4 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, November 26, 1997 cIiE rijgzu 49 aiI 420 Maynard Street Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan X 6' .:: r '.:4Pn N< ti z n JOSH WHITE Editor in Chief ERIN MARSH Editorial Page Editor Unless otherwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of the majority of/the Daily ' editorial hoard. All other articles, letters and cartoons do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily. FROM THE DAILY Mad science Police should not retain DNA records NOTABLE QUOTABLE,, 'I was in section 34, about five rows up from the field. I saw the whole thing. I was embarrassed to say that Michigan was my school.' - Dave, a 1992 University alumnus who did not want his fdl name used, criticizing the police response to fans after Michigan 's victory on Saturday. JORDAN YOUNG t ov, AL-.. o-V 1CvNt)Ap LETTERS TO THE EDITOR hree years ago, Blair Shelton, like more T than 160 other black Ann Arbor resi- dents, submitted a DNA sample during the city's search for a serial rapist. During the year, police stopped him nine times because he fit the rapist's very loose description - that of a black male. What started as a witch- hunt turned into a civil lawsuit filed against the Michigan State Police for violating the suspects' civil rights. More than two years after Shelton brought the case to the Washtenaw County Circuit Court, the Michigan State Supreme Court ruled that police officials must release the DNA. records - providing the innocent men with justice that is long overdue. Hysteria took over the city of Ann Arbor in 1994. A serial rapist was on the loose and to facilitate his apprehension, city police requested DNA submissions from many men to clear their name. The American jus- tice system's backbone is that accused per- sons are innocent until proven guilty. The city's actions violated that dictum, requiring the men to prove that they were not guilty when there was no reason to believe that they were. In a court trial, it is very difficult to com- pel a defendant to submit DNA. Because it is such an invasion of privacy, prosecutors often find it next to impossible to get a court order. If the state stockpiles the DNA records of innocent men, it violates their right to privacy and gives potential prosecu- tors an unfair advantage should they be brought to court. Director of Forensics for the Michigan State Police Richard Lowthian went so far as to call the contested files "business records." But DNA records are much more than a typical financial record - they contain very personal information that needs protection. In April 1995, Shelton sued law enforce- ment officials for violating his civil rights. He also requested that the state release his DNA records. Earvin Mitchell was the only man convicted for the rapes - the rest of the men who contributed DNA samples are no longer under suspicion. Hence, they should have their samples returned to them to prevent their potential adverse use in the future. After the Washtenaw County Court ruled in favor of Shelton, the state police appealed to the state Supreme Court. The Supreme Court justices upheld the circuit court's decision and ordered the police to release all DNA records of innocent persons. Justice for more than 160 men was a long time in coming - the court did the right thing. The state police should quickly comply with the ruling and destroy or return all DNA records. The ruling marks an important victory for the right to privacy. If the state could stockpile DNA information like it does other records, it could put many people at a severe disadvantage in possible litigation. To protect residents' civil liberties it is vital that such records not be kept. Beyond being harassed and submitting to a DNA sample, Shelton also lost his job because of the search for the serial rapist. It is about time that the state stop their continued harass- ment and surrender the DNA records. Citizens must have the right to keep such private information away from governmen- tal collection. Full of hot air Critics should understand air bags' benefits n recent months, there has been some- thing akin to frenzy over air bags. Last week, reversing its previous decision that mandated air bag production in all new cars, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration allowed car owners access to an "on-off switch" that controls air bag usage. This decision followed the release of research blaming air bags in the deaths of 45 children since 1993. But, overlooked were the unsafe habits of the adult drivers involved in these cases. Most of these air bag deaths resulted from not wearing seat belts or from careless driving, not from an air cushion embedded within a dashboard. Personal safety is the responsibility of all drivers, not the job of air bags. According to a survey, six million peo- ple would like to disconnect their air bags, proof positive of the spreading belief that a technology meant to save is instead deployed with such violent force that it becomes lethal. Since 1990, the air bag has been fingered as the killer of 87 people in the United States, including 49 children. Perpetuating this fear, the public only hears such tragic cases and places no blame on the driver or the adult responsible for the child's safety. Instead, blame is placed solely upon the air bag. Barely noted is that in more than two-thirds of the cases - involving 23 adults and 37 children - the victim either wasn't secured to a seat at all or was secured improperly. Wearing a seat belt is the law in every state nationwide except one. If the victims had been secured, odds are that many would be alive today. Restraints would have kept them at a safe distance from the air bag. The majority of air bag deaths occurred blanket good manufacturers claimed, but instead, had the power to kill under certain conditions. Moreover, parents are still strapping toddlers to the front seat in rear- facing safety seats - leaving their heads dangerously close to the air-bag compart- ment - long after the NHTSA said all children younger than 13 should be in a rear seat, the safest place in a vehicle. Once again, personal safety and respon- sibility is overlooked. Society is quick to blame new technology instead of careless parents and drivers. Over the years, air bags have saved the lives of nearly 1,900 people who were not wearing seat belts at the time of an accident. This is 21 times the number of people whom air bags have killed. It also has saved the lives of 700 people who were wearing seat belts, because not even a seat belt is sufficient in some crashes. Last week, the NHTSA said it would allow people to turn off a bag if, for exam- ple, they are so short they wind up sitting dangerously close to the air bag or if their vehicle has no back seat and a child must ride up front. But, many people who do not meet these conditions will deactivate their air bag anyway, simply because they are afraid. Sadly, some of those who deactivate will die because they won't wear a seat belt or, even if they do, will be in a crash in which the air bag would have made the dif- ference. The evidence suggests a better chance of survival with an air bag than without. As long as children ride in the back seat and seat belts are fastened, they will probably not be harmed by air bags. Parents and dri- vers need to take responsibility. Society must stop blaming the air bag and instead 'U' diversity programs need change TO THE DAILY: The Michigan Mandate has advocated diversity as its underlying premise. It has operated much in the same way as the most traditional approach for increasing diver- sity. This approach adopts a mathematical formula and focuses on increasing the quantity of the racial compo- nents, rather than taking a more quality-oriented approach. The University campus is viewedhas diverse. There exists, however, a seious problem: the quality of the relationship among the diverse groups. This campus is very segregated. Not only are many students not open to other cultures, there is also discernible tension and ani- mosity. The degraded quality of the relationships is partially a by-product of a common assumption that all people are the same and have the same needs. The truth is that differ- ent groups are quite different and have distinct needs and expectations. The traditional approach toward diversity is the expectation that minority groups should compromise their unique values, confon to the behavioral framework set by the majority and domi- nant group and assimilate in the big melting pot. The Michigan Mandate thus far has simply thrown some colored marbles into the jar, while providing less effec- tive mechanisms to ease the ever-increasing tension and the current all-encompassing racism by all groups against the others. The quality of the relationships could be aug- mented not only through cross-cultural education and communication, but also through increasing respect and recognition for other cultures. This can happen by providing mechanisms to teach about why people are different, why they exhibit different behav- iors and what these behaviors symbolize. This kind of education would be stimulating and thought-provoking. And it has a greater potential to change one's opinion and level of respect for differences. The University administration should have the integrity to re-evaluate the merit of the Michigan Mandate and create an emergency task force to study the emotionally charged issue of diversity in an unbi- ased fashion. AFSHIN JADIDNOURI LSA SENIOR II'chni i Campus Family Health Services'? If any student on North Campus gets sick, he or she must either travel to Central Campus for uncharged service at UHS, or pay out of pocket to use NCFHS. Furthermore, the University is unwilling to ensure NCFHS is properly funded. In essence, the University has established a system that discourages all students from using NCFHS. Students must be allowed to use the University health ser- vice clinic that is most conve- nient at the time service is required. Why should students be limited in choice or access when it comes to healthcare? What student is limited in their choice or access when it comes to recreational facility usage or the bell tower they hear chime? Health care access must be handled the same way. President Bollinger and Provost Nancy Cantor should allocate University general funds towards the expansion of University Health Services. NICK VASQUEZ MEDICAL SCHOOL FIRST-YEAR STUDENT Miller has not yet entered adulthood TO THE DAILY: Once again, James Miller proves how much wiser and/or perceptive he is than the rest of us "dorks" by enlightening us as to the error of our collective fashion ways ("U' students just a shave, haircut away from adulthood" 11/19/97). 1 know he has his own column and can write about whatever he desires, but there has to be something bet- ter he can do than use it as a place to spout out gross gen- eralizations and ridiculous stereotypes, all in the name of making himself look witty and oh-so-clever. I thought James got all of this out of his system last spring when he took the "your music sucks and you look ridiculous" approach to ravers and fans of electronic music in general, when he decided to criticize a genre of music and a group of people he knew nothing about. Well, once again James has decided to don the jacket of Daily fash- ion and lifestyle critic, this time taking his closed-mind- ed, why-don't-you-conform- already viewpoint and direct- ing it at those of us who he deems have inferior tastes. Apparently, since he believes my baggy pants look "heinous" (reason enough to go on wearing them), I guess I should grow up and dress like an adult. Thanks, but no In addition, there is noth- ing particularly mature or 'adult" about the statement, ,'you look like somebody's retarded, middle-agedspinster aunt." Making fun of the men- tally ill was humorous up until about the seventh grade, and certainly shouldn't come from one who is busy telling every- body else to grow up. In short, it is not wardrobe choice, but attitude, that makes people "look like 12-year-olds" If you really want people to think you've entered into adulthood, James, forget about how others dress and focus on your own attitude. And in the meantime, stop being conde- scending to people who are way more interesting than you. BRAD NASH LSA SENIOR Police actions mar victory celebration TO THE DAILY: After reading the Daily articles on police tactics after the game this Saturday, I am compelled to write with my own personal experiences. As an "early rusher,' I was quick, smart and lucky enough to avoid the police. But I wit- nessed many others who were not so lucky. Let's not fool ourselves - the police were present for one reason. The University was concerned with its own liability in the case of any injuries. However, anyone with an iota of common sense must have known that there was no way of preventing thousands of students from rushing, not even with 10 times the police presence that was at the game. A better way to handle the problem would have been to make an official statement against rushing, then utilize law enforcement personnel in the true interest of student safety (i.e. helping those who may have fallen, preventing a true riot, etc.). Instead, police were sent out to subdue us with riot gear and pepper spray. When they made the realization that they could not possibly do any good, they settled on a new strategy - pulling one stu- dent away at a time, beating him or her, then releasing that person back into the crowd. Athletic Director Tom Goss said, "Our direction was to keep the kids safe" Is one somehow "safer" in a crowd once they have been blinded? How could they even leave the field in such a condition? I came across several people who could not even see a foot ahead of them through the tears. Thank goodness for their concerned friends who helped them through the rest of the incident. A not-so-PC Winter '98 Courseguide SNRE 286. The History of Dirt. What is dirt? How do we interpret various kinds of dirt? What does dirt mean in a multicultural world? What is the best kind to grow your weed in, dude?' In this course we will examine the way that dirt shapes our con- sciousness as a society and the way we look at the world. Grades will consist of three short paragraphs and a series of journal entries detailing how your own perceptions JAMES of dirt have been MILLER changed by the MILLE course. OTAP S t u d e n t s enrolled in The History of Dirt are encouraged to take SNRE/Hydrodynamics 287,The History of Mud, next semester. Women's Studies 427. Boo, Borders and the Bible. In this course we will examine issues of racism clas sism, lookism. sexism and heterosex- ism in the "Holy" Bible. Why were there no wimmin of color in the Garden of Eden'? Was it necessary to construct Eve out of Adam's rib when a more suitable, vegetarian alternative could have been found? Were there alternative, vaginal shapes for the Tower of Babel'? Was Mary Magd~n forced into prostitution by the u ing social programs of Jerusalem? "Bible" has five letters. "Penis" has five letters. Coincidence? We think not. Prerequisites: Smugness 210 and Ani DeFranco 117. Musicology 311. Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky and Tesh. If record sales and VHI awards are a good indicator of a musician's talent, then John h is one of the greatest pianist/wt- posers of the 20th century. We will study how inferior pieces like "Rite of Spring" led to such groundbreaking works of classical music like "Avalon" and "Live at Red Rocks." We will also look at how Tesh himself has made his way into our national consciousness by appearing on both tote bags and acid-washed denim shirts. Musicology 202. The Straight ie in Musical Theater. One-credit mini- course. Meets for 15 minutes every two weeks. English 315. Writing letters to the editor. We all know it's fun being out- raged and indignant for most of our waking minutes. In this course, you will learn how to share your anger with the obviously unenlightened stu- dent body. Techniques studied: cj- parison of trivial annoyances to i Germany, anyone who disagrees with you is evil and my narrow orthodoxy is better than your narrow orthodoxy. Whether you're a guilty white liberal or a greedy, corpulent, suburban larva, we can help. English 279. H-ow to Ruin Literature. In the dark ages of scholar- ship and literary theory, people read books for enjoyment and rewarding personal experiences. In this co', we will learn to castrate art and b