4 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, February 16, 2000 JIe Siringrt &ilg Bradley, Goss and the EU? A lesson from the B-Boys 420 Maynard Street Ann Arbor, MI 48109 daily.letters@umich.edu Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan MIKE SPAHN Editor in Chief EMILY ACHENBAUM Editorial Page Editor 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. Swallow your pride Michigamua, SCC and 'U' need to meet T he Beastie Boys, in their song "Pass the Mic," eloquently paraphrase Shakespeare: "So this is what I got to say to you all/ be true to yourself and you will never fall." It's one of my favorite lines, but what exactly does Mike D. mean by it? That is, what does it mean to be loyal to oneself? I believe, though, that this concept can be defined in one word: Integrity. Certainly, integrity has many forms and, it is important to take lessons from those around us who have Ethan Shalom exhibited great Johnson amounts of integrity Peac as well as from those who find it in short My ind supply. One impressive example of moral integrity seen in the past several weeks comes to us directly from Europe. The European Union and its member countries have subjected Austria to diplomatic cas- tration after Austria allowed the misnamed Freedom Party, led by neo-fascist Jorg Haider, into its government. Haider has accused immigrants of being responsible for - among other things - crime, drugs, welfare fraud and tuberculo- sis increases in Austria. He has also praised parts of the Nazi army. The EU is acting in a manner true to its ethical man- date by exposing Austria's moral neglect. Back on the home front, we are witness- ing what may be the rebirth of political integrity. This year, more New Hampshire citizens voted in the presidential primary than ever before, and the driving forces behind the record turnout were Bill Bradley and John McCain. Bradley's straightforward. no-nonsense attitude has garnered the votes of Americans weary of paper-thin campaign lies. Sen. Bob Kerrey calls Bradley "incor- ruptible," because hie has the integrity to stand up for the caxuses he believes in. (Interesting note: Michael Jordan recently jumped on the Bradley bandwagon). McCain, for his part, has attracted voters by staring down the Republican Party with his unyielding support for campaign finance reform. Of course, our political leaders are not known for possessing overwhelming amounts of integrity, especially when it comes time to formulate policy for the country. Members of Congress frequently claim psychic power to predict the nation's economy a decade forward while also pro- moting the most near-sighted of legislative proposals. Last summer, congress passed a $792 billion, ten-year tax cut so ludicrous that even many Republicans who voted for the bill actually opposed it. The scoop on the Hill was that everyone knew President Clinton would veto the bill and so Republicans voted for it just to look good for their constituesncies. The honest thing to do would be to rec- ognize that no one knows for certain where the economy will head next week, let alone next decade. Therefore, congress should not use the surplus for expanding pro- grams or on massive tax cuts. Our govern- ment should show some political integrity and make sacrifices now to eliminate the national debt. The federal government currently spends 11 percent of its budget paying interest on the debt, which this year totals just over $200 billion. Paying down the debt will enable America to fund new pro- grams and save social security. In addition, eliminating the debt will effectively con- stitute a gradual tax cut, because when the government .does not need to borrow money, car loans and home mortgages get cheaper because of lower interest rates. Something all of us can relate to more easily (especially seniors) is professional integrity, or being true to the requirements and the mission of your job. Tom Goss knows about professional integrity. As Athletic Director, he worked hard to improve the well being of student athletes in the academic, athletic and personal development arenas. In contrast to Goss, the individuals, who leaked information tc the media about his departure exhibited a total lack of profes- sional integrity, not to mention the jour- nalists who ran banner headlines on the basis of two sources they couldn't cite. You know who you are and shame on you for attempting to ruin a good man's name. Most important of all, though, is the personal integrity of one's goals in life. Happiness and fulfillment grow out of doing whatever it is that excites you. As Adrock says, "You gotta have dreams to make it all worthwhile." Chase your dreams, and no matter what anyone tells you, obey your conscience, because that is what being true to yourself is really about. - Ethan Shalom Johnson can be reached via e-mail at ethanj@umich.edu. S 9 T en days of occupation, hours of meet- ings with administrators, immeasur- able hurt feelings and centuries of ethnic and University history add up to a mess -- and that's exactly what the University community has on its hands with the cur-- rent situation centering on the practices of the senior society Michigamua. While leaders keep talking, MSA reso- lutions keep passing and protesters keep chanting, this situation will not be resolved until each party - the Students of Color Coalition, Michigamua, the University administration and representa- tives of the student body - come together and talk. The SCC, which has repeatedly refused dialogue with Michigamua, needs to set aside the well-justified feelings of resent, hurt and disgust they feel toward Michigamua and come to the table. Michigamua must, in addition to removing its offensive practices, come to the table with an open mind, ready to bar- gain on all issues, including their possible removal from the tower. The administration appears willing to have a dialogue on the topic. They should call for a meeting of all parties involved -- and not leave the room until there is a res- olution. This group, when assembled, will final- ly be able to have a discussion on the most pertinent issue for the University as a whole: Should certain student organiza- tions be provided with privileged space on University property? Students cannot shy away from their responsibility to make this decision. Students must actively voice their opinions for an informed, just decision to be made. While it was a regents' decision to give Michigamua the tower, its our Union. We can decide who keeps it. THOMAS KULJURGIS TENTATIVELY SPEAKING Rehabiltation art Exhibition is a model outreach program A room surrounded by armed guards and barbed wire isn't exactly the most conducive environment for creative expression. Fortunately, the Annual Exhibition of Art by Michigan Prisoners allows at least 118 prisoners to rise above their surroundings. It showcases their work in an exhibit at the Rackham School of Graduate Studies. This exhibit is a great example of the type of community-based program the University should encourage. The exhibition is a beneficial experi- ence for the prisoners, both during and after their incarceration. Art gives them an outlet to constructively express their emo- tions about their prison experience and reflect on how their past decisions brought them there. Most importantly, the exhibit gives the inmates hope by instilling in them a sense of self-worth. The knowledge that their work is on display at a major University further magnifies this effect. When they get out of prison, students of the art pro- gram know that they can go to the studio instead of the streets. As such, the exhibit serves the ultimate goal of rehabilitation by offering an alternative to a life of crime. Not only is this exhibit a valuable expe- rience for the prisoners, it also benefits those of us on "the outside" by breaking down commonly held stereotypes of inmates. Because most people haven't had extended interaction with the criminal jus- tice system, they default to skewed images that the media provides them; images of violent psychopaths and crazy child molesters. By viewing actual prisoners' artwork, students and non-students alike are able to move past this flawed concep- tion. People can begin to see prisoners as human beings. The art exhibit is not the only program sponsored by the University that works with prisoners. There are multiple other programs, such as Project Community, which help to better the lives of prisoners through such activities as creative writing, debate, and acting. The University should be commended for supporting these pro- grams. The United States' 2,000,000th prisoner arrived in jail yesterday - clear- ly there is no shortage of need for this type of program. Flawed Marxist reasoning pervaded drug editorial TO THE DAILY: The Daily's editoriala Where Capitalism Fails," (219/00) offers an overly-simplified version of the pharmaceutical patents issue. While it is true that shortening the length of a patent drives down prices by the emergence of generic brands, it also stifles innovation. By offering long term patents, drug companies have economic incentive to invest in costly research and development projects, develop- ing better, more effective medications. It is very much the same as copyrights for intellectual and artistic property, where pirat- ed material (books, films, music, etc.) decreases the authors' revenues, and that equates to loss of incentives and an overall decline in product quality. We may balk at $80 textbooks, but that is because scholar- ship is a costly undertaking that involves many people: If we started buying pirated textbooks en masse, scholarship would become less lucrative and the quality of its product would go down. What the Daily seems to be suggesting is that equality is better than quality That it is more important that everyone have their "fair share" than it is for there to be the highest quality of product available and that is a patently Marxist notion. Without incentive, nations falter and crumble, just look at what happened to Soviet Russia. CHARLIE TOMPKINS LSA JUNIOR Hezbollah members are terrorists, not 'valient Maqui' TO THE DAILY: It seems once again the Israel bashers are out in force, distorting facts to justify their hatred. I speak of course of Will Youmans' recent Viewpoint ("Israel should observe international law," 211 1/00). Although Youmans never bothers to mention the back- ground, Israel does not occupy a nine mile stretch of Southern Lebanon for the sake of occupation. It does so to ensure the safety of its northern residential communities from cross-border raids and missile attacks. Consistently and repeatedly, Israel has offered to withdraw from Lebanon - on the condi- %YUIR G (LUV91R > luw-At, You oN Ai t w7~a AY ?? '* .I ' f9E.~ o ? UV*i ~ij~) _ ... You. IN 1mcscM -- ~ - -~f K v- -V A GARAT} KT S VD- I r fyf "":, tion that Hezb ollah dissolve and Lebanon proper assume responsibility for safeguarding the border. Both parties (Hezbollah and Lebanon) have always rejected those offers, with Hezbollah vowing to continue the fight until Israel ceases to exist. Yet, rather than report (or at least mention) the facts, Youmans instead repeats the tired, disgusting anti-Israel rhetoric about how Israelis are like Nazis and Hezbollah terrorists (I use that word because they frequently attack civilian targets in Northern Israel) are valient Maqui. Interestingly, although Youmans critiques Israel's occupaticn of nine miles of Lebanese territory, he igneires the "other" occupation of Lebanon. Specifically, the tens of thousands of Syrian troops who essentially pull the strings ofLebanon's puppet government. Why does Youmnans teike issue with Israel's control of a small portion of Lebanon (where they rule, mind you, with large support among the indigenous Christian population, who fear Lebanese reunification), but ignore the much greater, more serious occupation - the one directed by an Aawite thug in Damascus. My guess: Because the truth doesn't always mesh with the Israel haters' agendas. Besides, it's mu.ih easier to compare Israelis to Nazis, trivializing the Holocaust JACOB OSLICK LSA SENIOR Angell Hall 'caution' tape has got to go TO THE DAILY: The burdensome shear of post- Groundhog winter has set its discourag- ing weight upon the University communi- ty. Student faces (formerly bright and affected with Abercrombian confidence) have turned sour, their optimism replaced by exam worries, GSI hassles and the plank-walking anxiety of what-am-I- going-to-do-after-April. Streets are sopped with the ashen slush of salt and snow, the basketball team founders help- lessly and even the corporate bagel stores seem somehow bereft of their usual doughy cheerfulness. I write in the midst of this discourag- ing seasonal hardship to appeal to the staff and students of the University to rise (in collective umbrage) against what I perceive to be a spirit-draining sight on our campus: The bright yellow "caution" tape on the Angell Hall stairs. Must we drape our most august and noble University building with the tacky decoration of a homicide investigation? Is there no more attractive way to discour- age student slip-and-fallulitigation? Can't we take more pride during the winter months in our aesthetic appearances? Anyone who'sf ollowed the controver- sy over the stadium's yellow halo knows- the emotional cost of loud ugly color schemes on our favorite campus land- marks. Let's not continue to make the same sort of mistake with our beautiful Angell Hall. Prospective students, alumni and the family of staff, faculty and stu- dents should be grateful to see this, maudlin "caution" tape disappear.Let's make it happen together! NICHOLAS HARP RACKHAM STUDENT A benign parasite ITD should permit students to use Napster T he use of MP3s, music files designed specifically for use over the Internet, has become a very contentious issue. Napster, a software service created to allow users to search for and share MP3 files, has come under fire from several other institutions. This trend must not spread to the University. Northwestern University blocked access to Napster's Website last December due to con- cerns about Napster's effect on its computing resources. Napster turns any computer it is installed on into a server - any of the pro- gram's other users can then download MP3 files from that computer. Many users leave Napster on at all times. With hundreds of stu- dents logged on at all hours of the day, Northwestern found that its bandwidth resources were being monopolized. Prior to eliminating access to the software, Napster was taking up as much as 20 percent of the network's resources. This caused a great deal of cim Arhm on their network. cation and administration and must not be subjected to any superfluous drains on their resources. But the University does not have to worry about this problem. The network at the University is much larger and stronger than that at Northwestern and other smaller schools. It is, in fact, one of the most highly rated college networks in the country. Napster cannot cause any serious problems at its cur- rent usage level. According to ITD, Napster currently takes up 3 percent of the network resources, a noticeable amount but hardly cause for a ban. There is no legitimate reason for banning Napster or any services like it at this time. Other colleges that lack the power of the University's network should consider block- ing access to Napster if they feel that it is sig- nificantly slowing their networks down. Unless the amount of resources consumed by the software grows substantially at the Universitv and begins damamin the network's Tower society controveirsy should initiate dialogue On Sunday morning, Feb. 6, the Students of Color Coalition gained access to the tower space in the Michigan Union and said that they intended to stay there until the University addresses their concerns. Members of SCC had presented on Friday, Feb. 4, a petition to University administrators outlining a wide range of concerns from increased space and funding for minority programs to dropping the term African American' from all University Michigamua, Phoenix and Vulcan and they agreed, that the tower office space be off limits to everyone until finrther discussion. In essence and for the first time, the current members of the three organizations voluntarily agreed to remove themselves from the space to help cre- ate an opportunity for dialogue. It is my hope that the SCC will see this action on the part of the current members of Michigamua, Phoenix and Vulcan as an acknowledgement that mean- the group and have disassociated themselves from any continuing club practices and refer- ences that are offensive to and derogatory of the Native American community. Club mem- bers indicated they were not aware that the arti- facts found by the SCC in their attic had been stored there. They have surrendered all claims to the Native American artifacts found in their meeting space. The process of identifying and cataloguing authentic artifacts, so they can be I