4 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, March 26, 1996
U$lw £id1igri DuIgQb
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 ofthe Daily's editorial board. All
other articles, letters and cartoons do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily.
ROM THE DAILY
Vote Michigan Party
Rose, Mehta will provide strong leadership
NOTABLE QUOTABLE,
'it would be beneficial to have them
communicating with the administration, because
they're on the same level with students.'
- Michigan Party member and LSA Rep. Andrew Marcus,
discussing the qualifications of the independent ticket for MSA
MATr WIMsATF MooIGE's DILEMMA
n it ! n 0 0 0 .
_ a
ET-RT
LT TERs TO THE EDITOR
very year at this time, legions of candi-
14dates for the Michigan Student Assem-
bly ask fellow students for their votes. Some
years, the slates for president and vice presi-
dent are filled with promising leaders; some
years, they are a bunch of quacks. This year
has both. Only one team is best suited to lead
the assembly: Fiona Rose and Probir Mehta
ofthe Michigan Party are the strongest choice
for MSA president and vice president.
The Michigan Party has dominated the
executive offices of MSA for the past few
years, mainly because its leaders combine
vision with pragmatism. This year's candi-
dates provide more of the same. Rose and
Mehta plan to dedicate their administration
to "student well-being," an all-encompass-
ing vision to make student life better. These
issues include child care assistance, more
student representation on academic andpolicy
committees, improved safety and more park-
ing. The Michigan Party has best packaged
its goals, and its candidates are clearly the
only ones who can produce tangible results.
Rose, who has worked tirelessly on the
assembly for two years, translates her words
into action. Among her many accomplish-
ments is her recent success in sending an
initiative to the ballot that would create fund-
ing for child care. In addition, she
is fighting for Central Campus
commuter parking and working
to make tuition and textbooks Se'
more affordable.
Moreover, Rose has enough
backbone for the entire assem-
bly. She's tough, she's e,-<
hardworking, and she's a leader.
No other candidate could repre-
sent students better to the assem-
bly, administration or regents.
While she possesses negotiating skills, Rose
will not compromise her constituents' inter-
ests. Rose's style, passion, toughness and
past record prove that she is able to take a
tough-line with the administration, and as
she says, not let it "hoodwink" her into unac-
ceptable deals.
Mehta strongly complements Rose, espe-
cially since he is an out-of-state student (Rose
is from Michigan) and a minority. In addi-
tion, he said his "tenacity and goodwill"
allowshimto be an effective coalitionbuilder,
an important skill to possess. In his year on
MSA, he has gained considerable respect
from other members. He has been successful
as chair of the Campus Governance Commit-
tee, which appoints students to various com-
mittees throughout the University.
The Michigan Party must carry out the
work started this year. Rose must lead cur-
rent MSA President Flint Wainess' efforts
for health care reform, curriculum commit-
tees and other projects to fruition. The team
must continue to push for a full non-voting
student regent. Meanwhile, they must milk
the position of student representative for all
it is worth and send a representative to all the
regents meetings. It is a challenge, but Rose
and Mehta are undoubtedly capable of get-
ting the job done.
Along with the Michigan Party, five other
slates are running to lead the assembly. Of
these, independents Geoff Tudisco and Adam
Mesh are the worst choice. Armed with the
Greek vote and a fleet of campaign manag-
ers, neither of the pair has attended an MSA
meeting. When asked if they would partici-
pate in the administration's summer pro-
gram, Leadership 2017, neither Mesh nor
Tudisco - nor their campaign manager -
had heard of the program. Many complain
about incompetence in MSA -Tudisco and
Mesh would bring any of the assembly's
productivity to a complete halt.
The Libertv Party barelv scored better:
tended one MSA meeting in 1994. Although
he was aware of many of the main election
issues, his platform would do little to solve
the problems. The platform, based on a uto-
pian world of student choice, would render
the body ridiculous. Under the Liberty plan,
students would have a choice on whether to
contribute to the assembly; further, all major
decision would go before the students as a
referendum. Leadership by referendum is
not leadership at all.
United People's Coalition vice presiden-
tial candidate Johnny Su would make a great
addition to the assembly - as a representa-
tive. His running mate, presidential candi-
date Nora Salas, was unavailable for inter-
view. Concerned with minority issues, Su
would bring a necessary, and currently
underrepresented viewpoint to the assembly.
UPC runs an all people of color slate, assert-
ing that if whites can represent their minority
constituents, people of color can represent
whites. While more minority representatives
would enrich MSA, a party built on single-
minded resistance is not fit to lead the assem-
bly. Moreover, Su's even-handed style would
crumble at the Board of Regents' table. UPC
should present ideas to the assembly, but the
party is not suitable for leadership positions.
Vice presidential candidate
Olga Savic provides the
babysitter Students' Party presi-
rent dential candidate Jonathan Free-
man needs. The party chose its
a slate unwisely. Recently, Free-
man put himself up for recall as
ions chair ofMSA's International Stu-
rcb'h dents' Affairs Commission.
' x When the assembly rejected his
political maneuver, he resigned
from the chair. Freeman claims
he found a person better for the job, but his
explanation does not defend his antics.
Savic expends a lot ofenergy covering for
Freeman. She talks passionately about the
Students' Party platform - a tuition tax
credit, more student representation and in-
creased rights for minorities. However,
Savic's rhetoric cannot replace action. Be-
fore launching into the numerous problems
with student health care, Savic and Freeman
cited an insurance study the Michigan Party
initiated. However, the ticket proposed no
real solutions or ideas. The Students' Party is
mainly concerned with itself - not with
students. If elected, the partisan bickering in
the assembly could reach an all-time high.
Freeman and Savic are not electable.
Wolverine Party presidential candidate
Andy Schor deserves an honorable mention.
He is honest, thoughtful and hard-working
- qualities of an excellent representative.
However, the Wolverine Party is underde-
veloped. The platform includes some cre-
ative ideas, such as merit-based pay bonuses
for Graduate Student Instructors and expan-
sion of Minority Peer Programs, but it lacks
specific plans toput them into action. Coupled
with a small electoral base, a Wolverine
administration would be significantly less
effective than Michigan Party leadership.
Despite vice presidential candidate Matt
Curin's clean hands in the BPC "non-crisis,"
he has shown little promise; Curin takes a
backseat to Schor. Schor is not strong enough
to carry the entire party.
MSA has done a lot in recent years to
increase its profile and credibility with stu-
dents. With difficult issues facing the assem-
bly this year, such as health care reform,
child care assistance and efforts to increase
students' financial aid, leaders must work to
maintain and improve credibility. Only the
Michigan Party, led by Fiona Rose and Probir
Mehta, is equipped to handle the enormous
tasks facing the assembly. A vote for them is
Budgeting
priorities
harm MSA
TO THE DAILY:
I finally saw an intelli-
gent comment from a
Michigan Student Assembly
candidate in the Daily today
("Six tickets filed for MSA
pres. election," 3/12/96).
This candidate stated that
they stood for changing
certain student fees from
mandatory to voluntary. It
seems that all the hypocriti-
cal MSA candidates keep
talking about lowering
student costs while trying to
increase student fees.
I am for worthy pro-
grams such as infant care or
health care (once researched
properly). But the entire
Budget Priorities Committee
fiasco has demonstrated that
MSA already has too much
of the students' money
without competent manage-
ment. I cringe at the thought
of paying out of state fees
and having a bunch of
juvenile political wannabees
play "Big Government"
style games with even one
cent of my money. let alone
over $70,000 of the student
body's money! I know that I
pay interest on part of that
$70,000 per year. It disgusts
me to see my student loans
increase to enable the MSA
another opportunity for a
"non-crisis." The MSA
establishment must end.
They are not spending MSA
funds. They are spending
parents' money, students'
money and my money!
CARLO E. HERNANDEZ
LSA SENIOR
Coverage
ignores
independent
candidates
TO THE DAILY:
It seems as if time after
time, the Daily receives
complaints from students
about-he parties and politics
of the Michigan Student
Assembly. Yet our candi-
dacy seems to get no
coverage, despite represent-
ing the students displeasure
with the problems of the
student government: the
gridlock, the bickering, the
party posturing and the lack
of interest (or general lack
of knowledge) on the part of
the student body.
The goings on in MSA
remain a mystery to the
majority of the student
population, as shown by the
horrible turnout of just
barely 7 percent of the
student body in the last
MSA election.
Maybe if the students
questioned about various
issues facing MSA while we
are left out of the mix. All
we see is that the students
that do care are generally
fed up with the student
government as it is right
ntow.
We have a homepage on
the web at hup://tribeca.
ios. com/-transitl/
campaign. html where
anyone who wants can
contact Geoff Tudisco or
Adam Mesh, and see our
entire campaign platform.
The student government
needs an influx of new
people to voice their
opinions. We want to do
something about it, and we
would if we were only
heard.
GEOFF TUDISCO
LSA JUNIOR
UPC offers
fresh ideas
for assembly
To THE DAILY:
Nora Salas. For a
majority of the campus this
name means nothing. Say
Fiona Rose and most will
make a connection to the
name and a trillion posters
plastered around Angell
Hall. What's really pathetic
is that both are running for
the highest position of the
University student govern-
ment, and one is being cast
in the limelight whie the
other is fighting the very
ideal that has kept her in the
dark - racism.
Nora Salas has taken all
the frustrations, pain and
anger of people of color, and
packaged it into a platform
that finally speaks to their
needs. Showing true
leadership, Salas, Johnny Su
and the entire UPC party
have battled institutional
racism to form a voice for
people of color.
I find it disgraceful and
a reflection of the campus
environment that the United
People's Coalition has
gotten so little coverage in
the Daily.
It just goes to show that
racism is alive and well at
the University. For being a
student newspaper, the
Daily has made a conscious
choice about which students
to cover. I guess the United
People's Coalition does
know what it is talking
about!
NEERA PARIKH
LSA SENIOR
Rose and
Stalin don't
compare
TO THE DAILY:
Ann Arbor Tenants' Union
may be valid. His compari-
son of Rose toStalin, ("And
people say that Stalin was a
political opportunist")
however, only serves to
undermine his own integrity
and credibility. His implica-
tion is clear: He believes that
Fiona Rose has the capacity
to rule as a tyrant would.
Hardy says that he "(does)
not want to see her control-
ling and manipulating the
entire process," but to
compare an MSA candidate
to a man who condoned the
deaths of millions of his own
people is utterly absurd. If
nothing else, I am led to
believe that Hardy is
harboring a sizable personal
grudge against Rose.
I would urge any of you
who are no longer consider-
ing this candidate on the
basis of Hardy's letter to
examine his gross bias.
Instead, as I think Hardy
wisely suggests that we do,
challenge Rose - and other
MSA hopefuls - on their
past performances and
commitment to student
issues before deciding
whether or not they will get
your vote.
LINDSAY SMITH
RC JUNIOR
Fisher is the
cause of 'M'
basketball
troubles
To THE DAILY
Five years. The best
talent in the Big Ten,
perhaps in the nation. No
Big Ten titles, no national
championships. What is the
problem with Michigan's
basketball team? Coach
Steve Fisher.
Basketball is a game
requiring both physical and
mental dimensions. The
playersause theirtathletic
ability and skill to provide
the physical talent.
However, the athletes can
only provide some of the
mental skills, the rest of
which should be provided by
the coach (i.e., preparation
and motivation).
Fisher has proven that he
is unable to do this, and
therefore he is an incompe-
tent basketball coach. (I will
admit, he has a great
recruiting touch.)
I came to the University
dreaming that I would see a
national championship. I
road tripped to New Orleans
that year only to see this
dream slip away when Chris
Webber called an unavail-
able timeout.
Is it ironic that this past
weekend, against Texas, my
senior year as a Wolverines
basketball fan ended the
same way as my first year
did? No, it isn't. Apparently
THE ERASABLE PEN
It's time to sign
that lease
are you ready
for the results?
t's March in Ann Arbor: there's
still snow on the ground, our leases
are all signed for next year, and we're
damn sick of wherever we're living.
Your options for next year will prob-
ably look some-
thing like this:
Living in thex.,
dorm. Livinginthe
dorm is much like
living in Tokyo:
You pay incred-
ible sums of
money for an in-
credibly small
space. One cool
thing is that some- JEAN
one else will take TWENGE
care of that nasty-
looking ring of
scum in your toilet.
Another cool thing is you're never
in want of company - even if you
have a single, there's always lots of
people to bother down the hall (read:
complain to, write your papers for
you, make small talk with, etc.). Of
course, these are the same people
who will have a party with 50 of their
closest alcoholic friends the night
before your psych final.
Advantages: You don't have to cook
the food.
Disadvantages: The food tastes like
store-brand cat food, and your choices
are usually Mystery Stew (i.e., cooked
store-brand cat food) or Mystery Stew
f1: The Sequel (cold store-brand cat
food). Then there is the dining halln,
favorite ofmy dorm in college: Roast
Steamship. (I am not making this up.
Basically, it looked,like an over-
cooked slabof British beef. You gotta
watch out for those mad steamships.)
Living in an apartment with
roommates. When you get sick of
living in the dorm, it's time to gather
up your closest dorm friends, find an
apartment, and discover soon after-
ward that you hate them.
In his book "Entry-Level Life," Dan
Zevin enumerates the types of room-.
mates: the Psycho Freak, the Animal,
the Anal-Retentive and the Fornica-
tor. I've always thought the worst
form of Anal-Retentive is not only a
roommate who cleans everything
compulsively, but thensbegins to re- 4
semble your mother when she guilt
trips you for not doing the cleaning
yourself.
The Animal is the sloppy opposite:
"Apparentlyraised by wolves," Zevin
writes, "the Animal is unaccustomed
to such highly evolved skills as bath-
ing, doing laundry, and eating with
utensils."
The Fornicator, on the other hand,
leaves behind a trail of various oils,
catalogs wrapped in brown paper,
candles, whips, chains, and lubricated
gerbils.
Advantages: You might not have to
take out a loan to pay the rent.
Disadvantages: You might get
evicted because your roommate for-
gets to pay his share of the rent.
Living alone. When my parents
came to visit me at my apartment for
Thanksgiving, my mom misread a
partially obscured book title: "Howq
to Survive Living Alone," she read. I
pulled the Dilbert book off the floor
-"You Won't Survive by Your Wits
Alone." Needless to say, Mom was a
little worried about my surviving on
my own. I don't think it's that bad -
between going to the library and fend-
ing off the claws of my perpetually
hyper cat, I don't have time to be
lonely. The best part is the cleaning.~
- I may not have someone to share
it, but I can now wipe the counter
only when I think it's dirty, and not
when my roommate sees an imagi-
nary speck of dust and yells at me for
not wiping the counter. Living alone
also helps your social life in strange
ways - for instance your friends
will never again hear the magic words
"Can you call back later? I'm on the,
other line."
Advantages: Everything is yours.
Disadvantages: This includes the
entire rent check. If you have enough
money left to buy food, it's probably'
only enough to buy Ramen Noodles
or, even better, Roast Steamship.
Living at home with your par-
ents. If you must go this route, at least
insist that they throw out the .pink"
canopy bed in your room they bought
you when you were eight.
This has similar advantages to liv-
ing in the dorm - the ring in the
toilet, your dirty glasses and your
unmade bed will magically disap-
pear through no effort ofyourown. If
you're lucky, your parents are also
better cooks than the dorm cafeteria
n
I
In.
I
19
.r
.,
p
1I