4 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, October 27, 1998 ~fje idigrn ul 420 Maynard Street Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Edited and managed by Eti e students at the JACK SCHILLACI University of Michigan Editorial Page Editor 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 Vote Smfth Incumbent is well qualified for second term 'It was an eyesore and a reminder of how a city failed.' - Detroit resident Harold Varner on why he was happy to see the demolition of the Hudson's building on Saturday T HOMAS KULJURGIaS .T ^N r V Y E Y IFA. SE1TNG CLXKSB.K TO SUMNPA TIME-. 12 EVERY ?R(XMATINATOZS PAM. : In the state senatorial race this year, incumbent Alma Wheeler Smith should feel very comfortable about her plans for another term. With her experi- ence and superior ideas, Smith should have no difficulty in representing Michigan's 18th senatorial district for a second term. Her opponent is Republican John Hochstetler, who is underqualified for the job, to say the least. Not very clear on the issues, Hochstetler spent a great deal of time during his endorsement interview with The Michigan Daily dis- cussing the corrections sys- tem. Considering the fact that he would be represent- ing a district containing two Smith of the state's large public universities, knowl- edge about funding for higher education would seem to be almost a prerequisite. But even when asked about the topic directly, Hochstetler dodged the issue and began talk- ing about fairness in prison sentences again. He is very much opposed to affirmative action and would not support the University in fac- ing the two lawsuits challenging the use of race as a factor in admissions. Furthermore, on the issue of K-12 educa- tion, he is in favor of schools competing against each other - the underlying philos- ophy behind the state's problematic "schools of choice" program - and believes that teachers should be held responsible for the current state of many districts. Running once again on the Democratic ticket, Smith is much more pulled together in her philosophies and preparations for how to represent the district in the state Senate. A member of the Senate's appropriations com- mittee, Smith would continue to support the University financially. In an endorsement interview with The Michigan Daily, she expressed outrage that the corrections sys- tem budget almost equals that of education and would do what she could to change that in her next term. This would be accom- plished by rehabilitating some non-violent offenders through drug and mental health treatment, saving a good portion of what is now spent on prisons. Smith is also very con- cerned about the environment and would focus on clean up and prevention. Smith has many positive and thoughtful ideas concerning education. While she would like to put much of the prison money into Michigan's numerous public universities, she is concerned that most of it will soon be taken away by the passage of Engler's income tax reductions of $2.6 billion. She said that she felt the state should "step up to the plate" in regard to education funding as she noted that the state's charter school program allows pri- vate schools access to state dollars without changing their clientele. Smith wishes to raise the standards of public education through more funding and a set core curriculum. Smith already has a good relationship with the administration and wishes to foster new communications with students through e-mail networks and "voice yourself" advertisements in student publications. Although Hochstetler does have a pret- ty neat Petoskey stone pin shaped like Michigan that he has been wearing throughout his campaign, that's about the only thing he has going for him. Smith is intelligent, creative, driven and will do an excellent job in her next term. It may be some time before Hochstetler figures out the issues. Vote Alma Wheeler Smith for state senator. i WWRAT ON TV? oil A, mmolb., I t Lpy4 4 t r s LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Respect GSI contract should be agreed to before deadline T he structure of the University educa- tional community resembles a pyra- mid: students form the base, faculty forms the top and Graduate Student Instructors are in large part the mediators between the two groups. Without any of these three groups, the University's delicately balanced educational schedule comes crashing to a halt, as was demonstrated April 8 and 9, 1996. Due to a two-month delay in success- fully negotiating a new contract with the University, members of the Graduate Employees Organization staged a two-day walkout, effectively causing the educational gears of the University to grind to a halt. GSIs are too integral a part of the University to be treated with so little regard by University administrators. The University must ensure that when the cur- rent contract with GEO expires on February 1, there is a new, mutually beneficial con- tract to take its place. GSIs are a vital part of the University's teaching process. It is impossible, for obvious financial reasons, to procure professors to teach every undergraduate class and section. Yet it is vital to offer undergraduates small discussions to facilitate learning. The solution is provided, most often very effectively, by hard-working GSIs. It is GSIs who enable underclass students to adapt to the college learning environment through small classes and who make the large lectures of a student's first year much more personal and worth- while. The University cannot maintain the stellar reputation of which it boasts without the services of GSIs. The University has a responsibility to recognize the integral role the members of GEO play in the education of undergradu- ates. and should behave accordingly in the upcoming negotiations with GEO. Graduate Student Instructors require decent working conditions and wages, and should be grant- ed such. The University should be reason- able in its negotiations and recompense GSIs as they deserve. Additionally, the University should not expect its GSIs to work for two months without a contract, as it did last semester, but should make a con- certed effort to reach an agreement with GEO before the Feb. 1 deadline. But should the University and GEO prove unable to reach an agreement within an acceptable and reasonable deadline, GEO should protect the rights of GSIs and consider walking out in order to remind the University of the importance of GSIs in the University system. Of course, walking out is an extreme measure, and should be used only in the most extreme of circumstances. Such a drastic measure should remain only to be enacted under such a dire situation as occurred in 1996. But if this sort of difficulty occurs, stu- dents and faculty both have an obligation to the GSIs to recognize their impact on the University and support their cause. The University would be unable to function as a premier institution without its world-class Graduate Student Instructors, and the administration must be able to offer a reasonable contract in order to attract and retain high-quality graduate students for its programs. Without GSIs, undergraduate courses would be enormous and impersonal, and faculty workloads would drastically increase. The University would grind to a halt. Students, faculty and, most important, the University administration need to recognize this fact as the University and GEO negotiate for a new contract. Proposal . would save natural beauty To THE DAILY: One of the great "extras" students at the University receive is the chance to be a part of a very special com- munity, the beautiful Ann Arbor and surrounding Washtenaw County. We are blessed with natural areas in which we may hike and bike, as well as clean waters in which we can canoe or sim- ply enjoy as we walk beside them. And what a joy it is to purchase fresh produce on a Saturday morning at the Farmers' Market. To preserve this commu- nity's natural beauty and farms, we need to vote "yes on Proposal 1. Proposal I is a ten-year initiative to slow relentless and haphazard development in Washtenaw County. The funds raised from the propos- al will be used to save farm- lands, protect open spaces and redevelop urban areas. Don't be fooled by the opposition, the so-called "Washtenaw Citizens for Responsible Growth" This special-interest group is real- ly a front for those irrespon- sible speculators who would like Washtenaw County to look like another faceless suburban zone. A quick look at their supporters and finan- cial backers reveals that they aren't a citizens' group at all, and they're certainly not for "responsible" growth. They advocate business as usual- the same kind of approach that causes Washtenaw County to lose an amount of open space and farmland equal to the size of Ann Arbor every four years. I, for one, am greatly sad- dened and angered at the prospect of Washtenaw County losing its unique character. If you want to save some of the natural beauty that makes this community such a great place to live, please join me in voting "yes" on Proposal 1. JENNIFER MOORE SCHOOL OF MUSIC Tolerance is in short supply To THE DAILY: I could not help but notice the striking similarity between the agonizingly slow current gay and lesbian movement and that of African Americans - and Asian Americans, for that matter - in the 1950s. A question I often ask myself is: Why is the United States .marec;- e -u elw au "White normative identity," that is). Why must we focus on, for instance, two women lov- ing each other- oh, the audacity of it all - instead of the chilling pattern of drink- ing-related tragedies or stag- nant race relations or health- care or class conflicts ... Is there anyone else out there who believes that after thousands of years of evolu- tion, homo sapiens should be able to think just a tad less primitively? I certainly do not hate something because it is different - quite the con- trary. When will the cycle of stereotypes handed down through generations be bro- ken? I am waiting around for a second and more relevant period of enlightenment. Just what homophobes are afraid of remains a mind- boggling mystery to me, since it is more than obvious that American tolerance, maturity and human decency is going nowhere fast. MICHELLE WILLIAMS LSA SENIOR RHA worked to improve movie channel To THE DAILY: Over the past few weeks, many a-mails have been sent to the Residence Halls Association (rha@umich.edu) consisting of questions, com- plaints and suggestions about the RHA-sponsored movie channel. After meeting with Michael Clancy, the coordina- tor of Housing Broadcasting, I am happy and excited to say- that these problems were mere- ly technical and have been attended to. In response to the Oct. 16 letter about the movie channel ("RHA movie channel has glitches"), a few things will happen in order to ensure qual- ity productions. Surveys will be put out at the beginning of next month with a list of new releases from SWANK, our movie supplier, and will be used when determining the selections for the month. The quality of the tapes will, and has been, checked in advance in order to give you the best quality movies. Be aware though, that two-part movies, like "Titanic," do have 10 to 30 seconds of dead air in between tapes, as they are playing from different VCRs. We agree that a "half-rate production" is unsatisfactory and are taking every measure necessary in order to make the movie channel the best it can possibly be. We, as an organi- zation that represents the 8,000 students living in the residence halls on campus, are ecstatic that neole are voicing their Daily's coverage is unbalanced To THE DAILY: Reporting the news is a tight-rope walk the Daily has done well. In approxi- mately 107 issues in 1998. the Daily's coverage of vari- ous ethnic and cultural groups on campus has, fair- ly, steered clear of sensa- tional stories about extrem- ists somewhere else in the country and instead focused on positive efforts by local groups. While a few extremist environmental groups nation- wide perpetrate violent acts, the Daily fairly focused seven articles on peaceful educa- tional efforts launched by campus environmental groups. The Daily fairly notes events organized by campus African American organiza- tions in 14 articles. There have been eight articles on gay and lesbian efforts against discrimination. There have been four arti- cles pertaining to Hispanic activities, four describing efforts by the Native American community to educate others, 10 on Asian Organization activities. Therefore, it was with some surprise that I noted the Daily featuring the arti- cle "Kansas church to pick- et Shepard funeral," in its Oct. 15 issue. It seemed a bit odd that the paper should devote as much cov- erage to the intolerance of one church acting in com- plete opposition to the most fundamental teachings of the faith as the vast majori- ty of Christians understand it (example: Mark 12:28-33; John 8:1-8; Luke 6:27-38). This year, the Daily has run four other articles (not counting two combining Jewish and Christian per- spectives on Easter/Passover), of which one was a history exhibit about the Bible ("Exhibit traces the Bible's history with classic texts," 1/9/98), one was about extremist Christian support for Prime Minister Netanyahu's uncompromising stand in peace negotiations ("Netanyahu proposal may not be enough," 1/21/98) and one was the front-page article in the Oct. 15 issue portraying student indiffer- ent or negative student reac- tion to the Diag preachers ("The profession of preach- ing"). The last of the four arti- cles highlighted a Good Friday rally launched by Christian groups cam- puswide to dispel the notion that Christians are all intol- erant, self-righteous people ("A spiritual renewal," Women really do have it all I n light of the recent National Days of Action, much needed attention has been brought to issues of discrimina- tion, unfairness and ignorance. The nationwide student activism surround- ing these events - both the National Days of Action and the National Young Women's Day of Action - was almos akin to the fervent protests and rallies o the '60s. And while the ideologies behind these protests are impor tant, timely, worth- while and neces- sary, the NYWDA stood out as a little over-the-top. While statements demand- ing equality and justice were spo- SAR ken, statements LOCKYER regarding the social," A stereotypes of I.I. women were also delivered. Although I have no problems with other women calling for fairness or equal rights, I get a little antsy when someone tells me from the steps of Angell Hall to stop drinking Diet Coke simply because it is a stereotypically feminine drink. Yes, we deserve equal pay for equal work. Yes, we should be judged on our merits rather than our looks. Yes, we should have completely equal opporfu- nities in every aspect of life. Infact, these basic demands are what every minority group calls for - and women are decades ahead. So while calling for choice and independence, it seems a little ironic that I'm not allowed to choose to drink Diet Coke. Thi. example might seem a little ridiculous, but it almost perfectly exemplifies what. turns some women off from certn aspects of women's movements -those involved want every woman to be liber- ated, but only on their terms. It makes no sense to me why a woman be strong, independent and empowered but not be allowed to still drink Diet Coke? So to claim just one day -- Oct. 22 -adyfralwmnt eert hi as a day for al woen to ceerate22ei femininity and demand equality, while symbolically a great idea, maybe misses the mark. To really celebrate woman- hood, we should be looking at the every- day affairs and revel in the fact that we're women. Equality does not neces- sarily have to cancel out differences. We, as women, have so much to cele- brate and be thankful for; we have so many little perks of being a woman. In many ways, we even have it better tha men. (I chose just three categories tha seem extremely pertinent to college life.) Education: We can study engineering or med- icine and English or history. In the for- mer, we are pioneering women, ready to break down the stereotypes of alleged" difficulties in math and science. In the later case, we are students ready to pro- vide a gendered perspective to male dominated fields. Either way we are' special. Men, on the other hand, are- engineering geeks and control-freaked pre-med students or overly sensitive Shakespearean gurus and LSA slackers. Stereotypes work both ways. We can get away with so much more than men. Professors and graduate student instructors are more likely to believe an excuse from a tearing woman than a bumbling guy who is too proud to cry. Even more, we can use excuses i the sphere of "womanly problems" or "personal issues" while man really can't - claim the same. See ladies, there are some perks to being a woman. Social: We can get into a bar quicker than any man can say "I swear I'm really 21!" With a seductive smile and a sexy glance (a tight shirt also never hurt) we can glide through the doors, and usually for free. Further, when in the bar, we can get quick service, free drinks and a seat, usually with the same above-stated tactics. On a Saturday night we can dress however we see fit. We can dress up in black skirts, tube tops and stilettos for absolutely no reason except to be fun, trendy and sexy. On the flip side, we can dress down and be cool, comfortable and down to earth. Could you ever see a guy wearing a suit to the bar, just because, and not get'laughed out of tho bar? Ladies, there's no denying we have it all. Sex: We can do anything we want, whenever we want to. If we feel like try- ing something new, do you think our' partner(s) would object? Unlike men, we don't have to be concerned about whether they'll be "freaked out" or be "insulted" - chances are, they'll like it We have a ridiculously long list o' perfectly respectable excuses. We can say that we're tired or we can claim it's that time of the month and our boyfriends, or significant others, have to respect it with no questions asked. Ladies, in this field we really hold the tn,,n cad ' aci ; innl And