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February 07, 1997 - Image 4

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The Michigan Daily, 1997-02-07

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4 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, February 7, 1997

(he StrbigFn ulg

420 Maynard Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109 JOSH WHITE
Editor in Chief
Edited and managed by ERIN MARSH
students at the Editorial Page Editor
University of Michigan
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 TH E DAILY
Costly candidates

m

NOTABLE QUOTABLE,
'We want to make It clear to licensees that
they have blood on their hands.'
- Michigan Liquor Control Commission Chair Phil Arthurhultz, warning
merchants of an upcoming crackdown on alcohol sales to minors
JiM LASSERE HARP A TOAST
T RIALLY APPREcIArE: THE NEW
iEADERSHIP OF P1zEStDENT VEA BuT T'M NO'T Too
3QLLfNGER FOND Or IM CHANCnaNC
EHE NAKH1H MILEETT
##~ THE NAKED 10K !'.
LTTERS TO THE EDITOR

Regents overspent on presidential search
A fter a long search process, Lee following the law.
Bollinger has finally taken control as Last January, the regents racked up
University president - now the University another large bill by hiring Malcolm
community has a chance to evaluate the MacKay from the private consulting firm of
search process that brought Bollinger back. Russell Reynolds Associates, Inc. For his
Recently released numbers show that the services, MacKay garnered a fee equivalent
search was financially inefficient, costing to one-third of Bollinger's first-year salary.
more than $500,000. The bulk of the cost MacKay's contribution to the search
stemmed from legal fees to combat lawsuits process is questionable - he kept a very
during the search and fees for a private con- low profile and failed to come through on
sultant. The University Board of Regents some of the promises he made at the
should have saved a considerable sum by search's beginning.
adhering to the Open Meetings Act and dis- From the outset, MacKay's role in the
missing the need for a private consulting search process was hazy and undefined. He
firm. came into the search admitting he knew lit-
The figures released Tuesday revealed tle of the University's procedures - specif-
that the presidential search cost an exorbi- ically those he would encounter during a
tant $503,186.39. The itemized list priced presidential search. He professed little
the search process at $278,301.88 and legal respect for the state's OMA guidelines and
fees at $224,884.51. In comparison, the stressed confidentiality as the "most impor-
University spent a mere $90,600 during the tant issue" of the search - a stand that
1988 search for former University President backfired in court.
James Duderstadt - even when inflation is MacKay also emphasized his commit-
calculated into this year's expense, the ment to producing a diverse and broad list of
increase is significant. candidates. for the presidency. He promised
After the regents selected Duderstadt in to bring to the table candidates the regents
the 1988 search, they faced a lawsuit from might not have otherwise considered.
local newspapers for violating the OMA. Conversely, the search did not unearth any
This time, the regents should have known to obscure candidates. Though a worthy and
keep the search process public - selecting prestigious selection, Bollinger (a former
a new University president is too important University Law School dean) was sitting in
to the University community to be a private the regents' backyard - an expensive con-
endeavor. The regents knew the possible sultant was unnecessary to find him.
legal consequences of the OMA violation, The money that paid for the search came
but they ignored state law. from interest on University investments -
Sure enough, the Ann Arbor News, funds normally used to renovate and
Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News improve University facilities. The commu-
sued the regents again for violating the nity now sees that dollars the regents wast-
OMA. In response, the regents hired litiga- ed on search process debacles should have
tors, who cost the University an additional gone to a nobler purpose: fostering better
$100,336.50. The regents should have learning environments and enhancing edu-
avoided incurring the extra costs simply by cational facilities.
Drp o tic
Engler's attack on EPA warrants concern

M onday, Gov. John Engler encouraged
his fellow governors to counter what
he deemed overly stringent environmental
regulations. While in the nation's capital for
the four-day National Governors'
Association conference, Engler distributed
a letter citing grievances with the
Environmental Protection Agency and call-
ing for his colleagues to express to the
White House their discontent with a "dom-
ineering" EPA. Engler's effort to assemble
opposition against EPA policy will likely
result in diminished environmental protec-
tion for United States residents and for
Michigan residents in particular - neither
citizens nor state governors should ally with
Engler's poor vision.
Engler's apathy toward environmental
issues became evident in 1994, when he
stripped the state Department of Natural
Resources of its environmental enforce-
ment privileges. He used executive order to
establish the Department of Environmental
Quality - an organization that answers
directly to the governor. The move further
enabled Engler to bend environmental mat-
ters to accommodate commercial interests.
The governor's current grievances against
the EPA stem from issues that pit environ-
ment against industry; his latest crusade
reflects his pro-business stance.
The set of issues Engler opposes
includes an EPA proposal to strengthen air
quality regulations that might have an
adverse economic impact. Engler says the
proposal "defies common sense" and
would inhibit the economic development of
nftrnit and ether urhan Michigan are s

demonstrate their necessity. In 1995, the
Ann Arbor News reported that "the major
sources of air pollution in Michigan grew
from 753 in 1990 to 896 in March of this
year." Engler's decision to subordinate envi-
ronmental issues to business interests will
only allow the pollution problem to intensi-
fy.
The state's relationship with the EPA has
deteriorated; reports reveal that the state's
top environmental regulator predicted the
federal organization will seek to end state
authority over a range of environmental pro-
grams. While the move may afford state res-
idents less control over environmental
issues, moving jurisdiction over these pro-
grams to the federal level would enable the
EPA to effectively address ecological con-
cerns. At the same time, the EPA could
bypass resistance from economy-before-
ecology governors - like Engler - whose
perspectives reflect financial prospects
rather than the ecological fate of their states.
Engler's latest move to assemble other
state governors against EPA regulations
conflicts with Americans' rights to ade-
quate environmental protection. In fact, a
1996 study revealed that 63 percent of
Americans would advocate environmental
protection, while only 23 percent would
choose the economic development Engler
endorses.
Commercial government should not hin-
der the progress of environmental causes.
Americans and their elected representatives
should remain committed to providing a
healthy environment for future generations
- thev shou1d not sunnort Engler in allow-

Committee
unnecessary
for MSA fund
appropriation
TO THE DAILY:
As a Michigan Student
Assembly representative, I
take responsibility for the
assembly's actions. As a
member of the Budget and
Priorities Committee, I take
particular responsibility for
the dispersement of students'
money. Therefore, I want to
explain why I abstained from
the vote to further investigate
MSA Vice President Probir
Mehta.
When Probir transferred
the $500 in question to the
UAAO, he violated the stu-
dents' trust in him as a
guardian of their funds. He
has freely admitted to this
mistake and has promised to
me personally to not sign for
any allocations in excess of
$50 for the remainder of his
term.
I plan to keep him to his
word. As such, I am confi-
dent that there is no further
risk to the treasury.
Furthermore, I do not
believe that Probir deserves
to be lambasted for his
actions. In the greater scheme
of things, his transfer of
funds was justifiable, if not
excusable. Although he must
face our internal rules for his
violation, he should not be
defamed in the press.
That is why I did not vote
to create an investigative
committee. It was unclear
what the committee would
investigate, as Probir has
admitted to his mistake. Any
punishment the committee
might have recommended
can still be doled out by the
assembly using other means.
I personally feared that an
investigative committee
would only have served as a
lightning rod for criticism of
Mehta by his political oppo-
nents in the face of the
impending MSA presidential
election.
Although such negative
publicity might discourage
future executives from
repeating this inappropriate
transfer, I was not and am not
prepared to legitimize public
humiliation as a civilized way
to enforce our rules.
DAVID BURDEN
ENGINEERING SOPHOMORE
Band's lyrics
misquoted
in story
To THE DALY:
In Monday's Daily, Aaron
Rennie reported on the sup-
nosed aiaeck sn Osis h

make his point.
When taken in this con-
text, they do not quite mean
what Rennie says they do.
These lyrics are the ones
found on the R.E.M.
Homepage, courtesy of Kipp
Teague's Lyric Archive, if
you want to know where I
got the lyrics from.
MIKE POMORSK
LSA FIRST-YEAR STUDENT
Simpson and
Sheppard
cases similar
TO THE DAILY:
It seems ironic that on the
same day O.J. Simpson was
found responsible for killing
his wife and Ron Goldman,
strong evidence exonerating
Dr. Sam Sheppard (the man
whose story "The Fugitive"
T.V. series was based on) for
the 1954 killing of his wife
was presented.
The Daily ran both sto-
ries: Simpson on the front
("Simpson found liable for
slayings," 2/5/97) and
Sheppard on the back ("DNA
results support Sheppard's
testimony in famous
'Fugitive' trial," 2/5/97).
Perhaps the Daily should
have run the stories side by
side. The strong sense of sat-
isfaction many people not
directly involved with the
case may feel, coupled with
their disgust and hatred of
Simpson, is alarming, given
that it was made apparent on
the same day that Sheppard,
eventually acquitted after a
second trial but forced to live
out his remaining years as a
pariah and in an alcoholic
torpor, more than likely spent
a decade in prison for a crime
he did not commit.
At 30 years old, Sheppard
suffered the loss of his wife,
was separated from his child,
and had to endure the bitter
contempt of his community.
He died before he was 50.
Of course, I doubt the
sorrow some might feel for
Sheppard and his son, who is
still trying to clear his
father's name, is as bio-
chemically satisfying as the
feeling of seeing O.J.
Simpson get part of what he
deserves.
Some may justify their
feelings of hate and satisfac-
tion by calling it "righteous
indignation," which is just a
euphemism for exercising
impulses of cruelty and
affirming their humanity by
claiming how sad they feel
for Simpson's children.
Sam Sheppard's son has
had to live with his mother's
murder and the imprison-
ment, social scorn and early
death of his father. His strug-
gle to clear his father's name
now appears to be successful,
h~ts.. cts tr at.d UPs.

"money=happy" ending of
James Miller's column
("Liberal arts can boast more
than job placement," 2/5/97).
In fact, I used the same com-
parison in my valedictory
speech.
However, I feel the rest of
his column simply proves
why engineers, scientists,
businessmen, etc. will be
replying "yes" to "would you
like fries with that?"
It's not that things that are
more abstract and hard to
define are less important
than concrete things. It's that
they are more abstract and
hard to define. This fact
makes basically any answer
correct.
What is love? It's an
attraction between two peo-
ple. It's a feeling. It's buying
your significant other choco-
lates for Valentine's Day. It's
being there when someone
needs you. It's listening. Are
any of these wrong? No, of
course not. Everyone has his
own answer. Buttwhat is the
limit as 'h' goes to zero of
(1 +h)(I1/h)? Zero? Ten?
Infinity? Everyone may have
his own answer, but the only
correct one is 'e.'
Now let me ask you:
Which one is easier? A ques-
tion with any old answer or
one with a specific answer?
Everyone has a view on
things like lust, God, love,
morality and greed. The
intrinsic human thinks about
such things and has a view
on them. Such things are
important, but there is no
need for a class on them.
The same thing applies to
love and greed and lust. Why
do people do the things they
do? Seems obvious to me -
because it makes them happy,
because they enjoy doing
them - and I'm neither a
history, literature or philoso-
phy major. And I know that
without doing any work in
the area, not even "a little
work" like the aforemen-
tioned majors.
Memorizing formulas is
by no means "tricky stuff"
What does boggle the mind,
however, is understanding
what happens in a problem,
and knowing what formula,
or combination of formulas,
are needed to solve the prob-
lem. And arriving at the
answer, that's tricky too.
Only one answer works, not a
whole slew of them - get
the wrong one and the bridge
falls down, the airplane
crashes or the fries are burnt.
Want to get an 'A' in a
non-liberal arts course?
Learn, comprehend and
understand the material. Want
to get an 'A' in a liberal arts
course? Well, it's just part of
the swag that comes when
you tell the professor what he
wants to hear.
Apparently, Miller's quite
--~lata t -n. s Z a n ,c"

The senior year
'booty call' ana7
other romantic
adventures
Ithink Eddie Murphy said it right in
his 'Saturday Night Live' days
when he said, "I wanna be a ho."
Eddie, I want you to know that*
wholeheartedly agree with you. It has
taken me many
years to arrive at
this conclusion,
but in considera-
tion of where and
who I've been and
what things are
like right now I.'
think that ho-dom
is the only appro-
priate choice for
me. HEATHER
Now, don't get GORDON
me wrong. I am RIE
not preaching the WITH E
glory of sluthood
as appropriate for all, nor do I think it
is always, or even often the most suit-
able lifestyle choice. But in taking
stock of my life, I can firmly and
unwaveringly state that I wannab
ho.
Before everyone goes off their
onions, let me give a little background
information about this decision. I am
presently a 21-year-old senior set to
graduate in just a few months, where-
upon I most likely will move back to
my hometown of Boston.
I just ended a somewhat trying and
turbulent long-distance relationship
with someone and I will fully admit
that although my chin is up and4
upper lip couldn't be stiffer, now is not
precisely the time to be jumping into
something heavy with the next Mr.
Right.
This semester should
be all about fun.
Not only are the scars still healing,
but I'll be taking off for destintio
far away in a short time and I'm not
the mood to have the scene of leaving
all my Michigan, friends for good
made any uglier by separating from
some silly love interest. For these rea-
sons, I've decided that this semester
should be (and hopefully is shaping up
to be) all about fun.
Things haven't always been this way.
I've spent several years working hard
here and I feel that I'veaearnedathe
slackerhood to which I am treat@
myself this term. College is about edu-
cation and we should not be wasting
our precious tuition dollars by napping
during lecture and swilling many
brews - although I would like to
extend my gratitude to my freshman
year roommate who taught me the
beauty of sleeping through class.
The point is that in the end we are
and should be here to expand our intei
lects and prepare for the world.
even my father will tell you that col-
lege is also about experience and when
else in life can one really get this sort
of potentially necessary experience?
When else in life is one so fully sub-
merged in an atmosphere of accessible
peers?
Which leads me back to my initial
point of slutdom and my desire to sub-
merge myself more fully in my acces-
sible peers (wink wink). I do not taj
this point lightly.
I grew up in a very small, very over-

protective town where it most certain-
ly was not kosher to be doing anything
but having a serious relationship with
someone. Of course, under those guis-
es, sexual contact was then fine (this is
the East Coast we're discussing here),
but under no other circumstances.
There was no dating; there was no
hooking up. Those who did were e*
harlots.
Then I came here and discovered
such a large variety of sexual/romantic
practices and was introduced to the
wonder of the hook-up, which I find to
be quite the art here in Ann Arbor. Not
to insult the moral character of this
town or insinuate that the student body
is merely an uncontrollable ;pulse of
hormones looking for an outlet -
what I mean to say is that I began
know individuals who were moreW
less liberated and comfortable with
their feelings than I.
Over my four years here, I've come
to feel that it is not what you do, it is
how you do it. Being a ho can only be
healthy if it is done in some modera-
tion and with the right motives; for fun
and with the proper self-respect. Of
course, there is the whole wretched
disease issue, which I think was jed
nature's way of keeping us from shac -
ing all the time so that we are at least
somewhat productive.
And this issue more often than not
keeps my desire for harlotry in check
and most likely still will by the end of
today. Perhaps I've just been overly

I

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