A - The Michigan Daily - Friday, November 20, 1998
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420 Maynard Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Edited and managed by
students at the
University of Michigan
LAURIE MAVK
Editor in Chief
JACK SCHILLACI
Editorial Page Editor
'We're gonna drive around their main
street with Michigan flags and try to have
some fun, tormenting the OSU fans.'
- LSA sophomore Gina Le Claire, one of many Michigan
fans traveling to Columbus this weekend for the big game
DAVID MENG JANKOWSKI'S WORLD
Unless otherwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of the majority of the Daily : editorial board.
All other articles, letters and cartoons do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily.
FROM THE DAILY
Grant will help recruit minority students
C '
T his week, Rackham
Graduate Studies Dean
School of
Earl Lewis
announced that the University has
received a $2.5 million grant from the
National Science Foundation to further
graduate education for minorities. While
the University is one of the nation's lead-
ers in educating a diverse student body,
much more can be done. This money
should go a long way toward increasing
minority representation in fields tradi-
tionally dominated by white males.
The University is one of only eight
universities nationwide - out of 200
applicants - to receive such a grant. The
University's goal for this money is to
triple the number of black, latino/a and
Native American students who receive
doctoral degrees in science, mathematics
and engineering. This will be accom-
plished by organizing undergraduate
workshops, faculty committees and sum-
mer research programs to recruit minority
students. The grant should prove extreme-
ly helpful in maintaining a diverse envi-
ronment at the University.
. In light of the -raging controversy over
affirmative action that has continued in
tile past year, it is important for the
University continue its efforts to increase
minority enrollment. A student body
4rawn from a broad range of backgrounds
is an important part of what the
University is about, and programs to help
recruit minority students should help to
achieve that objective. Diversity on cam-
pus enhances the educational experience
for all students; the different experiences
of a varied group of students contribute to
the education of others. This is why the
University needs to recruit students from
groups that are underrepresented, and
hopefully this grant will aid in doing just
that.
The University's proposed programs
can also help bring more minorities into
fields that traditionally have low minority
representation, such as science, mathe-
matics and engineering. Members of
underrepresented groups constitute 7.6
percent of the College of Engineering's
enrolled students. In addition, although
many minorities receive undergraduate
degrees in the sciences, only a small per-
centage of those receive doctoral degrees.
This deprives the scientific community of
many people who have a great deal to
contribute. Again, programs to increase
minority representation in graduate stud-
ies will prove beneficial to the field as a
whole.
In the past few years, the University
has demonstrated its commitment to
diversifying the student body. But the rel-
atively low number of minority doctoral
candidates, especially in the sciences,
speaks for the need for programs such as
this one. It is encouraging that the
University is continuing its effort to
increase diversity both on campus and in
fields that have been traditionally domi-
nated by white people. The programs
instituted with money from this grant
should help further this cause.
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Smoking gin
Settlement could end tobacco litigation
oday is the deadline for Michigan
' attorney General Frank Kelley to
agree to a settlement against the tobacco
industry in a deal totaling $206 billion.
Michigan stands to receive $8.1 billion
that would probably be used to treat
spioking-related illnesses. The deal pro-
Vides an opportunity to change the way
that cigarettes are marketed in addition to
providing anti-smoking advertising,
among other stipulations.
Specifically, the arrangement would
have the tobacco industry pay $25 mil-
lion each year for 10 years to a founda-
tion to reduce teen smoking, and $1.45
billion over the next five years to fund a
n'ational anti-smoking education fund.
Tobacco companies would be prohibited
from opposing new state or local laws
intended to fight teen or youth smoking.
They would only be allowed to sponsor
one sports or entertainment event per
year with a brand name on it, and they
would be barred from advertising on
apparel or billboards or with cartoon
characters. The lawsuit is expected to
cost the companies $206 billion over the
next 25 years. If cigarette sales increase,
so do the payments - likewise, if the
sales decrease, payments do too.
To compensate for their losses, the
tobacco companies are expected to raise
the cost of cigarettes by 35 to 40 cents
per pack. This may lead to a 14-percent
drop in smoking over the next five to 10
years.
The deal was reached after five
months of negotiations, and many states
already support the deal. Smaller states
that probably would not put up a formida-
ble fight against the tobacco giants are
expected to support the agreement as
well. The companies involved - Philip
Morris Inc., R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.,
Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp., and
Lorillard Inc. - have refused to say how
many states must be involved for them to
support the plan. Four states that have
already reached individual settlements
totaling $36 billion for health care costs
are excluded from the deal. Two earlier
plans, a $368.5-billion settlement in 1997
and legislation that would have cost the
industry $516 billion, were insolvent.
Both deals failed to get congressional
support.
One of the most promising aspects of
the settlement is that it does not protect
the companies from federal legislation,
federal lawsuits or individual lawsuits.
State attorneys general are pressuring
Congress to continue legislation against
the industry, such as bringing it under the
authority of the Food and Drug
Administration. The companies still face
lawsuits from union groups, individual
smokers and British Columbia.
The benefit to the tobacco companies
is that the suit would take away some of
their financial uncertainty for the future,
giving a quantitative end to the 40 state
lawsuits they currently face.
The settlement has more good points
than bad. Although there is a chance that
by settling, the attorney general risks the
chance that he could have gotten a better
deal by continuing the state lawsuit, the
settlement includes many important pro-
visions, especially preventing the tobac-
co companies from targeting of youth
smoking. It also provides for anti-smok-
ing educational programs, and prevents
the companies from opposing state or
local anti-smoking legislation. The
agreement leaves the federal government
free to impose restrictions on the tobacco
industry, and the state still has the right
to sue any tobacco companies that are not
involved in the settlement. The deal is an
important step in the right direction, and
Michigan should take advantage of the
opportunity.
Daily missed
renowned
journalist
TO THE DAILY:
A crowd of approximate-
ly 125 students, faculty and
Ann Arbor residents gath-
ered to hear the internation-
ally renowned journalist
Allan Nairn on Nov. 17. The
Daily was conspicuously
absent.
Nairn outlined the sys-
tematic way in which U.S.
support for repressive
regimes overseas facilitates
and even encourages human
rights violations around the
world. Nairn possesses
extensive knowledge of the
history of U.S. involvement
is such diverse places as
Guatemala, El Salvador,
Haiti and Indonesia/East
Timor. Nairn's talk was
especially relevant consider-
ing the current events in
Indonesia, where there are
hundreds of thousands of
students protesting in the
streets.
The Indonesian army has
responded with violence
and killed more that 12 stu-
dents in last week's demon-
strations, which are still
going on.
These events are current
reminders of the effects of
U.S. support for repressive
regimes. The United States
backed the Indonesian inva-
sion of East Timor in 1975
and has been supplying and
training the Indonesian mil-
itary since that time.
Considering the impres-
sive repertoire of the speak-
er and the compelling sub-
ject of his talk, the absence
of Daily coverage was dis-
heartening. This lack of
coverage is inexcusable
considering the factathat the
Daily was sent a press
release about the event a
full week before it was to
take place. Nairn was inter-
viewed by both AGENDA
and WCBN, so look for
more information from
these reliable sources of
news.
JOEL HEERES
LSA SENIOR
A few small
changes can
improve the
Big House
TO THE DAILY:
We are loyal Michigan
alumni currently living in
California.
Our backgrounds include
design, marketing and facili-
ties management. After
returning from our annual
visit to Ann Arbor, we feel
compelled to share our view
of the recent changes in
Michigan Stadium.
Most of the renovations
been overshadowed by the
garish yellow halo with its
tacky lettering, helmets, etc.
Not to mention the cheap-
looking football section
signs. What in the world was
Tom Goss thinking?
We are hopeful that the
Athletic Department will
correct these mistakes and
bring the proper dignity
back to Michigan Stadiun
It's easy to do. First, get rid
of all of the things dangling
from the halo and simply
paint it dark blue with a sin-
gle, subtle maize stripe. As
for the football section
signs, paint them dark blue
with small maize numbers.
Michigan football made
$14.5 million dollars last
year. That ought to cover the
costs of fixing this eyesore.
They say that when you
score a touchdown, you
should act like you've been
there before and not lose
your cool. Michigan football
has a long, proud tradition
but, for the moment, the
Wolverines' stadium has def-
initely lost its cool.
GERALD AND SHARON HILL
UNIVERSITY ALUMNI
Individuals
can stop
alcohol abuse
To THE DAILY:
I am writing in response
to the new initiatives to
curb underage drinking on
this campus and elsewhere.
I certainly believe that alco-
hol abuse is a problem that
needs to be addressed.
However, I think the recent
aggressive behavior by the
AAPD and the new legisla-
tion introduced by State
Rep. Judith Scranton (D-
Brighton) that would revoke
driving privileges from
minors caught possessing
alcohol are ineffective solu-
tions. I also believe the
problem that we face is not
underage drinking, but
abuse of alcohol in general.
Anyone who attended
high school knows the inef-
ficacy of outlawing under-
age drinking just as anyone
who lived during prohibi-
tion knows the inefficacy of
completely outlawing alco-
hol. At best, punitive solu-
tions to alcohol use have
not sufficiently decreased
alcohol consumption and
abuse.
What is so magical
about turning 21 years old
anyway? The day of libera-
tion has become a danger-
ous - and sometimes fatal
- ritual. I also do not
understand why, at age 20, I
am old enough to die
defending my country, but
too young to legally con- -
sume alcoholic beverages.
While good intentioned, this
age limit is just silly and
ineffective.
The problem we face is
irresponsible drinking by
pressures in high school as
well as in college to drink
and drink excessively. More
often than not, it is these
pressures that compel us to
use alcohol the way that we
do. Well-planned education-
al initiatives are perhaps the
best means our government
and our schools have to
change these situations and
to change our behavior.
Increasingly strict laws that
punish minors will do little
in this arena.
But stopping excessive
and abusive use of alcohol
is not entirely the responsi-
bility of our social institu-
tions. More so, it is our
responsibility. At parties, at
home, at the bar and every-
where, we should take
responsibility for ourselves
and our friends. To effec-
tively do this, we need to
know how alcohol works on
different people and in dif-
ferent situations. Unless we
are provided with this infor-
mation a priori, we will be
forced to find out through
trial and error. If we wish to
avoid the dangers of this
error, we must work harder
to educate ourselves and our
friends about the effects of
alcohol.
AARON TRAXLER-BALLEW
LSA JUNIOR
Carr gave
Dreisbach his
due
TO THE DAILY:
My sophomore year at the
University began with a bang:
the football team's biggest
come-from-behind victory
ever, 17-16 over Virginia. Scott
Dreisbach orchestrated that
fantastic fourth quarter finish.
Of course, he's since been rele-
gated to back-up duty.
Nevertheless, I've always
appreciated his early efforts for
the University.
As such, I especially
enjoyed seeing Dreisbach get
an opportunity to throw (and
complete) one more pass in
Michigan Stadium. Sure,
Wisconsin was already beaten,
but it was a nice gesture by
Coach Lloyd Carr just the
same.
BRETT TAYLOR
UNIVERSITY ALUMNUS
Alumni miss
the Brown Jug
To THE DAILY:
The Brown Jug's birthday
is certainly something to com-
memorate. And while the stu-
dent body is not likely to storm
South University, the Jug has
been a place to celebrate myri-
ad events for many people. It
has also been a place to drown
our sorrows. lift our snirits and
And so it goes,
still, for the
piano man
A friend once said that if a guy want-
ed agirlfriend, he had to pretend to
appreciate the songs of Billy Joel and
Sting. This left me and several of my
female friends wondering why anyone
would need to pretend.
And so Wednesday night, while Joel
played one of the
shows on his final
concert tour before
he devotes himself
purely to classical
music, we cranked
up the greatest hits
CDs at work. (His
second show at The
Palace of Auburn
Hills is tonight.)
The whole night, MEGAN
anyone who walked SCHIMPO
in picked up the All~"
lycs of any song _ CR____N_
- within seconds of walking in. Along
with the accompaniment. Hmm. So
either everyone's doing an awesome job
of impressing their girlfriend or Joel's
music hits a chord.
"It's nine o 'clock on a Saturday / The
regular crowd shuffles in..."
And you're already thinking about a
piano man, just like that.
Joel, who is now almost 50 with a
career that spans 30 years, has entered
that mystical realm of artists who have
permeated culture so much that their
work is part of everyone's subconscious.
Attend a concert given by almost any
a capella music group - it's practically
guaranteed they will perform at least
one Joel tune.
Ask anyone their favorite Billy Joel
song. No one will be stumped - unless
they're trying to narrow it down*
Interestingly, most will also name dif-
ferent songs.
'And we're living here in Allentown /
But the restlessness was handed down /
And it's getting very hard to stay..."
Joel's music is not the most technical-
ly complex, and it most likely does little
to further the technique of music com-
position. The songs are relatively easy
for even shower singers to sound,
respectable when warbling along. Hi
music earns most of its derision for
these reasons, and yet, its simplicity
also supplies some of its staying power.
Joel's lyrics easily create images, con-
vey meanings, and appeal to a large
group of people for the situations and
emotions they speak of.
Just consider how many you can rat-
tle off without even thinking about it,
sometimes without even knowing the
title of the song. Consider how incred
ble it is that all of your friends can do
the same.
Think of the history lesson we were.
supposed to gather from "We Didn't
Start the Fire." The familiar images
from "New York State of Mind." The
liberation of "My Life." Lies of love
from "The Stranger." The bassline from
"Only the Good Die Young." The pleas
of"An Innocent Man" years before O.J.
or Bill Clinton.
"She C been living in her uptown.
world //I bet she never had a backstreet
guy-.
And even now, Joel stands as an idol
to every not-so-photogenic guy who'.
ever wanted to marry a world-famous
model.
I have memories of friends at parties
doing impromptu duets, and countless
mix tapes with his songs. Listening to
his music invariably evokes memories
of long car trips - seemingly alway,
through Pennsylvania - both as a child
and as a senior in college.
"Come out, Virginia, don't let me
wait ... I'd rather laugh with the sinners
than cry with the saints / Sinners are
much more fun ..."
In his various songs, Joel has extolled
the blue collar ethic of factory workers,
the confusion of solders in Vietnam, and
the heartache or bitterness of countles,
spurned lovers. And on the next track h
promises from the heart to love you
"Just the Way You Are."
It is one of several similarities to
Bruce Springsteen, who occupies the
perennial-universal-favorite role as
well. Joel and Springsteen join Simon
and Garfunkel, the Beatles, Madonna
and a few others who have a collection
of songs in everyone's cultural knowl-
edge bank and CD collections.
"Everybody's talking about the nei
sound/ Funny, but it's still rock and ro
to me..."
We have had the advantage of being
handed the majority of Joel's body of
music at once in the form of '70s albums
and greatest-hits collections. We are
accustomed to finding it on the radio on
almost any station, at almost any time of
day. If nothing else, we believe it to be
special to us. This effect seems to be
somewhat localized to people in our ge
eration - decide for yourself how to
define it - and slightly older.
"A bottle of red, a bottle of white / It
all depends on your appetite / I'll meet
you anytime you want / In our Italian
Restaurant."
Sitting at The Brown Jug one night a
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