4 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, March 23, 1999

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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
Daily's editorial board. All other articles, letters and cartoons do not necessarily reflect
the opinion of The Michigan Daily.

Vote

Ma da

Sweet-talking, lin
A h, St. Patrick's Day, Oscar night, a friend's
birthday, a Wednesday, hell, a Monday -
there's really nothing better as a second-
semester senior. The excuses are plentiful this
time of year, tapering course loads, beautiful
weather, outdoor bars,
well okay, one outdoor
bar. These are days to
drink, dance and delve
into irresponsibility at
Dominick's. Class,
doesn't count; profes-
sors are petty concerns
and grades? Come on,
we're graduating.
whether or not they're
Cs, Bs or As.
But as spring fever
sets in and the sun Sarah
begins to shine, the Lockyer
University really Lc a
begins to feel 30,000-
students large.Lo add
Students come out of
the woodwork and this late in the year they're
ready to party. This spring spectacle doesn't
occur only for seniors; all students feel it in
the air and everyone gets a little antsy. By
April, no sophomore still likes going to frat
parties, every freshman is sick of the dorms
and the poor just-barely-underage juniors are
ready for the bars. But without an underage
watering whole on campus, lines and lines of
hopeful, dew-eyed, underage undergrads form
outside our lovely plethora of campus bars.
So many of us brave this bar battle every
weekend, and usually every weekday. And
with warming weather and increasingly social
students, lines are longer and people are less
patient.
The Complainer: These downers of
depression usually annoy their acquaintances
in a ridiculous rant of constant complaints.

Candidates have edge in LSA-SG race

Whining about the weather, commenting on
the congestion, bitching about the bar scene.
They're the women wanting bottled water
while they wait, but only the kind with the
pop-top lid, of course. They're the drunken
men dying for another drink, not willing to
simply wait in silence for another Jack and
Coke. They complain, complain and then
complain some more, making the rest of us
complain about them. How ironic.
The Loud-Talkers: We all know the kind,
everything from sex to studies, boys to beer,
women to working - by the time you enter
the bar, everyone within a mile radius knows
the intimate details of the Loud-Talker's life.
It's baffling how boisterous these Loud-
Talkers can be. It's not cute to be shattering
someone else's ear, and it's definitely not
attractive to be earsplitting. The rest of us
lounging line dwellers do not need the details
of a random bar-mate's life. So, basically, shut
up.
The Pusher: Apparently, these impatient
imbeciles either really revel in rambunctious
behavior or truly believe that pushing people
will in some small way move the masses in an
orderly, progressive and faster fashion. We
feel the Pushers' elbows in our backs, their
knees against our legs. They make the rest of
us stand at attention, adopting a defensive
demeanor. Well, you're not getting anywhere.
The line will not move quicker by your puny
attempt to push. You only succeed at pissing
the rest of us off. So please, keep your elbows
to yourself.
The Strategist: The fearless leader of the
crew, convinced that with every stride toward
the showing of IDs, a more ingenious insight
about how to get in will appear, as if an
epiphany from above. Always mentioning the
time spent in line, the time left until the door
and always bobbing and weaving. "We're
almost there,' "We're in, I swear,' "Maybe I

e jumping and other bar behavior

should go talk to the bouncer," "Once we're
around the corner, we're golden:' It's just
ridiculous.
The Cutter: These types are a crowd
favorite. First, there's a pack of 20-some 20-
somethings who find one "friend" to use to
cut the line. "Hey! Thanks for holding our
spot!" Second, we have the wasted and waspy
frat guys who simply ignore all social graces
and assimilate into the abyss as if nothing is
going on. "Line? What line?" There's nothing
more annoying than watching the line grow -
from in front of you, or to hear people ahead
of you comment that they've waited since
I I p.m., while you've been there since
10:30p.m. It's rude, rowdy and wrong, but
we'd all do it if and when the opportunity
arose.
The Sweet-Talker: By far, the best cate-
gory to watch in action. Women lick their lips,
suck in their stomachs and get ready to use
and abuse the male ego. Menem saunter over,,
slip in the sexy smile and get ready to use and
abuse the female fantasy. The only pre-requi-
site for this type of line jumping is a prior
meeting, interest or hook-up, so be warned -
these tactics don't always work on a stranger.
The steps of a Sweet-Talker are as follows:
find someone whom you know - any type of
relationship can work as long as some sexual
energy is present - and act amazingly happy
that you ran into them, at all places, the bar!
Use class, friends or inside jokes to covertly
cut your way into line, or be so bold as to ask
to wait with the victim, uh, friend. This will
always work on guys, who will automatically
assume that "Seriously guys, she wants me,'
and women will fall in the same fashion,
"He's so cute, I think he really likes me, I
mean, why else would he come right up to me
in line, right?"
- Sarah Lockyer can be reached over,
e-mail at slockyer@umich.edu.

t4

T he race for president and vice president
of the College of Literature, Science and
the Arts student government is close, with two
sets of truly qualified candidates vying for the
position. But Students' Party candidates Jeff
Harris, the presidential candidate, and Mehul
Madia, his vice-presidential running mate, are
most qualified for the job, bringing a wide
range of experience to the government's two
top offices.
Harris and Madia are two well-rounded
candidates with simple but necessary ideas for
the College of Literature, Science and the
Arts. At the foundation of their platform are
some student-oriented, realistic and achiev-
able goals, including reforming the foreign
language requirement. Harris and Madia have
a good sense of how the LSA-SG works and
what its limits are.
Harris has already served on every LSA-
SG committee and has a very hands-on,
enthusiastic attitude towards what the govern-
ing body will be able to accomplish. Madia, a
Michigan Student Assembly veteran, would
help bridge the communication gap between
MSA and LSA-SG. Harris and Madia are
focused on issues such as developing depart-
mental minors and reforming the language
requirement.
Harris and Madia stress their pledge to
continue the work already begun in adding a
separate minor program and making minors
available in every department. They admit that
the major/minor program was not the brain-
child of student government, but both agreed
that LSA-SG had a large role to play in the
ultimate success or failure of this revived pro-
gram. Harris and Madia will work with the
various departments to convince them to offer

a minor program, as well as working with the
Academic Advising office to prepare advisors
to consult students on the new system.
Harris and Madia also stressed the impor-
tance of revamping the language requirement
- a debated issue. Some students would like
to see it abolished - an idea that Harris and
Madia realize the administration would prob-
ably never approve. Interested in making the
currently stringent program more flexible,
Harris suggested adding an HTML course as
an option for a semester of foreign language
- a highly marketable skill that all University
students should achieve fluency in.
The platform of their opponents - Seema
Pai and John Naheedy -is not especially dif-
ferent from their own platform, with similar
ideas about the major/minor program and
other in rtant academic issues.
Harris and Madia are also interested in
improving communications with LSA stu-
dents, reforming how the LSA-SG allocates
money to student groups, opening up depart-
mental executive committees for students and
achieving a much-desired fall break the week
of Thanksgiving.
During the next year, LSA-SG will have
a good deal of work on its plate. With a new
LSA dean beginning in August, the execu-
tives of the student government must make
students' voices heard to the new adminis-
tration. Harris and Madia are most capable
of establishing relations with the new
administration. While either dedicated set of
candidates would be able to put the govern-
ment's ideas into action, Harris and Madia
demonstrated more energy, experience and
focus.
Vote Harris and Madia for LSA-SG.

4


THOMAS KULJURGIS TENTATIVELY SPEAKING *

\dAvrtNC,

Iron, v4spl AT tom

Go vote!
Students must not skip chance to shape 'U'

Student government elections may be
right around the corner, but few students
are likely to cast a ballot. The elections will
decide the future of candidates both inde-
pendent and party affiliated who are cur-
rently vying for seats on the Michigan
Student Assembly and LSA Student
Government. If the trend of previous years
holds, only about 20 percent of the student
body will vote this week.
While many students may be inclined to
regard the overwhelming apathy towards the
upcoming elections with indifference, the
resulting student government will play an
important role in the functioning of the
University. Several issues of vital impor-
tance to all students will dominate the agen-
da of student government in the coming
year.
The University Board of Regents has
placed final responsibility for reforming the
Code of Student Conduct into the hands of
University President Lee Bollinger. Under
the proposal drafted by Vice President for
Student Affairs Maureen Hartford, who is
leaving the University, and adopted by the
Board of Regents, MSA will be one of the
bodies responsible for formally submitting
amendments to the Code to Bollinger for
final approval. MSA has already played a
meaningful role in the Code reformation
process by submitting a thorough report on
the Code to the Board of Regents.
The College of Literature, Science and
the Arts has adopted a system into the facul-
ty code that allows departments to offer
minors. Unfortunately, departments are not
bound by a time frame to create minor pro-
rams. LSA student government is in the
position to pressure departments to work
swiftly and carefully as they establish

minors so that the majority of current stu-
dents can benefit.
Establishing a student-run coursepack
store had long been just a broken promise
made by candidates running for MSA, but it
is no longer. MSA's long awaited coursepa-
ck store in the Michigan Union finally
opened in January. The store remains an
experiment, however, and has only produced
a small number of coursepacks this semester
to the profit of only a few students. Most
students found themselves paying the same
exorbitant fees they always have.
MSA's management of the coursepack
store in the coming year will help determine
its success or failure. Given proper atten-
tion, the coursepack store may render the
current, expensive prices of coursepacks
things of the past.
Many students are quick to complain
about student government, dwelling on its
mistakes rather than its achievements. The
same standard that most individuals apply to
those who complain about the decisions
made by state, national and local govern-
ments also applies to student government -
in order to complain, one must vote. Student
government at the University is far from
perfect, and it has had plenty of failures.
Nevertheless, bodies such as MSA and
LSA-SG are regarded as the collective voic-
es of the students by the administration and
others and represent a relatively potent force
on campus. Student government will have
the power to influence several important
issues in the coming year that have the
potential to profoundly affect students' aca-
demic and social lives. The easiest and pos-
sibly most effective way for a person to have
input regarding these issues is to vote this
week.

Students' Party
wants to end
postering 'blitzes'
To THE DAILY:
Everyone who has passed through
Angell Hall recently has been struck by
the same phenomenon: hundreds of gaudy
campaign posters plastered over every
available surface. Many students have
expressed concerns about the conse-
quences of this political frenzy on the
environment, and rightly so. It is difficult
to justify such a waste of resources to the
other members of our University commu-
nity.
The members of the Students' Party
would like our fellow students to know
that we share your concerns. Perhaps
there are better ways to prove our leader-
ship skills than to cover the walls with
slogans. Because we believe that environ-
mental consciousness is crucial, we have
implemented an ambitious effort to recy-
cle our campaign materials. But this is not
enough - we know that we can and must
do more. The Angell Hall madness must
end.
The Students' Party challenges all can-
didates in the upcoming Michigan Student
Assembly elections to cease their blitzes
on Angell Hall, as we will attempt to do.
Any losses in terms of candidate name-
recognition can be recouped by creative
and energetic campaigning using other,
less wasteful methods. Cooperation on this
issue now will lay the foundation for a
united and effective student government in
the future. We thank you in advance for
your cooperation.
Remember to vote for MSA! March 24
and 25 at http://www.umich.edu/~vote.
ANN YEAGER
MSA CANDIDATE, STUDENTS' PARTY
LSA JUNIOR
Blue Party's
Elias, Coulouris
are only choice
for MSA
To THE DAILY:
Brain Elias and Andy Coulouris are
the only choice for Michigan Student
Assembly President and Vice president.
Their vision of a service-oriented student
government responds to student demands.
Most importantly they care about MSA,
not from the perspective of personal gain,
but from that of the average student, who
needs MSA services and wants their voic-
es heard.
My support may come as a surprise to
those who know me as the former
Students' Party chair, particularly since I
was instrumental in keeping it alive, but it
shouldn't. The Blue Party is the only party
that has delivered on its promises (includ-
ing former Students' Party promises) and
has crafted its platform around student
concerns.

party of the Mike and Olga days on MSA,
or even of Trent's administration. Trent,
Bram, Andy and many other former
Students' Party representatives now sup-
port the Blue Party.
I hope that, on March 24 and 25, the
campus community decides to keep MSA
(and LSA-SG) on the right track - by
voting for Elias, Coulouris and the Blue
Party - the people who have shown true
integrity and have done the real work of
student government.
OLGA SAVIC
MSA VICE PRESIDENT, 1997-98
Campus should be
proud of SOLE's
efforts
TO THE DAILY:
The entire campus should be proud to
support the 30 courageous students who
took over President Bollinger's office last
Wednesday to protest the University's use
of sweatshop labor. Whether or not we
should sell clothing made in sweatshops
ought to be a simple question, beyond the
realm of debate. Unfortunately, at this
"liberal" university, profits come before
people. This allows the administration to
insist it is not accountable for the lives
(and deaths) of 13-year-old girls who
make the clothes University students wish
we could be proud to wear.
Students, I know your hearts are in the
right places on this issue; now follow your
hearts with actions. The members of
Students Organizing for Labor and
Economic Equality (SOLE) who occupied
Bollinger's office have shown we're not
the apathetic generation the media would
like to make us into. Still, as I passed out
flyers in the Diag last Wednesday, one stu-
dent went as far as to tell me, "I'm not
interested, I like sweatshops."
If these attitudes really exist on cam-
pus, we all have the obligation to fight
them. Let's keep from walling ourselves
behind privilege and living comfortably
off the labor of others who live in sub-
human conditions. There is blood on the
University's hands.
It doesn't have to be that way. Let's

t
.-K>

mit ourselves to using the privilege we
have at the expense of others in order to
create a just, sweatshop-free, exploita-
tion-free society.
NEELA GHOSHAL
RC SENIOR
LSA-SG, Dean's
office have
worked hard for
minors program


TO Snu Kr.,.

To THE DAILY:
I would like to express my support in
favor of the hard work that the Dean's
office and the LSA-Student Government
has put forth this year attempting to cre-
ate a minors program for the College of
Literature, Science and the Arts. Clearly,
a program such as this one is in the best
interest of both the students and the fac-
ulty for many reasons.
First of all, many students who are
interested in more than one subject are
double majoring, thus limiting them from
enhancing their knowledge in other sub-
jects as well.
Distribution requirements make stu-
dents expand their studies, but many stu-
dents do not have the time to expand their
knowledge in depth in other fields beyond
the required credits. By allowing students
to have a major and a minor, we will be...
able to have a structured curriculum for-
our primary subjects of interest, but we
will not be limited to simply those class-
es.
We will also have the opportunity to
study additional fields to broaden our edu--
cational experience. Minors will encour
age us to diversify our areas of study,
expanding our all too often "pre-profes-
sional" outlooks. Many other universities-
have implemented a minorsprogram and
it is definitely time that the University
does so as well.
So again, I would like to congratulate
the Dean's office and LSA-Student
Government for working so diligently to
make the University a better learning
environment!

I ..


JESSICA ROMANO
1 ^ 11