4 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, January 10, 1997
stichi m tt'r1g
LAW e
420 Maynard Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Edited and managed by
students at the
University of Michigan
RONNIE GLASSBERG
Editor in Chief
ADRIENNE JANNEY
ZACHARY M. RAIMI
Editorial Page Editors
Unless otherwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of the majority of the Daily's editorial hoard. A ll
other articles, letters and cartoons do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily.
ROM THE DAILY
S all steps
'' must continue to add minority faculty
NOTABLE QUOTABLE
'The key thing for me to make sure of is
that I am the first but not also the last.'
- Conrad Mallet Jr.:, commenting on his election
as thefirst black chiefjustice of the Michigan Supreme Court
Jim LAs ERSHARP As TOAST
CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHY
AMERICAN 5TIDENT5
CONTINUALLY LAC
BEHIND IN THEIR WE'VE RECENTLY COME
MATH SCoRES? ACROSS A NEW, CVLTURALLy
UNIQUE. SET OF
NUmBERS USED BY
AME RI CANS CAL L E DT
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
he latest report of the University's
minority recruitment effort brings with
it both good and bad news. An increased
number of minorities is the University's
obvious good fortune - and the result of
efforts put forth by individual deans and
professors. However, the increase from
1995 was not large - a mere 12 minority
additions to the University's teaching staff.
The University community can be pleased
with the increase for the sake of progress,
but rightfully should be concerned that the
progress is not enough. The University
should continue to push for diversity within
its many facets and not content itself with
small successes.
Of course, any increase is always wel-
come - increasing minority representation
within the student population, administra-
tion and faculty has long been among the
University's primary goals. Former
University President James Duderstadt cre-
ated the Michigan Mandate nearly 10 years
ago in the hopes of achieving academic
opportunity in conjunction with racial, eth-
nic and gender-based diversity. In 1994,
Duderstadt implemented the Agenda for
Women, a plan designed to attract women
to the University and create a comfortable
environment.
Duderstadt's goal is slowly coming to
fruition; last November, race and ethnicity
statistics for the class of 2000 showed that
minority enrollment had increased to 25
percent. For the same group of students,
women now comprise more than half the
class for only the second time in University
history. Duderstadt's Michigan Mandate
and Agenda for Women have made steady,
albeit slow, progress for enrolled students.
But it needs to speed up.
Administrators must now try to bridge
the gap between faculty and student recruit-
ment efforts - the same tactics are not
applicable to both groups. Distinguished
faculty are infinitely more difficult to
attract and require no small amount of per-
severance.
The community can credit deans and
professors from the University's various
schools and colleges for courting the 12
new members of the University faculty. The
largely decentralized effort demonstrates
success on a small scale - with stepped-up
efforts and cooperation between college and
school deans and department chairs, the
personal approach again may prove suc-
cessful in raising the number of minority
staff.
While this year's increase shows
progress, the sum total of minority repre-
sentation within the University faculty
stands at 15.4 percent. The figure has
grown by only 3 percent in five years. The
low numbers do not reflect the student pop-
ulation and appear woefully small in com-
parison to the national population. National
statistics will soon show minorities com-
prising 50 percent of the population and
Prof. Thomas Dunn, chair of the Senate
Advisory Committee on University Affairs,
said, "we've got a long way to go before the
faculty, looks like that."
Failure to give students a more represen-
tative teaching staff may negate some of the
progress through programs like the
Michigan Mandate. Students without role
models or mentors may find their educa-
tional experience unfulfilling and seek
more diverse colleges and universities.
Increasing minority faculty to at least a
level that reflects the University would give
its community a fairer picture of the world
- and with it, the chance to learn.
SHAKING THE TREE
The trouble witi
cats: They are
cold and mean:
T oday's column is a plea for help
T You have the opportunity here to
save a cat's life. Because if nobody
claims the cat my housemates have
adopted, I'm going to kill it.
Yes, I know I'm
a vegetarian and I
try not to wear
leather or wool. I
know I think ani-
mals have the
right to be free
and happy and 7R'
well-fed and all
that. But I hate Y m.
cats.
Call it speciism, KATIE
if you want. Call it HUTCHINS
hypocrisy. Call it HTHN
anything you like,
but the fact remains: The cat will be
dead in one week. I think rat poison
might be a good choice.
It's not that I want every cat dead. 1
don't mind if they exist, as long as
they stay out of my face. They're self-
ish, nasty, finicky, rude, stuck-up aq
stupid.
They get their owners to love them
somehow (some people think they're
cute) and then they have their run of
the place. They come and go as they
please. They kill cute little birds and
rodents. They expect their meals on
time - and they'll destroy the furni-
ture if you fail to deliver. And they
ignore you.
Dogs at least appreciate the fact that
as far as they're concerned, you'
God. They jump up and down and bark
and wag their tails when you come
home. A cat might look up and
acknowledge your return. If she feels
like it.
My housemates feel sorry for this
cat. They wanted me to write a column
- a tribute to the cat that has brought
so much joy to our lives. I told them I
probably needed a bit more of an ang
than that to fill the space.
One of my housemates offered,
"Isn't it interesting that we treat ani-
mals better than humans? We haven't
donated anything to the homeless, but
I've already given up four cans of
tuna." I wasn't sure if it was such a
good idea to talk about how we should
help the homeless more; I feared that
humans might show up at our place
looking for bowls of tuna and milk.
So I decided to compromise. 1
housemates will like the column
because it's in the cat's best interest to
become adopted by someone else - it
might get to live.
This is not a cat whose
life is misery because
it is homeless.
Pushing ahead
Congress faces important legislative agenda
T he campaign season has passed, the
winners have gone to Washington and
the government is about to begin another
cycle of legislation. New members of
Congress were sworn into office Tuesday
and President Clinton will be inaugurated
later this month. Although voters once
again elected a divided government, the
president and Congress must put aside par-
tisan differences and focus their attention
on a number of pressing problems -
including campaign finance, welfare and
entitlement spending.
When Republicans swept the congres-
sional elections in 1994, Speaker Newt
Gingrich (R-Ga.) led the party down a path
of uncompromising conservatism and parti-
sanship. His hostile approach to governing
spurred a bitter stalemate between
Congress and the president, resulting in a
partial shutdown of the government. In the
new 105th Congress, it is important that the
Republican leaders - particularly those in
the House - work with Clinton.
One major issue Congress is supposed
to tackle this term is campaign finance
reform. Currently, the political parties and
many politicians try to circumvent the
nation's campaign finance laws. In fact, the
Democratic National Committee came
under intense fire last fall for its acceptance
of questionable campaign contributions.
Clearly, reform is necessary.
Congress should begin by limiting the
amount of "soft money" that donors can
contribute to political parties. Currently,
donors can give unlimited amounts of
money to parties, which then distribute that
can give a particular candidate an unfair
advantage in a race where the opposing
candidate's party is not financially support-
ive. Moreover, it may lead party leaders to
feel obligated to offer large donors access
to government officials - a privilege that
ordinary citizens are not afforded.
Also, Congress should consider passing
a constitutional amendment to limit the
amount of money a candidate can spend on
his or her own campaign, and making fed-
eral funds available to congressional candi-
dates in exchange for a cap on the amount
of expenditures.
Last year, Congress passed and the pres-
ident signed harsh welfare reform that
places unfair burdens on welfare recipients.
Clinton and the Democrats promised to fix
the legislation by adding provisions for
childcare and health care - the president
and his party must not renege on their
promise. Such provisions will ensure a
smoother transition for recipients as they
move off of welfare and into work. Also, the
new law gives each state a block grant of
money for welfare; however, Congress
must not abdicate all responsibility.
One of the country's most pressing prob-
lems is the impending bankruptcy of
Medicare and Social Security. It is often
difficult for lawmakers to choose a course
of action - reducing entitlement spending
inflicts political harm. Hence, the president
and Congress should appoint a bipartisan
commission to create proposals for keeping
the programs solvent. Such an approach
would depoliticize this issue and allow both
parties to make substantive reform.
Hip-hop
review omits
many artists
To THE DAILY:
I found several things that
bothered me about your arti-
cle in the Daily, "Hip-Hop
Hooray: A wrap up of the
highs and lows of 1996"
(1/9/97). However, it was not
what you included in your
summation that really both-
ered me; actually, for the
most part, I found most of
them worthy of mention.
What I found troubling about
your article was what you
failed to mention - points
that I must beg to reward
more notice than some of
your own. These points
included the East Coast/West
Coast feud, Tupac Shakur's
death, collaborations with
R&B artists and last, but cer-
tainly most vital to myself,
the emergence and re-emer-
gence of female rappers.
Sure, many of us are
weary of the East Coast/West
Coast battle. Some of us
think that it just was taken to
a ridiculous level, causing
the focus to shift from quali-
ty hip-hop work to cheap
shots, from one rapper to the
next. However, this concept
was one of the most relevant
to hip-hop in 1996 and there-
fore, it must be included in
any wrap up that deals with
hip hop.
This issue goes hand-in-
hand with the death of Tupac
Shakur. Whether he is dead
or alive, as many seem to
believe, he was indeed a
leading artist in the hip-hop
community across the coun-
try and to simply mention his
two albums and their mone-
tary achievement disrespects
him, his fans and the rest of
the hip-hop community. And
this point is coming from
someone who was never a
big fan of the guy.
Third, how can you wrap
up the year in hip-hop with-
out mentioning the rapper /
R&B artist collaborations
that seemed to have grown
exponentially? 1996 has defi-
nitely been a year of a
plethora of collaborations
including the Da Brat with
Xscape and Mariah Carey;
the Lost Boyz Biggie and
Mase with 112; Nas with
Lauryn Hill and R. Kelly;
Missy and L.L. Cool J with
everyone else and, of course,
the queen of these collabora-
tions, Miss Foxy Brown her-
self. Wouldn't you say that
this phenomena was even
worthy of a sentence in your
article?
Finally, I take you back to
Foxy Brown. She is only one
of the many female artists
that were in the limelight this
year. Where it appeared yet
again to be the year of the
woman in the mainstream
nnn 'lnr rs) a ci nsii tr
worthy of mention of the
female rap artists, but we
must acknowledge the re-
emergence of Queen Latifa,
Yo-yo and MC Lyte as well
as welcome the newcomers,
Foxy, Kim and Missy. They
have all created a trend
unknown to rap ever before,
and therefore, should have
been included in your article.
A big fan of hip-hop, I only
wish to give props and atten-
tion where I know it is due.
Yes, you made many good
decisions in what to include,
but perhaps, you could have
been a little more open mind-
ed and included a little more,
for as many points that you
did note, there were that
many more that may have
deserved more notice.
CHRISTINE BUENDIA
SCHOOL OF ART
AND DESIGN
Hatcher is
a valuable
resource
TO THE DAILY:
When my professor
authorized the topic for my
first graduate-level term
paper some two months ago,
I shivered a bit. Up to that
point, a good idea seemed
like most of the battle, but
after the conference I real-
ized how my obscure take
upon a complex discipline
would require both rigorous
research and an unusual aes-
thetic presentation to become
the cogent, original essay I
envisioned. The Hatcher
Library turned out to be the
superb source of material and
technology that I needed. The
staff of Special Collections
and the Knowledge
Navigation Center in particu-
lar guided me through the
library's boundless resources
with knowledge and enthusi-
asm, allowing me to take full
advantage of their magnifi-
cent facilities.
Thank you, skilled
Hatcher staff, for helping me
to complete a satisfying pro-
ject and for expanding the
scope of what I can accom-
plish in the future.
JOSHUA DAVIDSON
RACKHAM
New Edition
article
misses facts
To THE DAILY:
I read Weekend, etc. on
Nov. 21 and was sickened by
an article titled "New Edition
reunites with a new album -
but for music or money?"
I'm sure your Arts writers
man staff' are ac temnrpnen-.
are backed up and no
research done by the reporter
first-hand. The Daily is noto-
rious for misquotes, quotes
taken out of context and not
covering all angles of the
story. During our discussion,
one of the staff members
assigned the Daily's errors
due to the lack of experience
and age of its staff.
I was offended that
University faculty and staff
were discounting the ability
of (undergraduate) students to
perform and publish accurate
and respectable work. Sadly, I
could do nothing but nod in
agreement. Doesn't your
Daily staff want the credibili-
ty, recognition and respect of
its readers? Where does your
staff demonstrate the attempt
to investigate and report sto-
ries and events remotely close
to the truth? Unfortunately,
most of your staff will gradu-
ate, taking these careless and
unprofessional practices con-
doned by the Daily to hold
jobs in print and broadcast
media to further destroy the
credibility of the news. Why
was Bowen's article, which
made an assessment of why
music group New Edition
released an album, based on
incorrect information and
facts? He clearly did no
research on the group. So, my
question to the Daily is how
can a true reporter in good
conscience criticize and bash
anyone for their work when
your staff doesn't hold the
same standards?
As an avid R&B music
lover and huge New Edition
fan, I must correct the many
blatantly incorrect statements
written by Bowen in the arti-
cle. First, New Edition never
broke up. Several times
Bowen stated that the group
broke up since several mem-
bers of the group recorded
solo albums. Johnny Gill and
Bobby Brown didn't leave
the group where the four
remaining members did a
great job with the 1988
release of "Heartbreak,"
making it five members who
recorded the album, not four.
A trip to Tower Records
would help if Bowen needs
to counttthe number of mem-
bers on the "Heartbreak"
album cover!
Ralph Tresvant never left
the group either; he merely
recorded two albums while
the other group members
were recording other albums
(such as BBD's two albums
and Johnny Gill's two of his
three solo albums since
"Heartbreak"). Bowen said
the group never planned to
make a reunion album.
Wrong! Since the early
1 990s, New Edition, the
group that never broke up,
said they would be coming
out with the reunion album
and tour in 1995. So they are
a year late. To answer
Bowen's question, did they
record their latest album for
I refuse to let the selfish little bea@
in the house. Aside from the afore-
mentioned reasons why this creature
does not deserve pity, I also get watery
eyes, coughing, sneezing, itching and
the inability to breathe - all because
of this orange and white fuzzball.
And my housemates shouldn't pity it
either. They think the cat is starving,
but if you saw it you'd realize we're
not the only ones giving it food. This
cat knows how to play college st.
dents. It's probably lived in our neig
borhood for years. The thing roams up
and down East University, stops at
each feminine household, gets a free
meal and a lot of petting and whatever
else girls like to do with cats. I'm sure
many people let it inside the house, to
the dismay of Copi Properties and
Campus Rentals.
This is not a cat whose life is misery
because it doesn't have a home.
actually has several - including
cardboard box with a blanket in it on
our front porch. It even has its name
outside the box - sickeningly
enough, they called it "Pretty Kitty"
The other day, two nice young men
decided to dotheir good deed for the
day by knocking on our door and
returning what they thought was our
cat. One of these boys was pretty cute;
so I opened the door to commence fli
tation. And the cat slipped by my I
and into my house.
To our visitors' dismay, I picked up
the cat, threw it out ontcrthe porch, and
said something about hating cats. and
maybe something about wishing they
were dead. I don't think that got me
any brownie points with the boys; in
fact, I think I frightened them.
My housemates think it's cruel that I
won't allow this dirty, selfish little ar
mal into our house. But that's not eve
close to what I'm going to do to it if it
doesn't disappear.
I love animals. I'm all about living
together in harmony. But this cat is
involved in a deception of our entire
neighborhood. It has penetrated .the
II