4A - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, November 18, 1999 aFbz 5iigrn ti g Conservatism, liberalism and Scully 420 Maynard Street Ann Arbor, MI 48109 daily.Ietters@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. A presidentialegacy Ford honor will benefit campus This column is a response to recent public outcry over the liberal nature of the Daily's editorials. Let me dispel the notion that everyone who works at the Daily is liberal. I'm not sure if there are any others, but I for one am not liberal. Most people might refer to me as one of those "conservative" types. Personally, I con- sider myself a liberal Catholic. I'm no" crazy zealot, but I have studied and fol- low the reason behind the teachings Mike of the Church. In fact, I'd probably be Lopez a Democrat if the, party wasn't so dis- respectful to life. g Although I may side with Democrats on most social aspects, my positions on abortion and euthanasia would probably label me as a "closed- minded, anti-choice heathen." I might be offended if I wasn't right. Oh well. The GOP isn't for me either. The Republican Party has always struck me as quite unac- commodating to the socio-economically disadvantaged. Oh wait, they're supposed to be compassionate now. Well, whatever they are, I am not part of either party's secular agendas. Exactly what is the ratio of liberals to conservatives in the University? This was the question I sought to answer for you, my dear readers. I searched around, but couldn't find any statistical data for the University. What I found was pretty enlightening though. I found the Website for National Election Studies at http://www.umich. edu/-nes. The NES pro- duces statistical data for use by teachers, politicians and social scientists. A good search of their site revealed they had a lot of information about the nation in gener- al. According to the data, the United States isn't as liberal as the media would like us to believe. The 1998 survey data states that 51 percent of the respondents were Democrats and 37 percent were Republicans. When asked whether they identified themselves as liberal or conser- vative, only 18 percent identified them- selves as liberal. In contrast, a full 30 per- cent of the respondents called themselves conservative. Moderates numbered 28 percent. This data made me very happy because it suggested that reason may still prevail over personal preference. The world may not be going to hell in a hand basket. Well, one can always hope. Of course, being a certain public insti- tution in Ann Arbor, we've got to figure that the percentage of liberals on campus is probably a lot higher than 18 percent. Still, I'm happy to see that quite a few of us "conservatives" exist out there. To cel- ebrate, I thought I'd share some of my conservative opinions about recent events that have been in the news. The KKK is bad. Everyone knows it. I don't think that we should outright refuse them the right to speak, but we shouldn't make it easy for them. If there was a group of racist African-American's calling for the destruction of all races that weren't African-American, I'd bet that the city bureaucracy would have come out in full force. The group's request for use of the city hall area would have been placed under a large boulder with the word "red kissing Mulder tape" scrawled across it. By the time the African-American group received permis- sion, they'd probably be told that every day except the coldest day of winter was "reserved" for the next 30 years. Make the KKK use M-Pathways to get approval for one of their riot-inciting presentations. That would slow them down. This Supreme Court case about stu- dent fees has really got me excited. I'd like to see our student fee abolished. Not because I'm hard up for cash or anything. I can spare five bucks and change. I just want to be able to give it to my choice of groups. On my income tax form, I have the ability to choose whether or not to give money to the presidential election campaign. Why can't all students desig- nate where we want our money to go? It could be added to CRISP. "Please select the group or groups that you would like as recipients of your student fee." I'm seri- ous. I think this idea could really fly if enough people got behind it. Take the money out of the hands of the MSA and put it into the hands of we, the people. The only people who would think this is unfair are those who might unfairly benefit from a sympathetic MSA. You remove the pos- sibility of corruption if you remove the source of power. Finally, a word about the X-Files. Mulder and Scully, you've got to stop kissing! You're practically brother and sis- ter. What will happen when you two get romantically involved? Will it be like Fred and Daphne? "Where did Mulder and Scully go? Oh. they must have run off to solve the case." Yeah right. No love on the X-Files! More Aliens. More Conspiracy. No Kissing. -_Mike Lopez can be reached via e-mail at manatlargequtstanding student and participant in life outside the classroom. In addition to a 'olid academic background, he was cap- ilain of the football team. yFord is the only U.S. president to grad- ate from the University. Naming the chool after him creates a role model for mbitious policy students. By naming the school of his field after iim, the University is honoring one of its ost distinguished alumni and preserving he history of this institution. As all olverines past and present know well, Jew schools in the world can compete with lrlichigan's academic eminence. But an even smaller number of schools oast a U.S. president among their alumni. 4aming the School of Public Policy after 'frd thanks him for giving us this distin- guished honor. And it in turn reflects on the School of Public Policy, which was founded in 1995. Among scholars, it is redundant to say the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton and the Kennedy School at Harvard. These schools are rec- ognized by the names of presidents. Ford's presidency was by most measures a success, especially considering the cir- cumstances he faced when he began. The most common knocks on Ford's presidential term are that he inherited office from the impeached Richard Nixon, pardoned him and he had strained relations with the Democratic congress. Also, Ford's satirists created a memorable image of buffoonery that obscures his accomplishments. Indeed he vetoed 61 proposals during his 2.5 years in office. Considering the dif- ficult economic slump he inherited, popu- lar opinion of Ford was high. According to polls conducted during his presidency at the University of Connecticut's Roper Center for Public Research Opinion, his approval ratings ranged from 73 percent in August1974 to 53 percent in December 1976. Everyone should be proud of Gerald Ford's political accomplishments, but fore-. most we should recognize his dedication to the University. From his days on the gridiron and in the classrooms to his many campus speaking appearances as an alumnus, Ford determined to be a Wolverine for life. By naming a great school in his honor, the University will ensure his lega- cy lives forever. CHIP CULLEN The Michigan Daily welcomes letters from all of its readers. Letters from University stu- dents, faculty, staff and administrators will be given priority over others. All letters must include the writer's name, phone number, and school year or University affiliation. The Daily will not print any letter that cannot be verified. Ad hominem attacks will not be tolerated. Letters should be kept to approximately 300 words. The Michigan Daily reserves the right to edit for length, clarity and accuracy. Longer "viewpoints" may be arranged with an editor. Letters will be run according to order received and the amount of space available. Letters should be sent over e-mail to dail. letters Curicli.edu or mailed to the Daily at 420 Maynard Si. Editors can be reached at 764-0552 or by sending e-mail to the above address. Letters e-mailed to the Daily will be given priority over those dropped off'in person or sent via the U.S. Postal Service. . lk tk9.0 State, .H o o ka a the? -Let vme. r-ct.nt the 9ways. Ho ouoare a seconratv~e s-ol. 1 despise thee.. Wow .You.r gootLbali Learn .sLSFers .. - r ocJ(ieAC. H'owj Your k11d talk so stayly f -'a u9 Iuh -at tAee. Age1tcarnnot be put- ' +Ja,... m~ore eloquenrtl y You suck. Focusing on community FOCUS: Hope builds equal opportunity Am Constitution does not guarantee'easy voting' * As unique as the University is, it is still a part of something greater than itself. As a member of a community, it is responsible for aiding the surrounding area. One of the ways the University ful- fills its obligation is through participation in Focus: HOPE, a Detroit based commu- nity assistance program.. Founded in 1968 in the wake of the previous year's riots, Focus: HOPE seeks to overcome racism, poverty and injustice through an award-winning program of education and community outreach. The goal of the program is to train impover- ished and poorly educated people so they can get decent jobs, facilitating a healing between people of different socio-eco- nomic backgrounds. A high school diploma or G.E.D. makes a person eligible to join the pro- gram. Potential candidates need not pay for the high quality education available - an important fact considering the low economic status of many citizens in the Detroit area. Candidates with low placement scores can enroll in First Step, an intensive four week program to raise their math and reading skills. After this, they may enroll in Fast Track, a further seven weeks of basic training. Upon graduation, or place- ment if they already possess the needed reading and math skills, they may enroll in the Machinist Training Institute or Information Technologies Center. While training, these students create actual parts for manufacturing corporations, who pay the program's students for their work with an hourly wage. Fnr.. H. Pnn nffr e etl[';-t +th. Bachelors degree in manufacturing, engi- neering and technology. It is here the University, and several other local schools take an active role. The Center for Advanced Technologies has a partnership with these schools and several corporate partners, for whom many of the program's graduates will one day work. By providing degrees, personnel and other assets, the University and its part- ners help Focus: HOPE achieve its mis- sion of creating a strong metropolitan community. Education is one of the key tools in combating the gaps between rich and poor, minority and majority. Participants in Focus: HOPE receive one of the best opportunities possible, one that will not only expand their knowledge, but also nearly guarantee a successful career after graduation. Focus: HOPE has a 100 percent job placement record. Although not every student enrolled graduates, manufactur- ing corporations eagerly recruit those that do. Graduates go on to receive high wages and benefits. The University does the surrounding community a great service through its participation in Focus: HOPE. Programs like these do not merely demand positive change; they actively succeed in creating it. Offering free, high quality education to those that would otherwise not have access is a solution to some of the nation's problems. The program's name itself is appropriate. In a time when the country's social dilemmas often seem unsolvable, Focus: HOPE shows prob- ]ec 'an hp fi'YMand that ther r irs Again, the student body has been led to believe that Big Brother has once again bla- tantly encroached upon student rights in an effort to keep the people down. How has he done it this time? Inconspicuously enough, claims the Daily, by requiring that Michigan voters vote according to the address on their driver licenses ("Hindering the process," 1/16/99). The Daily claims that this is- a veiled attempt to squash student rights, primarily because the only people affected will be col- lege students who vote in areas other than those indicated on their drivers' licenses. First of all is the notion of voting "rights" - I'm not sure which ones the Daily believes will be reduced. It surely will not be the right to vote - this right has been guar- anteed by the Fourteenth, Nineteenth, Twenty-fourth and Twenty-sixth Amendments to the Constitution. Students will be able to follow the time-honored tradi- tions of absentee voting, or if distance per- mits, driving home to vote. Students all over the country have no problem with this nor do soldiers (a.k.a. adults of similar age to stu- dents) serving their country stationed all over the United States. Perhaps the Daily believes that the right to easy voting will be abridged. After looking over the Constitution, I didn't quite find the phrase that says "The government shall pass no law that requires effort on the part of the voter to participate in elections." God forbid that to vote, students take some time out of their busy schedules by driving home or going to the Post Office to get an absentee voter form. As Thomas Paine said, "What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly ... it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as freedom should not be highly rated." Perhaps while filling out the absentee voter form, or driving home, the average college student can think about the gravity of his or her vot- ing decision and remember that in the past, U.S. citizens gave their life to ensure that future citizens would have the right to vote. But there is another slant to this decision that the Daily ignores. Most students think. that Ann Arbor's borders extend only to State Street, Washtenaw Avenue and E. Stadium Boulevard. Those with cars may consider most of Ann Arbor to extend out to Briarwood Mall and Meijer on Saline Road. In fact, Ann Arbor extends much further than that (could you believe such a thing?). The places where most students don't venture are the places where most of Ann Arbor's permanent resi- dents live - those who have a vested inter- est in the well-being of the city and who do not come and go every four years or so, Nobody stops to think how the residents of Ann Arbor feel when every year their con- cerns are subordinated to the whims of 18-22 year olds who want to change the world. This is not io say that those students who change their driver licenses to Ann Arbor addresses have any more of an interest than a permanent resident, but at least it shows some dedication and effort to vote where they are registered. Perhaps Rogers is more concerned for the actual residents of Lansing, rather than the tem- porary residents who pass through every four years. If students want to vote, vote where they are registered. If that means driving 40 min- utes to Bloomfield Hills, or walking 10 min- utes to a Post Office to get an absentee voter form, then so be it. Nobody ever said voting had to be easy, it merely must be available to all who are qual- ified. If filling out an absentee voter form is as tedious to you as filling out a rebate slip for your mobile phone, then perhaps voting just isn't for you. - This viewpoint was written by LSA senior Chris Georgandellis. Students must fight for a freeze on tuition s Tuition costs in higher education have been rising much faster than wages and income over the last few decades. If this trend is not stopped, it will force many working class and poor students out of higher educa- tion altogether and force a growing propor- tion of the rest of students into even weighti- er debt to the government and big banks. The increasing cost of tuition has a dis- proportionate impact on black, Latino and. other minority students and working class and poor students of all races. Money is the single biggest factor in attrition from higher education; student government must take a prp-active stand on the issue. Jeffrey Kosseff's column criticizing the resolution for a tuition freeze ("A Veruca tionary tuition increases. Kosseff makes many of the same self-con- tradictory arguments as the MSA members who spoke against DAAP's resolution. Underlying the contradictory arguments, the reason for the 23 Assembly members voting against a resolution plainly in the interest of the students whom they are charged to represent is anxiety over administrative opposition to the Assembly coming out for a tuition freeze. MSA members foretold a catastrophic decline of facilities in the face of a tuition freeze, side by side with the mathematically erroneous "It would only save me about $100 next year." Simultaneously a tuition freeze is said to be financially decisive and of no consequence - decisive to the University, and of no conse- tions; nor is Kosseff's callus, sexist metaphor about the supposed powerlessness of MSA accurate. The Assembly is, of course, neither all- powerful nor powerless; its power is in large part determined by its will to seek the power it can have. The Assembly gets its power, both the modest power it has now, and the quite substantial power it could have - but that the majority of its current members fear to use - 4 from the students. To'acquire the power it can, MSA would have to organize and represent students. This is precisely the question raised by DAAP's resolution for a tuition freeze. Will MSA represent and fight for student interests - if it will, it can have the power necessary to influence core governmental