4A - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, November 20, 1997 I Cite £Iidiguu iagilg 420 Maynard Street Ann Arbor, MI 48109 JOSH WHITE Editor in Chief Edited and managed by IN MARSH students at the Editorial Page Editor University of Michigan 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 Give blood 'M'-OSU battle transcends the gridiron SNOTABLE QUOTABLE9 'We have done everything we can do short of adding a new building ... but the growth of the freshman class has outpaced our ability to add new spaces to the system.' - Univrsu i ty//usg DireC tor of Public Affairs and Information Alan Levy, after a decision that r 'tsri t ditional residence halls to first- and second-year students PURPLE ERRING 1o uQI This Saturday, the Michigan football team will take the field against Ohio State to compete for its first Rose Bowl trip since 1993. With Michigan in the running for its first national championship since 1948, excitement about the game is at a high. Even before the kickoff, blood will be shed - but not on the football field. This week, even non-athletic University students will have the opportunity to defeat the Buckeyes in the annual Michigan vs. Ohio State blood battle. Today and tomorrow is the last chance during the drive for students to donate blood. The Red Cross Bloodmobile is sta- tioned at the Michigan Union between 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. today and between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. tomorrow, or students can make an appointment by calling 994-9588. The drive, which is sponsored by Blood Drive United, ends on Friday. The blood battle gives all University stu- dents a chance to save lives while helping defeat an archrival, although the University has not won the competition since 1991. As of Monday, the University was leading the campaign, with 874 pints of blood to OSU's 753. The combined goal for both schools is 2,300 pints; although the drive started off slowly, it is now picking up speed. But the real reason to donate blood has nothing to do with school spirit. Although victory over Ohio State is a bonus, the true goal of the competition is to help save lives. One pint of blood can save up to four lives. In this region, about 1,000 pints of blood are used every ,day. The area frequently experiences crisis shortages and must rely on emergency drives to replenish blood stores. The blood supply in southeastern Michigan is currently quite low; more blood donations are necessary. Without these donations, the Red Cross will have to import blood from another area. Donating blood is an easy, harmless and relatively painless procedure. There are no health risks; new, sterile instruments are used for each person, and the Red Cross volun- teers who extract the blood are well-trained in the procedure. In addition, pre-donation blood test results are strictly confidential. The process takes about one hour. The only requirements are that donors must be older than 17 years of age and weigh more than 110 pounds. It is also recommended that donors eat a good meal before giving blood. Every University student who can give blood, should. The majority of students ful- fill the requirements for potential donors, and all should be able to sacrifice the hour it takes to make a donation. Although most students are usually pressed for time, they should make time to contribute to the Red Cross' worthy quest. The blood battle is an excellent way for University students to help save lives - and gain a victory over Ohio State in the bargain. If all eligible University students donate blood, the Red Cross would fulfill its supply goals and thousands of people needing transfusions would benefit. In the end, regardless of which school collects more pints, in this contest everyone is a winner. YEAR 19 G.00 ft..,,I E 'h.1/9 YEAK 2.194 GS MILfA£. IqfA/ cadS { O 7 OF ILLINCA obas o- I(-U tr TONS 1OPER0 P'F-9 fIK 15,44-ToNS W44I6 Op-RTINQ 34001'0 LETE5RIRS TO TEED TR MNIETDETN Justice for all City Council backs action against hate crimes Between 1990 and 1995, anti-gay vio- lence rose 102 percent. During 1996, 2,429 episodes of anti-gay harassment and violence were reported in just 14 U.S. cities. While race, religion and gender are protected under Michigan's Intimidation Act, sexual orientation is not. Monday night, the Ann Arbor City Council took a step to push Michigan toward including gays and lesbians in the Michigan Ethnic Intimidation Act. In a unanimous decision, the Council approved a resolution supporting a proposed amend- ment to the Intimidation Act. Proposed by Rep. Lynne Martinez (D-Lansing), the amendment would extend protection to gays and lesbians. The City Council should be applauded for its efforts to support this important amendment. Now the state legis- lature must act responsibly and pass the bill, assuring Michigan citizens the right to personal security. It is important to realize the reality of hate crimes. While the numbers speak for themselves, it is easy for many to become blinded to the hatred that persists in society. Snide remarks, racial and sexual slurs and physical violence threaten everyone's per- sonal security. Yet when the law fails to pro- tect certain groups from these hideous hate crimes, their civil rights become legally trampled. Members of the University community may also forget the reality of hate crimes toward gays and lesbians on campus. Simply because the University is seen as a "liberal and open" environment does not mean hate crimes do not exist. While most harassment goes unreported, its existence is nonetheless apparent. Twenty states and the District of Columbia, as well as several cities - including Ann Arbor - have hate crime legislation that includes crimes based on sexual orientation. But take a step outside of Ann Arbor, and gays and lesbians rights become invisible. On Nov. 10, 1997, President Clinton held the first White House Conference on Hate Crimes. The historic conference was hailed as a success by many gay rights' groups. Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) President Nancy McDonald, praised Clinton for the conference claiming it "lends more credi- bility to the seriousness of anti-gay vio- lence." The conference did bring hate crime issues to the forefront for a moment, but more must be done. While the Conference on Hate Crimes certainly lends more credibility to anti-gay hate crimes, a conference alone does little to prevent the violence. Cities and states must work toward adopting legislation that will legally protect gays and lesbians from hate crimes. Michigan is now in a position to take this important step. The amendment to Michigan's Ethnic Intimidation Act has support from many sides. Aside from the Ann Arbor City Council, the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police, the Prosecuting Attorney's Association and the Michigan Municipal League all support the amend- ment. To rally more support, state repre- sentatives' personal biases against gay rights must be placed on the back burner. Fighting hate crime is an issue that sup- ports basic human rights - something everyone deserves. Everyone must recognize the serious- ness of hate crimes, especially of anti-gay violence. Lesbians and gays face the scary reality of hate crimes while lacking the necessary protection from city, state and federal governments. Michigan must adopt the proposed amendment to make the state a safe environment for all its citizens. Military does not control foreign policy To THE DAILY: I am writing in response to the letter by Joe Sexauer ("U.S. military actions are 'imperialistic" hI / 97) I Sexauer had taken the time to read the column by .orh IWhite ("Respect the militr for the peace of mind it allows all of us, 11/ 497) he would have seen that the arti- cle was referring to the mili- tary and the men and women who fill its ranks not U.S. foreign policy. It appears that in his effort to belittle the members of the Armed Forces who serve this nation he has forgotten one very important point. Irrespective of the morality of the mili- tary actions that he chose to highlight, it stands that our military is simply an instru- ment of policy. The U.S. mili- tary does not make national and foreign policy, it was not designed for such a role and is not in a position to dictate such policy. The military does not choose to conduct military operations in other countries, rather the govern- ing body of this nation directs it to do so. If you do not agree with the foreign policy adopted by this nation then you need to vote and make yourself heard. Write to your congres- sional representatives and to the president, exercise your freedom of speech. H owever, keep in mind as You direct your energies to changing these policies and bringing attention to what you per- ceive as wrong and unjust make sure that you are focus- ing on the correct targ.et. The individual soldier who is sent to war by his country is simply doing his job - he cannot and should not be held responsible for the policy that sent him there. The men and women who serve in our mili- tary take an oath to risk their lives at the request of their nation. The risk of losing one's life is only one of the many sacrifices that they make. Military service will not make you rich, it rarely makes you famous and it often tears your family apart. Despite all of this, the mem- bers of the Armed Forces con- tinue to serve this great nation of ours. So while Sexauer may disagree with the our national policy, he should not fault the military for it. MICHAEL DUCEY RACKHAM Bollinger wins points with students done. He has just shown again that he doesn't want to be an "untouchable" person in power when it comes down to the students of the University. Bollinger wants to reach out to the student body and really connect with them, and allow- ing people to actually talk with him and see where he lives certainly brings him down from on high. We got to see President B~ollinger for what he is: a person. I think he truly shows the spirit and devotion to the University that every presi- dent should. MATT GARGETT LSA JUNIOR Vote in MSA elections To THE DAILY: Students may now cast their vote as well as learn about can- didates at the Website: http://www umich. edu/~vote. This site will accept ballots until midnight on Nov. 20. The accuracy and influence of cam- pus decisions are contingent upon your participation. Please take a brief moment during these two days to voice your opinion at this Website or a campus polling site. MICHIGAN STUDENT ASSEMBLY lTD plan gives core services TO THE DAILY: Thank you for helping us informistudents about the upcoming changes to the University's computing ser- vices. I'd like to take this opportunity to comment on your editorial, "Division's decision" (11/17/97). While it istruethat stu- dents (and others) may lose a measure of flexibility in mak- ing service choices this January, we are pleased to be making significant improve- ments in providing uninterrupt- ed access to core services and simplifying billing options. You touched on some of these improvements in your editorial but there are in fact more - including, for students, access to computing services through the summer or during other terms of non-enrollment. ITD fully understands that there's no such thing as a one-size-fits-all solutionato providing computing resources for the campus. As you pointed out, different constituencies have different needs. However, it's our top priority to provide the University community with reliable, high-quality core services (such as e-mail and as well. Yet LTD's budget for the basic computing package (which comes from the University General Fund) has remained essentially unchanged for several years. Given the growing demand for information technology services, it is a great chal- lenge to find the best possi- ble solutions for a communi- ty as diverse as ours. Jose-Marie Griffiths and I welcome student input and look forward to working with the MSA information tech- nology committee on these issues in the months ahead. LAURIE BURNS INTERIM DIRECTOR, CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS AND SUPPORT INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DIVISION 'Crime Notes' report student 'stupidity' TO THE DAILY: I am writing to comment on University crime in the "Crime Notes" section. I feel that University students would be much better informed if you were to print actual crimes in this section instead of humorous incidents of student stupidity (i.e., "res- ident burns foot with butter," "woman swallows plastic fork;" "student locks self in bathroom overnight"). Also, I wonder why I am paying part of my tuition to DPS to investigate such idiotic "crimes,' usually with no real leads. As a service to students, the Daily should either print real felonies or misdemeanors in this section or change the name to "comic relief. CANDACE CORREA ENGINEERING JUNIOR Security won't stop this fan To THE DAILY: This letter is written in response to the story,"'U' forbids Rushing the Field" (I 1/18/97) and is directed to the "heightened security" that will be present on Saturday. Provided a win against OSU, I am going to rush the field on Saturday, and you cannot stop me. I will do it alone or with 107,000 of my best friends. But I will do it. This is not a threat, it is a mat- ter of fact. I am a University of Michigan Wolverine, and you cannot stop me from exer- cising my right to celebrate the possibility of the first unde- feated regular season since before I was born. And so I will rush the field. And you will not stop me. Because I am faster than you. I Attention-loving. Kevorkian is an embarrasment to medicine s O f all the famous alumni the University has produced, there are a few the admissions departments don't talk about. One of those is Jack Kevorkian. Medical School class o 1952. Perhaps that's Kevorkian no longer holds the medical license for which he trained. Or because he has been repeatedly disowned by the American MEGA", M e d i c a I SCHIMPF Association for cRECRtpTIOH$ gross ethical violations. Or perhaps it's because the man is insane. Making generalizations about what is "normal" is dangerous. How can a standard of normalcy be anything more than subjective proclamation'. Consider Kevorkian's case. Doctors who worked with him early in his career tell how Kevorkian asked to be paged when a patient was about to die so he could watch the moment of death. Last week, the so-called Dr. Death said he helped a New York woman die in an unnamed Detroit-area church. The woman was one of more than 60 he has helped die; he has counsele hundreds of others, his lawyer says. The Roman Catholic Church has been one of Kevorkian's strongest oppo- nents, and Kevorkian has said Jesus Christ should have chosen assisted suicide in his van rather than crucifix- ion. Last month, Kevorkian announced phase II of his plan: he will provide organs for donation from his suicide victims to the first in line. As" trained pathologist, he lacks the expertise to remove an organ for donation, the facilities to preserve it and the agreement of any hospital or implant surgeon to complete the pro- cedure. Phase Ill, incidentally, is exper- menting on willing subjects under "irreversible" anesthesia before death. Kevorkian set up his three-pronged plan in his K91 book, "Prescription: Medicide." This is not about physician-assisted suicide. That is its own issue, left to the quiet of a doctor-patient relatioXf ship. This is aout Kevorkian, who has never been qtiet and has made himself into his own issue. He has said - watch the documen- tary currently on HBO - that he will violate any anti-assisted suicide legis- lation because it is "immoral." He has repeatedly demonstrated disregard fo any authority other than himself. Along the way, hethas created a Aew image for patients with terminal ill- ness, one of expendability and insignificance. He says he is their only help. He tempts with promises of cof- trot, scorn for a medical system that is only now learning to deal with long- term pain, conpassion instead of for-' profit insurance companies and an en to pain. He is wrong, and he has caused great emotional stress among patients with the same illnesses as some of his vic- tims. It takes them longer to cope with a diagnosis because they know some, have given up. But terminal-disease' patients are not useless to society not the people who love them; there are sources of support and understanding. Hospice organizations help= patients die comfortably at home. 4 But does Kevorkian respect his' patients enough to call what he does- mercy killing or is this simply his' personal campaign to garner as much publicity as possibleT Kevorkian takes the personal benefit' over the person each time. Take the' suicide he assisted the sagne day Gov.- John Engler signed an assisted-sui- cide ban into law several years ago. Or the death of a depressed drug user who had been misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Or the patients- who have made public statenlents. supporting him soon before theil deaths. Ironically, his actions - almost every one makes news - are actually hurting the right-to-die moveme t, at. least in some respects. Melians Friends, a group trying to put assisted" suicide on the 1998 Michigan blallof,4 has avoided associating with Kevorkian. His extreme, radical-on-a- mission behavior repels moderates and strengthens opponents' convictios He would help more patients have access to physician-assisted suicide by fading into the sunset with his suicide' machine. But Kevorkian has pever fy I I A4 0 b $I Afi { [.