4A - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, April 16, 1998
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There's no place
like Ann Arbor
0
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
'We better practice virtue at home
before we preach it abroad.'
-former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark, on
the effects of US. sanctions on the Iraqi people
PURPLE HERRING CONVENIENCE ABNGuN-I
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
Looking the other way
A2 City Council ignores student concerns
parking seems to be the new arena in
which University students are being
attacked by the Downtown Development
Authority - a local government agency
that has a notorious history for proposing
increases in meter rates and resisting the
development of parking structures. The Ann
Arbor City Council recently passed legisla-
tion that will increase parking fees by 20
cents an hour, from 60 to 80 cents, and raise
the price of a parking ticket from $5 to $10.
On top of that, the DDA recently recom-
mended to the council that free parking on
Sundays should be eliminated. Local gov-
ernment officials do not seem to understand
the everyday concerns of University stu-
dents and the economic effects of their deci-
sions on the business community.
Currently, University students do not
have adequate access to parking facilities.
Taking free parking away from students on
Sundays - when they have more time to
shop or go out to eat - is wrong and should
not be approved by the council. The expens-
es associated with attending the University,
including tuition and everyday life expendi-
tures, already place students and their fam-
ilies under tremendous financial duress.
Life in Ann Arbor is more costly than in
many other cities in the state, and charging
students for Sunday parking will just add to
the high cost of living in this town.
Eventually, life in Ann Arbor is going to
become too costly for some students to
attend the University - something that
would severely hurt the city's businesses
and economy.
Beyond the concerns about University
students, charging for parking on Sundays
can only have a negative effect on the busi-
ness community and the overall condition of
the town's economy. Local businesses are at
the mercy of the council's parking decisions
because their clientele need a place to put
their cars while they peruse downtown mer-
chants. Free parking on Sunday gives people
outside of the downtown area an incentive to
come to the city's commercial sector for a
day to shop and browse without worrying
about whether there is enough money in the
meter. In addition, many people like to stroll
through the Diag or the Arb on a Sunday
afternoon to relax or walk around. Leisurely
activities that people enjoy engaging in every
Sunday will certainly be curtailed if parking
is no longer free.
Although many University students do
not vote in Ann Arbor City Council elec-
tions, their concerns must not be ignored by
council members. Recent government
actions involving increased parking rates
and the recommendation of charged Sunday
parking have made students feel as though
the city's officials are not concerned with
their problems. Extremely important issues
to students like increased affordable park-
ing do not seem to be a priority to those
people who have the power to significantly
affect the lives of, University students -
both positively and negatively. Instead, the
amount of available parking has decreased
because of the construction being done to
parking garages and the cost of the remain-
ing parking has increased. It's time the Ann
Arbor City Council did something for and
not against the students who give so much
to this community year in and year out.
They can take the first in a series of steps by
rejecting the Downtown Development
Authority's recommendation.
\I'VE, 6OT CoRPoRAtE 51WcI5
/ETTETTOotOT'HEEDoIWTR
-TvfGUI/D MY SlEP,
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Fol
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On the safe side
School condom distribution helps prevent STDs
A fter years of perturbed parents and
politicians frequently whining that
distributing free condoms in high schools
makes children more sexually active, a
study from California has proven these
claims wrong. According to a new study,
their overprotective and unsubstantiated
cries no longer hold water. Since 1992, a
Los Angeles County High School has hand-
ed out free condoms to students, and the
study, conducted by the RAND Corp., has
delivered an encouraging message for safe-
sex advocates, schools and most important-
ly, sexually active teenagers.
For years, the debate over condom distri-
bution has done more harm than good,
delaying the institution of a service that
reduces unprotected sex, and infuriating
many parents, administrators and teen
activists. While citizens from Los Angeles
to New York have lobbied their schools and
local governments to initiate proactive dis-
tribution programs, many attempts have
been squelched by angry parents' associa-
tions and right-wing groups preaching
abstinence as the best way to deter unsafe
sex and unwanted pregnancies. But now, for
the first time, advocates of condom distrib-
ution can bank on empirical evidence to
promote their cause.
The Los Angeles County high school's
program provides an excellent example
for what other schools should emulate in
the future. The school left baskets of con-
doms in several classrooms with signs
attached, noting that students could take
condoms without asking for permission.
In a school of 2,500 students, 1,800 to
2,000 condoms were taken each month - a
clear indication that students are sexually
active and there is a need for protection to
be available. If the school had not provid-
ed the condoms with relative convenience
to the students, it is frightening to consid-
er how many times students would have
had unprotected sex.
Although providing condoms to students
will help curb unsafe sex in the future, con-
dom distribution must be coupled with
effective education in junior and senior high
schools. Using a condom during sexual
intercourse is the best way to prevent
against sexually transmitted diseases such
as the HIV virus. But without proper
knowledge of how to use a condom, its
effectiveness drops dramatically. Students
should learn about sex and protecting them-
selves from informative sources, their
schools, and not from haphazard street
rumors.
If schools can successfully implement
condom-distribution policies, the number
of teenagers having unprotected sex, at
great risk to their health and futures, will
undoubtedly drop. No longer will students
have to walk into a public drug store and
feel too intimidated to buy a pack of con-
doms. Even if a few hundred condoms fall
prey to water balloon-throwing youngsters,
thousands of students surely will benefit
from free condoms and the protection they
provide.
Edeistein did
not represent
alumni club
To THE DAILY:
I am writing in response to
Elissa Edelstein ("OSU came
through for 'U' fans,"4/8/98).
Edelstein should not have
portrayed herself as a repre-
sentative of the U of M Club
of Greater Boston's leader-
ship. Furthermore, she should
have accumulated all of the
facts before writing her letter.
To set the record straight,
the limited number of tickets
to the final four that were
allocated to the University
were used by the Athletic
Department and in sales to
season ticket holders.
Unfortunately, the Alumni
Association was unable to
acquire any tickets for its
members or alumni clubs. We
did, in fact, work hard to
attempt to secure tickets for
the members of the club, but
our efforts proved futile when
dealing with the great
demand in the city of Boston.
I was happy to hear that an
Ohio State University alum,
who also happens to be a
friend of the club, was not only
able to secure tickets to the
final four, but also willing to
share four of them with our
club. Now that's good sports-
manship! What I find disap-
pointing with Edelstein's com-
ments is her lack of knowledge
regarding the situation and her
willingness to openly criticize
the Alumni Association, who
diligently tried to secure tickets
for the club. Furthermore,
Edelstein would not have been
given access to the ticket that
she received had she not been
a member of the club. Her
comment that club member-
ship did not help her in this sit-
uation is false.
I have spoken with the
president of the U of M Club
of Greater Boston, and he has
assured me that although they
are disappointed that no tick-
ets were available, Edelstein's
comments do not reflect the
opinions of the club.
There are 165 officially
recognized U of M alumni
clubs and contacts around the
world who strive to work in
their local communities to
bring alumni together and
represent the University. The
Alumni Association is proud
of these groups, and works
hard to support each one!
JEFFREY SCHOENHERR
UNIVERSITY ALUMNUS
MANAGER, LEGISLATIVE
ADVOCACY AND ALUMNI
CLUBS, UNIVERSITY
ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
Race initiative
ignores Native
Americans
they could not participate. It
was completely legitimate,
and I admire their decisions.
But as students on this cam-
pus, we must be making a
similar decision. Do we real-
ly want to participate in a
program designed to increase-
racial awareness when it is
exclusive to certain groups?
No one should deny the cen-
trality of Native American
history on the foundation of
this country. As one of the
panelists said, U of M was
built on land formerly held
by the group not embraced
by the White House.
This is why I regret
"observing" the initiative. I
do apologize to the Native
American community for
recognizing and using the ini-
tiative for the backdrop of the
event.
The other issue I need to
discuss is that of Israel's 50th
anniversary celebration. As
cake ishbeing passed out in
the fishbowl and people com-
memorate the anniversary of
one of our nation's staunchest
allies, we should be aware
that the history of Israel is
draped in blood.
The continued oppression
of the Palestinian people, the
illegal occupation and settle-
ments of land belonging to
Palestinians (as United
Kingdom Prime Minister Tony
Blair recently proclaimed), and
the murderous policies execut-
ed by Israel must all be consid-
ered amid cake, lectures and
dance shows. The state of
Israel came with a price. That
price was the lives and liveli-
hood of the Palestinian people.
WILL YOUMANS
LSA SOPHOMORE
Male bashing
did not belong
at Diag vigil
TO THE DAILY:
I was extremely disgusted
by the comments of Sandy
Norton and others in refer-
ence to the tragedy in
Jonesboro, Ark. ("Vigil
focuses on violence," 4/8/98).
1 think the comments and the
vigil stooped to the basest
self-servitude and attention
grabbing. Norton is quoted as
saying, "... this was just
another example of men gun-
ning down women because
they were not getting what
they want:"
Hello! Sandy, these boys
were age 13 or younger. Age,
and some would say maturity,
as opposed to the presence of
a penis, is the primary deter-
minant of being a man or
child. To suggest this was
some sort of "men gunning
down women" issue, you
must be ignoring the fact that
these little "men" were raised
by parents. Before anyone
gets me wrong, I also think
children killing anyone is a
horiffic act. But if we are
down to the level of children!
I can assure you, bashing
male children will not allow
boys to grow to men that love
and respect women anymore
then bashing adult males will
bring us any closer to equali-
ty or unity.
CARLOS HERNANDE FORD
MEDICAL SCHOOL
U' admissions
violate
American law
To THE DAILY:
In regard to the Daily's edi-
torial "Admitted failure"
(4/7/98), I would like first to
applaud the Daily for finally
coming out and taking a stand
on such a divisive issue and
then decry the Daily for com-
pletely missing the boat. One
cannot participate in a debate
about affirmative action with-
out hearing that now-familiar
buzzword, "diversity." My only
question is this: Why? Why
forced diversity? I was pleas-
antly surprised by the diversity
of this campus when I first
arrived, but I would hardly say
that it is integral to my educa-
tion. When I step into a lecture
hall, I don't look around to see
if the faces are mostly white,
mostly black or a harmonious
mixture, I look at the profes-
sor, because that is what I am
here to do. What affirmative
action proponents are fighting
for is diversity simply for the
sake of diversity, which is
illogical and requires practices
that are both immoral and ille-
gal to implement.
First, a little background
on the University's affirmative
action policy: 20 points are
awarded to a student belong-
ing to an underrepresented
minority, which is one-fifth of
the total needed for automatic
acceptance. Essentially, the
color of the applicant's skin is
quantitatively more important
than SAT scores, essay and
leadership combined. These
figures appear in black and
white in the University's
admissions criteria.
So, it comes down to
race. Let's discuss ...
What affirmative action
supporters have failed to rec-
ognize is that there is a bot-
tom line that simply cannot
be defied, and that bottom
line is, "No state shall make
or enforce any law which
shall abridge the privileges or
immunities of citizens of the
United States ... nor deny to
any person within its jurisdic-
tion the equal protection of
the laws." Sound familiar? It
should. It's first section of
the 14th Amendment. The
Constitution and its pursuant
laws are, by definition, the
supreme law of the land. One
such pursuant law, the Civil
Rights Act of 1964, states,
"No person in the United
States shall, on the ground of
race, color, or national origin,
he ... subiected to discrimi-
I thought about leaving Ann Arbor
after graduation a year ago. It had
been four years, and there were new
avenues to pursue and new adventures
to have.
But for a collection of reasons, I
stayed. And what a year it's been.
I watched some of my best friends
scatter literally across the globe. As i
read their e-mail
messages about
new places and
how they missed
their old haunts,
I could look out 6
the window and
see where they
were reminiscing
about, still my
home.
After four MEGAN
years watching a SCHIMPF
promising team hen yu realy gras
at the beginning
of football season finish 84 in the end,
I expected the same this year. Instead,
the team won every major award (except
an insignificant one) and later celebrat-
ed with a parade and pep rally. I spent
New Year's at the Rose Bowl - one of
the moments when you really grasp
what it is to be a Wolverine - and heard,
Brian Griese ask what else the
Wolverines needed to do to prove they
were national champions. In 70-degree
sun at the Rose Bowl in the shadow of
mountains and a sea of maize and blue
on New Year's Day, nothing could be
sweeter.
Except, of course, when the hockey
team won its second national champi-
onship in three years only four months
later. In January, I learned there's noth-
ing like being there; two weeks ago,
learned nothing compares to standing in
the middle of South U' surrounded by
hundreds of Michigan fans.
But athletics were only' a fraction of
what made this year unmatched.
The University inaugurated its I2th
president in September, a ceremonial
end to the resignation, search and selec-
tion process that had lasted two years.
That same president "hosted" a house
party following the football victory
against Penn State and quoted "Ode on
a Grecian Urn" at a pre-Rose Bowl pep
rally.
The University named its first woman
provost, the Athletic Department hired a
new athletic director and search com-
mittees began to fill the remaining holes
in the administration.
The director of the Human Genome
Project sang his own version of "My
Way" to the first-year Medical students
in November.
The first lady will speak at Hill
Auditorium in a week and a half.
About a dozen Monet paintings spent
two months at the Museum of Art,
drawing art lovers and curiosity seekers.
In the fall, the University became the
first public university to raise $1 billion,
and now aims for $2 billion.
At the same time it welcomed its
largest incoming class ever, the admin-
istration began to take steps to make
#sure no class would ever be larger.
An Engineering student competed for
the crown of Miss America.
The men's basketball program lost
one coach, found another, survived an
NCAA investigation, and then won the
inaugural Big Ten Tournament.
The regents voted to increase stadium
seating to once again create The Big
House, and to install video scoreboards
in one of the two remaining stadiums0
without such accouterments. The reno-
vations will forever change the face of
Michigan Stadium.
Countless renown musicians, artists,
speakers, comedians and guest profes-
sors - many of them alumni - have
spent time enriching our education
beyond what we are graded on. We
interact with national experts nearly
every time we go to class and sit next to
future experts.
No other school can offer all this.
Especially not this year.
We learned the depths of the com-
plexity of affirmative action by being at
its epicenter. Despite two days dedicat-
ed to protests and countless other sym-
posia, all we decided is that the issue is
far from simple. Multiple campus inci-
dents of offensive graffiti and intolerant
acts served to prove a new generation
isn't as enlightened as we'd like to
believe.
Good answers are hard to find.
We learned that no one is immune
from death, including a womandwho
loved, then feared, her boyfriend and a
man whose fatal flaw was excessive
dedication to his sport. We watched as
students just like us mourned students
just like us, and tried to decipher why.
No easy answers came.
Anyone who has been in Ann Arbor
for more than a month can attest to its
little lovable oddities. They draw people
here and create nostalgia over four
years; they happen every year, every
month, every day.
Yet other events and people set this
INGRID SHELDON
MAYOR OF ANN ARBOR
100 N. FIFTH AVE.
ANN ARBOR, MI 48104