4A -_The Michigan Daily - Monday, Marh 22, 1999 clirtrbtMatt BtfoI 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 WAJ LACE Editorial Page'Editors Unless otherwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of the majority of the Daily's editorialboard. All other articles, letters and cartoons do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily. LessIAL is more A studenti's value ssues are not always as cut and dry as they first seem. There are many angles, hues and perspectives to every matter and we must consider all of them to make effective yet fair rules and guidelines. Just ask the Philadelphia federal judge who earlier this month tossed . out the National Collegiate Athletic Association's three- year-old policy on academic standards.{ Judge Ronald Buckwalter's deci- sion effectively pro- hibits the NCAA " . . from enforcing Scott Proposition 16, a Hunter code established in Roll Through 1996 that establishes the Soul minimum requisite scores on college entrance exams for all college athletes. The rationale behind the judge's ruling stems from the NCAA's own findings that the standardized test rule appreciably hurt the chances of African Americans vying for spots on sports teams, because - I'll just say it- black athletes on average earn lower scores on the SAT and ACT than their counterparts., In the wake of his decision, there has been a national backlash from all corners of the country. Athletically challenged students like us are angry, claiming that it's already way too easy for athletes to get into college in the first place and that guidelines be more stringent - not more lax. Some colleges are defiant, resolving to ignore any slackening of the terms of Proposition 16. Editorial writers and cannot be judged columnists, their pens ablaze with anger, are also insisting that the minimum score must stand so that college athletes will have a fighting chance of graduating - not to mention succeeding in the real world once professional teams reject them. But many of these people have altogeth- r missed -- or ignored ,- the point of Buckwalter's ruling. He does not claim that entrance guidelines are just too strict. In fact, we all know that just about anyone in college - white, black or plaid - scored an 820 out of 1600 on the SAT. Certainly, students who did not earn this score would do better to spend the bulk of their time fortifying their academic skills - not their athletic ones. Buckwalter does not claim that there should be no requirements for college athletes. No rational person can argue that all people can survive through four years of college - especially when immersed in a demanding collegiate ath- letic program. What the judge is claiming - and this is key - is that the rule differentially affects the athletes who are conten ers for spots in college. He did not tear the rule down because it is wrong in principle, but because he believes it forecloses opportu- nities to a segment of applicants. There is really no denying that stan- dardized tests are biased. Not only along cultural lines, but also along gender and socioeconomic lines as well. That is why certain groups typically score lower than others. Do you honestly believe that the average girl is dumber than the average boy? Do you honestly believe that the average poor per- son is inherently stupider than the average aristocrat? And do you honestly believe the by one test average minority is more obtuse than the average white student? There must be some mechanism in place to make these rifts vanish so that all athletes will have an equal shot at earning a spot on a college sports team. And until this mechanism falls into place, the sys- tem probably cannot be deemed fair. After all, sonie research has found that groups who score lower on the SAT wind up with excellent GPAs. As long as the SAT measures a student's ability only moderately well, the NCAA should oblig- ate itself to try to accommodate for the tests' weaknesses. The NCAA now has a chance to redraft guidelines that will be fair to everyone. This does not mean that guidelines should be more relaxed. (In fact, I personally think the bar is set a little too low already.) But this does mean that the association should not measure athletes on a scale that basically reflects how familiar a student is to prevailing majori- ty culture. Perhaps, a new set of guidelines could reflect high school GPA, an instructor's assessment of the student's ability or some other factor that better assesses stu- dents' true aptitude. So, instead of com- plaining that Judge Buckwalter is now making it too easy for black athletes to get into college, perhaps we should look at his true point - that certain applicants are differentially affected. Maybe then the NCAA could get down to the real business of making the playing field level for all athletes. Hmmmm ... Where have we heard all this before? - Scott Hunter can be reached over e-mail at sehunter@umich.edu. No-ads policy preserves 'U' tradition S eeing the word "sale" in a storefront window stimulates human temptation to at least take a closer look at the mer- chandise. With the words "for free," for- get it; the sales products often go in a matter of minutes. Yet sometimes free merchandise has a catch that sacrifices principles. When recently faced with 'the dilemma of whether or not to accept a donation of electronic equipment for Michigan Stadium that included score- board advertising, the University wisely turned down the offer. StadiaNet pro- posed a new Sony JumboTron system for the football stadium, which would in turn grant the company advertising rights dur- ing games and thus force the University to break with tradition. Ultimately the Athletic Department voted against accepting the new equipment, because of the long-standing ban on advertising within Michigan Stadium. Rather than taint University athletics by bringing marketing into Michigan Stadium, the University spent approximately $7.6 million to purchase the JumboTron screens. The buy required consent from StadiaNet due to a deal between the Oklahoma based company and Sony. Paying the fee main- tains the purity of sports on the college level and keeps fans' eyes focused on the game. In contrast to the University, the other 12 national college campuses where StadiaNet has installed electronic equipment all entered a marketing partnership with the supplier. Receiving the equipment at no monetary charge nonetheless puts a cost on the game. Oklahoma State, one of the uni- versities now affiliated with StadiaNet, found that the JumboTron's advertising dis- turbs the college games. Commercial spots spanning 30-seconds in length and com- plete with sound deter spectators from game announcements and action. Players' skills should be celebrated for on the field heroics rather than combining fame with fortune from the media. Prohibiting advertising in Michigan Stadium bears no effect on the costs students pay to attend the University. Athletic funds remain separate from University tuition fees so complying with the proposed StadiaNet deal would only compromise integrity, not University student and research funds. The Athletic Department spent almost $14 mil- lion on enhancements of Michigan Stadium this year, all financed by independent resources. The nearly eight million dollars in departmental funds went into electronic ren- ovations - the new video scoreboards at the north and south ends of the stadium, a revamped Bose sound system and a new tele- vision production center at Crisler Arena. The Athletic Department additionally installed various television monitors sur- rounding the stadium walkway so spectators do not miss the game while at the food stands or by the restrooms. All the stadium elec- tronic modifications have improved the experience for the spectator and sustained University pride. After raising Michigan Stadium's official seating capacity to 107,501 this year - mak- ing it the largest college-owned facility in the country - all these changes will be appreci- ated by both competitors and the faithful Maize-and-Blue fans. The Athletic Department's no-ads policy inside Michigan Stadium helps maintain the University's focus on tradition. 0 Some history lessons are worth attending By Jeffrey Kosseff Daily Editorial Page Editor I am Jewish, but only by birth. I am not religious; I've only been to temple for my friends' bar and bat mitzvahs. Being agnostic has distanced me from much of the Jewish cul- ture. I've never known what it was like to go to the kosher deli regularly or eat . meat and dairy products on sep- CONPE arate plates. I've been to some Passover seders, but most of the E time I didn't know what they Thuarsd were saying (I was always asked > Iin N to read the four questions in leCture by English.) To my grandmother's dismay, I never had a bar mitz- vah, complete with a band, ;.::. dance floor and a lot of presents in $18 multiples. There is, how- ever, one strong connection 1 have to Jewish culture. Like mil- lions of Jews (and non-Jews), Berpy many of my ancestors were killed in the Holocaust. I have heard many survivors speak of the horrors inflicted upon themselves and others during the early '40s, but I just cannot visu- alize it. It is impossible to understand some- thing so horrific without having experienced it. It makes me feel sickeningly fortunate to live in a free country at a time when I don't fear having my life taken away from me. I don't fear having all normalcy snatched out of my hands and placed into the hands of beasts. I don't fear seeing my loved ones murdered in front of me by the government. I don't fear losing my house, my car, my worldly possessions, my job and my life because a hateful person has taken control of my country's government. We live in a civi- RENMMO E3OCAUS whermases lized society now, right? Unfortunately, civiliza- tion does not always save people from hatred. While the Internet was not around in the '40s, there were many signs of civilization, such as the automobile, radio and airplanes. Some U.S. politi- cians who are still in office today wereabeginning their careers at that time. The '40s is not such a distant, unimaginable time period. Civilization will not prevent mass deaths from occurring. Look at Bosnia. Look at Rwanda. Look at Iraq, of people are dying from The key to preventing human rights viola-. tions from occurring in the future is education. I hear everyone say that we must not forget the Holocaust so it doesn't happen again. It is hap- pening again. It has always been happening. Innocent people are dying due to political turO moil. People in Bosnia are being killed due to their race and religion. This may seem distant to us in our cozy country, but deadly human oppression is common in many parts of the world. Education on the Holocaust is more necessary than ever, especially when our own Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott has been affiliated with the Council of Conservative Citizens, which published an article about the Holocaust stating that "the Jews' motto is never forget, and never forgive.' One can'. agree with the way they've turned spite intW . welfare billions for themselves." When anti- semitism reaches the upper echelons of power, we know there are still many people who need education. The University's Hillel chapter, for the twentieth year, has taken two weeks to educate the campus on the Holocaust. The organizers realize that Holocaust survivors' stories must live on.Through memorials, lectures and meet- ings with survivors, members of the University community will are given a wonderful oppor- tunity to remember what happened. Look at what happens when we forget. - Jeffiey Kosseff'can be reached over e-mail atjkossef@umich.edu. GRINDING THE NIB Wrong direction State should not increase marijuana penalties hunger caused by U.S. trade sanctions. While these are not as widespread as the Holocaust, is there really a way to measure tragedy? And is there any guarantee that they will not become as large, or larger, than the Holocaust. I guess we have to become more civilized. This past week, a committee in the state Senate voted unanimously to bring a bill revising Ann Arbor and East Lansing marijuana penalties to debate before the full Senate. Support for the bill, which will raise the current $25 fine to up to $100 and 90 days in jail, was garnered after the committee viewed photographs of diseased lungs, testimony from drug coun- selors and a videotape of a teenager under the influence of marijuana. The Senate should use its time more wisely and focus on other issues. t A recent study by the Institute of Medicine, a branch of the National Academy of Sciences, concluded that marijuana has medical value for pain relief and reducing nausea in cancer and AIDS patients. It also reduces eye pres- sure for glaucoma patients. Furthermore, .the study found that marijuana is not a gateway drug that leads to the use of harder drugs like cocaine and heroin. Given these new findings, the state in the Detroit Free Press finds that from 1991-96, minimum sentences for nonas- saultive crimes increased an average of 8.4 months, minimum sentences for assaultive crimes increased 6.4 months and sentences for drug crimes increased by 4.4 months. The increase in assaultive crimes should be much greater than the less dan- gerous drug and nonassaultive criminals, who are being locked up for similar lengths of time. The crime rate has been decreasing in Michigan during the past few years, but state prisons and jails can- not continue to house dangerous criminals if they are overflowing with low-level drug offenders. The state Senate's actions are also ques- tionable because they do not represent the opinions of a majority of East Lansing and Ann Arbor citizens. In a representative government, the representatives in Congress are meant to express the opin- ions of their constituents, and there has been no public outcry in East Lansing or Ann Arbor for stricter marijuana penalties. Without any mandate from Ann Arbor and East Lansing residents, the Senate should hesitate to pass any marijuana restriction laws. In response to the Senate's action, The Ann Arbor News quoted Ann Arbor Mayor Ingrid Sheldon as saying "The cit- izens of Ann Arbor made a conscious decision to have a lesser penalty because they would rather spend the time on edu- cation and prevention." Instead of increasing the existing marijuana fines, the state Senate should promote a more effective method of drug regulation - CHIP CULLEN MSA should do more to serve student body TO THE DAILY: I would like to take this opportunity to tell the University community why I am the best candidate for the Michigan Student Assembly. In order to run "and make a difference," you have to be dissatisfied with the current state of student government. I feel that right now MSA is a joke. The people who are currently are on it and those who are running are nothing more than either radicals who represent their own views or elitist politicos who need some- thing to look good on their resume. I am different. I'm running to shake up MSA. No longer will I just sit by and com- plain about the stupidity of MSA. I am going to do something about it. I would never let incredulous MSA motions like sanctions on Iraq ever pass without a fight.- I'm not going to make any hollow promises like cutting tuition or having a student regent. Instead, I give a platform of reality. I would like to fund a student's bike air pump. This will enable students and facul- ty with bikes to fill their tires when they are flat. Currently, there is only one place to go on campus, and that is a private bike shop. I would like to come up with ideas to ease the biker/pedestrian/automobile con- . . 'A $-Il 1,, Sol. t" +' j . .i C ,'*" AfQtc~L. HA.. L M"S~A IA' l'ft , ppuWPa E cc ,- r I '>> > M Wvi, N AP IIL CQQZ - 3. as .qR- tten e r ยข,. , Senate should instead focus on other alternatives to curb drug use. Rather than raising the existing fines, the Senate should focus on increasing drug education and prevention programs. Increasing the fines will only serve to put more low-level drug offenders in jail. This does not solve the problem of drug use; it only temporarily stops it. By increasing drug education and prevention programs, the state Senate would mitigate the number of drug offenders appearing in the first place. The new bill is also a sign that Michigan is sending the wrong people to Candidates always talk about cutting tuition. How about cutting MSA fees? Let's start with the source that we can actually control. If you agree with any of the above, or would like a legitimate change in the pas- sive, static form of MSA, than I am your candidate. I would appreciate your vote. Thanks, and have a nice day! DAVID TAUB LSA JUNIOR Daily letters are as predictable as Mad: extremely offended by (any news story, * previous letter, campus event or any other damned thing). Having grown up in (trendy, upscale, upper-class suburb), I am intimately aware of the plight of (another group). (Other person who holds an opposing view) is obviously a (racist/sexist/bigot/etc.), and is, in fact, a member of a vast (racist/sexist/bigot/etc.) conspiracy, making (him/her) worse than (Hitler/Stalin/Lucifer). If we don't (drive out/silence/decapi- tate) these people, our society will crum- ble back into (the Dark Ages/rubble/the Reagan years). All hail the (fawning, sycophantic adjective) Jessica Curtin!