't
get off and he'll be making those
annoying He-man grunting sounds
for the rest of the evening.
Early morning on weekdays is far
less crowded than the evening. Thisr
has two advantages: No need to hunt
for a free machine, and it's a good'.
chance to figure out the Gravitron
and the Nordictrack when nobody's
watching.
Never, ever, make fun of a karatey
class.
Once you're finished your aero-
bic activity and have freed yourself
from the shackles that tie your feet
to the pedals of the exercise bike, try -
to look like you haven't exerted
yourself. Tone down the breathing,
wipe off the sweat. You never know
who you might see. I've seen two
past hook-ups, a love interest and a
professor just when I'm wiping my
face on my sleeve, gasping for air
and hoping there aren't sweat spots
on my shirt.
One guy actually approached me
when I had just dismounted the
Stairmaster and was trying to do one
of those cool stretches I've seen the
Spandex women do. All I could
manage in the way of casual conver-
sation was a prolonged gasp that
sounded something like "I'm in
pain." He shrugged his shoulders
and walked away.
I know the CCRB is a really big
building, and perhaps I've focused a
bit too much on one room. The fact
is, I find the various machines in
there enough ofa challenge for now,
and haven't had the courage to ven-
ture much further.
I hear there may be an aerobics
room, a basketball court or two and
a swimming pool. The last thing I
want to do is pay five bucksttojump
a nd n ,aat fr anhnuur IVrellyU
0II
a
*
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cused of stealing
$100,000 in books and artwork from Univer-
sity libraries. It is not the first felony charge
he has faced this year, or even this semester.
Earlier in the winter, Chang was charged
with aggravated stalking and harassing a
female Eastern Michigan University student
for more than a year. The felonies, which
eventually were reduced to misdemeanors,
were handled by state courts.
The University should allow the current
allegations to be handled in the same manner
as Chang's earlier charges. Administration
officials will not say for sure whether Chang
will be tried under the Code - but Vice
President for Student Affnirs Maureen Hart-
t