4 -The Michigan Daily - Friday, April 12, 2002 OP/ED 0 U~be 1irb il ~ig 420 MAYNARD STREET ANN ARBOR, MI 48109 letters@michigandaily.com EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN SINCE 1890 JON SCHWARTZ Editor in Chief JOHANNA HANINK 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. NOTABLE QUOTABLE We were basically going to sue a congressman or, for $13,000, we were goingto own him." - Former contractor Anthony Bucci testifying in the trial of Rep. James Traficant (D-Ohio), as quoted in The Washington Post. Yesterday, Traficant was convicted of 10federal corruption charges. WgCJ1zE1 HELL tDIx " THIS COMrI. Eot47 THE FRMMAN IIF&Em.n I'ur YOur $flWT FACK Dal .fi /c THOMAS KuLJURGIS TE-NT ATIVELY SPEAKING A.S UIER1 .fowsT Yeaor VCOLLEGE WINJDS Dot//, fKooMMATES LPKVY 41D P9IfL ZnFLar l T -MiM71&S IW6STNYVE GAIAJEb... i Keep the plot simple ... BABAWOLE AKIN AINA STRANGER IN THE CORNER o it is upon us again, the end of another year at the Universi- ty. For some, it has been their first year here, a year filled with forbidden delights perhaps, but most likely with successes and failures. For those of us who have done this before, we are reminded that sooner or later, all this will end. For people like me, who see the light at the end of the tunnel, this is a sobering thought. It seems like it was only yesterday that I stepped through immigration and caught my first glimpse of Ann Arbor. It wasn't entirely awe- inspiring, but at the very least I was glad to have gotten away from the diktat of my African parents. I really wasn't sure what to expect. For months beforehand, Michigan was simply a blue thumbtack in the middle of the North American Map in my father's study. All I knew for sure was the fact that Ann Arbor was not a big city and that it snowed. I really had not done much research. Michigan had been my backup; I had my heart set on a slightly more prestigious school in Philadelphia. However, I got my small envelope and my large one. The large one was postmarked Ann Arbor, thus the decision was made. I had no idea what these Midwesterners would be like. I was quite apprehensive that I would be stuck with an idiot of a roommate, the kind of person who would ask whether I lived in trees and how come my English was so good. Thankfully, both for my sanity and for his personal safety, my roommate freshman year was a decent fellow and remains a friend to this day. Growing up in Africa, you really do not appreciate the weather, so when I arrived here and was talking to an older African, he inquired if I "knew about winter." I replied that I knew it got cold here, but it got bad in Kenya too. At that point in time being cold in my limited experience meant 15 Celsius (that's about 60 degrees for all you metric system deniers out there). He chuckled and then proceeded to inform me that sometimes it got so cold your soul froze. I came to understand what he meant per- fectly when I would make the thrice-weekly pilgrimage to Dennison together with the rest of the freshman collective for introductory cal- culus. With snow hitting me in the face and try- ing to avoid slipping and falling on my behind on the ice bridge, I would curse and swear all the way to class and back, wondering why the hell I did not apply to UCLA. My first year was an amazing experience, as have been the years after. However now as I move onto the final lap, I stare into the great abyss of uncertainty. I enjoy college life. I enjoy being able to go to bed at all hours, I enjoy spending hours adding to and organizing my large collection of mp3 files. I enjoy arguing about the similarities and differ- ences between Fight Club and American Psy- cho at 3:40 AM over beer and pricey Pizza House pizza. I enjoy being able to go to Mardi Gras and Miami on Spring break. I like the fact that sometimes I feel most productive at 2 a.m. and as a result, I do a lot of work, such as writ- ing columns and papers at those hours. However, is there room for creative bursts at two in the morning in the corporate world? Is there any room at all for the kind of originality, creativity and wild living that college epito- mizes in the real world? After thinking about this for a while, I believe, contrary to popular perception, that there is. As an old friend put, keep the plot sim- ple. Despite the fact that the environment around us changes and at many points in time there seem to be vast amounts of uncertainty, the real world still offers seductive opportuni- ties to live life to its fullest. Perhaps you may never again do the Irish jig on a table top on a whim or argue on the merits of Sartre and existential philosophy at 5 a.m. No matter, you will find new challenges, new conquests and new things to live for. Thus even as some of us journey towards graduation day with trepidation and hesitation, we should still realize that the adventure is only beginning. Always, always remember life is about living and keep the plot simple. Babawole Akin Aina can be reached at babawole@umich.edu. 01 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Daily neglects importance of Palestinian casualties To THE DAILY: In the Wednesday paper, the largest headline was Ambush kills 13, wounds 9 Israeli troops (4/10/02). It is alarming to see that when 13 Israeli soldiers are killed it makes headlines but at the same time when the same Israeli soldiers 1611 "over 500 people in the Nablus and Jenin refugee camps" (according to CNN.com) the news is ignored. I guess it is expected because the killings of the Palestinian people is no longer "big news" or anything out of the ordiiary. It is not a big deal that Palestinian dead bodies are piled on top of each other in the streets. It isn't headline news when the Israeli army shoots 19 missiles into a refugee camp. When 14 Israeli civilians die it is a front page "massacre" but when 500 Palestinians die it doesn't even make the paper. On April 9, 13 Israeli soldiers (who were armed with their semi-automatics and bullet proof vests, who probably already had the blood of any innocent Palestinians civilians on their hands) were killed, it made headlines. It sickens me - and I ask you why? Is it because a Pales- tinian life is just not worth as much? Under no circumstance do I think that killing of innocent people (or for that matter any peo- ple) is right - whether they are Jews sitting in cafes or or Muslims in their refugee camps. But when one man straps on a bomb and kills 13 armed soldiers who have already killed thou- sands of his fellow people you cannot call it a suicide bombing. It is justified self-defense. It is not a suicide bombing - it is one armed sol- dier killing another armed soldier. SALIHA AFRIDI LSA senior First no Naked Mile, then mandatory school uniforms for 'U' students To THE DAILY: While some of the reasoning behind the Uni- versity's sudden outcry against certain campus activities is understandable, the administration is going much too far in its sudden crackdown on student traditions and the scare tactics it uses to accomplish this - especially with the Naked Mile. Yes, we understand that the Naked Mile can be dangerous for the runners for a number of reasons. In all honesty, though, is there really' us confirmed that they felt the same. It was the perfect example of the skewed priorities being displayed by those in authority. As years pass, our University traditions are being increasingly strangled into non-existence. The next thing you know, we'll be mandated to wear uniforms to class and be forbidden to sing "The Victors" unless the administration dictates otherwise. CORTNEY DUEWEKE NICOLE MUENDELEIN CRYSTAL GOLDING LSA seniors BRIAN BURSTEIN Engineering senior Feminism has no need to apologize to its critics TO THE DAILY LSA junior Mari Poulos brought up an inter- esting topic when quoted in Feminist Fair attempts to debunk myths of feminism (4/11/02). It saddens me that she, like so many people, thinks of a "stereotypical feminist" as a woman that hates men. If this is the stereotype, it is one that those opposing the Feminist Movement began. In order to discredit the pioneers of the movement, people portrayed them as man-haters wearing combat boots who opposed everything natural, wanted to disrupt the family structure, castrate all men and turn America on its head. Oh, yes, and they were supposedly all lesbians, too. When you can't beat the logic, just question someone's sexuality, right? Seriously, thanks to the courageous women who fought for suffrage and equal pay and against sexual harassment and gender discrimination, women today are more free than ever to pursue their dreams. Not too long ago, my graduate school program admitted a mere two or three women each year. Today, close to 50 percent of the students here are women. And yet, people still talk of "those man-hating feminists" and, perhaps my least favorite term in the world, "femi-nazis." They still give power to the close-minded view that women are not equally as valuable as men and should not be given the same opportunities. What is most troublesome is that women are using these terms to describe themselves! Ladies, let me be clear: If you are asking for an equal opportunity, you are not a "femi-nazi." Even women who realize there is more to life than scrubbing a bathtub or setting the table often feel the need to apologize for taking opportunities our grandmothers could never dream of This must stop. If you believe men and women are equal how ever you wish to define that men and women are equally valuable, ybu should be sent back to the Dark Ages from whence you came and take some combat boots with you. PIPER HENDRICKS Law school Student thinks of super- lame tradition and wants all to join in the 'fun' To THE DAILY: I ask all of you to join me in a new tradi- tion at the University of Michigan, The Skivvy Mile! It is clear that the powers that be of Ann Arbor are not thrilled to have all of us running through the streets naked, but why not the next best thing - in our underwear? This idea is not new, it is done annually the day before the Iron Man Triathlon World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. I am sure that the students of Michigan can do it bigger and better. If we are in our underwear there is no indecent exposure, just a bunch of stu- dents that happen to be out for a jog. We may at least preserve the tradition for future gen- erations. Perhaps they will some day be able to run naked in the streets of Ann Arbor again. But until then, it's boxers, tighty whities, or leopard print who-knows-whats! We'll start the running around 11:30 along the usual route ... or as close as we can get. NICK NOREUS Engineering senior Israel fails to recognize its own human rights atrocities To THE DAILY Recently on campus there has been rising ten- sion between those supporting Palestinian humap rights and others in favor of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land. Individuals that support the Israeli military offensive have voiced accusations of nearly every variety, in reference to all subjects other than one that addresses the core issue of the problem in Palestine - that Israel, in violation of international law and international human rights agreements, is in fact attempting to ethnically cleanse a population out of existence. For the past week people protesting the ille- gal occupation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip have been confronted with allegations of racism *I L