4A - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, October 21, 1999
c I e 91lCir igtttt tt'rl
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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.
esWear blue
_._ Sexist T-shirts are sick jokes
Selling youir name
O ct. 21, 2009 -_In the greatest display
of Wolverine spirit e ver, m tl i de\ eloper
A. Alfred Taubman purchased the Univ ersity
of Michigan for $4 billion.
"Attaching my name to the medical library
and school of architec-
ture just wasn't
enough," Taubman
announced. "Now, as
president and CEO of
the Taubman
University of
Michigan/Outlet ' e t
Mall, I can create the'
ultimate partnership
between business and
higher education.
Why should I keep
naming things after Jeffrey
myself when 1 can't Kosseff
control them?"
Many changes aret
in store. The N ' _
U n i versit y /Out let
Mall's new slogan - "Higher Education.
Lower Prices" - will replace the tradi-
tional seal found on all official campus
documents.
Angell [fall will be converted ito the
world's largest Gap outlet store. A white ban-
ner with the slogan "Fall into the Gap" writ-
ten in neon green letters will cover up James
Angell's quote on the front of the building.
Newly named Provost Lee lacocca dis-
missed critics of the quote's removal, stat-
ing that "nobody even knows what it says,
anyway.
In keeping with Michigan tradition,
Mason Hall will be a Nike outlet store.
Taubman will turn I aven Iall into a six-
story food court. Once Taubman's manage-
ment figures out where Tisch Hall is, they
will sell it to Old Navy.
The University l.ibraries, lacocca said,
will ser e as Amazon.comn s Midestern
hub.
"We already have millions of books,"
lacocca said. "We might as well make some
use of them. Most of them haven't been read
for months. That's not a good allocation of
resources, now is it?"
Students won't be left out on this deal,
Taubman said. For every $5,000 spent on
tuition, they get a 10-percent-off coupon at
the J.C. Penny's-Literature, Science and the
Arts building.
"That 10 percent off is for all purchases up
to $300," Taubman said. "Make sure to
include that."
In the campus's most popular lectures,
English and religion Prof. Ralph Williams
and history Prof. Sidney Fine will wear sand-
wich boards advertising the 1800
Chem./Discount Flea Market.
Disney Hlill Auditorium, Taubman said,
will be a major revenue source. University
alumna Madonna, the new dean of the Kid
Rock School of Music, will be responsible
for booking big-name acts.
This is the latest in a long series of gifts to
the University during the past two years:
The Dow Chemical School of Natural
Resources and Environment performs vital
research proving the benefits of industrial
pollution.
The Kaczynski School of Information,
funded by a $100 million grant from the
bestselling author and lifetime inmate, has
sent shockwaves through the information
science community. Professors are barred
from using computers in their lessons. But
the grant funded a generous supply of
papyrus and abacuses.
The Ed Martin Athletic Department
stated its new focus -- recruiting the best
players by any means necessary. Most agree
nothing has changed much with that depart-
ment oxer the past decade.
Business students now learn cutting
edge sales strategies at the Anway
Business School. Despite the popularity of
recent courses, such as "Marketing 550:
Brainwashing," the school plunged to No.
198 in BusinessWeek's annual rankings.
The Ivan B3oesky department of finance
offers a solid curriculum of ethics and phi-'
losophy mixed in with economics and busi-W
iess classes.
To many businesses wanted to buy the .
College of Engineering, so they all did. The
MicrosoftDelphiFordGMt~earCompuware
DaimlerMCll3oeing College of
Engineering, in lieu of final projects, uses its
students as unpaid temporary workers in one
of its parent companies during finals week.
* A $65 million donation from McDonald's
prompted the change of one of the school's
most famous symbols. University officials
replaced the block M with the golden arches.
former state legislator David Jaye, now a
successful motivational speaker, donated $5
million to his alma mater last year. The only
travel opportunities offered by the Jaye Office'
of international Programs are trips to Holland
- not the one in Europe, the one in Michigan.
"Students must learn core American vai-
ues"' Jaye said. "Why should they be taught
by people who don't speak English?"
Although 90 percent of its faculty
recently quit, the Philip Morris Life Sciences
Institute remains devoted to cutting-edge
non-cancer research.
Michigan Stadium is the only campus
building that does not have a sponsor.
"Come on" Taubmian said. "Do you really
think I'd taint a campus tradition? The alums
would kill me.
.Ic/iMc A rscfeutani he reach(/(,(ed me,
c'-mauil al jkovstiula Ufnichl.('dul.
and soul to the highest bidder*
U niversity of Michigan "Freshmen
girls. Get 'em while they're skinny" ...
in Atlanta? This slogan was created by two
University students and has be seen on T-
shirts across campus and as- far away as
Emory University since Welcome Week.
Earlier this semester, two LSA juniors
decided to produce and sell T-shirts with
this slogan to fellow students. The shirts,
which can be spotted across the campus,
have been called everything from funny to a
disgrace.
This business venture by two juniors has
caused more uprise than its creators expect-
ed. In response to the shirts, the Michigan
Student Assembly's Women Issue
Commission is asking that students across
campus wear solid blue shirts tomorrow to
demonstrate their support of "women and
the challenges they face," said WIC co-
chair Katie Williams, as well as to protest
the juniors' idea of a funny prank. We
encourage all students to show their support
of feminism by wearing blue shirts tomor-
row.
The "Freshmen Girls" shirts began as a
combination of a prank and a get-rich-quick
concept. They have been selling since
Welcome Week, and their creators are con-
sidering expanding the business to sell them
to other schools, across the country, simply
by removing "University of Michigan"
from the front. While few students make the
effort of starting a business while still in
school, this is hardly an enterprise worth
praise, as its product should have been.
given much more careful thought and con-
sideration.
This immature prank advertises skinny
girls as though women are a commodity to
be grabbed up by male students as quickly
as possible. The idea that female first-year
students are transformed into sex objects
based on purely superficial reasons is detri-
mental to women's self-esteem and self-
images.
Such a slogan as "Get 'em while they're
skinny" contributes to societal pressures on
women across campus to adhere to one
expected body image, possibly leading to an
increase in eating disorders.
The most recent study performed on
campus of eating disorders was published in
the Michigan Women's Handbook in 1992.
It found that 86.1 percent of first-year
females partook in abnormal eating behav-
ior. This is greater than the national college
average that states that more than half of all
college students admit to having eating dis-
orders. In an atmosphere where body-image
issues are present, it is amazing that stu-
dents are willing to spend money only to
increase already existing tensions.
When supporters of the shirts are ques-
tioned on such consequences of these shirts,
few have more to stand behind than the First
Amendment. This joke is viewed by others
as neither funny nor acceptable.
The First Amendment is one of the most
important rights guaranteed by the
Constitution. But the idea of saying some-
thing simply because it is allowed is usual-
ly long abandoned by the time one reaches
college age.
We ask all students, male and female,
to show their support for women's issues
by wearing solid blue shirts tomorrow in
support of the WIC. Perhaps these two
juniors will walk around campus tomor-
row and see the reaction they created.
And maybe they will think better of dis-
tributing such a demeaning message
nationwide.
4
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t is a shame that campuses across the
ntry are getting their impressions of the
versity through such a demeaning shirt.
fortunately, the two juniors who thought
his inspiration were limited by their own
sible gains and did not have the foresight
magine the consequences.
Lern trough acton
Support today's affirmative action forums
oday, campuses nationwide will wit- These events will offer education to
ness a strong display of solidarity, the entire campus on affirmative action. It
campus, and colleges nationwide, is a serious matter which requires deep
[participate in a public display of sup- consideration, and any education on the
t for an essential policy - affirmative topic can only benefit those who are
on. affected daily by its results. Too often,
Affirmative action is valuable for all people only think about how they can
lents' education. Such policies pro- benefit in the short term. But affirmative
e entrances for thousands of under- action's benefits are long lasting and far
vileged but talented students. The reaching.
Tonal Day of Action in Defense of To achieve this objective, BAMN will
gration and Affirmative Action, as the ,do more than just hold a march. They will
onwide event is being called, educates hold a forum on the admissions lawsuits
y students. . regarding the University's admission poli-
The Coalition to Defend Affirmative cies, a poetry reading later and other
ion By Any Means Necessary has debates on affirmative action. This is just
e a remarkable job promoting the the tip of the iceberg, as other prestigious
nt and spreading the message of the institutes will offer a teach-in at one
d for diversity. school, lectures, marches and debates in
BAMN appears to feel a serious threat others.
n anti-affirmative action groups, Affirmative action is not a panacea. In
ng enough that its Website declares an ideal world, affirmative action would
this attack is not met with a powerful, not even be necessary. Everyone would
s defense, America's public schools have equal opportunities.
* be permanently resegregated. This But life is not just, and affirmative
t not be allowed to happen." To crush action is a successful way to attract the
threat of resegregation, we must work ideal mix of students from a wide variety
ducate the campus on the benefits of of backgrounds.,
rmative action. If you stop by one of the day's many
the events will not be held quietly. 'events, you'll likely bear witness to a
m noon until 1 p.m. today, the Diag significant event, if not a historic move-
be swarming with affirmative action ment. The students participating in the
porters. "60 Minutes" will be in atten- National Day of Action are fighting to
r- to ziacc am ~nwof r rnr nr Y rn ntPant C1 t1 . thP. CAmieiil'S greatet
Daily's coverage
has been fair and
balanced
To THE DAILY:
I commend The Michigan Daily for its
excellent coverage of flanan Ashrawi's
visit ("Ashrawi: Justice needed in Israel,
10/18/99) and the well-attended Iraq
Conference this past weekend ("250 peo-
ple gather for Iraq conference,'
10/18/99). Sana Danish and Danny Katz
did a great job with the Ashrawi article.
both in its summary and exposition of
student reactions and in the accompany-
ing photograph.
Equally as impressive, Emina
Sendijarevic's report on the Iraq
Conference was thorough and balanced.
I feel that the Daily deserves praise
when it is due, ad it certainly does here.
'T'hank you.
WILL YOUMANS
LSA SENIOR
Affirmative action
helps remedy
inequality
TO THE DAILY:
I am writing in response to two anti-
affirmative action letters printed in the
Daily this week ("Affirmative Action
Detrimental to 'U,"' 10/11/99, and "Daily
view of affirmative action is 'blatantly
biased,"' 10/I3/99)
Racial inequality is undeniably pre-
sent in today's society. Blacks and other
minorities are too often victims of atro-
cious police brutality, inequality in edu-
cation and other forms of racism imposed
by a society that continues discrimination
never eradicated by the Civil War or the
Civil Rights Movement of the sixties.
Opponents think that affirmative action
is unfair to qualified white students since
they "have lost their chance to attend a
high ranking university such as the
University" (Lee, 10/11l).
Roehl acknowledges that with an ille-
galization of affirmative action, it will be
more difficult for minorities to be accept-
ed to top schools. It is a statistical fact
that poor students of all races tend to do
worse on the SAT and other standardized
tests. This is clearly not their fault. For
instance, rat-infested inner city Detroit
schools do not have the resources of their
affluent, suburban "counterparts" to pro-
vide a proper college-bound education.
Without affirmative action, such inequal-
ities continue. If the University loses its
lawsuits, the number of black, Latino,
female and economically disadvantaged
students admitted into the Law School
and LSA would definitely decrease. The
passage of Proposition 209 in California
significantly decreased enrollment of
minority students to UC schools. In con-
trast to what affirmative action oDo-
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to Jim Crow, evident in his "apology" to
academically excellent minorities, "who,
even with the disintegration of Ann
Arbor, would still be here." In a country
where "separate but equal" is inherently
unequal, we need to continue the fight
for racial, social, economic and gender
equality. Affirmative action is not a per-
feet solution, but it is a great, important
step to upholding original freedoms of
the Constitution that have been so absent
from our society.
DAVID LEMPERT
LSA FIRST-YEAR STUDENT
T-shirt opponents
need to learn to
take a joke
TO THE DAILY:
When did the University of Michigan
turn into PCU (it's a movie, of you
haven't seen it, rent it, or just watch
Comedy Central this week). I have never
seen so much fuss made over a t-shirt
since ... well never, you know why,
because it's a T-SHlIRT!
And it's a funny T-shirt at that. If I
printed a shirt saying "Freshman Guys:
Get 'em before they get too fat from
drinking and smoking pot every night,
ordering Pizza House at 4 a.m. and play-
ing Sega Dreamcast all day," nobody
would be kicking up their heels.
Berkowitz and Gillman were after one
thing: money.
They made it by developing a clever
and funny product. Kudos to them. If you
want to blame anybody, blame the suck-
ers that wasted $10 to buy a blue T-shirt
that will wind up being just another
undershirt for their Abercrombie & Fitch
striped sweaters.
When did our precious little University
get so consumed with political correctness
that it forget how to take a joke? Why can't
everybody just sit back and laugh --it's
good for you. I'm just upset that I didn't
think of the slogan first.
ScOTr GORDON
ENGINEERING SENIOR
attempting to subjugate women! low odd and
unique! Surely this has never happened before:
thank goodness!
Thank you again, T1'he Michigan I)aily, for#
yet more informative reporting on .. ummmW
... well, when I figure that one out, I'll write
another letter.
WAim? BRAUNONLER
LSA JUNIOR
Daily provides
M
I
coverage of
campus events _9
To THE DAILY:
Nikhil Kumar suggested in his #etteri
('Reader: Drag show was undeserving ofr
coverage," 10/18/99) that the "Conceptions
of Drag" show was not fit material for a
"respectable newspaper," much less its
front-page; he wanted real news. As conve-
nient as it is for students to grab a copy of
the Daily on the way to classes, some peo-
ple expect too much.
In my opinion, coverage of "major inter-
national crises in other countries" does not
so much fall under the purview of The
Michigan Daily as does that of events and
references immediate and important to
members of the University community .
especially students.
This has taken the guise of articles on
the changing meal plan system and the
Binge Drinking Committee, and reviews o
new music and of student productions. l'
you want in-depth reports on the Nigeria:
elections or Javier Solana's new role in
Europe, pick up a professional periodical
that can do these topics justice.
I have a feeling, though, that it wasn't so
much the coverage of a University event that
irked Kumar, as the coverage of a University
event that sought to offend and denigrate the
wholesome morals and traditional values of
upright members of our community. It's unfor
tunate that donning a beaded gown and apply-: .
ing a rose-colored blush to my face would put
ants in the pants of so many people.
The problem is those aforementioned
traditional values: They don't allow for an-
evolving definition of humanity and itsd
sundrv exnressions. I'd nrefer to not live in