4A - The Michigan Daily - Monday, November 18, 1996 ibe Idrigun alig 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 Ann Arbor PLAG Local chapter one of the most active "NOTABLE QUOTABLE 'By the time we get this figured out, the kids are going to be old enough to take care of themselves.' ,- Regent Daniel Horning (R-Grand Haven), during childcare deliberations at Friday's University Board of Regents meeting JIM LASSER SHARP AS TOAST DON'T WORRY, SCOTT- . T'VE COT SOME NEW PLAYS FOR OHIO STATE. - SEGA" COrAt+ EL , 0LETERS TO THE EDITOR T he editorial in Friday's edition of The Michigan Daily, "Help from friends," contained a significant error and oversight. It stated that Ann Arbor does not have a chapter of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, an organization dedi- cated to improving the atmosphere for homosexuals. However, Ann Arbor does have a chapter - one of the largest in the nation. Although this error was unintention- al, we regret it and any confusion or harm it may have caused. Ann Arbor's PFLAG chapter was created in 1982. Through the years, its members have been dedicated to building it into one of the nation's best. It now has about 90 members. PFLAG has more than 400 chapters nationwide. One chapter opened in subur- ban Detroit about 10 years ago, and another opened recently. Overall, the organization is committed to promoting and maintaining the well-being of gays and lesbians. In addi- tion, it works with family and friends of gay people to educate them - and the public at large - about issues affecting the homo- sexual community, such as discrimination and civil rights. Not only does PFLAG have a local chap- ter - Ann Arbor's is one of the most active chapters in the nation. It meets the third Sunday of every month. At these meetings, members often divide into smaller groups to discuss issues affecting them and their sexuality; these are confidential and pro- vide members with an "atmosphere of absolute confidentiality and trust," as its November newsletter reported. The chapter also works hard to reward academic success. It runs a scholarship pro- gram for outstanding college students. In addition, the chapter hosts local confer- ences that serve to inform and educate the public. And its newsletter keeps the com- munity informed about issues affecting gays and lesbians in Washtenaw County - and across the nation. The city's chapter is one of several resources for the University's gay, lesbian and bisexual population. The University's Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual Programs Office has a strong presence on campus. It hosts pro- grams and speakers dedicated to improving the atmosphere for gays and lesbians on campus. In addition, it works closely with the Queer Unity Project. Ann Arbor PFLAG President Bob Edwards said in an interview that because PFLAG and LGBPO are linked closely, Ann Arbor, compared to other cities, "offers the opportunity to cre- ate an atmosphere with more safety and more acceptance." As the anti-gay and lesbian movement in the United States becomes more vocal, PFLAG is an important resource in combat- ing hateful rhetoric and foolish public poli- cy. For example, Congress recently passed the Defense of Marriage Act, effectively preventing gay marriage. President Clinton signed it. Moreover, a vocal conservative population on campus is opposed to the University giving economic and health care benefits to same-sex partners. And the Michigan Legislature tried to penalized the University's decision to give benefits in last year's appropriations. Amid all the angry rhetoric and backlash about gay rights, PFLAG - both the Ann Arbor chapter and the national organization - is an important ally for the gay communi- ty. Its work has helped gays, lesbians, bisex- uals and their families gain acceptance and it has created a more tolerant community. To the rescue Columbia U. explores other loan options Thanks to an innovative financial aid program, a Columbia University edu- cation will become more accessible than ever. Last Wednesday, the school announced the establishment of a new type of student loan to afford students lower interest rates, more repayment flexibility and simplified loan shopping. Though Columbia's name will appear on the new loans, banks and other private lenders will provide the money and will award students special loan benefits. Columbia's plan could be a model for financial aid programs at other universities. For the current subsidized federal gov- ernment loans, many students pay more than 11-percent interest. The new Columbia program would reduce this rate to about 9 percent, saving students more than $3,000 of interest on a $20,000 loan. Students and their families who seek loans to cover financial contributions also could secure funds from Columbia at below-market rates. These marked interest savings are especially important in the face of recent Congressional Record statistics - showing that by 1998, the average debt for America's 5.6 million student loan recipients will reach $21,000. The new plan also offers a necessary supplement for students unable to secure sufficient financial aid through government programs. The Stafford program - the pri- mary federal loan program - allows only $2,625 in loans to first-year students, $3,500 to sophomores and $5,500 to juniors and seniors. These allotments often prove inadequate to support students at expensive nearly $25,000 total cost for out-of-state students. Though government loans and direct scholarships would remain in place, the new plan would provide students and families with much-needed additional loan resources. Another merit of the new plan is its sim- plicity. Typically, students must wade through a long list of private loan programs to find one best suited to their needs. Columbia's new plan only presents about seven options - all with terms superior to those of the typical private and government loans. These options include prepayment and installment plans, tuition insurance, and a line of credit. Consequently, students will experience much less trouble pinpoint- ing an appropriate loan. The University of Michigan could also make education more accessible to its stu- dents by implementing a similar program. Currently, the University has a commitment to provide all in-state admitted students suf- ficient financial aid to meet their govern- ment-calculated financial need each year. The new plan, because it places less of a financial burden on the institution, would enable the University to broaden that com- mitment to include its out-of-state students. Columbia University's new plan will make education more available and decrease the financial burden on students and their families. In light of federal aid cuts and a national anti-higher education attitude, students will need places to turn. Other institutions - including the University of Michigan - should examine similar versions of this program to make Soundgarden review was 'shoddy' and a 'shame' To THE DAILY: I'm writing in response to the Soundgarden concert pre- view in last Tuesday's Daily ("Soundgarden spins back to Detroit," 11/12/96). Not being a frequent reader of the Daily, I'm not sure what the normal quality of your arti- cles are, but I would certainly hope that the shoddy journal- ism of that particular article is not representative of your entire paper. I thought it was very irre- sponsible for the writer to take the band members' quotes out of context, in order to try to make them fit the negative image of the band which the writer was unfairly trying to portray. I think it is a shame that some critics would abuse their power in order to belit- tle such great artistic talent. The main point of the article was that Soundgarden's latest album, "Down on the Upside," is a very poor piece of work. The fact is, Soundgarden is a band among the most respected and musically tal- ented in rock music today, and "Down on the Upside" has met with phenomenal record sales, air play, fan approval and critical acclaim. And despite all their suc- cess, they continue to write songstwhich have deep emo- tional meaning for a lot of people. I attended the Tuesday night Soundgarden concert, which the writer recommend- ed not going to. It was both inspirational and life-affirming. And it rocked. NICK PITTMAN LSA SOPHOMORE Janney is a 'liberal McCarthy' TO THE DAILY: I just read Adrienne Janney's column on the upris- ing at Berkeley, and, after vomiting, decided to write this letter ("Without speech, we become immune to our own racism," 1/11/96). You have to learn to tem- per your emotional beliefs with a small measure of ration. One who opposes affirmative action is not nec- essarily a racist. What term do you use to refer to some- one in the Ku Klux Klan? How do you differentiate hi...., nAr nAimti anA down. If you don't allow for a distinction between these two groups, you cannot expect to retain an ounce of credibility. As for the statement, "Colorblindness, in my eyes, is racism' this is the biggest load of excrement I have ever read in the Daily, and that is saying so much. What is your goal? If not a society in which everyone is judged regardless of color, then what? Get over your self-hatred of being Caucasian. Colorblindness should be exactly the goal. This doesn't mean ignoring racism; in fact, exactly the opposite. It means going after a company like Texaco and enforcing colorblindness. In the future, be careful of using words like racist and racism, lest they lose the power to awaken people. You purport to be toler- ant; I say, "physician, heal thyself" You are a liberal McCarthy, screaming "racist" at all who disagree with you. MICHAEL S. JUDSON LSA SENIOR Medical students are smarter than a Kansas bac kcourt TO THE DAILY: In your Tipoff '96 special basketball preview of Nov. 14, you mention that the Kansas backcourt is "smarter than our top two Med stu- dents." As the University's two smartest and mostwmodest medical students, we beg to differ. While we are both tall, incredibly good-looking, have dunked a basketball or two in our lifetime, and are flattered by the comparison, we do not feel that the Kansas backcourt can match our academic prowess (or prowess in other areas, for that matter). We can appreciate the long hours of practice and hard work that go into becoming a successful colle- giate athlete, but it is still just a game! Playing basketball may be entertaining for the University community and serves to enhance school spirit, but it will certainly never save anyone's life. So in the future, when seeking to illustrate the intel- ligence of basketball players or any other athletes by com- narina them to other students Candidates should talk to students To THE DAILY: Caught up in midterms and in planning my schedule for next semester, I had almost managed to forget until today that it's that time of year again - time for Michigan Student Assembly elections. Time to see candi- dates going door-to-door to introduce themselves to the students who will be voting for them, time for them to be arranging debates between themselves so that we can see where they stand on all of the issues, and time for the whole student body to turn out and vote for the candi- dates they find most ready for the job of representing all of the students on this cam- pus to the University admin- istration, the Board of Regentsand to the entire state of Michigan. But of course, none of that will ever happen because these are, after all, MSA elections. In the two years that I have been at this university, I have had only one candidate ever introduce himself or her- self tome, and ask for my vote in the upcoming elec- tion. She was my twin sister - I would hope that she could find the time to men- tion to me that she was run- ning for election. With all the posters that regularly wallpaper the Fishbowl and various other sites on this campus in the week before MSA elections, the sight of a poster that actually says anything about where a candidate stands on any of the issues is still a rar- ity. Mostly all we get to see is the candidate's name in really big letters; while name recog- nition at poll sites is a good thing, wouldn't it be nice if students actually got to make an informed choice about the candidates for whom they were voting? The few times anything about the candidates themselves are ever written on posters, usually we're treated to such political genius as 'Aliens Support Winick" and "Bringing Better Weather to Campus.'' Gosh, that really inspires me to run right to the poll sites the minute they open. So many MSA represen- tatives have written to the Daily arguing that they don't feel they get enough cover- age. Rather than asking for more coverage, maybe they should try using the media they already have more effec- tively. They complain about low voter turnout, but why should voters turn out to vote for candidates whose views we know nothing about?If et..rlan c .ant . ll ,at.hp SMOKE & NMRORS MSA: It is a necessary evil t is, unfortunately, that time of year when the halls of every building on campus become littered and plastered- with posters of smiling people telling you why they want to be on the student government. Yes, Michigan Student Assembl9 elections are upon us once again. Coming on the heels of a national presidential elec- tion and a University presi- dential selection, r it is unlikely that students can han- dle more politick- ing. The messages ' and the annoy- ZACHARY ances never M. RAIMI change. The posters keep the same slogans: "Your voice in the government." "Making the assembly work for you "I'll be a new voice - your voice." And all we really want is for them to shut up and save their voice. Only about 10 percent of the stude body will vote this year, if the past is ou guide. That means thousands of st%. dents simply do not care enough to cast a ballot. Turnout could be even loWet this year - eight parties and countless; independents have thrown their hats into the ring, making candidate selection more complicated than in the past. After four years of watching these elections,I have come to a conclusion. that some will find disturbing: MSAis a necessary evi. Its functions 4 gravely important to students. As annoying as it can be, MSA serves, some very useful purposes, which I've outlined below. n Amusement: First, the assembly is an amusing operation. Students, not much different, from you and me, run around campus trying to solicit votes. Many hang idiotic campaign posters that will make yo chuckle. One year, a party's membe drove a golf cart on the Diag heckling. potential voters (and hitting some too).. And the idea that students will single-, handedly improve your life and mine is laughable. When the campaigning stops and the representatives get to the business of governing, petty bickering usually, breaks out. This, too, is very funny. After all, the issues are not very divj- sive, the parties have few differenc. and most of the student body couldnT care less. So what's the point of fight- ing? In a university atmosphere, where. academic pressure is pervasive, a little comic relief can go a long way. And all we really want, ,. is for them to shut up. 0 Student representation: Whether we like it or not, MSA representativ and especially the president, act af lobbyists for student interests at . University, Lansing and Washington D.C. This purpose is very important MSA is one of the few voices that: administrators will heed. For example, many students thought the University should create affordable childcare for student-parents. Very few organizations could have led the chargec But MSA, because of its ties to administration and its knowledge of University, was able to lobby on child care's behalf. And the regents, no doubt, recognizing that students wanted this program, voted to create one last week Student group funding: One of MSA's most important activities is to give away your money. Through its, BudgetsPriorities Conmittee, MSA allocates about $90,000 to studen' groups. These groups use the money sustain themselves and provide activ a ties for students. , BPC's method for allocating money, can be fair. It allows most groups to,; present their goals and plans, and then it tries to give them money in an equi- table manner. In many cases, this keeps individual student groups fromf charging membership dues., Thousands of students each year bene" fit from this purpose. And th University overall is :much strong with hundreds of student groups. Important goals: Believe it or note MSA has many important goals. Some of them can be accomplished, many have no chance. But either way, tae assembly has the power to catapult items to the front of the University's- agenda. For example, many representatived have been fighting for a voting studej regent who will represent the intere of students in a meaningful way at the regents' table. This goal is not impos-. sible to attain, and the assembly is corr tinuing to fight for it by meeting witb% legislators in Lansing and Universtya administrators. Already, they hav& I