4 - The Michigan Daily -Tuesday, April 30, 2002
420 MAYNARD STREET
ANN ARBOR, MI 48109 LISA HOFFMAN ZAC PESKOWITZ
letters@michigandaily.com Editor in Chief Editorial Page Editor 4
EDITED AND MANAGED BY
STUDENTS AT THE U anl otherwise noted, unsigned editorials reect the opinion of
H< UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN the majority of the Daily's editorial board. All other pieces do not
SINCE 1890 necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily.
n a crowded Manhattan courtrooni, mic contributions. Perennial devotion to
U.S. District Court Judge George the University is a far more illustrious act
Da els issued University alum A. than a financial donation.
Alfred Taubman his sentence of one year b , The University is in a perpetual bind to
and one day in federal prison for price fix- Benefactor's name besmirches U seek additional sources of revenue and the4
ing and conspiring to inflate prices. appeal of a building or school bearing an
"Regardless of what height we may attain name from these buildings and institutions. refusal to even discuss the issue. individual's name often secures a donas-
in life, no one is above the law," Daniels The University's unyielding objection The Taubman scandal illuminates the tion. The words of former University
told Taubman as the 78-year-old University does not recognize that the naming of a shortcomings of the naming process at the President Lee Bollinger during the May
benefactor sat expressionless a few feet University building and particularly a University. In the past, the University has 1999 meeting with the University Board of
away. Daniels continued to address school in one's honor should be a privilege placed too much of an emphasis on mone- Regents allude to this situation, "It is a
Taubman by informing him that he had reserved for those individuals who stead- tary contributions and neglected to realize very serious matter for the University to
refused to sentence him to probation fastly uphold the values of civil society the importance of dedication to students name anything. It has to be consistent with
because he found that the . defendant and academic inquiry. In respect to honesty and the principles of the University. our purposes, our functions, our values.
showed no remorse or contrition over his and civility, Taubman has abandoned the Professors, administrators and researchers We name chairs, rooms, buildings.
offenses. University's standards and his name should who have exhibited a lifelong commitment Naming a school- is the most important.
Taubman's name can be found through- no longer grace the University's property to the core values and guiding spirit of the The gift must be transformative to help
out the University. The names of the and institutions. University deserve genuine consideration raise (the) level of academic excellence." 4
Taubman Medical Library, the A. Alfred Graduates of the College of for honorary namings. As the University and interim President
Taubman Health Care Center and the A. Architecture and Urban Planning now have Though some current professors have B. Joseph White prepare for the rapidly
Alfred Taubman College of Architecture a felon's name on their degrees. Professors been bestowed with honorary namings, approaching new fundraising campaign
and Urban Planning are a few of the more and medical researchers now work for such as RC philosophy Prof. Carl Cohen they must acknowledge that financial com-
notable results of Taubman's series of institutions that bear the surname of a who is the namesake of a reading room in mitments are only one aspect of a relation-
donations to the University. Despite criminal. This is a serious problem that East Quad Residence Hall, the University ship with the University - an aspect that
Taubman's conviction, the University demands a University response beyond an should actively try to improve its recogni- should never compensate for or trump
refuses to consider removing Taubman's exasperated rolling of the eyes and outright tion of significant intellectual and acade- morality.
V X71 ,. r Thr~~ Cn r 1*

Wnere to perrormr
Performing venues needed to fill current void
ater today, the University will have a Department from the Frieze Building into the
ceremony in honor of the soon to Walgreen Center, the increases in cost from
begin renovations of Hill $18 million to $60 million have indefinitely
Auditorium. The $38.6 million project is delayed construction. The Walgreen Center
scheduled to close the 88-year old facility will give the Theater Department and its stu-
until Fall 2003 and will reduce the build- dents improved access to top-notch venues and
ing's capacity from 4,169 to 3,710 seats, encourage participation in the arts. The com-
Without its premier facility, the University pleted center will be a boon for future members
will now have to move major perfor- of the University's performing community, but
mances to the smaller Lydia Mendelssohn the delays have hurt current students.
Theater and the Power Center for the A major appeal of the University is the
Performing Arts. cosmopolitan atmosphere of Ann Arbor
While the renovations to Hill that major performers help
are necessary to improve the The University is create. The University has
acoustic quality and the infra- suffering from established a solid commit-
structure and to restore the a lack of ment to bringing top perform-
building's status as one of the venues for ers and speakers to Ann Arbor.
finest auditoriums in the nation, performances, This past year saw the Berlin
it comes at a difficult time for lecturers and Philharmonic and the Lincoln
the University. The University is forums that Center Jazz Orchestra come to
suffering from a lack of venues will adversely Hill Auditorium. The Royal
for performances, lecturers and Impact the Shakespeare Company will
forums that will adversely community. return to the University with a
impact the community. series of plays next March, but
Rackham Amphitheater has been the lack of venues will prohibit other inter- }
closed for renovations since last June and nationally renowned groups from per-
will not reopen until November. The pro- forming at the University.
posed Arthur Miller Theater, a project While Bollinger's unmatched ability
championed by former University to raise funds for new projects and reno-
President Lee Bollinger, is mired in fund- vations will improve the University in
ing and logistical problems. the future, poor planning threatens to
Administrators are now deciding if the derail and suppress the vibrancy that
facility should be built on North or Central makes the University unique. The
Campus. The original plan to construct the University should have staggered the
Walgreen Drama Center, a large student various projects and finalized the
focused facility of which the Miller Walgreen Drama Center plans earlier to
Theater was to be a key component, is now avoid the current problem. Now, the
in question. University must act quickly to fill the
While the University has made vast void by moving on the Walgreen Center
improvements to the original proposal includ- project and creating temporary spaces
ing the addition of the Arena Theater and for both students and outside organiza-
Trueblood Theater, and moving the Theater tions to perform.

vPi: semester ot tailure
More must be done to protect the residence halls
T he wave of crimes that have plagued erly attending their belongings were to
the residence halls since the start of blame for the thefts. Students are partially
Winter semester continued unabated responsible for taking certain precautions to
during student move-out. Five home inva- decrease the likelihood of having their
sions took place in Mary Markley Residence belongings stolen, but the onus lies with
Hall during the hectic period. With this latest University Housing and DPS to implement
rash of events it is clear that DPS' security effective security measures during move-out4
measures are powerless to combat the surge that resemble those in place during move-in.
of criminal acts in the residence halls. The string of break-ins, assaults and peep-
Following a series of criminal inci- ing tom incidents throughout the semester
dents, the University responded by lock- should cause DPS and University Housing to
ing residence hall doors 24 hours a day admit that the security measures implement-
and instituting canine units. ed in February have failed stu-
These actions have proven University dents. Neither locking doors 24
inadequate given the 12 addi- Housing and the hours a day nor expanding the DPS
tional incidents that have Department of police force with canine units will
occurred since the security Public Safety alleviate unauthorized outsidq
measures were put in place. need to rigorously access - the principal cause
University Housing and the evaluate their behind the recent crime spree.
Department of Public Safety practices and be Placing door monitors at resi-
need to rigorously evaluate more creative and dence hall entrances and requiring
their practices and be more responsive to this photo identification to gain access
creative and responsive to this growing problem. are two basic measures which
growing problem. would improve the present situa-
DPS and University Housing need not tion. DPS must increase patrols and officer
look far to find an example of successful visibility to deter criminals . Housing should
crime prevention. During move-in, DPS consider implementing basic crime preven-
patrols are increased, volunteers assist stu- tiontraining forresident advisors. University
dents moving their belongings and even Housing and DPS have had almost an entirq
though the number of people going in and out semester to test their new procedures and it
of the residence halls is at its highest level is now time to recognize that additional
during the entire year, the increased presence responses are needed.
and involvement of University officials effec- DPS and University Housing officials are
tively discourages criminal activity. reportedly working together to address many
Unlike the well-managed move-in, the of the concerns and are scheduled to present
move-out is disarrayed. During the period, a report to the University Board of Regents
students had their belongings stolen and yet at their May meeting. It is critical that
another peeping tom gained access to a resi- Housing, DPS officials and the regents
dence hall and watched an unsuspecting address the issue in a coordinated fashion t
female resident while she showered. DPS have effective security measures in place by
spokeswoman Diane Brown indicates that the time the Class of 2006 begins moving
heavy student traffic and students not prop- into their residence halls this fall.