4A - The Michigan Daily - Monday, March 30, 1998
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Almost done at
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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
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
Domestic violence must not fall out of public eye
T oO often, significant social problems culminating with an emotional candlelight
lose the attention paid to them as they vigil on the Diag. Recently, the Speaker
fade from the nation's headlines - domes- Initiative program and the LSA student gov-
tic violence is a good example of this type ernment sponsored a Greek Week event on
of problem. Since the tragic death of domestic violence. The panel discussion was
University student Tamara Williams last led by Rita Smith, the executive director of
September, the issue that affects many the National Coalition Against Domestic
women on a daily basis has in many ways Violence. Productive discussions like the one
faded from the limelight. Recent events in held at Rackham Auditorium last week
the news have changed this trend by putting increase the University's commitment to pre-
demestic violence back into the national venting domestic violence by creating an
consciousness. When Columbia University aware student body.
students returned from spring break two The momentum created by recent
weeks ago, they faced the death of fellow events should not be lost, as it too often
student Hyeseung Lynda Hong, who was has in the past. This societal problem will
killed by her ex-boyfriend. The gruesome continue as long as people think of domes-
details of these types of situations show that tic violence as something that erupts once
domestic violence issues need to be every six months and not something that
addressed. The problem then becomes how many people have to deal with on a daily
to go about preventing such monstrous acts basis. Campus organizations devoted to
of violence. the cause, like the Sexual Assault
First, people need to acknowledge that Prevention and Awareness Center, need to
domestic violence as serious a crime as take a more visible role throughout the
homicide, theft, sexual molestation and year in fostering increased awareness on
other crimes society perceives as violations campus. Many students still do not know
of the law rather than as something that how to contact such organizations or be
goes on behind closed doors. As a result, aware of the programs and services they
people may recognize its prevalence in soci- offer. While large discussions, like the one
ety and be better equipped to handle it. at Rackham, are great, they only occur
Second, domestic violence needs to be dis- when a popular speaker is in town. During
cussed and dealt with more often than when the lag time between large events, smaller
a tragic event brings it to the forefront. discussions where many people can voice
People need to be aware of this crime, their opinions and concerns would benefit
which often goes unnoticed because it the University community. Finally, the
occurs in private. If people are cognizant of domestic violence discussion must branch
the problem, then they can help identify out to include different forms of abuse that
friends and family members who are in abu- occur between heterosexual couples and
sive relationships and provide them with homosexual couples. Since domestic vio-
guidance and emotional support. lence often occurs out of the public eye,
The University has taken significant steps the only solution is increased awareness
to bring this issue to the forefront of people's and discussion. Just because average citi-
minds and create greater on-campus aware- zens do not see or hear about it on a daily
ness. After Williams' death, the issue basis does not mean that it is not a constant
received tremendous attention on campus, problem.
U.S. should encourage the use of rapid HIV tests
'it's just too bad we didn't have all our cylinders firing, but
if we get our heads out of our asses, maybe we can get
(the 800-yard freestyle relay) back in a couple years.'
- Michigan swimmer Owen vonRichter; after the Wolverines
lost the relay for thefirst time since 1992 last weekend
KAAMRAN HAFEEZAs ITH APPENS
- -: *~ ..
. I.
-.. .
...--.
- - ..
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Anonymous
source
should come
forward
TO THE DAILY:
In Gerard Cohen-
Vrignaud's article
("Allegations taint MSA elec-
tion," 3/25/98), Michigan
Student Assembly Elections
Director Rajeshri Gandhi
noted that the allegations of
infractions of election rules
could not be investigated
because no one could supply
any proof that the infractions
did in fact occur. But an
anonymous source in the arti-
cle gave what appeared to be,
if the allegations are true,
evidence to the contrary.
While I do not personally
know whether this infraction
occurred, I do not believe in
any case that Trent
Thompson's intent was to
break the rules. But regard-
less of whether or not the
president-elect intended to
infringe upon the rules, the
anonymous witness has an
obligation of honor to the
students of the University to
contact the elections director
if he or she truly believes that
such an infraction did occur.
I implore this witness to step
forward.
I certainly hope that all
parties involved will commu-
nicate soon, so that
Thompson may be disquali-
fied or have his name
cleared, whichever is appro-
priate. Then the students may
have what they are truly enti-
tled to - an honorable gov-
ernment.
STEVE COUCH
LSA SOPHOMORE
Humankind
cannot follow
biblical laws
To THE DAILY:
I would like to applaud
Jonathan Seyfried's letter,
"Modern Society does not
adhere to biblical laws"
(3/23/98) for his points about
the law of the Bible. Seyfried
is correct - no one could
possibly live up to the all of
the laws in the Bible. Heck,
the Bible itself even says
"For all have sinned and fall
short of the glory of God."
(Romans 3:23). No human
being could do everything
written in the Bible. Seyfried
seems to have a good grasp
of the Bible.
However (and this is a big
however), he fails to address
one last point. The Bible says
"There is not a righteous man
on earth who does what is
right and never sins." So
whether you are a homosexu-
homosexual, could be recon-
ciled with God. And John
3:16 says that if we believe in
Jesus, then we will have eter-
nal life.
Does all of this mean that
sin (including homosexuality,
lying, cheating, etc.) is OK or
acceptable before God? No.
Only if we acknowledge that
we have done wrong against
God and confess it to him
can we be saved ( John 1:9)
I invoke the University
community, as Seyfried and
Luke Klipp have done, to read
its Bibles. This guy Jesus died,
not so that we could go on sin-
ning, but so that we could be
forgiven for it. The longer we
play around with the wording
or fight over these smaller
issues (like homosexuality,
etc.), the longer we will fail to
recognize what the Bible truly
stands for. That is forgiveness
and love from God through
Jesus his Son.
EDWARD BLUM
LSA JUNIOR
Nagrant' s
attacks were
'shocking'
TO THE DAILY:
I read with shock and dis-
gust the viewpoint written b
Michael Nagrant concerning
the allegations swirling
around Trent Thompson and
his election.
I was surprised that
Nagrant has resorted to the
same tactic that the Daily is
supposedly using against
Thompson: mud flinging.
Instead of setting the record
straight about what happened
that night at the fraternity
party, Nagrant and his
Students' Party cohorts are
attacking the integrity of
Daily Editor in Chief Laurie
Mayk and the Daily
reporters. Obviously, Nagrant
and the others have learned
that when you have no way to
defend your position, just
fling mud.
I have known Mayk and
dealt with the Daily for three
years now, and I cannot stand
by and watch attacks upon
her character go undefended.
Mayk is a hard-working stu-
dent devoted to the pursuit of
excellence and integrity both
in the classroom and with the
Daily. I have worked with
Mayk on manystories, and I
am impressed with her com-
mitment to fairness and the
truth. The University is lucky
to have Laurie Mayk as the
editor in chief of The
Michigan Daily.
NICHOLAS KIRK
SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
ADMINISTRATION
Fr cnio~rfh
pretation of the First
Amendment. "... I can
understand First Amendment
rights, but it goes way
beyond that," Kenneth Jones
claims. Michael Nagrant said,
"We definitely don't want to
infringe upon someone's First
Amendment rights, but at the
same time, it's something we
definitely feel is wrong."
Shaba Andrich had the last
word on the issue, "I hope
that students are made aware
of these incidents so that
people won't think that they
can get away with them"~
Unfortunately, these stu-
dent leaders have implied -
and perhaps believe - that
freedom of speech is accept-
able only until it offends
someone. In each of the com-
plaints that have been filed
against me, the agencies have
found little or no merit in the
claim that a law or University
ordinance has been violated.
As a result, the dispute is not
one law versus another, but a
person's freedom of speech
versus the possibility of
offending someone. The pur-
pose of the First Amendment
is to protect those forms of
speech that are unpopular or
offensive, for popular speech
rarely needs to be protected.
Whether you find my
form of speech offensive or
think it an insightful com-
mentary on the Michigan
Student Assembly, it is sur-
prising that on a campus so
seemingly devoted to toler-
ance, no one will tolerate
unpopular speech, though it
is guaranteed by the U.S.
and All-Campus
Constitutions. Perhaps
Nagrant, Jones and Andrich
should read the Election
Code and All-Campus
Constitution before continu-
ing their quest in censoring
speech on campus. The
Election Code reads, "41.41
Campaigning: Policy. ...
Both the U.S. Constitution
and the All-campus
Constitution contain guaran-
tees protecting political
speech and discourse. The
right to engage in political
speech is limited only by
individual rights of privacy.
However, these privacy
rights should not be used as
an excuse to suppress or
harass political speech ..."
The All-Campus
Constitution reads, (Students
are guaranteed) "The right to
express their views on any
subject without penalty
except where the form of
that expression endangers
life, property, or the equal
rights of others."~
In the situation that
Nagrant and the others quot-
ed in the article attack, nei-
ther life, property nor equal
rights have been endangered.
Some may be insulted,
offended or angered, but
none of these reactions takes
the 'U'? Beware
the party will
only last so long
In case you didn't know, there is no
financial aid for post-college life.
Therefore, the job hunt is a necessa1
evil for all 'U' students. Thankfully,
there is hope: I have heard rumors that
there actually are
some jobs out there.
Trouble is, no one
knows exactly
where they are or
how to get to them. }
Bummer.
Having examined
somewhere in the
neighborhood of
3,000 online job
listings, I can attest ERIN
that there are lots of MARSH
jobs for lots of peo- I'l NKING
pie - just not for t }I: {
any of the people
I've ever met. Instead of making me
prove fourth-semester proficiency in
French, I now dearly wish the gods at
Mother University had designed some
seminar that, upon completion, grantel
me not three to five credits, but three to
five years of experience. Je voudrais du
travaille.
Still, all is not lost. Many of the poli-
ticking and social skills necessary for
finagling our way into the job market
can be acquired in our very own colle-
giate environment. I suppose the activi-
ty that goes on at fraternity and house
parties could be termed "networking."
Shame that most corporate interview
and recruiting visits don't offer a bi
keg of cheap beer next to the "Hi my
name is" name tags. (Talk about facili-
tating office relations.) And I'm sure
we've all produced enough aching-
cheek phony smiles to hit it off with the
best of them.
In a way, we're all working for a big
corporation right here. We put in the
hours, assume the dress and behavior of
the corporate culture (even if it is dres4
ing in ratty sweatshirts and hollering
like lunatics at football games), and
appeal to the necessary authority fig-
ures for occasional acts of mercy.
Among us, there are obsessive-compul-
sive overachievers and slugs who slide
by with the minimum required effort.
We all have cubicles (look at South
Quad). We have a big sign, a logo, a
mission statement and a president. And,
much like corporate life, our pinnacle
success will be rewarded with a certifi-
cate and a hearty "good job." Plunk a
water cooler in the Union and you got
yourself University, Inc.
So we haul ourselves up the ladder of
achievement. Then - nothing. It sinks
in that we've essentially been down-
sized to make room for another herd of
tuition-paying youth. Time to hang the
tassel on the rearview mirror and toss
endless, form-letter requests for monq
tary gifts to the University of Michigan.
For a while, freedom might be fun. For
a week, maybe. And then it's time to
trade one full-time job for another.
Believe all the rumors - the job
search is just as much fun as you've
heard. I speak from experience. After
hours upon hours of reading search
guides, directories and "everything you
need to know" books about this, that
and the other thing, I'm inspired to do
very little else than go home, dig out ng
old teddy bear, and down a very expen-
sive beer at twice the speed of light.
Then call my mother and ask why it is,
again, that she loves me.
There exists a whole industry that
preys off our collective misery. The way
they create the anxiety and then feed off
it is like some kind of conspiracy. Or the
only miserable phenomenon for which
we can't blame El Nino. Visit yo,16
friendly local bookstore and you'll fi
truckloads of guides for job seeking,
networking, interviewing, resume
building, career changing and "getting
your foot in the door." (That last one is
my favorite. It's important to note that
none of those guides come with a handy
cane for use after said doors have been
repeatedly slammed on said foot.)
They all come with titles like "Yes,
There are Jobs - Even for Total
Losers!" and "Kiss Your Parents' Cot
Adios" and "101 Steps to Making
Something Out of Nothing (And That's
You!)." They offer helpful and exceed-
ingly probable success stories like
these:
"Bob attended Barelyastepabove-
highschool State College. He joined no
groups, had no friends and graduated
with a 1.3 GPA in typewriter mainte-
nance. After college, he gained a
foothold in the food services industry 4
Boogie Woogie Burger. After following
the easy steps in this book, Bob is now
a trader on the NYSE, boasts a dazzling
selection of Armani suits, and enjoys
tennis matches in the Hamptons with
his new supermodel girlfriend, Inga."
O f the many rapid HIV blood tests that
have been developed, only one is cur-
rently available for use in the United
States, and most Americans are not aware
of its existence. Reservations of doctors
about its reliability and accuracy, and fed-
eral guidelines and restrictions for market-
ing have kept such tests from coming into
wider use. But the Center for Disease
Control has been pushing for this to
change since the advantages for further
development, availability and use of rapid
HIV testing are so great.
Whereas the rapid blood tests are able
to provide results in less than an hour, the
most widely used standard tests take more
than a full week. Aside from the inconve-
nience and worry this amount of time
incurs, it slows the process of treatment for
HIV-positive patients and may even deter
many patients from returning for their
results.
Rapid tests will still require as much
time as standard tests for positive viral
traces to be detected in blood, but they
could potentially lead to earlier preemp-
tive treatment and therapy once the
patient has tested positive. This could
prevent further damage to the immune
system as well as reduce the possibilities
for further transmission. Rapid testing
would immediately benefit specialized
clinics and could later help with epidemi-
ological studies. Rapid testing could also
attract more patients who would other-
Rapid blood tests are already widely
used in many other countries where the
market and demand for them are greater.
The results of single or combined use of
rapid tests in such countries have proven to
be as reliable as standard laboratory tests
in this country. The accuracy of all HIV
tests does need to be perfected, but assum-
ing quality performance, rapid tests pre-
sent many advantages over their slower
counterparts. So if it is not because of
quality issues that rapid tests are not used
here, and no other disadvantages have
been shown, there is no reason for them to
be less accessible than standard lab tests.
In the past, the United States has often
been slow to accept the use of new drugs
and treatments to fight AIDS - a trend
that could potentially threaten lives.
The Food and Drug Administration
should do as much as possible to ensure
that any procedures or treatments that can
help AIDS victims are made available to
the American public. Awareness about the
disease itself has already been heightened
through education and publicity; informa-
tion has been obtained through research
and study. It is only logical, therefore,
that more action be taken through better
development and marketing of existing
tests so that a greater number of people
will be aware and informed about their
condition and their medical options.
Rapid HIV blood testing is only one step,
but it is a step that needs to be taken