WBVednesday, January 19, 2011 / The Statement
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MSA PRESIDENTS:
PAST AND PRESEN\T
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Wednesday, January19, 2011 The Statement 3B
news in review
Five of the most talked-about stories of the week, ranked in ascending order of actual importance
07-1
1976
A t a University with a rich academic and athletic history,
1976 was a momentnus year. Michigan's fontball team
had a 10-2 season, placed first in the conference and went
to the Rose Bowl. While it may be remembered for its infamous
football season, few may remember that the year alsomarked the
establishment of the Michigan Student Assembly.
MSA is one of several names that have been adopted by the
University's central student government, but its establishment
signified a new era of student government and an opportunity
to resolve the shortcomings of the preceding student governing
body, the Student Government Association.
Since 1906, the University has relied on a student governing
organization to act as a leading force for student representation.
Throughout the last century, student government presidents
have tackled campus issues like affirmative action and the cre-
ation of a fall study break. More recently, MSA has advocated for
an open housing in University residence halls, which would allow
students to live with a student of a different gender, and it has
aimed to bolster student relations with the assembly.
After Donald House unexpectedly inherited the position of
first MSA president in 1976, he soon realized that creating a new
and effective student government was not a task that would be
easily accomplished.
House, now 57 and a resident of Chelsea, Mich., became
involved with SGA when he took the position of SGA treasurer
during his first year of graduate school at the University. Accord-
ing to House, he was looking for a way to become involved on
campus after managing the student radio station at Vanderbilt
University, where he had received his undergraduate degree.
After a lawsuit involvingthe SGA president and vice president,
student government members decided to remove both officials
from their executive positions. This made the treasurer next in
line for the presidency.
"I was in shock because I got the notice under my dorm room
door that the president and vice president had been removed
from office," House said. "I (had seen) myself as an accountant or
business manager, clearly not a politician."
SCOTT PAGE
1985
By Rachel Brusstar
2011
On Tuesday, Starbucks intro-
duced a bigger drink size for iced
beverages: the 31-ounce Trenta.
Currently available only in select
Southern and Southwestern states,
the Trenta will debut nationally on
May 3.
"Piers Morgan Tonight," CNN's
replacement for "Larry King Live,"
debuted Monday evening to a
reported 2 million viewers. The
television personality and former
tabloid journalist interviewed
Oprah Winfrey during the show.
,---..
Apple Chairman
Jobs announced
will take a medic
sence from the c
on his health. CC
will fill in for Jobs
date has not bee
and CEO Steve Violent protests prompted Tuni- In a 4-1 vote on Tuesday, the Fed-
Monday that he sian president Zine el-Abidine Ben eral Communications Commis-
al leave of ab- Ali to flee the country on Friday sion approved a merger between
ompany to focus after 23 years of authoritarian rule. Comcast and NBC Universal,
)O Timothy Cook Protestors utilized social network- conferring Comcast 51 percent
s, whose return ing websites to help oust Ben Ali ownership of NBCU for $13.8 bil-
n announced. from his position. lion in cash and assets.
..- .........- .- - ....- ,- --- ..---- --
The first matter House faced as MSA president dealt with a
referendum from the fall of 1975 that proposed changing the
name Student Government Association to the Michigan Stu-
dent Assembly. House said he wasn't prepared for the immediate
name change or the overhaul of student government positions
and regulations that he thought would occur at the end of the
school year in response to the lawsuit.
"I think we naively assumed that we had several months to put
it together and get it set up," he said.
As the new MSA president, House had a lot of work to do to
establish a stable student government, given SGA's history of law-
suits and proceedings that were debilitating to the organization.
SGA left little foundation for MSA to build off, and House's
main goal was to create a new structure for student government,
which included drafting a new constitution and compiled code.
"At the first meeting ... everybody recognized that we didn't
have a constitution, we didn't have compiled code ... we just had
Robert's Rules of Order," House said, referring to a reference
guide on parliamentary procedure. "I think that was the big-
gest issue that we dealt with the first couple weeks, just so that
we would know what the rules were and how we were going to
work."
According to House, the preceding SGA administration spent
an unnecessary amount of time arguing over and dealing with
inconsequential matters. Members of the newly-founded MSA
sought to remedy these practices by using time more effectively.
The members also decided to appoint representatives from each
of the University's colleges to serve in the governing body.
"Having a representative from (every) school or college gov-
ernment changed the mix of who was in the assembly room at
any given time, compared to SGA," House said. "They came with
a bit more sense of responsibility."
Despite his success, about two or three weeks after settling
into his position as president, House decided to resume his posi-
tion as treasurer.
"I learned that I didn't want to go into politics. That was clear
to me probably even before I (became) president," House said.
In the final MSA officer's report of December 1976, House was
called "an unsung, apolitical hero whose efforts (were) greatly
appreciated."
After House stepped down, the assembly voted on the next
president.
Exercising a Voice
Throughout the last four decades, MSA has remained an
essential means for students to bridge the gap between the stu-
dent body and the administration.
Scott Page, the University's Director of the Center for the
Study of Complex Systems and professor of complex systems,
political science and economics, served as MSA president begin-
ning in the fall of 1984.
At the time of his presidency, one of the most controversial
issues on campus was the Code of Non-Academic Conduct pro-
posed by the University. According to Page, the code outlined
rules for what students were allowed to do outside the classroom
and also formed boards of University students to determine the
guilt and innocence of student crimes.
"Most of the students were vehemently against this, so the
main reason to (run for president) was ... to stop the code," Page
said.
Though the administration did not successfully pass the code
while Page was MSA president due to veto power reserved for
the student government, there was concern among MSA mem-
bers that the University would find a back-door way to approve
the code.
"We had to make the University feel that the students were not
going to accept this," Page said. "I think we did an OK job of this."
Despite the efforts of Page and other students, the University
implemented the code inthe late
1980s, after Page's term as presi-
dent had ended. The code still
exists today, but is called the
Statement of Student Rights and
10 , ,1,1 1 1 , , , | , , , 2, 1, ,1 , , 3 , , , , 4 , , , , 5 , , , , 6 , 1,, , 7',1,1 1 , 8 9,, ,101
quotes of the week from the archives
"There is a time that everything must come to an end for certain So easy, but cavemen can't do it
people on camera, especially certain old people."
REGIS PHILBIN, announcingrhis tentative retirement from "Live! with Regis
and Kelly" on Tuesday's program.
"I think that she's got to slow down and be more careful and
think through what she's saying and how's she's saying it."
NEWT GINGRICH, FORMER SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE, analyzing Sarah
Palin's response on "Good Morning America" to the Jan. 8 Arizona shooting.
"For sure any movie he makes he can forget about getting
nominated."
A HOLLYWOOD FOREIGN PRESS ASSOCIATION MEMBER, commenting on cOURTE$Y OF ABc
British comedian Ricky Gervais's controversial monologue at Sunday's Golden
Globes. urchasing insurance from GEICO is "so easy a caveman can do it," the company
has playfully boasted in television advertisements. Strike television serials off the
list of caveman cabilities. Such was the lesson painfully learned in 2007 when ABC
the rules handed the unibrowned GEICO mascots a sitcom, cleverly titled "Cavemen," profiling
brothers Joel, Andy and Nick in contepmporary, non-Cro-Magnon society.
Critically panned - The Chicago Tribune listed it as one of the "Top 25 worst TV
No. 304: No. 305: No. 306: shows ever" - the series lasted a little over a month. The Michigan Daily, however,
Don't use "literally" The study room in Dropping a class so gave "Cavemen" a glowing endorsement ("That dumb GEICO ad? ABC makes it work"
10/08/07), giving the show a three out of five stars review. Not that praise was invested
wrong or I will 7-Eleven will change you can watch your into totally superficial subjects, as the Daily observed: "Joe Lawson, who penned the
literally punch you in your life. Get your favorite daytime 'Cavemen' pilot as well as many of the commercials, says the ad spots were a critique of
what he saw as an overly politically correct society."
the face. slurpee and hit the TV show is totally Of course, the show's failure doesn't mean there's no home for Neanderthals on TV.
books! acceptable. Last we checked, "Jersey Shore" still airs on MTV.
by the numbers COURTESY OF THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
The number of years that "Larry King Live" Percent decrease in CNN prime time Percent decrease in "Larry King Live" viewership
was on the air before being replaced by viewership from 2009 to 2010. during the last two years.
"Piers Morgan Tonight" on Monday.
MATT NOLAN
2001
FILE PHOTO