4 -- The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, January 23, 2001
~be Miwtg] cit
Lost majors, lost tiaras
420 Maynard Street
Ann Arbor, Ml 48109
daily.letters@umich.edu
Edited and managed by
students at the
University of Michigan
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MIKE SPAIIN
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 of The Michigan Daily.
irst organizational studies and now
social anthropology - are they going
to get rid of the English major now too?
Yes, I am bitter because someone in that
ugly orange building just decided that it
would be a good idea to discontinue my
major. Those tricky
bastards.
If they're going to,
discontinue an entire
major, shouldn't they
at least send out somer
mass e-mail so the peo- r
pie who have been tak-
ing those classes since a'
fricking freshman year y
can go ahead and
declare it? It seemed tor
me at orientation there
was no sort of pressure Erin
to go about declaring a MCQUinn
major - but that is just W
a giant scam so they Plyng
can eliminate them all. Words
I can see the pattern
here.
The University is systematically elimi-
nating all the concentrations so that every-
one will be a homogenous engineering
mass. I thought we were sooooo diverse. Oh
yeah, the University wants diversity when
it's convenient. But not when it interferes
with them being able to take in more
money.
Think about it - what is more diverse
than a student body that is free to study and
major in anything they want? Isn't that the
epitome of diversity? A graduating class
specializing in everything from mechanical
engineering to zoology.
We can have any rally we want on the
Diag, yet we cannot be a diverse student
body in choosing our majors.
Or maybe it's the fact that the University
can suck an extra year of tuition out of us if
they discontinue our majors. Now, I will
probably be here for an extra year. That
means that all of my classes that I'd been
taking for (or rather paying for) social
anthropology will serve me absolutely no
purpose. That's just super.
Maybe I'm just bitter because now I'll
have to be a fifth-year senior. I will not let
some freak in the administration suck
another year out of my life. True, they said I
could do some fruity "independent study"
junk - but who the hell pays the kind of
money that we pay and doesn't even come
out with a real degree?
This sucks. This sucks just about as bad
as the kleptos who frequent frat parties. I
am really sick of getting stuff stolen.
Who's really taking this stuff? I bet you
I know who it is - it's that same person
who is taking all the majors. I bet you
there's some big cellar in the LSA Building
marked storage room B where there are
piles and piles of North Faces and pea coats
- and two big poster boards that say "Org.
Studies" and "Social Anthropology." My
tiara is probably down there too. I let my
friend borrow it for her birthday. She left it
in some kid's room and some drunk
sketchball took it home.
That's real cool. Now what the hell are
you going to do with a tiara? Did you think
about that before you took it? I bet not. I bet
it was real funny to see a tiara in some
guy's room after drinking a whole case of
Schlitz.
Well now I'm pissed and I want it back.
I feel like everyone has had something
stolen at a party. Maybe I was just brou
up right, but I would never consider ju t
snatching someone else's jacket. That's
someone else's winter coat, buddy. That's
someone else's tiara. Just don't take it. If
you want you can look at it real close, go
ahead, sniff it - try it on, just don't take it
home with you.
Do you steal stuff from your grandma's
closet too? Or does it make it OK because
you can't actually see who owns the jacket.
It's not a faceless crime. When you take the
jacket, someone else has to walk ho
freezing. That's not cool.
So here we go, in conclusion - by the
year 2014, the only majors that will be left
will be Ojibwa and Accounting. There's
some freak named Milton in the basement
of the LSA Building who is wearing your
North Face and my tiara.
And the same person who is discontinu-
ing the majors is responsible for this entire
article - as they have pissed me off o
again. 0
- Erin McQuinn can be reached via
e-mail at emcquinn@umich.edu.
'U' should make counciling easier to get
F or many, the opportunity to attend
the University means freedom
from home, the beginning of life in the
real world and the setting for many
important life decisions. However,
unexpectedly, the new setting some-
times brings with it a change in atmos-
phere that many students are not
prepared to handle on their own. Stu-
dents at this age face many problems in
their lives outside of7NUMBERS
academia. Catalyzing OUNSEUN ANr
this, the high level of SEvicEs:76-83
competition at the Uni- T NNATIONAL
versity is the cause of HELLI-SOO
many long nights, NATIONAL1HO+
failed exams and 1-800-SUICIDE
stress. All of this can OZONE HoUSEI11I
lead to great mental FAMILY SERVI:
anguish that requires UNIVERSrTY o
an outlet. While many CENT iR 936-59(
students can handle -
this on their own, others require the
help of friends, or others that will listen
to them and advise them. The Universi-
ty is obliged to do as much as it can to
keep the student body mentally healthy.
Improvement needs to begin with the
University's Counseling and Psycho-
logical Services.
Although the University does pro-
vide Emergency and Crisis Counseling,
most students in need of help are not
prepared to admit that their situation is
an emergency. They are then forced to
make an appointment with a psycholo-
gist or psychiatrist. This path is a has-
sle fraught with paperwork and
scheduling difficulties. A great number
of needy students do not go through all
of this bureaucracy and push their
problems to the side. The result can be
devastating.
The third leading cause of death
among those aged 15 to 24 is suicide.
The problem needs more attention
from all. Many times, suicides can be
prevented if those who commit it
received help from friends and family.
Some of the major warning signs are
changes in behavior, personality, sleep
patterns, and in eating habits. Further-
more, there is a lack of interest in
friends, feelings of overwhelming guilt,
shame and self-hatred.
Experts say the propagation of cer-
tain myths surrounding suicide only
helps add to the problem. One of the
most serious misconceptions is that
TO KNOW people who talk about
suicide will not do it.
But, almost everyone
!T~H CRusIs who commits or
99-9999 attempts suicide has
_JNETwC)RK: given some clue or
warning. Another com-
, YouTr & mon falsehood is that
62-2222 once a person makes
CHIGAN HEALTh up his or her mind to
? commit suicide, noth-
ing can stop him. Even
the most severely depressed person has
mixed feelings about death, wavering
until the very last moment between
wanting to live and wanting to die. Per-
haps one reason the University does
not acknowledge the pressures on stu-
dents as much as it does is because it
fears addressing suicide might give
someone the idea. On the contrary,
openly discussing the subject can only
help raise awareness of warning signs
and thus increase prevention efforts.
One may believe that the recent sui-
cide by an Art and Design student liv-
ing in Mosher-Jordan Residence Hall
may have been prevented had the Uni-
versity provided a better outlet for the
students contemplating suicide. This
death needs to serve as a signal to the
University that help is not adequately
reaching those in dire straits, on the
verge of ending their life.
Preventing suicide and dealing with
other psychological issues is difficult.
By redoubling its efforts, counseling
services can be more accessible to all
students who truly need help.
Students need to fill
courtroom in support
of affirmative action
TO THE DAILY:
After three years of building, today we
finally get our day in court. Today, we begin to
put racism and sexism in this nation on trial.
Today, we begin to break down the racist lie of
black inferiority put out by the Center for Indi-
vidual Rights and the right-wing of this country.
Today the voice of the students, the voice of
the new mass militant integrated youth-led
Civil Rights Movement will electrify the
Detroit federal court house! Today and tomor-
row, myself and Erika Dowdell will be testify-
ing to the social and educational inequality that
is the every day reality of black people in this
nation and why there is a profound need for
affirmative action.
Despite the three years of being leaders in
this new movement for the defense of affirma-
tive action, despite our fight to become inter-
venors in the lawsuit and even despite our
intensive legal preparation over the last few
months our testimony will mean nothing if the
courtroom is not filled to capacity with black,
Latino, Native American, Asian American and
progressive white students from the University!
The strength of our legal defense and our
ability to represent the new movement through
our testimony will be completely determined by
the participation of the movement in the court-
room.
We already know that CIR will be objecting
to our testimony. Their objections will happen
far less if sitting behind them is a crowd of peo-
ple who are making clear that they will not be
resegregated. We already know that the judge
has limited the amount of time for our case.
His restrictions will be far less enforced if
sitting in his gallery are black students demand-
ing that he not deny them the opportunity to
attend the University Law School. We have
taken the movement to the streets on Days of
Action, and during Martin Luther King Day
marches. It is now time to let Judge Bernard
Friedman know that the movement has come to
him. He has to feel accountable to the pro-affir-
mative action students of the University and of
this nation.
We have always known that we are not
going to win these cases simply by having a
good) legal case or simply by having the best
witnesses.
We understand that a new civil rights move-
'I think it's important that we bridge the athletic
campus with the academic campus.'
- University Athletic Director Bill Martin speaking at yesterday
faculty Senate Assembly meeting.
THOMAS KULJURGIS TENTATIVELY SPEAKING
o-
A NEW SfTDY SA COLLEGE YOUR DAP S 1 F10ME.
FRESMK ARE STYING HE TMANKS Y) FOR WdASPM
LESS THA E\ER SEFORE. HITSr 01 4OEY 0*
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Varying state rules lead to abuse of system
ment will decide the question of black equality
and integration in this country. It is time for the
court to meet the movement and for the move-
ment to move the court in the right direction.
The University's case thus far has absolute-
ly been a disgrace to the defense of affirmative
action. You definitely do not get the sense that
the University is defending you. All of their
witnesses have testified that with a "race-blind"
admission system the number of minority stu-
dents will drop.
At the same time they have their admission
witnesses saying that race is not a big deal in
reviewing files and that is hardly a major factor
that is even distinguishable from playing the
tuba. That is exactly why students had to inter-
vene in the case. We have to defend affirmative
action on the bases of using race to offset
racism and as a way to further integration
because the University will not say it!
My testimony will be nothing if it is given
to an empty courtroom. We must fill the court-
room starting especially today and tomorrow
when our case begins. There will be transporta-
tion leaving from the Michigan Union at 7 a.m.
every morning and cars coming back to Ann
Arbor as needed. Your participation in the
movement is needed now!
T he adoption system in the United
States has come under fire because
of a current international dispute between
two families vying for custody over six-
month old twin girls. After spending two
months living with the one family in Cali-
fornia, these girls were taken to Wales to
live with a family who paid the same
adoption facilitator more money for them.
And while one may think adoption
regulations would limit price bargaining
over newborns, varying state adoption
rules leave loopholes where situations
like this most recent highly publicized
adoption squabble. The issue not only
raises questions about the practice of
advertising children but whether the 50
different sets of rules should meet some
kind of national uniform standard.
After seeing a posting on the Internet
about the twin girls, the Allen family
agreed to pay $6,000 immediately and
the remaining $2,500 over time. Fearful
that she wouldn't receive the remaining
$2,500, the adoption facilitator made
arrangements to give the children to the
Kilshaws family of Wales, who offered
almost double the amount. The Kilshaws
then went to Arkansas with the birth
mother, who used an aunt's address to
claim residence there, and began adop-
tion proceedings.
Granted, this case is one of fraud on
the facilitator's part, but it calls into
question the lack of uniformity between
states' adoption laws. In California,
switching adoptive parents is legal, for
90 days after the babies are placed in a
home. In addition, there is nothing ille-
gal about paying an unlicensed broker to
handle the placement. In other states,
the use of a facilitator is illegal, while in
others still it is only legal to use licensed
facilitators. With no consistency, situa-
tions like this can occur and it is the
children who will likely suffer. The idea
of baby selling is a revolting one, yet it
happens everyday through newspaper
ads and Internet postings. Children are
being treated as merchandise, rather
than people.
This nation would benefit greatly
from uniform adoption standards. Adop-
tion must not turn into a flea market.
This most recent case indicates it very
well may be turing into one.
University does note
need Rick Pitino
TO THE DAILY:
Wake up S. Brandon Coan and the rest of
the naive fans out there ("Bring Pitino to the
University," 1/19/00). Rick Pitino is not com-
ing to the University! No matter how many of
those stupid Pitino faces you can make, he is
still not coming here. What makes you think
that he is going to be as good as he was MO
the University of Kentucky?
Remember, he promised to take the
Celtics to the playoffs, with several of his
same Kentucky players on the roster and
didn't come close. Also, we don't need Piti-
no for recruiting. The last three years have
brought excellent talent to this university
and it is only getting better when JaQuan
Hart and Dommanic Ingerson come to Ann
Arbor next year. We don't need Pitino,
him go out west. Instead of just picking e
first name in the headlines, we should stay
closer to home and find someone in the area,
preferably a Cazzie Russell or even a
George Gervin.
JASON ROOVER
LSA JUNIOR
freedom
pregnant woman are explicitly connect
the question is whether or not the wonAi
has the right to control her own body and
avoid nine-months of hormonal hell. In the
case of pregnancy, a woman's rights super-
sede the rights of the fetus.
Clearly this is a hotly contested line of
reasoning. One can rationalize the decision
to end the life of a fetus in any manner they
would like and while I personally find any
of the excuses to be profoundly selfish, tb
is the nature of this nation.
The entire foundation of this government
rested on the involvement of combating spe-
cial interests that would be forced through
necessity to compromise.
The compromise was made, 28 years ago.
Bush, in his uncompromising inability to
rl-1ii~i. tha~t hip -,heltered lifehn-c given him
AGNES ALEoBUA
LSA SOPHOMORE
The first day: An attack on 28 years of
esterday was the 28th birthday of
arguably the most well-known Supreme
Court case of our time. It is a birthday that
consistently brings controversy and
inflamed emotions.
It is a birthday that
has never passed by
without cries of
protest and cries of
support.
It is the birthday of a
case that guarantees
the rights of women to
negate the birthdays of
their potential off-
spring.
Jan. 22, 1973. For
me, it was not one of Manish1
family planning groups. Happy Birthday.
Apparently, a group of old, fat, white
men who can't sustain an erection long
enough to impregnate a woman in the first
place are now allowed to mandate when a
woman must give birth.
Laura Bush - the remarkably uninter-
esting, remarkably docile, remarkably proto-
typical 1950s housewife - fumbled around
and found her own voice, stating a while
back that Roe v. Wade should not be over-
turned.
Apparently she's not willing to stick up
for women in general by convincing her
dim-witted other half of the importance of
this case.
I should offer a brief segue at this point;
I am morally opposed to abortion. I'm
JASON POLAN U M*M4