4 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, February 5, 1999 ez AhdCi tl u ttnattg Postal Service's project raises questions about history 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 Unless otherwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of the majority offthe Daily's editorial board. All other articles, letters and cartoons do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily The immovable ' 2.5-percent GEO increase is unacceptable T he first assignment in my high school AP American History class was an essay answering the question, "What is his- tory?" My thesis: the biography of all people. History is happening around us now. We may be more acutely aware of this insight at this particular moment than usual, as we watch a Senate: impeachment trial and count down to a mil- lennium. Eventually, ' these and currently less noticeable events and people will join history.M But still, "What is Megan history?" Schimpf History is made Presctiptions over time. History is composed of those events, people and circumstances that pre- vail and maintain connections to those before them and those following them. History has passed beyond the day-to-day realm of journalists and political scientists and into the arena of those who see within a framework of what has gone before. By now most of us have learned rather gratefully that history is more than mem- orizing state capitals or filling in blanks about who the first president was or - shudder - why we fought the American Revolution. As our own lives have grown steadily more complex, it is easier to sense how intricate and fascinating histo- ry is. There are theories, there are facts, there are motivations, there are secrets, there are deals, there are lies, there are triumphs, there are gambles. Anything so simple as to be described in a sentence deserves more investigation. So "What is history?" is probably the most intriguing, impossible essay we wrote all year. And it is a question that everyone with a microphone, museum or printed word is attempting to answer as we stand at our self-appointed crossroads. The U.S. Postal Service has chosen to answer the question with a series of 10-15 images per decade. Its program, Celebrate The Century, claims education as "corner- stone" in its effort to mark the most impor- tant events or people of the 10 decades. The stamps will be released gradually between February 1998 and June 1999. The choices for the decades up through the '50s were made by an advisory committee, the others by public vote. Through April, you can vote on stamps for the 1980s on the Postal Service's Website, www.usps.com. If you do, you will be embarrassed at the selections from that decade for being shallow and silly com- pared to the weighty moments from earlier decades. Was the first decade most students remember that vacuous? For all its reputa- tion, most likely it was not. The fall of the Berlin Wall is one of the choices, and other selections merit inclusion for what they still mean. But even beyond the ban on honoring living people, the Postal Service's selection pool is limited because of "What is histo- ry?" We can look at the stamps from earlier decades and agree that these major events shaped the remainder of the century. We cannot say the same for some of the '80s options, including "Aerobics." The choices for the '80s, and most likely the '90s, are bland because the events of those decades are not ready for history. We can tie them to the past, but we lack enough present to make them the past. History thrives on connections and interweavings in both directions. These events and people are not developed yet, regardless of their existence at a time in which most find his- torical significance. We can agree, for instance, that the Beatles belong among the history of the '60s. But what -to do now with Bruce Springsteen? Yes, Babe Ruth. But Mark McGwire is not the property of history yet. Few would argue that the Human Genome Project - run by Francis Collins, who is on leave from the Medical School - may supercede the polio vaccine, but the genome mapping is incomplete and its ramifications are only beginning to be realized. If we had grown up in the '10s or '30s, would we regard those choices as equally shallow? We look at them with nostalgia, but would those people see these things as peripheral to real life, just as we regard "minivans" or "Cats?" If we refuse to let this list of memorabilia define our '80s, perhaps we should think before doing the same for that seemingly impressive list from the '30s. The Postal Service counts its stamps among the "historical archive of the major events, people and achievements that have shaped this country," according to its Website. Yet the stamps show a very mid- dle-school level of history, that of static pic- tures and inadequate depictions of complex events. They are not a vibrant tale of intrigue as is history. (Whatever history is, of course.) - Megan Schimpf can be reached over e-mail at mschimpf@umich.edu. Happy Birthday, Tim. *1 "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." T he Graduate Employees Organization is well aware of this old cliche, and that is one of many reasons it has not yet signed a new contract with the University. As of today, the nearly 1,600-member union is working without a contract, looking to avoid signing compensation for hours worked is inevitably important. Graduate employees are busy with their own classes, research, dissertations and lead- ing undergraduate discussion sections. An increase in appointment status might entail teaching another discussion section, leaving less time for office hours and individual con- one similar to their 1996 deal. That contract gave them small salary increases that did not even come close to meeting the high cost of liv- ing in Ann Arbor. While the University will not adjust their 2.5- percent wage increase proposal, GEO has lowered its wage increase . o tact with undergraduate students. Graduate student instructors are the key link between students and instructors. They offer the individual contact that helps maintain an open academic atmosphere. And many GSIs work on their own time, meeting with students and answering their questions outside 0 request from 37 percent to 9 percent. The University must stop playing mathematical games and offer a real wage increase that compensates graduate employees for the inte- gral role they play on campus. Rather than offering a real wage increase, the administration is basically offering more work hours for more money. In the guise of a compromise, the University administration has only offered a fractional recalculation of graduate employees hours. Graduate employ- ees are paid based on the proportion of hours they work per week compared to a full-time faculty member. For example, if an employee works 40 percent of a 40-hour week, they will be classified as a .4 appointment. The only concession the University is willing to make is to move .3, .35 and .4 employees to a .5 appointment. This fractional recalculation will mean more money overall for graduate stu- dents, but it also means more work - between four and eight hours per week, assuming departments make the graduate employees work the full number of hours. On the surface, this proposal sounds promising, but this plan is rife with problems. The most prominent flaw is that in many cases, the real hourly wage will decrease. While graduate employees should not be viewed as time clock punching workers, the of class and office hours. The University administration is unwilling to address the lack of compensation for inter- national GSI training. These GSIs attend about 120 hours of unpaid instruction. International GSIs help diversify the University, and they must be treated respectfully. This weekend, GEO will send out ballots to all its members to help determine the GEO steering committees strategy. If the majority of members feel action is necessary, GEO will hold a mass meeting within the next few weeks to discuss its options, which include a walk-out or strike. This could be extremely detrimental to undergraduate education, sub- sequently damaging the University's reputa- tion. The University should use the next few weeks to its advantage by making concessions - something it essentially has not yet done in the contract negotiations. GSIs are not looking to profit from leading undergraduate classes. They simply want to earn a living wage while fostering a rich aca- demic environment. It is unfair to expect them to take out full student loans for endless hours of work. Higher pay will attract better GSIs, which keeps the University's academic reputa- tion strong. If the University continues its stubbornness, all students, as well as the University, will suffer in the long run. CHIP CULLEN GRINDING THE NIBO" i Caught in a web State Police should not list sex offenders This week visitors to the Michigan State Police Website may have had a very diffi- cult time accessing the site. The reason - thousands of visitors were trying to get a look at the list of names and addresses of convicted sex offenders that the state has recently made available. This list was created by a law passed in 1995, and has been a source of conflict in recent months. The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit last November on behalf of Detroit-area residents whose names appear on the list. And not only is the list inaccurate in some places and constitutes a violation of per- sonal privacy, it also runs counter to the Constitution's decree against double jeopardy. Although the purpose of the list is ostensi- bly to enable parents to protect their children, at the same time it intrudes on the rights of former sex offenders. These people have paid their debt to society and are entitled to live in privacy. Making their names available to the public exposes them to the risk of job dis- crimination and vigilantism, limiting their chances to lead a more productive life, and it means that they continue to be punished even after serving their time in prison. This is clear- ly unconstitutional. Supporters of this list - and similar mea- sures like Megan's Law, a New Jersey statute requiring former sex offenders to notify com- munities of their past conviction - claim that it is necessary because many people convicted of sexual misconduct are not rehabilitated in prison, and are most likely to become repeat offenders. But effectively allowing the public to add to their punishment is a misguided attempt at solving the problem. Rehabilitation is the goal of the penal system; in theory, inmates should be able to become productive members of society on release. If it is failing to achieve that goal, the government should take steps to remedy the system's shortcomings rather than giving the general public the oppor- tunity to ostracize or mete out punishment to people who have served their time. Instead, the government should focus on rehabilitation and alternative methods of treatment for sex offenders. In addition, the list does not take into account the different degrees of sexual mis- conduct, or the amount of time since the offender's conviction. Another problem with the list is that it is not entirely accurate - in fact, among the plaintiffs in the ACLU's law- - suit is a couple from Ann Arbor whose address is on the list because they live in a house formerly occupied by a convicted sex offender. In this case, not only do former sex offenders suffer unfair and extraneous punish- ment, but completely innocent people can be stigmatized as well. Publicizing the names of former sex offenders on the Internet infringes on the rights of people who, in the eyes of the law, have paid their debt to society. If there is a problem with the process of rehabilitation, then it is the responsibility of the government to ensure that it is corrected. P rofs' greatest contribution comes in classroom To THEDm r. Following Harold Bloom's publication of "Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human," I went to the library to look up what some of the University's "big name" professors have published. I was surprised to find that many highly esteemed profes- sors were under-represented on the Mirlyn screen next to such worthies as Harold Bloom and Burton Watson. What do our professors have to show for their work, I thought, and why do we esteem them as highly as we do? 1 am one to usual- ly scoff at the professors turned prophets by the droves of zealot students clamoring at their sides for a morsel of obscure wisdom, and these professor's lackofepublication brought a smug grin to me face. But after some thought, I wondered, "What does make a good professor?" and came to the conclusion it certainly was not the amount that he or she had published. I frankly do not care about an insightful reading of Antigone published in an obscure academic rag, and I do not feel alone in that opinion. I do though appreciate a thought-provoking lec- ture on Antigone presented enthusiastically by a man or woman with a thorough understand- ing of the subject and discipline. I think we often lose sight at this "major research institution" that the reason why we are here is for students to learn and for teach- ers to teach. So. my compliments to Bloom on an interesting book; I hope your students are equally satisfied in your teaching. JAMES FIDLER LSA JUNIOR Letter recognized School of Music event TO THE DAILY: I would like to express my thanks to Aaron Boyle for his thoughtful comments on the School of Music's Collage Concert ("School of Music concert was 'phenomenal,"' 2/2/99). In a campus environment where School of Music events often go unnoticed by the stu- dent body and student publications, your words are very encouraging. TOM SINAS LSA JUNIOR SCHOOL OF MUSIC Miller was correct in appraisal of B.A.'s usefulness TO THE DAILY: James Miller's column "Have degree, will travel, grovel, beg, eat dirt" (2/3/99) brings me backa f ewvers A.Afterraidtin with ia tions, he may need to add another chapter to the ongoing saga "How to Keep Busy With Your B.A." with chapters by waiters, bus dri- vers, temps and baristas everywhere. My only wise words to Miller -- eat this column and take some computer classes. Slam the estab- lishment at happy hours and weekends, but watch those words in cover letters and inter- views. Corporate human resources doesn't come with a corporate humor. JOSH GERSTMAN UNIVERSITY ALUMNUS MSA resolution changed nothing TO THE DAILY: I have but one question for those students who wanted the Michigan Student Assembly to pass the resolution to lift the sanctions off the people of Iraq. Hasanything changed? MSA has passed your resolution - neither the Clinton administration nor the United Nations seems to care. Why not take your seemingly boundless energy and lobby your congressman, senator or president? Better yet, why don't we all focus on the real problem - Saddam Hussein. I don't think there is a student on this campus who wants the innocent children of Iraq to suffer. The fact that this is America almost signifies a tacit understanding of that. You must realize though that there are thousands of students on this campus who are baffled by MSA's latest drive into for- eign policy. I believe I was elected to help with student issues; issues like lowering tuition, a coursepack service and most recently the plight of disabled students. In all of the countless hours being spent on this issue, thousands of letters. phone calls and e-mails could have been sent to legislators, the president and U.N. offices. Tick, tick the min- utes pass, children are dying, and Amer Zahr ("Opponents of MSA resolution should not be re-elected," 2/4/99) has all this time to attack MSA. Zahr has asked the students not to vote for me, and if they are so appalled by my view of a student government's roll - then I don't mind losing. -, RORY DIAMOND LSA MSA REPRESENTATIVE condoning the lifting of sanctions on Iraq and opposing the scapegoating of fraterni- ties by the AAPD - signify a new willing- ness of MSA to confront controversial issuestand take brave stands for students' interests. We are proud of MSA's stance against the U.S. government's genocide of a people. We are proud to have gotten MSA to stand up for students' rights and against the AAPD policy of scapegoating Phi Delta Theta. We fought for a resolution with more teeth, but we are glad that even the substan- tially weakened language received a major- ity of the assembly's votes. We feel MSA must be the defender of student rights and student interests. Issues of international justice and issues of students rights and interests are not counterposed. In fact, the assembly members who fought hardest forthe anti- sanctions resolution also fought hardest to oppose the scapegoating and harass- ment of students by the AAPD. Ten assembly members voted against oppos- ing the sanctions on Iraq. Six of these 10 also voted against standing up for the stu- dents who are being scapegoated by the AAPD (one of the remaining three abstained). The job of student government is not just to provide services or to administrate the distribution of money for student groups - we must also be the voice of students on the campus, and to the country and the world. Students around the world, including the University student government, have played a historically important and progressive role in society. At the University the student government supported the freedom rides against segregation in the AmericanSouth in the early '60s and spoke out against apartheid and the U.S. war in Vietnam. Students in this and other countries have built movements that were essential compo- nents of or even initiatorssof national move- ments for far-reaching social change - including playing a leading role in bringing down the unspeakably brutal U.S.-backed Suharto dictatorship in Indonesia this sum- mer. Thank you to all the students who came to MSA meetings and e-mailed their repre- sentatives to help win these victories for the student body, especially the members of Prevent, the Arab-American Anti- Discrimination Committee and the various fraternity members and their supporters. err.,, _ . ~r ". r " cowAH~N'ANA 0