Wednesday, May 11, 1994- The Michigan Daily - 5 tSAneeds more student involvement Ic n nI TIAIcrtlr%-ci By Julie A. Neenan Michigan Student Assembly - the University's student government - has big plans for the upcoming year. Presently, we're in the process of organizing our lobbying efforts on the state and federal *vel. We'd like to see an increase in higher education funding, as well as the passing of the Campus Sexual Assault Victims Bill of Rights. We also hope to join Michigan State University and Wayne State University in lobbying against formula funding, which hurts large research institutions like ours. In the fall, we will have a solid basis and platform for student lobbying and we hope to involve University students in our efforts. obbying in Lansing or Washington, D.C., on behalf of the University is a great experience for everyone, particularly political science and pre-law students. This opportunity, however, is open to all interested students. Additionally, MSA is looking to get more involved on campus. We intend to plan campus-wide activities and events on t ur own, as well as in conjunction with her student groups. Our involvement in events such as Welcome Week, Escapade '94, Michigan Madness, and Senior Days will continue; however, we'd also like to hear the student body's suggestions for future programs or additional events that we could sponsor in the upcoming year. Increasing allocations and funding to student groups is one way in which we hope to help student organizations further their goals and increase their involvement on campus, as well. MSA is also very concerned with improving campus safety. Therefore, a task force has been developed to address this issue. Currently, we are working with the City Council and with the administra- tion to improve lighting on and off campus. We hope to expand services, such as NiteOwl, Safewalk, and Northwalk, as well. We also have organized a task force that will examine the University budget so that we may hopefully find ways to halt the drastic increases in tuition. A third task force has been established to address the issue of student representation on the Board of Regents. Yet another topic of concern and controversy is the Statement of Student Rights and Responsibilities (a.k.a. the code). The Michigan Student Assembly remains dedicated to fighting the code, the Alcohol Policy and the Diag Policy, and the portions of these policies that infringe upon students' rights. (MSA will hold an informational meeting in the fall to respond to student concerns and questions regarding the code and similar policies.) There are so many facets of MSA and so many opportunities and commit- tees in which to get involved. Every topic, effort, task force and issue that I've mentioned thus far (as well as many others) could use additional input and support. This is where you come in. Student involvement is the key to our success as the student government at the University. Feel free to drop by our offices located at 3909 Michigan Union (third floor) or call us at 763-3241. MSA is a great way to get involved in campus issues and activities. Watch for increased MSA involvement on campus this term, and in the upcoming year, and look for an informational mass meeting in September. MSA is looking forward to a productive and exciting year - come get involved. Neenan is thepresident ofthe Michigan Student Assembly. S. . Wrt o THE ERASAB NC' Texas Journal: on Academia, Dentistry tthe end of April, as soon as school let out, I made the istake of going home to Texas. One of the things my parents force me to do when I come home is to go to the dentist. This isn't unpleasant for the reasons you'd think- it is just that after five years spent haunting college cam- puses, a dentist's office is like an overdose of the main- stream. "Why, hell-o," croons the receptionist at the front desk. She's the dentist's wife, and has done the same job for 25 years. The first little colored tab on my folder reads 1979, and in my opinion it is dangerous to hang around anyone who remembers what you looked like when you were 13. "So how is school?" she continues non-stop. "What are you studying now? Psychology, oh, yes, and what do you want to do with that? Well, youknow my Jared is still at UT, he's studying engineering, you know that takes longer..." Not seven years, I think, but hold my tongue. "Now you just take a seat over there and we'll call you," she ends, finally. The speakers in the waiting room pipe in a country music station, a far cry from the Pearl Jam and Nirvana I hear floating out of the windows in West Quad. The station is sponsoring a contest for couples - the women bring in their urine samples and take their pregnancy test on the air. The first to get pregnant will win a crib set and changing table (Ilam not making this up.) The magazines on the table in the waiting room are the usual - People, Newsweek, Ladies Home Journal, Sports Illustrated, most over a year old. Ipick up the People -surreptitiously, looking around until I realize that here everyone is reading mainstream trash, and nobody will make fun of me for it. The door opens and the hygienist calls my name. I don't recognize her, but then I rarely do. The fake smile, the mascara heavy on the eyes, the perfectly clean pink outfit are all the same anyway. When the engagement ring ap- pears on the left hand, she'll be gone when I come home again. This one looks young, probably younger than I am, and is even chattier than usual. She makes the mistake of asking where I go to school, and I make the mistake of saying I'm a graduate student at the University of Michi- gan. I'm quite sure she doesn't know what graduate school is, because she then asks me what I'm majoring in "in college." "I'm not in college - I graduated," I say. "I'm in a Ph.D. program in psychology." Now I feel like a stuck- up fool, and wonder why I felt the need to demonstrate my intellectual snobbery to someone who's going to be tearing at my bleeding gums for the next half-hour. Silenced on the topic ofmy educational attainments, the hygienist gropes for a new topic. I briefly consider beating her to the punch by saying "Yes, it is pretty cold in Michigan," but she probably already thinks I'm too smart for my own good. And she says it anyway: "So - isn't it cold up there?" I mutter something about it not being that bad or some other lie to prove I'm really not sacrificing my personal comfort to get a good education. If I don't say this, she'll probably ask me why I didn't go to Texas A&M. Pretty soon she really is scraping at my bleeding gums, and I promise myself that next time I'll say I'm on the Kilgore Rangers Drill Team at Southwest Texas State and that I'm not wearing any makeup today only because I overslept. When she's done she tells meIreally should floss more. I just nod, suppressing a momentary urge to say I'm too busy getting my Ph.D., or too busy buying winter coats, or too busy practicing with the Kilgore Rangers. The recep- tionist tells me to say hello to my mother as I leave, and I climb into the car in the Texas heat. When I get home my parents have on the evening news, and I look around their perfect suburban house and wonder if my distaste is a good thing or just the product of so much academic arrogance. I retreat into my room with a book, flip on the alternative music station, and write a note to myself to buy dental floss tomorrow. ~1 South African Blacks not free yet To the Daily: This is a response to the article ("South Africa - Free") that appeared on the opinion page of May 4. After 300 years of Apartheid rule, how can you in good faith say that South Africa "has completed a stunning transformation from an exclusion- ry, white-run government to a free democ- racy?" Just because there was an election and there was a change on the surface does not mean that Black South Africans are "free" or that the "democracy" will do them any good. Freedom is the ability to pursue your dreams and desires from a footing that is relatively equal to the next man's position. The slaves in this country were "freed" by the "democracy" of America. But where are we as persons of color in this *ountry? Are we "free" and do I feel that this is an effective "democracy?" No. Secondly, you speak of Mandela's "remarkable lack of bitterness toward the politicians who jailed him." You cannot attack the morals of a system and power structure that put him in jail, and for the benefit of his people, he must work within the current framework. So, your conclusion that "another bastion Of oppression has finally fallen" is inaccurate and flawed. Only with time can we properly assess and evaluate these events. Greg White LSA junior The Freedom War By Jerry Moore Abuses of freedom call forrestrictive measures, or so says President Clinton who contains himself in briefs instead of boxers. That's a good first step, and it's up to us, American citizens, to provide even more support (in the war against freedom abusers). Let's begin with the new crime bill currently incongressionalcommittee. Now is the time to let elected officials know that the preventive measures contained in the bill, which include high- crime community grants, outreach programs and the allocation of several billion dollars to prevent violence against women, are largely a waste of money. On paper, the punishment portions of the bill look much more effective and, in my opinion, merit the whole economic enchilada (or seven-layer bureaucratic burrito if you prefer). Three strikes, a far- reaching provision which requires only three violent crime convictions for a life sentence, could be easier than a slot machine; never mind that pesky stipula- tion requiring the three convictions be in federal court. Another punitive possibility, building more prisons, looks effective because it would enable us to lock up more of those non-human bad guys. I mean, let's face it: they'll never be reformed, and our society will be much safer without them. Banning federal Pell Grants for inmates (a provision included in the House version of the bill) is another choice idea. Why give them access to our educationalsystem when they'll only try to assimilate themselves into our society? Somethingcriminals stillhave access to are guns, and current restric- tions, such as the Brady bill and the newer semi-automatic assault rifle bans, won't accomplish much. We need to get all the guns out of the hands of criminals and into the hands of police. If it turns out that some of the police are criminals, we'll have to hire more police (that is, if they let us: they'll have all the guns). According to the omniscient media which does our thinking for us, and the omnipresent opinion polls which speak for us, we, the American public, consider crime to be an issue of grave importance. Hence the zeal of elected officials, those Republican and Democratic strongmen who have engaged in a fierce battle to show us who is toughest on crime; all of this one-upmanship to protect us and win our love and support (and votes).