4A - The Michigan Daily - Thursday. December 3, 1998 d A&W-ma 41V %"Atl AW d wirl" iD to a7tiv 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 ~NOTAP QUTALE 'What they're doing is a step ahead of where our Greek community may be going next semester.' - Inmerfraterniv Council President Bradley Holtman, on the sanction of the University chapter of the Theta Chi fraternitv and the work of an IFC task force THOMAs KULJURGIS TENTATIVELY SPEAKING HE VS AT 110 C GR F I:MPEAGAMEATtE EGE RE AVOt CLEA?, PICrT ANEMS R 1S EC FO 1'AE. WGLTh XNVESII(A4F10N HE IAs$ COST 1AYf'AWRS MItuoI41 OF PcoL.LARs Jack Kevorkian and the '60 0 Minutes of death 'face Unless otherwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of the majority of the Dailys editorial board. All other articles, letters and cartoons do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily. FROM THE DAILY a 'U' should give back to the community .1J I ON ?ASO" , ?9o1LE Srla. LOVE 1HIM. O nce again, student organizations are proving that the spirit of community service is alive and well in Ann Arbor. For three years running, one of these organiza- tions, Students Establishing Educational Dreams, has been hosting campus days for elementary school students in Detroit. Classroom Partnerships, another branch of the SEED program, helps various campus groups travel to the elementary schools themselves and teach lessons to students. When the students visit the University, they are paired up with a University stu- dent and spend the day in mock classes and touring the campus. Yesterday, a group of faculty and students traveled to a Detroit elementary school to work on hol- iday crafts under the Classroom Partnerships program. Tomorrow, the Indian American Student Association will go to a fifth-grade class to teach the stu- dents about Indian culture and traditional dances. SEED also works in collaboration with Project SFERVE, the organization that sponsors Alternative Spring Break and SERVE week. Both programs are coordi- nated through the Office of Community Service and Learning, which also houses the America Reads and AmeriCorps pro- grams. Time and again, whether through count- less research partnerships with other insti- tutions, or continuing its lawsuit to main- tain affirmative action admissions poli- cies, the University has fulfilled its obliga- tion to the improvement of higher educa- tion. Community outreach programs such as those associated with the OCSL, howev- er, are vital to attaining the University's more modest obligation to give back to the community. Not only is community involvement the right thing to do for an institution with a budget as robust as the University's, but as a practical matter, the University is a public institution that relies heavily on public funds and whose regents are elected by the residents of Michigan. For the sake of its own financial well being, it is imperative that the University remains visible and active in the communi- ties of Michigan voters. Although everyone agrees that University-sponsored community service programs such as SEED and America Reads are good, some fail to see the vital role such programs play in the fulfillment of the University's ultimate mission. Community service initiatives are all too often looked upon as nice but ultimately superfluous and disposable perks. While the effort to terminate funding for the University's community service efforts is currently relatively insignificant, SEED and other similarly minded efforts could likely be the first to see their budgets slashed should the University receive fewer funds from either the state or some other impor- tant benefactor in the future. The results of community service pro- grams such as SEED ought to be com- pelling enough for the University to make a strong commitment to continue funding of the OCSL. Due to its size and resources, the University has obligations that extend beyond academic spheres. The surrounding community stands to reap significant bene- fits from the experience of students and fac- ulty. Additionally, as a practical matter, it is simply good policy for the University to give back to the voters who elect its regents. It should not be forgotten that selflessness is often reciprocal. te t . SLCKWILI ALETTER T LETTERS TO THE EDITOR a . -- - . \ 4~ t. .s. 1 Nw neeout New tack needed in fight against youth smoking O ne of the most troubling problems fac- ing the medical community and social scientists in the United States is teen smok- ing. Economists, psychologists and doctors cannot come to a definitive conclusion on how to combat the rising number of young smokers. Well-publicized information about the adverse effects of smoking, from lung cancer to heart disease, does not seem to be deterring people from picking up the habit at an early age. The portion of high school seniors who reported smoking a cig- arette in the past 30 days has gone from 27 percent in 1992 to 37 percent in 1997. In addition, smoking is on the rise at universi- ties throughout the nation, with an increase in the smoking rate among college students from 22 to 29 percent over the past four years. These statistics are troubling and call the current methods used by the govern- ment and anti-smoking organizations to combat teen smoking into question. Perhaps a different tack is necessary. The federal and state governments do not think so. With millions of dollars com- ing in from tobacco settlements, public health officials plan to mount an extensive advertising campaign over the next five years. The government will not be travelling down a new path with this strategy - in stead, they are using one that has proven expensive and possibly ineffective. Officials need to do more than tell people not to smoke in cheesy television ads and highway billboards. Young people find smoking intriguing because of the mys- tique, appearance and controversial nature surrounding it. Education needs to be the focus of a seri- ous campaign to curb youth smoking. An intense Drug Awareness Resistance Education program used to combat drug abuse by youths, needs to reach kids in every school throughout the country. A large portion of the tobacco settlement should be used for educational purposes that will help change the way kids, and soci- ety as a whole, view smoking. Possible alternative solutions could be an increase in the enforcement of existing laws that prevent people under the age of 18 from buying tobacco products. These enforcement efforts should not target kids, though, since doing so would simply heighten the degree of notoriety that smoking has. Stores and vendors who sell the cigarettes should be the targets of such a campaign. The tobacco bill that was pushed by U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) and died this past year in the Senate should be revis- ited. At a bare minimum, the tobacco tax included in the defeated bill must be put into effect. Economists testifying before Congress this year empirically showed how young people - in contrast to adults - are more sensitive to changes in tobacco price and will be much less likely to purchase cigarettes if the price is higher. Previous attempts to combat the problem of teen smoking have had limited effect, evidenced by the still growing rate of teen smokers. If teen smoking rates are going to be reduced by an effective government campaign, it has to involve education and enforcement. Teaching kids about why smoking is bad as opposed to telling them not to smoke, pros- ecuting vendors who sell illegally to under- age kids, and hiking up the price of ciga- rettes may not immediately solve the prob- lem - but it could offer better results than ECB changes have not been approved yet TO THE DAILY: "ECB halts use of port fo- lios" (11/30/98) contains mis- information that I fear will excite student confusion. Let me clarify the situation. Students admitted Fall 1998 and earlier have been required to submit a portfolio for wit- ing assessment. Students admitted Fall 1999 will not be required to submit a portfolio, though they will be assessed. The precise nature of that assessment will not be deter- mined until the LSA faculty votes on a set of proposed changes in the Faculty Code (the vote is scheduled for Feb. 1999). We are proposing the changes because portfolio assessment is not workin as effectively as we had hoped it would. Recent research in writing assessment demonstrates the widespread success of student self-assessment. We plan to adopt this model for students entering Fp1l 1999 - we will pilot it next term. The new model recognizes that a valu- able part of students' education is learning to make good choices about writing courses. Students will have consider- able guidance in making this choice. I am confident that our efforts will improve the quality of undergraduate education by helping students recognize their skills and readiness to begin writing in a university context. THERESA TINKLE UNIVERSTY FACULTY DIRECTOR, GAYLE MORRIS SWEETLAND WRITING CENTER AND ENGLISH COMPOSITION BOARD 'Grease' Was inappropriate for families TO THE DAILY: I was very disappointed when I read the Daily's review of the play "Grease" performed here at the University during the week- end of Nov. 20 ("Classic '50s 'Grease' bops and bams along," 11/23/98). 1 am sure that "Grease" has done just fine the way it was made for years and has been produced and reproduced at colleges, high schools and actors guilds across the coun- try. Was it really necessary for the show we saw here to be made with so much additional foul language and behavior? I think the play had enough sex- ual innuendoes without those added in this production, and the foul language doesn't add to the entertainment value, so adult comments and gestures tactful enough to still be amusing, but yet not apparent to children too young to understand. This was not the case here, and that's too bad, because seeing "Grease" here could have been a great expe- rience for many families. JULIE WELLNITZ LSA JUNIOR Gis need more training To THE DAILY: I am writing in regard to the ongoing contract negotia- tions between the University and the graduate student instructors. I agree whole- heartedly with whatever pro- posal the University supports. My reasoning is as follows: The other day, while sitting in my Math 11 5 class, taught entirely by a GSI, we were introduced to a woman described as a "consultant to the math department." After our GSI left the room, we were allowed to voice what we thought were the strengths and weaknesses of the course. I felt, and told the consultant so, that my GSI in particular is grossly under- prepared, undertrained and unable to teach this math class. I was not questioning her mathematical abilities, I was only wondering about her capacity as a teacher. The consultant told me that it is a big problem because all first- year graduate students in the math department (I am not sure if this is a University policy), are required to teach a class. I then asked about my GSI's level of training. The consultant said that all GSIs are given a one-week training course. One week?!?!?! At what University are we studying, I asked. I was told that a lot of other places give their GSIs even less training. This, unfortunately, is no justifica- tion for the shocking lack of training my GSis are receiv- ing. My parents are paying out-of-state tuition. It is cost- ing them a lot of money. My third-grade teacher had to be certified to teach, a process that took a lot longer than one week. If the GSIs want a drastic pay increase, they need to justify it with an equal level of commitment to the students at the University and need to examine the level of teaching ability of the peo- ple they are putting into my classrooms. MICHAEL SHAFRIR LSA FIRST-YEAR STUDENT Film reviewer missed key paint exception. I wonder, however, if he saw a different conclu- sion to the film than 1. One of Lark's mild reservations about this otherwise powerful study of the "culture of hate" in America was that "Derek's saving of Danny is somehow too quick and pretty to be believable." When 1 saw the film, young Danny wasn't saved at all, but, rather, vio- lently gunned down at a uri- nal in an apparent act of revenge against older brother Derek. It was one of the most shocking endings I've seen in a film in a long time; and when Derek cradles his dead brother in his armssand cries, the film enters the realm of consequential tragedy. This powerful denouement was somehow missed by Lark. FRANK BEAVER UNIVERSITY FACULTY Incorrect number made the Daily look bad TO THE DAILY: According to the Daily's story "Research spending hits high," (11/24/98) my adviser accounts for more than 20 percent of all research expen- ditures on this campus. With a "record-breaking $4.5 mil- lion" in research expenditures, who needs support from the tax payers? In fact with this whopping amount, why do students pay tuition, why can't we pay the undergrads, and (gasp) give the Graduate Employees Organization folks a raise? On the serious side, the Daily needs to check its big stories better. I assume that the author meant $4.5 billion, but the Daily just looks bad when the editors let this kind of stuff through. TROY NOLAN RACKHAM U.S., U.N. should lift Iraqi sanctions TO THE DAILY: Each month, according to United Nations estimates, more than 5,000 Iraqi chil- dren die from malnutrition and disease directly related to the sanctions imposed against their country. No child should suffer and die because of a political dis- pute. Our nation, and the United Nations, must end these sanctions and immediate- ly work for a non-violent solu- tion to the unresolved issues with the Iraqi government. I am concerned that this human- itarian disaster continues Afew years ago. a video series called "Faces of Death" became a quiet, straight-to-video hit in my hometown. The tapes feature titillating deaths* caught on videotape - executions, sud- den falls and the like. They were packaged in boxes to appeal to horror-movie fans. I never rented any of the "Faces of Death" tapes, but during my first two years of high school, they infrequently sur- faced in conversa- tion. JEFF The idea of these ELDRIDGE tapes disturbed me. S A It still disturbs me. I grew up fascinated with "Goodfellas," "Full Metal Jacket" and "The Godfather" movies, but for the streams of violence in those films, it was always obvious that they were the results of production. There was a moral mes- sage behind them. And if they did offer a hint of gruesome excitement, the vio- lence was clearly fiction. "Faces of Death" and the mail-order legacies it spawned lack this barrier. They mix actual footage with recreation, doing so with the intent of entertainment. Someone slipped, then died; someone else packaged it as excitement, then profited. Enter Jack Kevorkian. Eleven days ago, America's most prolific proponent of casual killing surfaced on "60 Minutes," with an agenda, a threat and his own face of death. Kevorkian's already-famous footage is excruciating. It features several sec- onds of the good doctor questioning Thomas Youk, a Waterford Township man in the final stages of Lou Gehrig's disease. Kevorkian prodded him about whether or not he wanted to die. Youk, visibly suffering, had little doubt in his mind, but ultimately decided to delay his death a few days. From there, cut to Kevorkian adminis- tering Youk's death, injecting him with potassium chloride and muscle relaxers, camera ticking as his subect's body shuts down, Kevorkian finally informing us that the heart had stopped. One thing is certain: The episode isn't titillating. It was clinical, cold and frightening. Kevorkian wanted to reach an audience, and he succeeded. Meanwhile, "60 Minutes" garnered its best ratings of the season so far, a dis- tinction that may ultimately do this ven- erabletelevision institution moresharm than good. The gem of the network news industry, "60 Minutes" has long stood apart from its more sensational competi- tors. After this story, the show appears every bit as hungry and shameless as its competition. A CBS press release insists the pro-0 gram "performed a valuable public ser- vice." CBS is wrong. I don't know if it's deluding themselves or if they're just being manipulative, but there was no public service involved. Kevorkian provided killing as a pub- licity stunt. CBS news took the bait. Kevorkian expressed hopes that the incident will spark national discussion over euthanasia. What it sounds like instead is a game of chicken between the doctor and his nemeses in law enforcement. "They must charge me, because if they do not, that means they don't think it was a crime. .. Either they go or I go," Kevorkian said. "If I'm acquitted, they go, because they know they'll never con- vict me. If I'm convicted, I will starve to death in prison, so I will go." Does this sound like an important debate? Does it sound like a valuable* public service? People promoting debate don't threat- en slow death if their cause is not accept- ed by the legal system. This is not a man concerned with deciding an issue on log- ical grounds. And he has made it very difficult to differentiate the cause from its messenger. The "60 Minutes" debacle provided us a bullying, attention-seeking outburst from a man whose crusade is under fire. After all, Kevorkian lives just up the freeway. Last month, voters in the state turned down Proposal B, which would have legalized physician-assisted sui- cide. Less than three .weeks before Youk's Sept. 17 death, state lawmakers passed a law making assisted suicide a felony punishable by up to five years in prison. Public opinion on assisted suicide - as well as euthanasia -isn't necessarily running against Kevorkian, but for the* time being, his cause is pinned in a cor- ner. The spectacle he launched on "60 Minutes" may be a literal, horrible shot in the arm to his cause. If nothing else, we've learned that televised death draws public attention. Between car commercials, NFL I