4 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, February 10, 1999 ateicilian Bat t laynard Street HEATHER KAMINS bor, MI 48109 Editor in Chief Win a date with handsome Daily columnist James Miller 420 M Ann Ar daily.letters@umich.edu Edited and managed by JEFFREY KOSSEFF students at the DAVID WALLACE University of Michigan Editorial Page Editors 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. - .1a I I11h .- i V IlA W7E05m i/!1u I I%- Take a hike Alumni ticket price increase is disrespectful I t is with great pleasure that I announce the third annual, and final ... "WIN A DATE WITH JAMES MILLER SCAVENGER HUNT!" Void where prohibited. Employees of The Michigan Daily and their families are pro- hibited from entering. Males and girls who own more than three candles are disquali- , fied as well.. (Cheers from the crowd, camera cuts to y Jennifer Lopez looka-. likes screaming and waving their arms in the air.) Okay, cool it ladies! You know the rules James from past years. Find Miller as many of the items on the list in this col- t', umn, load them into on51't one of the little Cushman trucks the grounds crew uses to empty the trash and bring them to the Student Publications Building where Editorial Page Editor Jeffrey Kosseff will test them for authentic- ity and freshness. The winner of the contest will be treated to dinner at the local mental institution of their choice. From there we will proceed to dancing at Toothless Pines Retirement Community's recreation period. Our evening will end with drinks in the alley behind the In&Out and Indian wrestling. I would like to point out, however, that in all three years of the contest's history, there have been ABSOLUTELY NO ENTRIES TO THE WIN A DATE WITH JAMES MILLER CONTEST. EVER. Come on here people. I got the new head shot and every- thing. Meet me halfway here. I'm willing to negotiate. 1) Nuts. Hot nuts. You get them from the peanut man. 2) Jason Brooks' rap sheet (the abridged version will be just fine.) 3) Something fun that is not in violation of the Code of Student Conduct (accept- able: board games, hand holding, puppy- hugging, wandering the residence halls reporting pot smokers.) 4) A men's basketball season ticket hold- er (find someone who will admit to it.) 5) Truth 6) Beauty 7) My self-respect 8) A third white meat 9) An MSA representative or officer with either common sense, realistic expectations or a sense of why they were elected in the first place. 10) (pursuant to #5) Copies of any truly hilarious MSA resolutions. Past winners have included the condemnation of cir- cumcision, censuring Webster's Diction for defining the clitoris as "analogous to the penis" and outlawing every "Mr. Gloomypuss, Frownyface and Party Pooper in U of M happyhappyjoyjoy land." 11) A Michigan Review staff member who remembers when the Review wrote about actual events and issues instead of neo-conservative prickwaving. 12) A communications studies student who believes in regular class attendance or non logo-covered clothing. 13) Two film students together NOT talk- ing about film. 14) A glass of hot fat.' 15) Two songs by the Knack ("My Sharona" and um, uh, "My Sharona the 12"" dance remix'?) 16) Couples at Cottage Inn NOT on a pre-sex date. 17) Sexual Chocolate's first album 18) Last year's list 19) A cold beverage (leverage required) 20) Two quarts of bull gravy 21) A copy of the Daily without a mistal in it. 21) This isn't it. In the event of a tie (probably at zero) the following items will be used as tie breakers: Proof that the following people are relat- ed: Martha Stewart and Patrick Stewart Lucianne Goldberg and Whoopi Goldberg Oliver Stone and Sly Stone (or Sly Stewart to the first two people on the list, if you like a challenge.) Eddie Murphy and Audie Murphy Ed McMahon and Vince McMahon Anton Chekhov and Mr. Chekhov Leonardo DiCaprio and Liberace (shut up, I'm on to something here) Barry White and Betty White Danny Glover and Crispin Glover Randall Cunningham and Richie Cunningham Bill Clinton and George Clinton Woody Allen and Ray Allen (they're bi. from New England, sort of) Kevin Bacon and Francis Bacon Johann Sebastian Bach and Catherine Bach Isaac Stern and Howard Stern - James Miller can be reached over e- mailatjamespm ajumich.edu. A thletics are among the most historically rich and popular University traditions. Many of the cheering fans are alumni, espe- cially during the football season. But recently, the Athletic Department decided to raise the alumni football season ticket prices from $27 to $35 per game - a 30 percent increase - while student season ticket prices remain the same. The Athletic Department should not impose such a large increase on a group of loyal Michigan supporters. Steve Papadopoulos, chair of the Board in Control of Intercollegiate Athletics Finance Committee, said this increase will generate ,more than $3 million in revenue each season. The revenue will be used to replenish the Athletic Department's reserves partially due to the money that was used last year for the purchase of the new scoreboards in Michigan Stadium and Crisler Arena. Furthermore, the money is used to cover rising costs of recruit- ing student athletes, maintaining athletic facil- ities and paying for teams to travel to events. But the specific reasons behind this decision still remain unclear. The Athletic Department should be thank- ful for alumni support. But increasing season ticket prices by $8 per game does not show respect nor thanks to the alumni for the loyal support they have given to the University dur- ing the years. Last September, student hockey season ticket prices were increased twofold, resulting n many students being unable to afford tick- ets to attend the home games at Yost Ice Arena. Although this increase for alumni will Rstricte Microsoft should n he latest fiasco in the Microsoft anti- T trust trial revolves around a video- tape the company made to demonstrate that its Windows 98 and Internet Explorer software are necessarily intermeshed. Government attorney David Boies wasted no time in pointing out problematic incon- sistencies with the tape, prompting Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson to call it "very troubling" and Microsoft to dismiss it as a mere "simulation" instead of a true test. Scrambling to regain their credibility, the Microsoft defense spent that night constructing a new tape. They even told several non-Microsoft people to monitor the process, so Microsoft would not again be seen as manipulative and deceitful. Microsoft found it necessary to effective- ly renege on this agreement, keeping those individuals unaffiliated with the Microsoft defense out of the room for the first two hours of preparation. While this in itself is certainly not a crime, it never- theless casts more doubt on Microsoft's already tarnished reputation. Microsoft's defense has repeatedly run into embarrassing situations. Earlier in a related trial, Microsoft CEO Bill Gates was so blatant in dodging questions on the stand he made himself look foolish. More recently, company witnesses have been forced into making significant con- cessions. One key witness admitted that Microsoft's Windows operating system has a virtual monopoly, commanding more than 90 percent of personal comput- ers. Another witness admitted Microsoft previously met with Netscape executives to persuade Netscape not to compete against Microsoft. Microsoft, prosecutors claim, also essentially bribed Intuit, the software developer that makes Quicken, to replace its Website promotions for Netscape Navigator with Internet likely have a less significant effect than an increase in student ticket prices would, it will nevertheless take away some of the alumni support - particularly from new alumni not earning large salaries. Increasing prices is another greedy attempt to rake in more money for a department that hardly needs financial assistance. Regent Daniel Horning (R-Grand Haven), said that before the new scoreboards were installed at Michigan Stadium and Crisler, the University Board of Regents and Athletic Department decided they would take the money out of the Athletic Department's reserve fund instead of passing on the cost to season ticket holders. But this is not the case. The Athletic Department's decision required this extra revenue to cover the increasing cost, it should be a gradual increase over a number of years as opposed to the 30 percent increase that alumni are going to be subjected to all at once. The decision of the Athletic Department to raise ticket prices for alumni, would have been better justified if the reasons were made clear to the public, rather than leaving the public to speculate. This ticket price hike will also have a neg- ative effect on University fundraising, which relies on alumni. Alumni will be less inclined to financially support an institution that shows them disrespect by increasing their ticket prices. Alumni should be able to continue to enjoy supporting the University on Saturday afternoons without having to worry about huge increases in season ticket prices. d urlin ot limit competition Explorer. And Microsoft executive William Poole admitted on Monday that Netscape was "the primary target" of its marketing and promotion tactics. It seems quite clear that numerous Microsoft decisions have been anti-com- petitive. Ever since it began offering Internet Explorer free of charge-to erode Netscape's margins and market share, Microsoft obviously has used its size and financial strength to promote and preserve its software. Jackson must determine if Microsoft has gone too far, causing con- sumers and competitors to suffer unduly. Perhaps Microsoft would be compelled to innovate further in the face of competi- tion. A recent article in The Wall Street Journal reports that Gates made the deci- sion to develop web software grounded in Windows instead of creating the whole new software system of the future that factions inside Microsoft had hoped for. While it is difficult to know Gates' motivations, his recent multi-billion-dol- lar stock donations and sales could signal a turning of the tides. Perhaps Gates, with the most inside knowledge of anyone associated with the case, has come upon feelings of uncertainty for the future and is in some sense "getting out on top" while he still can. In the end, what matters most is that the consumer is offered the best software pos- sible at an affordable price. It is true that innovation and genius must be rewarded so that the incentive for future develop- ment remains. Nonetheless, it is wrong of Microsoft to unfairly drive out competi- tion and resort to alleged bribes and collu- sion. It would not be right to punish Microsoft solely because of its immense success, but Microsoft must not be allowed to stifle technological develop- ment. ____IEWPOINT Race and ethnicity classes are crucial to learning By Jeffrey Kosseff Daily Editorial Page Editor Students have a talent for complaining. I am among them. I could find any aspect of the University and whine about it for hours upon hours. One University initiative that has upset students over many years is the creation of quantitative, race and ethnicity and foreign language requirements for graduation. Yes, before you graduate you'll be forced to suffer through a quantitative reasoning class such as statistics - a true hurdle for humani- ties concentrators. And if you did not have adequate high school foreign language class- es, you will be packed into a tiny room in the MLB for four semesters, often finishing the two years only being able to translate the words "orange soda" and "sandals" The race and ethnicity requirement is a favorite punching bag of many of my fellow students. I have had too many conversations with my peers in which they claim their time is wasted by taking a class that focuses on race and ethnicity. Why should they waste their time learning about groups they know little about when they can take thrilling class- es such as Accounting 271 and EECS 100? Diversity is great, but most students just don't have the time to learn about it. This view is sad, but too prevalent. Unless a class will directly help students in obtaining jobs after graduation or get an easy A, it is unlikely to see the enrollment numbers of "weeder" classes. Diversity is incredibly cherished at the University. We're fighting two lawsuits for diversity that could possibly be argued in front of the U.S. Supreme Court. But often students do not understand the concept for which we are fighting. In addition to offering people of all backgrounds an equal chance at receiving a quality education, diversity allows students to learn about people from all differ- ent backgrounds. Unfortunately, this is not a utopian society in which students of all races and ethnicities frolic together in the park and openly describe their different life experiences. A great amount of racial tension and separation con- tinues to exist on campus. The University has realized that sad truth and has instituted the race and ethnicity requirement in an effort to educate students of different backgrounds. Departments includ- ing history, Inteflex and sociology offer a wide variety of classes that fulfill the require- ment. They all serve the same purpose - to increase awareness and understanding of racial differences and similarities. A race and ethnicity course requirement should not be necessary. It is unfortunatethat all students do not choose to take many class- es educating them about people of other groups. But given the competitive graduate school and job market, it is understanda that students must take many other requir classes. Thus a requirement is the only way to guarantee that students will have at least one class on race and ethnicity. But you should not stop intergroup learning once their race and ethnicity requirement is fulfilled. Even if you don't have more room in your class schedule, there are many other opportunities outside of class. This month, it is especially important to remember the valu of learning about people of different back- grounds. February has many cultural celeb tions - including LGBT Visibility Week, Chicano/a History Week and Black History Month. Attend an event that will allow you to truly take advantage of diversity on this cam- pus - by learning about other people. -Jeffrey Kosseff can be reached over e-mail atjkossefj@umich.edu. SCOTT ROTHMAN SOME KNUCKLEHEAD1 Sr- i e*-- Diversity allows students to learn from one another TO THE DAILY: I think that Chris Georgandellis needs to get his head out of the sand (to put it nicely) and open up to the world around him. In his letter to the editor ("Diversity not crucial to education'h2/8899), Georgandellis mocked the idea that diversity among students is important. He questioned why there wasn't some kind of aura or "ether" flowing from Michigan's diverse student population. He wanted this ether to magically hit him and make him care about people of different cultures. Well Chris, there isn't any ether. The way it works is people open their minds and their mouths and talk to one another. Imagine that- some people are interested in the outside world, not just in books and diplomas. I hope that you don't really believe that the world is filled with people who don't care about any- one but themselves. This University is filled with people who are stepping outside of their social stereotypes and learning from each other I have only been a student at the University for a little more than a semester, but I have already learned a great deal from many of my multicultural friends and fellow students. My roommate is Indian-American (that would be because she was bomn in India and now lives in America). I have learned more from her than I ever could have in class about her cul- ture and Hinduism. She has likewise learned about Christianity and Catholicism from me. I have met people here from around the world, and with an open mind I have been able to lean from all of them. We are all lucky to have an opportunity to learn at the University. But don't be fooled, we tears from each things we could never leam from our classes or our books. ALLISON SAPSFORD SNRE FIRST-YEAR STUDENT Daily coverage of Dance Marathon was 'outstanding' TO THE DAILY: On behalf of the University of 'IoLW- yr~%x 1 Michigan Dance Marathon dancers, vol- unteers, Children's Miracle Network fam- ilies and the Central Planning Team, I would like to thank the Daily for its out- standing coverage of this year's event. It is vital for the success of this type of event to have the support and encourage- ment of the students, faculty and staff of the University. The Daily has contributed greatly in this area by showing us its support and spreading that throughout the campus. Dance Marathon is unique in that it encompasses a diverse group of students who choosesto remain standing on their feet for 30 consecutive hours, all to raise money for children in need. Those who choose to be involved with Dance Marathon affect the lives of the Children Miracle Network children, not only for the 30 hours at the event, but for the rest of their lives. We studentsewho choose to be involved are not only affected by the men- tal and physical endurance we withstand for 30 hours, but also by the memories and emotions that we will remember for a lifetime. We thank you for providing us with memorabilia to keep that feeling alive. We look forward to working with The Michigan Daily for years to come. Dance Marathon 2000 is right around the corner and it will be bigger and better than you can imagine. Thanks again! JEN RIESENBERGER LSA SENIOR GEO proposal is 'ridiculous' TO THE DAILY: The Graduate Employees Organization is being ridiculous. And I can say that with a clear conscience. Let's look at the facts. What GEO says that their pay does not allow them to afford the cost of living in Ann Arbor. But let's look at that more closely. What they mean is that their stipend does not pay enough to cover rent, food, transportation and entertainmntn for the month. What they conveniently foiget to mention is that all of their tuition (for most GSls) is also paid for. When you add this amount (usually many thousands of doll to their stipend, their pay is extremely big, I realize that most GSis work very hrd and are also pretty good, but they need to realize how much they are getting paid-for teaching usually less than 40 hours a week. This comes out to avery high hourly pay, one that any undergrad (and most people in the working world) would love to have. So when GEO says that they are not getting paid enough, what they are really trying to say is that they want to go to school for free. They expect to have their tuition, food, rent-n everything else paid for, without even ha , to take a summer job. As an undergraduate, I work more than 100 hours a week for every week of the summer to pay for my tuition 4nd expenses, and I resent GEO saying that even though it's members get their tuition paid for, that they should also get paid enough on top of that to cover all rent and other expenses. TIM MCMIL EN LSA SEN I ocAsp' (firt m$FctN&Iii N EIfI oR t 06 1Vwtz o r0' 4