4 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, February 3, 1999 ~fe dl~c.i~ttrn 1?uitg Have degree, will travel, grovel, 420 Maynard Street Ann Arbor, MI 48109 daily. letters@umich.edu Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan HEATHER KAMINS Editor in Chief JEFFREY KOSSEFF DAVID WALLACE Editorial Page Editors G6 anted: freshly graduated person, 21-23, with degree in English, history, art history, film or any of the other humanities. Duties include coming in late if at all, being creative and traveling a lot on the company nickel. Frequent video game 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. playing and e-mail to friends required. No experience necessary. Large starting salary and benefits. The boss is never around." When we close our eyes at night or have feverish daydreams in class, this is what seniors see. Or per- haps more generally: "Position available: Stuff you like to do. Salary: Something you can live on and not have one of those stupid spool coffee tables or a futon." This is not usually These sorts of jobs Threatening divesfty Alliance of Connerly and Jaye is dangerous James Miller Tap available in reality. are like expensive The largest upshot of the job hunt, at my place in life and education, is a tremendous, seething, burning, writhing, bile-tasting hatred for people older than you in your profession or area of interest. They are, after all the people with the jobs that you want. What creates all this resentment is every- where I've ever worked there have always been at least one or two wastes of money and a desk chair. Either some trailer-haired bitch queen with jowls and a Diet Pepsi who spends her days gossiping behind her partition or a self-important, self-congratu- latory ass who likes to touch all the female co-workers too much. Companies are full of these people, and the University has more than it can hold. Puffy, stringy, soulless, dead little gold- bricking middle management monkeys who make 40, 50 even 60 thousand a year for no reason at all. Whereas a young, slightly inexperienced recent graduate can't get a foot in the door of his field, but Ed, the assistantmanagingdirec- torofstrategyplanninganddirectives needs a cost of living raise. Sorry kid, that job's for a grown-up and we look after our incompetent own. How about another unpaid internship that won't lead anywhere? I could always use a bright, energetic kid to water my plants and make coffee. You have a bachelor's degree? That is SO cute. You know that bitch Sue at the end of the hall? No college degree and she has the job you want and she can't be fired. Isn't that a hoot? Well, we'll keep your resume on file. Could you get some coffee for Sue before you take the bus home? Thanks. But I've digressed. Maybe this is because I don't have a very technical understanding of business or eco- nomics, but why is it that things that are beg, eat dirt fun, exciting, interesting, valuable or stimu- lating have no money connected to them at all? Art, music, literature, culture, journal- ism, environmental work, filmmaking, edu- cation, learning, progressive politics; all that stuff might as well have a sign on it that says money repellent." But things that are boring, destructive and filled with idiots have more money than they know what to do with. Publishing companies, art galleries, pub- lications or anything having to do with the humanities or culture have to fight for every nickel and has no money to hire you (Sue has your job there). However, a piece of shit software company or "consulting firm" staffed completely by people who tape "Dilbert" is busy putting another layer of gold on the fixtures and hiring someone to "re-engineer its routine process of imple- mentation electronic messaging." And while I'm being random, all of you who are or are trying to be consultants: what do you do'? If you just start being a consultant without having had another career first, what are you qualified to con- sult about? Is this a prank? What does this leave the new graduate? A few things to keep in mind: 1) The employed like to protect each other. That means not hiring you, as new, young employees like to work and do things. This is bad. Administration and management perpetuates itself, and can't expend resources to hire the likes of you. 2) Things that you like have no money related to them at all. 3) Sonebody who is dumber, more taste- less and mre worthless as a human being will always make more money than you. -James Miller can be reached over e- mail atjamespm@umich.edu. " O n the University campus, the word diversity is used quite frequently and the concept' is incredibly valuable. Yet current efforts are placing that precious privilege at risk. The most recent progress in the battle to ban affirmative action at the University and in the entire state is another reminder we are faced with more than just idle threats. Ward Connerly, a former regent for the University of California system, was a key player in banning the use of affirmative action in his state. Connerly already has a substantial track record when it comes to defeating the use of preferences in college admissions, through Prop. 209. No longer a part of the school system in California, he has since set his sights on repeating his success in Michigan. Along with state Sen. David Jaye (R-Macomb), another strong opponent of preferential admissions, Connerly may attempt to have a proposition similar to California's on the ballot by the next election. These events cannot be met with noncha- lance by students. Look no further than California - where underrepresented minor- ity enrollment in the University of California system has dropped by 9.5 percent since the passage of Prop. 209. It becomes clear that the diversity we value so highly is at risk. While it may not be immediately apparent, we learn as much simply by being in the presence of stu- dents with varying backgrounds than we do in the classrooms. Maintaining this precious mix of students is crucial to everyone's learning experience, especially since not everyone fin- ishes high school having been provided the same educational opportunities. "Color blind" admissions processes rely on factors that are determined as much by income and location as by ability. The present social climate calls for a college admissions policy that favors those who are at a disadvantage. California has fallen victim to the politics of people who, regardless of their motives, are fighting to create homogenous student bodies and deny college students the right to a cam- pus that reflects the diversity of our nation. It is these same people who have marked Michigan as their next target. Connerly and Jaye have both the knowledge and the capaci- ty to spearhead a powerful campaign to end affirmative action in the state. Faced with this distressing fact, students at the University need to recognize its gravity and take an assertive role in opposing Connerly's and Jaye's efforts. Students must begin to realize exactly how the campus would be effected by a ban on affirmative action in Michigan. Those who take diversity for granted might consider what the University would be like if it became homoge- nous in terms of ethnicity. The variety of issues, viewpoints and windows into the lifestyles of different communities would dis- appear. The quality of education outside the classroom would diminish. Students would not be admitted because certain criteria, specifically test scores, are not up to par - which may often be a result of opportunity. It is yet to be seen what will occur as a result of the anti-affirmative action efforts here in Michigan. Regardless of the final out- come, however, it is imperative that students recognize these efforts as a serious threat to our community. It is an attempt to take some- thing the community can't afford to give up. turntables. That is to say other people you don't know who are not you have them. Ever. This sort of posting is more likely, if the job market was more honest: "Wanted: Doltish ripesuck of a new grad- uate in the workforce. Will provide attrac- tive sounding duties during the interview process. Will allude to a salary. Will actual- ly create the illusion of a pleasant, reward- ing fulfilling entry level job that will not lead to poverty or death at the hands of the student loan people. Actual duties will include stuff that made everyone else threaten to quit. Salary: A running joke in the human resources department." wS Scorr RoTHMAN SOMEKNUCKLEHEADS IIr Ylriii l III You're out 'Three Strikes' laws are unjust A common legal anecdote is the old moral conundrum of whether it is fair to pun- ish a man for stealing bread for his starving family. Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court indicated it might do just that when it refused to hear the appeal of California prison inmate Michael Riggs, who was sentenced to 25 years to life for stealing a bottle of vitamins from a local grocery store. Riggs, who was homeless at the time of the 1995 theft, wrote his own appeal from Corcoran State Prison, where he is currently serving his term. This unusually severe sentence is a result of California's "three strikes law," which allows a judge to give a life sentence to any person convicted of two prior felonies (violent or not), even if the third conviction is a misde- meanor, as was the case with Riggs. California is not the only state that has such laws - nearly half of the states have some form of "three strikes" legislation. In Alabama several years ago, Douglas Gray, a husband, father and Vietnam veteran was sen- tenced to life without parole for buying mari- juana from a police informant. Gray had been arrested for a few petty crimes - crimes which did not even carry a prison sentence - 13 years earlier. Cracking down on crime has become a battle cry for politicians nationwide as they face off in the public spotlight, eager to win votes and pad their legislative resumes. It seems many lawmakers are either blind or indifferent to the human and ethical conse- quences of their bold posturing. The Supreme Court is supposed to be a check on these zealous legislators and gover- nors, shooting down laws that compromise justice for publicity. Only Justice Stephen Breyer voted to hear Riggs's appeal; four votes are required to grant a hearing. Justices Paul Stevens wrote an opinion piece that stat- ed that the case raised "obviously substantial" issues but then voted not to hear it. Riggs's punishment is clearly disproportionate to his crime - it is one a California court called "a petty theft motivated by homelessness and hunger.' The three strikes laws seem to call for what the Eighth Amendment forbids as "cruel and unusual punishment." It is the responsibility of the Supreme Court to hear and decide upon constitutionally questionable legislation. The act of writing specific sentencing requirements into law treads on dangerous ground. The judiciary and legislative branch- es are separated for a reason - those who make the laws should not be the same as those who interpret them. But "three strikes" laws, as well as mandatory minimum sentencing laws, which have gained quite a bit of popu- larity recently, tend to impede on the discre- tion of judges and limit their ability to evalu- ate convicts on a case-by-case basis. These stringent sentencing laws are at least partially responsible for the staggering rise in the U.S. prison population, which is now at 2 million. The rush to imprison as many people as possible for as long as possible is an alarming trend sweeping through state governments - and the highest court in the land is doing noth- ing to stop it. The process of sentencing should be one of assessing the seriousness of the crime and determining, among other things, the relative danger that the convict poses to society. The conversion of sentencing - normally the privilege of an impartial judge - into a political tool represents a dis- quieting shift in the balance of power in our country and has turned a starving man in search of nutrition into an ominous symbol of GSIs are hired to 'facilitate the learning experience' TO THE DAILY: When I used to hear about illiterate students graduating from high school, I often wondered how that was possible. After reading the letter from Matthew Murphy "GSIs' Role at the 'U' is 'often unwanted,"' (2/2/99) I now realize that not only is it possible for a student to graduate from high school without hav- ing learned a fundamental skill such as reading, but it is possible for a student to graduate from a prestigious university without having learned much. Murphy demonstrates the lack of one of the fundamentals of a college education - that one's attendance in class should not only be a function of its role in the final grade, but for its role in the learning process. In my experience as a GSI in the School of Business Administration, I have found that the students who were most disappointed with their GSs were those who came to class expecting GSIs to spoon-feed them the information nec- essary to do well on the exams without expressing any desire to learn. Without fail, these same students are the ones who fare poorly in the course. GSIs are not intended to teach students what they need to get a grade, but to facilitate the learning experience. I have found that the students who do well in their courses are those who demonstrate the initiative to do theassigned readings, attend lectures regularly, and then use the GSI-taught sections to clear up points or issues on which they are unclear. Murphy, a senior in the College of Literature, Science and the Arts, has deemed it necessary to draw from his per- sonal experiences with GSI-taught classes at the University to demand that the University "declare that a student's atten- dance in a GSI-run class ... not be used as a basis for grading." The attendance policies at the University arednecessitated by students exactly like Murphy who would not attend unless it was mandated as a part of the grade for the course. During my undergraduate coursework in LSA, I have found that the only courses which weigh one's attendance record in the final grade are those classes where majori- ty of the learning is derived from the class discussions. You are not in grade school or high school. You are in a prestigious institution of higher learning. What makes the learning experience world-class is the opportunity to learn - through discussions - that although 20 to 30 students all read (hope- fully) the same assigned material, due to the differences in past experiences and cultures, there were 20 to 30 different perspectives on the same issue. That is the learning that is most valuable from a college education in LSA. .rr -." wha - the cov~rnerwr f* 4hutc bta tin~rWhig 5Lwero5 bA *$UtS Iraqi resolution is not properly focused TO THE DAILY: I have decided to resign as one of the Michigan Student Assembly's four executive officers in the wake of the Assembly's deci- sion on Jan. 26 to officially oppose the eco- nomic sanctions against Iraq. That said, I also wish to warn all politically interested students on campus of a potentially dangerous shift in the assembly's focus. I have spent the last three years on MSA arguing against the University's use of affir- mative action in its admissions processes. As such, I have been naturally opposed to the political goals of the Defend Affirmative Action Party, which has gained influence over the Assembly's affairs in the last year. But in pushing the resolution regarding Iraq through the assembly, the DAAP has revealed that it has no plans to limit its initia- tives to matters of civil rights. Convinced that they hold both the correct view on social issues and the support of campus, members of the DAAP have announced that they plan to use the Assembly as a rallying point for their comrades. Regardless of your personal political stance, you must realize the danger posed by any group claiming to have a unique under- standing of world affairs and a prominent pul- pit from which to preach. If you believe as I do that MSA exists to serve students rather than to speak for them, I ask that you take the time to vote this March for candidates who have concrete plans for how to improve student life, rather than voting for political demagogues with delusions of grandeur. DAVID BURDEN ENGINEERING SENIOR Balanced coverage of campus issues is important TO THE DAILY: Days like these urge me to question the Daily's policy of printing every verifiable let- Amendment and all, but it allows all manner of tripe leak through. Take, for example, Geoffery Stanton's truly incredible complaint that the Daily offers too much sports coverage ("Daily sports cov- erage is excessive," 1/26/99). He's entitled to his opinion (since I surely don't want it), but he bases it on the faulty assumption that one- half of the Daily is devoted to sports. On the very day his letter appeared, the sports section filled approximately one-quarter of the Daily. Counting only the actual space devoted to news (and excluding ads), there were three pages of news, one page of opinion, about one-and-a-half pages of Arts and one-and-a- half pages of sports. Stanton proposes that the Daily cut its sports space and give that space to interna- tional news. While there are obvious technical hurdles to clear before the Daily can dispatch its sports staff to the Middle East or the Balkans, I think the more salient point is that Stanton is blind to the Daily's mission. While CNN, The New York Times, public radio and TIME cover Washington and the world, only The Michigan Daily serves the University community and devotes so much time to cov- erage of its issues and events. When I served as a news editor for the Daily, we adopted the philosophy that a judi- cious sprinkling of nation and world stories was important, so readers wouldn't miss key developments in major stories. Stanton asks, "At a university that is sup- posed to be about diversity and equality, etc., doesn't it make sense that all topics should be treated equally?" Of course not. One could fill the graduate library and come no nearer to that goal. No voice has been a stronger supporter of diversi- ty and the equality of individuals than the Daily's, but certainly not all issues were creat- ed equally. The safety of the University com- munity, the actions of the University leader- ship and the success of University's sports teams - these topics are more important to the Daily's readers, and therefore to the Daily. As a final note, I'd like to congratulate the outgoing seniors at the Daily for doing such a fine job. I applaud this paper for its aggressive focus on the University community. It's an often thankless job, though it shouldn't be. The Daily provides an independent voice and a free service that I feel the University very lit- erally could not live without. It's been another proud chapter in the Daily's history. ;i *9 f " to4b, I