4- The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, December 3, 1996 UIle idric w 4 2 $([tgatt trig 420 Maynard Street ...RONNIE GLASSBERG Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Editor in Chief Edited and managed by ADRIENNE JANNEY students at the ZACHARY M. RAIMI University of Michigan 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 Upping the ante Faculty pay raise will improve education " NOTABLE QUOTABLE, I went crazy trying to see all of my friends at once. I got to see them all, but for very little time.' - LSA first-year student Michael Cooper explaining what he did over Thanksgiving vacation Yuvi KUNIYUK GROUND ZERO Aawu~r (.uC'1*S AJO k A I)35-cAU S HAD 7TOHrE N EH/M H-O UrTTRs TO TmE EDITOR GRAND ILLUSION The Michigan Party's secrets to building the winning team 4 g T his year marks the first time in recent history that average salary increases for University faculty have outstripped those of top administrators. The Nov. 25 release of the annual Faculty and Staff Salary Record revealed that the faculty's average 4.4-percent pay raise surpasses administrators' 4.1-percent raise. This year's pay hikes sharply contrast those of last year, when administrators enjoyed a 5.8-percent raise while faculty collected only a 4-percent increase. The University's decision to make faculty salaries a priority was wise. With higher salaries, the University will attract top faculty - there- by increasing its quality of education. Many colleges contend for the top facul- ty candidates, using high salaries to lure instructors from competing institutions. Though the University's faculty salaries are competitive with most institutions, the salaries at several rival institutions are high- er. For instance, the American Association of University Professors' annual survey revealed that the University of California at Berkeley's $86,500 and Rutgers' $90,800 to $96,500 topped Michigan's 1995-96 profes- sor salary of $85,000. Moreover, most private schools - those with which Michigan competes academi- cally - also surpass Michigan's pay rates. Faculty wage increases further enable the University to compete with these institu- tions for the nation's best professors. Acquiring such high-quality faculty improves prestige - and makes the University's academics even stronger. The University decided to use state appropriations to grant faculty a blanket pay increase rather than to secure a few promi- nent professors. This will ultimately prove beneficial to a broader range of students. Luring a few renowned professors would only improve the quality of instruction in the new professors' fields. Therefore, only students enrolled in those fields - with those professors - would enjoy an improved education. By awarding faculty with a general pay raise, the University will entice superior professors of all specialties - benefiting the whole student body as well as future students. Consequently, the caliber of instruction will increase in all fields, affording a broader range of students an enhanced education. The latest increase, however, constitutes only a step toward filling the gap between University wages and competing schools' salaries. State appropriations for faculty funding are limited. Therefore, the University should investigate ways to sup- plement direct wage increases. By placing new emphasis on increasing faculty salaries, the University is better equipped to contend with other schools for the country's most talented professors. The wage increase should be part of an ongoing effort to attract and retain high-caliber fac- ulty - and provide Michigan students the best education possible. Reo act mmhing out Symposium will attract minorities to 'U' M ost members of the community were pleased when the University announced last month that its minority enrollment had surpassed 25 percent. It's the largest percentage of minorities to enroll at the University and twice as many as there were a decade ago. However, the University must not get too comfortable. It can and should continue to increase the minority enrollment - and it seems to be doing just that. Last Tuesday evening, in Dearborn, Mich., the University continued its community outreach by holding the 14th annual Minority Student Symposium. The program is an example of the University's commitment to the recruitment of minori- ties - the symposium, and pro- grams similar to it, should con- tinue. "The Pursuit of Excellence" attracted more than 300 minori- ty high school students from across the state of Michigan. Officers from the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, fac- ulty members and University students attended the event to speak to the high school stu- dents. Having a wide array of University representatives at the MATT the state, giving back to the state what tax- payers put into the school. Such public rela- tions can positively alter the University's image - and secure state appropriations down the road. In addition, the University is welcoming students of all backgrounds into its commu- nity - which then creates a future prece- dent, fostering diversity in University admissions. The event showed the University's strong commitment to recruit- ing minority students to increase the diver- sity at the University. A range of back- grounds among students will benefit the entire community. It provides all students a chance to learn more about different back- grounds. Plus, having several views and voices in the University community helps enhance the intellectual climate. Moreover, not all of Michigan's high schools have ' - the same resources for potential college students. This type of event ensures that all high school students have access to one of the best higher-learning institutions in the state. WIMSATT/Daily In 1987, former University President James Duderstadt cre- ated the Michigan Mandate, a program committed to recruiting and retaining minority students. Nearly 10 years later, the mandate has dramatically altered the stu- dent body for the better - minority enroll- ment and presence on campus has increased. The Minority Student Symposium is simply an extension of the N. Campus feels like part of 'U' To THE DAILY: As I was strolling from the parking lot at North Campus toward the Media Union for yet another long evening of project debug- ging, I got to hear the Carillon playing. I decided not to take the closest entrance into the building but walked to the main doors so I could hear the bells just a few seconds longer. At last it felt like I was attending one of the most respected univer- sities in the country. I spent four years of my undergraduate career think- ing of North Campus as nothing more than a group of buildings in which most of my classes were held. The most noticeable features of the campus were the sand volleyball courts and that white heap of twisted metal in front of the Dow Building. To get a daily break from the lack of visual stimuli I made sure to schedule at least one course each semester in humanities or something sim- ilar so I'd have an excuse to go to a real campus. Then someone decided to build a bell tower. Of course, the first thing people did was complain about it. "It looks so ugly,"or "It cost too much" No one could understand why millions of dollars would go into the construction of a mammoth structure to hold a bunch of bells! I must admit I couldn't see it either - until the first time I heard the bells play. I don't know what music it was, or who composed it, but it had a strange effect on me. I slowed my gait and closed my eyes so I could focus on the echoes and vibra- tions emanating from the tower. It's true that engineering, art and music are not as easi- ly associated with ivy-clad buildings as law or literature, but I'd still like to have an atmosphere that I can associ- ate with the "college experi- ence," and I think the Lurie Tower will help. Maybe in a few years I can visit the cam- pus and see the copper cladding has turned green with oxidation and the newly planted trees have grown to a respectable height. Then again, there might just be another shiny glass building. SAAD MONASA ENGINEERING GRADUATE STUDENT EPA plan may not work well These current standards require ozone levels to be below . 12 parts per million. Reportedly, the new standard is set at .08 ppm. But inter- estingly, natural emissions from plant life can produce .07 ppm. Levels as high as .072 ppm have been recorded in North Dakota's Theodore Roosevelt National Park - by no means a smog pit. Other new standards for "particulate matter" or fine particles are being proposed. Yet according to the chair of the EPA's Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee, there are "many unanswered questions and large uncertainties" between connections of the suspected particles and actual health risks. Anticipated results of such a proposal are not promising. A study of New York asthmatics calculates that their hospital admissions would drop six-tenths of 1 percent under the .08 ppmn standard. The error with the EPA's evaluation of health problems is that it treats asth- ma as no different than a hic- cup - that is why its claims of health problems appear larger than they truly are. And hard hit would be the automakers and counties of Southeast Michigan. Jobs and capital would be encouraged to export at a time when we work hard to keep the local and national economy thriv- ing. Smog in Los Angeles is not pretty, but neither is the failing health of an economy. These facts are all just tidbits from the news that I've picked up, and would like to share to anyone else who has been following this issue. JAMES YOUNG LSA FIRST-YEAR STUDENT Carr is a great coach To THE DAILY: We lose three games in the regular season and people call for Coach Lloyd Carr's head. Michigan fans do not realize how great a head coach we have. First, Carr cares more about his football players than he does about a football game. This is rare to find in a coach. He places a strong emphasis on academics, honor and class. What Carr's athletes learn will affect every area of their lives, not just their time on the grid- iron. He understands that some things are more impor- tant than football. Proof of this is what happened with Chuck Winters. Other coach- es may have played him rather than risk losing the biggest game of the year. Carr cared about his player. head coach, our offense will become more consistent. Fourth, in Carr's years we have been 8-3 and 9-3 in the regular season. Compare this to Gary Moeller's last two years of 7-4 in the regular season. I have been a Michigan fan all my life and believe Carr is of University head coach caliber. Carr is one of the classiest coaches in the nation and the right coach for University. JOSHUA RAYMOND ENGINEERING SENIOR Writer fails to use logic To THE DAILY: I am writing in respond- ing to the short-sighted, irre- sponsibility presented in Manuel Magana's letter "'.U' should salt walks instead of using sand" (11/14/96) and David Sirna's response "Using mud on sidewalks is foolish" (11/19/96). In partic- ular, there are three points I would like to bring up in response to Sirna's poorly thought-out letter. Upperclassmen are responsible to set a positive example for underclassmen. I am saddened that Sira, a junior, has yet to gain even a basic notion of environmental common sense. It worries me that it is not obvious to everyone that dumping bag after bag of salt onto our sidewalks is anything but beneficial to our campus environment. We should take pride that the University's ideal of environmental responsibility has produced such a beautiful campus. Also, Sirna, by his own admissionshas lived in this area at least two and a half years. Does he mean to tell us that in all this time he has yet to purchase a pair of boots? Requiring the University (or any other orga- nization) to keep conditions perfectly uniform year round is ridiculous! Will Sirna be writing another letter some- time in mid-February com- plaining that the University has yet to install campuswide space heaters so that he can wear a bathing suit to lec- ture? While I empathize with his distress at his shoes' mud- diness, mud washes off and he should have known better anyhow. Finally, whatever made Sirna believe that the salt- slush solution, prevalent on the sidewalks in less thought- ful areas, would be better than good old mud? Unless his clothes consist entirely of synthetic plastic derivatives, a little mud made from sand is infinitely preferable to cor- Tt should come as little surprise to4 j1 any observer of student government that the Michigan Party once again captured the most seats in the recent Michigan Student midterm election. Picking up five ~. out of eight open LSA seats, with the next closest party managing to win only one, the Michigan Party SAMUEL once again GOODSTEIN demonstrated that - as a pary - it is electorally unbeatable. Since it has won an unprecedented four consecutive presidential elections dating back to its foundation in 1993, not to mention most of the midter4 elections since then, it is worth look- ing into how and why the Michigan Party maintains its hegemony. The Greek Connection: Perceived, correctly for the most part, as the party representing Greek interests, the Michigan Party has been able to mobi- lize and turn out the Greek vote. Greek houses are far and away the best orga- nizational weapon in any student elec- tion because members are convenient- ly grouped into close-knit houses which, with a little nudging, can be mobilized en masse. Simply by getting a group of fraternity and sorority lead- ers on the ticket, the Michigan Party can ensure itself hundreds of votes - no other party has been able to match the Michigan Party in this category. The only catch is that the party must run enough Greeks on its slate to pre- empt any serious Greek party froni a eforming; with a few exceptions, this has been easily accomplished. The Silent Majority: Using this expression in the context of an MSA election is a trifle absurd because the true silent majority is so silent that it doesn't vote or care what goes on -at MSA. Nevertheless, the Michigan Party has successfully avoided becom- ing associated with any particular group or issue - be it on the right or the left - which might shrink its base of support. While parties designed pri marly to representminorities or cer- tain ideological perspectives are important, by avoiding close associa- tion with any particular group or cause the party has been able to draw from almost all elements of the student body. Another result of this pattern: The Michigan Party almost always has the biggest slate, which guarantees at least a respectable showing. e Dictatorship at the top: Since the beginning, the Michigan Party has been run entirely by the president and vice president in office at the time. While other parties often attempt to make decisions democratically, the decisions in the party have traditional- ly been passed down from the top - while they don't get points for egali- tarianism, dictatorship has served the Michigan Party well. This is because party leaders have the authority to choose the most electable people to run on the party slate, instead of peo- ple whom party members personally like. Sometimes these overlap, but iny the case of the executive candidates, they often do not. While the Michigan Party may be less dictatorial now than in years past, the power remains con- centrated at the top. If you can't beat 'em, swallo 'em: By looking outside its ranks for new members, and new candidates, the Michigan Party has been able to avoid what has plagued so many other MSA parties: When party leaders graduate lose or quit, most parties are left with a few hangers-on who can't run the show. When this predicamenthas' threatened the party, it has looked to other parties or other student groups for new leaders; the current executiv officers are only the most recent example of this phenomenon. x Good Governance: While the Michigan Party has surely made its share of questionable calls, the fact remains that it has, for the most part, served students well. Through a will- ingness to confront the administration in a judicious and respectful manner, the Michigan Party has earned kudos from both the administration and stu dents who pay attention to campus politics. If the party can avoid a split due to a power struggle currently brewing at the top, it should handily win the presidency again - whoever the candidate is. The question remains, 01 01 7 event was wise. The high school students could learn about the admissions proce- dure, classes and student life - all in same spot. Having University students present was especially important - one the tough- est challenges any student faces in his or her first year at the University is adjusting to the new lifestyle. The high school stu- dents could bounce their concerns off of the current University students. The symposium, and other similar events, are important to the University for many reasons. First, the event holds sym- oilic weiaht Through the advent of the' mandate. President-select Lee Bollinger must con- tinue to encourage the University to host such symposiums and he must stay true to the ideals of the mandate. Fortunately, he has oiven verv indicatinn that he will The { G. 1