NEWS
The Michigan Daily - Friday, April 2, 2004 - 5
Wi., lose or draw
Republicans defend party's record
on environment protection policies
By Rosie Goldensohn
For the Daily
Republicans and environmentalists seem to make
strange bedfellows, but it was not always this way,
says Martha Marks, leader of the self-proclaimed
"environmental conscience of the GOP."
At a talk last night titled "Conservation Is Biparti-
san," Marks, founder and president of REP America,
and Joe Schwarz, a Republican congressional candi-
date from Michigan, spoke on the role Republicans
should play in the environmental debate.
"Young adults have no memory of the time when
Republicans signed the Clean Air Act, the Clean
Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the
National Environmental Protection Act into law,"
Marks said, referring to acts passed in the 1970s.
She cited former presidents Theodore Roosevelt
and Richard Nixon, as well as former senator Barry
Goldwater (R-Ariz.) as members of an environmen-
tally friendly Republican party. She said Sen. John
McCain (R-Ariz.) and Schwarz, a former state sena-
tor are current leaders.
"Many young adults think that if you care about
the environment, you're supposed to be a Democrat,
and that you can only care if you're a Democrat ...
There is nothing more conservative than conserva-
tion," Marks said.
Conservation is the rallying cry of organiza-
tions like REP America, but they share many
positions with more left-wing environmental
groups. REP has been outspoken on global
warming issues, and in 2001 opposed President
Bush's appointment of Gale Norton, who held
some controversial views regarding pollution, to
secretary of the interior.
The League of Conservation Voters commended
Schwarz for his work concerning mercury levels, an
issue that conservationists and environmentalists
were united over due to the implications for fishing
and air pollution.
"I feel so strongly that I want to live, and I want
my grandchildren to live in a place that they are
proud of (and) where they are proud of their elected
officials," he said. He urged students and young peo-
ple to put their names on the ballot and get involved
in local politics.
Students in the audience responded to the biparti-
san message. "I think that it's stupid ... that if one
party is for something, the other party has to be
against it," SNRE senior Tim Reynolds said. "It
doesn't need to be a partisan issue."
Commenting on the lack of conservatives in the
audience, Marks attributed it to the reputation of
environmentalists as "liberal wackos."
"One reason it's a lot of Democratic students who
are here is that they have only known Democratic lead-
ership. If you look at a local level, you'll see a lot of
Republicans taking leadership on environmental
issues," said University alum Noah Hall, a Republican.
Steve MacGuidwin, chair of the College Repub-
licans, was not in attendance but said Republican
leadership on the issue is lacking.
"We don't have a Goldwater, we don't have a
really strong leader on the environment in Wash-
ington," he said.
For many supporters, Schwarz represents a pas-
sionate minority in the Republican party. "We want
to highlight these people ... who are leading the
charge," said Joy Strawser of the League of Conser-
vation Voters.
The League co-sponsored the event with the
Michigan Student Assembly's Environmental
Issues Commission, Students for the Public Inter-
est Research Group In Michigan and Project
Democracy.
After the event, Sharon Renier, the Democrat run-
ning for the same seat as Schwarz and an organic
farmer, expressed concern in an email that despite
the bipartisan theme, she was not invited to speak.
Ellen Kolasky, co-chair of the MSA EIC, said the
event was meant to be a counterpart to the U.S. Sen.
Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and state Sen. Liz
Brater (D-Ann Arbor) last weekend.
JEFF LEHNERT/Daily
Cengiz Guney and Spanish lecturer Marta Cruz practice their
drawing skills at a Figure Drawing class in Alice Lloyd Residence
Hall yesterday.
HATE CRIMES
Continued from Page 1
such as including a separate category for hate
crimes in the Campus Safety Handbook.
"We've already had a discussion about mak-
ing changes and adding information to the
handbook. ... What we want to do in our
changes to the annual handbook is to add spe-
cific definitions and specific data," Bess said,
adding that the information will be included in
the 2004-05 handbook.
Bess said he hopes these changes will raise
community awareness about bias incidents and
hate crimes. He said students will report more
incidents if they know the police will act on
them. "Usually when we start to bring some-
thing to attention it'll lead to a spike in the
number of reports," Bess added.
If a person is charged with committing a bias
incident, they are referred to the Office of Stu-
dent Conflict Resolution. Possible sanctions
from OSCR include doing community service,
being suspended or even facing expulsion from
the University.
In addition to making changes to the hand-
book, DPS plans to provide more extensive
training for its officers, Bess said.
The training will include making officers
fully aware of the definitions for hate crimes
and bias incidents and how to respond. DPS
also plans to have one or two officers in the
department specialize in hate crimes and bias-
incident-related issues.
"We'll continue to take the reports that we've
been taking, but we're making it a specialty to
give it more attention than we have in the past,"
Bess said.
The Michigan Student Assembly has also
shown an interest in promoting campus aware-
ness of hate crimes and bias incidents. MSA
passed a resolution to encourage DPS and the
Division of Student Affairs to establish a mech-
anism to report and record hate crimes and bias
incidents, MSA President Jason Mironov said.
"I think that, as a responsible student govern-
ment, it is a necessity for us to create a safe
space for all students at the University. This
resolution helps encourage that kind of envi-
ronment;' Mironov said.
But some students do not think this resolu-
tion will make a difference on campus. "I know
a lot of people who don't take DPS seriously,
so they might not listen to DPS even if they do
enforce it," LSA freshman Jeanna Biliti said.
Yet DPS will continue to meet with multicul-
tural and alternative-life organizations in an
effort to protect all University students.
"One of the wonderful things about this
institution is its diversity. ... We enjoy its ben-
efits, but it carries with it some responsibili-
ty," Bess said.