4 The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, January 27, 1998 Uib *idS= &ztiig 4'20 Maynard Street Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Edited and managed by students at the Nveirsity of Michigan JOSH WHITE Editor in Chief ERIN MARSH Editorial Page Editor + }AkMs otherwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of the majority of the Daily's editorial board. All ther articles, letters and cartoons do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily. FROM THE DAILY Empty seat Nelms contributed much to Flint campus " NOTABLE QUOTABLE,, 'I do not believe the Congress is going to Impeach the president unless there is an open-and-shut case, and I believe If there is an open-and-shut case ... the president will resign.' - Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) YU K KuNIYUKI , E M0.61 0", weft aI( Wk -fA/ SCFNT(SrTS CLOIJ E A outJ ,sbouF cjons? \ew - Th o ra't~e Sla_____________l'ktspa a .. hreEI d a+ o' 'ca . o LETTERS TO THE EDITOR L ast week, Charlie Nelms, chancellor of he University's Flint campus, announced plans to move to a newly creat- ed position at the University of Indiana. Nels will officially leave the Flint campus onJuly 31, making his stay in Flint just less tZln-four years. With his decision to leave, the University community - and especial- lythbse attending class at the Flint campus ",will feel a great loss. The chancellor bmught about many positive changes for the Flint campus, which is located in an utub" environment with a majority of its .tdnts commuting to and from campus. During his tenure at Flint, Nelms has uwd lis unique qualities to create a more integted environment between the school and the surrounding community. When he Was appointed by then University Pteident James Duderstadt and the facul- ty-advising committee, the Flint campus ws-n academic community set against an uuban setting. By the time he leaves this swmer, people may no longer feel this Way. Due in large part to the chancellor's offbts, the Flint campus has been trans- formed into an urban university working in cooperation with its community. The cam- pta bas expanded greatly during his stay, and he has worked to create several pro- gmms that address the social and econom- it problems that lie outside its boundaries. "i# effort and accomplishments deserve emup praise. Perbaps what best describes Nelms is his desire to use higher education to help tbose with few opportunities. At Flint, the chSeellor tore down the walls isolating tbediversity from the community in an ffrt to address problems, such as pover- ty, that are close to home. His new posi- tion at the University of Indiana will require some of the same ideas that allowed him to make an enormous impact on the Flint campus. At Indiana, the chan- cellor will be responsible for promoting diversity on the school's eight campuses through the recruitment of minority stu- dents and by improving their graduation and retention rates. Indiana was recently the site of two racially motivated incidents -- indicating a need for someone with Nelms' sensitivity and experience. He will begin his new occupation in Indianapolis, where he will once again work with mem- bers and organizations of that community to provide more educational opportunities to those who do not have them - an admirable effort by Nelms and the University of Indiana. The Flint campus is losing a person who has thrived in the situation presented to him nearly three and a half years ago. University President Lee Bollinger and the faculty advising committee will soon begin the dif- ficult task of finding a new chancellor. When they begin the search, they should look for a candidate who embodies similar qualities similar to Nelms'. The Flint cam- pus is unique in that it is located in the mid- die of a major urban area and a large per- centage of the students are commuters. Nelms worked to create an environment that is conducive to interaction between fellow students and between the University and the community. Flint's next chancellor should have these two priorities set high on his or her agenda. Nelms turned his ideas into reality, and his departure will be felt throughout the University community. No way in U.S. visa pol icies should not be discriminatory n 1993, American diplomat Robert E. Olsen was fired from his job at the 'ited States Consulate in Sao Paulo, mweail, for refusing to follow a policy f**arding the issuance of visas to foreign- ts. This policy advised consular officers tggive extra scrutiny to the way visa appli- mnts were dressed and their ethnic back- ground--as a result, many Brazilians who are black or of Asian or Middle Eastern descent have been unfairly denied visas. The justification for Olsen's termination was that he was taking too long to process visa applications and granting too many because he conducted thorough back- gjopd checks that his peers did not. But Wrctions were preventing blanket judg- ts about entire ethnic groups from pre- R ng fair access to the United States. He -i ot deserve to be fired. last month, a federal court ruled that the visa policies at the consulate in Sao Paulo are illegal because they discriminate qsipst people on the basis of race, socioe- conomic status and even appearance and manner of speech in some instances. This ru lin could have ramifications around the world, as some other American consulates hsve similar policies. This decision should help change the ways in which visas are isiuwd, as the current method is blatantly tWiWt. The visa manuals issued by the Sao P~ulo consulate advise employees to pay dpcial attention to applicants of Arab and Chinese descent, as well as those who "ap)eaf' to be poor. The U.S. State Department defends this policy as a precau- ple. Whether or not someone is a potential terrorist cannot be determined solely on the basis of ethnicity or appearance. Further, economic status cannot be ascertained with a simple glance - and even if a visa appli- cant is poor, it does not mean that he or she will attempt to illegally settle in the United States. The fact that many people are summar- ily denied visas on the basis of ethnicity and appearance does not speak very well for U.S. national security. Beside the fact that the policy is racist, it is not even an adequate method of preventing terrorism. While it is necessary to protect the country from terrorists, it is wrong to single out an entire ethnic group because of a stereo- type. This policy ignores the fact that many of the terrorist acts on U.S. soil in recent years - for instance, the Oklahoma City bombing - were the work of American citizens. Obviously, denying visas to foreigners on a flimsy basis can- not solve this problem. Instead, the U.S. government should require a more thor- ough background check into people apply- ing for a visa. The court made the right decision in striking down the visa policies at the con- sulate in Sao Paulo. Denying visas solely on the basis of appearance is clearly a discrim- inatory and unfair approach - violating many American ideals of equality. Although State Department officials must make provisions to stop terrorism in the United States, the method used in the con- sulate is illegal and unjustified as well as misguided and ineffective. The court's deci- sion should mandate changes in policy that Influential woman spoke on campus To THE DAILY: A recent article in the Daily about the 25th anniver- sary of the Roe v. Wade deci- sion ("Campus to honor deci- sion," 1/21/98) began by mentioning the fact that many U of M students were not alive during the legal and social drama of this historic decision. I would like to inform the Daily and its read- ers that there was someone visiting U of M who was not only alive during Roe v. Wade but was a key player. Dr. Mildred Fay Jefferson is a founding member of the state and national Right to Life movement, serving in the past as chair of the Board of Directors and for three terms as president of the National Right to Life Committee. Before the Roe u. Wade decision and continu- ing today, Jefferson acted on her interest in medical jurisprudence, medical ethics and the problems that arise when medicine and law inter- face. She has been an expert witness in key trials and sig- nificant legislative hearings surrounding the issue of abortion. As the first African American woman to graduate from Harvard Medical School and the first woman elected into membership in the Boston Surgical Society, Jefferson has also served as assistant clinical professor of surgery at Boston University School of Medicine. She stands as a pioneer for women in the field of medi- cine, as well as being at the forefront of the pro-life movement. Jefferson addressed the University community in a series of lectures, titled, "What's the Choice? Abortion: Reconsidered," sponsored by the Intervarsity Christian Fellowship. BETH MATEWS ENGINEERING SENIOR Daily music poll omitted many musical genres To THE DAILY: I'm writing in response to Nate Webb's letter to the edi- tor ("Daily music poll ignores R&B, hip-hop," 1/21/98). I mainly want to say that I completely agree with his comments on the Daily's top 10 albums of 1997.-1 especially agree with Ragtime" for the musical the- atre fanatic. The truth is, the Daily's list consisted of "col- lege rock" - music that is written, performed and, most important, marketed for col- lege students. The truth is, many college students don't listen to these, unfortunately the Daily staff obviously fits into this stereotype. Maybe that will change this year. PATRICK ELKINS SCHOOL OF MUSIC 'U' community should not support Nike To THE DAILY: In the context of Michigan's recent Rose Bowl victory, I would like to take a moment from our basking in well-deserved glory to draw attention to issues of human rights involving Nike and the University's Athletic Department. Being a woman from Malaysia, Nike's labor viola- tions in South East Asian countries such as Indonesia hit a little too close to home. If there were a Nike factory in Ann Arbor - say, right next to Michigan Stadium - there would be masses of stu- dents, faculty and community members protesting. So what is stopping us? The thou- sands of mies that separate us from the Nike factories? I am fighting for very basic, fundamental human rights - three square meals a day and a safe working environment free of toxic fumes from chemicals that have long since been out- lawed in the United States. I am not advocating to close down Nike factories - many people need these jobs. This is an effort to pressure Phil Knight. chief executive officer of Nike, who has made more than his share of $800 million in annual prof- its. Or rather, how can he jus- tify selling shoes for $180 and paying an average worker in Vietnam $1.60 per day? Meanwhile, Nike pays Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods millions of dollars to fuel the skyrocketing con- sumerism for Nike products. I am targeting Nike specifi- cally because it has set a precedent for many other companies in violating human rights while continu- ing to make record-breaking profits. More important, we, as U of M students and facul- ty, should care because of Nike's close ties with the University. Together, by sign- ing petitions to pressure Knight into improving labor wages and conditions, we can make a difference. President Bollinger and ELLEN WANG LSA SENIOR Nebraska did not deserve national championship TO THE DAILY: The 1997 football season was perhaps the geatest in Michigan history. The only thing that kept this season from attaining ultimate per- fection in the eyes of the media was the questionable split of the national champi- onship with the undeserving Nebraska Huskers. To add insult to injury, the Husker fans are now insulting Wolverine fans with claims that they lack class ("'U' stu- dents lack class," 1/20/98). First, Huskers fans need to realize that their winning the national championship was an act of God himself. That miracle play against Missouri was intentional and should have been judged ille- gal. This single point alone should be enough to make any sane Nebraska fan realize that they did not deserve to win the title. But the Huskers' fans continued to delude themselves with hopes of winning and managed to convince some of the media that they deserved to win the title too. Second, the Huskers played an entire season pan- dering to the pollsters. Last, I think that the best indicator of the class of the Huskers could be seen in Scott Frost begging the coaches to award Nebraska the national cham- pionship after the Huskers' victory over the Tennessee Volunteers. Michigan, on the other hand, played a classy game on and off the field. The Wolverines did not trash the opponents before game and did not insult them by run- ning up ridiculous scores even when the game was already won. Michigan never laid claims to a national championship until after the Rose Bowl victory. Brian Griese and Charles Woodson never begged the media for anything but were still rewarded with the MVP of the Rose Bowl and the Heisman Trophy. Overall, Michigan had a great season and solidly deserved to win the national championship without sharing it with a mediocre team from a lousy conference. So, Huskers fans, all I can say is that Michigan played well and their fans deserve to be angry with the Huskers for trying to steal their lorv If you want to Ifyou had an hour to relive, which one would it be? A t the end of this week, the end of an era comes. Perhaps not so noticeable by the University commu- nity as it will be for about a doze seniors, The Michigan Daily's sta changes in the wee hours of Friday morning. With the change comes the end of three and a half years of hard work and tireless dedication; with the change ends the most meaning- ful part of our col- lege careers, an JOSH era most of us WHITE would gladly go JUMPING through again and THE Gu again and again. It hasn't been an easy ride, to say the least. From long nights that seem to last until dawn (and ofen literally do) to long debates about policy, coverage and ethics, we have seen a little bit of it all. For all of our ability to expe4 ment, strive, forge ahead and accom- plish, we owe none other than the University community and the stu- dents who make it such a lively place; without the school's dynamism in so many areas, our jobs would not have been nearly so interesting. In examining the past several years, as outgoing editors are sometimes want to do, things appear as little pieces in the larger puzzle. Some those pieces are made of wonderme and glory, others are made of grief and defeat. Some of the pieces stick out more clearly, and still other pieces are the crux of our identity yet hide in obscurity. While I hesitate to quantify the vast number of hours we have all poured into the walls of the Student Publications Building, it is the finest and often not-so-finest hours that pop into reminiscence at day's end. What I have been asking myself th week, and what I think we should all ask of ourselves nowwand again, is: "What hours would we most like to relive?" I don't mean to ask which ones we would like to redo, because that is a fruitless enterprise. I merely mean to pick out those moments where fates were decided (well, maybe not fates, but you get the idea) and energies ran high. I mean for us focus on the moments that define ea and every one of us and to make those the ones we use to guide us in the future. By remembering our best hours, we can turn them into our best possible days, years and later, lives. For this newspaper, there have been many hours that fit this billing in the past four years, as there have been many that have ultimately had a shaping effect on the community. For me, the m memorable hour of my first year wJ when then-University student Jake Baker was arrested by federal marshals for his postings and -mails on the Internet - an issue that later ballooned into a national story about the use of the virtual world and First Amendment rights on the Internet. It was not surpris- ing that the University of Michigan was at the center of the debate nor that such issues affected all of us; it wasn't until a week later that I discovered Bak* roommate was in one of my classes. Sophomore year will probably be most memorable for me because it was the year President James Duderstadt resigned from his post in a swirl of con- troversy and the year a maize-and-blue hockey team won that pesky National Championship in perhaps the most exciting and wonderful game of hockey I have ever witnessed. That also ha - pened to be the same year Unabom*. Ted Kacynski was tracked down - and his roots tracked to the University. The hour in Cincinnati (against Colorado College in OT) was nerve-wracking but blissful, the hour in Ted's history was hectic but rewarding. Last year was memorable for a host of reasons, from the terrible Comair plane crash (which elicited some of the finest work I have seen this paper produce despite the horrible situation) to tJ embarrassment of the alleged NC violations by our basketball team. We were given our current University presi- dent (the third in my four years here) and President Clinton was elected for a second term. Perhaps the most interest- ing hour of the year was the one spent in the Daily's Batcave discussing how to cover both a presidential election and the selection of a new University presi- dent (election/selection day, as it 10 come to be known). This year has been beyond description and the hours countless. The best hour, in Pasadena, was spent with friends and a national championship (Michelle, this one's for you). It wasn't all cheers, as we I