OPINION Friday. August 8, 1986 Page 6 The Michigan Daily ......_r , .. _.. - vl . IWW Dt irbtEIanI JIa Vol. XCVI, No. 12-S 96 Years of Editorial Freedom Unsigned editorials represent the majority views of the Daily's Editorial Board Cartoons and signed editorials do not necessarily reflect the Daily's opinion. Dental discord Unfair athletic admissions THE DISCLOSURES of of conflict in the University's Department of Orthodontics, raise disturbing questions about University policy. The conflict involves Depar- tment chairman Peter Vig and his failure to pass the state Board of Denistry's speciality examination. "Initially Vig was denied eligibility to take the exam. After an appeal by an associate dean of the School of Den- tistry, Vig was allowed to take the test, but failed by two points. After Vig's failure the University General Counsel, Roderick Daane, requested a rescoring of the exam. The unorthodox request was granted, but the rescore remained below passing. It is not the role of the University to attempt to influence an autonomous state certification board. Dr. Vig has been described as com- petent by several colleagues and has served on the orthodontics faculty at the University of North Carolina. There are indications he is more in- terested in research than teaching. Vig may be a competent ad- ministrator and a respected resear- cher, but the fact remains that his students will become practicing or- thodontists. If the chairman of their department is not deemed qualified by the state Board of Dentistry, and the University attempts to use its in- fluence on his behalf, an unhealthy and unethical example is being set. Something is seriously wrong when the head of the Orthodontic Depar- tment can not pass the very exam his students are expected to pass. If the University values Vig's research talents it should give him a research position. The first respon- sibility of the University and its department heads is to the students. To the Daily: The NCAA's Proposition 48 has at least one positive outcome for the University of Michigan; it illuminates the double standard in student admissions. I had hoped that this University was indeed an "academic in- stitution," but actions speak louder than words As a state tax payer and graduate of the University Iam ashamed. I was naive. I thought that things were different at this University. I speak of our two very talented freshman basketball recruits who have sub 2.5 GPAs and sub 700 SAT scores. Why is it that other in-state students need GPAs greater than 3.3 and SATs over 1100? If Michigan is an academic in- stitution, than this is indeed a double standard. How do you explain this situation? It seems clear to me that star athletes, who can generate income and publicity for the Univer- sity's sports programs, get preferential treat- 'TK ADMNIST2ATioN WANTS'To 6A1 THE PRSS So TfEY WONT POINT ' WE9 TrS. S WoNDOVR Wo oULD SgEAVIIN& vmhAwA ow 1"( ment. I would like to see the names of the students -in the University's remedial programs. What are the percentages from the general student population vs. the percentage of "student" athletes. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy watching these athletes. They are very talented and have worked hard to get as far as they. But do they belong at Michigan, a school with high stan- dards and an academic reputation? Thousands of more qualified students work just as hard hitting the books as these guys hit the boards, but they get turned down by the University. That would make sense if Michigan was professional sports training school, but you guys in the administration keep telling us thai this is a "distinguished and eminent' academic institution. It's a double standard It's real and it stinks. Bruce whaley, July 16 5UT 'TEY CANT E ECa2 t_-FE SolEl AiRP DY If A\E Th EM A e y r Ava People power DEAN BAKER'S nomination L.s the Democratic candidate in the Second Congressional District is an example of what grassroots cam- paigning can accomplish. Though Baker, a graduate student activist, was outspent by his opponent in the primary, Don Grimes, by a margin of 8 to 1 and was a heavy un- derdog, he was able to bring together a dedicated corps of volunteers campaign workers stayed out until 5 AM the night before the election leaving campaign information all over the district. This kind of "people power" was crucial to Baker's vic- tory and shows that powerful special interests and big money don't have to control politics. It will be even more difficult Baker to unseat incumbent Republican Carl Pursell in the up- coming November election, however. A campaign to unseat an entrenched congressman in a Republican dominated district requires the same committment demonstrated by the Baker forces in the primary but on an even larger scale. In the primary both candidates did an excellent job of showing that Carl Pursell is not responsive to the needs of his district. Baker particularly made clear the immorality of Pursell's support of the Contras. This message was received by the District's Democratic primary voters, now it needs to be sent to the District at large. - To do this, those who want to see Pursell defeated, both in the Grimes and Baker campaigns should work together. A coalition of groups disatisfied with Pursell would con- stitute a substantial political force. Without such a coalition, however, it seems unlikely that Pursell can be defeated. Baker's unexpected success was an inspiring example of democracy in action. His success shows that people in the second district are concerned with the issues. An issues oriented, people powered campaign in the fall may be just what is needed to unseat Pursell. We encourage our readers to use this space to discuss and respond to issues of their con- cern. Whether those topics cover University, Ann Arbor community, state, national, or in- ternational issues in a straightforward or un- conventional manner, we feel such a dialogue is a crucialfunction of the Daily.