4- The Mtihgan Daily Summer Weeky- Wednesday, August 4,1993
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EDITOR INCHIEF
Hope Calati
OPINION EDITORS
Sam Goodstein
Flint Wainess
Unsigned editorials present the opinion of a
majority of the Daily's editorial board. All other
cartoons, signed articles and letters do not
necessarily reflect the opinion of the Daily.
420 Maynard Street
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
76-DAILY
Edited and Managed by
Students at the
University of Michigan
Asthesummerlazily dawstoaclose, thoughts
ofautumnenterintoourminds.Seeing friends for
the firsttime in four months, the browning of the
leaves,footballgamesandmoretmakeAnnArbor
in the fall enchanting. To better prepare you for
the ensuing fall, we present you with a synopsis
of the key events that occurred, concerning stu-
dentsandtheadministration,duringSpring/Sum-
mer 1993.
Tuition Increase
Yet again, the regents approved the annual
tuition increase. This year'sincrease,9.5percent
for LSA, appeared to be consistent with previous
increases- considerably higher than the rate of
inflation, yetnotmuch more than the increases at
mostpublicuniversitiesin Michigan. The impor-
tant question concerning the tuition increase is
whether or not it places too great a burden on
thosestudentsstruggling topay their way through
school, via loans, scholarships or neither. Surely
theincrease willplaceanundue burdenon strug-
gling students,however theregents claim that the
extra revenue will help finance increased finan-
cial aid, as well as provide increased student
services.Unfortunately,manystudentsgetcaught
in a vicious cycle -more tuition money means
greater financial aid, and the loans get bigger and
bigger. However unfair the increase may seem,
theregentsdohaveasoliddefense. Almostevery
public University in the land is faced with in-
creased costs, and reduced state revenues, and
almost all are forced to raise tuition to meet
demands.Whatisnot defensible is the manner in
which the budget, which includes the tuition
increase, was presented to the public. The mom-
ing of the regentsjneeting was the first time that
the public got a glimpse of the proposed budget,
leaving no time for the regents to get feedback
before voting. This left many infuriated - and
rightly so.
The Rock will stay - for now
The famousRockonthe cornerofWashtenaw
and Hill, where students have gathered for de-
Summertime blues
cadestopaintand
party, faced
doom. Residents
of the area vocif-
erously com-
plainedthatpaint-
ing of the Rock
led to excessive
noise, littering
and pomography
(painted on the
Rock).Tothesur-
prise of nobody,
the city initially
decided to inves-
tigate the situation in the summer - when most
students are off campus. However a flurry of
complaints led the city to postpone hearings
concerning the Rock's ultimate fate. Some sug-
gestions as to how to save the Rock bordered on
theridiculous-forexample,bronzing it with an
unpaintable material or making it into a large
fountain. Other suggestions seem rather prag-
matic, such as moving it to a location removed
from residential housing, possibly onUniversity
land. It would be a nice way for the University to
show some support for students if they would
intervene on our behalf to save the Rock.
The non-smoking Union
The Michigan Union is finally smoke-free.
As of July 1, smoking has been prohibited in this
historic building. The Michigan Union Board of
Representatives elicited some student support,
and decided thatbanning smoking is appropriate.
While some wondered why the Board didn't
consider opening awell-ventilatedsmoking room,
the policy is, in generl, a welcome step. Second-
hand smoke has been proven to increase one's
chances of contracting lung-cancer and emphy-
sema, and is
particularlydis-
comforting to
asthmavictims.
To those who
complain that
this policy is an
infringementon
the smoker's
righttodowhat-
ever he or she
sees fit to their
ownbodythere
is one simple
response-you
have the right to do destroy your own lungs, but
whenyoudestroysomebodyelse's,youareinthe
wrong.
Alcohol policy
Granted, sexual assault is a serious problem
on campus and many of the assaults occur when
the attacker is inebriated. Granted, stringent fed-
eral laws continue to be enacted that force the
University to develop some sort of policy on
alcohol and other drugs. But, and this is a very
important but, neither of these factors excuse the
behavior of the University for putting together a
new alcohol policy this summer.While the policy
is not complete, it seems that it will oversee
alcohol use on and maybe even off campus. This
move marks yet another milestone in the
University's quest for inlocoparentis, or to actas
your parents. Moreover, classifying drinking as a
wrong comes extremely close to legislating mo-
rality. In other words, the University, as an aca-
demic institution, has a responsibility to provide
the tools for intellectual inquiry. Nothing more,
nothing less. The University administration.must
stop attempting to usurp the powers of the legal
system and it must stop deciding what is right or
wrong for students in their private time.
The Statement of Student
"Rights" and Responsibilities
(the Code)
Not much new news has been generated on
theCodefrontthisspringandsummer. Butdon't
take that at as a positive.Freedomof Information
Act pleas, which ask the University to release
detailed statistics on Code proceedings so that
students can make sure everything is on the up
and up, continue to fall on deaf ears. If students
have to be burdened by a Code, the least the
University can do is to make sure it is complying
with the Freedom of Information Act and make
sure students can check the process.
The disappearing Regents (as if
they ever appeared)
In the spring and summer, the University
communityshrinksimmensely.Whatbettertime
to hang out, roam the streets and forge relation-
ships under the intimacy of the milieu?
We don'tknow,buttheregents sure must.For
yet again, the seasons changed but the leopards
remained true to their spots - i.e. intermingling
with students was again not done by any of the
regents on a significant level. It seems nothing is
going to change the fact that regents govern,
students are governed and the two cannot help
each other.
In conclusion
So whatdoes all thisadd upto?Basically, the
statusquo.Of the seven areas we summarized,six
were policies that adversely affect students. Only
the new smoking policy in the Union was in the
best interests of students. Unfortunately, they all
add up to one common theme: in loco parentis.
Therefore, to the new students entering the Uni-
versity, we have only one thing to say: You may
be leaving one set of parents, but don't worry, a
new patriarch is in town. And his name is James
J. Duderstadt.
Tragedy in
As thousands of people in United
Nations-designated "safe"areas suffer
in Bosnia, Western leaders continue
timidly trying to decide what, if any-
thing, can be done.Last week the issue
became even more urgent, as French
peacekeepers came under attack and as
the Serbs tightened their chokehold on
Sarajevo. President Clinton and the
French again discussed the use of air
power to silence Serb artillery but the
weststillhas no effective policy to end
the slaughter. As the moral blot on the
collectiveconscienceofthewestdark-
enswitheverynewdropofbloodspilled
in the Balkans, one thing becomes
increasingly clear Without massive
intervention by the Western powers,
the carnage will continue to the bitter
end.
In the first place, the UN and its
member nations must take immediate
steps to make the "safe" areas truly
safe. If this requires bombing Serb
Bosnia
position outside cities like Sarajevo,
SrebrenicaandGorazde, as it probably
will, so beit. An ultimatum should be
given to the Serbs: Stop your guns
within 24 hours or we'll stop them for
you.
Secondly, theU must set up cor-
ridors through which to deliver food
and medicine to the "safe" areas. This
also may require force since the Serbs
have refused access to aid convoys
before. But the situation as it stands is
simply untenable. Civilians are having
limbs amputated without anesthesia
simply becomes of the intransigence
of Serb commanders. Furthermore, if
aid is not delivered, mass starvation
will ensue.
Because theUNwould be taking a
more aggressive role in the conflict,
troops operating under its mandate
would have to be given broader power
to use force to defend themselves. Af-
ter attacks on French troops last week,
the UN decided that its troops would
return fire if attacked. However, UN
forces must be given the power to use
force in defense of civilians as well.
That way the wholesale slaughter of
Muslim civilians could be stopped, or
at the very least abated.
Once the fighting has been stopped
and aid has been delivered, the arms
embargoagainstBosniamust be lifted.
Lifting the embargo would serve two
purposes. First, it would allow the
Bosnians, who have always been the
weakest group in the region, to defend
themselves. Without this there will be
no balance of power and no peace
couldbemaintained.Second,theWest
should give the Muslims the means to
defend themselves for moral reasons.
Theyhavebeenslaughteredbyaggres-
sors while the West has simplylooked
on. The least we can do now is allow
Bosnia to buy weapons.
President Clinton must lead the
worldonthisissue.Wehave the means
to stop the slaughter. Now we must
find the will to act.
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