4 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, September 10, 1996
iE daicbgai DaU
420 Maynard Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Edited and managed by
students at the
University of Michigan
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RONNIE GLASSBERG
Editor in Chief
ADRIENNE JANNEY
ZACHARY M. RAIMI
Editorial Page Editors
.-nless otherwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of the majority of the Dailys editorial board. All
other articles, letters and cartoons do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily.
FROM THE DAILY
at's the rush?
First-year students should explore options
NOTABLE QUOTABLE
'It's annoying. This University has a demented
desire to pave everything.'
- LSA junior Jeremy Moghtader commenting on the.
construction at the University
YUKi KUNIYUKI GROUND ZERO
kao sgr6P00 D~~
t uFF. I
VIEWPOINT
Welfare bill harms children
Clintons book
very school year, a new class of stu-
dents arrives, ready to experience one
of the most exciting times of their lives. As
first-year students adjust to their new room-
mates, their classes and college life in gen-
eral, they begin to search for their own
group - their niche. The Greek system,
with its promise of social involvement and
camaraderie, is often appealing - especial-
ly to new students who haven't adjusted to
living without parents.
However, these newfound families
require a lot of time - so much that they
may prevent involvement in other campus
activities. Rush, which takes place later this
month, is a long process: It involves many
consecutive days of constant activity, leav-
ing little time for other important activities,
such as studying and those all-too-impor-
tant first tests and papers. And, if offered
membership to a fraternity or sorority, the
time commitment increases significantly.
Fraternities and sororities charge high
dues to keep the houses running.
Financially strapped students find the
beginning of the school year a particularly
trying time. After the initial book-buying
spree, students are often surprised with
"supplemental" texts and coursepacks.
Start-up costs for apartments and dorm
rooms - including lofts, furniture, appli-
ances and utilities - are substantial.
Calculate the necessary expenses and many
students are lucky to scrape together
enough for pizza, let alone pledge fees.
-A better strategy than diving right in is to
shop around before pledging all of one's
time and money to one organization. Go to
a few mass meetings or stroll across the
oi
Diag this Friday during Festifall. The
University is the perfect place to further
explore all those interests students arrived
with, and also to discover interests previ-
ously unavailable. Snooping around in other
people's hobbies can be very entertaining
- and students may find a new passion.
Often, it would benefit students to delay
rushing by one semester, if not longer.
Despite the urging and pleading of
numerous on-campus groups, fraternities
and sororities still plan to allow first-year
students to rush. This year, rush begins dur-
ing the last week of September - a definite
improvement from past years when it start-
ed as early as the first day of classes. Still,
most of the first-year rushees won't be
acclimated to their new situation by that
time.
Now it is up to the masses of first-year
students to decide what is best for them. Is
it worth it to give up a huge chunk of time
before students really know what campus is
all about? After all, the fraternities and
sororities that look so enticing now will still
be there in four or five months. In that time,
the students will be able to make a more
careful, more informed decision. In fact, by
waiting, students may find that their plan to
rush has been reinforced when it is not
acted out on whim.
Joining a Greek house is a personal deci-
sion, which will affect both social and aca-
demic life. While it can offer first-year stu-
dents an instant group of friends, it can also
prevent them from exploring activities.
Rush is not something students should
hurry into - it may well define the rest of
a college career.
BY K.K. HAHN
Adhering to his 1992 cam-
paign decree to "change wel-
fare as we know it," President
Bill Clinton has once again
confounded liberal support-
ers, undermined Republican
foes and redefined himself by
signing the Welfare Reform
Act.
The changes in welfare
abandon the entitlements of
guaranteed relief as a
response to the depression.
While the current welfare sys-
tem unquestionably requires
overhaul, the depth of the cuts
and the lack of effective tran-
sitional support from depen-
dence to autonomy raise seri-
ous concern about the bene-
fits of the plan and its impli-
cations for children.
There are now 12.8 mil-
lion welfare recipients. 25.6
million people who depend on
food stamps and 6.3 million
people who require
Supplemental Security
Income. Expectation for the
success of welfare-to-work
programs without the guaran-
teed support of subsidized
child care, career training and
a commitment to continuing
education is irresponsible.
Slashing federal AFDC and
food stamp benefits is expect-
ed to save $79 billion over the
next six years. The costs of
cutting benefits without
career training and support far
outweigh the ills of the cur-
rent system. Clinton's conces-
sion to punitive, Republican
mantra represents his tena-
cious commitment to fickle
popularity polls.
The gulf between the rich
and ever-expanding poor in
access to social, economic
and health support will only
widen under welfare "adjust-
Hahn is a fourth-year
School of Nursing student.
ments." The most vulnerable
- children and the elderly -
will be hit the hardest.
Eligibility requirements have
been raised for children seek-
ing SSI benefits, stranding.
many medically neglected
children in health care purga-
tory.
Non-citizens - generally
older, unhealthy and poor -
will be barred from receiving
SSI and food stamp benefits.
Teen mothers will be required
to live with an adult and
attend school to collect aid.
Future legal immigrants will
be unable to apply for most
Welfare Reform
Act does not
repair the badly
broken system
federal benefits during their
first five years of residence.
California's Proposition 187,
banning illegal immigrant
children from public school,
looms over the "melting pot"
of America.
Budgetary battles are
being waged on the backs of
America's children. Granting
lump-sum payments to states
to micromanage Medicare,
social support and welfare is
another risky proposition that
threatens American children.
Looser federal guidelines will
invariably result in the
inequitable dispersal of funds.
Sleepy local elections will
soon become spicy contests as
power and responsibility
move to the community level.
Though the bill requires
states to maintain welfare
spending at 75 percent of the
1994 level, accountability for
local action rests squarely on
the untested shoulders of local
government as monitored by a
rather apathetic electorate -
see the rate of voter registra-
tion. Children do not vote. In
1991, according to the
National Center for Children
in Poverty, "the poverty rate
among children under the age
of 6 was 24 percent ... in
effect nearly one in four chil-
dren under the age of 6 lived
in poverty." Under welfare
reform, life for children will
only worsen.
After five years, welfare
recipients are expected to be
financially self sufficient and
are no longer eligible for fed-
eral aid. This ideological stip-
ulation provides little realistic
hope of attainment. Within
two monthsthe head of the
household is required to either
find a job or participate in
community service. Sounds
good. Medicaid benefits are
extended for a full year after
the head of the household
begins work. Sounds good.
Day care subsidies are offered
for mothers with children.
Again, sounds good. But, the
positions former welfare
recipients are likely to land
are not the profitable careers
that will lift their families out
of need. Day care slots and
Headstart spots are severely
limited. Minimum wage jobs
will not offer the comprehen-
sive benefits of Medicaid.
Children will be neglected.
Initiatives like Clinton's
proposals for college tuition
reimbursement, insurance
portability and literacy by age
eight are promising only if
they are carried out. It is true
that by vetoing two previous
welfare bills, Clinton did
ensure some salvation to mil-
lions of needy welfare recipi-
ents by softening the harsher
Republican versions of
reform. Though welfare is
broken, children must not be
sacrificed as casualties of
campaign politics.
ofpractical cats
"The Naming of Cats is a dfficult
matter, It isn'tjust one ofyour holiday
games; You mav think at first I'm as
mad as a hatter When I tell vou, a cat
must have THREE DIFFERENT
NAMES." - TS. Eliot
W hile TS. Eliot certainly did no
have the
Clinton presiden-
cy in mind when
he composed "The
Naming of Cats"
this poem pro- ~.
vides a surprising-
ly nice lens
through which to
contemplate the
first four years of
Planet Bill. While
the question "Who SAMUEL
is the real Bill GOODSTEIN
Clinton ?" will
befuddle historians and political ana-
lysts for years to come, there appears
to be only one clear answer thus far:
Bill Clinton is everybody. Or, as Eliot
might have said, he is a cat with three
names. The problem is, Bill Clinton
isn't a cat, he is a president and w
Americans have this odd predilectio
toward having a president with only
one name.
If you would, humor me while I take
a look at the most important names,
using Eliot as a guide, of the man
known as Bill Clinton.
"oirstof all, thees the name that thefa-
ily use daily ... all of them very sensible
names.
THE POLITICIAN. This is Bill the
Campaigner, or Bill the Populist, or Bi
the Guy Who Seems Like Your Friendly
Neighbor. This one fits rather nicely, and
is probably the name that Mr. Clinton is
most comfortable with. An outstanding
campaigner since his days in the
Georgetown student government, Mr.
Clinton has always been extremely com-
fortable on the campaign trail, looking
into the eyes of the voters and saying "I
feel your pain," and meaning it! This is
the Bill that uses a great mix of oratoric
skill and down-home rhetoric to capti-
vate audiences, and who is as comfort-
able delivering the State of the Union as
he is frolicking at the State Fair. This is
also the Bill that has repeatedly been
unfaithful to his wife, who has been
involved in a series of shady business
deals, and who has dropped his friends
for political gain (remember Lani
Guinier'?). For these reasons and moe,
this Bill has been able to rise to the Whit
House and inspire a strangely inten
hatred in the hearts of opponents, as
wells as an odd sense of awe, distrust and
faithfulness in those who support him.
"But I tell you, a cat needs a name
that's particular A name thats peculiar
and more dignified, Else how can he
keep up his tail perpendicular Or spread
out his whiskers, or cherish his pride?'
THE POLICY MAN. This is Bill the
Chief Executive. As president, M
Clinton has done quite a nice job of keep-
ing his tail perpendicular, if not a bit hot.
Even strong critics of the man admit that
he has settled into his role as president,
and most Americans correctly think that
he has done a fine job, after a rocky start.
On the up/down meter, Clinton is look-
ing quite strong indeed: the economy is
up, the deficit is down, inflation is down,
unemployment is down, crime is down
and, of course, the poll numbers are up.
Even foreign policy is looking, I repez
"looking," strong. So Bill the Proud is
looking quite perpendicular indeed. This,
finally, is the Bill that the American peo-
ple support enough to make him a lock
for re-election by mid-June, the Bill that
makes Bob Dole look like the second
coming of Alf Landon.
"But above and beyond there's still one
name left over And that is the name that
you will never guess; The name that no
human research can discover -
THE CAT HIMSELF KNOWS, and will
never confess."
THE POLITICAL MONSTER.
This is the Bill that conservatives hate
because he co-opts their issues, that
liberals hate because he signsabom-
inable welfare bills and that just about
everybody in the middle seems to be
supporting. This is the Bill who will
sell anybody out or sign any bill for
poll numbers. This is the Bill wh
once proposed to secure health insur-
ance for every American, but only two
years later signed a bill to impoverish
untold numbers of children, over the
advice of every policy analyst on his
staff. This is the Bill who used politi-
cal demagoguery on the Medicare
issue to scare almost every senior citi-
zen in America into supporting him,
the Bill who returned to Arkansas dur-
ing the 1992 election to watch over ti4
execution of a man so as not to appear
"soft on crime." This is the Bill -who
had Dick Morris running his campaign
and in the past year has "triangulated"
the Democratic administration into a
moderate Republican one. This is the
-:1,.+++ ,.. i - 4 n r 4
Pambling with grades
Pass/fail deadline should be moved back
T he University should offer its students
a wide array of academic choices. A
pass/fail option in a course allows a student
to get credit for a class, but forego the grade
points. The current Sept. 23 deadline -
three weeks from the beginning of classes
- does not provide adequate time to decide
whether the pass/fail option is appropriate
for specific classes. The deadline must be
extended to 'the middle of the semester.
The pass/fail option allows students to
receive credit for a course as long as they
can attain at least a C-. Administrators mask
the grade and do not calculate it into the
GPA.Contrary to popular belief, taking a
class pass/fail is not lazy. Pass/fail allows
students to expand their academic horizons.
Many students get stuck in a specific
academic niche. They may be tempted to
take a class outside their area of expertise,
but worry the course may be too difficult. A
physics major may find Shakespeare
intriguing, or an English major might be
interested in genetics. The pass/fail option
allows students to strive for a broader, more
liberal education, without the fear of doing
poorly gradewise. Three weeks of class is
insufficient time to determine the nature of
a course. Generally, at least a month passes
before any significant graded work is due.
The drop/add deadline leaves students with
an unenviable decision: They must decide,
based upon the syllabus alone, how chal-
lenging a class will be.
Often, students do not know how severe-
ly an instructor will grade exams and
papers, or how much work a course entails.
The difficulty of assigned work at the
beginning of a course can be deceiving. If
the deadline were extended, students would
have a better basis from which to judge the
The early pass/fail deadline is potential-
ly harmful by not allowing students suffi-
cient time to decide how best to handle their
course load. Often, students need to priori-
tize classes because there are simply not
enough hours in the day to meet all obliga-
tions. Given the high cost of tuition, some
students need to work many hours a week to
help alleviate the burden. Others may be
involved in organizations and sports, or
might want to rush a fraternity or sorority.
Taking a class pass/fail is an enticing
way to reduce the academic pressure and
stress in a student's schedule, without short-
changing one's education. Because students
may elect only a limited number of classes
pass/fail, the decision process must be as
thorough as possible. A mere three weeks
make a hasty and uninformed decision
inevitable.
Pass/fail is an option more first-year stu-
dents should use. Going away to school is
complicated by a difficult adjustment peri-
od. Social and academic pressures, along
with the new responsibilities that accompa-
ny independence, may seem overwhelming.
Taking a class pass/fail can help ease the
transitional period. After three weeks, very
few first-year students know where their
true academic strengths lie. Consequently,
they may erroneously choose to take a class
pass/fail. If they had more time to decide,
their academic performance would
improve.
The early pass/fail deadline is unreason-
able. Three weeks is insufficient time for
students to juggle their academic, social
and work calendars. After midterms, class
grading and workload can better be deter-
mined. Moving the pass/fail deadline to the
middle of the semester would be a positive
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Individuality
is basis for
rebellion
TO THE DAILY:
I may not dress in leather
or wear a dog collar, but I
certainly don't agree with
James Miller ("Rebellion
does not come in a can - or
from East Quad," 9/4/96).
Style is much deeper than
clothes or colors; rather, it is
a way of doing things. It has
an impact on all aspects of
life.
One way style may reveal
itself may be in the clothes a
person wears. But simply
because a person wears odd
clothing does not make him a
rebel. What James doesn't
realize is that a rebel is an
individual, not another form
of conformist. He is right -
ronformityi has no bound-
I'd like everyone to choose
on their own what they are
and develop their own style.
KARSTEN LIPIEC
ENGINEERING SOPHOMORE
Fix Angell's
computers
TO THE DAILY:
I am writing this letter to
comment about two things
that I have found quite
annoying so far at the com-
puting sites. One, at the
Angell Hall computer site,
the glare coming from the
skylights is quite a nuisance
to deal with. I have found out
that complaints regarding this
problem have already been
filed with the University,
quite regularly in fact.
As well, every year the
incomningassadds anewvto
that the lack of enforcement
of the time limits imposed at
the various express stations at
the site also to be a serious
problem. I have seen lines at
Angell Hall for these com-
puters while some person on
a station with a10-minute
limit is happily typing away
his or her term paper.
Occasionally, some people
use these machines for sever-
al hours and not a word is
heard about it. Of course, this
problem only feeds on itself:
Many of the people in line
when they finally get a com-
puter also use it for longer
than 10 minutes. I ask why,
since most of the computers
are Macintoshs and capable
of switching themselves off
using software, are there no
automatic timers built into
the express machines. If a
computer terminal is only
supposed to be in use for a
10 minute period, then it
shoul~d enforce that fact.
I