4- The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, October 23, 1996
nt 3 tti1
(Th I e wt rb t 0;
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
NOTABLE QUOTABLE,
'For me, the most important route to the American
dream is the state university.'
- University presidential candidate Carol Christ, in anl
interview with the University Board of Regents on Monday
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
Not ated s per
Stu -dents should attend 'town meetings'
JIM LASSER
SHARP AS .TOAST
/000000t
H alfway there today - but not in atten-
dance. The University Board of
Regents has conducted two presidential
candidate interviews and will conduct the
remaining two within the next week. On
Monday, regents screened Carol Christ, and
only a handful of students attended.
Carol Christ, Stanley Chodorow, Lee
Bollinger and Larry Faulkner - one of
these four candidates, after an extensive
period of interviews and meetings, will be
the University's next president. The meet-
ings and interviews are all public, thanks to
a lawsuit against the University by three
major regional newspapers.
Granted, the regents have made the
process difficult to view. All the interviews
are from 9 to 11 a.m. - at the Gerald R.
Ford Library on North Campus, the height
of inaccessibility. Many people, such as
LSA students, would have a hard time find-
ing the mysterious location.
No students, other than those with the
campus media, attended Christ's interview.
The "town meetings" fared only slightly
better. Five students attended - including
student leaders from the Michigan Student
Assembly, LSA Student Government and
Hillel.
The regents - who had trouble even fol-
lowing a state law - could use the opinions
of an army of average Joes and Janes as
well as student leaders. A student-friendly
president is essential for the University to
maintain and improve its excellent reputa-
tion. Students are the primary reason for
this institution's existence. The faculty,
research, the hospital - all the other
aspects are a close second.
For the first time in the 179-year history
of the University, students can participate in
the presidential search meetings and inter-
views. It would send the candidates a strong
message that students care about this search
and want to choose their president. It took a
lawsuit for the University to allow this -
students should jump at the chance. It
would be a shame to display the
University's apathy to the state and to the
future president.
University students should be be able to
use the president as an asset just as they
would use a professor. Former president
James Duderstadt rose each morning at 5
a.m. to check e-mail and respond to student
concerns. A truly talented president would
be able to put students first, while equally
balancing other constituents.
This next week is when students can
impact the search process. Students should
make their best effort to show up to inter-
views and meetings - because who the
president is affects what kind of education
students receive.
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Downplaying diplomas
Engler rids state of adult education
record number of Americans are
A returning to school. According to a
recent study that the Institute for Higher
Education Policy and the Education
Resource Institute conducted, enrollment of
students age 40 and older in adult education
classes has more than tripled since 1970. In
spite of this trend, Michigan Gov. John
Engler has proposed eliminating state-fund-
ed adult education for the over-20 crowd.
Engler is overstepping the bounds of his
power - public education is a fundamental
right at any age.
In the spring of 1995, Engler proposed
that all state money designated for adult
education be transferred to the Michigan
Jobs Commission. The commission would
increase the job training it provides for
youths and adults. Those wanting a General
Education Degree would be forced to pay
for it on their own. In today's high-tech
economy, job training is vital. Nevertheless,
Engler's proposal would limit the options of
persons seeking more education. With a
high school diploma being a prerequisite
for most jobs, a person without a GED
often has difficulty living above the pover-
ty line. Furthermore, older students aspir-
ing to attend college might be unable to
afford the mandatory high school diploma.
Job training is not the option that best fits
the needs of all older students.
Fortunately, the state Senate restored
$65 million for state school aid for adult
education. In the future, even this limited
funding cannot be expected. Engler's posi-
tion against adult education is unwavering.
He said that for most situations in which an
individual is 21 or older, job training would
be more beneficial than a high school
diploma. Moreover, Engler added, "The
message should be for young kids to stay in
school; the message should not be 'don't
worry about staying in school because if
you drop out you could always come back
later."' Engler's stance shows a shocking
lack of compassion.
Some students do not drop out of school
on their own accord. For many, finishing
high school is not feasible. Often, troubles
in the home cause a change in plans, or a
teen-ager needs to work to help support the
family. Other people lack the maturity and
discipline necessary to receive a diploma.
Even Engler said he believes "in second
chances." His actions do not mirror these
words. The second chance Engler is offer-
ing does not include the opportunities
inherent in the first. Basic reading and
arithmetic would be replaced by job-tai-
lored skills. Students would be less educat-
ed and have only a slight chance to achieve
anything beyond minimal success.
Many high school dropouts have
become prosperous and influential mem-
bers of society. GED programs are instru-
mental in fostering this success. In 1994,
U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley
said, "These programs clearly demonstrate
that with imagination and dedication it's
never too late to learn." Nationwide, more
than 4 million people ages 16 and over
make use of adult education programs. And,
as the study revealed, that number will most
likely increase. Engler's personal bias
should not be allowed to ruin the opportu-
nities of thousands of Michigan citizens.
Government is not an instrument designed
to limit opportunities, but to help them
flourish.
Kirk
mislabels
Israelis
TO THE DAILY:
Bravo, Mr. Kirk! Once
again your Republican view
of the state of the planet has
truly opened my eyes to the
reality of Bill Clinton's reign,
this time his foreign policy
("Bill Clinton has muddled
foreign policy," 10/16/96). I
was especially enlightened by
item No. 4: "Our policy
toward the Middle East has
been to force Israel to negoti-
ate with those who seek to
destroy the Jewish race."
I'm going to assume that
the "those" whom Kirk (also
known as president of the
College Republicans) was
referring to are the
Palestinians and Yasser
Arafat. Before Kirk's gem of
wisdom was published, I was
under the impression that the
majority of Palestinians were
just trying to negotiate with
Israel for a home where they
can work and live without
being treated like zero-class
citizens. Likewise, I thought
that Israel and Palestine were
attempting to work together
to end the violence that has
plagued the region for years.
But if Kirk claims that these
goals constitute "seek(ing) to
destroy the Jewish race," he
must be right.
But what about the Arab
extremist groups who actual-
ly have declared Israel their
enemy? Most people might
think that categorizing all
Palestinians as extremists
because of the existence of
these groups is unfair.
However, if Kirk sees no
problem with this type of
labeling, then I'm sure he
will have no problem with
labeling all Israelis as
extremists due to the exis-
tence of Israeli extremist
groups. Kirk most likely
doesn't need to be reminded
that one of the most devastat-
ing strikes against the peace
process, the assassination of
Yitzak Rabin, was committed
by an Israeli extremist and
not one of "those who seek to
destroy the Jewish race."
All sarcasm aside, Kirk
needs to learn that manipulat-
ing facts and disguising
racism as presidential cam-
paigning is deceptive, offen-
sive and will not gain any
more votes for Bob Dole.
ANDREA TAWIL
ENGINEERING SENIOR
Regents
disrespect
students
the time and directions to the
Ford Library, the voice the
average student who might
have happened upon a forum
in a more popular location
will never be heard. The
University is here for the stu-
dents, something the regents
should try to remember.
PETER WOLANIN
RACKHAM
Daily ignores
mud tradition
TO THE DAILY:
The article written by
Ericka Smith ("Events add
zip to weekend," 10/21/96)
was absolutely outrageous.
Her research was poorly con-
ducted and the content about
the Mudbowl made it seem
like the game is only about
rolling around in the mud.
The two paragraphs don't
give the proper justice it
deserves, and being misquot-
ed only makes it worse to
stomach.
The Mudbowl is one of
the longest traditions in
Greeklife. This year was the
64th competition between Phi
Delta Theta and Sigma Alpha
Epsilon. The game raises
money for charity and it pro-
motes student life here in
Ann Arbor. In the past, the
game has been televised by
ESPN and ABC across the
country. Both fraternities pre-
pare very hard for this game
because it is the only game of
the year, not just the biggest.
The game itself is not
only about mud and football,
it is about fraternal brother-
hood and unity in the Greek
system. The Daily didn't
include this in the article.
To use two large photos
on the front to attract readers
to the article, and then to not
include explanations about
why, is absurd. The Greek
system is very important to
life here on this campus for
many students and has
received a lot of poor cover-
age by the media. There is an
emphasis on charity and
community involvement
(among Greeks) which does-
n't seem to matter to the
Daily.
For the 65th Mudbowl, I
hope the Daily does its
research before it decides to
run the story. Smith felt that
getting a quote at 11 p.m. the
evening before her article
was to be published was suf-
ficient. After being misquot-
ed and misrepresented, I do
not feel that her research is
up to the standards that the
Daily claims it upholds for
journalist integrity.
MATT KEPKE
PRESIDENT,
PHI DELTA THETA
woes," 10/17/96). if I under-
stand it correctly, I am going
to have to pay an additional
$2 per year, ($1 per term) to
fund this task force. I find
this ridiculous. True, $2 is
not a huge deal, but the prin-
ciples behind it are. Why
should I have to pay for
someone else's mistake'?
Everyone here at the
University that has a kid
chose to have sex while still
in school or about to attend
it. They should have realized
what an awesome responsi-
bility child-rearing is before
they had the child. Going to
school and raising a child is
extremely difficult, I'm sure,
but it was their decision.
That they are not happy with
it or are finding it difficult is
not my fault, and I shouldn't
have to pay for it. I pay
enough already to go to this
school, without having to
fund other people's mistakes.
If the school suddenly
decides it hates the remodel-
ing they've done, that they
made a few "mistakes," can
we all be charged an addi-
tional 50 cents to fix it?
Where do we draw the line?
Let people take care of them-
selves. We didn't get them
into the situation; it's not our
responsibility to get them out.
REBECCA EWING
LSA FIRST-YEAR STUDENT
Don't throw
'hate' around
To THE DAILY:
I have become increasing-
ly upset over the fact that
words are losing their mean-
ing, and it seems ike many
liberals are at the forefront of
this abomination. Much like
the speaking of constant pro-
fanity reduces the emotional
impact of the words, I feel
that the constant use of pow-
erful words like "hate"
demeans the true meaning of
them.
An example of this arises
with the recent outrage over
the "hate chalkings." I am not
a member of the College
Republicans, but I see that
people are using them to try
to unmask the face of intoler-
ance, and it is not fair. The
chalkings were very foolish,
very immature and very ill-
advised, but they were not a
true representation of hate.
Hate must be something
that few in this enclosed
biosphere of a university
have witnessed or felt. There
are cross-burnings, murders
and uncountable atrocities
perpetrated on the citizens of
this and other countries daily,
and to link the so-called
"hateful" actions of a couple
of college fools to true and
tragic hate like the ethnic
cleansing in Bosnia is
MILLER ON TAP
A benediction
for the election
e are not a nation that is partic-
ularly pleased with our presi
dential choices. Since the first debate,
many a superior editorialist has
decried our flaccid selections.
"Dole is too stiff. He's too mean and
ill-tempered. His ideals are out of date
and antecedent."
"Boy, that
Clinton. I just
don't trust him.
uHe's too slick and
political. With that
Whitewater stuff
and that awful.
awful Hillary.
Well, I just don't
trust him'
You know, origi-JAE
nal and insightful MAMES
things like that. MILLER_ _
To look at it
superficially, it would seem that it is
the fault of the entire political system.
Our parties churn out dull and lifeless
platform yes-men who can slap backs,
shake hands and please all the people,
sort of - all the time. Our campaign
finance system ensures that only can-
didates well-greased in special interest
money will have a shot at national
office. The liberal media makes sure
that every campaign is nasty, desulto-
ry vicious and generally ungentleman-
ly. In fact, we've blamed everyone pos-
sible for our bland presidential buffet.
That is, everyone except ourselves.
Look at the job of president.
Anybody talented enough to be a good
one would have the brains to turn it
down. Bill Clinton, for all his imper-
fections (real or invented) has put up.
with more hideous, unfounded slander
than anyone since Sacco and Vanzetti
(go ahead, look it up).
His wife has been called names that
any less patient man would call fight-
ing words. Their marriage has been
cruelly examined and insulted, which
is especially ironic in an age where an4
undivorced man is almost as rare as an
honest man. Hie has even endured the
ultimate insult of a fat, petulant radio
commentator - I'm not naming any
names here - mocking his defense-
less daughter at an age when no one
looks particularly presentable.
The gig only pays about $200,000,
less than the CEO of even a mid-sized
company, let alone the flagship of the
free market. The president is expected
to be well-versed on foreign affairs
military strategy, macroeconomic wiz
ardry, social policy, scientific matters
and public oratory. All that for a slight
federal pension and a library with your
name on it.
We are totally unrealistic in our
expectations of the president. Whether
we admit it or not, we want all things
from the president at all times. We
don't want a man, we want a divine
infallible priest-king.
We want a strong, stoic grandfather-
ly man who address the nation in times
of crisis, with cruise missiles and a
soothing demeanor, and tells us he's
got the whole thing under control and
nothing is gonna hurt us or our fami-
lies tonight. We want a man who
makes the world tremble and quake at
our military prowess. An ass-kicker of
the first rank. But .
OI
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01
We want the moral
equivalent of Jimmny
Cricket ... no
skeletons or bongs
in the closet.
We want a man who protects our
interests and our interests alone. A
man who keeps our collective nose ouA
of the dangerous and unstable affairs
of other nations. We want the stupid
combination of a peacenik and a isola-
tionist.
We want a devoted and consistent
ideologue. A man who gives fiery
speeches and sticks to his guns, even
in the face of violent opposition. A
rock. But ...
We want a man who can change with
the times. A man who can fold anr
break under the weight of our con-
stantly changing and totally unrealistic
demands. A man who can give us
everything we want, no matter what
the cost or consequence. A vacillating
jellyfish.
We want the moral equivalent of
Jiminy Cricket. We want a happily
married man with 2.5 smiling chil-
dren, a plastic, happy wife and a clean
nose. No skeletons or bongs in th
closet. But,.
We want a president who is just like
us. A real back porch, beer-in-hand
kind of guy. We want the kind of guy
with marital problems and a golf hand-
icap.
TODAY AND TOMORROW
AT THE GERALD R. FORD LIBRARY ON NORTH CAMPUS
THURSDAY: LEE BOLLINGER
INTERVIEW:9-11 A.M.
TOWN MEETING: 2-4 P.M.
GI