4A - The Michigan Daily - Monday, September 11, 2000 (71 tE r ttilg Open your eyes W: It's all happened before : 420AMaynard Street Ann Arbor, MI 48109 daily.letters@umich.edu Edited and managed by students at theg University of Michigan 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 offThe Michigan Daily. Active alumni benefit 'U' H ere's the scene: Just months before a presidential election, the two major cam- paigns wrangle over debates. A southern gov- ernor is looking to impose change on the Washington estab- lishment. The econo- my shoots to the fore front among issues. The man seen as the front runner f for most of the sum- mer now sees himself trailing in many polls. And a man named George Bush, is at the center of it. all. The only differ- Mike ence is an initial. Spahn George Herbert- Walker Bush, the 41st President of the ain United States, started to sweat in September, 1992. With his cam- paign facing a young upstart making head- way amongst nearly all voters, the sitting president balked at a debate schedule pro- posed by the bipartisan Commission on Pres- idential Debates and started flooding the airwaves with new ads determined to change the tone of the campaign. Now, a seemingly short eight years later, George W Bush and staff are starting to glis- ten, just like Daddy's staff before them. They hit the airwaves this week to change the tone of his campaign, promoting W.'s new "Real Plans for Real People" platform. At the same time tried to quell the firestorm in negative publicity they've received after trying to turn their own avoidance of commission debates into a positive. And in the most serious of the troubles for Junior's campaign, his double-digit lead is gone, and his campaign is flailing. Junior just hasn't learned. The ads attacking Gore on his refusal to debate Bush on Larry King's show and Tim Russert's "Meet The Press" clearly failed, and you won't be seeing them on the air anytime soon. And now Junior finds himself in the same position as the elder Bush, scrambling to meet with the debate commission to rectify the situation. The meetings with the commission will produce some debates, probably in a similar form to those that have already been pro- posed. It's the same story journalists saw dur- ing Daddy's failed bid at re-election. But this most-recent miscalculation is only one in a slew of troubles that have beset the campaign since the convention. Gone is the laid-back talker who spoke almost as much about baseball as he did about domestic policy. Gone too is the unquestioning support of the entire Republican Party, the party that so desperately wants the White House back that they would let a blind man lead them through the desert to water. And gone, along with his lead in the pols, is the invincibility W exuded for the majority of the summer. How did this once effortless campaigner, the man who early in the summer had Democ- rats scrambling to buy international plane tickets for November 8th, lose his touch? Perhaps Daddy has taken too large a role in the campaign, his own ego bashed when President Clinton rubbed salt in his wounds during his son's moment in the sun in Philadelphia. Perhaps W. got over-confident and started coasting, figuring wooden-man Al Gor* couldn't energize his base, much less the plu- rality he would need to win. And perhaps, in the most sobering of rAal- izations, young George just isn't that smart, isn't that good a campaigner and isn't as ready to be president as so many people thought he was a few short months ago. - If he can't learn from the man who raised him, the man who got him into politics, the man who's race he watched from the inside then how smart could he be? Calling a reporter a "major-league (vulgar- ity)" in front of an open mic has to raise questions about one's brainpower. While the Bush aristocracy may believe that then-Gov. Bill Clinton beat them with dirty tricks and underhanded campaigning, the least they can do is learn from it. But apparently they are so caught up in the inevitability of their victories, the ease with which they should win, they haven't taken time to see that each of the mistakes they'r@ making, each of the problems they're facing, already happened. What's more, it happened to the candidate's father. When he agreed to negotiate for more meetings with Gore under the debate com- mission's supervision, Bush the younger, try- ing minimize recent problems and show that he isn't worried, told reporters he is "fixing to get into the heat of the contest." Now, as if it weren't bad enough that a mai that could be president actually uses the word "fixing" when talking about things other than his broken tractor, W. surely needs to look no farther than himself for direction. His campaign needs fixing. Badly. - Mike Spahn can be reached at mspahn umich.edu. ike him or not, this week the Univer- sity will welcome back its arguably most prestigious alumnus as former President Gerald Ford returns to campus for the official naming of the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. Few would dispute that being the alma mater of a U.S. president is a jewel in the crown of any university; merely attaching Ford's name to the School of Public Policy lends it an air of distinction that it would not otherwise possess. This is not to sa that Ford's actual policies while in office merit the laurels that his name brings to the University. During his short term, his proposals failed to make much of a dent in the inflation, unemployment and recession that gripped the country. His Admins- tration supported oppressive regimes in Southeast Asia and elsewhere. He par- doned Richard Nixon, an act which prompted the Daily, on October 29, 1976, to remark that "Gerald Ford has displayed a moral insensitivity so gap- ing, so unforgivable that it alone war- rants a resounding mandate from the American electorate for his removal from office." Although the University did produce a President of the United States, it did not produce a particularly good one. Still, it cannot be denied that Ford's continued support of the University is beneficial, as well as commendable. Regardless of what happened while he was in office, it speaks well of the Uni- versity that prominent alumni such as Ford and celebrated playwright Arthur Miller (who will be honored later this semester) continue to return to the cam- pus. The chief benefit is the increased status of the University in the eyes of the general public. Recently, U.S. News and World Report released its list of the 50 best uni- versities in the nation. In its explanation of the rating system, the magazine admits that academic reputation is the biggest factor in ranking the schools, as a degree from a university such as Har- vard or Berkeley would be very helpful to a recent graduate ap lying for ajob or a graduate program. However, this sys- tem - which also gives points for selec- tivity and alumni donations, among others - does not take into account many of the intangibles that can make a university great, such as the quality of the teaching. It is unfortunate that ratings such as these do carry a great deal of weight. But it is to the University's advantage to do well in them. So when the University celebrates the naming of the Ford School of Public Pol- icy, it will be a great boost to its reputa- tion. And it is worth noting that the University is indeed deserving of a good public image - but not merely because of distinguished alumni. The face it puts forward should be based on more than big names and magazine rings. "I dare you to challenge your tastebuds by eating sushi. There is a whole art behind it. Besides, eating fish is supposed to make you intelligent" - MSA President Hideki Tsutsumi during his Sept. 8th State of the Campus speech. 'U' wise to avoid Carnivore system ts not every day that ethics prevail, but the University deserves praise for turning down an offer by the gov- ernment to do research on an e-mail surveillance system. The system, given the threatening moniker "Car- nivore," has been criticized by the American Civil Liberties Union, among others. Carnivore would allow the FBI, via the Internet service provider, to view any e-mail messages passing through the provider. The researchers turned the project down because the government stipu- lated that it could edit their report as as it saw fit, could prevent any find- ings from being released and compel the researchers to remain silent about their work. These conditions prevent any university's analysis of Carnivore from being truly independent. With these conditions in mind, reputable universities such as MIT, Dartmouth and the University, among others, were wise to pass up an opportunity to become test subjects in the experiment. Other universities would be wise to follow the Univer- stiy's lead and say no to Carnivore. The FBI defends its actions by claiming careful court monitoring would prevent abuse. However noble their intentions may be though, the organization once supervised by J. Edgar Hoover has been overzealous at times. Clearly, there would be little to gain from being monitored. On Sept. 25th, the FBI expects to announce the "winner" of the bid to be monitored. However, the real win- ners are the universities that decided that civil liberties and student privacy were too important to surrender. Time is running out Students should register to vote Welcome Week is the right length TO THE DAILY: I am disappointed that the Daily thinks Wel- come Week needs to be shortened ("Idle Minds," 9'800). Although in past years, Wel- come Week has seemed a bit long (I can remem- ber sitting in my dorm room my first year and thinking that there was nothing to do, etc.), it has been steadily improving with time. This year's Welcome Week included many new programs, and the first-year students I encountered seemed to be having fun (without "Jim, Jack, and the Captain") and enjoying their experience here. Maybe it is "not necessary for first-year stu- dents to have six days to familiarize themselves with campus," but this is not the only reason for Welcome Week. During this time, students meet their hallmates, figure out where the dif- ferent book stores are and get adjusted to life in Ann Arbor. For most, college is the first time they have not been living at home and going to school. If first-year students moved in only a day or two before classes st'arted, they would have to move in all of their stuff, meet room- mates, buy books, find classrooms and a mil- lion other things in just one or two days. Having an entire week to do these things, students can spread out their "to do" list and take the time they need to assure themselves that they are comfortable. If first-year students only had a day or two to find and buy their books before classes started, the bookstores would be absolutely impossible to get into. Perhaps there are first-year students who gravitate towards drinking during Welcome Week. Chances are, however, that these students would have found alcohol whether they were in Ann Arbor for one day, one week or one month before classes started. The length of Welcome Week doesn't have much to do with the link between first-year students and drinking. EMILY CLOYD LSA SENIOR Students should not heed Sanz's advice TO THE DAILY: Bravo to the letter from Elise Erickson ("First-year women: Ignore Sanz and stay healthy," 9/8/00) regarding Branden Sanz's col- umn ("An open letter to all incoming first-year students," 9/6/00). As a member of the Eating Disorders Task Force, I share these very same sentiments. Is Sanz saying that someone who would be interesting and attractive on arrival would somehow be less so if she gained a few pounds? But, of course, I'm sure Sanz also holds the double standard that if your girth increases from the alcohol consumption that he suggests one hides from the police (which we will see on his waistline), he nevertheless will consider himself to be the same studly guy with or without the roll. In addition to Ericksen's insightful respons- es, I have a few thoughts of my own regarding Sanz's letter. One of them is "What dark dun- geon of cynicism does this guy come from?" I University Health Service who provides prima- ry care to many professors and thus gets to know them very well, not to mention whose significant other teaches in one of the colleges he took it upon himself to slam, I hear a lot on a daily basis about the efforts invested by these individuals to provide the high quality educa- tion he came here for. Did Sanz ever stop to think that there might actually be a professor who would lose a bit of sleep worried that per- haps he or she has not fine-tuned a course enough so as to be able to convey to you the most important information you need to know in the most easily understandable fashion? Or that perhaps another will experience frustration because a particular semester he did not get to teach the class he wanted to teach because he genuinely likes it and is interested in teaching the material? Wise up. Professors Williams and Fine are not the only talented professors on campus who have a passion for what they do. I suspect Sanz may be one of those people who hasn't gotten much out of his courses because he simply hasn't put much into them. Lastly, with regard to Sanz's comments on alcohol, I'd say this: What a scary situation when the supposed best and the brightest of this generation basically are saying is, "Hey, if you can beat the system by going where you won't be noticed, bad behavior isn't really such a big deal." Incoming first-year students, please do not assume that those who have been here longer than you have are necessarily any wiser than you. Read Sanz's letter carefully and you might discover that the opposite is true. SHERYL KURZE, M.D. UNIVERSITY HEALTH SERVICES A vote for Nader is a vote for Nader TO THE DAILY: For the past few months, I've heard it said many times that "a vote for Ralph Nader is a vote for George Bush." Mandy Patterson expressed such an opinion in her Sept. 7th letter ("A vote for Nader is a vote for Bush"). The crux of the argument being that Nader takes votes away from Gore. This is a very, very dan- gerous and wrong-headed myth. A vote for Nader is a vote for Nader, period. It does not "take a vote away from Gore." There is a perception in this country that there are on1- two parties and any vote for someone else is a wasted vote. This attitude is absolutely incorrect. There are always other choices - that is what democracy is about. There is no such thing as wasted vote, other than a vote that is unused qr used on a candidate "who is the lesser of two evils." The Democrats and Republicans (and thi media) have convinced the whole the country that anyone who votes for another candidate is a kook, even though most people in this country hate both parties. Secure in their power, the@ keep nominating the same stuffed shirts who have no thoughts of their own, and simply carry out the whims of the moneyed interests and qo,- porate backers that own them. The only way to get this to change is to stop buying their lies and vote for the candidate you truly believe in. If you truly believe that Gore %s the best candidate, or if Bush is the best candl- date, go ahead and vote for them. But if you truly believe that Pat Buchanan would be th3 best choice, vote for him (and immediately seek the nearest mental health professional). If you truly believe that Ralph Nader would be the best choice, vote for him. If you truly believe Elizabeth Dole or John McCain or Bill Bradley would make the best president, write them in. That's what that box is there for. Voting is more than a right. It is a respons- bility - a responsibility we owe to every moo and woman who have died for this country, a responsibility we owe to each other as citizens of the greatest, most important country in tho world, a responsibility to do the right thing, to cast a vote for someone you believe in, net against someone you dislike. I implore Patter- son, and anyone else who may have been scared out of voting for Ralph Nader, to reconsider. The lesser of two evils is still evil. There ate more than two choices - the choices are unlimited. If, with our awesome responsibility of voting, we can be so easily lied to and swayed, resulting in a president few of us trul believe in, "the lesser of two evils," then we wj1 have gotten evil - and it will be the gover- ment we deserve for not taking our responsibili- ty seriously. JASON MAILLOUX MEDICAL SCHOOL W ith school back in session and the first full week of class underway, University students are deciding how to spend their time on campus this fall. Top priorities include trying out for Universi- ty groups and clubs and studying .But not all students are so individually focused. Some students are already hard at work attempting to get others involved in important issues on campus - one of the most important being getting students registered to vote. YOU As the November election approaches, groups like the Col- lege Democrats, ollege Repub- licans and Voice Your Vote are working to et students interest- ed in the political process. Since the first day of classes g students have been able to find v tables where they can register to vote. Voice Your Vote has scheduled the musical group Guster to come and perform Sept. 20, hoping to bring out a large group of students who might not have otherwise taken the time to register. And fliers throughout the University campus encourage students to become active in the campaign process, informing them of both how to get involved and where political speeches will be taking place on campus. These efforts to enhance political activism on campus deserve applause. Registering to vote is something that every University student needs to do t1 immediately. Students who have not already registered cannot register in their hometown but they can register in Ann Arbor. It takes a few minutes time and students will not have to leave campus to register, but deciding to vote in Novem- ber could make a difference. In what is predicted to be one of the closest presi- dential elections in recent memory, every vote counts and what students decide will have an impact. The first have step in making a decision is registering to vote. Although many people are unaware, registering to vote is not something that can be done [eft t at the polls or in the weeks pre- ceding an election in Michi- :er to gan. The cut-off date for te registering to vote is Oct. 10 in Michigan and those not regis- tered by then will not be able to vote in November. While this law is unnecessary and a sneaky way of keep- ing less educated voters away from the polls come Election Day, for now, it is the law in this state. Students need to register to vote. Certain groups on campus are doing their part. The efforts of College Repub- licans, College Democrats, Rock the Vote and others should be applauded. And they should not go to waste. Regis- ter to vote and take advantage of the democratic rights afforded to American citizens. DANE BARNES D2IURBED) SLEEP - H ,. C I Tr.v t . v -9.9 22 11.1 22 qp - " i I.f* _ !1 IIibll~