4A - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, February 13, 1997
ot £rbigbiun &ilg
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
NOTABLE QUOTABLE,
'This is a personal and political vendetta.'
- MSA Vice President Probir Mehta, after MSA voted
Tuesday night to investigate his allocation infiaction
'Kiss-In 'offers.
freedom of
expression -
-{
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
Atply a soltin
w'U' must improve minority recruiting
YU K KUNIYUKI
Y __ ,
p>
y
he University Office of Admissions
T faces a particularly trying problem
with this year's applicant pool. Across the
nation, the number of incoming applica-
tions is down from previous years; colleges
and-universities must choose from a small-
er pool of qualified applicants. Along with
the across-the-board drop, the University is
seeing a significant decline in minority
applicants - the low numbers impede
growth in minority representation in future
classes. Fewer applicants mean fewer
enrolled minority students in upcoming
years, jeopardizing the University's sup-
pos'ed commitment to diversity. In the
future, the University should discover the
cause of low application rates and prevent
them. from threatening the University's
efforts.
In' response to the sudden 15-percent
drop in minority applicants, the University
began contacting minorities who requested
applications last year, offering them the
option of sending the application and essay
separately, delaying essay submission.
While increasing minority enrollment is
necessary, the University should not have to
scraible in a last-ditch effort to meet
enrollment precedents.
The crisis shows the need for an orga-
nized, planned method of attracting minori-
ties t6 the University. The University should
investigate the reasons behind the unexpect-
ed applicant drought and attempt to solve it.
If the sources are ascertainable, the
University could be in a better position to
prevent the problem.
University admissions representatives
often dedicate most of their recruiting time
to 4high schools in economically wealthy
communities. However, communities like
these send a large number of students to the
University anyway. Instead, the University
should focus on qualified students in low-
income communities that do not normally
receive much recruiting attention. By offer-
ing these students the opportunity to learn
about the University as an option for higher
education, diversity and student quality
could both be augmented.
Cultural and ethnic variance does not
equal diversity - there must be an inter-
mingling of sects to achieve that goal.
Though demographically diverse, the
University community often fails to be
socially diverse - a problem that makes it
difficult to attract minority applicants and
to fulfill the goals of diversity.
The University should highlight services
welcoming minorities and promoting ethnic
interaction. The University boasts many
such programs, but it should check their
effectiveness, considering the recent down-
turn in applications. The foundation for a
support network is in place, but it must
grow to foster an environment conducive to
ethnic and racial harmony. The University
could improve its unfriendly atmosphere by
focusing on social integration and multicul-
tural efforts.
The low numbers of minorities who
want to attend the University cause a seri-
ous problem for the cultural variety of the
University community's future. Without
bending admissions rules, the class of 2001
may lose some of its diversity - a sad
change considering recent years' growth of
minority representation on campus. A com-
prehensive plan is necessary to eliminate
repetition of the University's current plight.
t t-
D~fYa~L LArSrG..
tCErJS
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If jAgL46I &OT 6,E1 our OF 4441)
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
e
PzasN&As with care
State should increase gas tax to fix roads
P edestrians and motorists alike are
familiar with the obstacles - some-
times in the form of vehicle damage or per-
sonal injury - of navigating Ann Arbor's
broken and pothole-covered roads. It is no
secret that a majority of Michigan's local
anti intrastate roads are in poor condition.
Gv. John Engler and the state Legislature
have proposed a variety of solutions to help
furnd road repairs. The best of their sugges-
tions is a five to seven-cent gas-tax increase
onithe current 15-cent per gallon rate. Even
with the increase, Michigan's gas tax rate
would come in well below the national
average and would efficiently supply the
fuinds necessary to repair the state's worn
roads and bridges.
A gas tax increase is not a new idea;
state legislators proposed similar remedies
last spring. The old plan included an 8-cent
per-gallon gas-tax increase, as well as a
proposal to terminate the 6-cent discount on
diesei fuel for commercial truckers - pri-
mary state road abusers. The proposed gas-
tax increase would generate millions of dol-
lar and the cost to drivers - especially in
the day of ride-sharing and carpooling --
would be minimal.
State Sen. James Barrymore (D-Adrian),
who proposed the 8-cent increase last
spring, claimed that Michigan drivers
would pay about another 77 cents per gallon
under his original proposal - literally pen-
nies compared to the cost of new tires, re-
alignment, or other road-related vehicle
damage. Additional per gallon costs under
the newer proposal would amount to even
less.
The whoo nnose the jgs tax helieve
of gas tax revenue than they do now. Engler
also maintains that before fuel taxes
increase, lawmakers should exhaust every
alternative.
However, Engler's reasoning is not com-
pletely clear. He has also proposed building
projects that will have a hefty price tag -
and that some legislators consider "frivo-
lous." His proposal would allocate $70 mil-
lion to road-building projects and a total of
$290 million for bridge repair and highway
maintenance. Concentrating efforts on
expanding the existing road system would
be inefficient when the funds could finance
repairs on the decaying parts of the current
structure. The state's road system has a stur-
dy foundation - it needs only attention and
repair. While the proposal promises to
"increase efficiency of county and local
road commissions," there does not appear
to be sufficient proposed allocations for
local road repair and maintenance.
Some legislators say they would prefer
to fix roads with funds raised by the state's
existing gas tax - but a minor increase in
the tax would produce such positive effects
for such a low cost to consumers that it
should certainly be the choice of action.
In addition, Engler's suggestion to create
a bipartisan commission to persuade feder-
al government to return transportation
funds to Michigan could be a waste of time.
Very little money the state sends to
Washington comes back in the form of
transportation funds - there is little reason
for that to change.
State legislators should not attempt to
lobby Washington when so many local road-
ways and bridges need immediate attention
'U' should
seek quality
students
TO THE DAILY:
This letter is in response
to the letter "Trickle-down
education is wrong for 'U"'
(2/11/97).
While I may not agree
with certain details of the
task force's suggestions, I
cannot comprehend how any-
one would disagree with its
general proposal of actively
recruiting "exceptional" stu-
dents to the University.
It was recently reported
that the University, in an
effort to bolster minority rep-
resentation, is considering
allowing minorities to send in
their applications late ("Low
minority applications raise
concerns," 2/11/97).
Furthermore, the admissions
office places personal calls to
minority applicants to inform
them of visitation programs.
The office does all this in the
name of a more diverse, and
therefore stronger, education-
al atmosphere. Such policies
are beneficial and should
remain.
Now, why can't the same
be said for an active role in
recruiting prospective stu-
dents who have purely excep-
tional academic qualifica-
tions? Would obtaining these
students not also enhance the
learning environment?
Obviously, it would.
In her letter, Fiona Rose
states that former University
President James Angell
would be "troubled" over the
policy of "diverting scarce
resources to self-aggrandiz-
ing recruitment efforts."
Would he also be troubled,
thei, at diverting scarce
resources to the effort to
actively recruit minorities,
which includes extending
application deadlnes? I don't
think Angell would be trou-
bled at either, as both are
essential to and would
improve the educational
atmosphere of the University.
While the University is
public, and therefore has cer-
tain responsibilities that elite
private institutionsdornot, the
University is still a premier
research university with an
exceptional undergraduate
reputation.
Therefore, it has a respon-
sibility to ensure that its pres-
tige and level of educational
quality are maintained. One
way to do that is to actively
recruit quality instructors and
highly motivated, intelligent
students as evidenced by
grades and test scores. And if
allocating special funds and
establishing a special school
is essential to attracting such
people, then so be it.
GREG HILLSON
1 CA lJ nn.cn ai . _n
To help contrast the preci-
sion of science with the
vagueness of the humanities,
Hamilton-Wright described
how the limit as h' goes to
zero of (1+h)(/h) is precise-
ly 'e.' He should have stuck
with a simpler math problem,
like 2 + 2 = 4, because the
limit as h' goes to zero of
(1+h) raised to the power
(1/h), not multiplied by (1/h)
as written by Hamilton-
Wright, equals e.' For a
proof, see p. 378 of
"Calculus" by James Stewart
(1991). In fact, the limit
described by Hamilton-
Wright 'does not exist' since
the limits from the left' and
'right' sides yield different
answers. To my knowledge,
even the most vague humani-
ties questions have answers
of some sort that exist.'
Hamilton-Wright, I agree
that math problems often
have one precise answer.
Next time check your math
and publish the right answer.
You make me and the rest of
the science majors at the
University look bad.
DAVIDJ. NAJARIAN
LSA SENIOR
Awards show
did not meet
ex pectat ions
TO THE DAILY:
As someone who has
been a University of
Michigan hockey fan since
my freshman year (before
they won the national title), I
have seen some memorable
moments. From Senior Skate
last year with Hilton, Sakala,
Sacka and Halko, to the
emergence of Marty Turco in
the Central Collegiate
Hockey Association his
freshman year, to what could
be the diehards' favorite
moment last year, when
Brendan Morrison put the
rebound in from Bill Muckalt
and sent the campus (and
Cincinnati) into a frenzy. I
thought that Monday night
would be a moment to add to
that list, as I knew that Mike
Legg would win "Outrageous
Play" on the ESPY awards.
What I did not expect was
him losing the "Play of the
Year" award. How many
times a year do you see
someone run back a kickoff
return for a touchdown? A
few more times than you see
someone pull off a goal like
Mike's. Packers fans may say,
"that changed the tide of the
Super Bowl," to which I
respond, "Mike's goal
changed the entire NCAA
hockey tournament."
The other thing that dis-
appointed me was the fact
that throughout the "Images
of the Year" sequence, we
Editorial
missed pros
of SSI cuts
TO THE DAILY:
I feel that the Daily has
misled its readers with its
editorial on reform of the
federal Supplemental
Security Income program
("Unkindest cuts," 2/11/97).
The editorial raises the
specter of needy children
being "gouged" by govern-
ment cost-cutters, but it does
nothing to raise public aware-
ness of the reasons for
reforms in the SSI program.
Last year, thousands of
angry taxpayers contacted
their congressional represen-
tatives and President Clinton
after seeing televised reports
of abuses of the SSI program.
These reports showed
how some poor parents coach
their children to fail tests and
to feign disabilities in order
to qualify for a monthly SSI
check. Healthy children were
instructed to act "hyperac-
tive" or "stupid" when visited
by caseworkers. Some fami-
lies received more than seven
SSI checks a month, in addi-
tion to federal and state wel-
fare support. These reports
found that SSI fraud costs the
public billions of dollars
every year.
I do not know if the
reforms proposed by the
President will solve this
problem while continuing to
help needy children. But it
seems to me that flexibility in
interpreting stricter guide-
lines on a case-by-case basis
is the only way to identify
and reduce fraud in the SSI
program.
It also seems to me that
the Daily should have report-
ed these issues while making
its impassioned plea to
defend the truly needy.
JOHN HAWKS
RACKHAM
'U' invited to
QU P's Kiss-In
tomorrow
TO THE DAILY:
The University of
Michigan's Queer Unity
Project will again be holding
its annual Kiss-In on Friday,
Feb. 14, at noon on the Diag
on the University's Central
campus.
All members of the com-
munity, regardless of sexual
orientation, are welcomed
and encouraged to join in the
public displays of affection in
celebration of freedom that
lesbian, gay, bisexuals and
and of affection
L ast Sunday night just after dark-
ness overtook campus and the
wind increased its strength and coo
ness enn Howard got a painfu
reminder of what it means to be a;
homosexual in an
intolerant world.
After shopping at
a local conve-
nience store, the
LSA sophomore
was walking on
East University
Avenue with his
b oyfr ie n d
Jonathan, when a
pair of men insult- ZACHARY M.
ed the homosexual RAIMI
couple. smo E &
Howard said, M R R
"We heard one of
them whisper under his breath, 'If
you're looking for a pair of fags, there
they are..
Rebekah Blonshine, who is a le
bian, has also experienced harassme
because of her sexual orientation. The
LSA first-year student said she
received prank phone calls and death
threats one evening about a month
ago. After these calls, Blonshine left
her residence hall room for a while.
She said,"Icame back to my room and
the person had crossed off my rainbow.
gay pride flag. They wrote: Where did
you go, bitch?"'
Such instances of hatred and bigot$
are, unfortunately, common. Both
Howard and Blonshine said the harass-
ment increases when they are affec-.
tionate with their partners in public.
Howard, Blonshine and other same-
sex couples will face even more cha-
lenges on Valentine's Day.;
Traditionally, heterosexual couples
sojourn around town on the holiday,
celebrating their romantic relation-
ships and reveling in love Same-se
couples who do this will undoubtedly
face stares, rude comments and, possi-
bly, acts of violence.
Queer Unity Project is trying to
combat society's decidedly anti-homo-
sexual feelings; its members could not
have chosen a more appropriate day to
hold the fifth annual Kiss-In. At noon
tomorrow, QUP is sponsoring the
event on the Diag. For one hour. same-
sex couples will kiss and act affecio
ately toward each other. Also, som
individuals will deliver speeches.
The Kiss-In routinely attracts a lot of
attention as students congregate
aroundl the Diag to witness the event.
And each year, several students
become disgusted. Some critics of the
Kiss-In say that homosexual behavior
is wrong and immoral and therefore
the event should not commence.
Others say that they have no proble
with the concept of homosexuality, but
they do not believe homosexuals
should publicly flaunt their sexual ori-
entation.
I say: to the contrary. The Kiss-In is
a crucial event, one that has the power
to reshape the community's percep-
tions and improve the atmosphere for
homosexuals.
The Kiss-In brings the issue of
homosexuality to the public eye. To
often, it is easy for members of thV
community -- and society in general
- to ignore such issues. Various
University offices, such as the
Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual Programs
Office, routinely sponsor events to
make the community more aware of
issues affecting homosexuals. But not
enough students attend these events.
The Kiss-In is in the middle of campus
and is nearly impossible to avoid.
One such issue is public affectio
Blonshine and Howard said it is impor-
tant to show the heterosexual communi-
ty that same-sex couples are affection-
ate. The Kiss-In is one of the most bla-
tant ways for homosexualsto do this.
The Kiss-In was created in the
activist spirit -and there is no better
time to be active. Homosexual rights
are coming under heavy assault. For
example, late last year, President
Clinton signed into law the Defense 9
Marriage Act, which effectively bans
gay marriage. Also, last year the state
Legislature tried to prevent the
University from receiving some state
allocations because the University
gives benefits to same-sex couples.
The Kiss-In is an important opportuni-
ty for the homosexual community to
actively protest the government's fool-
ish moral and provincial vision
what constitutes marriage.
In the end, the Kiss-In is a way to
force this community to confront its
feelings regarding homosexuality. If it
serves no other purpose, the event will
elicit reactions from all who witness it
and hear about it.