4 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, January 20, 1999 ate 3iitjau tu1g 420 Maynard Street Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Edited and managed by w students at the.: University of Michigan Unless otherwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the All other articles, letters and cartoons do not nece FROM THE DAILY Major imp : Faculty should adopt s a leader in the world of higher educa- tion, it seems the University has fallen somewhat behind other schools by not estab- lishing a formal minor program. But the College of Literature, Science and the Arts's Task Force on Academic Minors and the LSA Curriculum Committee are working to put the University back on track with the development of a structured minor program. The program, which would require about half the credits necessary for a major, would give students the opportunity to broaden their in-depth studies while fulfilling often trou- bling distribution requirements. The program would give students the incentive to elect required courses of interest rather than suffer- ing through those they dislike. Under this pro- gram, classes that are part of a minor program also may be applied to a distribution plan. As a result of the lack of a minor pro- gram, many students have opted to double major, which can prove to be both costly and restrictive, as they are forced to take all the required courses within their respective majors, leaving little opportunity for explo- ration of other fields. The whole idea behind obtaining a liberal arts education is lost in the frenzy of completing requirements. Recognition of the completion of one or more minors would appear on students' tran- scripts, but not on their diplomas. While they are taking a structured program of courses, they are not earning a degree in those fields, just in their concentrations. While students n Medical il Schools should not os R]ecently, the Poudre School District in Colorado unanimously approved a new policy that could bar students with HIV and AIDS from participating in school sports. The approved legislation will require a com- mittee of parents, school ddministrators and health professionals to determine whether an infected student should be allowed to play. When the first individuals contracted the HIV virus, society's response was unjust and based on fear and ignorance. People suffering from the virus or AIDS were subject to dis- crimination, banishment from society and other forms of injustice. This policy is based on a lack of education and fear, and is a step in the wrong direction. As the world has generally come to the realization that AIDS is not just a gay per- son's disease, education about the illness and how to prevent its contraction has grown dra- matically. With this step in the right direction have come subsequent stumbles in the wrong direction. School boards across the nation have grappled with the issue and its proper education. Many school districts have decid- ed that dispersing free condoms is essential. At the same time, several school districts have decided against such a measure due to fears that free condoms would lead to increased sexual activity among teens. To this date, no cure or vaccine has been discovered for the virus or the disease, so education remains the most effective route. At the heart of educational programs lie thousands of school districts and their individual prescrip- tions to counter the spread of the disease. The school district plans to identify infected students through voluntary submis- sion of such information by each individual. Under this new policy, high school students must be willing to submit their HIV status LAURIE MAYK Editor in Chief JACK SCHILLACI Editorial Page Editor opinion of the majority of the Daily's editorial board. ssarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily. rovement LSA minor program should receive a notation on their diploma for all work done, graduate schools and prospective employers look at the transcript and not the diploma when making their deci- sions - making the problem minor. The details of the proposal, currently not in their final form, must be discussed and reviewed by the LSA Task Force and the LSA Curriculum Committee before being present- ed to the faculty Senate Assembly. There will be no discussion at that time. A month later, the faculty will discuss the proposal and make necessary changes to the, faculty code. The final vote is expected to take place in March. At that time, applications for departments to develop structured minor programs will be drafted and sent out to each department. The plan is still in the process of review, and the task force hopes to be approved completely by the end of the semester. The absence of a minor program has put the University behind other prestigious schools. As a pioneer and role model in aca- demics, there is no excuse for the University to fall behind in the field of course curricu- lum for students. The implementation of a minor program will be a positive addition to every facet of the University. As proven by a ballot question in the last Michigan Student Assembly election, students have shown sup- port for the program. Students, faculty and administrators should be commended and supported in their continued efforts to improve the University. ~iorance tracize based on HIV and could be shut out from extra-curricular activities because of it. Medical professionals have determined that the disease cannot be spread through the mixing of sweat or saliva. Second, rules already in place dictate that in all high school sporting events, anyone who has an open cut must step off the playing field and get it cleaned and covered up. It is extremely unlikely that athletes could con- tract the disease during sporting events. These two reasons alone make it safe enough for all students to participate in school sports. Another flaw with this policy is its belief that students will get tested in the first place, and then come forward with the results if they are found to be positive. Ideally, students should get tested, especially if they are sexually active or engage in other risky behavior, but they have no obligation to violate their own rights to privacy in order to participate in school activities. Policies like this open a door to an arena of regulation that is not and should not be acceptable in American society. If this policy is not deemed unconstitutional, it would be difficult to stop other schools from instituting a mandatory testing policy or for health insurance providers to not provide coverage to people with AIDS. Ultimately, this regula- tion will lead us back down a path of system- atic exclusion based on fear and intolerance. There is no argument against just regulations based on sound medical advice that is designed to prevent the spread of the disease. But what took place in this Colorado town was not just, and it certainly was not based on medical evidence. Whenever the decision is challenged, it should be stricken down with a firm statement against attempts to restrict infected people's rights without substantial medical proof. MLK Day events were well-organized TO THE DAILY: The events surrounding the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday brought so many programs, panels, lectures and performances that were filled with such dedication, such passion and such con- viction that it is difficult not to be moved. Whether moved to action, moved with anger, or moved to tears the 1999 MLK celebration reminds us of not only the challenges, but also of the progresses and celebrations we must consid- er in striving for a fair, just and diverse world. I com- mend and thank all of those who worked so hard to put on such amazing programs, from Saturday's Encompass: Many in One performance that showed us that cultural diver- sity truly "encompasses" us at the University, to the call for improvement in urban education so well articulated in a School of Education- sponsored panel, to an after- noon of community service, we learn that we can, and must, all play a role in cele- brating diversity and working for justice. To those who used the day without classes as an excuse for an extended week- end - to catch up on school- work put off during the days before. I say that we all have work, but we must realize that some of the most impor- tant work, that which we put off most other days of the year, has yet to be completed. If we cannot all work on the issues of diversity, equality and justice on the one day set aside for it, there is little hope for change and action in the other 364 days of the year. On the verge of a new millennium, we all must stand. AMANDA EDMONDS SNRE JUNIOR Davis's plan would not be effective TO THE DAILY: California Gov. Gray Davis's plan to admit the top four percent of all high school graduates into the University of California sys- tem will reduce the pressure on California's failing public schools to reform and instead will create an incentive for parents to send their children to sub-par schools in the hope of securing them a place in the system. Thus, in the same breath as Davis claims to want to hold schools and teachers more accountale for ad nerfor- tem is to prepare them in grade school and high school. Davis should stop placating teachers' unions and actually try to improve schools by making it easier to fire bad teachers. Then there would be no need for these silly admis- sions rules designed to pack the system with unqualified students, CONRAD DEWITTE LSA SENIOR Flynt is justified in investigating Congress TO THE DAILY: I disagree with the con- clusion of the Daily's editori- al ("Sad state of affairs," 1/14/99) that "Flynt must keep his interest in prurient issues out of the nation's capitol." Flynt's scandal prob- ing is a natural extension of the sad state of affairs with our laws and legislators. It is our nation's policy and prac- tice to restrict, expose and punish private and personal behavior that is of no conse- quence to the matters of state. As offensive as this is in general, it is utterly repre- hensible that such action is used to achieve political gain through personal destruction. Although Flynt's behavior is disgusting, is it any worse than that of the Republicans? 'In order to awaken the University, it took the action of students.' -former University President James Duderstadt, in a speech Monday on the Michigan Mandate, policies he implemented to achieve diversity on campus ScOTT ROTHMAN SOMIEKNUCKLEHEADS L RT E COM E St 1' LET TERS TO THE EDITOR the college equivalent pro- vides. In most cases, the class- es are taught in a much smaller setting than their University equivalents and students have more opportunities to learn from and interact with teachers and fellow students. When these students arrive at the University, they get a report of which courses their AP credits take the place of. And although these courses, when taken at the University, can be used in a distribution plan, students who receive credit for them via AP tests are"barred from using them for distribution. So students who arrive on campus with AP credits find themselves with a lot of credits they can't really use, except to get them a little nearer to grad- uation - or to fulfill a prereq- uisite at best. And although these students may still be able to finish earlier than four years, they may still find them- selves having to take more than the required number of credits in order to fit in distrib- ution requirements, prerequi- sites and credits taken for the major. The University needs to allow students to use AP courses to fulfill distribution and other college requirements so that students are able to use their time at the University to focus on their studies. EMILY CLOYD LSA JUNIOR Suspension shows double Uncle Aldus' Noggin Nook and the origin of the species ve spent the last three years trying to figure out my fellow students. Why they do whatever it is they do, why they talk and act a certain w and what all of that might mean. I never thought about where they came from. Orif I did, it was superfi- cially - they're from New York, they're from subur- ban Detroit, etc. But that never did it for me. We have students from all over the coun- J AM try, every state of MILLER the union, from Mn o Seattle to Savannah. So if everyone hails from such different places, why is it that there seems to be about five or six different types of people on campus? Given the geo- graphic range, why is the campus get- ting so homogeneous? And then it occurred to me. My conclusions may be shocking. Some may call me revolutionary, radi- cum or a "deluded idiot." There are only one or two thousand actual human beings enrolled at the University. The rest are not human, not in the literal sense of that word. Behind the faceless doors in the basement of Angell Hall and the LSA building, behind the unremarkable offices in Mason Hall and the wildsO North Campus, there exists a secret project sponsored by the University. under the name "Office of Student Life." This phantom organization is not charged with assisting student life. It creates it. The heart of the project consists o seven or eight giant tanks hidden in buildings throughout campus. In these tanks there is a viscous solution formaldehyde, amino acids and ot@ chemicals of unknown origin. The tanks contain thousands of body parts - heads, torsos, legs and arms. Every morning before classes get started and even before the dorms begin their breakfast meal service, the machines spring into action. They cre- ate "The Student Bodies." Each machine spits out a head, torso,, legs and arms and assembles them to create a student, a completely new organ to fill a seat in Math 115. At the end the day, they return to the tanks from whence they cae to be disassembled and reconstituted back into the collec- tive. Crazy? Not remotely. Think about it. Have you ever noticed that most of the people in your lecture classes are the same every day, but there's some- thing a little off? It's because they are different everyday, they're just mad4 look the same. Why do you think most of yor classmatesare sotconfusedtand inert during class? Because during the last lecture his head was on a body in a completely different class. The body his backpack is attached to is in A Friars rehearsal on the other side of campus. Starting to make sense? In the old days, this system worked perfectly. In the days before women were allowed in the Michigan Uni there were no black or Latino studen s, no shade darker than a ski trip-induced cafe au lait. All the men looked like the Princeton football team and all the women looked like the Andrews Sisters. It was a pretty simple calcula- tion and the illusion of an actual stu- dent body was maintained. But the system hasstarted to break down. Enrollment has skyrocketed. There are black kids, brown kids, W girls with nose rings, alarmists from SAPAC, snotbag Republicans with their conservative paper yellowing unread in the kiosks, dirt eaters, dope smokers, coke freaks and earnest, shit- head poli. sci. majors. There are too many social groups to duplicate in order to maintain the illusion that all the students are real people with par- ents and self-awareness. The machine can no longer keep with the demand for credible, belie able, assembled bodies. It is starting to make mistakes. A ~Rage Against the Machine" torso with Tommy Hilfiger legs. A female head with a nappy little Sarah MacLaughlin haircut stuck a big, tubby body. Or worse yet, Eryka Badu arms with the silver bands attached a torso wrapped in a "Porn Star" T-shirt. We have a hairy, orthodox femit body with a Madonna fan's head on We have an acne covered head with braces on its teeth attachedeto what looks like a member of Wu-Tang Clan. We have MBA students in tie dye. It's unholy. The machine has too many parts to WILLIAM WALSH standard RACKHAM Daily must not glamorize drinking TO THE DAILY: I think most of us would agree that alcohol abuse on campus is a growing concern. But did anyone notice a strange combination of arti- cles on Jan. 6? On page 1, there was an article about a student who died in a car accident with a clear infer- ence that the accident was alcohol related ("U' student dies in car accident"). On page 3, there was a picture of a student at commencement chugging from a champagne bottle. Such merriment. Must the Daily continue to glamor- ize such behavior? ALBERT SAYED MEDICAL SCHOOL 'U' should include AP in distribution TO THE DAILY: TO THE DAILY: When I read of the recent suspension of two Michigan football players ("2 M' football players sus- pended from team" 1/14/99), 1 was disgusted with the disparate actions of Michigan football Coach Lloyd Carrand the Athletic Department. Jason Brooks, one of the two men suspended from the team for his "alleged involvement in a fight out- side the Sigma Chi fraterni- ty house," was recently inadequately disciplined using the University's Code of Student Conduct for sex- ually assaulting a woman on campus. Brooks admitted to com- mitting sexual assault, yet he was in no way punished by the football team or Athletic Department. Carr and the Athletic Department affirm the notion that men have a right to assault women through their actions in disciplining Brooks. In suspending Brooks for his recent altercation while choosing not to sus- pend him or punish him in any way for his past sexual assault, the Athletic Department is making a clear statement about who they feel are imoortant - INTERIM DEAN, PATRICIA GURIN COLLEGE OF LITERATURE, SCIENCE AND ARTS 2522 LSA BUILDING ANN ARBOR, MI 48109 764-0322 .