Page 4 -The Michigan Daily-Tuesday, April 16,1991
WIg 3iCigan &ailQ
420 Maynard Street
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
Edited and Managed
by Students at the
University of Michigan
ANDREW GOTTESMAN
Editor in Chief
STEPHEN HENDERSON
DANIEL POUX
Opinion Editors
Unsigned editorials represent a majority of the Daily's Editorial Board.
All other cartoons, signed articles, and letters do not necessarily represent the opinion of the Daily.
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Ca pu.adcas(? us ntdirutstd" eviomet
t has come to the attention of the Daily recently
j that a rather disturbing group of radicals have
been upsetting the very delicate study environ-
ments of the University's libraries. No where has
this pattern been more evident than in the bastion
of undergraduate intellectualism, the Undergradu-
ate Library (UGLi).
" Apparently, this extremely small and select
group of rabble-rousers are either ignorant, or
determined to disrupt this comfortable setting for
reflection and learning. It is imperative that these
upstarts be isolated and dealt with. The unwritten
law of the UGLi must be maintained.
Since these uncouth students have no respect
for established library tradition, the Daily will
formalize these study policies that, until now, have
been silently honored by most UGLi-goers.
When studying at the UGLi, anyone affiliated
with the Greek system and all Jewish students must
proceed directly to the basement. If the basement
is too crowded, some additional seating is also
provided near the back of the second floor.
Any persons of African descent must go to the
second floor. But remember: Black students must
stay on the right side of the building! The left side
of the second floor is reserved for white persons.
All Asian students, of course, must march up to
the third floor. Due to the limited number of
MIRLYN terminals and microcomputers, how-
ever, all racial and ethnic groups are allowed to use
the first and fourth floors - provided they don't
talk to each other.
Students caught violating these simple rules
should be reported to the authorities, to be severely
censured. Naturally, these UGLi seating policies
will apply around campus as well. Different ethnic
groups should walk around campus in large homo-
geneous blocks. Any contact outside strict racial
and ethnic boundaries is strictly prohibited.
Most students have dutifully followed these
rules, and should be commended. But there is
always a small group of unsatisfied rebels that
must be disciplined. Many students have probably
seen a white person sitting at a lunch table obviously
reserved for African Americans! Not only is this
unnatural, but it is unhealthy, as it contributes to
general disharmony in our academic environment.
Hopefully, now that the Daily has formally
stated these policies, the few students who do not
know their place and have dared to disobey these
rules will cease their disruptive actions. Then, we
can all get back to our coursework, with no outside
sources of distraction.
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MsSA reform
CC's streamlining efforts should cut across entire assembly
-After countless empty pledges in the past, the
Conservative Coalition (CC) is, at last, ready
-to make good on some of its promnises. Among
.CC'smost prominent campaign platform planks
were the promises to implement an automatic
recognition policy and eliminate most of MSA's
commissions. In stark contrast to past attempts, the
Green administration seems intent upon making
the CC reforms reality. Both proposals have al-
ready been clearly drawn out and were introduced
during the assembly's first meeting last week.
Past controversies surrounding the recognition
of the Cornerstone Christian Fellowship and
-Michigamua have proven the necessity of auto-
matic recognition. If several students decide to
organize, then they are a student group and should
be recognized as such, whetherMSA likes it ornot.
Recognition or lack thereof does not affect the
existence of a student group and for MSA to
believe otherwise is unrealistic and unfair. MSA
recognition enables student groups to apply for
University financial accounts and reserve meeting
rooms in the Union and the Diag for their func-
tions. There is no justification for a student gov-
ernment to deny these privileges to any group of
students - no matter what their beliefs.
Recognition does not guarantee funding or of-
fice space, and such allocations would rest solely
with the discretion of the assembly. Recognition
by MSA merely acknowledges the unalienable
rights of student groups to assemble, to speak and
to have equal access to the distribution processes
of MSA and nothing else.
In addition, Green and the new Coalition major-
ity are following through on another of their
campaign promises, and have moved to allow the
student body to decide the future of MSA's com-
missions on next November's ballot. Many on
campus question the CC's motives - indeed,
Green seems to be going after the last remnants of
the Van Valey administration - but these efforts
are consistent with the Coalition's campaign plat-
form, which was overwhelmingly approved by
student voters. The Students Rights, Peace and
Justice, Environmental and Women's Issues
Commissions have traditionally taken progressive
stances on campus and international issues, and the
CC leadership has decided that these efforts could
be better pursued outside MSA chambers.
The CC's efforts to streamline MSA should be
encouraged, but their reforms should go across the
board, sparing only those commissions vital to the
efficient operation of the assembly. The elimina-
tion of the commissions would free up almost
$10,000 in revenue and, more importantly, remove
a layer of the MSA bureaucracy. In order to ensure
future diversions of funds any addition funds should
be diverted to the Budget Priorities Committee, so
that students and student groups may reap the.
financial benefits.
Both initiatives are steps in the right direction,
despite the reactionary motivations of the Con-
servative Coalition. Both moves will help make
MSA more representative of its constituency. The
assembly has a genuine opportunity in the coming
weeks to enact proposals constituting true reform
in the assembly; to pass up this opportunity would
be only perpetuate MSA's failures.
'U' Residence
halls are a rip off
To the Daily:
It seems whenever I visit other
universities, I always come back
to Ann Arbor mad as hell. It
appears that the more tuition a
student pays in the state of
Michigan, the smaller the rooms
get. For example, Central Michi-
gan University's dorm rooms are
enormous compared to what I see
here. They have a living room and
two large sized bedrooms! And
currently their room and board is
barely half of what Wolverines
pay.
Michigan State is another
example. They pay more than
CMU, and their rooms are a bit
smaller, but on the average they
consist of two bedrooms and a
living room. Then we come to the
most expensive public school in
Michigan, and we get the smallest
rooms. Of course it is possible to
request a suite, but they are scarce
and also add to the tab.
I have also seen MSU and
CMU dorm rooms equipped with
computers, cable and double
phone lines with no extra charge.
Michigan has none of this. It
makes one wonder why are we
paying so much more money
without more to show for it - it
is definitely not going towards the
cafeteria food!
Or is it true that while these
other University students are
paying tution for all these extras,
Wolverines are only paying for
the name?
JoAnne Vicari
LSA first-year student
Daily guilty of
sensationalism
To the Daily:
I am writing to express my
sincere apologies to the Daily. I,
standing with other community
members and University students,
have failed. We have failed to
generate a substantial amount of
intelligent and stimulating
campus news deemed worthy of
the Daily's investigative talent.
We have left the Daily grasping at
straws or for nameless "Big Ten"
body parts. We have forced the
Daily into a world of sensational-
ized reporting. The Daily can be
expected to avoid the tempting
and voluminous copy, written to
perpetuate the philosophy of
female servitude and objectifica-
tion only so long. I commend the
Daily on its ability to maintain its
liberal prowess thus far.
After reading such an article, I
cannot deny that I am better
informed. I now feel confident to
openly embrace the role of female
subservience and bring it in close
to my "well-proportioned" chest.
If only I wasn't so damned
intelligent, I might be able to
fulfill the widespread female
fantasy, and get my egg-shaped
head the centerfold it deserves. If
it weren't for the Daily's dedi-
cated coverage of Playboy's trip
to town, I certainly world have
missed the fact that "being in
Playboy is the ultimate
affirmation of the fact that [girls]
are attractive," as Elizabeth Norris
says. And here I was thinking that
it was when a man whistles or-
calls from behind. I thought for
sure that meant I was a "girl of
the Big Ten!"
Jennifer Hetherington
LSA sophomore
Women, society
add to sexism too
To the Daily:
We couldn't help but notice
the basic ignorance of reality
present in the letter to the Daily
("On co-education...,"4/10/91).
Metres seems to imply that men's
schools deprive men of an
adequate exposure to women's
views, leaving their views of
women "to be shaped by what
they infer from Playboy."
While a lack of co-education
might deprive these men of an
adequate representation of
women's academic views,
blaming the treatment of women
as objects on Playboy is ridicu-
lous. Every day, one can witness
countless women asking to be
seen as objects. Make up says
nothing about personality or
intelligence, but rather enhances
the appearance of a women in an
effort to attract, and impress men.
At the same time, skin-tight jeans
aren't worn for comfort; nor is
cologne worn to repel insects.
lt is easy to see that countless
examples exist in everyday life.
The crusade against advertising is
often misplaced. This advertising *
exists because it is sexual in
nature. The whole purpose of
such ads is to convince the viewer
that he or she can become as
desirable as the model merely by
purchasing the product.
Advertisers give their audi-
ences what they want to see. The
presence of such ads in women's
magazines indicates that the
problem is multidimensional.
Mass Media merely reflects
the views of society. We must
look upon our actions as individu-
als before we can attack institu-
tions.
Robert Vire
LSA first-year student
Robert Green
RC first-year student
David Dalu
LSA senior i
Sticking
around this
summer?
Want to
write for the
Opinion Page?
Call Mary Beth or
Jay at 764-0552
The Daily --
It's not just a job,
it's an adventure!
0
Sports and Smoking
* ..
Support boycott on tobacco company-sponsored sporting events
Health and Human Services Secretary Louis tournament and the Winston Cup racing competi-
Sullivan recently called for a public boycott of tion.
sporting events sponsored by tobacco companies. The tens of millions of dollars spent on adver-
Sullivan originally asked tobacco company execs tising each year to glorify and encourage smoking
to withdraw such advertising on their own accord, have no place on television or radio, and these
but no action was taken. The Secretary of Health companies are only skirting the rules by sponsor-
has harshly criticized the industry in the past for ing these televised sporting events. Advertising
targeting specific sectors of the public, and has campaigns successfully pair smoking - which
now brought an important issue to light: attending harms one's health - with an image of youth,
sports events funded by tobacco companies sup- fitness and health. In this way, tobacco advertising
ports an industry that profits from and encourages encourages smoking and misleadingly portrays its
addictive and destructive habits. product.
The move to limit cigarette advertising at sport- Sullivan's efforts to correct this hypocrisy should
ing events is a reaction to the increasing amount of be commended, and sporting fans should think
money tobacco companies have spent on sports twice as they pay to see Steffi Graf crush an
events since 1971, when cigarette advertising was opponent on the court or cheer the Marlboro For-
banned from television and radio. mula One car to another victory. Refusing to add to
Tobacco companies spend tens of millions of these companies' unhealthy profits will send a
dollars each year to promote sporting events. The strong message to cigarette makers to stop promot-
RJR Nabisco company sponsors almost 2,500 ing their products under the guise of physical
events each year, including the Virgina Slims tennis fitness.
Graduates owe Bush at least their ears...
by Kristine LaLonde
When I first heard that
President Bush would be speaking
at my graduation, I expected to be
revolted and angry.
Instead, I was afraid.
Afraid about the reception he
would receive from our student
body. Afraid that I would feel the
same embarrassment many felt at
his reception in 1985 when
students egged him. He hasn't
been back to campus since. I
feared I would feel the same
embarrassment I felt when
students booed the 1988 com-
mencement speaker Marshall
Shulman until he left the stage.
I am not a Bush fan; in fact,
both his domestic policy - if he
actually has one - and foreign
affairs conduct disgust me. But
this is not an article about Bush's
politics. It is about the reception
he will receive, which history tells
us, will be an embarrassing one.
This year has been a time for
those of us on the political left to
niaetion our tactic. our nosition
listening. The nation's citizens
were busy tying yellow ribbons to
mailboxes and trees, flying the
American flag and calling their
local radio station to request the
national anthem.
At the end of the war - which
was over as quickly as its support-
ers predicted - Bush's popularity
edged toward 90 percent. The
nation's liberals shook their heads
in disgust at the ignorance of the
American public.
Maybe it's time we stopped
from former generals and defense
department officials, not anti-war
activists.
So the fight was taken to the
streets, the campus and the
classroom. But no matter how
much the activists yelled, the
nation didn't seem to hear or to
care.
One soldier, returning with his
division after six months in the
Gulf, summed up the attitude of a
nation when he thanked the public
for its support, and then added,
Most likely, the campus activists will not
want to listen to Bush and I can't blame
them. I can blame them, however, if they try
to stop him from speaking, or if they try to
prevent others from hearing.
Nuts and Bolts
by Judd Winick
[-- 1Nr J K S ENE
shaking our heads and writing off
the opposition as ignorant, and
started listening.
Most likely, the campus
activists will not want to listen to
"and to you people who protested,
we weren't listening anyway."
And he was right, they
weren't.
So, it's time for the nation's
I... r F.
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