4 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, April 19, 1996
cbE d iga
420 Maynard Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Edited and managed by
students at the
University of Michigan
ae ., ,
s
Y
RONNIE GLASSBERG
Editor in Chief
ADRIENNE JANNEY
ZACHARY M. RAIMI
Editorial Page Editors
NOTABLE QUOTABLE,
'I do not believe this is a death-sentence case.'
- Michigan State University President M. Peter McPherson told reporters
Wednesday that he does not think MSUsfootball program will be disbanded. An
internal investigation revealed that the football team violated NCAA regulations.
McINosH CmSICS
Trying to grasp
somepeet
moments before
the slp way
P erfect moments are not so polite
they just sort of sneak up on you. One.
minute, it's just
another wonderful
day; the next,
you're having a
wlnperfect moment.
You don't know
how long it will
last, but you're ,
0
Unless otherwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of the majority ofthe Dailv s editorial board.A ll
other articles, letters and cartoons do not necessarilv reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily.
FROM THE DAILY
The new Director
JIM LASSER
SHARP AS TOAST
0
A CARTooNIsTS C~UIDE
U' made wise choice
T he University made a wise move by
selecting Stephen Director to serve as
the new dean of the College of Engineering.
Currently the engineering dean at Carnegie
Mellon University, Director is a nationally
renowned and widely respected leader in
engineering research and scholastics.
Director should strengthen the already solid
reputation of the University's College of
Engineering and keep it among the best in
the nation.
Director graduated from the State
University of New York at Stony Brook and
the University of California at Berkeley. He
began teaching at the University of Florida
before moving to Carnegie Mellon in 1977.
Director built his reputation as an expert in
computer-aided circuit design. He has writ-
ten six books on circuit theory, authored
more than 150 articles and received many
national awards for his research.
Since former Dean Peter Banks stepped
down in November 1994, the College of
Engineering has been without a permanent
dean. Engineering Prof. Glenn Knoll has
served on an interim basis. The University
was smart to make an appointment now,
instead of delaying it further. If the
University had waited to appoint a dean
until a new president was in place, it might
have taken a year or two longer. Further
delay would have prevented the department
from conducting long-term planning.
Director has expressed his commitment
to diversity for the College of Engineering.
While minority and female enrollment has
for Engineering dean
consistently risen in the last few years, the
college must still work to increase diversity.
Director's commitment to fairness in enroll-
ment is encouraging.
Director also said he plans to strengthen
the College of Engineering's research pro-
grams. He stated, "It will be nice to be part
of an organization that is progressing rapid-
ly and moving into the future." During his
tenure as dean at Carnegie Mellon, he was
successful in a similar venture.
His appointment affects more than just
Engineering students. The role of technolo-
gy in education continues to increase in
importance. Director said technology will
play a greater role in the engineering pro-
gram under his tenure. He also said that
many University resources, such as the new
Media Union, will help students in all fields
learn more in new ways. Under Director's
leadership, technology most likely will
become a significant part of the curriculum;
he is a solid choice to move the University
to the cutting edge of technology.
The University made its selection with
foresight. Director wants to make the
College of Engineering more technological-
ly advanced and he possess the qualifica-
tions to accomplish this goal. He must con-
tinue the college's commitment to diversity
and cooperation between the University's
other schools and colleges.
Director's ability to work with others,
coupled with his long-term vision for the
college, should ensure success in meeting
his goals.
rt
ANGRY
1r
t'4
AMAZED
ioTtHe r4YRFACES OF
4tt
1i Wormy
FEAR
.C-
H YSTE R ICAL
jay
(4
ASI EEP
A,/ktiA,
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Safer streets
City's budget proposal
A nn Arbor's streets may become a little
safer if the City Council passes the
budget proposal for the 1996-97 fiscal year.
Earlier this week, City Administrator Neal
Berlin proposed a budget that would
increase the allotment to the police depart-
ment by $1.5 million. Overall, the budget is
a step in the right direction - it has made
improvement of city services a top priority.
The increased funding to the Ann Arbor
Police Department is an attempt to improve
a few key areas of deficiency in the current
state of the department. For example, the
budget provides funds to upgrade technolo-
gy. The police department is currently using
a 10-year-old communications system.
Police have requested a replacement system
for several years.
The budget would grant more money for
the department's innovative community-ori-
ented policing program. Additional funds
would expand and improve the program.
The program encourages the officers to
become more active in the neighborhoods
they patrol. Not only has the program been
successful in making neighborhoods safer,
it has improved the community's perception
of the police department. Since the program
has been successful, and the community
values it, Berlin deserves commendation
for proposing a funding increase.
Moreover, the budget calls for increas-
ing the number of police officers on the
streets. Under the budget, the department
would hire nine new police officers in the
next year - this will allow the officers to
devote more time to the neighborhoods they
are assigned to patrol. The budget also
includes the hiring of four new civilian cus-
would improve AAPD
tomer service assistants; as a result, officers
would be able to spend more time on the
streets and less time behind a desk. These
changes would help to cut crime.
Overall, the proposal would allocate a
$1.5-million increase to the police depart-
ment, compared to last year's budget. In
recent years, the City Council was con-
cerned about the variable climate of city
funding. In the late 1980s, the city had a
$1.6-million deficit. In addition, the coun-
cil was not sure how Proposal A - a redis-
tribution of property taxes at the state level
- would affect city finances. As a result,
the city built a reserve fund of nearly $11.7
million, the highest level in more than 10
years.
This year's budget proposes to make use
of more than $3.2 million of those funds,
which will keep city taxes fairly stable or
slightly reduced for most home owners. The
reserve fund will still be left with a signifi-
cant amount of money in case the city is
strapped with financial problems in the
future. The increase of allocations, then,
will not adversely affect the city's financial
well-being.
The budget also allocates increases in
funding for the human resources depart-
ment and the city attorney's office. These
funds are aimed at improving the city's cus-
tomer service. Also, there are allotments for
various youth programs that aim to keep
young people active and off the streets.
This budget represents a commitment to
Ann Arbor's citizens. The City Council
should pass this budget - it will increase
the quality of services to levels that citizens
deserve.
'U' faculty
are paid too
much money
TO THE DAILY:
Your article on the phe-
nomenal paychecks for
University professors ("'U'
salaries low for peer group'
4/11/96) was a hoot!
President James Duderstadt
and Provost Bernard Machen
should both be reminded that
while they prefer to play
financial games with their
designated "peer institu-
tions," the University is a
public, not a private school.
Michigan taxpayers are being
gouged by their collective
Bill Gates arrogance.
The Michigan Daily
should do a follow-up article
citing a few more insightful
points. In addition to their
inflated salaries, what other
benefits do faculty receive
via medical benefits, travel
and other perks in their con-
tracts?
Since the upper echelon
of the University faculty are
tenured, what is the cost after
they retire? After all, these
chosen ones have guaranteed
lifetime contracts no matter
how good or bad they are;
they are the Supreme Court
justices of the higher educa-
tional system.
Finally, and most impor-
tantly, the Daily ought to do
some number crunching of
its own and take a close look
at the ratio of students taught
per deep-pocketed professors.
How many classes do they
teach? What's their student
population'?
If - as we've learned
from the recent Graduate
Employees Organization's
two-day work stoppage -
graduate student instructors
are educating 40 percent of
the University's undergradu-
ates and the lowly-paid
instructors (who earn barely
1/3 of their tenured peers)
proctor the second largest
bulk of students, how many
of these top dogs are pulling
their weight with hands-on
education?
I'll bet those numbers
would be staggering. And
good for a few more laughs
especially in the feathered-
bedded nests of tenured pro-
fessors practically allergic to
coming into contact with the
very people they are suppos-
edly here to educate.
E. MICHAEL LEONARD
LSA JUNIOR
Greek Week
works with
charities
TO THE DAILY:
I know that I and many
important events that occur
on campus and in the world.
A week-long event that
involves approximately 30
percent of the campus' stu-
dent body deserves coverage.
The money Greek Week
earns for charity is substan-
tial and it involves multiple
local organizations and phil-
anthropic events. It, in itself,
is an example of students
coming together to help out
the community.
I strongly feel it deserved
coverage and hope the Daily
will give this some thought
and include Greek Week cov-
erage in the years to come,
because it undeniably
deserves to be recognized.
LESLEY BAUMANN
LSA SOPHOMORE
Paper theft
was about
racism, not
free speec h
TO THE DAILY:
Your editorial regarding
the theft of newspapers ("An
act of censorship: Theft of
student newspaper abridges
rights," 3/29/96) seems to
have missed the entire point.
And, I'm quite sure that this
was intentional on your part.
Instead of addressing why the
Daily is seen as racist,wyou
focused upon the issue of
"free speech." Let's discuss
free speech.
You say that the Daily has
always supported others'
rights to protest, but you
neglect to mention the con-
text of allowable protest that
you place on it. Any protest
views that are aired in your
paper must come through you
(the editors).
It seems to me that, on a
daily basis, you are the viola-
tors of free speech.
You suggest letters to the
editor and "creating a new
publication" as the "proper"
means of dissent, yet you
miss the contradictions inher-
ent therein.
To use your suggested
means of dissent implies one
of two things:
No. 1: Protest must either
come through your channels
(letters to the editor); or, No.
2: Through very expensive
means (creating a new publi-
cation). This prohibits the
overwhelming majority of
people, who are like me (not
wealthy) from being effec-
tively heard.
Thus, your self-righteous
platitudes about free speech
and criminal prosecution
seem more like the rantings
of corporate (in this case
University) puppets who see
their purpose of existence
threatened.
This purpose is profit.
What this episode has forced
Editorial
misinterprets
abortion law
TO THE DAILY:
The Daily's recent editori-
al ("A show of strength:
Clinton's abortion bill veto
was appropriate," 4/16/96)
said that any law that restricts
a form of abortion would
violate the sanctity of Roe v.
Wade and would give abor-
tion opponents "license to
sponsor anti-abortion legisla-
tion nationwide"
The Daily's implication
that Roe protects late-term
abortions is just plain wrong.
In fact, Roe specifically
allows the state to prohibit
these abortions.
"If the State is interested
in protecting fetal life after
viability, it may go so far as
to proscribe abortion during
that period, except when it is
necessary to preserve the life
or health of the mother," Roe,
1973.
Certainly President
Clinton was right to veto the
specific bill Congress passed,
since Roe does protect late-
term abortions performed to
save the woman's life.
However, the Daily's
assertion that all abortions
are protected by Roe makes it
clear that they have absolute-
ly no idea what Roe says.
Certainly the Daily's edi-
torial staff cannot be expect-
ed to understand every com-
plexity of the law, but when
the staff mentions a case
three times in an editorial, I
don't think it's too much to
ask that they know what they
are talking about.
But what is more trou-
bling than the fact that the
Daily perpetuated false infor-
mation is that it demonstrated
a very superficial under-
standing of the moral impli-
cations of late-term abor-
tions. A 5 1/2-month-old
fetus has a highly developed
brain and nervous system and
can actually feel the abortion-
ist killing her, and it is a
moral contradiction for abor-
tionists to kill this fetus while
a doctor struggles to save a
baby born 3 1/2 months pre-
mature.
The argument that there
are very few late-term abor-
tions performed for non-
health reasons is not a reason
to oppose prohibiting these
senseless killings. If a serial
killer were annually murder-
ing five prematurely born
babies, we would not refuse
to prosecute because only a
few die.
Similarly, we cannot
refuse to protect a fetus from
being aborted after it reaches
viability. Indeed, the fact that
these abortions are performed
so rarely actually strengthens
the argument for a ban, since
it would not significantly
affect abortion rights.
sure you never
want it to end.
Perfecti
moments always
catch you when B BRENT
you're relaxing on MCINTOSH
the porch, usually
with friends but sometimes alone, in
glaring sun or on a cool rainy night.
You're talking with someone or read-
ing a book, just watching cars slide by
and slurping orange juice ... suddenly
you're assaulted with the sheer right-
ness of the situation. It's that singular
certain perception that nothing could
ever be better than this moment, that
all is right with you - which is all that
matters - and that there is truly
nowhere you would rather be.
A perfect moment is lazily tossing a
Frisbee on Elbel Field after spending
what could have been a sun-drenched
Wednesday trapped inside your office
job. It's cruising a red convertible
through the curves of Huron River
Drive when the trees are at their green
est; it's dozing on the couch on a casu-
al Sunday afternoon. It's the first
snowball fightof the winter.
It's a good thing perfect moments
don't come along often: Were they
common, we would too easily take
them for granted.
U..
Perfect moment;. You ecstatically
crowd onto South U. with 12,000 of
your closest friends to celebrate a big4
Wolverine athletic triumph. You sing
"The Victors," flow with the mob and
wonder why you can't have this much
fun all the time.
A perfect moment is harmony. It is a
minute or two of repose in a chaotic
world. It is that hour in April, on the
first warm day of spring, when a
crowded Diag brings you to the real-
ization that there are 17 people here
that you really want to talk to, and only4
one you to do the talking.
A perfect moment is a $5 bleacher
seat at a stunningly beautiful Detroit
Tiger day game, kicking back with
your friends and a hot dog, realizing
that whatever your feelings on Bruce
Springsteen may be, the "Glory Days"
blaring over the loudspeakers was
written specifically about you and
your friends and this very moment in
this very place.74
It's Hemingway writing in "The Sun
Also Rises" that it was "a good morn-
ing, there were high white clouds
above the mountains. It had rained a
little in the night and it was fresh and
cool on the plateau, and there was a
wonderful view. We all felt good and
healthy, and I felt quite friendly... You
could not be upset about anything on a
day like that."
It's readingdthat passage over lunch
in Prague and thinking, "That's how
feel right now."
0
0
r
Glorious sunny days don't have a
monopoly on perfect moments. Ever
stood in Michigan Stadium in the
silent moonlight, in awe of its vast
emptiness? Ever walked in the Arb in
a soothing drizzle?
A perfect moment is the feeling you
get after stupidly struggling to th
shelter of your 9 o'clock, when the
windchill is an Ann Arbor-record 69
below zero. Only four of your 25
classmates made the trek - and
you're suddenly a lot warmer.
It's sitting in the Brown Jug with the
guys and a plate of nachos, with noth-
ing better to do because, frankly, there
just isn't anything better out there.
It's reading, "It's all too much, I feel
wonderful and wild, I've found my
friends and a great vibration of livin
joy and of Poetry is running thru us,"
in "Desolation Angels," and knowing
Jack Kerouac was speaking to you.
Perfect moments are both free and
priceless - in truth, there is nothing
in the world more free or more price-
less than a perfect moment.
U..
Tuesday, I walk away from The
Michigan Daily. I walk away from th
University on May 4, and I walk away
from Ann Arbor in late August.
I've been blessed with more than my
fair share of perfect moments here. I
can only hope that the frequency with
which they manifest themselves isn't
diminished when I'm gone from here
I
How TO CONTACT THEM
PRESIDENT JAMES DUDERSTADT
2068 FLEMING ADMINISTRATION BUILDING
ANN ARBOR, MI 48109-1340
7P A C")7(
I