4A - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, November 6, 1996 420 Maynard Street Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Edited and managed by W students at the Oniversity of Michigan [i t i ttn tti( RONNIE GLASSBERG Editor in Chief ADRIENNE JANNEY ZACHARY M. RAIMI Editorial Page Editors NOTABLE QUOTABLE, 'Based on this system we have at the University, (women) will get lower raises, and this concerns me of course.' - Prof Katherine Freese, commenting on possible gender biases in evaluations IM LASSER SHARP AS TOAST 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 Bollinge Regents name n M ore than 13 months after former University President James Duderstadt resigned, the Board of Regents selected the 12th University president yes- terday: Lee Bollinger. Welcome to the University, Bollinger. After a court battle that nearly shut down the search last month, regents unanimously selected Bollinger, a former University Law School dean and current provost at Dartmouth. Throughout yesterday's meeting, the regents continually praised all candidates, and indeed, they deserve such lauding. The Presidential Search Advisory Committee's top four recommended candidates were all highly qualified. Most likely, they will land presidencies elsewhere within the next decade. The other three: Stanley Chodorow, provost at University. of Pennsylvania; Carol Christ, vice chancellor and provost at Berkeley; and Larry Faulkner, provost of the University of Illinois. But unlike Bollinger, their worries are over. From the moment Bollinger assumes the presidency, he will face tremendous challenges as the University heads into the 21st century. Appropriations It is no secret that the state Legislature has become increasingly hostile toward the University. Many top legislators hail from the western part of the state; many graduat- ed from Michigan State University. Since the state Legislature allocates more than $300 million per year to the University, good relations are crucial - and should be one of Bollinger's top priori- ties. The new president should engage with the legislators consistently and not meet with them only at appropriations time. He should make frequent trips to Lansing, host lawmakers at many University functions and continue to invest resources in the University's Lansing office. At the same time, Bollinger must be the University's most public cheerleader. In 1995, Gov. John Engler wanted to give MSU and other universities allocation bonuses - but not the University. While Duderstadt fought against this plan, he failed to plan far in advance. Bollinger must be a more strategized advocate for the University. In his interview, Bollinger spoke a lot about reinstating a sense of greatness into the institution. However, it must not be mis- taken for arrogance. Bollinger will have to walk a fine line - fighting tirelessly for the University without offending influential lawmakers. It will not be easy. One way to deflect a bad image is through public service. The University must give back to the state visibly - as it does, for example, through the Flint campus, which strives to revitalize a dying area. The state can benefit from the institution's efforts in K-12 education, business and other public service arenas. Cost Containment Undoubtedly, the University will face tough financial decisions in the near future. As government agencies continue to down- size; so will the University. To keep tuition reasonable and maintain adequate academic and social services, Bollinger will be faced with difficult budgetary decisions. He must protect the University's rich and renowned academic programs at all costs, especially undergraduate education. Moreover, one of the most pressing financial issues that Bollinger will face is keeping the University's Medical Center efficient. Bollinger was the only one of the four candidates to have hands-on experi- risback ext 'U' president often lacking. The University's minority enrollment has risen since Duderstadt instituted the Michigan Mandate in 1988. When the pro- gram began, minority enrollment at the University was 15.4 percent. As of 1995, it increased to nearly 25 percent and is remaining around this level. Bollinger must maintain and expand the Michigan Mandate. The program already increased minority enrollment, which bene- fits the entire community. However, the president's work must not stop here - retention of minority students, faculty and staff also must be a top priority. In addition, Duderstadt created the Agenda for Women in 1994, which pledged to make the University a leader "among American universities in promoting the suc- cess of women of diverse backgrounds as faculty, students and staff." Since its incep- tion, there have been few tangible results of this program, but its goals are worthy; young women students need women faculty and staff as role models. Bollinger must continue to push for this and support its programs. Accessibility to students At the same time, the administration often ignores student protest over University policy, partly as a result of mis- communication - or no communication. Throughout his eight-year presidency, Duderstadt deputized the Department of Public Safety and rammed the Code of Student Conduct through the regents - students overwhelmingly objected to these measures. Bollinger must be more willing to talk with students - and listen to them. During his interview, he said that students must not be "treated like customers." And that's the right attitude; the best way to understand student issues is to talk with them directly. Bollinger said he would teach a course if selected as president; again, this is an important activity and Bollinger should not renege on his promise. Moreover, Bollinger must not underestimate the power of ran- domly meeting students on the Diag or eat- ing meals with them in the dorms. The University will always need a president directly in touch with undergrads. The selection At the meeting yesterday, the regents spoke about these challenges and said that they were trying to select a president who would best meet them. The meeting ran fairly smoothly; Bollinger was the top choice of six of the regents, who enthusias- tically supported him. However, two of the regents displayed indecision, if not outright opposition. Andrea Fischer Newman (R-Ann Arbor) would not say publicly who she initially supported; instead, she rode the fence until after it was clear that a majority of the board would endorse Bollinger. Deane Baker (R-Ann Arbor) endorsed Faulkner. He voiced concerns about Bollinger's public testimony against Robert Bork's nomination to the Supreme Court in the late 1980s. Baker said the incident, and by extension Bollinger's political views, would alienate key segments - namely Republicans - of the University communi- ty. However, Baker seemed to be pushing his own political agenda; the regent race may be partisan, but the job of president is not. Moreover, Bollinger said last month that he would not, as University president, repeat such an action. Later, Baker wisely voted for Bollinger. Dan Horning (R-Grand Rapids) deserves commendation for nominating LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Informed election coverage TO THE DAILY: The Daily did an out- standing job covering this Fall's election. From local candidates to Bill and Bob, all the information was avail- able. After the Oct. 31 "Election Special," no stu- dent (could have used) lack of information as an excuse not to vote. Keep up the good work. RYAN D. FRIEDRICHS RC SOPHOMORE Daily opinions given little thought To THE DAILY: I was reading through the Oct. 25 issue and came across the sports pages, with staff members' picks on foot- ball games against the spread, as well as a breakdown and predicted score for the Michigan game. Although all of the writers for the Daily picked the University to beat the spread of 13 points, the breakdown article, written by one of the people who made this pick, predict that Michigan will win by seven. This is no big deal, and this is not an earth-shattering event. Unfortunately it is when other aspects of the Daily, such as editorial opinion and current events, are given about as much thought and time as this pick. STEVEN SHANNON RACKHAM 'U' should practice responsible disposal To THE DAILY: As a groundskeeper for the University, one of my duties is to police the School of Business Administration block for trash. Among the employees of the Grounds department, the student pop- ulation has a terrible reputa- tion for littering, but I have been surprised at the lack of mention of the practices of University faculty and staff. While I see students callously flick an occasional cigarette butt onto the ground, the daily congregations of some University employees create piles of spent cigarettes that irresponsible to deal with dis- tributors that use styrofoam when environmentally sound, biodegradable alternatives are available. The careless man- ner with which Building Services disposes of this material, spilling it all over flower beds and the lawn rivals even the cigarettes' ugliness. If a styrofoam-lit- tered environment is one in which we wish to train the business leaders of tomorrow, I shudder to think of the future. I hope that the University can once again demonstrate its leadership in environmen- tal concerns by dealing only with distributors that use biodegradable packaging foam, and encouraging facul- ty and staff to do their part in keeping our campus beauti- ful. We would not only be a role model to other universi- ties, but to the students them- selves. ScOTT HANSEN UNIVERSITY STAFF Israelis still mourning for Rabin TO THE DAILY: Yesterday I joined more than 100,000 people in singing, chanting and sup- porting their hero. No, I was not at the Michigan-Michigan State football game, I was in Kikar Rabin (Rabin Square) in the middle of Tel-Aviv remembering the person that Yitzhak Rabin was, and the dream for peace that he stood for. Rabin was an honored war hero, a respected politi- cian and was, and remains today, a hero for Israelis and others as well. Since his assassination one year ago, Rabin's image has become a symbol of the desire for peace and the unfinished project that began in Camp David in the late '70s and continued in Madrid, Oslo and now in Israel and Palestinian-gov- erned Gaza. In recent weeks the world has criticized Israel for reneging on promises made during the struggle for peace, and the state of Israel has felt just how much they miss their former leader Rabin. Plastered all over cars and walls are bumper stickers proclaiming, "Haver, Atah Haser" or, "Friend, you are missed," playing on the now famous words of President Clinton, "Goodbye, friend" While I do not blame current Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu for all of the trou- bles and delays that have plagued the peace process, it as more than 100,000 people remembered their fallen leader and the bloody year that has followed his death. The rally ended with a performance by the popular and sometimes controversial Israeli rock star Aviv Geffen. In Geffen's final song he called to bury the rifles, and not the children. Sadly the funerals of the nation's youth have been an all too com- mon. A year has passed since Rabin was murdered. The question asked here in Israel is, what has changed? It is hard to say with all of the progress made in the peace process there is still a con- stant fear of violence. Just today the radio and newspapers warned of terror- ist groups sworn to derail the peace process and murder more innocent victims. As we here in Israel pre- z pare for the worst, we contin- ue to pray for the best, so that next year, when the second anniversary of Rabin's death is marked we can look back and confidently reflect upon how things have changed for the better. DAN MESSINGER RC JUNIOR Angell Hall inscription shows morals in school TO THE DAILY: The Daily editorial on Oct. 30 ("Teaching values") concerning Michigan Board of Education's resolution to adopt "religious" morals in public schools was quite unclear as to how the board's actions threatens our state's school children. The values of good citi- zenship and moral responsi- bility do not sound detrimen- tal to me. To instill good values in school children in no way violates the Constitution. The opposition to this resolution is primarily based in groups like the American Civil Liberties Union, which has a fit anytime the government acknowledges God or reli- gion in any instance. I could see if the state enforced mandatory prayer in public schools, but this reso- lution merely helps make children into productive, car- ing citizens with a moral conscience. When is the last time any- one has read the inscription on the outside of Angell Hall? It reads: "Religion, Morality, and Knowledge being necessary to good gov- ernment and the happiness of mankind, schools and the MILLER ON TAP A treasure hunt for uniqueness t is to be expected that after spend- ing a lot of time in one place, one's surroundings begin to lose their luster. I must confess that after only a year and a half, my campus environment is starting to bore me. Buildings lik East Quad, the Law Quad and the irri- tatingly modern Mason Hall are beginning to lose the be-true-to- your-school charm they once possessed. But one would think my fellow students would still be a source of entertainment andA pride. At least, I AMILER. used to think so. MiLLER The once-brilliant orange hair of, Quaddies has begun to lose its allure. The greasy white baseball hats of the fraternity scene no longer hold the same earthy attractiveness. And even the shiny, entrancing nose rings of the local mallternateens have ceased the shimmering glory. Am I the only person who has noticed that the University stopped admitting different kinds of students about five years ago? I think that there are no more than 10 different kinds of people on campus and instead of admitting new students, they just stamp out more copies. Perhaps with deviations, a different Ministry T-shirt here, a new line of Birkenstocks there So, to make the encroaching hom geneous nature of campus life a bit more fun, I invented a game to sharp- en the eye and quicken the mind. The rules are similar to the old Auto Bingo that every kid has played on long car trips. Take the list below. When you see a person or item on the list, cross it off. The first three people to bring a com- pleted sheet to the Daily will win: , DATE WITH HANDSOME AN CHARMING DAILY COLUMNIST JAMES MILLER. (Void where prohibited. Employees of The Michigan Daily and their fami- lies prohibited from entering. Rendezvous to be paid for by the con- test winner) Happy hunting. 1) Guys in fleece vests 2) Food service employees with nose rings (Try Espresso Royale.) 3) Empty-headed, club rat, raver chicks with that spray glitter crap on their faces 4) Fat girls who give you dirty looks if you watch them eat 5) Mr. Abercrombie 6) Mr. Fitch 7) Fraternity guys who use my tuition dollars for herpes tests at UHS 8) Raver chicks 9) People with quiet, mousy sneez 10) Snotty New Yorkers who treat my hometown like Mayberry, RFD 11) Tommy Hilfiger and his bastard minions 12) People who worship Nine Inch Nails as if they just cut Trent Rezor down from a cross 13) Men who shave their chests 14) Young Republicans 15) People with a lot of pins on their backpacks 16) Tori Amos, Sarah McLachlaP and Ani DiFranco (OK, you may not actually see them, but girls who truly wish they were angst-ridden chick rockers will suffice.) 17) Anyone who refers to '80s music as "classic rock" 18) Vegans who live in co-ops (is that redundant?) 19) Patchouli-scented, bongo- thumping, tree-hugging, dirt-munc ing, crystal-rubbing, Phish-lving,so milk-drinking, Ben-and-Jerry's-eating,. tofu-frying, bong-carving, bra-burn- ing (do people still do that?), noodle- dancing, filthy little hippies 20) Raver chicks 21) Girls with dreadlocks 22) Anyone who uses the words, "phat," "ghetto" or "the bomb" more that 10 times in a two-minute conver- sation 23) Men who wear berets 24) People with Crayola hair 25) Snot-nosed, weaselly little beat- niks who call a secondhand copy of "On The Road" a library and buy their pot with checks from mommy and daddy 26) Girls who claim they can taste the difference between two types of bottled water 27) Men with blank stares and tho headphones the size of truck tires 28) Raver chicks 29) Guys on skateboards with facial hair or other evidence of actual male hormones (If you get this one, let me know.) 30) Maoists, Marxists, socialists or