4 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, October 7, 1997 EAlCir Ygttn Frilg 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, 'We're leaving a mark on the University campus just for Gandhi. We wanted to honor him by doing community service ... the way he wanted it to be done.' - LSA first-year student Bela Patel YU K KUNIYUKI _ntess 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 Big Ten trade Sharing resources helps students n he University of Michigan and alone. The University's influence is already Michigan State University have recent- formidable - a coalition of 11 of the coun- ly formed a partnership to help students try's best schools could garner even more from both schools. Increasing the resources influence for students' benefit. Such a ayailable to students through partnerships group could lobby for legislation to ease the that leave rivalries on the athletic field is an financial burden on students. A Big Ten idea worth expanding to include the entire consortium could push for more govern- .ig Ten Conference. ment-sponsored financial aid and more tax The idea of forming an academic breaks for parents putting children through alliance throughout the Big Ten has already college. On the state level, a consortium entered its early stages. Currently the entire could enable partnerships between schools conference is working together in a pro- in common states to seek change through a gram called the Midwest Universities combined attack. Consortium for International Activities. This consortium in no way should Essentially, this program seeks to make all infringe upon each schools' sovereignty. of the libraries within the Big Ten available Students going to the University should still to each school via the Internet. This is a be able to count on the programs for which great idea that could enhance students' abil- they came to Ann Arbor. Students' courses ity to do more comprehensive research. In shouldn't be threatened, and professors addition, other academic exchanges should temporarily assigned to different schools lbe proposed and developed. must remain available for students at their One method of exchange being dis- home campus. Students apply to specific cussed by the University and our "rivals" in universities for their resources and pro- East Lansing is a faculty-exchange pro- grams - the faculty and information gram. Every Big Ten university has a exchange should enhance the educational respectable academic reputation and each experience but not remove schools' valu- school has its own niche of expertise. For able programs. example, Northwestern University boasts A consortium of Big Ten schools seems to one of the best journalism schools in the be the logical first step in forming an acade- country and the University houses one of mic network of schools. However, if such a the best business schools. Students at every group is formed and enjoys success, the pro- Big Ten school could benefit from guest gram should be expanded regionally. Many lectures or mini-courses taught by experts more local schools have great resources to from different schools. The University share, and the proximity of many great should be first in line to support faculty schools, such as Wayne State University, exchange - we pride ourselves in our com- would surely enable a more frequent rate of mitment to diversity and this is another way exchange than more distant ones. Io bring many different groups to campus. Each school must remember that the Another point for universities to consid- most important aspect of such a network is er is that the strength of many is greater the students, and every cooperation must than the strength of one. A consortium of occur to advance students' interests. Big Ten schools could wield much more Handled properly, the exchange programs influence with the federal government and could enhance students' education and with state governments than any school higher education's political clout. Backhanded bmil Good intentions are clouded by poor means 7ro RA Et2'-S ywteE W~HAlT Th0UA4 {TAE' E-,eaiBE L-osr ? AL 15 AgOy Ltsr ..AND lI,, .ouRAE N AE'f:R y©Sue r /7 S t2 y EiL. . - OSAJ MOLT5Ni / t / /;, /1 /jff 7r AO LETTERS TO TI Cartoons leave some baffled TO THE DAILY: Since the departure of cartoonist Jim Lasser last May, the Daily has started publishing the work of some new cartoonists on the cut- ting edge of post-modern edi- torial criticism. Obviously, however, they are well ahead of their time and may be con- fusing some of our students, myself included, with their new-age intellectual com- mentary on modern college life. For instance, Jordan Young, the ultra-bohemian author of "Tune Up," appears to have invented an entirely new style of cartooning, drawing marginally relevant pictures and writing captions and dialogue that seldom contain jokes, punch lines, or any meaningful data whatso- ever. He has thus transcended the object-oriented con- straints of human copscious- ness with his avant-garde, high-minded disdain for sen- sical literature and has bro- ken the simian shackles of our collective need for clo- sure by providing us with totally open-ended cartoons containing no beginning, middle or end, no connection between captions, pictures and dialogue, nor even between individual drawings within a single cartoon! Theacartoon appearing in the Oct. 1 Daily is a prime example of this new format. The foreground picture con- tains a likeness of folk singer Bob Dylan wearing disco-era trousers and shoes and sport- ing a wig similar to Sir Isaac Newton's. He is playing the guitar for an entity in the background that can be explained only as a half-old man, half-gastropod doing "the hustle" and chanting incorrectly the lyrics to one of Dylan's songs. The Caption reads, "Pope John Paul Ringo," a clever pun of the world's Catholic Christian leader and the first names of three Beatles, an amazing surprise because the drawing contains no refer- ences to any of them! Every time I think I've got "Tune lUp" figured out, I get thrown for another mind-liberating loop. I never want to be respon- sible for the burden of "understanding" an editorial cartoon ever again, and thanks to the Daily, I never will! Keep up the good work. SHEK BAKER LSA SOPHOMORE HE EDITOR ("Troublesome timing," 9/l/97) but there is room for improvement for this policy. I am from a Chinese background and call myself an atheist. Although there is no such thing as a "holy day" in my secular lifestyle there are holidays that I deem seri- ous enough to sacrifice a day's academic demands. These holidays do not pos- sess religious significance but are extremely important in the cultural arena. Holidays such as the Chinese New Year, Mid-Fall Festival and Dragon Boat Festival are celebrated by Chinese people worldwide Without me, they'd have no sweats to show off. Without my contribution, they'd have no Earth-shaking stereo sys- tem. In fact, I don't expect them to win. I just want them to clean my house or some- thing. SABAS ABUABARA LSA SENIOR 'Animal House' image is not relevant n May, the state House passed the Campus Sexual Assault Information Act, drafted by state Rep. Laura Baird (D- Okemos). The package of bills requires state universities to adhere to guidelines dealing with sexual assault cases in order to be eligible for many financial aid programs such as the Michigan Competitive Scholarship Program and the Tuition Grant Program. The bill proposes a good idea - all col- leges and universities should have an estab- lished policy on sexual assault. The University's current, several-year-old sexual assault policy could use another look for updating and possible revisions. However, colleges and universities must take the pro- ject on without the threat of financial pun- ishment. The bill is somewhat paradoxical - in trying to help students, it threatens to remove countless programs on which many rely. It punishes students for something beyond their control - they could lose financial backing due to their administrators' actions. Baird's genuine concern for issues of sexual assault on university campuses are muddled by her means to achieve her aim. Even though the Michigan Constitution forbids such encroachment on state univer- sity policies under the Headlee Amendment, Baird bypassed the amend- ment with a technicality in her bill and argues the University's conformity is volun- tary. Yet, to maintain funding, the University inherently has no choice. The state legislature should not use money to cram their programs down state universi- ties' throats. The bill does not contradict the literal interpretation of the amendment, but it is in direct opposition to its design and spirit. Laws should be analyzed for overall objective rather than semantics to prevent abuse. Words are limited in their expres- sion, making laws imperfect. Much of what the bill advocates is already established -- in some form - at the University. In addition to an official sexual assault policy, groups like the Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center have been offering services to sexual- assault survivors and educating the University community for more than 10 years. The majority of state universities already have a sexual assault .policy in place. The trauma of sexual assault should never be overlooked or taken lightly. At the same time, state legislatures should realize the responsibilities and the limitations of their positions. State representatives should not overstep the bounds of their jobs and pounce on the University's autonomy. The state Senate should not pass Baird's bill. Despite good intentions, it alone will not attack the problem at hand. Moreover, Baird's tactics tie financial punishment to a task that university and college administra- tions should be examining for the good of their student populations, not to secure funding. State colleges and universities should demonstrate responsibility and revise their sexual assault policies without the threats of Baird's bill. and their importance is com- To THE DAILY: parable in status to Rosh I don't know what's Hash Jesh caender Ippur worse, the fact that the Daily that the sensitivity that is continues sto display the extended to religious holi- Greek system in the "Aminal days and religious practition- House" image, or that there ers could also be extended to still exist some fraternities cultural holidays and the that enjoy being portrayed minorities who celebrate such this way. Those who under- holidays, stand today's Greek System know that fraternities have PAK MAN SHUEN been confronted with chang- LSA SOPHOMORE ing their creed and image. Due to increased risk and lia- bility of members, as well as H illson' skyrocketing fraternity insur- ance costs, fraternities are points were forced to carry out social events on a more responsible confusing level. More important though, more than half of TO THE DAILY: incoming first-year classes I amwriingin rgar to now look for college organi- the letm ritl idffremar to zations that are centered action is 'un-American,"' audyaeicsnom- (9/29/97). It seems that munity service - not around Gregory Hillson has gone to alcohol. Sure, fraternities considerable lengths to sys- offer a good time and a place tematically arrive at his ulti- to party and socialize - but mate point of "focusing only today, they must offer more on merit." I had a very diffi- (and many do). cult time swallowing this, It is no secret that some considering earlier he had fraternities cannot adequately stated that the University admit to themselves that such should make "alumni happy changes are needed. They too by accepting their children," are caught up in the stereo- in order to ensure "a strong type of what fraternities have alumni network and mone- stood for, and to them, will tary donations." He proceed- continue to stand for. ed to state that this method of Unfortunately, there are the admissions, which ensures fraternities that are represent- "the financial health of the ed ver and over in the University," is a "perfectly media, in movies and in the just and appropriate" objec- minds of the population. tive. However, whether they care Does Mr. Hillson know to admit it or not, fraternity what he is arguing for? Either chapters that still use alcohol he isn't really the staunch supporter of "focusing only as their selling point will on merit" he claims to be, or cease to exist on campuses the alumni status of someone around the country - either in his lineage causedthe from stricter national and University admissions com- campus rules, or even some- mittee to overlook his own thing as extreme as an alco- scholastic ineptitudes. hol-related accident or death. Those fraternities that do AWINASH BAWLE not fit the "Animal House" LSA SENIOR stereotype measure brother- hood not by your drinking skill, but by your potential Students for leadership and academics. These fraternities offer stu- expect team dents not only a place to party and socialize but a success place to help their character, self-confidence and personal TO THE DAILY: growth. Fraternity chapters In ysteday' coumn like this understand the need In yesterday's column for positive change and have ("pa tyiserwilltbents,, become the success stories of 10/6/97) John Leroi stated campuses around the country. that we (as a student body) Today, we live in a society have "disappointed (our) bas- of increased personal respon- ketball team and (we) have sibility. Perhaps it's about no right to expect any more time the media takes more from them." responsibility for what they I am by no definition of report and the few "Animal the term a "basketball fan," House" fraternities left stop but since I, along with every showing us how much they other out-of-state student, can drink and begin showing bought all those guys their us how much they can lead. Explorers, I think I can expect them to win every JOSEPH BURAK game if it should please me. LSA SENIOR Banning alcohol will not attack I the problem'of binge drinking Last week, the nation's academic community was reminded of the frailty of life, as embodied by the senseless loss of an 18-year-old s dent to alcohol. Following first-yW student Scott Krueger's tragic demise from over- drinking at an MIT fraternity party, students , and collegiate authorities scram- bled to respond to the secondrecent drinking death of a young student JOSH - they brain- WHITE stormed about JUMPING alcohol and its THE GUN impact on society and ruminated about how to get alco- hol out of the hands of the nation's youth. Immediately, both academia and the fraternity's national organizat lashed out against alcohol, promis to rid MIT's houses of the substance and that the fraternity's chapters nationwide would be dry by 2000. As many people at the University of Michigan said immediately after these bold moves, that is both unreal- istic and does not attack the root of the problem. By pledging to go alco- hol-free, officials are missing the point, and sadly, are not helping stu- dents. Take the alcohol out of the hou - controlled environments where underage drinking is at least some- what monitored by peers - and you unleash a large number of students into other forms of abuse at other, uncontrolled locales.University of Michigan fraternity parties have changed astronomically since just three years ago, when kegs were piled up in fraternity foyes andalcohol1 omnipresent. Today, thanks To Interfraternity Council rules and regu- lations, kegs are forbidden and parties monitored. While it is easy to blame the frater- nities and social organizations nation- wide as the culprits in promoting alco- hol abuse - and it is clear that they have been branded as such - the real malady is being overlooked. Drinking on college campuses is not limited nor centered around, the Greek tems nor social clubs. Binge drinking is not limited to young men, and fra- ternity pledges are not the only stu- dents getting drunk. It just so happens that the Louisiana State University student who died in late August as a result of binge drink- ing was also at a fraternity function when he met with peril, but it just as easily could have been at a ho party, in a residence ball or at a The fact that the two students who have recently died due to drinking were both underage is almost inconse- quential - regardless of age (one was 18 and the other 20) alcohol kills when used exorbitantly, whether one is 16 or 60. If age were a factor, then it would seem natural to point the finger at the students' respective fraternities. Surely the houses forced their new recruit* drink to their deaths. Ofucourse that isn't the case - how could any orga- nization want its new members to die? While it is conceivable that the stu- dents were forced to drink (hazing does still exist, what a surprise); it seems almost unfathomable that any- one, especially friends, would force someone into danger. The real problem is that no one; in either case, realized the danger eo person actually faced. It amounts to a lack of respect for a deadly poison, a poison that is as accepted as it is abused. That a large group of people lost track of a friend's drinking at a large party is not uncommon, but at MIT and LSU, it proved fatal. This can happen anywhere and to anyone. In a rite of passage that is as alluring as it is repulsive, 21-year-olds all over the country pounce on the bar sc for their big birthday bash, some whom attempt (and often succeed in) downing 21 drinks in a very short time span. In shots, nearly a fifth of hard alcohol, that total is deadly - yet those who make the attempt are sickly revered for their ability to live through it. Their friendsshove drink after drink in front of their faces and call them a "wuss" or a "pussy" for not being able to keep up. Peer pressure certainy not limited to fraternity parties or pledge events. A young woman was carted out of West Quad on a gurney late Saturday night, too drunk to know where she was or what was going on. A few of the woman's friends said that she had been partying in a room and that she had basically lost consciousness. The fact that a concerned passerby proba- bly saved her life will never cross h r mind, especially the next time drinks - if she can even remember it. What the University community needs to do is not focus on taking the alcohol away from such students - those students will drink no matter what policies are in place- it needs to teach students the dangers of exces- sive drinking and encourage modera- tion. - Josh White can be reached e-mail at jswhite@umich. AMdOUNcrM NT TWTTl~Ij PAWtYMOON is OVRD c~~ A.LIFEll g IJ4 IN - A ,' ' ElsMA V MY 10 aD Policy should cover cultural holidays TO THE DAILY: I applaud the University's policy on religious-academic conflicts, seeing such policies as making the campus more attractive to people of differ- ent faiths and could con- tribute to making this campus a more diverse place. I also am in total agreement with the arguments presented by the Daily's editorial in sup- port of this policy