OP/ED

The Michigan Daily - Orientation Edition 2002 - 11

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Affirmative action is
inappropriate way
to achieve diversity
To THE DAILY:
It is now clear to me, as it
should be to every other
member of the University
community, that affirmative
action is headed for a consti-
tutional showdown in the
highest court of the land.
The time has finally come to
settle this issue once and for
all. Is affirmative action
constitutional or is it not? I
think not!
It is obvious that many
students and members of the
University administration
support affirmative action.
They argue that it is the only
way to maintain an amalga-
mation of diversity. I urge
those of you who have made
up your mind to give serious
consideration that affirma-
tive action may not be the
best possible way in which
the administration can
increase diversity. I beg
members of the administra-
tion to reconsider the spend-
ing of millions of dollars to
defend affirmative action
and consider other options.
For those of you who have
not yet made up your mind, I
encourage you to consider
the argument against affir-
mative action.
As Pat Buchanan would
put it, "The University of
Michigan has neither the
moral nor the Constitutional
authority to discriminate
against applicants." This
certainly includes reverse
discrimination. "A true
respect for civil rights
requires we put an end to all
forms of discrimination,
including reverse discrimi-
nation. This means abolish-
ing set-asides, mandatory
admittance and quotas." The
practice of rewarding extra
points on an application for
race is an inappropriate way
to judge an individual's aca-
demic potential and an
insult to minority intelli-
gence. The University
should abandon race as a
factor in favor of a color-
blind admissions policy.
The University's argu-
ment is heavily based on
their preference for diversity
in the student body. While
the administration has made
a strong and convincing case
for diversity, they have ulti-
mately failed to consider
other options for achieving
this. These options include
more classroom space to
increase the overall size of
the student body to facilitate
more minorities, targeted

outreach programs to
encourage minority student
interest in the University and
University charter schools in
developing minority areas. It
is also a gross misuse of stu-
dent funds to pursue this
unfair policy through the
courts. The millions spent
and the millions more that
will be spent could have
been used to reduce the cost
of tuition so that more finan-
cially disadvantaged stu-
dents could afford to attend
the University - the vast
majority of whom are also
minority students.
It is with this in mind
that I implore the University
to affirmatively abandon this
policy of reverse discrimina-
tion. There is no constitu-
tional basis for a public
institution such as the Uni-
versity to take an active role
in influencing our society in
this way. Therefore, there is
no compelling authority for
administrators, regents or
the University president to
support affirmative action.
NICK WAUN
Reform Party candidatefor
the University Board of Regents
Dangers lurk
beneath the idyllic
surface of A2
To THE DAILY:
Everyone and anyone told
me Ann Arbor is great in the
spring and summer. There are
less students, the weather is nice,
everything is so laid back. I was
very much looking forward to
spending my first spring and
summer in Ann Arbor, away
from home, in my own place.
I'm slowly finding out that my
dreams of a fun and peaceful
summer are not exactly the case.
I am a resident in an off
campus apartment, that of
which is on a block that has
experienced some harsh times in
the past week. May 8, an apart-
ment was broken into, some 250
or so CDs stolen. In the early
hours of May 9, my own apart-
ment was broken into while I
slept peacefully in my room.
And on May 18 two football
players were shot a half block
from where I live. This is defi-
nately not the summer that I
had planned.
I have never felt unsafe in
Ann Arbor, not once, until last
week. Now I'm scared, scared
that my apartment will get bro-
ken into, scared that I won't be
able to have a party without
wondering if someone has a
gun. Not only am I scared, I
also feel very violated and help-
less. I don't understand what is
happening to the Ann Arbor
that I have known for the past

three years.
So I am asking you, the few
students who are on campus, to
keep an eye out. Be aware of
your surroundings and what is
going on. 'We are all very vul-
nerable right now because there
are a lot fewer of us on and
around campus. But please, just
be aware of things. And if you
do note that something is hap-
pening or that someone is some-
where they shouldn't be, do not
be afraid to contact the police.
The only way that we can have
that safe, fun summer we have all
heard about is if we help each
other. I'm not going to be a vic-
tim and if I can help it, I'm going
to prevent someone else from
having to feel the same way I do
now. So keep your eyes open,
and of course, have fun in the
process.
ERIN HARTL
LSA senior
Civil liberties are
central to a robust
democratic society
TO THE DAILY:
Thank you to Michigan
Daily staff reporter Megan
Hayes for covering the heart-
breaking presentation given
hy Japanese-American
internment camp survivor,
David Yamamoto "Intern-
ment camp survivor speaks on
past experiences, addresses
current concerns"(05/20/02).
One fact not mentioned in
the article, however, is wor-
thy of comment. Of the over
120,000 Japanese-Americans
forced into internment
camps during World War II,
not a single one was con-
nected with the attack on
Pearl Harbor or charged with
the crime of espionage. Our
current administration in the
White House should recall
this fact in light of law
enforcement's continued
detentions of Middle East-
erners since Sept. 11.
Ethnic profiling is an
ineffective means of solvng
and preventing crime, not to
mention discriminatory and
traumatic to those caught up
in such dragnets. Let's
encourage the Attorney Gen-
eral and our intelligence
agencies to get their own
house in order by examining
where communication broke
down prior to Sept. I1 and
by shifting their focus from
the national origin of indi-
viduals to that of suspicious
behavior exhibited by any
individual, regardless of that
person's citizenship or coun-
try of origin.
MARY A. BEJIAN
Secretary Washtenaw County
American CivilLiberties Union

Central Campus
324 S. State

North Campus
Pierpont Commons

214 S. Main
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