4 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, September 10, 1999 Ii £idi~igan S&dIg Even prospective killers like to talk about Star Wars 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 t was 3 a.m. and I was on the only work- ing elevator in Alice Lloyd. I had just finished studying for my statistics final and was ready to get some sleep. I pushed the button for the sixth floor and smiled 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 Deflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily. sleepily as the doors began to close. Suddenly, a hand reached out towards me. The elevator doors paused and re- opened, and the body belonging to the hand stepped on. He was a suspicious- looking individual- a stranger to me, dressed completely in black. He stepped on, moved into the opposite corner of the elevator, and kept his gaze focused on me. He did not push a button;1 floor. Preve ing tragedy Greek drinking rules show responsibility Jennifer Strausz rolled in his direction. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him bend down to pick it up. Oh man, I was thininn. Thi is it. I held my breath, waiting for him to pull out a gun. lie handed the pencil to me and opened his mouth to speak. I braced myself for the worst. "Star Wars,"'he said. My mind was racing. I was planning my escape route, my hand was moving towards the emergency button, my life was flashing before my eyes. I was picturing my first day of kindergarten, my first trip to Disney World, my first kiss. I was imagining my old swing set, sidewalk chalk on the drive- way, birthday parties, Halloween costumes, scenes from Star Wars. I was picturing my parents and my best friend and my room- mate and how upset they were all going to be when they found out ... Wait ... Star Wars? That guy - my killer, had just looked at me and said "Star Wars." That was it. That was all he said. He kept staring. The elevator had almost reached my floor. He was waiting for a response. "Um ... Star Wars ?" I asked. "Star Wars," he said. "Episode I. The Phantom Menace. Are you going to see it?" He spoke clearly, enunciating every syllable. Why did my murderer care what movies I wanted to see? "Yeah," I found the words to answer, "probably." "Awesome," he said. "It's supposed to be really good." We had reached the sixth floor. The doors opened, and we stepped off in oppo- site directions. I walked slowly to my room, allowing my heartbeat to return to he was going to my its standard rate. This guy wasn't a murderer. He didn't want me dead. He seriously wanted to talk about movies. lie was probably just a friendly guy. Strange, but friendly. Maybe he was obsessed with Star Wars, and thought that I looked like the Star Wars type. Maybe he was returning from his weekly "People Who Only Wear Black" meeting, and was in a talkative mood. Maybe he was doing a psychology experi- ment: make someone think that you are going to kill them, and then ask them questions about Star Wars. Who knows. But there was no intention of harm. I am usually not the type of person who expects the worst of others. But in the mid- dle of the night, when the only people I've seen in the past hour are the ones who have fallen asleep in the study lounge, I'm not thinking very rationally. I tend to jumble my own life with images of suspenseful horror movie scenes and clips from America's Most Wanted. It wasn't that I looked at the guy and assumed him to be a criminal; I just kind of thought that being killed was the natural thing to happen to me right then. It's what would have hap- pened in a movie. I pondered it while I was brushing my teeth. I laughed about it while I.was wash- ing my face. The truth of the Star Wars guy was certainly more unusual than some- thing someone could have made up. After that short elevator ride, I learned that real life can be much more interesting than fic- tion -- and, a lot less predictable. I slept well that night, dreaming of Luke Skywalker and feeling good about reality. -Jennifer Strausz can he reached over e-mail at sirausz urnich.edu. 1ENI\ lELY SiPEA"LNG W hen the alcohol-related deaths of several college students received a frenzy of national media attention last fall, the University's Interfraternity Council and Panhellenic Association launched discussions on the risk and responsibility drinking inevitably brings to their social scene. The result of the self-study was the unveiling last May of a new alcohol poli- cy for the Greek community. The Social Environment Management Policy, cur- rently in effect, states that it "aims to pro- vide the safest possible social atmosphere for the members of the Greek community and their guests while allowing those attendees to exercise the personal respon- sibility afforded to college students within the limit of the law." The rules are stiff. All attendants at a party who are not members of the hosting fraternity or sorority must wear a wrist- band and no "Friends" parties where alco- hol is present can be held before the end of fall fraternity rush. All houses must either attend or spon- sor at least one alcohol education program each semester. Fifteen weeks of social probation will be enacted if a keg or other common source of alcohol is found at a party or a "Friends" party is held before rush. While the heavy partying associated with the Greek system often puts fraterni- ties and sororities in an irresponsible - and dangerous -- light, it is also the com- munity on campus that receives the most attention for drinking. Excessive drinking also happens at house parties and in resi- dence halls; the Greek system can not be held responsible for the so-called "binge- drinking" epidemic. The University administration is asking for trouble by having first-year students move into residence halls in late August only to not begin classes until a week into September. New students need a day or two to adjust to their new surroundings before classes start, but nine or 10 days is excessive. Restless incoming first-year students - the vast majority of whom do not have extensive drinking experience or the desire for moderation on their side - have little else to do night after night than follow their entire floor to parties. Before finding their own roots, first-year students spend the early weeks of the school year looking for any open party - and there is never a shortage of sprawling house par- ties, especially during football season. While the new Greek policy is thor- ough and thoughtful, now is when it will be tested. Self-policing isn't fun or easy. Some may feel these rules are overly strin- gent, but the Greek community should be commended for exercising the responsi- bility required to create self-imposed stan- dards. The hardest part - enforcing their regulations - has yet to come. But the actions are a reminder to the many non-Greeks on campus that drink- ing, in any situation, needs moderation: Fraternities and sororities will hopefully embrace this chance to not only demon- strate leadership, but help prevent tragedy. Since I am quite an apprehensive per- son, especially at 3 a.m. and especially alone on the elevator with such a shady character, I assumed, of course, that I was about to be killed. As his eves burned into my side and his fingers tapped suspicious- ly against the wall, I thought about what a shame it would be if I was murdered before I got to take the stats exam. All that studying would have been such a waste. Theelevator seemed to be moving in slow motion. I tightened my grip on the books and notebook I was holding. My pencil fell to the ground, bounced, and THOMAs KULJURGIS TuE CONGRESSIO4PAL IRQLJMX IUTO WAIA(O NIT A. SLA x-. IT P1AS SEN SROU&,$T 'O K%(Arr'EMVIoATHAT WE nose A ,worm- P ~o .tn,io w A i'.e IjatbY The Michigan Daily welcomes letters from all of its readers. Letters from University students, 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 tol- erated. 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 dailt:lettersz umich. edut or mailed to the Daily at 420 Maynard St. Editors can be reached at 763-2459 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. SILl ,DI(C. TNiE E LET'S ADJOUN COR JAMZTA' ?DQ)OAWD IVE FBt T~E IN'E..6M t N PLCA&E DON~~' HR4~~T IE.".. - l.Ji ^ ^ V p t t00: Never forget Memorials should encourage campus activism Clemency move smacks of hypocrisy K ent State University dedicated memo- rials Wednesday to the four students killed by National Guardsmen during a 1970 campus protest against the Vietnam War. Granite markers now occupy the parking spaces where Allison Krause, Jeffrey Miller, Sandra Scheuer and William Schroeder fell after members of the National Guards opened fire on protesters on May 4, 1970. Bystanders and students on their way to class were also hit. The National Guard was called in on May 2 after the burning of Kent State's ROTC building. Wounded students and the parents of the four slain students later sued the Guardsmen, the state of Ohio and then- Gov. James Rhodes and settled for $675,000. Until three weeks ago when construc- tion on the memorial project was started, the parking spaces were only roped off annually for an overnight vigil on the night of May 3. The University had already set up a memorial to the dead at another loca- tion and offers classes on the shooting. The new memorials only came after a petition drive and $100,000 in private funds were raised. While Kent State's previous efforts to come to terms with the 29-year-old shoot- ing are admirable, the decision to mark the places where the four students died was a necessary and long overdue step towards properly recognizing the fallen activists. Before the new memorials were built, cars continued to park in the spaces where the students died. But aside from com- memorntinfa snecific individuals who gave their lives for a just cause, Kent State's memorials offer up a worthy challenge to modern campus activists. While current popular campus move- ments - like the current anti-sweatshop movement and the South African divest- ment movement in the '80s - continue to be quite successful, active membership in these groups still appears to be dwindling or at least far too invisible in comparison with earlier movements. The roster of worthy and relevant caus- es to fight for remains lengthy. Rights stu- dents tend to take for granted, like free speech and a woman's right to choose, are far from secure. College activists must continue to address issues such as affirmative action, the environment, the war on drugs and poverty to name a few. 'These and other issues are just as important to everyone as the need for civil rights and an ending to the war in Vietnam were in the '60s. Today's college-aged generation should be embarrassed that current issues are being addressed in a weaker fashion than the social activism of the '60s and '70s. Campus activism is far from dead, and it is unfair to characterize students as apathetic. Yet it is undeniable that the activist fervor of previous decades has faded. The new Kent State memorials to the students slain in 1970 do not simply add a better sense of closure to the shooting. They also beg modern students to explain why campus activism was more prevalent than it is now, even though worthy causes still abound. The answer to this question ought to come in the form of actions rather than words. By The Daily Nebraskan University of Nebraska Once again, President Clinton did not think his actions through. In mid-August, Clinton offered clemency to 16 members of a Puerto Rican nationalist group called FALN, which is a Spanish acronym for Armed Forces of National Liberation. Law enforcement officials blame FALN for at least 130 bombings in the United States and Puerto Rico between 1974 and 1983. As part of the clemency offer, Clinton gave the 11 men and five women until Friday to renounce political violence and pledge to disassociate with FALN.. The separatists have already served between 14 and 19 years for crimes such as bomb-making and conspiring to commit armed robbery. When criticized, the White House was quick to point out that the clemency offer was extended to only those "not associated with the more violent acts that led to injuries." With this offer, Clinton has made an abrupt about-face from the terrorism poli- cy he espoused following the embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania last year. Following those incidents, the United States bombed terrorist training headquar- ters and launched a manhunt for alleged mastermind Osama bin Laden, while Clinton vowed that we would not bow to terrorists. Now we are going to pardon these ter- rorists simply because they hail from a U.S. territory ? That is wrong. Even President Clinton's wife now thinks so. Speculation abounds that the president offered clemency to this group to help his wife's chances in next year's New York Senate race. Initially, Hillary Clinton supported clemency, but with a move out of her hus- band's play book she reversed her position last weekend. Regardless of the motives, this is simply a bad idea. The United States should not condone terrorism in any form. Clemency only reinforces terrorists' actions, and any pledge to denounce vio- lence on their part would hardly be worth the paper it was printed on. -This staff editorial appeared in the Daily Nebraskan, the University of Nebraska's student newspaper, last Wednesday. Title IX needs to be revamped, or forgotten By Sarah Mitchell The Minnesota Daily I am a woman. And I love sports. So what I am about to say next might throw some for aloop. I can't stand Title IX, the long-standing regulation that, in part, requires equality in men's and women's athletics at a college or universi- ty. Don't misread that statement. I do sup- port the development of women's athlet- ics. I was one of many Americans tuned into the U.S. Women's World Cup victory this past July. But the law waving the green flag for gender equity in college sports is hypo- critical. As more women can't be forced to come out and play, male athletes are unfairly being thrown off the athletic stage. Rather than add more sports for women, many schools are going the low road and cutting out successful programs. Students at Miami (Ohio) University have lost their men's wrestling, soccer and even tennis teams, although roster spots on the women's tennis team remain vacant. On June 30, this celebrated 26- year-old law forced the Miami athletics department to cut the sports, because the | .. . . . . , they still managed to send the women's precision skating team to Europe for com- petitions. How was that little escapade made possible? What the hell is women's precision skating, anyway? Does anyone even know? All this because school offi- cials felt the heat of Title IX. This is only one of Title IX's comedic effects. Another example of the goofiness of Title IX comes from Arizona State. A desert surrounds the Sun Devils, but the university plans to add women's crew to its list of varsity sports. In order to accom- modate the rowers, Arizona State plans to flood a nearby two-mile-long dry gulch for the team to row on. While Title IX provides a laugh, it is failing to do its job, which is to provide equal opportunities for both sexes. Until more women show interest in athletics, men's sports just won't develop. The law doesn't provide for any common-sense development necessary for men's sports. More than 350 men's teams - from baseball and gymnastics to wrestling - have been cut as athletic departments strive to comply. Sadly, successful pro- grams are as much of a target. UCLA swimmers felt the wrath of its w1ni11 atlic denartment.Denite And what about the national pasttime? Our friends to the east are a prime example. In 1991, a thin budget forced Wisconsin to cut its baseball program. Because of Title IX, the Badgers are in an embarrassing situation - they are the only Big Ten team without a baseball team. Women's lacrosse is the leading candi- date to soak up some more of the school's resources and take the place of the base- ball team. Fortunately, male athletes are fighting back. California State-Bakersfield sparked an off-the-mat fight with its grap- plers when it limited the wrestling roster in order to take a step closer to the equal- ity requirement. Thankfully, Title IX backfired (at least in this case). Team members successfully argued in court that no person "be exclud- ed from participation" based on sex because gender-based cuts violate the law. The wrestlers were awarded a temporary injunction in February. So maybe the tide is turning toward san- ity's favor. If all else fails, we can load Title IX onto the next shuttle mission and eject it with all the other spaced-out debris where it belongs. -This column anneared in the