4 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, March 18, 2003 OP/ED able Aldhtgt DnaIE 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 tWearea peaceful people." - President Bush in yesterday's address to the nation. JOEL HOARD AND SCOTT SERILLA STICK HGURES ARE AWE SOME oie Crey, what are you doing out here with all these hippies? We shovld he back' at AXQ getting drunk, 0 he Ir Protong the war with Iraq. WA 9 jp'otejinq'? Thars for lors who CA1,V1 ge ~*s. 'Jo VA tu a tWfpw robe~ketbll? How does one say "Big Mac" in Arabic? JOSEPH LITMAN TiE Low END THEORY 's now official: We're getting another state; America East is com- ing. Booyakasha! Who said that Mani- fest Destiny was dead? Who heralded the demise of our expan- sionist spirit? Who wrongly surmised that there no longer were frontiers available for exploration? In the most American of moves, we've found a new land to conquer, extending our nation's proud history of ingenuity. We don't know the word "can't." (What's that, you say? We're not the first state to colonize, to use a military action to dispose of a deplorable dic- tator? Well, America has done its fair share of stealing in the past, so calling someone else's idea our own is fairly American, too.) The United States is expanding to 51, and as Puerto Rico continues to eschew statehood, our government is looking across the Atlantic, where Iraq has become the likely site of annexation. Iraq won't officially become a state because 50 is a workable number, but do not be fooled by semantics: Iraq will be an American outpost, at least for a while. Those who have made my acquaintance or have read this column in the past know that I will not be inviting President G-dub over to watch NBA League Pass in the near future, however, I need to give the man some dap because he picked a great place. Iraq is warm (Spring Break in Baghdad!) and resource-rich (everyone into their SUVs!). The only drawbacks are that it may be hard to separate church from state there (although, this administration may find that characteris- tic wholly positive) and it's kind of far, but that just means more frequent flyer miles. Two other attractive elements working in Iraq's favor are the country's dysfunctional social and economic conditions, plights that the State Department has already conceded may preclude stable democracy. But who cares? Nothing is more American than those two familiar issues, and while the Iraqi peo- ple are far less advantaged and far more des- perate than most Americans, only those who assess the United States through the rosy lens of romanticism could say that we've achieved a utopian democratic state, a nation where our political system exists alongside social and economic prosperity. The latest evidence of our continuing prob- lems emerged last week. First, the U.S. Senate banned, save only for cases of imminent death, the intact dilation and extraction procedure now only rarely used to end pregnancy. Effectively, the Congress has unconstitutionally declared that the health of people like, oh, I don't know, women, is not of utmost importance and that more than half the population does not have absolute freedom over their bodies and their choices. That's great. Second, the economic figures released were quite discouraging, because February saw joblessness increase and the dollar's value decrease. Fear over the impending war in the Middle East has limited our economy's recov- ery, making employers and investors wary. Not only is unemployment rampant, but also confidence in the U.S. markets is slipping, and investment may soon decline - a negative that outweighs a potential gain in exports - the way that the job market has. Super. On a larger scale, America remains afflict- ed by terrible gaps - gaps in power, income, education, quality of life - between the haves and the have-nots, and those schisms have created social stratifications that reward the privileged and the condemn the disadvan- taged. As for democracy, one need only think back to the 2000 presidential election for proof that we haven't even perfected the sys- tem that we superciliously champion. However, it is a lot easier to export our imperfect American elsewhere than repair our deficiencies at home, and given the situa- tion in Iraq, that country seems like a promising fixer-upper, a place where we can lessen the severity of the problems, bringing them up to suitable, American standards. Enough with the serious talk, though, because no one likes that. Instead, the focus should be placed on the great potential of nation building in the Middle East. Yes, we're likely going to infuriate and galvanize U.S. opponents, but how great will it be once our soldiers, stationed in Iraq for at least a year without the proper skills needed to construct a nation, can walk past a former weapons plant and sit down in a pristine, air-conditioned McDonald's? Don't you think that the Iraqi people will enjoy driving to the mall so that they can cop the newest Nikes and watch the latest Chris Rock movie? If the price that we pay is a continued neglect of the issues in this country, so be it. As G-dub will readily tell you, he can only get reelected once. And it's not everyday that you can mismanage a coun- try spanning two continents. 0 #1 Litman can be reached at litmanj@umich.edu. VIEWPOINT A student's primer on Code conversion BY ANDREW BLOCK Students at the University are recognized across the country for their commitment to protecting civil liberties. On the level of national politics, University students are the first to organize against what they view as an infringement on their rights or the rights of others. Now is the time for students to stand up and be heard in the debate over their rights as members of the University community by supporting the Michigan Student Assembly's proposed amendments to the Statement of Student Rights and Responsibilities, formerly known as "The Code." By simply logging on to www.studentpolicies.dsa.umich.edu/review/, students can lend their voices to the cause. Despite a general lack of awareness of the existence of the Code, this document directly affects every single student at the University. The Code governs all behavior that is primarily non-academic, stating which types of behavior the University considers a violation of its policies and lay- ing out the disciplinary process required to address such violations. While the Code can be used to promote a safer, more responsible campus community, certain portions of the policy permit an unnec- essary extension of the University's power or fail to secure rights that should be basic to the disciplinary process. While the stated purpose of the Statement is to educate the student body, the reality is that students facing the discipli- nary procedure are subject to punishments ranging from simple probation or community service to suspension or expulsion. The Student Rights Commission of MSA has been working hard over the past months to bring desperately-needed changes to the Code. Once every two years, MSA has the opportuni- ty to propose amendments, which are then reviewed by a faculty committee before being forwarded to the President. While several of our seven suggested changes have been received positively by the faculty and the administration, there is some disagreement over certain amend- ments that would afford much-needed protec- tion to students' civil liberties. With respect to the disciplinary process, two parts of the Code stand out as particularly disturbing: The denial of the accused's right to legal representation during an arbitration hear- ing and the inability of accused students to open their hearing to the public unless consent of the complainant is also given. Although many other Big Ten universities (including President Mary Sue Coleman's old home) make provisions for legal representation at the student's expense and allow the accused stu- dent to open a hearing unilaterally, the Univer- sity lags behind in affording similar protections to its students. Our amendment would correct this imbalance by making these options avail- able to students under certain circumstances. It is unfortunate that an institution famed for its. progressivism has thus far been unable to adopt procedures that ensure that students' basic rights are protected. The potential also exists for the University to overreach the limits of its power. Currently, behavior that occurs in Ann Arbor but off Uni- versity property may be considered a violation of the Code. Through our amendments, the Student Rights Commission is attempting to restrict the University's authority within its natural boundaries: University-owned proper- ty, public property immediately adjacent to that property and University events and pro- grams. The University should not have the power to punish students for behavior that occurs away from the campus area unless that behavior provides a serious threat to the Uni- versity community, a condition that is explicit- ly contained in the amendment. Student input is critical to the amend- ment process. The faculty are reviewing the proposals at this very moment and will soon be deciding whether to recommend that the amendments be accepted or reject- ed by Coleman. Go right now to www.studentpolicies.dsa.umich.edu/review/ and let the faculty know how you feel about MSA's proposals by scrolling down to the feedback form at the bottom of the page. A complete version of the proposals and a quick-review summary are available to facili- tate the feedback process. You owe it to yourself as a student at the University to be a part of this monu- mental process. Let your voices be heard now, before it's too late. 01 Block is the chair of the Students' Rights Commission ofMSA. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 'U' relationship with office supplier tainted by dangerous logging QlCS togingpractices TO THE DAILY: We would like to express our concern about the University's business relationship with Boise Cascade Office Products. Boise Cascade Office Products is a corporate suppli- er that manufactures and markets a wide vari- ety of merchandise, including furniture, software and paper products. The University's Purchasing Services, Stores and Auxiliary Services website posted an announcement that the university awarded a prime vendor sity's support for a company with gross disre- gard for our environment's wellbeing. Please visit our website ww w.geocities.com/umoldgrowth/ for more detailed information and to sign a petition to halt the purchasing of Boise Cascade's prod- ucts at the University. JESS HODGSON GIL MAZURIK LSA seniors RESE Fox DAVE ARMITAGE LSA freshmen Cultural identity can still lead to cultural uncertainty and not one is problem free. The fear that our society has regarding interracial dating con- cerns me. As a product of an interracial mar- riage, I wonder where I fit in this emotionally- segregated country. I am not naive enough to think that my lack of ethnic definition is fully responsible for my dearth of dates; however, I am forced to realize that until there is a promi- nent half-Indian community, any date I might go on would most likely be "interracial." I feel that my cultural uncertainty is due more to questions such as "what are you?" and "where do you come from?" than the fact that my par- ents were born on opposite sides of the world. When I am among Indians, I often forget that I am different. Likewise, in day-to-day situa- tions, it slips my mind that I am not exactly "white." When race is such an issue, what 01 THE BOONDOCKS A ARO:NWGRIJIDE ----I 1 I