4A - The Michigan Daily - Monday, February 10, 1997

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420 Maynard Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Edited and managed by
students at the
University of Michigan

JOSH WHITE
Editor in Chief
ERIN MARSH
Editorial Page Editor

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
Celebrate divers
Diversity Days offer valuable opportunities

NOTABLE QUOTABLE,
'I don't think It's the University's mission to spend
large amounts of resources to go, scouring the
country for good grades and test scores.'
- Honors Program Director Ruth Scodel, in reference to the "Task
Force on Recruiting, Retaining and Nurturing the Exceptional"
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

lmost every week, the University com-
munity finds itself in the midst of
some celebration or another. Usually, these
consist of the members of a single cultural
or ethnic group coming together in praise of
their own unique heritage. However, this
week, through a collection of events called
Diversity Days, students will have a chance
to sample and celebrate many different cul-
tures - all at the same time.
Diversity Days, which kick off today and
run through Friday, are the result of stu-
dents' desire for a program celebrating
unity and the ideas that bring students of all
cultures together. The program - new this
year - is built on three major objectives: to
trace the roots of the various groups that
make up the University, to encourage toler-
ance and harmony between students of dif-
ferent races, genders, religions and sexual
orientations, and, finally, to create an under-
standing of differences among student
groups through a celebration of their simi-
larities.
Diversity Days differ from other cultural
pride weeks in the broad-based approach
they apply to racial and ethnic celebration.
Rather than applauding the contributions
and experiences of a single group - and
thereby excluding other student groups on
campus - Diversity Days boldly attempt to
reach out to a larger population.
In terms of the cultures and ethnicities
represented in its student and general popu-
lation, Ann Arbor is a diverse community.
While the University is fortunate to have
such variation, the community too often

ignores its variegated composition - rarely
do diverse segments intermingle. The
resulting self-imposed isolation restrains
one of the greatest advantages of attending
a large public university: the chance to learn
about and experience other cultures and
ethnic backgrounds. Diversity Days pre-
sents different groups with a golden oppor-
tunity to get to know one another.
Students wishing to enrich their educa-
tional experience should take advantage of
such a rare occasion - over the course of
the week, they will have numerous chances
to get involved. Scheduled events include a
number of speakers, films and ethnic activ-
ities. Each day's programs are thematically
linked. Today's celebrations revolve around
religious studies; tomorrow, the focus will
shift to gender issues and on Wednesday,
the topic of sexual orientation takes center
stage. Thursday's events, collectively
described as "Our America: Race, Ethnicity
and Multiculturalism," will feature Nadine
Strossen, national president of the
American Civil Liberties Union, who will
deliver a Diversity Days keynote speech.
The program wraps up on Friday with
"Share Your Pride Day." All events are free.
From the opening event - an ethnic
food festival at the Power Center tonight -
to the World Music Dance Friday evening,
Diversity Days offer students a chance to
experience other cultures without leaving
Ann Arbor. Students should take advantage
of an excellent opportunity to step out of
their own lives and observe the world from
several different viewpoints.

A fair share
Engler's budget is finally education-friendly

U nder Gov. John Engler, political ploys
and irresponsible decision-making
have marked Michigan's educational policy.
At last, Engler appears to be coming
around. His proposed budget for the next
fiscal year calls for across-the-board
increases in education, including a 2.5-per-
cent increase in the state's allocation to the
University. Engler's budget sets a promising
precedent - but legislators must make sure
education does not again fall out of the gov-
ernor's favor.
Over the past 15 years, the percentage of
University funds coming from state coffers
has fallen significantly. Consequently, the
cost of tuition has skyrocketed. For a
University education to remain within reach
of Michigan's citizens, the state must keep
its percentage of funding at a constant or
rising level. The proposed 2.5-percent
increase does just that - it is based on
government inflation projections for the
next fiscal year.
The University, as the state's most pres-
iigious and well-funded school, has contin-
ally come under attack in Lansing. In the
past, amendments to education budgets
ave attempted to dock the University for
offering benefits to same-sex couples and
for out-of-state student admissions topping
30 percent.
The proposed budget wisely steers clear
of making these judgments. The state-elect-
ed University Board of Regents is better
eiquipped than the governor to determine
tfie University's internal policies.
Engler's budget also includes a 2.5-per-
cent increase in funding for community col-
leges. As indicated by the November mill-
age proposal for Washtenaw Community
College, community colleges frequently

bility and affordability of community col-
leges provide many citizens with their only
outlet for higher education.
The highlight of Engler's budget is a
$541.3-million increase for K-12 educa-
tion. These funds will allow for smaller
class sizes and the creation of more innova-
tive educational programs. Moreover, they
will help to provide the resources necessary
to increase student exposure to technology.
The only educational downside to
Engler's plan is his failure to reassess state
adult education funding. Recent cuts have
made it nearly impossible for dropouts to
return to school and earn a high school
diploma. Few schools continue to offer
adult education programs; those remaining
serve a limited number of students.
Furthermore, many immigrants no longer
can benefit from the training offered in
classes for English as a Second Language.
Similar decreases in welfare benefits
accompanied Engler's draconian cuts in
adult education. The governor's new budget
finally addresses these concerns. There is a
proposed 100-percent increase for Project
Zero - a program aimed at helping single
mothers find jobs - and a $20-million
increase in the Work First program, which
attempts to remove families from welfare.
Although Engler has unacceptably allowed
the state's welfare funding to deteriorate,
these new measures will be a first step in
helping Michigan families.
Engler is finally moving away from
political bickering in order to focus on the
priorities valued most by his constituents.
His new budget provides sorely needed
funding increases for education and welfare
reform. This type of politics provides a
breath of fresh air in the corridors of the
C'n ;+^ ra- i- ta IkA vx%+ -m 1~. +Ik

Humanities
require more
than 'any old
answer'
TO THE DAILY:
Cameron Hamilton-
Wright ("Liberal arts are
inferior to engineering"
2/7/97) apparently thinks that
humanities courses are cours-
es in which "any old answer"
will do. He is invited to take
a course or two in philosophy
and see if his professors actu-
ally think that "any old
answer" is acceptable. He
will be in for an unpleasant
surprise. I particularly rec-
ommend Philosophy 414,
Symbolic Logic.
He also asserts that in a
liberal arts course "you can
state things without knowing
the facts and sound like you
have a doctorate in the field."
Perhaps Hamilton-Wright
can't tell the difference
between a Ph.D. and an igno-
rant blowhard, but I can. In
fact, I think I know which of
these categories he falls into.
CHRISTOPHER ROBERSON,
PH.D.
VISITING ASSISTANT
PROFESSOR, PHILOSOPHY
Story omitted
campus radio
TO THE DAILY:
I was extremely disap-
pointed to pick up a copy of
the Daily's Weekend, etc. and
find an article titled "MTV,
radio poises techno for main-
stream breakthrough in 97'
(2/6/97) without a mention of
Crush Collision.
Crush Collision is a radio
show on WCBN-FM, the
University's student-run radio
station. It has been heavily
involved and strongly associ-
ated with the techno scene
since its inception. Numerous
local, national and interna-
tional Dis and musicians
have been guests on the
show, including Dan Bell
(DBX), Carl Craig, Claude
Young, Autechre, Basic
Channel, Underground
Resistance, Richie Hawtin
(Plastikman) and many oth-
ers.
The show was started in
1987 by DJ Tom Simonian as
an outlet for electronic dance
music and techno. In 1990, it
was taken over by BMG, a
CBN DJ and musician.
The show is currently
aired on Thursday nights
from 10 p.m. till midnight on
88.3 FM and is followedby
"Bliss," a show dedicated to
all forms of electronic music
(not just techno and dance

lic school communities,"
2/5/97), which was a reaction
to Gov. John Engler's
takeover plan and my previ-
ous letter ("American educa-
tion systems are not the
best," 2/4/97).
1 am sure many
Americans agree with Bailey
when he writes, "when we
take control of a child's edu-
cation away from their par-
ents and the community
around them, we destroy part
of a child's education."
However, the kind of
schools required to educate
children for today's world
have made the traditional
American local school sys-
tem run by a local school
board a woefully inadequate
anachronism.
The members of a local
school board may not have a
sincere interest in education
because election to a school
board is a time-honored first
step to a political career. And
even if they do have good
intentions, they probably do
not have any special skills or
background for running
schools or even picking good
administrators. They may not
even be particularly well-edu-
cated themselves, especially
if the district is a depressed
or working-class town. The
board members may include
real estate agents and retired
policemen. How can local
boards like that - and the
administrators they hire -
compete with the best school
systems of Europe, that are
large, centralized and run by
highly trained professional
educators?
Another problem with our
system is that the over 300
local school districts in
Michigan are independent
employers who compete with
each other for teachers.
People in the business know
that it takes three to five
years of experience to make a
good teacher. If you are fresh
out of college looking for
your first teaching job, your
best chance is in one of the
"less desirable" districts. An
affluent school district will
look for teachers with five
years experience.
So a young teacher goes
to a rough school district to
spend a few years making
mistakes and gaining experi-
ence. Then he or she likely
applies for a job in a wealthi-
er district.
What happens if the
teacher does not have what it
takes to make a good
teacher? One possibility is
that after a teacher is given a
chance in an affluent district,
that district will not renew
the teacher's contract. And
then? The teacher may leave
the profession or - you
guessed it - get a job in a
poor district again, perhaps to
stay until retirement age.
A well-run statewide sys-
tem would not put almost all

the education of children, a
more centralized system is
much better and fairer.
DAVID SIRKIN
MEDICAL SCHOOL
Engineering
is not 'cut
and dry
TO THE DAILY:
Normally, letters to the
editor are reserved for
responses to articles, not
other letters, but in this case I
feel a response to a certain
letter is necessary, out of
concern that more than one
person may actually hold the
opinion of one Cameron
Hamilton-Wright ("Liberal
arts are inferior to engineer-
ing," 2/7/97).
To'say that the sciences
are superior to liberal arts
due to their definitive nature
is not only ridiculous but
completely off track. Any
random answer to the ques-
tions posed in liberal arts
classes is not correct. These
answers require some sort of
premise, some basis.
Without it, the argument
cannot hold its own when put
side by side with other
answers. He is right in the
fact thatthere is more than
one answer, and sure, you can
put just about any answer to a
question that you want on a
piece of paper. But if you
want that answer to have any
credibility, you had sure as
hell better be able to back it
up.
As for the sciences, in
particular engineering, many
times the answer is not quite
as cut and dry as Hamilton-
Wright seems to think.
Maybe in his introductory
courses where he is learning
principles they are, but later
on when you apply this
knowledge that is rarely the
case. You have to look at sev-
eral principles and weigh
them out using a thought
process probably beyond the
capacity of someone who
thinks liberal art classes are a
joke. Sit down and look at
the debates over quantum
mechanics and you will see
that even the basic "cut and
dry" principles he holds so
dear are not so cut and dry
after all.
I have spent six years in
the College of Engineering
and some of the greatest
lessons I have learned we
been in my liberal arts class-
es. Anyone who thinks that
these classes are in any way
less important than a techni-
cal class is a shallow fool
who obviously lives by the
philosophy about as shallow
as the "money =,happy" idea
that James Miller refers to

The AIDS Quill
shares lives
with those who
come after
H ow does a life fit onto a 3-by-6-
foot panel? How does 18 square
feet of fabric describe all the smil
memories and heartaches?
Simply, it can't. But for more than
26,000 families,
friends and loved
ones of victims
of AIDS, it's a
start.
The NAMES
Project AIDS
Memorial Quilt
Display brought
its patchwork of
hope, pain and
memory to the M MEGAN
University this SCHIMPF
weekend. Inside 
the Track and
Tennis Building, where fans usully
cheer runners on to victory, people
walked in hushed. respect for those
who have died of a disease we are only
beginning to understand.
The panels themselves are as diff
ent as the people who inspired theni.
The colors, messages and memorabjj-
ia woven into each represent the one
person who can never see how -they
have been pictured.
And each one invites thousands ,of
visitors each year to peer into the life
of that person - their loves, their
favorites, their places in the lives of
those who cared about them. Lookig
at these pictures, flowers, patches
old clothes, Greek letters, diplomas,
postcards and more, we know, for just
a brief moment, who this person ws
when they were alive and breathing. -t
the handwritten letters, we are allowed
to read their last thoughts. We shae
the grief of families and the heartafe
of lovers in the messages they 'hafe
left, in word or picture.
We see "Michigan," or a block "
and think about the victories,
strength, the cheerng that usual ly
accompanies such symbols.
And this is what we are supposedto
be doing - meeting the people who
died of AIDS before it was accepted,
before everyone wore red ribbons. A
meeting the people who continue to
die, day after day. Because, for some
reason, we have a need to grieye
together.y
It is for the same reason milli
visit the Vietnam Veterans Memoril
in Washington, D.C. In many ways, the
AIDS quilt and the "'wall" are almost
identical - quantifying an entity-so
terrible, so unthinkable that we need to
see, panel by panel, name by name,
just how awful it was.
So we can never let our minds forgt.,
"Art is long, life is short," speaks one
panel. Many of the victims of AIDS
died too soon, but the panels circul@
nationally to about 200 displays ayear.
They teach what the victims could not.
For each of the people who slowjy
wove their way around the panels this
weekend, AIDS will not be a faceless
disease. It will not be the "gaydisease,"
even though a majority of the panels
commemorate homosexual victims, It
will not be a disease of death, either. t
"To care is a cure."
The quilt's message of understaj
ing and compassion is finally spre
ing almost as rapidly as the disease.-As
medical science begins to understand
AIDS and the HIV virus, the public

has begun to understand that AIDS is
no longer a plague of one portionof
society. New drug cocktails are mak-
ing AIDS into. a lifetime obstacle
instead of a death sentence for.many
who are infected. Perhaps we have
started to curb the number of pan
added to the quilt each year.
Yet AIDS remains, like Vietnam and
other tragedies of similar magnitude,
as something to conquer together.
"Through our crisis we have found
unity. Since the cost is so high, let us
use it wisely"
Each of the panels has one thing ip
common - the name stitched, written,
or sewn represents someone who died
of AIDS. The panels are no less beau-
tiful or meaningful if the person cW
tracted HIV from a blood transfusion,
drug use, or homosexual or heterosex-
ual contact. In short, it's not important;
What is important is that we absorb
the individual messages on the panels
and the overwhelming message frong
the entire quilt. Just as we need tj
grieve together - sharing both th
person we lost and our emotions about
the loss - we need to work together
prevent and cure AIDS.
We also, though, need to celebrate
together. The lives on the quilt shoul4
not be observed from a comfortably
distance in unspoken reverence. Eact
of those people lived a life and it is
that. perhaps even more than what



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