The Michigan Daily - Friday, April 14, 2000 - 11


4


,U minority
populations are
segregated
To THE DAILY:
In light of the current affirmative
action court dates and the Michigamua
d secret tower societies controversy,
like to talk about diversity at the
University. I think that I am correct in
assuming that the University claims to
be diverse.
The University claims to promote
diversity and multi-culturalism. I'm
having a real hard time however under-
standing where these claims come
from. Why is this University so
diverse? Maybe it's the 0.8 percent pop-
ulation of Native American students on
mpus, maybe it's the existence of the
otter House, which is one building
that serves several minority student
groups on campus, maybe it's the very
word "minority" that reminds us of the
huge wall that divides us yet at the
same time makes us "diverse."
I do think that there is some diver-
sity on campus and in Ann Arbor.
For example, many of the ethnic
restaurants in town have people of
*or working in the kitchens, slaving
over hot burners and serving the Ann
Arbor community for great low
prices.
I particularly enjoy walking
around Ann Arbor and seeing the
many diverse shades of white. And
what makes this diversity even more
apparent is that the people working

behind the counters in the restaurants
are typically much more different in
both color and economic status than
the people eating in the restaurants.
I also want to point out the diver-
sity within the Ann Arbor geography.
For example, on North Maple and
South Maple Streets there are several
government subsidized housing com-
plexes where the majority of the pop-
ulation is African-American. Not
many residents of Ann Arbor know
about these complexes, which further
adds to the diversity in the ignorant
mindset. So, is the University
diverse? Is the University culturally
sensitive? Oh, by the way, do black
and latino fraternities and sororities
have their own houses? I don't know,
but I'm guessing that the answer is
no, which also adds a little more
diversity to this campus.
What I've written is in a very sar-
castic tone if you couldn't tell. I'd like
to challenge the University on it's
pride in diversity and multi-cultural-
ism. Because basically what I see
here is "White" both in the color of
skin and the color of mind. I also
think that the words diversity and seg-
regation are interchangeable here at
the University, seeing is how I have
yet to see a true embracing of differ-
ent ethnic, racial, gender and sexual
groups here on campus. So, the next
time you're walking around campus
or Ann Arbor take a look around and
see how diverse or rather how segre-
gated we really are.
CLAIRE SERYAK
SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK

Running 'Mile'
jeopardizes future
of students
TO THE DAILY:
To all graduating seniors, my
former student employees, and
soon-to-be fellow alumnae; it has
been a privilege and indeed a plea-
sure, even in my own small way to
have helped you through the educa-
tional process and see you come
into adulthood.
Don't waste those four years in
one short night.
Please, don't run.
STEPHEN HIPKISS
UNIVERSITY ALUMNUS AND STAFF
Being gay is not
natural or genetic
TO THE DAILY:
I am just responding to the sev-
eral letters to the editor about about
why people should support the Prof.
David Halperin's "How to be gay"
class.
The writers (and supporters) of
the letters stated "We take for grant-
ed now that Women's Studies, Eth-
nic Studies, African and
African-American Studies are an
important part of the curriculum,
but not so long ago they were as

contested as 'How to be gay' is
today." However, I do not see the
logic in this argument. Women's,
Ethnic, and African and African-
American studies are not a matter of
lifestyle choice. Being gay is. I am
of a Polish background (yea, aren't
Polish people stupid?) - it's in my
genes. Being gay isn't.
We were all born to be attracted
to the opposite sex; that's why there
isn't a need to teach a class called
"How to be straight." After all, it
makes sense. A man and a woman
are needed in order to produce off-
spring, right? It's not simply a belief
I hold, but rather a fact of nature.
AMY OLSZEWSKI
RC JUNIOR

'Mile' minus girls
would be a 'Mile'
without cops
TO THE DAILY:
I have nothing against girls. But
the only reason they want to stop
the Naked Mile is girls, and that
makes it unfair.
Read Camille Noe's column ("Lit-
tle naked me ... or not," 4/13/00).
Every reason not to run has some-
thing to do with a camera. "Don't run
or you'll be videotaped. Don't run or
they'll put you on the internet." After
all, there is a big market for footage
of naked college girls.

Remove the girls, the cameras
take off. The only other reason not
to run is the threat of arrest. Howev-
er this threat didn't exist wheq it
was just a naked crew team showing
off.
The cops are only there to tryto
stop all the bad things that happen.
Groping and filming, namely. I1m
not saying girls shouldn't run the
Naked Mile.
What I am saying is that the only
reason someone doesn't want me to
run the mile is that the Naked Mile
is a place where girls might be
filmed naked. How can that pretend
to be fair?
JESSE MILLER
LSA SOPHOMORE


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