4 - The Michigan Daily - Monday, June 14, 1999 Edited and managed by EMitY ACHENBAUM NICK WOOMER students at the Editor in Chief Editorial Page Editor University of Michigan Unless othenwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the opinlont of the 420 Maynard Street matorimm of the Dail's editorial boar. All other articles, letters and Ann Arbor, Ml 48109 cartoons do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Dail. A s the defendant in a lawsuit that could determine the future of affirmative action at colleges and universities nation- wide, the University must maintain a com- mitment to diversity in both word and deed. Preliminary statistics indicating a lower admissions rate for underrepresent- ed minorities in this coming year's incom- ing class cast doubt on how seriously the University takes its status as an instrumen- tal proponent of affirmative action. The University defines an underrepre- sented minority as black, Hispanic, or Native American. While the number of applications submitted by underrepresent- ed minorities only decreased by seven in the last year, the University admitted 100 fewer underrepresented minority appli- cants during the same period. In 1995, 15 percent of the incoming class were under- represented minorities. That number has decreased to 13 percent for the years 1997 and 1998. While these figures only repre- sent data processed by May 17 and may Champion of diversifty? Low admissions rate embarrassing for the 'U' change, they still reflect a disturbing trend that is occurring at a critical time. The University must take steps to ensure that the same mistake is not made next year. Certainly, setting quotas for admissions is undesirable, but steps can still be taken to ensure that an acceptable percentage of entering classes is comprised of underrep- resented minorities. Simply stepping-up recruitment of underrepresented minorities throughout the state may solve the problem. It is high- ly unlikely that the University puts forth a significant effort to promote itself in most of the high schools where disadvantaged underrepresented minorities tend to live - in the inner cities or on reservations. Rather, the University's efforts are concen- trated on elite schools such as Cass Technical or Renaissance High School in Detroit, while other schools in the district, like Cooley High School, are marginal- ized. This attitude reflects a destructive bias that has probably resulted in the loss of many potential high-caliber students with unique personal backgrounds. In contrast to their suburban counter- parts, underrepresented minority students from economically disadvantaged areas may have all but dismissed thoughts of attending a college or university. But awareness will only achieve so much when the recruited completely lack the financial means to enroll in the institution with the highest tuition rate of any public universi- ty in Michigan. The University must investigate ways to financially enable underrepresented minorities so that they can enroll. Increasing financial aid opportunities - especially for in-state students, and hel ing underrepresented minorities tap int the network of available scholarships are possibilities the University should consid- er. Even with this type of assistance, some students may still find it impossible to afford four years at the University and attend a less expensive institution instead. Lowering, or freezing tuition may also be part of the solution to increasing admis- sions of underrepresented minorities. As a national leader in the fight to maintain diversity in higher education, tl University ought to be embarrassed by th slump in the admissions rate for underrep- resented minorities. By allocating a little more money towards financial aid and recruiting efforts, the University ought to be able to maintain respectably diverse incoming classes. Held back Social promotion not a positive policy Sworn out Cursing prohibition violates civil liberties I n January's State of the Union address, President Clinton's desire to end social promotion in all schools received biparti- san support. Last month, the White House proposed withholding federal money from states that don't come up with plans to end social promotion with- in four years. Social promotion is a policy that allows underachieving students to be automatically passed to the next grade, regardless of their skill level. Educators who support social promotion argue that being held back is too damaging to a stu- dent's self-esteem and confidence to be effective. Their views are reinforced by numerous studies which find that over half of all retained students either drop out of school or do worse than their peers when they eventually advance to the next grade. But social promotion results in stu- dents passing through high school without basic skills, or possibly even literacy: In the long run, social promotion will have a negative impact on a student's life. The answer is making sure that stu- dents who pass a grade have the appro- priate skills. Obviously, this is not a goal that is easy to obtain. Lawmakers can start by making sure that all public school districts have the appropriate funds and training to teach their students. And, on a positive note, many school districts have increased funding and training already. Chicago's Board of Education spent $24 million on summer programs designed to give kids one last chance to pass their grade before the start of the new school year. The city also invested $10 million in hiring new teach- ers specifically for tutoring retained stu- dents. The attitude in Chicago shows that being against social promotion doesn't mean being in favor of holding kids back. It means making sure they have the nec- essary skills to advance. Additionally, by sending the message to students that they must have learned certain skills to advance in school, an end to social promotion could result in increased efforts from students. AsTime magazine reported, while studying the Chicago system, Northwestern University professor Fred Hess found that the lack of a social promotion pro- gram "instilled a new commitment to learning among those kids who scored well enough to be promoted." By show- ing kids that they are in school to learn and not to simply advance to the next grade, an end to social promotion could increase the attitude that students have towards learning. With presidential candidate and Texas Governor George W. Bush making elimi- nating social promotion a focal point of his education agenda, it looks like social promotion is finally receiving the criti- cism it deserves. In addition to Bush's plan, which requires third graders to pass state reading and math tests, other urban school districts such as Boston and Philadelphia have started initiatives to end social promotion. While those in favor of social promo- tion argue that holding students back is more damaging than advancing them without the necessary skills, this is sim- ply not true. It is worse to allow kids to pass through the school system without preparing them for life after high school. While social promotion may advance stu- dents temporarily, eliminating mandatory passage for students will help them obtain the skills necessary to advance in life. n Michigan, swearing should land a person with a $100 fine and 90 days in jail - or so prosecutors in Standish, Mich., a small town of about 1,400 resi- dents, believe. Detroit-area resident Timothy Boomer has been convicted under a 102-year-old law forbidding cursing in front of women and children. A sheriff's deputy claims he could have heard, from a quarter mile away, the string of expletives Boomer screamed after his canoe hit a rock and he was dumped into the Rifle River. Canoeing nearby was a family with two young children. The American Civil Liberties Union provided a lawyer for Boomer and will appeal his conviction. Prosecutors argued that Boomer's profanity amount- ed to "fighting words" which the courts have deemed exempt from First Amendment protection. As with all government attempts to regulate speech, Michigan residents should reject prosecutors' attempts to criminalize what has become common in many modern conversations - be it offensive to some or not. Such regula- tions constitute the worst conceivable assault on individual civil-liberties because they target verbal speech that has absolutely no socially destructive potential. Unlike hate speech, which some would argue causes irreparable social harm, expletives have been ingrained into the vocabulary of the vast majority of Americans and undoubtedly occupy a specific cultural niche within American society. Laws imposing restraints upon common modes of expression are a quintessential aspect of the worst Orwellian nightmare scenarios. District Judge Allen Yenior, who presided over the trial, ruled earlier that the law violates the equal protection clause with regard to cursing in front of women. This ruling only accentuates the absurdity of a dated and puritanical law that, in its original form, is blatantly sex- ist as it equates women's sensibilitie with those of children. The remaining section of the law seems equally illogical when ticket sales have proven that PG-13 movies are now typical American family fare. Whether some believe it is a sign of decadence or not, there is no denying that cursing has become socially acceptable in most cir- cles. Boomer's conviction would set a teiO rible precedent throughout the state. The barriers between citizens and law enforcement would only become more accentuated, with people talking guard- edly or not at all in the presence of police for fear that an expletive could land them jail time. Now that the law has been unearthed, over-zealous decency advocates have a weapon to impose their moral agenda on entertainment venues like concert halls and theaters. The fundamental principles upon which democratic society was founded forbid government to take on the role of a cultural policeman. Government's role is to protect the rights of everyone rather than promote the values of one group, much less those of an obvious minority. The Constitution does not guarantee the right not to be offended but it does guar- antee the right to free speech Consideration for the sensibilities oo others is certainly a laudable virtue, but it is not one that the government should enforce.