4 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, February 23, 2000 GZbe £itigwu Sailg 420 Maynard Street Ann Arbor, MI 48109 daily.letters@umich.edu Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan Pp quiz, hotshot! In honor of the presidential primary's con- vergence with midterms yesterday, I com- bined the two for a little pop quiz today. Hey, you've already got a chemistry test, a history test and a TB test scheduled this week, so 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. what's one more? Have fun. 1. The coolest thing aboutAl Gore is ... a)rhe roomed with actor Tommy L e Jones at Harvard. b) he would be the first president born in the District of Columbia. c) (Trick question.) There is nothing cool about Al Gore. 2. The Straight-talk Express is ..., ' a) up for an Academy Award this year. I'S Freeig Frieze Building conditions are unacceptable David Wallace Its prinay season: What do you do? for 29 points. to play a role in Anerican politics, albeit b) will because nowadays everyone lights small one, after .. up Michigan for 29 points. a) the country found out the party's leader c) will because Bradley stiffed Duke ship is insane. University at the last minute to attend b) the country firnd out the party's just Princeton. few rifles short of a militia. 6. Voters should be waryof George WBush c) the party sbspended campaigning o because ... Mondays to watch "WWF Raw is War." a) he insists on the middle initial. 11. The "MiraYe on Ice " is ... b) according to rumor he likes coke, not a)a hockey game played 20 years ago yes the drink. terday. c) something's obviously wrong when his b) Walt Disrry's cryogenically preserve father jumps out of a plane every few months. corpse. 7. Reform Party candidate Pat Buchanan c) the billing for the next televised Gor will be best remembered for ... Bradley debate. a) being a speechwriter in the Nixon White 12. Spike Lee supports Bill Bradle House. because .. b) supporting new Austrian leader Jeorg a) he likes Bradley's stances on key issue Haider, who feels the Nazis had some good b) Bradley strongly criticized Regg ideas. Miller in his keynote address at the '9 c) picking winners. Democratic National Convention. 8. At a recent campaign stop at a Saginaw c) Bradleyy was a Knick. high school, John McCain, in what can only 13. Jello Biafra is ... be construed as an attempt to look hip for the a) the mot unpopular flavor of Jello, eve kids (Note: theyprobably can't votevet) com- b) the fRmer frontman of the punk ban pared himselfto ... the Dead Kiennedys. a) Indiana Jones trying to escape the c) seekiig the Green Party nomination fc Temple of Doom. president. b) Luke Skywalker trying to get out of the 14. Biaka's chief competitionfor the Gree Death Star. Party nomination is c) Really, the answer is "b." Look it up at a) sorry hippie farmer. dailvnews.vahoo.com/h/nm/20000221/ts/c b) a different hippie farmer. ampaignleadall_141.html. c) coisumer rights curmudgeon Ralp 9. There are a number of signs around Nader. town touting the Democratic candidates. 15. T he Bull Moose Party . Selling Democrats to Ann Arbor is easier a) came into existence in 1912. than ... b) on~ce ran Teddy Roosevelt for presider a) selling life jackets to drowning men. c) vill not be seen in this election. b) selling footage of police chases and pet Pretty easy, huh? A zero or more passe attacks to FOX. just lie real politics. Maybe our professo c) Selling Republicans to the Hillsdale could institute a similar grading policy. College community. - David Wallace can be reached v 10. Amazingly, the Reform Party continues e-mail at davidmw~wumich.ed 'e- eye s. ie 92 er. nd' :or en ph, a a n. S- d 9 W alking up State Street toward Huron, a striking building comes into sight. The Frieze Building is notice- able not for its architectural beauty but because it is considered by many to be one of the two ugliest buildings on cam- pus. A tour of the Frieze reveals that its dreariness is not limited to the outside. "Bland," "antiquated," and "outdated" are all appropriate adjectives for the inside of the building. Safety concerns have also been raised: Film and Video Studies Prof. Frank Beaver complained recently that a window shattered when it was opened. As anyone who has been required to teach or take a class in the building will tell you, Frieze needs to be either razed or extensively renovated for faculty and stu- dents to get the most out of their classes. The Frieze was not constructed for the University. It was originally part of Ann Arbor High School, until the University purchased it in 1956. The building itself is nearly 100 years old. If we were to force athletes to prac- tice in an ill-equipped, century-old build- ing, then their performance would proba- bly suffer. The situation with the Frieze is analo- gous to this scenario - the building's poor shape likely degrades what would otherwise be a good educational experi- ence. The building hosts both Communications and Film and Video Studies, but has no cable access, making it an unacceptable facility for education. Four years ago, the University planned to renovate it, along with the LSA Building, West Hall and other buildings. Unfortunately for students and faculty, the plans for Frieze were placed on hold and haven't been addressed since. Frequently, those who must work in the building complain about the tempera- ture. Too cold in winter, too hot in sum- mer, conditions simply are not appropri- ate to produce the best work. In extreme cases, professors and GSIs move classes out of the building. This may help explain why the build- ing's utilization rate is a pitiful 48 per- cent. When teachers go out of their way to avoid teaching in the building, the admin- istration needs to take notice. Another point to address is why so many unrelated programs are based in the building. A list of those programs includes Communications, Film and Video Studies, Linguistics, Women in Engineering, Religion, Asian Languages and Cultures, and Theatre. This, combined with the Frieze's state of disrepair is cause to question whether the University is neglecting some or all of these departments in other ways besides housing them in sub-par facilities. The Frieze building is insufficient for classes. Perhaps then, it is best that the building has a utilization rate of 48 per- cent. Why make any other students or fac- ulty members suffer by requiring them to spend time in such a dilapidated build- ing? University administers and the board of regents would be wise to consider modernizing the Frieze or building a state-of-the-art facility in its place. The ironic thing about the whole Frieze situation is that while it literally rots and the departments it houses suffer, the University is considering renovations to Mason Hall and building the multi-mil- lion dollar Life Sciences Institute. This is not to suggest that those projects should be abandoned, only that the neglect of the University's neglect of the Frieze building is questionable at best. Perhaps the University should follow the example SOLE set during their occu- pation of LSA Dean Shirley Neuman's office and place the Frieze Building on eBay. b) an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical. c) the most frightening bus ride since "Speed." 3. Alan Keves is ... a) a presidential candidate. b) the actor who played the Skipper on "Gilligan's Island." c) the guy who wrote the lyrics to "The Star Spangled Banner." 4. By being mentioned in the previous question, Alan Keyes' scampaign got the most media coverage it has received .., a) this week. b) this month. c) ever. 5. Maize Ragers considering lending sup- port to Bill Bradleys campaign ... a) won't because while playing for Princeton in 1965, Bradley lit up Michigan nt. es, rs ia U. TLS T~'iLLYSPAKING .I THOMAS KULJURGIS Cyber ripoff MSU should not require computer ownership A new rule made by Michigan State University requires all incoming first year students for 2000 to have their own computer. This new requirement will add $1000 to the cost of tuition, which is already around $12,000 for two semesters. It is an attempt by MSU to become a paper-free university and establish TI connections off campus. MSU is implementing an unnecessary method to solve the network problem on campus. Other tactics could be employed by MSU that wouldn't add more cost to the already unaffordable price of higher education. MSU should use the University as an example of how to properly equip an entire student body with computers. The University has set up many computing sites on campus that network the students to pro- vide fast and efficient internet service. There are still many imperfections within the system, but at least there aren't additional regulations that force the stu- dents to put their money towards this technological privilege. Requiring a computer -and thus rais- ing the cost of tuition -makes higher education more financially exclusive than it already is. modate their students. Companies such as Apple or Dell would be happy to strike a deal and have their name spread through- out Lansing. The fact that all the computer sites at our University are riddled with candy col- ored i-Macs is not a coincidence. The University got a piece of the Microsoft action a long time ago. This type of agreement would give MSU a chance to add computers to their campus and keep their price of tuition down. Students should have the freedom to choose what kind of computer they want to invest in. The wide range of computers available, from lap tops to massive PC units, gives students the option of finding the unit that suits them. Different types of students have differ- ent needs. MSU's new computer require- ment would remove the option of choice from their students. Computers may be complicated, but they can also be very personalized. In some ways, searching for the right computer can be compared with finding the right mate. MSU has good intentions towards moving their student body into the next millennium. But the additional cost is extraneous and unneeded. They should look at other large universities as an Israeli occupation has nothing to do with Zionism TO THE DAILY: I would like to set everyone, especially Salih Mahameed ("Oslick's letter 'distorts and falsifies'," 22100) straight about a couple of things. First, Israel's occupation of southern Lebanon has nothing to do with Zionist Expansion at all. Israel only occupied that ter- ritory after a 1967 attack from Lebanon. Mind you, Israel was attacked. The attack failed however, and the Lebanese invaders were actually pushed back behind their original boundary line. In an effort to maintain a secure buffer zone, the IDF retained military occupation of the lost territory. To suggest this is in the expansionist spir- it of "The Big State of Israel' would be like calling the use bug spray an attempt to elimi- nate the mosquito species. Now to address this issue of improper name calling. While it is true that the Nazis considered the French resistance 'terrorists," so too did the French call their German invaders the same word. Regardless of who calls who what name, Israel won the Golan area in a defensive bat- tle. Obviously both sides will spread propa- ganda against the other, but the sticks and stones left Lebanon on the losing team. JESSE MILLER LSA SOPHOMORE VM'flag should return to tower TO THE DAILY: Whoever removed the Michigan flag from the top of the Union should put it back up immediately. There may be controversy over who should have access to certain rooms in the tower but there is no denying that the Union belongs to us, the students. The one symbol that we can all agree upon, that doesn't cause controversy or hurt feelings, is the simple 'M' flag. It is a symbol for the entire University, not just the adminis- tration or just one ethnic group or just one spe- cial interest. If we are to solve the many prob- lems presently plaguing our institution, we must solve them as a whole. If we abandon the 'M' flag,aour last symbol of unity, we might as well replace it with a white flag and surrender. GRAHAM LANZ LSA JUNIOR SOLE member supports SCC TO THE DAILY: As Students Organizing for Labor and Economic Equality begins the process of working with the Unversitv administration througoh the \Workers Rights Consortium, to over others. More specifically, we believe that the University is more receptive to the con- cerns of white students over those expreossed by students of color. The fact that our "s'ieat- in" participatnts, the majority of whom were white, began negotiations with the admiraistra- tion almost immediately after we began our occupation while the SCC has been vAxiting for two weeks to participate in the same process is shameful and unacceptable. SOLE wholeheartedly supports the strug- gle of the SCC against Michigamua and all other tower societies. These groups cointribute to an atmosphere of racism an elitism, that has no place on our campus or in our administra- tion. SOLE demands that the University make a commitment to not only listening to, but act- ing upon the concerns of all students. More specifically, we demand that the University and Bollinger meet all of the demands of the Student of Color Coalition immediately. In addition to our belief that the demands of the SCC are righteous and just, we feel that a uni- versity that is affiliated with racist organiza- tions like Michigamua cannot possibly make a sincere commitment to fighting for human rights and eliminating sweatshops. Venceremos! JULIE FRY LSA JUNIOR Front page picture was 'gross' TO THE DAILY: I was appalled to see the picture of Ann Arbor resident Mike Bycrofit getting "his first tattoo" on the front page of Friday's Daily (2/18./00). I did not see the relevance of this picture nor did I understand the reason for it. There are so many newsworthy stories at the University and for you to give almost a quar- ter of the front page to this gross, random pic- ture disappointed me greatly. If you are that desperate for something;o put on the cover how about a picture of the snow ... that would be more interesting to me. STACEY GISH LSA SENIOR common closing time of 6:30. The same also goes for breakfast and lunch. Second, while you can't use your meal credit at off-campus eateries, you can use your meal credit in any of the snack bars which are located in Bursley, Markley, East Quad and South Quad and are open until 11 p.m. or 12 a.m. If a resident doesn't like their meal plan, they can change it. There are other options which provide in addition to meal credits, Entree Plus, which can be used in the Union, the League and the Pierpont Commons. And don't blame Housing if you can't use your Entree Plus at Burger King. Blame the University Administration and their precious little "Cash Chip." And just because a college student stays up until 2 a.m. doesn't mean we need a full- service meal at that time. That's what vending machines and pizza delivery are for. So next time, try getting your facts straight instead of just throwing an editorial together to vent your frnstrations and fill up space. MARISA THOMAS LSA SENIOR& Dining Services is dedicated to the environment TO THE DAILY: We are responding to the Daily's editorial "Food Fights," (2/17/00) as a means oft endorsing our support of Dining Services and their dedication to progress in food quality, nutrition and environmental sustainability. As members of student groups involved in the Proposal for a Sustainable University of Michigan, we have collaborated with adminis- trators, faculty, staff and students to draft numerous action items aimed at improving the quality and environmental sustainability of many aspects of campus life. One of the most positive and proactive participants in this ongoing process has been Dining Services (along with Student Housing), who have made it clear that they welcome student involvement in improving the state of the din- ing halls and have been disappointed by the lack of collaboration in this effort. While we T1.. ..4 m~ v~y clccJ'' toyj ohJ 4 ~ee / O. KO. ri on 44 A sk nv D6a ! ~'7 oT'U" Moks. 4.