4A - The Michigan Daily -- Thursday, October 30, 1997 ~iw Lirbiga 420 Maynard Street Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan F 1- y fY ? ,._ : Unless otherwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the Opinion /the maji oilier articles, letters and cartoons do not necessariy reflect h, /pini n f FROM THE DAILY 'U' should divest its tobacc OTABLE QUOTABLE 'Generally people either see China as a land of pandas or a land of tanks crushing students.' - Andrew Mertha, a graduate student instructor in political science UKI KUNIYUKI NE WHETIS THE 'IFFERENCEIETwENMo A FC e R ADA C;A JEYARD ? ) p) 4n -cast HJ t a- A __ Mtws,'aW. y ETTERS TO TH E EDITOR I he Campaign for Michigan was a roar- ing success- but the influx of cash has given University financial officers a host of new challenges. The Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs approved a resolution this week urging the Board of Regents to divest the University's holdings in tobacco companies. Blue chip tobacco stocks, until recently, have been a stable fix- ture in all major pension and investment funds - including the University's. But in light' of recent and disturbing discoveries concerning tobacco companies' operations and advertising, the regents should seek out alternative investments. Tobacco companies have repeatedly said that tobacco has few adverse health effects - going so far as to compare nicotine addicts to those addicted to chocolate. These clains are far from accurate. Researchers report that tobacco causes more than 400,000 deaths per year, and results in $50 billion in direct medical costs. But Big Tobacco's facade appears to be crumbling. Under mounting legal pressure, the compa- nies cut a deal with the government last sum- mer, offering to pay $368.5 billion over 25 years to pay for tobacco lawsuits. Although the agreement is not ideal and renegotiation is necessary, it implies that tobacco compa- nies are admitting the obvious - tobacco products are addictive and deadly. During recent Congressional testimony, the tobacco industry's fervent publicity machine suffered its strongest blow to date. In 4 statement to Congress, Ian Uydess, a former Phillip Morris research scientist, said that the company knew that cigarettes had a drug-like effect on the brain. He goes on to claim that they used this information to keep people smoking - by carefully and deceptively controlling cigarette nicotine levels, Cigarette mn r<. not end with inc properties. The nn ing in the Unt residents smoked in 1965 25.5 percent today. C intense, and new smkes increased market shar. T 42 4 percent of comp ared with the majority of new than 16 years of age oe C Marlboro Man are tw c xanpl ing campaigns that are s designed specificaly t prey market. These ados mus be sto are one of the p thirds of youn 18. Among thoe a third will die from nan. w 'ar younger me and the s fadvertis- &ts - and pd- they te. 's a's. Tobacco con. denying liabiliy claiming evidn a These claim s are faes' CoU ie States' Center for D'a o( tolsas that nine out of ) n no to secondhan d t obaco ie ha C classifies second-h gen known to e Given this linkto c a od stop shirking ther medical expense ramifications of c Tobacco comp of manipulatin should not invest p try rooted so deeply n deepaion and denial -it should take it hanids out of Big Tobacco's pockebo The Universiys investment pori percent in tobacc ble and equaly attracfns these funds. ltrn'avs fo W VCC hooks up schools to sur T hanks to an innovative community ser- vice project, the information super- highway now runs conveniently through the classrooms of one Ann Arbor-area high school. Last Saturday, the University's Volunteer Computer Corps, an organization dedicated to improving the technology of non-profit groups, wired the Saline Christian School to the Internet in Washtenaw County's first NetDay. Using er-equipped classrooms Ne Da prtvides will aid students in career searches. As the cost of Internet wirng proves rel- atively high, more affluent schol districts 'U' should value public schools TO THE DAILY: While tgenerally support the University's stated policy on LSA admissions and the University in the admissions lawsuit that has been filed against it, I would like to point out my distress with some admissions practices at Michigan. According to pub- lished reports in various local newspapers this summer, the University gives more con- sideration to prestigious East Coast prep schools, and pri- vate schools in general, before considering public. school curriculums, which are some of the best that money can't buy. The University is the finest public university in the nation, and it should support public schools in that regard. The Northwest Ordinance, which helped establish this region in 1787, was one of the first documents ever to provide for free public edu- cation to all people, and the University, as one of the finest institutions in a state that sprang from that docu- ment, should be mindful of this in its considerations of public school students and public school curriculums. Not all people have the choice or the means to attend private schools, but that should not hurt them in their attempts to better themselves through public education. CRAIG BARKER LSA SOPHOMORE Letter was unfair to bus sstem TO THE DAILY: I'm writing in response to Linda Wielfaert's letter regarding the bus system ("Bus system leaves many in the lurch, 10/23/97). lb begin, any complaints regarding the parking conges- tion and expensive parking permits should be addressed to those responsible for them, and this is not the transporta- tion department. Wielfaert also claims that the drivers are okay with this "pathetic" bus service because they don't use it. Not true. Many of the drivers use the bus to get to class on North Campus, get to work by Criser Arena, or just to get around Central Campus. The reason these drivers say the bus schedule is "pretty well need-based" is because they troubled themselves to learn the schedule, so they do not have to "stand. while missing break in service. No one ever has to wait for 30 minutes if they do their part and consult a schedule. Now, let's talk about those "comatose" drivers who can sometimes be so "lousy" that they run late even with no traffic. A lot of times these drivers are running late because of the passengers. During peak times, the buses may run late as it takes a bit longer to crowd 80 people on your bus. Another thing the drivers will do is wait for those running to catch the bus. Waiting a minute here and there for people adds up, and before long the driver might be a couple of minutes off schedule. Thus, these dri- vers running late are usually the nice ones, not the lousy ones. However, the buses are usually on time, and very sel- dom do they run more than five minutes late. Check your watch. As for the smiles and hel- los, how many times do you go out of your way to greet the driver? The drivers are trying to watch traffic, pedes- trians, and passengers; they are not hired to entertain. Do you expect juggling acts at stop lights? I'm hired to get you there safely, not to be the sunshine of your life. Still, I usually do greet passengers if they look at me, and I always reply to a "thank you." Instead of ragging on the dri- vers, how about a little appre- ciation? CHRISTY BROOKHOUSE LSA SENIOR Story typified anti-Chinese bias in press To THE DAILY: The article by Ken Mazur on the University of Michigan Students for a Free Tibet ("Campus group focus- es on Tibetan issues'" 10/24/97) is one-sided and typical of the general anti- Chinese bias in the U.S. mass media. The UMSFT asserts that the province of Tibet should be allowed to practice "self- determination," basically to secede from China. Tibet has been a province of China since the 13th century, and will remain a province of China. This may sound harsh and unyielding, but consider America's own imperialist occupations. Who are we to talk about self-determina- tion? Why aren't Americans criticizing the current depre- cation of our allies? The human rights violations against Chechens in Russia and the Palestinians in Israel are two examples that come to mind. Why are we singling out China? isolation of China is the solu- tion to fix their problems of human rights. This will make things worse, because isola- tion will return China to even greater dictatorial rule, and its entire people will suffer. Second, there isn't another country on this planet that would join the United States in enforcing trade sanctions. America has unsuccessfully tried sanctions against Libya, but since most everyone else is trading with them, their economy has not been hurt. Finally, the strong eco- nomic situation in China has brought about more freedoms to the average person in China than at any time in its history. I visited China in both 1984 and 1996, and the changes are revolutionary. People speak freely in the street about almost any topic (including criticisms of the government). There is free- dom to travel about and settle almost anywhere in the coun- try. There isda higher standard of living and happiness in 1996 than what I observed in 1984. Democratic institutions will gradually sink into the national psyche by continued economic improvement. If you don't believe me, look at the history of democracy in both Taiwan and South Korea. Waving a stick and making threats will only delay this trend. It saddens me that the only images Americans see of China now are negative. People are reacting only to the one-sided propaganda of boh Hollywood and the Christian Coalition. China is very complex and chang- ing rapidly. The current regime, led by Jiang Zemin (who negotiated a peaceful end to the Democracy movement in Shanghai), wants a better relationship with America. GLEN N MEDICAL SCHOOL Proposal B is too pricey for 'U' students To THE DAILY: As a graduate student and Ann Arbor resident, I wanted to inform University students of the controversy involving Proposal B. Proposal B asks Ann Arbor voters to raise their taxes $1.7 million for the privilege of putting a park at risk. We can't afford that kind of environmental education, considering the existing deficits in the school system. The cost estimates provided by the contractors are exorbi- Every weekend is Homecoming for the tried- and-true blue A lumni will wander around cam- pus this weekend wearing plaid pants with little maize block 'N stitched into them, hand-knit Michigan football sweaters and inflat- able football helmets. There will be a lot of pointing and excited talking about whatever happened in that very spot back in the day. Meaning this weekend is no different than MEGAN any other home SCHMPF football game. PRESCRIPTIONS Except this weekend is Homecoming. Most current students will realize it is Homecoming only when they trip' over something called "Village on the Mall"- a mini-model of campus cr ated for the occasion - on the way t class today and tomorrow. Or possibly because of the older cheerleaders and band members on the field Saturday. And a few more groups than usual will be announced at the game for celebrat- ing reunions. Simply, a university as large as this has trouble putting on an intimate Homecoming celebration. It is logisti- cally impossible. Very few student will interact with alumni to share cor mon experiences. Very few alumni will randomly meet someone from their student days. The Homecoming Planning Committee has about 20 events sched- uled. By no means do they include everyone; many people will not attend any. The only broad-based event, the Go Blue Brunch, could never seat nor feed any more than a modest fractio of the hundreds of thousands livi University alumni. A parade is not the solution. A big- ger brunch is not the answer. More stu- dent involvement is not the key. At its heart, Homecoming should be for the alumni who return to the site of their former escapades. And it should offer more than it does now to those people. While many smaller schools and graduate programs will host gather- ings this weekend, that is all bg impossible for the majority of University students, who are enrolled in the College of Literature, Science- and the Arts. Graduation for these stu- dents is a headache to plan -just ask: anyone who went to this spring's cere mony. Imagine the logistical migraine that a reunion of all its graduates would cause. At some, mostly smaller, colleges graduates prioritize a trip back 4 Homecoming. If they are truly unable to go, they are seriously disappointed because they will have missed the opportunity to see many of their, friends and participate in memorable activities. This is not the case for most University of Michigan graduates. As, a member of the Alumni Association, I did not receive any notification in the mail that this weekend Homecoming. If I were not in A a Arbor, it is unlikely I would even know. (And I would probably not have' football tickets anyway.) And yet very few people anywhere in the world would accuse Michigan, graduates of lacking spirit or alle- giance. Witness the record-holding string of 100,000-plus crowds in Michigan Stadium. Witness the record-holding sales of Michigan me chandise. Witness, even, t University flag on the surface of thej moon, courtesy of a few alumni. No student would say, "Alumni, don't come back.' Most take their con- nection to the University very senous- ly and want to give something in return. Ironically, this is why Homecoming fails - the University effectively hosts little homecomings at ever football game. When my aunt aW uncle, both University alumni, drove from Minnesota for the Iowa game, they ran into several people they knew and laughed about old times. The majority of these geographical and emotional trips are on whatever weekend is convenient, or on a week- end with a good football game (and Brown Jug or no Brown Jug, what alumnus would turn down Ohio Sta tickets for this weekend's game. Many alumni coordinate with family and friends and hold private mini- reunions. Some groups schedulk their own reunions, creating official mini-Homecomings throughout the year. Because most alumni developed - and, accordingly, weath generally have bettet aceWs Wide Web. Acknowledging VCC uses NetDay to wire s strating the most significan tance. Their well-diected s ier students - sto the World too disparity, choo' s demon- need for assis- eraic provides wiring equipment donated by Fry Multimedia, a local Internet development firm, the group was able to place the school on line in about one day. initiated last year in California, NetDay hasused donated labor and materials to bring low-cost Internet access to more than 50,000 classrooms in more than 40 states. As the program makes Web access more accessible to U.S. students, NetDay constitutes an effec- tive step toward augmenting the educational resources of grade-school students. The importance of computers in schools proves duly evident. As the amount of data on the Internet doubles every six months, Internet access proves an invaluable infor- mational tool for grade-school students. In- depth, up-to-the-minute facts and figures become immediately available. In addition, the: computer proficiency students glean from computers in the classroom will prove essential in securing lucrative careers. In fact, Business Week reports that workers who use computers earn an average of 10 to 15 percent more than those who do not, even for the same job. In addition, the U.S. Department of Labor estimates that more than 44 percent of all jobs will demand T Internet access to students wit generally limited exposure to t Though VCC's work a d with a gateway to the n per- highway does prove eb eil educators must not view thholog as an immediate solui h o ailmen ts of s chooel is 'mnatinwde Internet access coni n toward remedying the o s of the United States' academa so Problems such as low ir and limited scientific and mahea fi- ciency must not be"om ae o dramatic, attention ing tecno cal developments. Educx a possible avenus education. As Saline Chrisi frst week on the Wveb, ohou~ sands of schools nai u- dents with a windw o on superhighway. Some p 27,000 to 40,000 p bout one-third to onea on the Web. The eooco porate sponsors, suc ut d merit the praise of the dn