4 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, October 29, 1999 U~fWtcbiu-a-n t 420 Maynard Street Ann Arbor, MI 48109 daily.letters@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 ofthe Daily s editorial board. All other articles, letters and cartoons do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily. Examining your options Third parties provide a valuable alternative To haze or not to verybodv seems to be makig a big deal about hazing these days. You pick up a newspaper and there's some headline about "fraternity hazing" or "collegiate ath- letes hazed" or some such malarkey. So what? Big deal. You would think the protest-happy would already have their ballots full with righteous save-the- whales, save-the- minorities, save-the- c h uibby - co I leg e - chicks indignance. But it just isn't so. Hazing, like many other hallowed tradi- tions, has come Branden under fire and is now Sanz threatened with extinction in the politically correct, kinder and gentler (translation: softer and weaker) '90s. Well folks, I am here to Drop the Hammer and set the record straight once and for all. The question is not whether to haze or not to haze. In fact, the question is simply a matter of how much hazing is ideal. Simply put: Hazing, in it's proper place, is a good thing. I can see the looks on your faces now. Some of you are thinking that I am misin- formed and don't know what the hell I'm talking about. Others have no doubt decid- ed that I've finally gone stark, raving, bat- shit-crazy. Let me assuage your fears. You see, gen- tle reader. I am quite certain that no one - I repeat: no one - on this campus is as qualified to talk about hazing as I am. Prior to beginning my tenure as a college student, haze? That is the question I spent four years on both the giving and receiv ing end of some very serious hazing in the Army (mostly receiving the first two years, mostly giving the last two). That's right: day-in, day-out, 52 weeks a year for four years. This makes sense if you think about it. The Army invented collegiate hazing. Ask any of your frat-guv buddies and they can tell you that hazing in college fraternities did not become widespread in America until the '40s. Why the '40s? Because the '40's saw the end of WWII and the Gl's coming back to college began to institute hazing in their fraternities very similar to what they endured in the military. And I am not talking about somebody making you drink 10 shots, run down the street naked, then getting paddled on the ass for some sort of initiation rite. I'm talking about 30 guys who, bored and stuck on.an aircraft carrier waiting to invade Haiti, decide they want to screw with the new guy and proceed to make you do pushups and flutter kicks for hours until you pass out from dehydration and need smelling salts and an IV to revive you. I'm talking about your squad leader coming home at 3 a.m. drunk and pissed off that he didn't get laid that night, getting you out of bed and mak- ing you do wind-sprints with all your ther- mal, arctic gear on. In the summer. In Georgia. (Needless to say, I needed an IV after that one as well. The ol 22-gauge nee- dle and I became close friends that first year). And I still think hazing is a good thing? Damn skippy. Why'? Because hazing builds character. Nothing builds character like hardship and adversity, and hazing is merely a form of artificially created hard- ship. No, I don't believe in hazing some- one by physically beating them, but the governing body of anv prixate organiza-* tion has a right no, a duty to insure that they only accept new members ofsuf- ficient character Some people sneeringly refer to the Greek system as a way of "huyi ng friends. Well, it is exactly these type of hazing-like rituals which makes the Greek system something more than buying friends. All the members of a house have gone through the same initiation. They pass the same tests0 and share the same memories. To become a member of any society like this (whether it be athletic or Greek) with- out going through the rituals would be like paying someone to do all your homework and take all your tests in college. You may come out with a degree, but anyone with even a modicum of self-respect could not help but be ashamed in the manner of it's acquisition. Let us look at this from a purely intel- lectual point of view for second. How can anyone honestly have an issue with haz-0 ing? These organizations are voluntary, people. If the thought of subjecting your- self to harsh treatment offends your deli- cate sensibilities, here is a real simple solution: don't join. Duh. This is not rock- et science, folks. This is not like someone sentencing you to prison to be gang-raped here. You have to volunteer to get in and you can quit any time. So what the hell is the problem here?. This is America, folks. We have freedom of choice here. You can always quit, but if you do have the intestinal fortitude to gut it out, you have earned your wa. You are a member of the club. Some may decide it's not worth the sacrifice. Good for them. I just don't want them in my club. - Branden San: can he reached over e-mail at hannniheadta umich. eda. ENTAT ER SPA K\2 n today's political culture, many Americans take forget this country is not a two-party system. Americans almost always vote either Democrat or Republican, ignoring the diverse selec- tion of parties available. Instead of only looking at the two largest parties, voters should make an effort to examine the full spectrum of parties, and keep an open mind to make the most informed choice. Throughout our history, there have been many powerful third parties. The Republicans have only been around since the Civil War era, coming into existence as a fairly minor political coalition before tak- ing the presidency under Lincoln. Theodore Roosevelt, in addition to running as a Republican, also started a third party, known as the Bull Moose Party in honor of its founder. In recent times, the most prominent third party has been the Reform party. Originally created by billionaire Ross Perot after his independent run in 1992 - which captured almost 20 million votes -- the Reform party leadership has since been overtaken by Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura and his allies. There has been something of a back- lash against the two-party system in recent years from a variety of people. Warren Beatty, who in addition to acting has also been involved in many major political campaigns, accused the two par- ties of abandoning their traditional right/left views by moving too close to the center. Pat Buchanan, a strong con- tender for the Reform Party's next presi- dential bid, recently attacked the two major parties as being 'two wings on the same bird of prey.' If the two parties seem too centrist, there are many third party alternatives available that more closely follow traditional conservative or liberal views. There are more than 50 parties in the United States, with platforms ranging from environmentalism to manifest des- tiny, from fascism to socialism. Many of these parties have yet to actually get a candidate on a ballot, and instead serve as vessels for issues that are generally dis- missed by the major parties as being too radical or extreme. For information about most of the nation's current parties, take a look at Politicsl on the World Wide Web, located at http://wwv,.politicsI.corn/par- ties.htm. This site contains a comprehen- sive list of parties, with links to their home pages and related resources. Political diversity is vital to our nation's survival. It brings fresh ideas and people to what would otherwise be a stag- nant field. Two parties alone cannot accu- rately represent the views of every American. At best, they can only hope to gather a large number of loosely related voters under their banner. With third party alternatives available, Americans need not settle for a broad view. Instead, they can almost always find a party they more closely identify with. Voting for a third party may seem futile; as things stand, there is very little chance of most third parties winning major offices. Voters must not adopt this attitude. If a party represents your views, regardless of whether it is a large or small faction, then make yourself heard by vot- ing for it. Even if your chosen party does not win, the larger ones will take notice, and may even adopt some of your parties' planks if they decide that enough voters are in support of them. Democracy as we know it can only work if voters take the time to examine their options and make informed choices based on their findings. THOMAS KULJURGIS Renewable campus Students should be more recycling conscious very day, thousands of University cling bins. students create recyclable waste. University recycling is so inconsistent Cereal boxes, plastic soda bottles and that even the University recycling office soup cans go out with the trash as unin- cannot distinguish what residence hall formed and unequipped students overlook floors have recycling bins. The custodial environmentally friendly alternatives. staff seems to have enough trouble sorting While recycling information may not be through what is recyclable versus trash prevalent on campus, students need to that they have little interest in further know the options available to complicating the job by pro- Recent football losses should be blamed on coaches TO THE DAILY: I thought Josh Kleinbaum's article chronicling Michigan's collapse against the Illini was right on target. 1, however, think more blame should be laid to rest on Michigan's coaching staff. The coaches have only themselves to blame for the losses to Michigan State and Illinois. Lloyd Carr should revisit the dynamics that created an undefeated National Championship season. They were not present the last two games. We posted Josh's article on our Website because it was insightful and accurate. Let's hope insight and accuracy can prevail with the Michigan coaches next week. ARNOLD GONZALES JR. UNIVERSITY ALUMNUS Carr cannot rely on running to win TO THE DAILY: After watching the second half perfor- mance of the Michigan offensive unit, I'm reminded of the quote by Lloyd Carr before the game, We're going to run the ball or die trying." Well, after Thomas went out with a broken finger, we found out what happens when we rely on the rest of the backfield. When is Carr going to realize that he doesn't have the personnel this year to be a running team? Our chances for the National Championship and the Big Ten title are both gone. They "died trying." ALEX VAN DER KLEUT RACKHAM STUDENT Cellular phones have practical uses for many students TO THE DAILY: I'd like to respond to Emily Mulla's letter ("Leave the cellular phones home," f .g S y j t ', £^ . (sL ,_ (. % III? V } - .I 4~ a S~1 t-7 10/13/99), by pointing out that cell phones are not mere toys for a large group of people on campus, including myself. My cell phone is my only phone, liter- ally. Like most students, I don't live in University Housing or sit behind a desk at work, and can't be reached over a campus phone. When you factor in caller ID, voice mail and the fact that I'm not on the phone for three solid hours a month, it's ends up being cheaper than a regular phone. Not to mention the fact that I have two jobs (and the classes they pay for) which keep me buzzing around campus from 9 a.m. to around II p.m. six days a week. With that schedule, which I share with many around here, a phone in my home wouldn't do me much good at all. Most of my friends would be studying, partying or working by the time I'd manage to call them back. With my cell phone handy, I'm almost always reachable by my co-workers, friends and classmates. I can call ahead to sav I'll be late or change plans without dashing to the nearest payphone. It enables me to'stay one step ahead, and keeps me from missing opportunities and good times. Since I've had it, I've been in closer contact with the people I care about. I agree that a lot of people use them purely as status symbols, and love to show them off in inappropriate places. Many people are impolite, some people are just idiots - that's life. But when you pass me or my friends in mid-yak on the diag, odds are we're not trying to look important or cool - we're trying to save time, money and aggravation. NICK FARR LSA SENIOR 'The Victors' ought to be replaced with 'Axel F TO THE DAILY: I know that Michigan is a great University deep with many great traditions. One of those great traditions is the fight song, 'The Victors.' However, over the pasta few years I have heard the marching band strike up this famous tune countless times and frankly I am getting a bit tired of it. I think it is time the University selects a new fight song to replace 'The Victors' for the new millennium. I think a great new fight song would be 'Axel F,' the theme song from the movie 'Beverly Hills Cop.' The song has a catch. beat and would get all the Michigan fans out of their seats after every touchdown, field goal or extra point. (What if they go for 2?) The song would also require the marching band to expand its roster and include a few synthesizer players, something no other marching band in the country has done. I realize this idea might not fly with some of the traditionalists initially, but believe me, after a few years, everyone will be grateful. MICHAEL KRAUTNER RACKHAM STUDENT them and should take an active role in preserving the environment. America' s Recycle Week Students should use America's Recycle Week on Nov. 8-15 to educate them- selves about steps they can take to better conserve mate- rials. Last year, more than 2 Nov. 8-1 million Americans partici- pated in 4,143 events nation- wide. That is a 180-percent increase over the participation level in 1997. To get stu- dents involved with this campaign on campus, the student environmental group ENACT has come up with a series of informative awareness activities for the week. ENACT will teach students in resi- dence halls, Greek houses and co-ops how and why to recycle. This is an important task, because so many University students are misinformed about or ignore on-cam- pus recycling. One of the University's major recycling initiatives is the require- ment that each residence hall room have a recycling bin. But many rooms lack recy- viding more facility recycling bins. "Student lack of demand for recycling services and improper use of recycling on campus has made it very hard for the recycling movement to get underway," ENACT President Jessica Mendelo said. L5, 1999 In making the effort to sort out recyclable items, University students and staff can make the recycling process much easier for the custodial staff. Students should advocate increasing the number of recycling bins and increas- ing the visibility of recycling locations. Begin helping out by becoming involved with America's Recycle Week. Help sort trash from recyclables, contact businesses to mark products in their store that contain recycled material and participate in the week-long Coke bottle send back project, demanding that Coke live up to its promise of using recycled plastic in their pop bot- tles. Even the smallest effort can help to make a great difference. 'U' should sign onto the Worker Rights Consortium Last spring, the University made a commitment to uphold and work to improve workers' rights around the world. Last spring, after months of negotia- tions with students and a 51-hour sit-in at University President Lee Bollinger's office, the University released its human rights/anti-sweatshop policy. This was perceived as a valid first step in support- ing the struggles and rights of the work- ers who make our University T-shirts. empowered to report employer violations of the code of conduct. Worker-allied groups in these regions will verify these complaints and help to educate workers of their rights. In regions in which work- ers' and human rights are particularly repressed, pro-active investigations will be conducted by local, independent NGOs and human rights organizations. Companies will be required to publicly disclose wages, working hours and health and safety conditions, as well as the in collaboration with workers and allies in Central America and Asia. The University claims that it needs time to explore all of its options. The University has told us that it will take si* months of waiting and stalling before a decision can be made. This is entirely unacceptable. Our administration recent- ly decided - in a matter weeks - to take part in a corporate-controlled moni- toring research project, run by the audit- ing firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers. One