4 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, February 26, 1999 ~e L~idt~{gt &{dlg Detroit's revitalization should focus on city's character 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 of the Dailys editorial board. All other articles, letters and cartoons do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily. On the cloamck 'U' and GEO must reach agreement soon etroit's not somewhere I'd like to pay .V to visit," I heard one traveler at Detroit Metropolitan Airport say to another this month. After moderate protest from her compan- ion, she asked incredu- lously, "Have you ever been to Detroit?" The exchange didn't surprise me. It made me laugh, and it sad- dened me. Detroit wasK never intended to be a resort town, but it has become almost as unlikely to be a desti- nation for a dinner date as a family vaca- tion. L urie Many Detroiters and Mayk suburban residentsS have their own theories She to explain why the city Says o only bustles during business hours: it' Coleman Youngkfault; it's the suburbs'fault; it's the crime; the grime; the blue-collar image; the racial tensions ... But regardless of who and what is to blame for the status quo (and I think it's safe to say all of the above share a bit of the burden), Detroit as a commercial center needs some help. Some people think the casinos will be the city's saving grace. I don't Some economists think the transfer of hun- dreds of General Motors Corp. employees to downtown offices will do the trick. Unlikely. Some politicians think a bit of federal money and a few empowerment zones will turn things around. For the residents of those areas, the money and the attention could do wonders. For the image and commercial value of the city as a whole, they'll barely scratch the surface. Even my mother thinks she knows the secret to revitalizing Detroit. According to her plan, we've had what we need to transform downtown into a safe, upbeat commercial center all along: frozen water. Her idea revolves around -- literally - a Rockefeller Center-esque ice rink in the mid- dle of downtown. She envisions the rink as the centerpiece of a downtown square that would attract restaurants, boutiques and coffee shops. And her idea is not as crazy as I thought it was the first time I heard it. Actually, it would fill several of the city's gaps and appeal to a range of clientele: Singles - There simply is no reason to make the trek to Detroit when you're more likely to run into friends on the street in down- town Royal Oak or even Ann Arbor. Creating an intimate and lively square will make down- town Detroit a more likely meeting spot for groups and individuals. . Families - The suburban families who spend their Saturdays at soccer games would welcome a safe and affordable venue for weekends. The dinner and the theater crowd: Detroit has one of the largest and most successful the- ater districts in the country, and yet its influ- ence hasn't moved further than the theaters themselves. Couples tend to make only one stop in the city to see their desired show, and then they head straight home when the curtain comes down. It would be natural to stroll about a plaza and sip a latte or a Chardonnay after the show, but there' no where to go. So we'd be stealing the idea from Manhattan, and it wouldn't be the same with- out NBC studios in the background, but Mom's on the right track. Maybe it's time for a gimmick. That doesn't mean we have to haul in tons of frozen water from Lake St. Clair or come up with some great new theme song; perhaps what we're looking for is right under our noses. Detroit already has an image it is proud of: Motor City, Motown music and a strong tra- dition of African American leadership. The city needs to use those positive themes that outsiders associate with Detroit to fashion a cultural hub where people want to be. The Museum of African American History was a step in the right direction, and so was the Motown Museum, but enthusiasm for these individual establishments has not been enough to spark the kind of restaurants and themed attractions that would make a muse- um a phenomenon. Fort Worth, Texas, took a risk a few years ago, and now it's being hailed for an amazing urban comeback and a string of museums and performing arts centers that rivals its big sis- ter to the east. For years, Fort Worth was the forgotten stepchild of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, trying desperately to suppress its cowboy drawl in the shadow of Dallas glitz. But by someone's stroke of genius, Fort Worth decided finally to embrace its Cowtown heritage, and turned its downtown and surrounding areas into a tribute to the Old West. The result is a classy Western look. tinged with suede fringe and silver buckles and a cultural district that draws Dallas resi- dents west for the weekend. Detroit has the opportunity to do the same thing by building on one of the images it already has - use the Motor City and bring the new automotive museum from Dearborn to Detroit, use Motown and build on the exist- ing paraphernalia, use sports and paint every- thing red and white or blue and orange ... use anything but the big ugly fist in the middle of the city. - Laurie Mayk can be reached over e-mail at ljmayk@umich.edu. L ast weekend, the Graduate Employees Organization voted to authorize a strike. This motion was approved by a vast majority of the organization, with 77 per- cent of members voting in favor of striking. March 15 is the date set to begin an open- ended strike should efforts to obtain a con- tract fail. Before going on strike, GEO plans to hold a one-day walkout on March 10 and a half-day walkout on March 11 as a last ditch attempt to force the University into a settlement. For almost three weeks, GEO has been working without a contract, hoping to avoid a deal similar to the one it signed in 1996, which produced a salary increase insufficient to meet the expenses of living in Ann Arbor. The University and GEO must work together in this short timetable to reach a bargain satisfying both parties; otherwise, the effects of a strike could devastate the University. GEO has already shown a great willing- ness to compromise, having lowered its wage increase demands from 37 percent to 9 percent. But the University has not budged from its proposed increase of 2.5 percent. In fact, the University's offer, which basically recalculates the number of hours that graduate employees work so that they receive more money for more hours of work, is not a real increase. In many cases, the compensation for the number of hours worked will actually decrease. In addition, the University's proposal demands even more of graduate employees' already-scarce time. After all, GSIs are stu- dents as well, attending classes, conducting research and working on dissertations. Many of them are willing to meet with undergraduate students outside of class and office hours. The University's offer, which would require many GSIs to teach an extra discussion section, would leave less indi- vidual time for undergraduates and the members of GEO themselves. Since GSIs are the crucial link between professors and students, this would prove detrimental to undergraduate education. With a strike date set, a settlement between GEO and the University is even more crucial. A lengthy work stoppage would throw the academic calendar into a state of flux, particularly hurting under- graduates. The University's reputation as a center of quality education is also at stake. Better compensation will attract the best GSIs to the University. If the University forces GEO to strike, a nega- tive perception may encourage graduate students to enroll elsewhere. A failure to reach an agreement could hurt every aspect of the University. The standoff between the University and GEO must come to an end soon. Because GEO has already shown a great deal of willingness to compromise, it now falls to the University to make conces- sions, something it has so far failed to do. The University needs to take into account the cost of living in Ann Arbor, as well as the amount of time and effort graduate employees must put into their duties as both instructors and students. It is crucial that the University does its part to end a dispute that, if it continues, will be harm- ful to all students. CHIP CULLEN GRINDING THE N13 Ho IALL *0 0 Johnny come lately Federal government cannot collect states' money O n Nov. 23, 1998, the attorneys general of 46 states, five commonwealths and territories and the District of Columbia final- ly reached a settlement with tobacco manu- facturers to receive compensation for costs the states incurred through medicaid in treat- ing people suffering from conditions corre- lating with smoking. The deal was consum- mated with tobacco manufacturers Philip Morris Incorporated, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation, Lorillard Tobacco Company and the Liggett Group, together representing about 99 percent of the industry. The agree- ment, worth $246 billion during the next 25 years, has been a long debated issue between the states and the federal government with respect to the disbursement of the award money. It is essential that state governors and attorneys general work hard in developing strategies to prevent federal recoupment of these funds. In 1996, a number of states settled their lawsuits early and began collecting payments from certain companies. Shortly thereafter, the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) contacted each of the relevant state Medicaid directors, claiming that payments received from the pursuit of Medicaid cost recoveries from tobacco firms qualify them for 50 percent of the financial recovery. Naturally, this claim raised concerns from a legal point of view. Should the federal government attempt to claim the funds, states will likely respond with lawsuits. Federal law prohibits the U.S. government from seeking reimbursement of Medicaid funds. And since the states initiat- ed the lawsuits, litigated them on their own behalf and undertook the risks involved in years of arduous negotiations, they should reap the full returns from the settlement. These funds are critical to the states' implementation of effective programs to minimize the use of tobacco products by young people. To turn these ideas into reali- ty, it is necessary that states decide how to spend the full settlement money. State attorneys general and legal scholars alike say the federal government's case is flawed in many respects. The Medicaid pro- visions currently being pushed by federal officials were adopted decades ago and were originally designed for small claims and as a tool to fight provider fraud. Such outright exploitation and misuse could have never been envisioned, nor intended. The Medicaid reimbursement claimed by the federal gov- ernment represented only a small portion of settlement funds anyway, because the states' attorneys general carefully crafted the agree- ment to reflect only state costs. Because the tobacco lawsuit was initiat- ed, litigated and craftily settled by the states to reflect state costs, its spoils should not be usurped by the federal government - espe- cially since it is gearing up for its own law- suit to recover money spent through pro- grams other than Medicaid. State governors and attorneys general must work diligently to preserve the settlement they worked hard to earn. Ticket prices for 'M' football unfair on road To THE DAILY Hey, Michigan fans and alumni, it seems Syracuse's athletic director has taken a play from University Athletic Director Tom Goss's playbook - charge loyal Michigan fans more money to support the teams they love. The Syracuse ticket office has decided that all University alumni and students who want to go the game Sept. 18 are going to have to but a ticket for Syracuse's football game against Central Michigan. Forget the fact that we can watch CMU anytime we want, they aren't worth watching anyway. Syracuse wants to generate more rev- enue, so like Goss, they are deferring the cost onto the fan. Paying $55 for a game that costs only $23 for a Syracuse fan is unfair. We want to support the football team, so what should we do? Ideally, no Michigan fan should buy a ticket to that game, since we can watch the game on TV for free. Many Michigan fans may choose torwatch the games on TV next year, since Goss has decided to raise general tickets by $8. Look what has happened to the student section at hockey games this year after Goss raised ticket prices for no apparent reason. Students do the "Blackhole Chant" when we are losing, or haven't even scored a goal. Sports is a huge industry. It was the same in the days of Rome, as it now. The question is how much money do these ath- letic directors need, so they can sleep at night? KEVN HURLEY LSA SENIOR Column was 'absolutely right' about Bullock To THE DAIy: Andy Latack hit the nail right on the head with his column about Louis Bullock ("Classy Bullock a true leader for eM'', 2/24/99). Despite the team's forgettable record, Bullock has always been the epito- me of class. It must be extremely frustrating for Bullock, a superstar in his final season, to face the harsh reality that there will be no NCAA tournament in his future. Bullock is a role model for all athletes. His ability, both on the court and off, to maintain his composure and never overreact are skills that cannot be taught. His experi- ence and leadership will be missed next year. Latack was absolutely right. It's about time that Louis Bullock gets the respect he has earned. DREW BRA T LSA FIRST-YEAR STUDENT fUrsit -trio -i-m ) ~UU3UFm -- a.a .g9 BE SAFE' c. C e vt . vcwt - . e .QM s . students simulate lawyers and witnesses in a court case and compete against approxi- mately 400 other colleges and universities. While students do not have to be pre-law to join, most of them are and find that mock trial provides invaluable experience to courtroom procedure and rules of evidence. Not many people on campus know about mock trial - we receive very little support or recognition from the University. Even University President Lee Bollinger, former dean of the Law School, ignores our attempts to contact him despite touting the importance of academics. The mock trial team is entirely student run. We do not have a coach - our ideas, procedures and most of our funds are stu- dent generated. We are always searching for mediums to alert students, professors and members of the legal community that our team exists. The fact that the Daily does not deem mock trial important undercuts every- thing we have done and hope to do. The mock trial team has achieved remarkable success despite this lack of sup- port and recognition. Last year, we placed fifth at the national championships and won a national title in another competition. This year, the team is well on its way to bettering those finishes. Earlier this year, we placed fourth at a national invitational, and last weekend we won first place at the regional tournament at the University of Notre Dame, thus earning a bid to compete at the national championship in April. The Daily did not report any of these triumphs. The members of the mock trial team deserve recognition for being one of the top teams in the country and for representing the University with excellence. Beyond that, the student body deserves the right to know that this team exists, especially those who are interested in joining. JOELLE RENSTROM LSA JUNIOR BAMN is not tolerant of different views To THE DAILY: BAMN's use of unthinking rhetoric is clearly displayed in its Day of Action adver- tisements. BAMN dismisses Prop 209-like legislation as "racist' thereby stunting the possibility of dialogue. BAMN's advertise- ment suggests that all Republicans are racist and that black persons can only express pro- affirmative action views. BAMN refers to Republican state Sen. David Jaye (R- Macomb) as a modern day George Wallace. In the '90s, however, "George Wallace" can- not resegregate alone. He must "latch-up" with former University of California Regent Ward Connerly, "the black Republican front- man." Given BAMN's promoted goal of attain- ing diversity, one would think that it could appreciate the political diversity on the topic of racial preferences. That is simply not the case. BAMN and its ilk are not here to educate. They are in a war and will win "By Any Means Necessary.' Such extremism is evidenced by the use of phrases such as "preparing forces"'"defeating the threat,"'"attack" and "defense." Those of us who have made up our minds to disagree are the enemy and there is no redemption for us. If we are white, we are racists; if we are not white, we are sell-outs. But, for those who haven't made up their minds and remain intel- lectually undecided, the answer is clear - chuck the logic and pick up the outrage. There is always a place for you at BAMN. Perhaps we have learned something as a result of BAMN's efforts. At best, we have learned the art of inartful rhetoric. At worst, we have learned the same thing. Gi JOHN LAW SCHOOL Slice of Life program helped potential students To THE DAILY: I would like to commend the student body and the Alumni Association of the University of Michigan on their Slice of Life program. The enjoyed the experience of attending classes, experiencing the life of HAVE NM A5 Ktcvi& 0- , Gov. JOHN ENGLER PHONE: (517) 335-7858