4A - The Michigan Daily - Monday, September 14, 1998

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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

NOTABLE QUOTABLE
'It's a nice course, and nice to break
away and do something guilt-free.'
-Pharmacy Prof George Garcia, referring to
the 5K jog led by University President Lee Bollinger

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
Excelle s voer
Students should take advantage of volunteering

Your one-stop
guide to the
events ofthe
year to come
know exactly what's running through
~your mind right now: Fear, anxiety
and uncertainty about the year ahead.
For the next eight months, your destiny
will fall squarely in the hands of nature,
fate, God and
Lee Bollinger.
And it's scary
as hell.
"Dang!" you "
panic, fright-
ened by your
fickle world.
"Who's gonna
govern this
state? Are we
gonna pull off SCOTT
that Rose Bowl HUNTER

While University students start volun-
teering for a variety of reasons, they
share a common experience of helping oth-
ers and getting as much out of it as they put
in, if not more. This is certainly true for
Circle K, a campus community service
group whose hard work earned them an
opportunity to travel to Jamaica last month
and receive the first-place International
Gold Cup of Achievement Award.
Sponsored by the Kiwanis Club, Circle
K emphasizes leadership, fellowship and
service. The University chapter won the
Cup for raising more than $5,000 for chari-
ties and doing more than 2,500 hours of
community service. The group also tripled
their membership to a total of 105 members
during the last school year - the highest
student involvement in the club's 30-year
existence at the University.
But Circle K does not exist solely to win
international distinction -- student volun-
teers join to experience the energy and sat-
isfaction that comes with service.
Participating in community service
provides the opportunity to step outside
the campus world of academia and learn
from others whom students would most
likely not encounter on a regular basis.
Living on campus, students often find
themselves surrounded by people not only
their own age, but who have a similar eco-
nomic and educational background.
Vplunteering in Ann Arbor gives students
the chance to interact with people for
whom a college education is not a given,
but instead an incredible, sometimes unat-
tainable, privilege.
Circle K took part in activities for area

children, such as visiting Motts Children's
Hospital, helping troubled teenagers at the
Ozone House and being active in K-grams
- a program that pairs college and elemen-
tary school students, who then establish a
pen pal relationship. Circle K is only one of
dozens of campus community service
groups the University campus offers. There
are hundreds of ways for students to get
involved.
The University has a fine tradition of
service-oriented organizations that keep it
connected to the city of Ann Arbor in a pos-
itive and beneficial way. For example,
Project Serve, which is run through the
sociology department, gives students the
opportunity to serve the community sur-
rounding campus. It also offers credit for
doing specific service projects, keeping
journals and having weekly meetings to dis-
cuss individuals' experiences. But earning
credit is not the only benefit of doing com-
munity service. A volunteer position could
help student volunteers build contacts in a
certain field or area of interest and eventu-
ally lead to a paid position. Exploring new
areas through volunteering could open up
new career paths. It is also an excellent way
to meet a variety of people while expanding
horizons. Students should take advantage of
these opportunities while attending the
University and realize that it can become an
intricate part of their college education.
The accomplishments students can
achieve while doing community service are
ones easily carried in the heart - and put
on a resume. Simply showing others that
someone cares can really make a difference,
to both parties involved.

01

.AN TIERES YOU ADVOCATING SERE ATION BACk IN IWE 50'S.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR


Mass mentality
Referendum should not dictate personal choice

n the upcoming November elections,
one of the ballot measures seeking pub-
lc confirmation, labeled Proposal B, is a
plan to legalize assisted suicide. Currently,
assisted suicide is illegal in Michigan. Dr.
Jack Kevorkian's highly publicized cam-
paign of helping the terminally ill end their
lives resulted in backlash by some in the
medical and religious communities, which
led to a 1997 Republican-prompted vote in
the Michigan Senate to formally criminal-
ize the practice. Assisted suicide is a very
personal topic. Each individual, based on
heir own collective experiences, sets of
'morals and religious beliefs, can find a
unique perspective on the issue. No one
piece of legislation, whether banning or
supporting assisted suicide, will adequate-
ty cover the concerns of most voters on
this highly complex and emotional subject.
Therefore, the inclusion of such an
extremely sensitive question on a
statewide and legally binding public ballot
16 wrong and will be problematic in the
future.
y Proposal B is sponsored by an advoca-
y group called Marian's Friends. The pro-
osal specifically gives a terminally ill
adult who is competent, fully informed
and a resident of the state, or close relative
of a resident of the state, the right to end
unbearable pain or suffering through the
self-administration of medication to hasten
death. Undercurrent law, persons guilty of
4ssisting in this practice may face maxi-
lnum penalties of five years in prison and
a $10,000 fine.
Decisions regarding such matters as
whether or not to take one's own life,
assisted or not, should be made in consul-
iation with one's family, one's spiritual
community and, most important, one's

authority to arbitrarily decide whether or
not to keep assisted suicide as an option to
the terminally ill may unjustly keep from
those who have legitimate reasons to end
their lives the legal authority to do so.
Putting this issue on the ballot removes
patients' right to assert personal beliefs on
the matter and replaces them with the gen-
eral consensus and perspective of the state
population as a whole, which should have
no bearing in such private matters.
Additionally, with the inclusion of
assisted suicide legislation on public bal-
lots steadily increasing, and with the pre-
dicted outcomes of such legislation being
varied from state to state, problems are
bound to arise. Patients may begin to
cross state lines to obtain a legal assisted
suicide. As well, they may choose to sim-
ply ignore the legality of the issue and
decide to hastily perform the suicide
themselves, with potentially dangerous or
ineffective means. One only needs to look
at the legacy of Dr. Kevorkian to realize
that regardless of legality, individuals
with medically justifiable reasons to ter-
minate their lives will do so, often with
the help of underground compassionate
sympathizers.
Because of these reasons, the question of
whether to take one's life should not rest in
the hands of lay people unaware of medical
issues surrounding assisted suicide, both
Michigan voters and Michigan legislators.
Rather, it should rest in the hands of the
individual, those close to him or her, and
the medical community.
Only physicians have expertise in the
study of both scientific ethics and human
disease - the two key fields that, when
combined, may provide the best answers for
determining who is justified in requesting

Student fees
did not pay
for natatorium
To THE DAILY:
As the facility manager of
the Canham Natatorium, I
would like to respond to a
grievous misunderstanding
about our renovation as
expressed by Amy LeBlanc
in her letter ("Natatorium
renovation wastes 'U'
money," 9/10/98).
It is incorrect to suggest
that tuition dollars and other
student receipts are being
used to cover the cost of the
renovation. No University
general funds are being used
for the benefit of the Athletic
Department. This project is
part of the present Athletic
Department budget of nearly
$44 million. Student fees are
not involved.
Finally, our student ath-
letes work just as hard, if not
harder, than most students on
this campus to be successful
at the University. Like every-
one else, they are here to
work toward their degree in
order to prepare for the rest
of their lives. We are part of
this University as a whole,
not "a sports camp."
MARK LAMBERT
UNIVERSITY STAFF
Eldridge should
quit 'bashing'
without facts
TO THE DAILY:
If Jeff Eldridge can't
come up with a more exciting
column subject than a 16-
person fan club of University
President Lee Bollinger
("Brown-nosing club shows
MSA can't represent student
interests," 9/10/98), then he
should at least learn how to
back up his accusations
against the Michigan Student
Assembly with solid facts. I
should make clear, first of
all, that while I had not heard
of the fan club until I read
Eldridge's column, I do not
think the club needs to be
taken anywhere nearly as
seriously as he takes it. My
impression of the club is that
is some kind of inside joke.
However, if Eldridge really
wants to treat the fan club
that seriously, then I should
point out to him (as I discov-
ered by checking the
University directory), that of
the current 40 members of
MSA, only three of them
them belong to the Lee
Bollinger Fan Club. That's
less than 10 percent of cur-
rent MSA members.
Eldridge's larger point -
that MSA has been too busy
"snuggling up" and "fawning
over" Bollinger and the
administration to confront
them on controversial issues
- is dead wrong. Although
n12 1 _ J .:../. Jr _ t

devoted exclusively to study-
ing ways in which it could be
revised. And some of MSA's
more symbolic resolutions,
such as last year's endorsing
the Nike boycott, have been
implicitly critical of the
administration's policies.
I don't mind Eldridge crit-
icizing MSA. MSA-bashing
is a long-standing campus
tradition; it's one of those
issues that even the Daily and
The Michigan Review can
agree upon. But I would rec-
ommend that Eldridge find
better things to do than attack
us over a silly little fan club.
PETER HANDLER
LSA SENIOR
MSA REPRESENTATIVE
Starters need
more than
just talent
To THE DAILY:
I agree with Daily
Managing Sports Editor Jim
Rose that Tom Brady needs
to be given a chance ("To
Lloyd and the fans: Give
Brady a fair chance,"
9/11/98). He was not the rea-
son for the loss against Notre
Dame. Brady's game was one
of the bright spots in an oth-
erwise disappointing loss.
But I disagree with Rose
on two points about Drew
Henson. First, the last quar-
terback to come out highly
touted from high school was
not Ron Powlus, but Heisman
trophy candidate Tim Couch,
and he threw seven touch-
downs in his first game and
set numerous conference
records as a sophomore last
year.
Second, Rose wonders
why head coach Lloyd Carr
would put Henson in against
Notre Dame.
A good quarterback, as
young as he is, needs experi-
ence in all situations, includ-
ing an opposing rivals territo-
ry. Also, with a baseball
career waiting if he wants it,
Carr needs to keep Henson
happy. As for Carr hyping
Henson, you have to tell it
like it is - remember that
"talent" is only one part of
being a starter. You also need
leadership, heart and deter-
mination, which we saw with
Brian Griese in last year's
magical season.
Im AHMAD
LSA SENIOR
Students
should defend
affirmative
action
To THE DAILY:
Daily Editorial Page Staff
Writer Peter Romer-Friedman
was exactly right when he

this attack from happening.
This fall, student organi-
zations, including the
Coalition to Defend
Affirmative Action By Any
Means Necessary (BAMN),
will continue to strengthen
the fight for affirmative
action. It will organize more
national days of action like
last Feb. 24, along with sit-
ins, teach-ins, marches and
student-teacher strikes. This
will be a national strike
called by professors and stu-
dents in the University of
California system. More than
50 professors have endorsed
the strike. Students should
join the fight because affir-
mative action not only affects
women and minorities, but it
affects the nation as a whole.
When BAMN says by any
means necessary, it means
going beyond simple support
for the University as it fights
two lawsuits that threaten its
policies on affirmative
action. It means building a
mass movement. The
University is not defending
minorities, women or affir-
mative action - it is only
defending itself legally. The
University administration is
talking about diversity -
students should be fighting
for equality.
Students must not leave
the fate of affirmative action
in the hands of the University
administration or the U.S.
Supreme Court. The fate of
affirmative action depends on
student action. We, the stu-
dents, hold the true power of
winning this fight.
ERIKA DOWDELL
LSA FIRST-YEAR STUDENT
Daily judged
too soon
TO THE DAILY:
Has anyone considered
the possibility that Dan
Granger's current legal trou-
bles ("Innocent until when?"
9/8/98) are not the reason
that he was barred from the
University? It seems just as
likely that the University sus-
*pended his acceptance based
on disciplinary problems he
had in high school.
According to The Detroit
News, his high school princi-
pal, Caryn Wells, has stated
that Granger was not permit-
ted to walk through his grad-
uation ceremonies or give a
graduation speech because he
allegedly sexually harassed a
number of his schoolmates.
Isn't it possible that the
University reconsidered its
offer of admission to Granger
after these incidents came to
light? I suspect that this
would certainly be grounds
for an admissions review, and
on-campus behavior is defi-
nitely something that the
University should consider in
its admissions decisions. In
its zeal to defend Granger,

thing again ., A 
And why do we 1'1'1 o 1
keep pissing off
Osama bin Laden?"
Now, I don't claim to have ESP like
the mystic Dionne Warwick. Instead,
my uncanny insight into all your most
intimate fears comes from personally
surviving a decade and a half of fall
semesters. I've come to realize that its
always the same seasonal dread that
grips we academic mutants every
September: We have no idea what to
expect. Standing blind at the brink of a
new chapter of our lives, we are pre-
dictably gripped by trepidation.
But, as I see it, there is no real reason
to fear the events of the year ahead for
the future is more or less predictable. In
case you haven't noticed by now, histo-
ry progresses in cycles, constantly
replaying past events in new and per-
verted forms. The future will merely be
the aftermath of past events. Nothing
should come as too much of a surprise.
So, in my endless concern for the
psychological welfare of all anxious
Wolverines, I have compiled here my
predictions for the school year ahead:
The Student's Guide to the 1998-1999
Academic Year. Be sure to toss this one
in -your planner. It's everything you'll@
need for a year free of surprises. Just
think of me as your very own Psychic
Friend.
F Sept. 22 - "White House, Dirty
Blouse: The Monica Lewinsky Story"
airs on Cinemax.
Sept. 26 - After being overpow-
ered at last year's Rose Bowl-ticket-
clench ing Ohio State football game,
DPS vows not to be defeated again
when it enlists the services of Angela
Bassett to fortify its security force at the
Michigan State game.
Sept. 29 - Following the trend of
Propositions 227 and 209, California
voters pass Proposition 336, making it
illegal to be a minority or non-English
speaking person within the state of
California.
Nov. 7 - Bowing to pressure from
students to keep the University's image
on the cutting edge, the marching band
debuts Puff Daddy's "Hail to the Victors
(Bad Boy remix)" featuring Ma$e, and
Lil' Kim at the Penn State game.
Nov. 12 - Controversy ensues
when Bill Clinton signs a $3.7 million
endorsement deal with Phillip-Morris to
promote thestobacco giant's new line of
ribbed cigars.
Dec. 4 - Jessica Curtin becomes
the first student to sit on the University
Board of Regents.
Jan. 7 - Owing largely to new,
information revealed during testimony
in the Monica Lewinsky trial, the Paula
Jones suit returns to court.
C Jan. 8 - Commander-in-Chief
Clinton orders the bombing of suspect-
ed sites of terrorist activity in the rebel
territory of Quebec.
Feb.22- In an attempt to increase
consumer base and boost market share,
Pfizer, Inc. expands its product line by
introducing Viagra Gel-Caps, Viagra@'
Extended Relief Caplets, and the con-
troversial Viagra Patch.
Mar. 8 - After managing to stay
financially afloat through the turbulent
I990s, Dow Corning is finally forced
into bankruptcy when Janet Jackson
files suit for $100 million in damages.
Mar. 19 - An unprecedented 73
percent of the student body votes in this
year's MSA elections. The sharp rise
comes after MSA officials; in a bit of
election-time ingenuity, set up online
voting terminals at frat parties cam-
puswide.
Mar. 22 - James Cameron's new
epic film "Mayflower" starring Fred
Savage fails to sweep this year's
Academy Awards.
Mar. 27 - Newly inaugurated

governor Geoffrey Fieger admits in a
nationally televised interview that there
isn't, nor has there ever been, any Dr.#
Jack Kevorkian.W
Apr. 8 - The University Board of
Regents approves a 4.7-percent tuition
increase for the 1999-2000 school year.
Acknowledging the exorbitant cost, of a
Michigan education, Office of Financial
Aid officials unveil on the same day a