4A - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, February 19, 1998

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420 Maynard Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Edited and managed by
students at the
University of Michigan

LAURIE MAYK
Editor in Chief
JACK SCHILLACI
Editorial Page Editor

'The Center for Individual Rights had no
idea what they were getting into when
they chose U of M as their target.'
- Law School student Jodi Masley, on the effect the National Day
ofAction events may have on the lawsuits against the University
YUKI KUNIYUKI GR ( DZ Ei R

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
Silent problem
Eating disorders are prominent at the 'U'

W ith all the excitement and enthusi-
asm that accompanies the first year
of college, many incoming students natural-
ly set themselves up for a let down of some
sort. Most new students come to the
University in late August with the intention
of performing well academically and mak-
ing new friends. Sometimes, this does not
happen. One of the many negative effects of
academic and social disappointments is a
lack of self-confidence. The combination of
an imposing institution of almost 40,000
students and low self-esteem can result in
the formation of harmful habits, including
eating disorders.
An eating disorder is a serious health
problem that often goes unnoticed by close
friends and family members. In addition, the
prevalence of the illnesses often goes unno-
ticed by the University community. The
biggest misconception about eating disor-
ders is that they only affect women. It is true
that 10 percent of all University women suf-
fer from bulimia or other eating disorders,
but statistics about men in this situation
could be low because they are underreport-
ed. Social pressures and other external fac-
tors keep men from admitting to having dis-
eases or conditions society most often asso-
ciates with women. Men, as well as women,
suffer from insecurity about their appear-
ance and other physical characteristics -
this type of anxiety crosses gender lines.
Aside from widely known eating disorders
such as bulimia and anorexia, many people
exercise constantly and skip meals in order
to "improve" their self-image.
Last Monday, the University's
Psychological Clinic took great strides in
improving the current situation when they
began their nine-week support and educa-
tion program called the Eating Issues and
Body Image Workshop. This program is
designed to target women with eating dis-
orders or those who are obsessed with

food. Health problems resulting from these
disorders and ways to control compulsive
eating will be discussed. This problem
affects a significant portion of University
students and often goes unnoticed and
untreated. Of the 2.5 percent of first-year
female students diagnosed as engaging in
bulimic behavior, only one in seven gets
treatment - a disturbing fact that can only
be changed through increased awareness
and education.
A person with an eating disorder will
often not admit to having one - it is up to
those surrounding them to help identify the
problem and get medical attention for them.
The ability to recognize an eating disorder
requires one to have some educational train-
ing on the issue. Programs like the National
Eating Disorders Screening Program, being
held on Feb. 26 at the Michigan Union, are
vital to the University community's aware-
ness of the issue and the people trying to
assess their eating and exercise habits. The
University's Psychological Clinic, the
University Health Service and the
Counseling and Psychological services
should be commended for their efforts to
help increase the awareness of all students
and faculty members and for helping those
students seeking medical help.
Eating disorders affect every member
of the University community in some
fashion. A student's friend or family mem-
ber could have an eating disorder and
without the proper education on the sub-
ject, individuals would be unable to help
them. The University medical establish-
ment has taken the first step in the fight
against the disorders, but the rest of the
community should get involved. Several
sororities have made serious efforts at
addressing these problems but more needs
to be done. Without the proper attention
and education of all University members,
this societal problem will persist.

OE'S D zEP A)O Go FOR HIS ..,. . . H .. . To, A. "
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

In the zone
Ozone House should remain on Washtenaw

Marathon will
go beyond
original
expectations
TO THE DAILY:
On behalf of all of my fel-
low dancers from the
Ur versity of Michigan Dance
Marathon, I would like to say
thank you to all of the mem-
bers of the Central Planning
Team, the "moralers" and
everyone else who volun-
teered and supported us. I
don't think that you can ever
realize exactly how much
your smiles, massages and
words of encouragement
meant to every single one of
us and how critical they were
in helping us get through this
difficult but worthwhile event.
To everyone who partici-
pated, I want to say that I am
proud to be associated with
you. What you have done this
weekend was not simply raise
$30,000 but lay the founda-
tion for what has the poten-
tial to become the largest stu-
dent-run fundraiser at the
University. In time, I'm sure
it will far exceed the expecta-
tions of the visionaries who
created it.
Most important, I would
like to thank the families. It
is the people who have your
tremendous courage, deter-
mination and positive outlook
on life that make activities
and charity fundraisers such
as this so worthwhile and
necessary in the eyes of those
who participate.
JAMES WINSCHEL
LSA SENIOR
Bucket drives
help charities
TO THE DAILY:
As project co-chair of the
Tau Beta Pi Bucket Drive, I
would like to respond to
Patrick Oh's letter ("Bucket
drives are a bad fund-raising
tactic," 2/10/98). Our organi-
zation has been holding this
bucket drive for several years
now, and it is our most suc-
cessful fund-raising project.
Not one nickel of the
money we raise goes to our
organization since it is illegal
to solicit funds for this pur-
pose. But it is legal to solicit
for funds if all of the money
raised is donated to some
charity. In our case, all of the
money we raise will be
donated to SAFEHouse, a
shelter for abusedwomen
and children. Every one of
the bucket drives on campus
is for some charitable organi-
zation. You would know this
if you took the time to listen
to what the people with the
buckets are saying.
It is legal to sell items
such as bagels and donuts for

semester) and you have
$1,950 for one semester of
fund-raising. Let's compare
this with only two days of a
bucket drive. Last semester,
Tau Beta Pi raised $1,900 for
SAFEHouse.
This semester, Tau Beta
Pi is expanding the bucket
drive by joining with Eta
Kappa Nu in this effort. This
will make this semester's
bucket drive the most suc-
cessfulrever.eNo, it is not the
most creative method of gen-
erating money but because of
the generosity of the
University community, buck-
et drives will continue to be
successful and will continue
to stand on the Diag.
MICHAEL WHITE
ENGINEERING JUNIOR
Cigarette
taxes punish
smokers
TO THE DAILY:
I want to applaud James
Miller for taking a stand for
cigarette smokers, a difficult
position in this day and age
("Light it up, pass it on and
shut up already," 2/11/98).
But I think that Miller needs
to re-examine his argument.
He spent several paragraphs
supporting the rights of
smokers and then total under-
mined his position. He was
absolutely correct in stating
that smoking is legal and that
"Puritans" should get off
their case.
He finished his argument
by stating, "I also support
high cigarette taxes and very
heavy punishments on com-
panies that break any of the
rules regarding the marketing
and doctoring of cigarettes."
I, too, think that tobacco
firms should be punished for
marketing to children but
cigarette taxes have nothing
to do with this. The
"Puritans" that Miller berates
for trying to force their opin-
ions on smokers are the same
people who support cigarette
taxes. These taxes have a
simple purpose of trying to
reduce the number of smok-
ers by raising the cost higher
than the demand. The next
time that Miller wishes to
take up an argument, maybe
he should be consistent as to
which side he's going to sup-
port.
PATRICK ELKINS
SCHOOL OF MUSIC
Letter ignored
societal
problems
TO THE DAILY:
Earlier this month, I
wrote a letter to the Daily

rhetoric that turns the stom-
achs of those - of any race
- who know even a little
about the "real world" out-
side of the suburbs.
Knapp simply regurgitates
the empty arguments that
have been fed to him over the
years. He tells us that affir-
mative action "is not correc-
tive legislation; it is reverse
discrimination." Keep in
mind, he never once offers a
solution to the pervasive
problem of racial stratifica-
tion in this country. He offers
absolutely no alternative to
affirmative action. What he
wants is the elimination of
those policies that have
forcefully integrated arguably
the most racist nation in the
world. If I understand his
rhetoric correctly, we are to
embrace a color-blind society
and a color-blind admissions
process. We all know that
whites are disproportionately
well-off and minorities are
disproportionately impover-
ished. This was a fact when
affirmative action was initiat-
ed 30 years ago, and the
numbers show that it is even
more of a fact today. I have
to say that for a group being
discriminated against, whites
are doing quite well for
themselves.
I have a message for those
embracing Knapp's position:
The United States was found-
ed on racist principles, has
always employed them, and is
still very much a racist
nation. This probably does
not affect your lives but it is
a fact. The problem of racial
stratification cannot be
solved without taking race
into consideration. To believe
so is to deceive oneself.
ISA KASOGA
LSA FIRST-YEAR STUDENT
Dugan Fife
exemplifies
'M' spirit
TO THE DAILY:
During the past three bas-
ketball games that I've been
to that have had the special
"Players of the Decade" half-
time presentation, I've not
known a single player in the
show. But the Feb. I1 show
had players of the '80s and
'90s - specifically, my all-
time favorite player, Dugan
Fife. I always knew he was a
hard-working player, but I
didn't know he was such a
nice guy. I was so amazed by
the noticeable applause and
screams that the announce-
ment of his name produced.
After the presentation I
sought him out for an auto-
graph. By the time I got
down to the lower level, to
my surprise, a small crowd
had gathered. Fife was carry-
ing on a conversation with
them asking where they were
from and so on. The girls

The wee hours
of the morning 6
are students'
greatest secret
At3 a.m., it seems like the night
could go on forever.
The rest of the work-day world has
gone to sleep, moonlight casts spooks
shadows on everyday objects and
silence gives the
brain a chance to
w a n d e r
Craziness is rest-
ing until classes
start or business-
es open. For now,
it's just the night
owls and the
insomniacs.
Sleep can be
had in the morn- MEGAN
ing. The magic SCHIMPF
and peace of the P< P:1 tONi
night are there to
seize.
Suddenly, tasks that are complicated
and congested in daylight are easier and
even more enjoyable. Students share the
secret of grocery shopping at 2 a.m.,
when the air smells of fresh doughnuts
the shelves are being stocked and the
shoppers are all moving at the same
pace.
The late-night munchies make this
the high point of the day for food deliv-
erers. Every other car on the street -
and beautifully, that's a small number-
has a lighted sign hanging off one win-
dow and will double park in front of an
apartment or University building. All-
hours restaurants like the Fleetwood
Diner and Denny's come aliveG
Somehow, late-night food can only be
truly savored when darkness has fallen.
The low-rent advertising hours bring
out creativity in television program-
ming, which ranges from old classics to
shows so awful, they're funny. Remote
controls settle on the inane late at night
- or possibly the quasi-educational,
from an infomercial to a "hard-hitting"
talk show to a documentary that would
ironically put you to sleep at any other
time. Reruns that were dull the first
time are uproarious. Lately, live
Olympic action has been infectious
enough.
Not that it takes much, though.
Couches have increased draw after mid-
night.
Thanks to the Internet and other
online resources, nighttime research is
the dream come true of the procrastina-
tor and night soul alike. The HarlaO
Hatcher Graduate Library's expande"
hours help procrastinators by making it
possible to dig out the references until
the early weehours. Angell Hall is
perennially a surreal epicenter of insan-
ity in the midst of the serenity outside.
So as the real world closes it eyes, the
freedom of the night begins. Darkness
eliminates everything from view except
what is ahead. Motivated by either the
desire to sleep or the desire to finish tho
task at hand, nothing else matters. Study
or do anything but either way, you final-
ly get to choose.
The line between today and tomorrow
blurs as clocks and watches move on
and yet you remain awake, stealing
hours. The date could be defined by
midnight, but it could also be defined
by bedtime. So, early morning or late
night? Today or tomorrow? You decide.
Time slips away faster after midnigh
than during the 10 minutes betwee
classes on opposite ends of campus-
turn around and suddenly it's 3 a.m.
Night brings a unique collection of

sounds and special effects. While winter
is usually hushed in a coat of snow,
summer nights are a symphony of birds
and bugs. Bedecked by lights, buildings
melt into a skyline of color or stand
alone against the darkness.
Drink caffeine if necessary, but th
minds of true night people wake u
when others start yawning and packing
up until morning. (A night person will
also have a friend who calls her a vam-
pire because she never sleeps. Trust
me.)
Almost every kid asks for the chance
to stay up all night, convinced that the
really exciting goings-on start after they
fall asleep. But the lack of excitement is
what is unusually attractive. Sure, you
could go to bed, but think of the effore
that would entail. Stay up. Sleep in.
Unfettered by any distractions, the
mind is able to remember, conceive,
create, plan and dream in realms impos-
sible at times when the phone may ring,
classes may be held or errands may get
done.
During the single-digit-hour dark-
ness, we are less inclined to think of
roadblocks. Determination is fluid -
the minute this becomes possible, 0
will certainly happen. If daylight gusto
could achieve half of what seems pos-
sible at 2 a.m., imagine the possibili-
ties.
More than any other time of the day,
late-night hours are easy to own.

L ast Thursday, Ozone House filed a
lawsuit against the city of Ann Arbor
to force officials to allow the non-profit
counseling center for teens and their fami-
lies to remain at its home on Washtenaw
Avenue without obtaining a variance or
zoning changes. The suit comes after the
city's Zoning Board of Appeals overturned
building officials' June approval for Ozone
House to establish counseling and adminis-
trative offices, as well as an emergency
shelter for five teens.
Although the board last month made
public its support for the counseling
agency, it maintains that the city was in
error when it granted Ozone House zoning
compliance. The board claims that the
agency's operations are not permitted under
the zoning approval given to the Chi Psi fra-
ternity headquarters that used to occupy the
92-year-old historic home. Because Ozone
House directors indeed followed the correct
protocol for approval, city officials should
permit Ozone House to remain untouched
at its current location where it can best
serve the city's homeless and runaway teen
population.
Even before its move from a house on
North Main Street into the $405,000 prop-
erty this past spring, the service faced
opposition from the Oxbridge
Neighborhood Association. The group of
area residents expressed concern about the
potential for parking problems and an
increased density of developments, but
ne+aiher nrnmlm m- mtatriali ,A Their

"not-in-my-backyard" disposition. But
residents' and city officials' objections to
allowing Ozone House to remain at its new
site fail to consider the tremendous benefit
the agency offers the surrounding commu-
nity - and how its new location augments
its ability to offer that service.
Established 28 years ago, the agency
has succeeded in sheltering homeless and
runaway youth. As Ann Arbor's homeless
population dwarfs that of cities of compa-
rable size, Ozone House directors' deci-
sion to seek larger facilities was duly war-
ranted. Their choice of a location adjacent
to the University campus - where the
bulk of the homeless population dwells -
proves sensible since it enables the agency
to better reach the population it exists to
serve. Tucked next to fraternity row, its
proximity to the campus also enables
Ozone House to draw on the University's
large number of student volunteers, pro-
viding the agency with a more-than-ade-
quate supply of workers to provide chil-
dren with crisis-line counseling, mentor-
ship and 24-hour supervision.
Though the zoning board voted on Jan.
28 not to reconsider Ozone House's zon-
ing issue, last week's lawsuit has placed
the topic back on the table. In resolving
the issue, city officials should allow the
agency to remain at its new site
unscathed. By preserving Ozone House's
operations, city officials would do more
to fulfill their fundamental goal - to
aAcate the niihli fwar _- than thev

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