4 The Michigan Daily - Friday, October 4, 1996
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420 Maynard Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Edited and managed by
students at the
University of Michigan
'I, , '
RONNIE GLASSBERG
Editor in Chief
ADRIENNE JANNEY
ZACHARY M. RAIMI
Editorial Page Editors
NOTABLE QUOTABLE
'The dorm food is scary.'
- RC junior Colleen Brawn, commenting on the
food in the University s residence halls 'cafeterias
SHAKING THE TREE
Racing against
time: Pulling an
all-n ighter in
Unless otherwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the opinion ofthe majority ofthe Daily s editorial board. All
other articles, letters and cartoons do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily.
FROM THE DAILY
Jim LASSER
I DON'T THINK PERO-F I5
601NG TO E ETOO HAPPY
ABOUT THI5...
SHARP AS TOAST
*PR J
-I
II
Security measures
Task force to study campus safety
...
he University recently re-established a
T Task Force on Campus Safety and
Security. Its purpose - to study the status
- of campus security; it conducted a similar
study in 1989. The task force will attempt to
determine if the University's atmosphere
has improved during the last seven years.
The issue is an important one for the
.Upiversity to study students, staff and
-faculty should support the task force and
assist it whenever possible.
Task force chair Paul Boylan, who also
serves as the dean of the School of Music
and vice provost for the arts, said the task
force will be split into five subcommittees.
'Each of the groups will focus on a specific
area of the University. Areas range from
reviewing the Department of Public Safety's
policies to Ann Arbor's crime indexes.
;Boylan has selected an appropriate range of
:areas.
Reconvening the committee is a good
'idea, considering that DPS Oversight
Committee was not aware of all the com-
plaints levied against DPS. Under Michigan
law, all grievances against University police
:departments must be open to review to
dversight committees, comprised of faculty,
-udents and staff.
" Last summer, former University
;_resident James Duderstadt and Executive
Vice President Farris Womack broadened
the oversight committee's scope to allow it
access to both "grievances" and "com-
plaints," which until then had not been
reaching the committee. An outside com-
mittee also should explore these things,
which Boylan's task force plans to do
To conduct its study effectively, the task
force should have access to all complaints
and grievances against DPS. The oversight
committee and DPS should share their
records with the task force, to help give the
task force a realistic idea of the communi-
ty's complaints regarding DPS.
Another of the task force's groups will
study the issue of harassment and conflict
resolution. Internal medicine Prof. Carol
Kauffman will head this subcommittee.
Boylan said, "In the original study (of
1989), there seemed to be a high incident of
harassment for minorities, gays and les-
bians and women." The University must
address these concerns - and the task force
should take the issues seriously.
Another subcommittee is seeking com-
ments from the University community
about the status of campus security. Many
students will undoubtedly offer comments
on this issue. The committee has three stu-
dents out of 14 members. While two more
- bringing the total to one per subcommit-
tee - would be nice, the presence of stu-
dents is appreciated. After all, students are
the best voice for their peers.
The other subcommittees will survey the
safety of the campus environment since
1990 and examine Ann Arbor's indexed
crime rates since 1990.
Boylan says he plans to release a report
in April showing the task force's findings.
Once the report is completed, the University
should act quickly on the results. The
University cannot afford to ignore sugges-
tions that would improve the safety of cam-
pus.
Campus security has a large impact on
student life. The task force should uncover
the sources of the problems and brainstorm
some suggested solutions that will maxi-
mize security and safety for the entire cam-
pus.
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}Yrnu ___ _KEN GRIFFE .- TR.
Angell Hall
0 K, fine. let's see you write a col-
umn every week. It's not thaE
easy. you know.
Picture this (as I"m sure many of you
can): You're a
senior. You just
got to be old
enough to drink.
You go to Ashley's
for dinner (they
actually have
good calzones -
it's not just for the
beer) and end up
drinking a porter.
And a lager. And
maybe a "special- KATIE
ty beef' or two. HUTCHINS
And of course
they don't card you, because, after all,
you're 2 1. (Nobody who's 21 ever gets
carded.)
You get incredibly disappointed
because they have absolutely no Jan
Joplin on the jukebox. You indignantly
leave the bar and take the next natural
step: You go to the Angell Hell com-
puting site. Hell, being more hellish
than usual, considering they decided to
knock out all the windows and doors
on the precise day the weather turns
from swel tering to freezing. -
You have about a million grad
school, job and scholarship applica-
tions to tend to. Not to mention a,
10-page research papers and a coup
of books to read. Oh yeah, and you
promised to tutor some at-risk kids on
the side.
You've been looking at Times/12-
ptiNormal on the computer screen f'or
way too longnand words like "budget"
start to look like "butterfly" and
"buzzing." You switch to Courier.
It's your senior year: All your hopes,
dreams and fears are coming to a ho
Everything you've planned your entire '
life centers on what you type into one
little computer, how quickly you san
finish it, and whether FedEx is open
that day.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
A time to decide
Court to hear assisted suicide cases
Jack Kevorkian must be a happy man.
The 'Supreme Court announced this
week that it will finally render a decision on
the tumultuous issue of physician-assisted
suicide - an issue the court has avoided
until now. The court has come close to
addressing the issue before; in 1990, the
court ruled terminally ill patients could
refuse life-supporting medical treatment.
The country has waited long enough for the
the 1973 ruling of Roe vs. Wade.
If the court decides in favor of the legal-
ization of assisted suicide, it will most like-
ly force states to consider a number of safe-
guards, such as competency checks of the
patient or waiting periods to ensure there
are no abuses of the process. .
The requirements seem reasonable.
However, if the Supreme Court does not
offer a definitive answer, then the issue
Not all Jews
are pleased
with tunnel
TO THE DAILY:
On the front page of
Monday's paper, you pub-
lished an article titled
"Students hope for peaceful
settlement" (9/30/96), where
you suggested that Jewish
students generally supported
Benjamin Netanyahu's deci-
sion to open a tunnel in
Jerusalem.
I am a Jewish student
here and I do not support
Benjamin Netanyahu's deci-
sions in any way. Rather, I
believe that this maneuver
was a deliberate and mali-
cious power play and was
intended to contribute to the
erosion of the peace process
that has been underway since
he took office. I find the cur-
rent practices of the Israeli
government reprehensible at
best.
In the future, I would
appreciate it if you did not
generalize about "Jewish stu-
dents" on this campus.
While I cannot speak for
anyone else, I can say that, as
a Jewish student and as a
human being, I am commit-
ted to the peace process in
the Middle East, I support
Palestinians in their struggles
for autonomy and justice, and
I do not support the practices
of the Israeli government.
KAREN MILLER
RACKHAM
Republicans
are inclusive
and tolerant
TO THE DAILY:
As an active member of
the University community, I
have been a faithful reader of
your publication. I would like
to call the attention to your
persistent portrayal of the
College Republicans as an
elitist political organization.
It seems as though many
of your writers have found
that dedicating entire
columns to the depiction of
the GOP as a bastion of big-
otry and hatred has become a
fascinating pastime. Although
it is evident that their illogi-
cal criticisms possess no real
journalistic value, I will
refrain from attacking the
integrity of The Michigan
Daily and focus on vindicat-
ing the Republican Party as
the party of the "big tent."
As a recent immigrant to
the United States, I realized
that I shared many of the val-
ues and ideals endorsed by
the Republican platform. The
conservative principles of
laissez-faire capitalism, mdi-
and have respected my opin-
ions, even when divergent.
Furthermore, they have
corroborated my belief that
there is nothing embarrassing
or "old-fashioned" about hav-
ing personal initiative, disci-
pline and respect for tradi-
tional family values - that it
is all right to work hard and
enjoy the fruits of arduous
labor. They have made clear
that it is honorable to strive
for success and reach for the
American Dream.
I am proud to belong to a
group of individuals that puts
emphasis on the principles
that made America an illus-
trious nation, who are con-
cerned with a person's will-
ingness to uphold these prin-
ciples, making no exception
on the basis of color, national
origin, religion or social sta-
tus.
DAVID E. CHACIN
LSA SOPHOMORE
Jewish and
Arab student
dialogue is
sign of hope
TO THE DAILY:
In reading the article
titled, "Students hope for
peaceful settlement"
(9/30/96), I am reminded
about the first confrontation
between Arab students and
Jewish students from the
United States, Israel and
Europe on the Diag in the
fall of 1958.
All students did hope for
peace in the Middle East, but
at that time there was no
peace treaty between Israel
and any of its neighbors, nor
was one in sight.
Peace is a wonderful thing
and the events of the last few
weeks must be taken in per-
spective.
Things change, but wish-
es of people of good inten-
tion are to be blessed.
Dialogue between students is
far more preferable than bul-
lets, rock, mortars and the
like.
Unfortunately, suspicion
between Arabs and Jews of
the Middle East will not go
away easily.
We can only hope that
through honest negotiations,
a fruitful solution for all will
evolve. The Diag in Ann
Arbor is always well used
when dialogue among stu-
dents and faculty occur in a
peaceful manner.
I was happy to read this
article to see that the Diag in
Ann Arbor can still be put to
good use.
JEFFREY JARRET
UNIVERSITY ALUM
I decided to see if Cox
was correct, so I conducted a
quick online search of the
Congressional Record from
the 104th Congress.
I searched on "education"
and "Rivers," and here's what
popped up from Rivers' own
mouth during debate on the
budget from May 17, 1995
(C.R. Section H5124):
"My husband and I got
married the day after high
school. I was 18; he was 17.
At the time we were married
we had few skills, little
money, and a rough row to
hoe.
"By the time we were 2 1
we had our second child.
Today, 20 years later, I have
an undergraduate degree, I
have a law degree, and I rep-
resent my community in the
people's House, the Congress
of the United States.
"What made the differ-
ence for me'? What made the
difference for me is what has
made the difference for
many, many Americans over
the years, education, and an
education was only available
to me because there were stu-
dent loans, because I could
borrow money, because I
could get a helping hand. It
made all the difference. It
still took me-15 years to get 7
years of education, but I
would have been shut out had
I not been able to ask for
help.
"And yet now we see a
Republican plan that retreats
from that position, that
makes it harder to go to
school, that makes it harder
to get ahead."
Does this sound like a
person who doesn't care
about education?
Please. One can only pray
for a day when Congress as a
whole is as dedicated to edu-
cation as Rivers.
We need to send Rivers
back to Congress to continue
her positive and heart-felt
fight for the future of educa-
tion in this country.
JOEL PARRIOTT
RACKHAM
Tori Amos
Writing a column is
not easy; you have
to work in 'Angell
Hell' and fight for a
computer.
0
court to decide the legality of
physician-assisted suicide -
justices should protect the
integrity of individual choice
and make the action legal.
The Supreme Court will
review two recent federal
appeals courts' decisions -
one case is from New York
and the other is from of
Washington state. Appeals
judges ruled that states can-
not prohibit doctors prescrib-
L-V
By MATT WIMSATT/Daily
could go back to the states.
State lawmakers would then
decide whether assisted suicide
is acceptable in their state. The
Supreme Court should make
the procedure legal; it is too
risky to leave it up to the states
where many conservatives lead
the legislatures.
Individuals, especially those
who are terminally ill, should
have the freedom to choose
whether to end or continue
Opponents argue that allowing
You're exhausted and you've been
kicked off all the computer chat lines
and all your friends have gone to bed.
Whichdoesn't matter anyway, because
you haven't seen your friends in
weeks.
They're all taking GRE courses,
meeting graduation requirements, an
working real jobs to prepare for ge
ting kicked off the parents' payroll:,-,
You try to page the important friends
(the ones important enough to have
pagers), but unfortunately, you're dt a
pay phone. Cottage Inn laughs when
you call at 2:55 and the obnoxious
worker on the line says they're closed
because hie wants to get stoned.
There is nothing left to do but write,
write, write until Bruegger's Bagels
opens.
Most of the other freaks have gone
home by now; after all, it's not finals
week or anything. It's simply the time
for seniors to deal with reality. It's the
season to be completely nuts. Because
no matter how many late nights youve
spent, how many all-nighters and cry-
ing fits you've had, nothing can possi-
bly compare to the fact that this is real
life now. That if you don't get your shit
together now, you'll be another one
those pathetic alums who graduated a
few years ago and still wanders around
campus hoping to get into TKE par-
ties.
Now picture this (remember, this is
my world I'm describing, not yours):
You write your column. You leave
Angell as the sun is rising, goy to
school late, and tell the instructor ihat
yes, this week's paper has to be turned
in late too. You check your emai
the end of the day and get a hosti
complaint from a former hockey play-
er who protests your contention that
goalies should be banned from the
game (see other pathetic column, a
few weeks ago).
And then the whole week starts
ag a in.
But there are some positive sides to
being a columnist. As evidenced by
this week's column, I can pretty mu*
say whatever I want. And I get my pic-
ture in the paper every week. A vQry
non-flattering picture, yes, but
fame nonetheless.
I actually had a guy come up to me
at a party last weekend and ask if I was
the Katie Hutchins. "Well yes I am!" I
review
is
ing life-ending drugs for mentally compe-
tent patients who were terminally ill and
wanted to die.
In New York, the court ruled that the ter-
minally ill are allowed to end life support;
therefore, they should also be allowed to
take lethal medications. In Washington, the
court decided that Americans have the right
to determine the "timing and manner" of
their deaths, based on the "due process"
clause of the 14th Amendment.
Both states appealed to the Supreme
Court, which will render its decision next
year, after hearing oral arguments from
both sides. Many observers believe this is
the hiooPCt o zi he inctirp haeheard
their life.
physician-assisted suicide undermines the
dignity of life.
But the opposite is true. Allowing indi-
viduals the choice to end their lives gives
dignity - since the government serves the
people's needs, it m'1ust be willing to trust
people to do what is in their own best inter-
ests.
The Supreme Court has the chance to
make physician-assisted suicide the law of
the land. Patients who want to end their
lives would do it themselves - if they
could.
They want to die with dignity, peace and
with their family and doctor The court
appropriate
TO THE DAILY:
Just wanted to drop a note
and say that Dave Snyder's
review ("Cult hero Amos per-
forms unique, captivating
show," 9/30/96) of Tori
Amos' show last Friday night
was absolutely great and true.
Right down to the "die-
hards, many of which chose
to bleat out I love you, Tori'
at various inappropriate
moments," which got on my
nerves and those of the peo-
ple I was with.
SHAHAF ABILEACH
I