4 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, September 29, 1998
tj SihianDai
There are always
420 Maynard Street
Ann Arbor, Mt 48109
Edited and managed by
students at the
University of Michigan
exceptions to
6
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 boani.
All other articles, letters and cartoons do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily.
FROM THE DAILY
Bills will deter agents from contacting players
41 et Those Agents Off My Campus"
-so states the title of one chapter in
the biography of former Michigan head foot-
ball coach Bo Schembechler. The football
coaching staff was probably thinking the same
thing on Saturday, as they went into a game
without senior co-captain Marcus Ray. Ray,
suspended upon allegations that he had
improper contact with a professional sports
agent, may miss the rest of the season pending
an investigation of the charges.
Problems stemming from relationships
between athletes and agents are nothing new'
in college sports. What is new are the positive
steps that the Michigan state Legislature is
taking to prevent such relationships from
occurring in the future.
This past Thursday, the state House of
Representatives passed two bills which, in
addition to a third bill passed last May, would
help curb illegal contact between agents and
student athletes. The new bills, sponsored by
Rep. Kirk Profit (D-Ypsilanti), hold agents
partially responsible for improper contact
with student athletes. In addition, the bills
would allow universities to declare agents
trespassers on campus as well as pursue liti-
gation against them. The bills are expected to
pass in the state Senate and receive the
endorsement of Gov. John Engler. Breaking
any of the rules in the bills could result in a
$50,000 fine and up to one year in jail.
These bills are both beneficial - and are
overdue. Agents need to be punished as well as
athletes for inappropriate relationships. While
agents conduct their business within the
NCAA, NCAA rules and regulations do not
apply to them. Without legal deterrents, agents
can initiate contact that they know will put the
student athlete in violation of NCAA rules
without rebuke.
Though agents are not necessarily the
instigators of this contact, they are certainly
part of the relationship. If an 18-year-old stu-
dent athlete can be expected to abide by the
rules, certainly a professional sports agent
should have to abide by them as well.
Furthermore, despite the lengthy lectures
student athletes endure in an attempt to edu-
cate them on the dangers of associating with
agents, nothing can prepare them for a profit-
seeking professional agent. Under the current
rules, agents can perpetually harass athletes
without fear of legal repercussions. These new
bills would help end such harassment.
Some may have the idea that contact
with sports agents does not harm student
athletes. Penn State's Curtis Enis, who lost
his eligibility for this season when he
accepted a suit from an agent last
December, now starts for the Chicago
Bears. While he may be better off, many
student athletes do not have the superstar
status that equates to a top-five draft pick.
For example, Marcus Ray - who many
considered to have pro potential - could
have improved his standing in the draft had
he performed well on the field this season.
But with an inactive season, he may be
passed over in next year's draft.
These bills, however, are not meant to shift
the blame from the students to the agents.
Ultimately, the student athlete is responsible
for any illegal contact with an agent. No mat-
ter how many times an agent calls or how
many gifts he may offer, no one can force the
student to submit to or participate in any con-
versation.
What these new bills help to do is distrib-
ute the blame more equitably. By casting the
fear of legal consequences on both parties
involved, these new bills may help mitigate
the frequency of illegal contact between stu-
dent athletes and agents in the future.
'We have waited 16 years for this.'
- Gerhard Schroeder, after defeating German Chancellor Helmut Kohl,
the longest serving political leader in Europe, in elections held last Sunday
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
every
rule, even
Uisted names
State laws persecute HIV carriers
Although each year the medical commu-
nity obtains more useful information on
the HIV virus, the approach some legislators
have adopted regarding the AIDS epidemic is
increasingly counterproductive. Twenty-nine
states already consider it a crime to knowing-
ly transmit the HIV virus to a partner, and
now certain state legislatures are imposing
arsh regulations on carriers of the lethal
irus. The public's knowledge about HIV and
S has declined in past years, and instead
f educating the public, officials are imple-
enting outdated strategies that will intensify
e social stigmas attached to HIV
The New York state Legislature passed a
aw this June mandating that doctors report a
ist of HIV-positive people so officials can
orm partners of possible exposure. While
the purpose of this law - to protect the part-
iers of HIV carriers - seems fairly benign,
this new statute violates the rights of HIV-
positive citizens. The law targets a group of
people who already face discrimination in
many other social arenas by making impor-
tant private information available to others.
This law stirs up memories of past when the
government exposed socially stigmatized
groups during the communist witchhunts of
the McCarthy era. It is also reminiscent of
past attempts by the government to stockpile
personal information, such as the compila-
tion of DNA evidence by the state of
Michigan following the Ann Arbor serial
rapist case -- a situation that had to be reme-
lied by a lawsuit.
The knowledge that average citizens have
about HIV and AIDS has declined during the
1990s, a clear sign that the government and
schools are not doing enough to educate the
public. In a poll reported on Friday by The
New York Times, 55 percent of Americans
thought that they could become infected by
sharing a drinking glass with an infected per-
son in 1997, compared with 48 percent in
1991. If more people were informed in 1991
than in 1997, something terribly wrong has
occurred. Education has been and will always
be the key to combating the HIV virus. The
best weapons against AIDS include safe sex
education, free distribution of condoms in
schools and needles for intra-venous drug
users.
Although testing for the HIV virus has
become more accessible in the past few years,
the new statute in New York may instill fear in
people who want to have testing done.
Because doctors are required to report all
names of HIV-positive patients, those who
would consider taking a test might decide that
it's not worth being stigmatized to have the
testing in the first place.
In the same way that the death penalty
does not deter crime when there is little
chance of being caught, these punitive laws
in 29 states will not deter transmission of
the HIV virus. First, there is no type of sex
police attempting to track down criminals
who pass on the virus, making it hard to
pinpoint illegal actions. Second, people
who knowingly transmit the virus with a
malicious intent are not worried about fac-
ing prison when they themselves have a dis-
ease that can be fatal.
Punishing those who maliciously infect
others with the HIV virus might not be so far
fetched in certain cases. But focusing the gov-
ernment's time, energy and resources on rep-
rimanding people who already have HIV and
AIDS is not the cure for the epidemic. Only
through a massive educational campaign will
the tide turn on a disease that has affected mil-
lions of lives around the world.
U should be
sensitive to
other
religions
To THE DAILY:
Congratulations, (or
should I say, Mazel Tov?), to
the university that would be a
model for the working world
and give its students the abil-
ity to observe their own reli-
gions without subtle penalty.
I believe the working
world is slowly coming to
grips with its substituents'
needs for personal time, for
family leave, for childcare,
eldercare and religion. By
relaxing the work week to
include more part-time and
flexible hours, the working
world has adjusted to be
more user friendly.
I believe the University
could do the same and be
more accessible to those who
have commitments other than
just school and the standard
religion. Given the current
cost of education, the
University will likely be
forced to move in the same
direction as the working
world.
VICKI HELER
UNIVERSITY ALUMNA
Book sale
needs new
guidelines
To THE DAILY:
This past Friday, the
undergraduate library held its
semi-annual book sale. For
those of you not familiar with
the scene, let me describe the
first few minutes of the
event. (Yes, like the Big Bang
those are the most important
ones)
At 10 a.m., when I arrived
at the library, there were
about 20 to 30 people lined
up waiting for the sale to
begin. When the gates
opened, the carnage began
and by the time I got to the
section I was interested in,
which was no more than one
minute into the sale, almost
all the relevant books (and
there were lots of them) were
already gone!
If they were giving away
free tickets to a football
game, then you wouldn't be
so surprised at the level of
aggression, but these were
supposed to be students
shopping for, of all things,
books.
The explanation is that
the aggression did not come
at all from the students but
rather from a few profession-
al book sellers who were
grabbing whole piles of
books, stacks of 20 or maybe
30, and putting them away
into boxes which they have
strategically located in the
room. After grabbing as
much a the v nld - and
What I am suggesting is
one possible solution: Why
not restrict the number of
books per purchase to five?
This way, while they wait in
line to pay, which might take
a little while, others will have
a chance to benefit from the
sale too.
And keep those boxes
out!
JONATHAN KORMAN
RACKHAM
Notable
Quotable
contained
bad grammar
TO THE DAILY:
I was rather perplexed
on Thursday as I read
through the Daily and found
a Notable Quotable credited
to Democratic gubernatorial
candidate Geoffrey Fieger
(9/24/98). It read, "Where is
it in the Constitution where
we gave away our bodies
away to the government?"
Exactly what does this
quote mean? Is he for or
against assisted suicide (I
assume he is trying to state
that he opposes it)? More
importantly, can't he afford
better speech writers? I
have to admit that I am far
from an English major (in
fact, English is not even my
native tongue), but the
grammatical ineptitude of
this statement should be
obvious to anybody.
Far be it from me to
judge a gubernatorial candi-
date by their handling of the
English language, but I
seem to recall a certain vice
president a few years ago,
Dan Quayle, I think was his
name, getting a lot of flack
over misspelling potato (in
fact, he was merely reading
from a flash card in which
the answer had been mis-
spelled, thus demonstrating
impeccable reading skills).
In any case, this state-
ment makes either Fieger or
the Daily's staffers look bad,
amusing though it was to
read. Perhaps the Daily staff
meant this as a joke? Kudos
to it if it did!
ARMANDO BAYLO
RACKHAM
Students
should strive
for more
interaction
TO THE DAILY:
Michigan State University
students make jokes about
University of Michigan stu-
dents, and while most are
made out of jealousy, one
joke is more true than funny.
MSU students say U of
M student a rni and n
ing, so why the cold treat-
ment?
My fellow students, we
need to get over our inhibi-
tions of being friendly to our
peers. If everyone set a goal
of saying "hi" to five to 10
strangers a day, imagine how
much warmer and more invit-
ing this campus would be to
us all?
Secondly, college is sup-
posed to be a place where
people not only learn about
their careers, but also about
people and the diversity they
have to offer. That is what
sets us apart from the guy
who sits in his trailer, learn-
ing about society through
"The Jerry Springer Show."
Why do we students con-
centrate so much on finding
groups made solely for our
exact facet of society? Signs
up all over campus tell us to
join support groups for Jews,
Indians, Asians, African-
Americans, etc..., keeping us
confined to our own kind,
instead of going out there
and meeting people of differ-
ent races and ethnicities.
Why don't we spend less
time on supporting each
other from the effects of seg-
regation and more time on
forming a community of peo-
ple from every different
background imaginable?
This is a college town,
filled with intelligent, open-
minded people, so let's get
together and have a great
time learning about all of the
beautiful culture our world
has to offer. Have pride in
yourselves, have pride in our
college, and finally, have
pride in being given the privi-
lege of meeting an incredible
array of people from all over
the social spectrum.
For those who read this, I
hope you takes it to heart and
pass this message on for oth-
ers.
BEAU WARREN
LSA SENIOR
'Rush Hour'
review took
comedy too
seriously
To THE DAILY:
I am writing to ask if the
Daily reviewers reallygoes
and sees the movies that it
reviews after reading the
review of "Rush Hour"
("Chan's 'Rush' slows to a
halt," 9/21/98).
Can Daily Arts Writer
Matthew Barrett actually
say that he was expecting
Oscar material? To go to a
comedy and look into the
characters as though they
were a part of some dramat-
ic hit and not even take the
time to see the humor in
everything shows that
Barrett should stop wasting
his time writing reviews.
In regards to his com-
at the library
L et's face it; classes have begun -
not the do-nothing beginning of
three weeks ago but the real beginning.
Papers will be due, readings will be dis-
cussed and problem sets will be solved.
So needless to say,
time will have to be
spent actually
studying.
The University's
campus provides a
few places other LO
than the library to
get some work
done. Cava Java, for
instance, not only «K.,
allows you to buys SARA s
ridiculously over- LOCKYER
priced coffee but , nd .. c'lN
also offers primete t t don t
seating - a great
place to be seen in the newest, tightest
black pants, five-inch 'platforms and a
barely-there BeBe tank top or the male
equivalent: baggy jeans or khakis and a
plain white tee - sunglasses optional,
name brand mandatory.
Rendez-Vos offers a similaryatmos-
phere, although it's not as ridiculously
overpriced as Cava Java, and the cliental
is not as overly pretentious. But don't
plan on actually getting any work done
at either place. The soon-to-be-gone
warm weather and the constant flow of
people are way too distracting to focus
on something like statistics or econom-
ics. Eventually, we will all have to go to
the library.
The Shapiro Undergraduate Library-
the UGLi - is probably the only place
that will make you feel like you're being
productive while you're really getting
absolutely nothing done. But sometimes,
on very rare occasions, work does need to
be taken care of and an actual library
atmosphere needs to be facilitated. So,
here are some rules of the game.
Rule No.1 (this applies especially to
women): If you bump into friends when
entering the UGLi and circling the
floors before committing to a location,_
do not scream, shriek, squeak, wail,
gasp or even raise your voice above an
acceptable level. It really isn't that odd
that an acquatiance would be studying
at the largest library on Central Campus
at a highly selective university. It's like
bumping into someone at the bar;
everyone goes to the same one; after all,
we only have four. And yes, we all know
it's really exciting to find a friend but
please spare the rest of the library
patrons a "Saved by the Bell"-like
reunion.
Rule No.2 (again, this applies espe-
cially to women.): Do not, under any
circumstances, discuss the weekend. No
one needs to hear how, like, totally wast-
ed you were; how you, like, forgot how
you got home; how embarrassed you
were when, "Oh My God!" that hap-
pened, whathe said, what he did and
especially, how he did it.
It was a - weekend for everyone and
chances are everyone did the same
thing. There is no need to relive the
weekend in earshot of the general popu-
lous. Go find a friend (see Rule No. 1)
and have a cigarette outside, which
brings up the next issue.
Rule No. 3: Smoke outside. No, not
outside the first set of doors - really out-
side. Go stand in the cold and light your
Parliament Lights. You came to Michigan
voluntarily and you knew it was cold.
Don't make everyone else reek because
you think it's too cold to stand outside.
Rule No. 4: Speaking of reeking ... do
not ever remove your shoes - ever. No
library patron should be subject to the
sight or smell of a stranger's feet. If you
must remove your shoes for some odd
reason, do not walk around in bare feet.
Sure, everyone likes to feel comfortable
while studying, but the library is not your
dorm room, living room or bedroom.
Rule No. 5: Speaking of the bedroom
... keep the public displays of affection
to a minimum. Actually, just keep them
out all together. Everyone in the library
is really happy that you're so happy, but
no one needs to see a show ofjust exact-
ly how happy you are.
Rule No. 6 (this applies especially to
men): While checking e-mail at a com-
puter lab, or even at an express station,
do not speak to your friends unless you
are sitting or standing right next to each
other. Just because you can see your
friends over the computer monitor does
not give you the right to scream across
the room. And no, it does not matter if
Sammy Sosa just caught up with Mark
McGwire or if the Cubs just got the
wild-card spot.
Rule No. 7 (this is particularly for
underclassmen who feel the need to
travel to the library in groups of five or
more): When establishing a study area,
do not place a "girl's table" next to a
"guy's table." It's quite obvious that the
rest of the night will be spent getting up,
walking over to the respective hotties
and talking at an overly obnoxious
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