4 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, March 11, 2003 OP/ED Ulbe £tch tc u I 420 MAYNARD STREET ANN ARBOR, MI 48109 letters@michigandaily.com EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN SINCE 1890 LOUIE MEIZLISH Editor in Chief AUBREY HENRETTY ZAC PESKOWITZ Editorial Page Editors 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 C(I put it on to remind myself that not every patriot thinks we should do to the people of Baghdad what bin Laden did to us." - Journalist Bill Moyers on why he will begin wearing an American flag pin, as quoted in this weeks' Metro Times. BEi N NFFECiC, "DPARED ViL.4' TBtNr4I- oa4 371[7( PtGAR& C W ILK I GH. EDQ JOEL HOARD AND SCOTT SERILLA STIMC FIGUREs ARE AWiSOME 1 i IlL T ie BLOCK,. Ir-' .U'w DIM s~C-T vCS AU.. PR ~ t SPi Oi ~,WTT 44LLAJO k 0 *o 5-ro~vt 50NOK G~oooot. ABE T@ E-r S FRAI'r e A Scoi-t Im - 3i When actors attack: a politician's PR nightmare AUBREY HENRETTY NEUROTICA H ollywood's out- then merely associating with them would dis- more to say about social injustice and/or pouring of anti- credit whatever cause I'm trying to legitimize. human suffering than the latter. war sentiment Good riddance. Am I saying I think it's possible that has got a good number But the previously mentioned naysayers Joe Famous might be a more reliable of God-fearing Ameri- just can't let the simple ones go. And source of information and insight than the cans all in a tizzy. instead of pointing out flaws in Joe's argu- president? Yes. It's entirely possible. Here Pursed-lipped pundits ment, they call him stupid: "He can't possi- in the United States, where "even a C-stu- shake their heads sadly bly know what he's talking about. He's an dent can be president," a man's ability to on national television actor! He probably can't even read!" win an election or two is not necessarily while easily perturbed Because most Americans - who by all indicative of his special knowledge of any- private citizens boycott movies and TV accounts take themselves far too seriously - thing pertaining to said elected position. shows in vain protest, all of them asking like their pop culture disposable and their That's not to say everyone should the same indignant question: "What gives activism in hindsight only - and because immediately purchase tickets to Miss Teen celebrities the right to throw their fame there is no room in high school history text- Pop Star's next rally for or against the behind political causes?" books for anyone but ex-presidents and yel- cause; it is to say that singling out celebri- Although askers of this question claim to low journalists - actors, artists and ties as the source of all ignorance in social care primarily for the public good, for the musicians who espouse their political beliefs and political debates is scapegoating at its gullible masses who may (bless their sorry are often held us up as laughingstocks, buf- most desperate. In the case of war with little hearts) attach undue credibility to the foons who'd better serve the planet if they Iraq, it suggests that the pro-war camp and words of their entertainment idols, their cri- left the important historical decision making the media are either so consumed by jeal- tiques of the actors in question suggest their to the adults. To those seeking alternatives to ousy for the actors and actresses they per- motives may be a tad more selfish than that. presidential catchphrases and unquestioning ceive to be stealing their thunder and their Those who denounce celebrity cause-hocking obedience, pundits insist that there are none. supporters that they must resort to play- usually suffer from influence-envy and lack Everyone wants to believe his or her ground insults to maintain a sense of digni- confidence in their own arguments. chosen career matters. Everyone wants to ty, or that they are trying to distract Uninformed celebrity activism is a won- be important, no one more so than the gov- would-be peaceniks from serious flaws in derful way to root the idiots out of any move- ernment official and the television political the battle plans. It is a very bad idea to ment. Let me put it another way: If there are commentator. Creative professionals - be trust people solely because we recognize people out there who will disagree with me they actors, musicians, writers of popular their faces, their names or their work, but it because Joe Famous says they should - and fiction or poetry or visual artists - are is equally unwise.to dismiss them outright not because Joe Famous makes a convincing often dismissed as decorative members of for the same reasons. If the revolution is to case against my point of view - then I will society so wrapped up in their own egos begin in Hollywood, so be it; I just hope send them off to join the ranks of the opposi- that they don't pay any attention to anyone the rest of us can make it through the pre- tion with my blessing. I don't want those peo- or anything else. While it is a lot tougher views without getting nauseous. ple on my side. If they're dim-witted and for an artist than a U.S. president to secure reckless enough to follow Joe just because he a place in the next generation's social stud- Henretty can be reached has niceteeth and his own weekly sit-com, ies class, the former may have volumes atahenrett@umich#du. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Residence hail libraria undeivalued,' underpaid TO THE DAILY: Librarians and library workers at the Uni- versity are systematically underpaid, and their work systematically undervalued. This fact. quickly becomes apparent in observing the University's dealings with librarians who seek to improve their working conditions and pay through collective bargaining. Residence hall librarians joined the Graduate Employee Organization in Fall 2002, after a year-long struggle with the University. They are current- ly negotiating their first collective employ- ment contract. RHLs have been among the more exploited workers on the University campus, receiving only $5,500 a year for 30 hours of work a week. Although the RHLs have now joined GEO, the University is still seeking to pay them at a much lower rate than other graduate student staff assistants and graduate student instructors, simply because they are librarians. In addition the University has yet to pay RHLs fairly for work that they have completed. The systematic undervaluation of librarians and their work is no mere accident. Library work has long been portrayed as "women's work" and hence thought unworthy of respect or fair wages. Such attitudes contribute to the gender gap in pay. In Michigan, which lags far behind the national average, working women earn only 67 cents for every dollar earned by working men. The University's casual disre- gard for librarians and library work is thus dis- appointing on two counts. First, as an institution that claims a commitment to excel- lence in education and research, the University should be swift to value librarians' work, rather than stingy. Second, as a major employer in the state of Michigan, the University has a moral obligation to help close the gender gap in pay, rather than widening it still further. The Uni- versity should begin to meet this obligation at once by paying RHLs the same as other GSSAs and GSIs. ADELE SMAILL Rackham Residence hall librarians make important contriuios to aca- demic fife at University TO THE DAILY: I am a former residence hall librarian (at dents study in the hall library, perhaps reading an assignment that was on reserve for the living learning program in their hall, but they also catch up on events happening in the world through the books, newspapers, and computers provided. Students may attend a program in the library at which they learn something new about another culture, ask for help from the librarian to find resources for a paper, or maybe just take a break in a comfortable, inviting atmosphere. What is vital is that the libraries exist as a space to extend the community of the hall, and that the RHL has the tools necessary to do her/his job properly and in a professional manner. These tools include proper training on how to run the library, and respect from both University Housing and the School of Infor- mation for the work done by the RHLs. Housing has already taken steps to ensure the future success of the hall libraries by signing a tentative agreement with the RHLs that gives them tuition, a larger stipend, and health insurance. A memo has also been drafted that agrees to develop training recom- mendations for the RHLs. These are encour- aging steps, and I hope that Housing follows through on these agreements. Being a RHL is an excellent opportunity for a School of Information student planning to work in libraries to become closer to the Uni- versity community and learn valuable profes- sional skills. If the University and University Housing truly value the commitment they've made to the idea that the "Residence Hall Libraries manifest the University Housing Resi- dence Education living and learning philoso- phy," they'll give the fullest support possible to the Residence Hall Librarian program. Kim WoBICK Alumnus Finkelstein misrepresented by critics; U appearanCe good TO THE DAILY: Over the past week, the Daily has published two letters by vocal members of the pro-Israel community criticizing Students Allied for Free- dom and Equality for their invitation of Norman Finkelstein to the University. Both letters con- textually distort the writings of Finkelstein and have the clear objective of delegitimizing SAFE by making inflammatory attacks against the aca- demics that we invite to campus. Finkelstein is a professor of political sci- ence at DePaul University, and is a highly- regarded academic. He tours the country, often at the invitation of university departments, to discuss topics ranging from his book, "The mote dialogue and a critical assessment of the status quo by bringing in speakers that, although may be perceived as controversial by some elements of the pro-Israel community on campus, are well-respected academics in their field. We also urge these members of the pro- Israel community to halt their character assas- sinations and smear campaigns, and attempt to base their arguments on the issue at hand - the Arab-Israeli conflict. CARMEL SALHI LSA sophomore Vice-chair, SAFE Honors Commons's benefits should be avale to al To THE DAILY: I write to endorse the Daily's editorial, Cof- fee Talk (03/07/03), and to oppose the letters written by Yasmin Naghash (Honors Commons a fair reward, 03/10/03) and Gwen Arnold and Stephen Darwall (Editorial reveals a complete mis- understanding, 03/10/03). First, I am bothered by the notion in Naghash's letter that Honors students deserve certain privileges because they value "academ- ic excellence." Hogwash! As if the rest of us plebes do not. Rather, the commons represents a further pampering of already entitled stu- dents. In the six years that I have taught at this University I have taught over 400 students, slightly over a quarter of whom have been Honors students. Allowing for the usual caveats about generalizing from one's own experience, my observation suggests that there's no difference in student quality or work ethic based on whether they are in the Honors Program; if any difference does stand out it's the Honors students' higher propensity to complain vociferously about grades since, as so many of them have told me in no uncertain terms, they haven't received lower than an A since that stupid math teacher in 7th grade failed to appreciate their sure brilliance and promise (typically evidenced by their eventual acceptance into the Honors Program). I mean, how arrogant (and delusional) does one have to be to claim as a freshman that one is "exceptional in their field?" Second, the elitism that Arnold and Darwall admit exists but suggest should not be viewed pejoratively (I'm clearly not Honors material for I do not understand their argument about elitism; I tried thinking hard but my head began to ache) is a rejection of the University's responsibility to foster "an intellectual and cul- tural community" for all its students, not just the "smart" ones. For the same reasons that I am a fervent supporter of the University's affirmative THE BOONDOCKS AA.RO.N PcGRUTDE)R I