4 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, April 5, 1996
ct e firtchtgtttt t ttil
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 the majority of the Daily's editorial board. All
other articles, letters and cartoons do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily.
FROM THE DAILY
Bashing the hash law
'U' should not hinder tomorrow's rally
NOTABLE QUOTABLE
'He was a loner. I don't think he really avoided
people. He could talk to people in the usual
types of conversations.'
- University mathematics Prof Peter Duren, describing his former student,
Theodore John Kaczynski, who the FBI arrested Wednesday,
as a suspect in the Unabomber case
JIM LASSER SHARP AS TOAST
SORRY, THIS ISN'T REALLY '' 7?4lro
THE CON TRACT WE WERE
LOOKING FOR.
'3
LT HEO
L.ETTERS TO THE EDITOR
It's spring, and up to 5,000 graying hip-
pies, curious first-year students and vet-
eran potheads will converge on the Diag
tomorrow for the 25th Annual Hash Bash
- provided they can find the money.
Each year, the University requests an
exorbitant deposit from Help Eliminate
Marijuana A2, the organization sponsoring
the rally to legalize marijuana. To obtain a
permit, the group first must shell out a $600
security deposit and a $200 electricity
deposit.
Hash Bash makes a mess, but the
University has another motivation: prevent-
ing the demonstration. That is why the
Department of Public Safety will increase
its Diag patrol to make the ratio close to 100
spectators to one officer, although the cus-
tomary ratio for large crowds is 750 to one.
Fortunately, the University did not try to
charge HEMP A2 a security deposit, as it
did in some past years.
The $800 deposit is strenuous enough on
the group; DPS could back off as well.
Hash Bash is crowded and joyful, similar to
football Saturdays - but more peaceful.
After all, students can spend their weekends
however they choose - including blissful
protest of a ridiculous law.
Legalize it
Marijuana has been illegal in the United
States since the 1930s. The government
classifies it as a drug in the same category
as LSD and crack cocaine. While pot is
undeniably a drug, its effects are much clos-
er to those of alcohol than to other illegal
substances. To outlaw it, while keeping
alcohol legal for anyone over 21 years old,
makes little sense.
Those who oppose legalizing marijuana
argue that the drug's dangers obligate the
government to keep it out of citizens' hands
- a flawed claim in several respects. First,
researchers have debated pot's physical
effects for years; the majority of researchers
conclude pot is not physically addictive.
While other studies may dispute this, no
researcher has proved that marijuana is any
more physically harmful than alcohol -
and it is certainly not destructive in the
same way other illegal drugs are.
That leaves the potential for psychologi-
cal addiction. Like alcohol and other chem-
ical substances, that potential is present. Yet
if this were justification for criminalization,
the government would outlaw not only alco-
hol but cigarettes, caffeine and a host of
other products. Whether to use - or abuse
- a substance is a personal choice.
Many opponents believe to legalize pot
is to condone its use. However, legalizing
pot is to admit the right of adults to control
what they do and do not put into their bod-
ies. The government has no right to inter-
fere in this choice.
Furthermore, even the present illegal
status of marijuana has not prevented peo-
ple from using it. Instead, the thrill of
breaking the law by using pot enhances its
appeal, especially for teen-agers. Rather
than pouring dollars into future law
enforcement of an ineffective law, the gov-
ernment would do much better if it legal-
ized pot, heavily regulated its availability
and usage, and imposed heavy "sin" taxes
on its sale. The money could go to drug
education and prevention programs - a
much more worthy endeavor than fighting
the losing battle against marijuana use.
Legalizing pot will not create a peaceful
world or solve all problems. But the gov-
ernment has no more reason to ban mari-
juana than it does espresso.
And Ann Arborites would not want to
live without espresso.
Legal abortion
RU-486 would give women more options
woman's right to determine her ulti-
mate reproductive destiny, though
challenged, was established by laws that
grant her the power of choice. The Federal
Drug Administration announced this week
that it would begin reviewing the effective-
ness and safety of RU-486, an alternative
method to traditional surgical termination
when women opt to abort pregnancies.
RU-486 is a hormone-packed pill that
induces miscarriage within 24 to 48 hours
of administration. The drug has a 98.7-per-
cent success record for complete abortion.
Side effects of RU-486 include cramping,
nausea and hemorrhaging - the bleeding
will subside within eight to 15 days. To
avoid complications, medically trained staff
should give RU-486 to a woman within her
first or early second trimester of pregnancy,
and only after a thorough initial exam.
Since 1988, women in South America
and Europe have had access to RU-486. In
1993, The New England Journal of
Medicine found RU-486 to be "effective for
the termination of early pregnancy in terms
of success, tolerance, safety and practicali-
ty."
A safe, alternative option for women
seeking to exercise a confirmed right has
been suppressed and withheld from
American women until now. Body politics,
conservative tempers and coalition extrem-
ism inhibited the testing and use of RU-
486. Hijacking a freedom to espouse a dis-
senting view borders on criminalization.
The lam ie clear. Abrtinn is1v02a
consent laws, parental consent laws and the
ban on Medicaid abortions already create a
substantial roadblock to choice. Combined
with small but potent abortion-inhibiting
laws, the lack of abortion alternatives con-
tributes to the destruction of a legal right to
abortion.
RU-486 would ease the process by
allowing for privacy. Women enter the clin-
ic, take a pill, return home and report back
to the clinic a week later for a dose of prog-
esterone and a check-up. For some women,
the isolation of out-patient abortion is tor-
turous; recipients of RU-486 may choose to
remain at the clinic during abortion. For
others, the support of family and of experi-
encing the loss of their pregnancy in a more
Concert
review is
childish
TO THE DAILY:
I am not an avid reader of
the Daily Arts section, but
when I came across Eugene
Bowen's review of Tracy
Chapman's concert ("Spirited
tunes enchant crowd,"
3/20/96), I thought perhaps it
would be an interesting read.
Unfortunately, the piece read
like an 8th grader's ill-
thought out movie review,
scribbled furiously on a sheet
of crumpled notebook paper
and handed in at the last
moment of an introductory
journalism class.
While the review intends
to be favorable, it is plagued
by back-handed compli-
ments, beginning with the
opening sentence: "Nobody
in their right mind would
attend a Tracy Chapman con-
cert expecting to be greeted
with outstanding vocals ...
her voice is very plain."
My question is this: If
Bowen did not expect to hear
a great vocalist, why would
he bother to go to the con-
cert? Chapman is indeed a
marvelous vocalist; she is
undoubtedly far more talent-
ed than the screechy Mariah
Carey with whom Bowen
attempts to compare
Chapman.
Bowen's review does not
demonstrate even a modicum
of intelligence regarding the
writing of concert reviews,
much less basic journalism
techniques. Did he actually
attend the concert, or did he
just look at the CD cover and
copy down all of Chapman's
lyrics in an effort to fill
space? Nobody in their right
mind would read another one
of Bowen's reviews. I certain-
ly won't.
JANE HUGHES
LSA JUNIOR
Art dean:
Design won't
take away
from art
TO THE DAILY:
There is no debate going
on in the School of Art and
Design about art versus tech-
nology. All artists utilize
technologies be they low tech
or high. There exists no plan
to replace traditional disci-
plines with those that utilize
new technologies. The plan is
to supplement the old with
the new so that students have
access to and experience of
both. We will always draw
and work directly with our
hands in paint, clay, metal
ideas, issues, tools, tech-
niques and art forms as a
result of considering art in
new ways.
There is no plan to
advance design at the
expense of art. Design cannot
be without art, and art is
informed by design. The
school and the University
must have both. In our facul-
ty search, each candidate is
evaluated on capacity to con-
tribute to the entire school,
and not to just an area of per-
sonal expertise.
We are seeking a new
kind of artist who is deeply
invested in a particular area
but who is also interested in
exploring, reconsidering,
redefining and reinventing art
forms and ways of making
intellectual inquiry through
visual means. There is no
intent to weaken,reduceor
eliminate fine art. (Indeed, I
am in the middle of contrac-
tual arrangements that will
bring internationally-known
fine artists to the school on a
regular basis beginning next
fall.)
There is no intent to
replace fine arts disciplines
with design disciplines.
Statements found in recent
Daily articles that imply such
replacement are simply
untrue and do not represent
the reality of what is going
on in this changing and
developing school.
The facts are that half of
the students in the school are
design students, and due to
the attrition, there are four
faculty positions available in
design that need to be filled
if students are to have
instruction next September.
These are not new posi-
tions, simply replacement for
faculty who have already left
or who are about to leave the
University.
As for the other three fac-
ulty positions available, I
believe that the entire school
will benefit if artists repre-
senting new genre are recruit-
ed. New genre artists can
bring both traditional and
contemporary art forms and
technologies to us, which will
benefit all students in the
school.
Change is difficult.
Change makes people anx-
ious and uneasy. However,
not changing, not trying, not
exploring new ways of seeing
thinking and creating is a
scenario that should make
everyone even more anxious
and uneasy. And it is not
acceptable behavior in a ster-
ling research university like
ours.
The School of Art and
Design will change and
develop and assume its right-
ful prominent role in this
University and nationally -
have no doubt. We simply
must remember that disagree-
ment is inevitable and we
need not automatically lead
to anger and disrespect.
erage of Michigan's only
national championship in this
season of high expectations
-- this year's hockey team's
success. No team at this
University deserves more of
the nation's respect, or this
University's respect, more
than Red Berenson's hockey
team.
The past couple of years
have been tough for
Berenson - living up to the
mystique of Wolverine hock-
ey teams of the 1950s and
1960s, improving a tarnished
image and a struggling hock-
ey team, conquering heart-
break losses in the past three
years of the NCAA hockey
tournament.
However, there was noth-
ing better for Berenson than
his 300th victory, and this
team's national champi-
onship. Morrison, Botterill,
Turco, Halko and Hilton,
along with the rest of the
team, deserved this. It is a
shame former greats like
Steve Shields and Mike
Knubble could not share in
the bliss. This was for them
too.
My special thanks go to
(The Michigan Daily sports
staff) for its constant belief
this season in the Wolverine's
hockey program and its glori-
fication of the coach that put
it all together.
This championship was
not only a win for the team,
it was also a victory for the
University. Maybe the nation
will finally wake up to
Michigan hockey.
Maybe this University
will, too.
Good job! Go Blue!
JEFF BuvAsS
LSA SOPHOMORE
MSAAATU
are working
together to
help students
To THE DAILY:
A student's letter printed
in the Daily recently ("Rose
lacks integrity," 3/21/96) may
have created an inaccurate
impression that the Ann
Arbor Tenants' Union
opposed Fiona Rose's candi-
dacy. For the record, the
AATU neither supported nor
opposed any candidate.
In the past, the AATU has
been crippled by funding
changes related to partisan
maneuvering on the
Michigan Student Assembly.
This year has been bless-
edly free of such controversy
and we aim to keep it that
way. As a non-profit student
group serving all University
student tenants, the AATU
relies on MSA funding to
nrovide valuable and uniaue
McIN rOSH CLASSICS
Secret societies.s
Don 't 'Michout'
on all the fun
and excitement
I n case you missed it, about two
weeks ago somebody with way to
much time on his hands fired off an
mail message to several thousand of
his closest friends regarding three
secret societies on
this campus. The
secret societies
exist, he conclud-
ed, and they occu-
py the top floors
of the Michigan
Union.
Umm ... thanks
I think.
This guy ~-
skipped BRENT
Orientation, right, MCINTOSH
when they told us
all that stuff? These "secret" societies
are about as secret as Ted Kennedy's
drinking problem. Did this guy really
think the best floors of the coolest
building on campus were ... unoccu-
pied? Umm ... do the words "beaco
front property" and "Kansas" come to
mind?
In his defense, every few years
there's a little frenzy over these soci-
eties, which smack of you-wish-you-
were-me-ism; our e-mailer has even
more serious concerns about
Michiguama, the men-only society
that claims to represent the 25 best
men on campus. Michiguama, he says,
is racist, sexist, elitist and sever,
other loaded words ending with "istY
Now students are getting e-mail urg-
ing protest of the societies' existence.
I've even heard several people saying
that the societies should be abolished.
Yeah, abolish them ... then bring
fraternity hazing to a screeching halt,
stop underage drinking, rid the cam-
pus of Jeep Cherokees driven by ath-
letes and New Jersey girls, and end
world hunger. Hey, I'd like to teach
world to sing in perfect harmony, but
ain't gonna happen.
I have a better idea. Remember how
cool it was when your grade-school
club drew lots of attention by taking
Old Mr. Rosenberg hostage and leav-
ing his dentures for the police to find?
Remember how it wasn't so cool any-
more when everybody on your block
had a club and all the old people you
knew had been taken hostage?
Well, the same thing applies 0
secret societies: the more clubs, the
less cool. Once we're all members of
secret societies, Michigamua won't be
quite so cool.
Therefore, it is every student's duty
to become a member of a secret soci-
ety. Among the best 25 men on cam-
pus? Join Michigamua. Among the
worst 25 men in the business school?
Join Michmanagement and get elect
to MSA. Feel alienated from toda
modern society and need a shoulder to
lean on? Join Michunderstood, form a
militia, buy a machine gun and act
paranoid.
The possibilities are endless, really.
, for one, am joining
SwingandaMich, the society for those
of us who couldn't hit a baseball if it
were laying in the road and we were
driving monster trucks. For those peo-
ple who have a similar deficiency
the basketball court, there
Michajumpshot. Patron saint: Willie
Mitchell.
Do people often think that you're
Yasser Arafat and wonder what you're
doing in Ann Arbor?
Michtakenldentity is just the club for
you.
Societies, though, aren't limited to
inherent characteristics. They range
across interests and likenesses U
thought, also.
For the 25 men on campus who most
hate women, there's Michogyny; for
petty criminals, there's
Michdemeanor. The two groups will
often meet to roam campus stealing
purses, scrawling "Chicks Suck" graf-
fiti and otherwise harassing women.
Fanatical Trekkies will find it emi-
nently logical to join MichterSpock;
paranoid delusionals who belie7
horses speak to them will find th
anodyne inMichterEd.
No one's really sure what
Michnomer does.
Women, too, can start secret soci-
eties. Do you have a beautiful fake tan,
huge white teeth (like, for example,
Mr. Ed's?) and the ability to make up
spontaneous tripe about how you "just
want to solve the world's problems,
then act in movies?"
Well, then - here she comes,
MichAmerica. If you'd like to do the
same thing on a smaller scale, try
MichMichichippi.
Forming our own clubs is our path to
freedom from the tyranny of evil
a
patural manner - as opposed to an operat-
ing room extraction under local or general
anesthesia - provides a poignant sense of
closure.
Under current law, each woman techni-
cally has reproductive control her body, but
in actuality the right is limited. FDA
approval of RU-486 will begin to correct
this. Ideally, protection and birth control
would alleviate the need for abortion. As
this is not the reality, women need options.
Though the advent and availability of
alternative abortive measures will not cush-
ion the pain and fear a woman may feel
when she discovers an unwanted pregnancy,
RU-486 will allow her greater latitude in
deciding how she will handle this wrench-
ing dilemma. If the FDA examines the pos-
itive results of the drug in other countries