4A - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, January 15, 1998 Ulbe £iiggn ?&il 420 Maynard Street Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan Editor in Chief ERIN MARSH Editorial Page Editor Unless otherwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of the majority of the Daily 5 editorial board.Al/I other articles, letters and cartoons do not necessarily reflect the opinion ofThe Michigan Daily. FROM THE DAILY Remember the dream Students should participate in MLK Day events NOTABLE QUOTABLE, 'Right now, the Board of Regents (is) basically clueless about what students want and what they need.' --Michigan Student Assembly Rep. Trent Thompson, on the assembly s resolution to lobby for a student regent PURPLE HERRING NA _f- - - , , , f4 i _ 8 4 -apI .. THEN To THeiR SUKP -fl5ETH EY REALZED ThCY WERE 04 LoNEER IN oZ. 'DoRoTH AND ER R1540 'HAn ! Ej iWt o 'Iie LANAD oF THE GIANT PHALLUS, KEEPER OF ALL USED ROLLEK COA5re, PARTS. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR his weekend, a man who once had a dream may smile from heaven. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. worked tirelessly to emancipate and'educate all people who experienced discrimination. Through the work of this great man, progress ensued but his dream has yet to reach its full potential. Prejudice, hatred and ignorance still exist. But King inspired many and his work is consistent- ly carried out - by some - everyday. This weekend, everyone has the opportu- nity to realize his dream, expand their horizons and help further work for civil rights. The 1998 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Symposium provides this oppor- tunity. Through the hard work of many at the University, this year's symposium promises a wide variety of lectures, work- shops, panels and performances. Titled "Why We Can't Wait," the symposium deserves the full participation and support of the University community. The 11th anniversary of the University's designated time of celebra- tion and reflection on the life and work of King begins today. Yet in recent years, significant setbacks to the goals King embodied have been seen in the realm of academia. Educational opportunities have been taken away from some through the Hopwood decision, Proposition 209 and the University of California Board of Regents' decision to end the use of affir- mative in admissions decisions. The University itself faces two lawsuits that aim to end its use of affirmative action and eventually change the face of campus diversity. At a time when multicultural- ism, affirmative action and race-based privilege are the buzzwords of higher education, the symposium, while symbol- izing a reminder that much work remains also provides the University community with many opportunities to explore these complex issues. King's message of equality should continue - the symposium offers the opportunity for students to take part in continuing that message. The entire University community should partake in the many educational events offered by the symposium. Shared experiences cre- ate environments of exchange, debate and understanding. The Office of the Provost for Academic and Multicultural Initiatives deserves recognition for putting together such an excellent com- munity event. A complete listing of the symposium's events can be found at http://www. umich. edu/-oapama/mlk98. Topics covered by the symposium's events range from diversity in medical schools to tributes to Rosa Parks to dis- cussions of affirmative action. Whether listening to a lecture given by Dr. Keith Black, a nationally recognized neurosur- geon and alumnus of the University, who will be speaking about the need for a diverse medical community, or attending a tribute to King through songs per- formed by the Boys Choir of Harlem, the entire University community should use this weekend as it was intended - to learn, appreciate and understand the many cultures and people at the University and across the country. And in keeping with the spirit of the symposium, this is why we can't wait. Didn't tell Navy investigation violated right to privacy L ast November, the Navy discharged Senior Chief Petty Officer Timothy R. McVeigh (no relation to the convicted Oklahoma City bomber) because of his sexual orientation. The Navy obtained his personal information from an America Online profile page - on which McVeigh identified himself only as "Tim." According to Navy transcripts, an investi- gator allegedly obtained McVeigh's name by calling an America Online representa- tive after reading his profile, which listed "gay" under the heading "marital status." McVeigh's dismissal is currently on hold pending an inquiry into the Navy's inves- tigation. Navy officials say that the profile was a statement of McVeigh's sexuality and therefore was in violation of the Armed Forces' "don't ask, don't tell" policy. This rule allows the military to discharge members who openly admit to being gay or lessbian but forbids them from making any inquiries about sexual orientation. But the Navy's actions in McVeigh's case clearly violate this policy; calling America Online to inquire about the pro- file effectively constitutes an active inquiry into McVeigh's sexual orienta- tion. The Navy's actions. here are a serious violation of privacy. Since McVeigh's user profile was anonymous and did not include his full name or occupation, it does not amount to a declaration that he is gay, nor is it grounds for the Navy to investigate. In addition, the America Online employee who confirmed the pro- file sheet did not ask for a court order or warrant- which is reouired under the policies on the release of information. It is not clear if the Navy investigator iden- tified himself as such to the employee who disclosed the information. America Online officials would not comment on the case, nor would they say whether an employee provided McVeigh's full name. In McVeigh's case, the Navy found out about his sexual orientation because of an investigation into his private communica- tions. If his dismissal is allowed to stand, it could set a dangerous precedent; other investigators could potentially operate in this manner, given the Navy's apparent suc- cess in obtaining personal information without a court order. In addition to the fact that the Navy is using an unwarranted inquiry as the basis of McVeigh's dismissal, the "don't ask, don't tell" policy is ineffective and unnecessary. It allows the military to dis- criminate against gays and lesbians if they do not remain silent about their sex- ual orientation. While some military lead- ers fear that allowing gays and lesbians into the military will reduce morale, all officers are bound by fraternization poli- cies. Gays and 'lesbians should not be forced to remain in the closet because of a military regulation - they should have the right to express themselves without fear of punishment. A private communication should not constitute disclosure under the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, especially when person- al information is uncovered without any apparent reason for inquiry. The Navy violated McVeigh's right to privacy as well as military policy - therefore, its invetigation based nn an anonvmons ner- Affi rmative action is nt reverse discrimination To THE DAILY: I am writing in response to the commonly made argu- ment that affirmative action is reverse racism and sexism. This misguided belief pre- sumes that were it not for affirmative action, racism and sexism - the kind with which many people are quite familiar - there would no longer be problems in American society. Those who made this claim often have absolutely no statistical evi- dence to support it. The truth is that women and minorities still remain underrepresented in many sectors and continue to earn less pay than do white males for comparable work, despite the many gains made through affirmative action. When 95 percent of top cor- porate managerial positions go to white males, how can anyone claim that resources are justly distributed or that racism and sexism are no longer problems? Frankly, I find this partic- ular argument against affir- mative action to be offensive and completely nonsensical. Affirmative action has been a response to the effects of racism and sexism and not a cause of them. Those who have struggled to support the policy have done so with the long-term goal of lessening inequalities, racism and sex- ism. Labeling these people as "racist" because theysupport "preferences" is either pure manipulation or pure igno- rance. According to one law professor, this is commensu- rate to saying that "killing for self-defense is morally the same as killing for money, because it's killing either way." Affirmative action oppo- nents may have several points worthy of discussion, but they have some nerve to appropri- ate civil rights language and label the policy and its propo- nents in such a way. If they evidently feel so passionately about wanting to live in a "color-blind" society, choos- ing to attack one particular social policy is quite an inef- fective means to address their concerns. I would love to see them volunteer for some of the many community pro- grams that promote race rela- tions. Surely these programs could use their enthusiasm for racial harmony and a color- blind society. FAREEN PARVEZ SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY 'Postal' review on my computer. The graphics were smooth and beautiful. And despite what Smith believes, "Postal" was not meant to be a parody of the U.S. Postal Service. There is not a single postal worker in the game. In this day and age, "going postal" is slang for going crazy. Losing it. It's not Ripcord Production's fault that so many postal workers have lost it and just started shooting raindom people. The main character in this game has truly gone crazy. He believes that the world is out to get him, and he has to get the world first. That is your job - to help him. It's fun to play the villain! And to show how crazy this main character is aid win the game.you have to shoot yourself in the head. In this world of countless "Doom" clones, Ripcord Productions has come along and done something different. And for that, Smith insults them, saying they have "failed miserably." The first version of "Doom" wasn't perfect, and "Doom" has become a complete success. This is a new genre in computer games - a third-person view in which there are dangers in all directions. And with time it will improve. Smith also for- got to mention that it was the most popular game download_ on the World Wide Web for many weeks. "Postal" deserved at least three stars. MATTHEW SCHWARTZ LSA FIRST-YEAR STUDENT Did the 'U' lobby for the Heisman? To THE DAILY: Given all of the controver- sy surrounding the Heisman award this year, I think there is one statistic that perhaps has been overlooked: the lob- bying dollars spent per school on behalf of their can- didates. I remember back to 1980 when, for the Hugh Greene Heisman candidacy campaign, the University of Pittsburgh sent out thousands of posters, highlight videos and information packets, and retained public relations ser- vices and the like at a cost well into six figures. It is my understanding that this year the University of Tennessee hqd been engaged since the beginning of the season (if not sooner) in a major cam- paign on Peyton Manning's behalf to promote his candi- dacy for the Heisman (the low road, if you will), while the University's Athletic Department had explicitly made no such effort to pro- mote Charles Woodson (the high road). Does anyone schools embarrassing) inves- tigative reporting? BILL MARSH UNIVERSITY ALUMNUS 'U' admissions are biased against poor students To THE DAILY: I'm sure we all agree that affirmative action's purpose is to help minorities who receive substandard educational opportunities. This is a great idea, but what hard-core affir- mative action nuts like the Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action By Any Means Necessary don't real- ize is that not all whites go to rich schools in Beverly Hills where thousands of dollars are put into student resources and exceptional teachers. I'm the perfect example of this. I am white and I went to a poor, hick school in southwest Michigan. Our school's track was in such poor shape that it was condemned because we didn't have the money to keep it up. We don't have the nice tennis courts and indoor pools that most schools do. And just like all the other surrounding small schools, aboutaone per- cent of the students are minorities. We were left in the dark so badly that I had never even heard of Advanced Placement tests prior to being a student here at U of M. I barely made it into U of M and I don't mean to sound conceited, but I am doing better in school than a lot of people I know who received more than a four- point advantage over me on their ACT scores. I didn't get the same educational opportu- nities, and just like minorities, my placement tests reflect that. But not all minorities went to lower-class schools. There are many upper- and middle- class minorities (especially here at U of M) who have been offered the same chances as white students. And since I believe in equal treatment for everyone, I feel that we need affirmative action - but it has to change because minori- ties that have the same oppor- tunities as whites get special treatment while white students like myself get completely screwed over. This is my solution: I believe that schools should be given a spending per student rating; say from one to five with five being the poorest. Schools know how much income they get per year. Divide that by the number of students and include this rat- ing on the student's academic transcript and there you have it - let the colleges figure Well-laidplans often come crashing down to your benefit C all it the triumph of the disorga nized. In the grand history of the best-laid plans dictum, things tend to go exj the way they're not supposed to. J when you least expect it. This truism became even more clear this week when sev- eral of my friends decided they had failed. Each found themselves try- ing to cope in a MEGA? r position they SCHIMPI neverbdreamed R S RIPTON possible. While nothing is impossible to overcome each also had certain standard expec tations for where they'd be at this stag in the game. Not so much anymore. Most people fall into one oft planning-ahead categories: those see the future clearer than a crysta ball and those who haven't any inklin what will happen. And neither want to get labeled as the other. Funny thing is, both eventuall: tumble into one as we discover tha life has atway of taking the long wa or the other way. Sometimes thosi who take it as it comes profit in thi end. Remember those people wh swore their college choice was 4 fect, or their major was perecto their job choice was perfect' Go fin them now. A majority are probabl somewhere else doing somethin else. As disconcerting as it feels. anytlin~ can go awry. So planwall you want -- at som point, it's going to collapse and you' find yourself writing a letter of resig nation, working when you wante be sleeping, planning a wedding or divorce, wading through red tape explaining your misguided actions to loved one or transferring to a nev school or city, all the time wonderin what happened. Simple - plans change. Peoph change. Goals change. Surprise. Recruiting visits and interview tour make everyday life look glamor Maybe it's a paycheck and no ho work. Maybe it's a new lifestyle. It easy and exhilarating to daydrean about how green thehgrass is Sometimes it really is all this. Other times, though, nothing devel ops how it was supposed to. Ideal: come crashing down in the face o reality. And we blame ourselves ami the frustration and the dead ends Planning was supposed to ensure didn't happen. That's what everyon< promised. It's when illusions and dreams seen destroyed that it is easiest to questioi yourself and every decision tha brought you to the point where yot now sit, angry at the world. Yet this is when it's time to look fo perspective; to look back on experi ence and look ahead to what's next Failure has a sardonically subtle va of confounding and teaching at o Decipher the lesson, and failure lose the battle of wills. It's time to do a little soul searching and decide what are important an what's just details. Take a chance o fall back on an old standard. By learn ing new things and meeting new peo ple, we discover new factors that swa the emotional vote and find new direc tions that never existed. Things hapg that can't be predicted, controlle changed That's when life gets interesting. Give up on what was supposed t< happen, and the potential is boundless If what you thought you wanted reall wasn't anythingyou thought, you ge the lucky chance to pick somethin new and try again. Lose a little securi ty, a little innocence. Gain a little free dom, a little wisdom. Find what yo. want now, instead of when you the plan. This, theoretically, is why we're get ting a liberal arts degree with educa tional diversity from classes and peo ple to activitiesand opportunities. Th chance that we will have the sate career throughout our lives is shrink- ing, so preparation is more than a lux- ury. Change is supposed to come easi- er with more options. It's like they say in driver's train* Drive defensively. Life, as almost everyone knows isn't perfect. Simply registering fo6 classes teaches this lesson - a Bette CRISP date doesn't assure a bettei schedule, and neither does an accep i