4 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, March 12, 1999 (IE £itligtn &ilQ What seems like far away is now closer to home 420 Maynard Street Ann Arbor, Ml 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 Daily's editorial board. All other articles, letters and cartoons do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily. Major improvement LSA faculty approves minor programs SOMEWHERE ON THE OCEAN OFF CUBA - Even though we were closer to home than to Europe, the waiters sat three other people at the table my mother and I were sharing for high tea on the last day of our spring break cruise. Before long, the man - a tour guide; from Sweden leading 58 people on the trip of a lifetime - was asking me about the review book I had left sitting on the table. A pleasant conversa- Megan tionalist, he works in Schlmpf a field related to mine Prescriptions - taking doctors who have spent years learning medicine and teaching them how to be leaders. We began talking about medical education, a topic I had wanted to leave at home. And soon, he was talking of his wife, the editor in chief of the magazine sponsoring his tour. Her decisions were yet another topic we'd hoped to leave at home, across the oceans. I spent last week on a boat in the middle of the ocean (and occasionally at ports of call), but I have never felt so tied to home on such a remote vacation. True, we were largely able to escape real- ity. I blissfully missed every word of Monica and Barbara. We didn't see a news- paper all week. We left answering machines, cellular phones and pagers at home. We deflected Michigan State fans who wanted to act superior. Instead, we climbed up a waterfall in the middle of a jungle and snorkeled down to coral reefs amid deep blue waters. We tast- ed the salt water and felt warm sun rays. We listened to a piano man in a nighttime bar and ate (and ate) foods we could never jus- tify at home. We let time slip by without doing anything concrete. We could spend quiet afternoons reading and watching the water go by or move amid the bustle of a pool party. We saw Cuba as an outline on the horizon, not a political entity. We tried to forget all the stresses and tasks we'd left, and all that would be wait- ing when we returned. But due to an awfully real development at home and the persistence of our travel agent, we learned that telegrams cross bodies of water and e-mail is accessible even if land is not - albeit as long as the satellite is up. We learned that thoughts of home haunt you when you are most powerless - or even reluctant - to act on them. As technology and the effects of world events bring all the world to a common backyard, far away becomes a little more like home. It's harder to lose yourself in a vacation when remote islands feel and even look a little like home. We watched drinking games in the Bahamas while knowing that the same activity, if filmed inside a fraternity house, would lead on the I1 p.m. news. I could only sit in the sun for minutes before visions of melanoma settled in. CNN was almost always available on our stateroom television. We heard rumors of snow at home. We waited in a harbor as people with medical emergencies left for care in Miami, their vacations abruptly over. We met the ship's doctor. The coral reefs are named for the visible Burger King, the shopping is much like malls at home but cheaper, and sometimes things aren't as pristine and idyllic as you imagined from the brochures. But the water's clear blue, the skies have only one puffy white cloud (that never flur- ries flakes), the sunsets are as brilliantly colored as the fish that swim two feet in front of you and there are still small trea- sures to be found and photographed or brought home. There are vibrant flowers and unique aromas. The natural scenery and parts of the man-made atmosphere are authentic. The real world still went on with its busi- ness last week - people went to work, stu- dents went to class and studied, and history moved forward another week. We just missed it. And the pictures - of reefs and jungles and authentic Mexican restaurants - cer- tainly show a world light years away from a Michigan March. We learned about locales we had only heard about before, now able to speak from personal experience and wit- ness about them. We ate Baked Alaska, lob- ster and caviar. We tried snorkeling in the ocean over shipwrecks and some of the pre- mier reefs in the world. Things became as beautifully simple as describing the fish we saw, and as demanding as a two-and-a-half- mile swim through the wind-blown ocean. The Spanish our classroom-trained ears heard was real and rapid. The world had its ways of sidling in, still, whether it was our Swedish tea companions or news from home. It was impossible to completely leave school at school or wor- ries at home. We can now get farther away than many previous generations could - but never far enough. As our scope of the world has grown, its practical size has shrunken. Now more than ever, it's a small world after all. - Megan Schimpf can be reached over e-mail at mschimpf@umich.edu. 01 E very passing day at the University generates endless choices for stu- dents. Beyond what people to befriend, what extracurricular activities to pursue and even what courses to take, there remains the underlying question: Why bother, where do all the options lead? What lies ahead after. all the scholarly planning and grueling hours at the library? Irn the race to complete requirements for what seems the "best-fitting" major, sig- nificant desires may be forgotten or over- looked. But students now will experience less pressure while experimenting with academic endeavors. On Monday the fac- ulty of the College of Literature, Science and the Arts voted unanimously to allow a minor program. Students previously con- fined to study just one area of interest or double major will soon be able to broaden horizons through choosing another con- centration as a minor. Encompassing minors into the University LSA curriculum offers new possibilities to students while facilitating on-time graduation. Rather than struggling to double major, students may opt to take classes in various subjects and elect to minor in something that strikes interest. A minor essentially requires about half the credits needed for a concentration. Minors fill in the huge gap between selecting one concentration compared with completing two. The majority of today's universities allow minors; thus this change keeps the University up to par with competing pupils. The minor program prompts University students to try out different marketable fields. The meeting between the LSA Student Government and faculty members left it to each department to develop individual cur- riculums for minors. But departments may choose not to implement any new program and, furthermore, no deadline stands for when they have to make the decision. Dates should be set by the LSA Student Government for the departments so that students can take advantage of the changes soon. Members on the curriculum commit- tee stated that if the departments work out the details thoroughly by the semester's end, then current students at the University may choose minors as early as the upcom- ing fall semester. The curriculum commit- tee approves the proposals of each depart- ment before minors may be incorporated into a field of study. But with no set dead- lines this process may waste time. Minor programs may attract new appli- cants to the University who would like a concentration outside of their major but wish to avoid a double major. In addition, students with minors under their belts may have more to offer potential employers. j The decision to tackle a liberal arts education lends itself to numerous choic- es - possibilities likely to be neglected- without a minor program. Departments not offering minors limit learning by giv- ing little room in one concentration or create stress by giving too much work to fully undertake double majors. Double majors should no longer stand as the only option beyond one field of study. A minor program at the University can facilitate students in the quest to make the right choices. Contract settlement is in everyone's best interest We, the students of the College of Literature, Science and the Arts, are threatened with a drastically negative impact upon the instructional envi- ronment of the University of Michigan. In this regard, we affirm the central role played by Graduate Student Instructors in this instruc- tional environment and the legitimacy of those GSIs to bargain collectively. We further affirm that any strike of GSIs will significantly disrupt both the organization and the instruction of most undergraduate classes. Specifically, we are discouraged by the stalled contract negotiations, which threaten to injure the contrac- tual relationship between students and this University. Therefore, the students of the College of Literature, Science and the Arts implore the University to protect and to further advance the quality of undergraduate education. Accordingly, students of this college encourage the University to grant rea- sonable concessions to the GEG that will construct a framework, within the University budget, to meet the demands of a living wage. Such con- cessions should include wage increases that exceed inflation and that will continue to address the long- term aims of graduate students. Furthermore, the LSA students ask that the University cement in this new contract earlier agreements concern- ing the compensation involved with CHIP CULLEN international GSI training. While the student body recognizes the University's duty to control costs and manage resources and the GEO's responsibility to bargain on behalf of its members, the students of this col- lege depend most vitally on instruc- tion and the daily organization. of our classes. Therefore, in order to ensure their commitment to undergraduate teaching and to prevent the increas- ingly regular bargaining disputes, we ask that a timely compromise be instituted between the University bar- gaining team and the GEO. - This viewpoint was submitted by LSA junior Jeff Irwin on behalf offthe LSA Student Government. GRINDING THE NIB Time out Congressional term limits do not solve problems I n 1994, the Republicans captured both houses of Congress under the leadership of Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) and the party platform outlined in the Contract with America. The Contract with America was part of a plan to bring back the "citizen legislator" and guar- antee a vote on congressional term limits. But with the 2000 elections rapidly approaching, many of the Republicans who promised to term limit themselves in 1994 are considering running again. Whether or not these Republicans seek re-election, the larger issue of congressional term limits remains unre- solved. And despite some advantages to term limits, the American democracy will benefit if term limits are not adopted in the future. From the days of the Constitutional Convention to the present day, term limits have always been a salient issue in politics. The adoption of the 22nd Amendment lim- iting presidents to two full terms in office led many to insist that Congressmembers should be similarly limited. Others argued that term limits legislation would guarantee new faces and new ideas in Washington. Instead of career politicians, the legislative branch would be occupied by true "citizen legislators." But despite these arguments, the overall effect of congressional term lim- its would be negative. In Congress, seniority is often power. It may take a representative or senator over ten years to rise to a position in Congress that profoundly influences legislation. Imposing term limits would end congressional careers before a representative had a chance to make a difference. Furthermore, while those who argue in favor of term limits insist that it will bring new ideas to the federal government, the actual .A&t wmiln he nnthinn of the nrt Rv ser- ing congressmen out of office just as they would be gaining the knowledge and congres- sional know-how necessary to introduce new ideas, term limits would shift power to the hands of congressional staffers, interest groups, lobbyists and members of the bureau- cracy. These political actors have agendas more rigid than most Congressmembers, and with their newfound power, ideas would not change, but stay the same. Also, instead of favoring "citizen legisla- tors" by removing career politicians from office, term limits would attract the upper class to Congress in disproportionate num- bers. By favoring those citizens who can afford to take a few years off from their jobs, term limits would attract doctors, lawyers and independent business executives to public office. But middle- and lower-class workers would be less likely to run, fearing a difficult return to the workforce after their mandatory terms had expired. Instead of a government representing the general population's best interest, the result would be a congress attuned to the issues that confront the wealthy. In addition to these drawbacks, it cannot be overlooked that term limits are essentially undemocratic. By taking the power of choice away from the voter, the integrity of the democracy would be compromised. Instead, as the case is without term limits, a majority of voters supporting a congressman should be able to keep him in office as long as they see fit. Term limits have their advantages. Incumbents are wildly successful in American politics, and new faces may do some good. But to enforce term limits by law is undemo- cratic. Term limits should continue to be enforced the old-fashioned way -- by the Groesbeck will be 'dearly missed' To THE DAILY: The recent murder-suicide of Natasha Quereshi and Chris Groesbeck have brought the University yet another tragic loss. While many students have been honor- ing the memory of Quereshi, I feel it neces- sary to speak about my former coworker, Chris Groesbeck. Chris worked in the din- ing room at the Executive Residence in the Executive Education Center. His kind, gen- tle personality allowed his co-workers to warm to him and to enjoy his positive atti- tude. At the time of his death, he was no longer working at the EEC but was surely onto better and brighter endeavors. The news of his death has greatly sad- dened those at the Executive Residence who had the opportunity to work with and know him. Although the events of his personal life may have been somewhat different from what we may have known, he will be dearly missed. GAYLE GIFFIN LSA SENIOR Faculty should support GEO efforts To THE DAILY: I write in support of the graduate stu- dents' and Graduate Employees Organization's walk-out, of all underpaid and under-appreciated members of the aca- demic community, of all teachers who make up the ever-increasing ranks of the academ- ic lumpenproletariat. The University administration, particu- larly Provost Nancy Cantor, is fond of mak- ing comparisons between salaries and bene- fits of University GSIs and GSIs at other Big Ten institutions. C'mon, Nancy, we all know that the only comparisons that really matter are those with "peer institutions.' When we compare stats at the University of Michigan to those at the University of California at Q2 A,, . xy 0r ..-aA th i niy.r+., n ,49, op ii lines? And is this the sort of tactic we should be teaching our students? If the University is so concerned with undergraduate education, as they constantly claim in their press releases, then why not pay a living wage to the people who actual- ly teach the undergraduates? Why are so many courses at the University taught by non-permanentafaculty? I fear that if the University continues down the path of treat- ing its teachers unfairly, its once honored reputation as one of the best and most pres- tigious public institutions in the country will be but a faint and distant memory. MEG GALLUCCI UNIVERSITY FACULTY GSIs must turn out in large numbers for strike vote TO THE DAILY: GEO is considering a strike concerning its current contract negotiations with the University, but none of the issues involved approaches the level of seriousness necessary to justify this action. In my opinion, there has been only one year in recent memory when a strike was justified - the year when the I iniveit unilaterallv tried in mnve everyone strike. On Sunday evening, GEO will conduct a vote to decide on future job action. To make the right decision, the GEO leadership needs a vote that accurately reflects GSIs' sentiments. It is the responsibility of all GSis to vote so that an unjustified or unsupported job action is not authorized. DAVID MARSHALL RACKHAM Labor activists have much to consider TO THE DAILY: The ongoing efforts by student labor activists to improve labor standards is extremely noble, but utopian. Let me stress that if it were feasible, I would be elated to improve the plight of workers who have to deal with miserable conditions. However, I urge student activists to examine the prob- lem in greater depth and consider the possi- ble repercussions. What is the cost of such a change? Increasing the wages of workers may induce companies to lay-off many of the workers. What prevents the companies from mechanizing the process and reducing the number of employed laborers? If children were prevented from working, would the cstudent ativists hableo in cnmnennate the I ainnrnval of the votine nzihlic.