4A - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, February 6, 1997 Ulbe StdiCg r ouiMg 420 Maynard Street. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan I V P" E d ito r in C h ie--f ERIN MARSH Editorial Page Editor Unless otherwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the opinion o/fthe' majoritV of tui Daily vdiWria! board. A 11 other articles, letters and cartoons do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Dailv FpROM THE DAILY Inappropnate alocatlo MSA officers must not ignore BPC NOTABLE QUOTABLE, 'If I was a woman serving in the armed forces today, I would be very much concerned about the environment. It's not just sexual harassment. It is abuse of power ....' - Sen. Olympia J Snowe (R-Maine), at Senate hearings for Army officers accused of sexual harassment and misconduct YUKI KUNIYUKIRER -r-IM E Fbe you l~A Cie r'My {, VrWON VIEWPOINT Clinton and Bollinger can shape powerful presidencies I M ichigan Student Assembly Vice President Probir Mehta recently admitted to violating MSA procedure when hegave more than $500 to the United Asian Aierican Organization in September. Mta's infraction sparked an uproar in MSA - members called for investigatory co'rifIttees and punishment. Mehta's action was wrong and violates MSA's code of gov- ernance, but instead of resorting to person- al politics - as it is wont to do - the assembly should examine the principle of the 'situation and create a pro- cedure for handling similar situations in the future. 'One problem at the root of ; the situation is that UAAO requested funds at a time of the year when MSA is partic- ularly vulnerable. During the summer term, groups that plan activities for the fall look to MSA for funding. MSA cannot grant funds unless it meets a 10-member quorum. MSA frequently has difficulty making even a reduced quorum during the summer term. Mehta faced a difficult situation last summer when a group that badly needed funding appealed to an incomplete assem- bly. He did what he deemed appropriate at the time, but he made the wrong choice. MSA's policy states that all student groups requesting funds must receive them through MSA's Budget Priorities Committee. MSA officers have no discretionary spending allotments. MSA's purpose is to represent students. M r The students trust the assenibly with the student fees they pay each year. If Mehta's incident creates no change, it will set a precedent for MSA officers to bypass BPC in the future. In the past, orgaizations such as Project Serve and the Black Volunteer Network have attempted to bypass the BPC process and receive funding directly from the student population by placing their pro- posals on the ballot. Unilvers-ity students defeated their proposals, placing their faith in MSA and BPC. The students have spoken: they vote d for groups to appeal to BPC for funding. Students maintain that all student groups should get Mb, funds by standing in line and making proposals. However, for groups to fol- low procedure. MSA must be prepared to accommodate them. BPC must handle appro- priations responsibly and MSA's summer procedure must allow groups to petition properly. MSA is obligated to rectify the situation to avoid future incident. MSA officers and representatives alike must adhere to the rules. As LSA Rep. Andy Schor said, the Clinton can't deliver budget rules already exist if the assembly does By JEREMY MOWLSON In 1992, Bill Clinton promised he would be a "new Democrat" and balance the budget within five years. It is now 1997 and after the biggest tax increase in history, two years with a Democratic legislature, and two more with a fiscally focused Congress, the United States government is spending $694 million per day more than they receive. The current deficit is a p p r o x i m a t e I y $5,314,282,332,443.39 give or take a few billion. Your share of this exorbitant sum is presently in the neigh- borhood of $19,626. However, each day this amount increases by $2.60. For the fiscal year of 1997, the interest on the debt will cost $198 million, more than 95 percent of the Department of Treasury budget. During the cold war, the amount spent on interest was about one- third of the defense budget. Today they are nearly equal. Also, the interest payment on the deficit falls just shy of the Department of Health and Jeremy Mollison is an LSA first-year student. Human Services' budget, which is currently $204 mil- lion. These three programs combined account for close to 70 percent of the U.S. budget. With all of these figures in mind, it is not surprising that many advantages would accompany a balanced bud- get. Most notable to college students is the approximate two-percent decrease in inter- est rates. This decrease would lead to an average savings of $215 per student loan. A bal- anced budget would also save families more than $2,000 per year in mortgage payments and $180 in car payments. That's better than any tax credit that has ever been pro- posed. . Don't get too excited, however - if Clinton has his way, you will never see that $215. Unfortunately, he has decided that politics comes before policy and if Congress were to succeed in passing a balanced budget, it would reflect poorly on his party. Let us not forget that the 1998 elections are less than two years away. Sadly, he has already defeated a balanced budget amendment once. In the first not enforce them, they will be broken again. MSA heightens students' disapproval and distrust when its members choose to under- mine the assembly's purpose. However inappropriate, Mehta 's infrac- tion is history. MSA should now concen- trate on creating and abiding by policies that maintain BPC's budgetary function. vote during the 104th Congress, seven Democrats who had originally supported the measure changed their minds and the amendment lost by one vote. This year, with the increased Republican majori- ty in the Senate, the chance that Clinton will be able to block its passage is dimin- ished. However, thanks to mil- lions of dollars in campaign, contributions by the AFL-CIO and similar groups, the Democrats were able to chip away at the Republicans.' majority in the House. Hence, the passage there looks dim and it is possible that the blue-collar family that the unions are said to protect will not get much-needed relief in interest payments. With all that said, it is important to mention that Lynn Rivers (D-Ann Arbor) failed to vote for the amend- ment in the 104th Congress. If the support is gathered in the House for the amendment, then ratification cannot be far behind and the "old Democrat" that we have grown to know and under- stand just might learn a lesson about good policy. P residents come and go, but their legacies live forever. As Lee Bollinger assumes the presi- dency and Bill Clinton retains his, I cannot help but note an interesting parallel. We, the members of theh' University com- munity, have the opportunity to watch two presi- dents shape their agendas and lega- cies before our eyes. We must view Bill Clinton from afar as he ZACHARY M. devotes his second RAimi term to securing a - SMOK place in history. MIT, And, just days ago, Lee Bollinger began his tenure as president, kicking off a quest to leave his mark on this institution. Although the two presidents' job descriptions and responsibilities may appear to be vastly different, there are some similarities. Both are in high- profile jobs that carry tremendous pressure and expectations. Both run large andaunwieldy public bureaucra- cies. Both have the power to affect sig- nificant numbers of people. And both, presumably, wish to do a great job. As they pursue excellence, I have a few suggestions for how each can attain it. Reaching out Lee Bollinger is assuming the University presidency at a time of great promise. His recent predecessors have restored financial stability to the University, improved its infrastructure and diversified the student body. Now Bollinger has the opportunity to turn the office of the president into an activist and populist agency, one that4 fights on the side of students against the bureaucracy. To do this, he must win the confi- dence of the disparate and diverse stu- dent body that occupies campus. He should host random gatherings at his. house. He should eat in the University's residence hall cafeterias. He should teach a class, as he promised. He should spend time shak- ing hands on the Diag. He should sit in the students' section at football games. He could even do work in the UGLi. By reaching out to students, being accessible and maintaining a presence. on campus, Bollinger can win the stu; dent body's confidence. Then he should focus much of his attention on undergraduate education. Bollinger should reinvigorate intel -. lectual energy in the liberal arts. Professors too often rely on standard- ized tests and meaningless busywork that do not provide rigorous challenges to students. Moreover, the University, as a whole does not emphasize or, teach writing enough. And the school continues to churn out, in mass num- ber, students who have never read any of the classics and who do not have mathematical skills (I'm a good exam- ple). This must change and Bollinger has the opportunity - and the office - to lead the crusade. Bollinger should use the bully pulpit of his office to devise ways to inspire students to learn. This is not an easy task, but it is necessary. By reaching. out to students in symbolic ways -- like eating in dorm cafeterias - and making significant improvements in the quality of education, Bollinger has the chance to leave his legacy, one that would be defined by compassion and commitment to students and their edu- cation. Reinventing government Outside the world of academia, Bill Clinton is on the prowl. His aides say he will devote much of his second term to securing a place in history. Clinton ought to begin this campaign by making good on his promise to, "reinvent government." Clinton, with the assistance of Vice President Al Gore, devoted much of his first term to reducing the size of the federal government. In fact, the, government is now about the size it was during John F. Kennedy's admin- igtration. But shrinking the size of the federal work force is only the beginning; Clinton should reinvent many of the government's most important pro- grams. Currently, bankruptcy looms over Medicare and Social Security. Both Clinton and the Republicans, have submitted proposals for scaling back the growth of Medicare,'but nei- ther side has developed a comprehen- sive plan to keep the government pro- gram solvent well into the next centu-, 0 lann y Clinton should revise student aid package ore often than not, proposed solu- for their last - and usually most expenv tions to the student aid problem only - years of school. d~use more questions. Such is the case in If the $1,500 tuition credit will not \shngton once again, as the Clinton fice for families who have students in f am inistration tries to iron out the details of year colleges or universities, another opt 4proposal that - if successfully modified exists. The aid package's second opt -4 could ease students' financial burdens. would allow families to deduct up 4 In Tuesday night's State of the Union $10,000 from their taxable income for e address, President Clinton detailed his of their students enrolled in colle j0-billion federal college aid package. The Although the tax break could help th oposal includes tax breaks, tuition cred- sands of middle-class families, it is it, grants and new scholarships. At first, example of how Clinton's package m: t e plan sounds like a gift to families slight poorer families; tax wbreaks gerywhere who face the hardship of pay- help those who pay few taxes . itg ever-increasing college tuition costs. Despite its flaws, Clinton's student Wihile the plan has some positive compo- package has the potential to be the la vents - the 25-percent increase in Pell mark of his presidency. Besides rant funding is hard to ignore - Clinton's American ego boost that would come v pckage may slight those who most need education levels closer to reaching thos Atra help. other countries, the true impact would At the center of Clinton's proposal is the much more immediate and important: ape Scholarship, a tuition credit that economy demands better-educ ated work ,uld refund up to $1,500 to families dur- With his plan, Clinton has vowed to prov ig each of the first two years their child more access to higher education, simila ftends college and earns a 'B' average or the role the G.I. bill filled after World 4 tter. $1,500 is slightly more than the II. It could create a new standard tiuition for most community colleges; American education by making two y .linton's chosen number aligns with his of college nearly as universal as high sch al to make basic higher education avail- - currently, only about 60 percent of h le to a larger number of Americans. school graduates nationwide go on to The 'B' average requirement presents a lege. w problems. Students who struggle with Clinton must still work out the detail ils may need to hold a job to supplement with a $50-billion proposal, there is no ihsufficient government aid - an added son for poorer families to be short-chang rsponsibility that would take time from the Although tax breaks for the middle c fort necessary to maintain a high enough will help thousands of families, they do $PA. Some critics of the proposal fear that direct aid to those who need it most. 4kofessors will feel pressure to boost the Last, one of the proposal's biggest fl irades of students desperate to qualify for is that Clinton has yet to elaborate on E I p Isve suf- our- tion tion to ach ege. ou- an ight ont aid nd- the with e of be The ers. vide r to War in ears pool high col- LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 'U' will miss Neal's vision, leadership TO THE DAILY: You correctly note President Emeritus Homer Neal's contribution to the University ("Homer's odyssey," 1/31/97). Perhaps his most important contribu- tion as interim president of the University was that his imprint on the University community did not come with the notoriety of his pre- decessor. Over the past 30 years, Neal repeatedly demonstrated his effectiveness as a leader and visionary. No one should have been surprised by his stewardship through a turbu- lent period at the University that experienced a rare turnover of its executive offi- cers. Neal provided the needed stability and character for the executive office; in recent years, stability and character in the president's office has been in questionable supply. Neal forthrightly addressed the typical University shenanigans and quickly dis- posed of them to the gossip halls. Many University students probably did not know Neal was the interim president until the nianue-unveilinL sorely missed. COREY R. HILL UNIVERSITY ALUMNUS MSA action is insufficient TO THE DAILY: I thought that we only let people off with a hand slap in Washington. The Mehta situ- ation proves that wrong ("MSA will not probe Mehta's allocation," 2/5/97). It is too bad that these pseudo-politician MSA mem- bers believe that they are above the student body. Just another example of why MSA does not work. ROBERT RARDIN LSA SENIOR Drills demand participation TO THE DAILY: Last Thursday at 4:30 a.m., Alice Lloyd Hall had a fire drill. As I reluctantly made my way down the stair- case, not the elevator, and made my way fhrough the main lobby, what I saw shocked me. Most of the resident advi- nrs and a few other individ- fire drills, I would appreciate it if everyone was involved. If the RAs do not feel they need to participate in a drill at 4:30 a.m., maybe they should consider changing the time it is practiced. GREG QUITMEYER LSA FIRST-YEAR STUDENT Spirit lessons given in Yost TO THE DAILY: I'm writing in response to Jeffrey Goff ("Many ways to improve Crisler Arena atmos- phere," 2/3/97). For those who need spirit lessons, attend a hockey game. Goff seems to believe that the lack of spirit in Crisler is because the athletic department is not as commit- ted to basketball as they are to football. This is obviously not the problem. Hockey is not sup- ported anywhere as much as basketball. It's not shown on television as much as either basketball or football. It's not shown anywhere but PASS and, of course, live in Yost. This brings us to the other argument - that the fans are too far away. This is probably a good explanation. My tickets at Yost are only five rows from the ice and the furthst rowi is 1 5Th 01 s -- rea- ged. lass not aws how 0 ii