Tuesday, May 5, 1998 - The Michigan Daily - 5
NOTABLE QUOTABLE
'My nightmare is that the first female to run
for president will have their picture posted on
the front cover of "Hustler."'
--Assistant to the Vice Presidentfor University Affairs Mary Lou Antieau, concerned that
students running in the Naked Mile are unaware ofpeople in the crowd taping the event.
LETTERS TO THEEDITOR
*tudent group
deserved better
coverage
To THE DAILY:
I am writing in regards to
the Daily's "Best of Ann
Arbor" issue (4/16/98) in
which the importance of my
*rganization was slighted.
Although AIESEC was recog-
nized as "Best Student Group'
at the University, the Daily
blurb was extremely ignorant.
reading "Why is it that
AIESEC perpetually wins this
category, yet no one seems to
know what AIESEC stands
for?"
I am glad you realize that
ltlSt Csins this category
almtst evry year, but by nos
the Dttly sit swoid thin oh
"hmm ... m aybe this is an
orgatniton we should find
out mre about?" Instead, the
Daily staff has, year after year,
written an equally ignorant
blurb about AIESEC without
trying to find out what exactly
we do. So to save you the trou-
le of actually doing journalis-
tic research, I'll tell you.
First off, the name AIESEC
is a French acronym which
translated into English means
"International Association of
Students in Economics and
Commerce. AIESEC is the
largest student-run, not-for-
profit organization in the
world, with over 50,000 mem-
,ers in 88 countries world-
wide. It was founded in 1948
when young leaders from sev-
eral war-torn countries decided
to form an organization that
would promote peace and
cooperation through the
exchange of ideas, culture and
people. There are over 40 local
committees in the United
States alone, and AIESEC
Michigan has always been one
of the strongest, providing an
example of leadership for the
rest of the nation. Last year,
we were nationally recognized
as the No. I local committee in
the United States.
All of AIESEC's activities
revolve around the develop-
ment of globally minded lead-
ers for the future. One of the
ways itt which we do this is
throusglh the physical exchange
of people across countries. \/c
promote the importance of a
culturally diverse workforce
through storking with compa-
nies in the area(e.g., Ford,
Chrysler, JfCl) who benefit in
gaining an international per-
spective. Currently, we have
about 20 interns ftom other
countries working in the
United States, and we take care
of every aspect of their stay to
ensure that they have a chance
to show us their cultures and to
learn about American culture.
In addition, we help students at
the University find paid intern-
ships abroad. Every student
who has ever gone through
AIESEC's international
traineeship exchange program
has said that it was a life-
changitg experience for them,
just ask Helmut Kohl.
The scope of our operations
are too broad for me to go into
right now, but if you care to
find out more, please feel free
to visit our website at
http://swwumichedu/~aiesecmi,
and maybe next year (if we are
named Best Student Group),
AIESEC will actually have a
semi-decent caption. Thanks.
VIVIAN TONG
VICE PRESIDENT
AIESEC MICHIGAN
Muslim holiday
overlooked in
U I
Daily
To THE DAILY'
I at disippointed in the
c(), ,)ag o th Nuslim holi-
day Eid UIl-Adha. This is one
of two major Muslim holi-
days (the other after the fast-
ittg month of Ramadan) and I
believe that it deserved more
than a place on Page 9 in the
4//9t8 issue of the Daily.
One of the problems that
plagues this diverse campus is
a lack of knowledge on many
subjects, including religion. I
believe that just informing
students of faiths and tradi-
tions is the first step in mak-
ing this campus a more
friendly and comfortable place
to be.
IFTEKHAR AHMAD
LSA JUNIOR
The best way to deal with the Klan is to leave them alone
O n June 22, 1996, the Ku Klux Klan descend- en their resolve. Furthermore, hurling rocks at
ed on Ann Arbor. By the end of the day, the Klan and putting everyone at the rally in
eight people were hospitalized, eight more arrest- grave physical danger will not make a significant
ed, and the city found itself with a huge bill for impact on anyone's mind.
the inadequate protection it afforded the group The flier goes further, calling Mayor Ingrid
and its protesters. Sheldon and her ilk "racist" for giving the KKK
On Saturday, the loony tunes will once am a permit and insulting the police for trying to
congregate at the intersection of Fifth maintain some semblance of order on
and Huron. Yes, the Ku Klux Klan the city street. Hopefully, the city will
will be there, but so will numerous have the foresight this year to step up
people hell-bent on preventing the police protection.
Klan from saying anything. City Hall The flier calls the city's reaction to
will temporarily become a minefield - the new rally - a "unity" rally to be
of hatred and anger - from both . held away from the ruckus at City Hall
sides. - "hypocritical garbage." But if it pre-
Wait, let me get this out of the way vents the formation of violent backlash
before I go on. Yes, the KKK is a against the Klan, it does its job in my
bunch of hate-mongering idiots. And "5iLE book.
no, I don't want them here anymore JACK You've got to fight speech with
than anyone else. But being as fond of SCHILLACI speech. You've got to speak iouder than
the First Amendment as I am (remem- SI-LA11 Ii 'I'l) the racists - not try to prevent them
ber that "free speech" stuff?), I believe THE LFT from speaking at all.
they have the right to hide behind their Maybe once the organizers of these
little white outfits and spout their dogma. Others events get past their terrible twos, they'll realize
on this campus, however, don't agree. that throwing rocks at the Klan will not shut
"Smash the KKK!" read signs that have been them down. But ignoring them may. The Klan
plastered across campus for weeks in anticipation are coming to the relatively liberal atmosphere
of Saturday's event. Yes, our friends at of Ann Arbor for one reason and one reason
BA MNNW ROC/insert-your-acronym-here- only: to get the kind of violent reaction they got
please are planning to protest the KKK, giving last time, so they stand behind a guise of self-
the group exactly what it wants. righteousness.
Yes, you heard me correctly. Don't give them the pleaur'. Spend
AllitheKKK Ant isilittle reaction. They ssi Saturday on the Diag cating ice cream or
to get up on their soapbx s and vomit up osvty something.Let the Klan babble all they sant
racial slur known to man, and they sant yot its -their efforts will probably prove pretty fruit-
pay attention. If they don't get the attention they less if no one is there to hear them. Don't stoop
want, they proba blwould not come back for to their level by dignifying their existence with
another visit. your attendance.
Protestin" them and threatening to shut them -hJck Schillaci will be at home watchoig
down "by any means necessary" will not solve reruns of "La & Order" onSaturda . You can
the problem - in fact, it will likely just strength- reach him over e-maiil tjschilapjltiiich.ed/u.
With my cap, gown and free mug, I've graduated
J walked down the pavement to the front door of "English."
the bookstore. This is it, I thought. I'm going to He grabbed a white tassel from a huge rack and
buy my cap and gown - sthose mighty vestiges of shoved it into my hands, barely making eye con-
change; those symbols of transition and adult- tact. He brushed by me and pulled a blue mug out
hood; those markers of the fital, ultimate step of a stack of approximately one-zillion blue mugs.
from youth to adulthood. The cap and gown. He handed it to me.
I savored the feeling. For the first time all year, I "Free mug."
was actually excited about graduation. I I stood there bewildered. "Is that it?"
had picked up the graduation tickets for "That's it."
my family. The reservations for the I paid my $27 -- credit card, of
restaurant were already set. But nothing course - and left with my cap and
came close to buying the cap and gown. gown. No trumpets sounded. "We are
I mean, here I was, about to purchase the Champions" didn't play in the back-
the very items I'd be wearing on the day 4 ground. No confetti streamed forth
of my graduation. Once I bought the cap from the ceiling. No one shook my
and gown, there was no turning back. hand or even told me congratulations.
Sure, I had finished my last class and Was this what the real world would be
taken my last final, but what did that % like? Was this what graduation was all
mean? I had taken a million classes and CHRIS about? Nameless? Surrounded by peo-
a thousand finals before. There would FARAH pe who didn't care? Who would take
only be one cap and gown. Just like there FE A IH'S whatever you had to give them, leaving
would only be one graduation. Fe- 'T you with barely a pat on the back?
I walked nonchalantly into the store. I went to commencement Saturday.
I'm not sure what I expected to find. I knew there The sky was gray. Before I walked down the
wouldn't be a spotlight shining on the cap and steps to my seat in the gigantic stadium, a pho-
gown as they were luxuriously displayed in a gold- tographer hired by the University took my pic-
en case. But I expected ... well, something. ture. Next in line, please. Click. Move on. I shuf-
Something more than I found, anyway. fled my feet down the stairway. The crowd was
A short, stocky man walked towards me, sizing immense; I couldn't find my family among them.
me up. "How tall are you?" I was slightly taken . Then I looked around me. My friends were sit-
aback by the unceremonious approach. tmg next to me. Even people around me I didn't
"Umm... about 5-foot-9?" I stammered know smiled at me. People laughed and hugged
he picked up a package out of a pile of approx- each other. Someone even cracked open a bottle of
imately one-zillion seemingly identical pack- champagne and passed it around.
ages. He handed it to me, then quickly snatched We were graduating. We were done with four
up a cap from another immense pile. or more years of work. And we did it together.
"One size fits all. Elastic in the back. Bachelors?" I went home after it was all over, and I cracked
"What?" open my own bottle of champagne. I poured it
"Bachelors degree?" into the generic free mug from the bookstore,
"Uhll... yeah." and I gulped it down, loving every last drop.
"What school1?" -- E-mail Chris Farah at carah~utuich.edu
KAMR5 HFE A s :I APNc
r
r M
i.ewr ''"
-.