4 - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, January 28, 1999 420 Maynard Street L, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 LAURIE MAYK Edited and managed by Editor in Chief 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's editorial board. All other articles, letters and cartoons do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily FROM THE DAILY No need to hurry New admissions system benefits 'U' 'The lack of willingness to compromise is troublesome.' A s applications continue to pour into the University in record numbers, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions has made a change in its admissions procedure. Instead of a rolling process, under which applications were processed as they were received, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions will now process applications in four batches. The modified rolling admissions process should have a positive effect on the University. The modified process will allow the Office of Undergraduate Admissions to bet- ter estimate its number of applicants. Because the office will wait to process most applications, it will be able to see sudden surges in the applicant pool. In previous years, the University has experienced prob- lems that come with an incoming class that is too large. This modified admissions process should work to solve the problem of overcrowding in residence halls and class- rooms caused by excessive admissions. The new admissions process also is a fair process. In previous years, qualified students may have been denied admittance later in the year because spots had been filled with students who applied earlier. In the new process, applications for the incom- ing fall term are only processed four times throughout the year, as opposed to the rolling system under which applications were considered as they were submitted. Each of the four batches of applications should be roughly equal in student strength, giving all applicants an equal chance for admission. Thus, the real strength in the new admis- sions process is the eventual improvement of the quality of students admitted to the University. Qualified students applying late will now have an equal chance of being accepted. This should strengthen the stu- dent body, and in turn enhance the academ- ic reputation of the University. The University should be careful as the new admissions process could also be a threat to the quality of the student body. Qualified high school students may become frustrated with the slower admissions process and increased number of deferals. Their frustration could lead them to accept admissions offers at other schools. Therefore, although most applications won't be processed immediately, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions must stick to its schedule. Any further delay in response time could lead to qualified students being lost to other schools. With about 21,000 applications expected this year for a first-year class of 5,200, the new admissions process will serve to pre- vent overcrowding and enhance the overall quality of the students accepted to the University. But with responses taking longer than their previous four to six weeks, the University must be careful not to scare off the students it seeks to attract. - Graduate Employees Organization member Chip Smith, on the contract negotiations between GEO and the University THOMAS KULJURGIS TENTATI VEL Y SPEA K NG GON~G OW RITALUM. 'uC 15 G- THE FUTURE Of ACCEPTABLE PARENT W IN AMER\CA LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Countdown 2000 Census must have better accuracy illions of people may not be counted in the 2000 Census that will be used to determine the official population of the country and divide Congressional seats among the states. In a 5-4 vote on Wednesday, the Supreme Court rejected a plan by the Census Bureau to count at least 90 percent of households in every census district and then estimate from a segment of those counted the characteristics and popu- lation of the entire district. In the wake of this decision, Democrats and Republicans must seek new ways to obtain an accurate count. The Census Bureau's plan would have replaced the traditional and less accurate head counting method with techniques sim- ilar to those used by public opinion poll- sters. The new plan would likely have accounted for poor people and minorities who are often missed under the current sys- tem. Since statistical sampling was pro- posed, a spirited debate has ensued on Capitol Hill because groups who tend to vote Democratic could become more prominent in the nation's official popula- tion estimate. The political ramifications of the decision are immense. In California, statistical sam- pling could add thousands of individuals who are often passed over in federal census- es. Suburban congressional districts could be redrawn to stretch into urban areas where support for Republicans is often slim. While the Court's decision perpetuates a grave injustice, it cannot be faulted for a decision based on years of precedent and fair if not predictable interpretation of the Constitution. The, Court's majority opinion cited federal policies and laws that explicit- ly ban the use of statistical sampling to determine how congressional seats will be apportioned. But the politicization of the unfairness inherent in the current methods of census taking required by law is repre- hensible. Any law or policy that essentially denies certain citizens a fair level of representation needs to be changed as swiftly as possible. Almost immediately after the ruling, both Democrats and Republicans reacted by draft- ing new policies. The Clinton administration plans for the Census Bureau to produce two sets of numbers. One set would be gathered by means of the traditional census taking methods to determine the apportionment of Congressional seats, another would use sta- tistical sampling, and could be used to deter- mine the distribution of federal funds and how political boundaries within the states themselves are drawn. Republicans have pro- posed to quadruple the budget for the census to $400 million to send more census workers into difficult-to-count areas and print house- hold questionnaires in up to 33 different lan- guages. Both sides are already digging in for the long haul, with many beltline insiders pre- dicting a bitter debate that could result in several parts of the federal government being shut down this summer when appro- priations for the census run out. As a result, millions of people could be missed by the census. Instead of weighing the political impact of the different census taking meth- ods, both parties need to actively work together to amend any law that stands in the way of an accurate 2000 census. Equal rep- resentation - one of the most fundamental values behind a democratic state - cannot be consciously violated in the name of par- tisan bickering. Brooks was given a fair punishment TO THE DAILY: This is in response to "Suspension shows double standard," (1/20/99). This article struck me because it made me think about the actions that were taken by the Athletic Department and Michigan football coach Lloyd Carr in dealing with football player Jason Brooks. I believe that Brooks was dealt with in the correct man- ner. After being accused of the sexual harassment, he was put on probation. It did- n't matter what he did next to provoke his suspension. In this case, he allegedly stole something and started a fight. If he were to allegedly assault another woman, then he would have received the same punishment. I really found it hard to see the message of sexism coming out of the discipli- nary actions of the Athletic Department. I find it very disturbing that the football player in question is involved with such crimes, but perhaps we do not know the full story. Brooks said he is cur- rently in mediations dealing with this case. This by no means makes his actions right, but maybe we do not know the full story. Brooks did have to go to some behavioral classes and other self-improving sessions that I find to be more helpful than a suspension. If, in fact, it was a borderline situation, then Brooks has paid for it by going to the informational sessions, so that in the future these mistakes will not be made again. That's what we want, isn't it? Change inter- vention. I think that Brooks got the correct sentence. If we were to punish him with a suspen- sion, then he wouldn't learn anything. Sexual harassment is such a "gray" subject that even Brooks could probably learn something about it. Ultimately, we do not know the full story or what has come out of the sexual harassment investigation. I'm not saying he shouldn't be more severely dealt with, but until we know the situation, perhaps we're making it big- ger than it really is. DON PACKARD KINESIOLOGY SENIOR Daily hockey photos were misleading TO THE DAILY: The Daily Sports section is practicing unethical jour- nalism. The photos on pages Dekers" logo appears on the boards in the background. Implying that these pho- tos were of the game in Columbus show just what unethical depths The Michigan Daily sports staff goes to. If there was no pho- tographer at the game, don't try to pass off old photos as current ones. Please give the intelligence of the readers some credit. DAVID TAUB LSA JUNIOR Daily should continue quality film reviews TO THE DAILY: I constantly wonder how films like "Varsity Blues" are made, much less find an audience. Thankfully, Jeff Ringenberg has provided the answer through his letter to the editor ("Film reviews do not help students," 1/25/99) - people have lost their standards when it comes to movies. People like him don't want to be challenged. They expect and demand bad movies. While this is his decision, it doesn't mean that Daily reviewers should lower themselves to his level of blandness. I don't agree with every review in the Daily, but every reviewer seems to have high standards and they seem to be able to give objective opinions, the key word being "opinions." To prove to Jeff that I belong in his "normal, target- ed-audience," I first have to disclose that I've had a cou- ple of film courses, that I liked "Pulp Fiction" and that I go see films at The Michigan Theater (gosh, who would want to see films like "2001" or "The Godfather" at a classic theater?). But I also love schlock movies. I own all five "Rocky" movies, "Billy Madison," and "The Long Kiss Goodnight." The list goes on. And I paid to see "The Big Hit." With that said, 1 can still recognize that these movies - which I truly love - are not great movies, and I would expect that a review by anyone would reflect it. Just because something makes you smile doesn't mean that it deserves four stars. When any mortal man is compared to Harrison Ford, the mortal, however interest- ing or handsome he is, is obviously the lesser man. When "Patch Adams" is com- pared to the brilliant "Shakespeare in Love" (or even to Williams's much bet- ter doctor film, "Awakenings"), "Patch" should be described as a cou- ple of laughs inside a preachy, repugnant waste of film. If "Shakespeare" can only get influence their decision on whether or not to see a movie. LANCE ROBERTS LSA SENIOR Alcohol, not GHB, is a date-rape drug TO THE DAILY: In her letter to the editor, ("GHB is a date-rape Drug," 1/19/99), Connie Zvara declares that GHB should be labeled a date- rape drug, and implies that representing GHB as a "reg- ular street drug that kids fool around with hoping for a higher feeling of intoxica- tion" is wrong, and that GHB's "popularity is rapid- ly growing and is not because people are looking for a better high." She also lists Ketamine and Rohypnol as "date-rape drugs" If Zvara believes GHB is used as a date-rape drug more often than it is volun- tarily ingested to "get a bet- ter high," she is simply wrong. At any club, bar or rave, there are people voluntarily taking controlled amounts of GHB because they like how it feels. Every week- end, if not every day, people do this in their own homes. The same is true for keta- mine. The majority of the time these drugs are used, they are not being used as date- rape drugs. They are being used vol- untarily and safely. But if you want to label any drug that some fool has at some point used to try to get someone into the sack, then all drugs are date-rape drugs. In fact, Zvara completely fails to condemn the most commonly used date rape drug of all time - alcohol. But then again, just because some sickos use alcohol to try to rape some- one doesn't mean that most people don't use alcohol in non-malicious ways, just to have fun. In fact, most people who use alcohol do it voluntarily and safely, just to have fun. The same is true of GHB. The same is true of keta- mine. Finally, using GHB as a date-rape drug is just plain stupid (I am not implying, here, that it is smart or OK to use other things as date- rape drugs, mind you). Yes, GHB is often sold in a col- orless liquid solution, but it tastes bitter and, depending on how it is made, salty. You would notice this unless you're already drunk. And if you are drunk, depending on how much Memories the greatest gifts TiOi Michigan Daily, has given me O /0 ne year ago, an exhausted but proud new editor in chief sat a a computer in the Student Publications Building and wrote: "Done. Only a few more hours and we get to do it all over again:' And ever since 4:30 a.m. on Feb. 2, 1998, I've lived every day with the assurance that those words were true. In the beginning, LAUR they often seemed MAYK more threatening SI than comforting. SAY,r The next day's empty pages loomed, waiting for us to fill them with news (which sometines happened at the most inconvenient times), photos (which sometimes looked better on our production screen than on newsprint), letters (which * sometimes critical of what we had put on those pages the day before) and insight. As we settled into our roles andI responsibilities on this paper and tfis campus, those words became casual truth: The paper would come out and\e would all return - a little wiser anid little more determined - to do it ag'in the next day. But now, it is not empty pages tht loom, but empty days and nights with- out the institution that has kept 9 awake at night and gotten me out of bd in the morning for the past 3 1/2 years. For me and my group of outgoing ed'i tors at The Michigan Daily, those wors expire this week with the end of dlir terms. And we find ourselves wishing them back again. Along with quite a few amazing ahd dedicated student journalists, I h'e been proud to call 420 Maynard + home for the past few years. I h spent more time there than in any othr building in Ann Arbor, and it represeits for me the best that this University has to offer. It is filled with history. Daily staffers treasure the stories of Daily alums af they were relatives, and they borrow much of their passion and idealism frbn a tradition of classic journalism that hs earned the Daily respect nationwide. It is filled with knowledge. ; knowledge comes second-hand, from the students, faculty and community members whose diversity of experi- ences and perspectives make this cam- pus vibrant and stimulating. It is filled with people who care. They care about each other with a genuine affection that doesn't seem to be daunt ed by the tensions of a daily paper. And they care about the University com - nity with an unabashed desire to things better by disseminating informa- tion and presenting viewpoints. And until recently, it was filled with the momentos and clutter of the Daiy''s 108th editor. This past week, with a few boxes and a sentimental eye, I moved out. Through three semesters as a reporter, two as a news editor and two more as editor in chief (plus 0 spring/summer term), I've managedto drape the Student Publications Build4 with an eclectic mix of newspapers, faxes, clothes, photos, books (sme racking up hefty library fines, I nust admit) ... the complete Unabomber manife'to from the whirlwind week when 'e found out Unabomber suspect Ted Kaczynski was a University alumnus . an Associated Press style guide given to me my freshman year by an outgog editor who was getting nostalgic in last few days at the Daily ... a clipping of another paper's inter- view with my father, whose class acd journalistic integrity continues to affct. me, even after he's left the business ... a copy of "When MBAs Rule the Newsroom,' a book that made me angly and grateful to be in such a business .. daily itineraries from the 1996 Democratic National Convention'in Chicago where another reporter aL flagged down former Daily edito Chicago Seven and SDS infamy Tom Hayden for an interview ... glossy press passes from Presid4nt Clinton's second inauguration in January 1997, where I phoned in quotes from an inaugural ball while the bagd Chicago sang (loudly) a few feet away NANCY CANTOR PROVOST AND EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS 3074 FLEMING ANN ARBOR, MI 48109-1340 764-9292 1 s 1 And try as I might to collect itall and take it with me, I couldn't. T# were some things I just had to leave behind. Perhaps that's one of the most pow- erful and unique parts about the Daily experience: You can't take it all wjth you; you're not supposed to. You leave behind advice, stories, examples, firts I