4 - The Schillaci/Lockyer Daily - Friday, January 29, 1999
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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
Unless otherwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of the majority ofthe Daily v editorial board.
All other articles, letters and cartoons do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily.
FROM THE DAILY
Endangered divrieti
'U' must continue fight for affrative action
h perhaps nothing has dominated campus
r discussion more than the debate over
affirmative action. Admissions based on
racial preference and the support and dissent
surrounding it have led to two lawsuits against
the University. The plaintiffs, represented by
the Center for Individual Rights, sued both the
University's College of Literature Science and
Arts and the Law School for the use of what
they claimed to be unfair and unlawful admis-
. sions practices. While the University has been
disrupted with numerous days of action, the
debate should continue. Affirmative action at
the University should be supported and the
lawsuits eventually should be defeated.
The use of affirmative action at the
University does nothing to harm the student
body, but instead, enhances it. Using race as
a factor in admissions decisions creates an
'atmosphere of diversity and difference.
Students from all walks of life and differing
cultural and ethnic backgrounds receive a
chance to interact with one another and be
part of a student body that can boast to be
representative of a broad spectrum of
humanity.
The University administration, led by pres-
ident Lee Bollinger, has counteracted the fight
against affirmative action every step of the
way. But another battle has just begun. Ward
Connerly, a former regent for the University
of California system and a main proponent of
California's Proposition 209, which ended the
use of racial preferences throughout the state,
has mentioned a partnership with state Sen.
David Jaye (R-Macomb).
Together they would attempt to push a bal-
lot proposal that would place the issue of affir-
mative action into the hands of Michigan citi-
zens. A ballot initiative worked within the
state of California and affected the university
Senate should end
t has been one year, one week and one day
since the American public first heard about
President Bill Clinton's affair with Monica
Lewinsky the former White House intern.
Twelve months of national turmoil and televi-
sion specials such as "The President Under
Fire" have aired across the country and had
many families sitting in from of their televi-
sion sets. The scandal has the makings of a
great made-for-TV movie or tabloid expose:
"Extra-marital sex, a zealot hot on the trail of
a non sequitor, a public figure in disgrace, a
betrayal, a quiet younger mistress who hides
from the cameras and a public uproar." Time
and again, the scandal has turned into a battle
over partisan politics - leaving the greater
social and constitutional issues out in the cold.
In Wednesday's vote on a motion to dis-
miss the impeachment charges, Republicans
managed a 56-44 victory with only one
Democrat, Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wisc.),
joining the majority. But this small margin
will be insufficient to fulfill the two-thirds
majority required by the U.S. Constitution for
conviction and removal of the president. The
Republicans' efforts to get witnesses deposed
before the Senate is, in all likelihood, simply a
means to delay the inevitable and further hurt
the president's image and reputation. Given
the havoc the issue has wreaked over the past
year, not to mention the damage done to
Republicans' public opinion polls, the Senate
should put an end to the impeachment pro-
ceedings post haste.
Clinton's deceitful conduct during the
aftermath of his affair with Monica Lewinsky
was a poor way to handle the situation. He
was not forthright with the American people.
His conduct during a deposition in the Paula
Jones sexual harassment case was disingenu-
nn thn.+khui -- nrm+ i+ mPC-.c the, It-1 n
ii
system there, Michigan works differently. The
University's autonomous relationship with the
state could mean that a state ballot would not
affect admissions policies. In order to affect
the University and its authority over admis-
sions, the Michigan state constitution would
have to be amended.
While the battle over affirmative action
escalates toward a possible vote in November
2000, students and activists need to remain
determined. The University, both students and
administrators, has put forth massive efforts in
support of affirmative action and this should
continue. Educational forums, discussions
and debates are all imperative as this issue of
preferences intensifies.
The CIR is attempting to target college stu-
dents through campus papers and spread their
initiative to stop what they claim to be
"unlawful" admissions practices. The adver-
tisements, titled "Guilty by admission," have
run in more than 10 university newspapers
including those at Duke University, Columbia
University and the University of Pittsburgh. In
this nationwide attempt to introduce students
to the alleged unconstitutionality of affirma-
tive action, CIR's strategy could backfire.
Complaints have intensified at almost all of
the newspapers that ran the ad, placing CIR on
the defensive.
To quell apathy and intensify the fight for
affirmative action, students and policy makers
need to vocalize the importance of affirmative
action. This issue could eventually reach the
U.S. Supreme Court and a decision to protect
a mechanism to help promote access to high-
er education. Diversity in higher education
should be protected, and those most affected
by it - the students -- should fight with the
University to continue the practice of affirma-
tive action.
e yet?
impeachment trial
threshold of perjury is highly questionable. In
addition, the House's charge that the president
obstructed justice by trying to conceal the
affair is equally without base. Congress's
Republican leadership has been using the
impeachment issue as a means to dress up a
political move in a coat of righteousness. It is
time for the politics of personal destruction to
end and the nation to return to business with a
strong leadership.
Clinton's State of the Union address,
delivered a week and a half ago, showed the
vision and hope that Clinton still holds and
the promise his presidency could still deliv-
er on. His ideas, while not all great, reflect-
ed goals of providing for the welfare of
Americans, ensuring Social Security to all
senior citizens and improving public and
private education nationwide. Clinton is by
no means done with his term, but his
accomplishments and even his future goals
will always be tainted by further Republican
rancor and the House's historic impeach-
ment. But that should be punishment
enough for an extra-marital affair and a
weak attempt to conceal it from his wife,
his family and the nation.
Public punishment and national embar-
rassment have already been part of Clinton's
tenure. Congress has fallen into the depths of
partisanship and public servants across the
nation have seen their life's work devalued
by the heavyweights in Washington, D.C. It
is time for U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice
William Rehnquist to return to his familiar
chambers at the Supreme Court building and
leave the unfamiliar territory of the Capitol
building. Clinton has erred and payed the
consequences - the nation now needs to
rebuild and face the oncoming years of the
71 t Cpntirv,
SENIORS BID7
It was worth it. All of it.
At 4:30 in the morning when
the pages wouldn't print and the
computers wouldn't work and
things that should have been
chiming and humming were
squaking and quacking, it was
worth it. When people were
yelling at us and we were yelling
at each other, it was worth it.
When there were protesters out-
side (and inside), when no one
would call us back, when the ad
lines were wrong, it was worth it.
When we made something so
hard look so easy, it was worth it.
In my early days at 420
Maynard St., I used to wonder
what made people come back
here day after day.
And now, 3 1/2 years later, I
know.
We got to put out a newspa-
per.
LAURIE MAYK
EDITOR IN CHIEF
A printed shout goes to my
colleagues from the past 3 1/2
years. From my Rat Pack glory
days up to the present, your
smarts, tenacity and decency
earned awe and respect. You made
this a trip worth taking. I hope to
always have such devoted cowork-
ers and inspired friends.
JEFF ELDRIDGE
COLUMNIST
FORMER NEWS EDITOR
To my family for giving me a
taste for blood,
To my mother, for being the
saint Nixon thought his mother
was,
To all the members of
Carlito's Social Club, past and
present, and to AME for Fats
Waller and "Cool Hand-Luke."
JAMES MILLER
COLUMNIST
ARTS WRITER
As Daily photographers for
the last four years, we have collec-
tively published more than 900
images, stemming from more than
54,000 pictures that were taken
but did not make the cut. We have
traveled to 17 different states, log-
ging more than 60,000 miles
(that's enough to circumnavigate
the globe about 2 12 times).
While doing this we have had two
cars towed, $7,000 of camera gear
stolen, been maced and teargassed
a handful of times, assaulted three
times, missed two flights, man-
aged not to spend a night in jail
and still made deadline every
time.
WARREN ZINN
MARGARET MYERS
DIRECTORS OF
PHOTOGRAPHY
I will forever remember the
Daily, if only for giving me the
opportunity to connect deeply,
erotically, laughably with a far-
away woman named Koko, who
helped me see that the faked
orgasms of two people can
amount to a hill of beans in this
crazy world. Thank you, Michigan
Daily and Koko, wherever you
are, for not stomach-assing my
college career.
BRYAN LARK
FORMER ARTS EDITOR
My fondest memory of the
Daily is from before I ever set
foot inside 420 Maynard. While
reading the crime notes on a bus
ride from Bursley, I decided I
wanted to write for the Daily, but
figured I'd never be up to it. Little
did I know that a year and a half
later, I'd be getting kicked out of a
drag version of the Miss America
Pageant in Atlantic City for being
a Daily reporter. Or that one story
would snowball into three beats,
dozens of story conferences, 133
page one layouts and relationships
that can't be described in words or
numbers. Not a week goes by
when that freeze frame of the bus-
ride doesn't flash through my
mind - a reminder that all great
things start small.
JANET ADAMY
MANAGING NEWS EDITOR
I came to college planning to
spend four years on tuition,
books, rent and school supplies. I
expected to pay attention in class,
THE DAILY FAREWELL
ending road trip marked my col-
lege.
Cars and bars, deadlines and
headlines, beers and cheers, nights
and sights, sun and sand remain
my college.
Birthdays at the ESPYs,
Thanksgivings on Waikiki, and
New Year's in Orlando will forev-
er highlight my college.
For four years, The Michigan
Daily was my college.
Just as I planned.
MARK SNYDER
SPORTS EDITOR
I cannot honestly say that I
loved every single waking second
of it. The truth is, there was too
much - way too much - for
everything to have gone perfectly.
I know - I remember distinctly
- there were hours that were tor-
ture, and days that I hated. So
why, now that it's over, am I so
sad to see it end?
I wouldn't trade my time at
The Daily for anything in the
world.
JIM RosE
MANAGING SPORTS EDITOR
One of my best Daily memo-
ries is when I discovered that my
phone number and a detailed nar-
rative concerning myself and an
imaginary partner had been
scrawled onto the wall of a loo in
Mason Hall. It seems that a dis-
gruntled actor hadn't entirelys
appreciated my critical theories of
his performance and decided upon
this paramount method of
revenge. What made the action so
complete is that someone actually
rang me and inquired of the con-
tortionist abilities concocted by
the amateur scribe. When I finally
realized that the heavy breathing
on the line wouldn't amount to
anything more than a nuisance, I
hung up. Later on, I came to dis-
cover that the owner of those
heavy, seething breaths was none
other than Editorial Page Editor
Jack Schillaci.
CHRISTOPHER TKACZYK
ARTS EDITOR
To MY COLLEAGUES:
How can I ever thank you for
listening to me shout the details of
my personal life for hours on
end?! What I hope I've taught you
(that everything has the potential
to be cute) can't compare to the
things I've learned over produc-
tion shift dinners - including the
lesson that birth control takes up a
deceiving chunk of money.
Breaking stories at 12:30 a.m.,
Postscript errors, unretured calls
and hours of laughing: I've loved
(almost) every minute. Here's
hoping I can always be so lucky.
ERIN HOLMES
NEWS EDITOR
Four years ago, I came into
the Daily to merely drop off a
film review. Now, when it's time
to leave, I realize how much more
there is to this place than comput-
ers and deadlines. Between the
anxiety and the stress shared with-
in the building, there were also
late night trips to Alpha, the
movies and other unique estab-
lishments that generated incredi-
ble laughter and amazingly good
friends. Because of these experi-
ences and these people, the Daily
will hold a treasured place in my
memory forever.
KRISnN LONG
ARTS EDITOR
Family-style dinners, giggling
through story conference, playing
with layouts, pasting pages,
crashed servers, sharing stories
with reporters who became trust-
ed friends ... even leaving the
building at 4am. knowing I'd
return in five hours. The sacrifices
and endless hours were worth the
rewards and lessons learned.
No one memory can express
what the Daily and the people
there have come to mean to me
over the past 2 1/2 years.
As I leave this incredible
experience, a small part of me
will remain as a faded whisper
among the ghosts of Dailys past.
Because it's the common exper-
ence through a 108-year history
that makes this place so special
for those lucky enough to take
part.
Thanks for the memories and
joking around. Somehow though,
we always made sure to finish up
in time to go home and catch
SportsCenter - the 2 a.m. edi-
tion. In the end, it was always fun.
PRANAY REDDY
SPORTS EDITOR
Working for the Daily wasn't
a day at the beach, even when I
was lying on my back in the soft
sands of Maui back in November.
When I think of all the sleep
I've lost, opportunities I've
missed, friends I couldn't keep in
touch with during the arduous
hours I was helping put together a
newspaper, I wonder: Why on
earth did I subject myself to this?
But if I had the chance, I'd do
it all over again. From staying up
until 6 a.m. to put together a spe-
cial section to taking three modes
of transportation to get to Boston
for the hockey championship last
April - it was all worth it.
Most importantly, I've met
friends that I will never forget and
I hope who will never forget me
and the time we spent together
during these years. For that, I
would have subjected myself to
anything.
SHARAT RAJU
SPORTS EDITOR
I was never even close to
being a major part of the Daily's
108 years of tradition. But I loved
every minute that I had the privi-
lege to spend in this ridiculous
house of idiocy. From the yelling
and the laughing to the cama-
raderie and friendships, from
showing up on Sunday mornings
wasted to missing Friday meet-
ings, from inciting feminist riots
to insulting all the men on cam-
pus, from barely learning Quark
to making someone else do all of
my work, I have realized one very
important thing - I'm in love
with my editor.
SARAH LOCKYER
ASSOCIATE EDITORIAL
PAGE EDITOR
COLUMNIST
Not all of my best friends
work for The Michigan Daily. All
of my favorite college moments
have not taken place between the
bricked and wooden walls of 420
Maynard Street. Not all of the
best work I have produced in the
last four years has been at or for
our newspaper. But looking back
at eight semesters, I can count on
one hand the number of times
being at the Daily or thinking
about the Daily didn't consume
every waking second of my life,
and I can remember even fewer
times when I did not love what I
was doing or thinking about. The
Daily is not the only thing in my
life - it's just the most important.
For those curious, I can sum up
my four years at the University in
three words: The Michigan Daily.
WILL WEISSERT
WEEKEND, ETC. EDITOR
'FORMER NEWS EDITOR
We photogs have our own lit-
tle family: We make lots of noise
and try to get each other to do our
chores for us and eat everyone
else's food and argue over who
gets to stay up all night and some-
times we get yelled at but in the
end we always play nice. When I
laugh over a suggestive reference
to photo equipment and cry over
destroyed film and scream over
broken computers and feel my
fingers tremble as they try to
work the camera in the freezing
cold and drive ridiculous distances
to obscure destinations to shoot
the Spice Girls and find joy in the
fact that, I have enough batteries
and I bounce my flash oh-so right
to make the perfect image, it's
then that I realize what true love
is.
ADRIANA YUGOVICH
ASSOCIATE PHOTO EDITOR
REPORTER GOES MAD
Ex-Daily staff reporter Jason
Stoffer was arrested for inciting a
riot yesterday in the Student
Publications Building,
Department of Public Safety
reports state. Police said he
allegedly told the younger
reporters what "really" goes on in
Looking back on
the year that "
made sex and
booze mortal sins
W hen I wake up Friday morning,
there will be something different
about me. A giant weight will have been
lifted off of my chest. Numerous hours
of freetime will have materialized imy
schedule.
Checking my e-
mail will
become some-
thing I enjoy
doing rather than
something that I
dread.
Yes indeed,
Friday is the day
that I leave the
Daily, at least
until my next SCHILLACI
column runs. GODNl6'l T
I entered the T r"yl%' Y}I.;
Daily for the
first time two days before classes began
my freshman year. I met a tall guy
whose name rhymed with mine who
claimed to be the editor. I attended my
first meeting later that week and was
immediately hooked. I learned to e
what I did here in this playgroun of
journalistic idealism. Writing about
right and wrong, making big decisions
that are traditionally reserved only for
"real" journalists, I began to understand
the world around me better; in fact, I
understood myself better.
As I stand graduating from this posi-
tion that only a hundred or so have been
lucky enough to fill, I, as outgoing edi-
tors are prone to do, look back at the
year that was. I am not the type that -
ally waxes nostalgic or philosophica , so
if my digression makes you fel like
you're watching Barbara Streisand, I
apologize.
I was lucky - I got to lead during the
year when oral sex became an impeach-
able offense. A midterm election year
with a crazy lawyer running against an
established (read: crusty) state politi-
cian. The year the University saw
huge lawsuits brought by begru~d
white kids, several "days of action" and
the rise of the alcohol thought police.
And as a sophomore-come-junior
taking the reigns usually handed to
those a year ahead of me, I got to expe-
rience them through a different - and
perhaps more naive - lense. As I am
leaving this position with a year and a
half left before graduation, I still have
plenty of time to search for a defining
moment or theme for my years ae
University, though I doubt one better or
more suitable than the Daily will come
along.
And unlike the last two juniors to
leave this job, I will not use my editor-
ship as a springboard to launch myself
into MSA candidacy (I'm sure those in
3909 Michigan Union are breathing a
sigh of relief; sorry Flint, sorry Sam).
I can recount my favorite mom s:
From the time I had to yell at Geo y
Fieger to listening to a ranting and rav-
ing woman who insisted that I was a
Nazi. From the time I fell out of my
chair and landed on my head to the day
the locked-out Detroit News and Free
Press workers protested in the Daily's
lobby, interrupting my viewing of "Law
& Order." From the numerous times
I've been told to "Focus Schillaci!!!" to
watching the spawn of Satan tjn red at
edit board.
It hasn't all been that fun, but u
take the good with the bad, and there's a
lot more of the former than of thlatter.
Those who have come before me
have helped shape my editorship. From
Adrienne, I learned to defend my beliefs
with the drive of an apocalyptic preach-
er. From Zack, I learned to temper that
energy with pragmatism. From Erin, I
learned to take it all in stride - to be
strong willed and speak my mind e
remaining well-grounded.
The Daily is enmeshed in the tradi-
tions it embodies. For better or-worse,
this editorial page and this paper are
as much a product of 108 years of
thought, wisdom and experience as
they are of the work of the occupants
of 420 Maynard Street. The editorial
precedents set by the activist editor-
ship of the '60s and the conservative
regime of the '80s still both reverber-
ate within the four corners of*is
page.
But it goes beyond just what some-
one wrote or thoughth30 years ago.
We've learned from the mistakes of
our predecessors, just as our succes-
sors will learn from ours. We see the
remnants of their work - both in the
hard-bound volumes of papers 'from
their era and in the physical remiains
in this building that hasn't ,relly
changed much in the time since i s
constructed.
As I concluded my last meeting on
Tuesday, I felt truly humbled .y the
experience I had just completedA feel-
ing of nostalgia came over me asI gazed
at the bound volumes lining the walls,
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