4 -The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, January 28, 1997

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420 Maynard Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Edited and managed by

RONNIE GLASSBERG
Editor in Chief
ADRIENNE JANNEY

..

students at the _ ZACHARY M. KAIMI
University of Michigan Editorial Page Editors
Z 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
Dead ine fature
'U' should extend pass/fail deadline
till trying to decide whether or not to tem, join a political action group, or take a
take a class for credit? Make the deci- job to defray college costs. Extracurricular
sion quickly, for the final date to modify for endeavors are as important a facet of
s pass/fail is today. After 2 1/2 weeks of class, University life as academic classes.
most students have not taken their first Contrary to popular belief, pass/fail does
exam or handed in their first paper - but, not produce slackers. To get a "P" in a
according to University logic, these stu- course, students must achieve a "C-" or bet-
dents should be able to judge the difficulty ter. At the University, a "C-" is not always
of their classes. an easy grade to make. Students still must
The option to take a class pass/fail is an do homework, study, attend class and per-
important academic tool. Students ultimate- form reasonably well on exams to achieve a
ly elect pass/fail to protect their grade-point passing mark. Administrators or professors
: averages. Distribution requirements may be may fear that students would not learn any-
a worthy pursuit, but not all political scien- thing from a course by choosing pass/fail,
tists feel inspired to study Shakespeare. yet many students would certainly gain a
However, students may also opt to knowledge of the given subject. Moreover,
expand their horizons with pass/fail. Once the 30-credit limit ensures that students will
: students declare their majors, they can fall not succumb to the temptation to major in
into a rut of concentration courses and col- pass/fail.
z lege requirements. If an Engineering stu- Why the University expects major cur-
-dent takes an interest in film, a possible low riculum decisions in only 2 1/2 weeks is
grade may be enough to discourage the stu- unfathomable. Such a short amount of
dent from enriching an already solid educa- exposure to a class does not provide stu-
tion. Without pass/fail - or without a rea- dents with the resources to make an
sonable deadline - students lose the option informed choice. In the second week -
to experiment with classes. Moreover, with barely past syllabus-reading and introduc-
pass/fail, students delve into new topics tions - students can only begin to get a feel
with little distraction from their concentra- for the teaching style and the workload.
tion classes - which students may not take Most classes have had few, if any, graded
pass/fail. assignments at this point; almost all classes
Pass/fail also acknowledges that stu- have yet to administer an exam.
"dents have obligations and desires outside For pass/fail to be most useful, the
the classroom. Prospective employers and University must recalculate the deadline. If
graduate schools - although concerned students could modify classes after
about GPAs - also look at extracurricular midterms, they would have a more reliable
activities. Pass/fail can provide students map of where their classes, their personal
-with a few extra hours per week - hours life and the semester in general are headed.
that might be spent toiling in pursuit of a Pass/fail is a useful tool for many students,
perfect GPA. These surplus hours allow a but the ability to choose this modification
student to be active in Hillel or another reli- with information would make it a useful
gious organization, to join the Greek sys- tool for any student.
Common Ianguae?
state House must kill English-only proposal

"NOTABLE QUOTABLE,
'We obviously don't have a crystal ball, but the overall
picture at the moment Is that we can control the virus
well, and we can have an impact on the disease ... .'
- David Ho, head of New York's Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center,;
discussing the new drug combinations that appear to curb HIV replication
YuKi KUNIYUKI GROUND ZERO
x Avr A
AsoWr -Tss...D
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

n whatever accent - Upper Peninsula or
downstate - state Rep. Harold Voorhees
(R-Wyoming) wants Michigan residents to
speak just one language: English. The law-
maker has proposed to declare English the
official language of the state of
Michigan. Voorhees' exclusive idea is
oppressive and must not become law. To
adopt his proposal would set an unac-
ceptable precedent.
Philosophical debate aside, the proposed
law is superfluous. English already is the
most common language in Michigan;
everything from street signs to voting bal-
-lots are written in English. While support-
ers of the bill believe that an "English-only"
law will "legalize", the state's majority of
English speakers, neither lawmakers nor
residents stand to gain from a law that can
only hurt a portion of the population.
Voorhees seeks to officiate a practice that is
already commonplace and, in doing so,
effectively exclude members of the commu-
nity for speaking in another tongue.
The bill blatantly contradicts the spirit in
which the first Americans founded the
country - which serves as an immigrants
escape from oppression. To make Michigan
- or any other state - "English-only"
would create a similar environment, one
from which immigrants flee. The fact that
Michigan has fewer non-English speakers
than states like California or New York is
irrelevant; solidarity does not come out of
exclusion, whether it be of a few citizens or
of thousands.
The bill would not "create unity," as its
supporters suggest; it will divide the state.
It goes against the spirit of diversity that has

encourages homogeneity - the law would
force non-English speakers to change.
Voorhees claims that to make English the
state's official language would be "good for
society."
However, he also maintains that the law
would be "symbolic" and have "no impact."
The latter is far from true - by requiring
all residents to speak English, non-speakers
would lose opportunities to the more privi-
leged speakers. Until they learn English,
non-speakers may find it practically impos-
sible to get a job, even in communities
where most residents speak the same -
non-English - native tongue.
Moreover, the proposed bill translates
into bad news for the rest of the country.
English-only proposals have made it to the
Supreme Court on more than one occasion
- any fuel for the fire could lead to
renewed efforts from other states to shred
the patchwork of languages spoken there.
The population the proposals aim to cut is
substantial. The 1990 census found that 32
million people over the age of 5 - 14 per-
cent of U.S. residents - speak a foreign
language in their home, an 11-percent jump
since 1980.
Ultimately, the proposal violates First
Amendment rights, which protect all
Americans - even those who will never
speak a word of English. Limiting free
expression is unconstitutional. For more
than 100 years, the United States has flour-
ished in the diversity allowed by not having
an official language.
Language must not be an elitist tool to
alienate a substantial portion of the popula-
tions. An English-only law would be an

Ebonics is a
valid subject
TO THE DAILY:
Despite the fact that many
students gripe about having
to take courses outside of
their "area of interest" to ful-
fill graduation requirements,
one of the philosophies
behind a liberal arts educa-
tion is that you get a broad-
based of understanding in the
world. And sometimes this
can be useful.
For example, in an intro-
ductory linguistics course,
Carlos Hernandez could have
learned why his letter
("English over Ebonics,"
1/22/97) was based on a mis-
understanding. Although the
political reasons for wanting
to officially recognize
Ebonics are various, the
empirical fact remains:
Ebonics is not just "poor
grammar" or "sloppy
English." It is as structured,
syntactically and semantical-
ly, as the kind of English he
was taught in high school.
You can say things cor-
rectly or incorrectly in
Ebonics; there are particular
instances in which it is
appropriate to use the infini-
tive form "to be" and particu-
lar instance in which is it not;
and there are grammatical
rules. These are not "norma-
tive" rules - they are not
taught as such in schools.
But they are elements of
the structure of the way the
language is used. If you don't
believe me, try visiting a
neighborhood (there are sev-
eral in Detroit) where a form
of Ebonics is the primary
means of communication,
and speak "sloppy English"
to people - and see what
kind of reaction you get.
The idea that Ebonics is
simply "sloppy" English is as
misinformed as the notion
that African Americans "can't
learn proper English." Of
course, no one ever suggested
that - that is also based on
misinformation on
Hernandez's part. In fact, the
educational agenda is to make
use of Ebonics in teaching
"proper English" -much in
the same way that Spanish is
used when teaching English
as a second language to
native Spanish speakers.
GREG STEVENS
RACKHAM
Homeless
don't own
the armory
TO THE DAILY:
It is easy to tell by Jessica
Curtin's letter ("Ann Arbor
must create shelter" 1/22/97)
that the National Women's
Rights Organizing Coalition

are fighting for a homeless
shelter. Curtin claims that
decent housing is a right, not
a privilege. Nowhere in any
government document or the
Bill of Rights does it give
these rights. Last time I
checked the First
Amendment, it didn't say that
we have the right to freedom
of press, freedom of religion
and the right to housing.
Maybe if NWROC took a
logical approach to the situa-
tion, things could be cleared
up. Suppose if the City
Council did build another
shelter as NWROC has
"demanded" they do. It
would cost more money com-
ing from tax dollars and quite
possibly won't solve the prob-
lem. Now, let's say that the
armory was turned into a
condo unit. This would lead
to an increase of revenue to
the city, which equates into
more tax dollars. Then, with
this new money, the City
Council could afford to build
another shelter without laying
the burden onto the citizens
and students at the University.
The University should be
concerned with NWROC's
tactics. They have taken pas-
sionate ideals for their caus-
es, but seem more concerned
about stirring up trouble and
garnering press coverage.
Curtin states that NWROC's
goal is to build a militant
civil rights movement. Hasn't
the recent Martin Luther
King Jr. holiday taught us
anything different?
NWROC has continued to
complain and take radical
approaches to protest.
However, they refuse to listen
to solutions, and they won't
accept any compromises. It is
nearly impossible to negoti-
ate with a group unwilling to
listen. I call for the Daily and
the University to stop treating
NWROC as legitimate fight-
ers for civil rights and instead
to treat them as the militant
radicals they are.
DAVID TAuB
LSA FIRST-YEAR STUDENT
Hutchins'
Review slam
'unwarranted'
TO THE DAILY:
Katie Hutchins, in her
farewell column ("And out of
the tree came a few overripe
fruits," 1/24/97), has finally
addressed the numerous
attacks on her column by cer-
tain members of The Michigan
Review. While Geoff Brown,
Review editor in chief, has
been more than outspoken
about his dislike for Hutchins'
column, I think her indictment
against the entire Review staff
is unwarranted.
To address her first com-
ment, the Review is not a
forum for "bonehead"

Parker and columnist Dean
Bakopoulos, who are probably
the best thing that has ever
happened to the Daily since
Tom Hayden, were both part
of the Review editorial staff. I
don't think you can realistical-
ly call Dean a "bonehead
Republican," do you?
And finally, to address the
comment about not being
"able to get another issue out
for six months," our every-
third-week publishing sched-
ule works the way it does
because the Review staff is
committed to publishing a
paper written by students
intending to provide a more
thoughtful, alternative view-
point. I suppose if we pulled
the majority of our news sto-
ries off of the Associated
Press wire and had our paper
printed at The Ann Arbor
News, we might be able to
turn out an issue more.
However, I think many on
this campus much rather
appreciate the actual analyti-
cal and in-depth coverage of
a wide range of issues done
by alternative campus papers
like the Review and the
Michigan Independent over
the watered-down, processed
stories that comprise so much
of the Daily. Geoff Brown's
comments speak for them-
selves, but not for the rest of
the Review staff.
EVAN KNOTT
LSA SOPHOMORE,
CAMPUS AFFAIRS EDITOR,
THE MICHIGAN REVIEW
Scientific
focus will
sacrifice art
TO THE DAILY:
There is obviously some-
thing wrong with this country.
In your Jan. 23 edition, you
picked up an article out of
The Los Angeles Times
("Clinton calls math, science
top priority") that states that
Clinton calls math and sci-
ence a "top priority." How
does this change what is
already happening? Being a
recent graduate of high
school, it's hard to tell that
math and science were not
already stressed. I attended a
school that focused specifical-
ly on these two areas. I spent
my mornings at a regular high
school and afternoons at a
math and science center.
However, in my senior
year, I woke to a world of
arts. Art programs at most
high schools have been los-
ing funding every year. With
this focus on math and sci-
ence, we forget that other
programs lose their focus.
Even English classes in
high school have a methodi-
cal life to them. Instead of
spending four years learning
to become a proficient writer,
I spent it analyzing symbols,

GRAND ILLUSION
Clinton. Show
us your soul
Tn August 1994, as Congress debat-
ed the most profound proposed
addition to the welfare state since the
Great Society Sen. Phil Gramm (R-
Tex.)astood before his colleagues in the
Senate chamber. Holding high a copy
of the moderate health care refor
proposal offered
by Democratic
Majority Leader
George Mitchell
(D-Maine),;
Gramm delicately
placed the large
bill on a scale he
had brought for
the occasion
Hundreds of
poundsoftaxes,
many ounces of SAMO
regulation, pro- GOODSTEIN
claimed Gramm,
reading imaginary numbers off the
scale.
Aneunusually quiet chamber held its
breath, waiting for the response of
Mitchell to this non-collegial attack.
Mitchell pounced. Borrowing
Gramm's now-empty scale, he exam-
ined it. Zero pounds, zero ounces, t4
weight of the Republican bill, noted
Mitchell.
It didn't weigh anything because it
didn't exist. According to Mitchell, the
Republicans had a strong defense, but
no offense. Most Republicans simply
weren't concerned with the more than
40 million uninsured Americans.
History has proven Mitchell prophet-
ic. After more than two years in control
of Congress, the Republican health c
reform plan still weighs zero poun,
zero ounces. What is more disturbing is
what few predicted: President Clinton
has been a co-conspirator in the plight
of the working poor, the small business
employees and children of America
who continue to go without - or with
inadequate - health insurance. The
Clinton administration's position on
health care reform since the death of
the Clinton plan in August 1994,
vides a window into the soul of
president of the United States. The view
inside has to sadden even the most ded-
icated Clinton supporters.
Our story begins in the wake of the
administration's health care debacle.
After the election of the Gingrich
majority, it was more than understand-
able that the president chose not to
resubmit to Congress a gargantuan
expansion of the welfare state. With
Dick Morris running the show o4
again, as he had done years before for
an embattled governor of Arkansas,
the president chose to govern by incre-
ment. Baby steps, said the soulless
pollster to the soulless politician.
There have been three major devel-
opments in health care policy since
that time, none positive, and all par-
tially the president's fault.
The first was the so-called Kenne
Kassebaum legislation, purporting
prohibit insurance companies from
denying individuals with pre-existing
conditions health insurance. The pres-
ident took endless credit for this bill,
claiming it to be an incremental
reform that would help millions of
Americans. Mr. President: As they say
in Arkansas, "that dog won't hunt."
Kennedy-Kassebaum allows health
insurance companies to continue to
charge prohibitively high prices
individuals with pre-existing con
tions. It's a meaningless technicality to

say insurance companies must offer
coverage to those with pre-existing
conditions without regulating the price
of that insurance.
This hogwash, however, paled.. in
comparison to the president's cam-
paign statements about the GOP
Medicare proposals; I do not doubt
that Gingrich and Majority Lea@
Dick Armey (R-Tex.), who has pub-
licly argued that the minimum wage
has no place in a free market economy,
would love to do away with Medicare
over time - let it "wither on the vine.'
However, the Medicare cuts proposed
by the Republicans in their budget
would have helped Medicare, nothurt
it. For once, the GOP had submitted a
plan that would place a higher benefit
on affluent recipients, and yet Cline
balked. Now, he is proposing
almost as large, but would do so in less
desirable ways. The president's pro-
posed premium increases are much
more likely to disproportionately hit
the middle class and the working poor.
Finally, the president has proposed
cuts to Medicaid in his balanced budget
plan. These cuts would either directly
throw poor people off the insurance
rolls, or would indirectly do so by2
ting already-low Medicaid reimburse-
ments to health care providers, thus
insuring that these providers will be
even less likely than they are now to
treat Medicaid enrollees.
Incremental solutions abound that