*ge 4 --The Michigan Daily-Wednesday, April 24,1991
GIbr Srrbigau BuItg
420 Maynard Street
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
Edited and Managed
by Students at the
University of Michigan
ANDREW K. 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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Jnion must hang tough on quality of education in talks
s stories in all of the Detroit-area papers last
week made clear, the Graduate Employees
Irganization (GEO) enjoyed overwhelming sup-
ort from undergrads during its three-day work
()ppage last week. At first this seems like a
mtradiction: why would undergrads side with
Ns5 who are refusing to teach?
The answer has very little to do with many,
udents' relief that they had a day off. Undergrads
ipport their TAs because GEO has made the
'uality of undergraduate education- and specifi-
ally reduced class sizes-one of its key demands.
he GEO bargaining team has stuck by this de-
mand - despite pressure from the University
negotiating team to drop it.
With negotiations stalemated and the prospect
of a major strike looming, GEO would do well to
continue pushing for smaller classes.
Pursuing such a course might delay a settle-
ment, and could even help precipitate a strike. But
this is a risk the GEO must take. Standing by its
commitment to undergrads will assure student
support should a strike take place. And - given
that Michigan purports to be concerned with
undergrads' education - fighting for smaller
classes is also the right and decent thing to do.
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A conservative backlash here"?,
Ref orm
E'ducation President' will reveal plans at graduation
Well, another year has come and
gone, and being the last day of class,
I think it unwise to unload anymore
heavy ideological ranting on you
poor souls. Instead, like every other
D a i _ y_
writer, I am
going to Brad
reminisce r
Vhen President Bush comes to speak at com-
V mencement, he will likely elaborate on his
tig awaited education plan.
Two years after taking office, the "Education
esident" is finally ready to introduce compre-
nsive education reform.
The program is composed of a choice program
r parents, new voluntary nation-wide testing,
d privately-funded model schools around the
untry. Sadly, the program provides more lip
rvice than innovative ideas, ignores the major
oblems in our public school system, and in the
ig run it will do more harm than good.
The first aspect of his new approach creates a
i ee market" school system, where parents can
oose between a variety of public, private or
irochial schools for their children, to be paid for
a simple voucher. This system sounds great on
:e surface, but will be little more than a bandaid
r the ills of the American educational system.
Giving parents additional options ignores the
al problem in public education. By subsidizing
udents in private or parochial schools, money is
verled away from the public schools. Instead,
Lush should dedicate more energy and dollars to
improving the ailing public school systems and
make reform a funding priority.
Constructing model schools in each congres-
sional district within the next decade is a nice idea,
but it cannot replace the vast reform which is
needed. Likewise, implementing more national
tests - in history and geography - will not
improve teacher or student performance.
Tests and model schools are not the answer.
Instead, Bush should reconsider his inadequate
suggestions and present a plan with more incen-
tives for teachers and new teaching methods.
Bush has said that he is more interested in
publicity for education than in actually allocating
the federal funding necessary to revamp our public
schools. "Dollar bills don't educate students," but
they sure do help.
As long as inequities continue to exist between
rich and poor districts, model schools or voucher
programs amount to little. Only increased funding
from the federal government can adequately ad-
dress funding disparities and increase the quality
ofAmerica's public schools across the board instead
of exacerbating the dichotomy which already ex-
ists.
about the
past year
and the
events
made it so
Bsernatek
unusual.
Michi-
gan is seen
as a liberal
school and,
as I suspect, it always has been.
Having transferred from Vanderbilt
U. last year, I perceived Michigan
to be a stronghold of leftists: Soon
after I arrived, Jennifer Van Valey
was elected Michigan Student As-
sembly (MSA) President and the
West Bank was visited.
However, this past year has dis-
pelled the myth of leftist activism at
Michigan. Ten years after the con-
servative revolution swept through
America, it has finally reached the
University of Michigan.
At first glance, the past year,
Bernatek is an LSA junior. This is
his last column this year, and
perhaps he will return in the
fall.., perhaps.
should have been a banner year for
Michigan's leftists and liberals.
First, Michigan had the anti-
deputization rallies which
occupied the leftists' idle time from
September to Thanksgiving.
They were out in force and ready
to shut down the University, if nec-
essary and while the largest rallies
numbered a couple of thousand,
they represented a fraction of the
campus. The movement fizzled
when a student strike was ruled out
because there was not enough
popular support and fortunately, as
the fervor of the anti-dcputization
movement dissipated, along came a
good war to protest.
With the possibility of the largest
conflict since World War II, the
potential of the anti-war movement
was great. While SAUSI enjoyed
nominal support for a time, it never
coalesced into the "mother of all
protests." Meanwhile, the RWL
worked its magic causing schisms,
and even more surprising, Support
our Soldiers emerged with much
support and SAUSI died a slow
death.
By the time MSA elections ar-
rived, the Michigan leftists were on
the run. Their two biggest move-
ments fizzled out as quickly as they
started and the elections proved to
be fatal. The Conservative Coalition
ran away with elections winning
the presidency and a working ma-
jority on the assembly.
It's hard to say what has hap-
pened, but most probably the
Reagan revolution has been eating
away at leftist activism at Michigan,
slowly but surely, and all the while
a group of determined activists set
out to prevent anyone from be-
coming aware of these conservative
changes on campus.
These altruistic students, mostly
from Rackham, have formed the
core of nearly every activist move-
ment on our campus. From
deputization to anti-war, 'one was
sure to find Jennifer Van Valey,
Corey Dolgon, Pattrice Maurer and
others. These brave souls manned
the fortress of activism while the
others ran away or graduated.
Sadly, the fort finally fell this
year and the remnants of its defend-
ers have been scattered around
campus waiting to regroup, waiting
for a cause to rally around, waiting
for a chance, to reclaim lost
territory: Michigan. Most of them
have found temporary shelter in
Rackham Student Government
(RSG) - Michigan's version of
the Supreme Soviet.
What will next year
bring... perhaps a record contract
for Corey Dolgon, Jennifer Van
Valey, the RA, reminiscing to first-
year students about the good ol'
days or perhaps a resurgence of
activism.
Only time will tell and with three
finals approaching, time is some4
thing I don't have. Have a good
summer and see you next fall.
0
LOw blow
'he New York Times compromises ethics in Kennedy stories
ast Wednesday, the New York Times sunk to
.j a new low, and revealed the name of the rape
e:rnplainant in the over-publicized Palm Beach
Yennedy rape case.
It has been accepted practicezfor decades for
.wspapers to withhold the names of possible rape
i ictims while the case is still in the courtroom. The
,! w York Times, widely recognized as a reputable
Izwspaper, has blatantly violated this basic news
' hic, and should be condemned.
It is even more upsetting that the editors at the
iles justified their decision by pointing to the
ondon Daily Mirror - a British tabloid known
Pr i ts in-depth reporting on the Duchess of York's
waistline - who had revealed the woman's name
°veral days earlier.
As if it had thrown out enough journalistic
_ hics in one story, the New York Times went
further to drag the West Palm Beach woman's
i:mune through the mud by digging up dirt from her
past. The article detailed her poor academic record
>n high school, her 17 speeding tickets, her failed
Siarriage and the judgments of local bartenders on
.:r nocturnal behavior. The article implied that
q s woman was an irresponsible tramp, and solic-
ited the sexual assault.
These personal events have no relevance to the
real news story: that amemberofprominentpolitical
family may have committed a sexual assault. Why
should, as the Times article stated, "one night turn
a quiet leisurely life into a life on the front page?"
This, is immature and inappropriate; the additional
publicity will only create for distractions for the
ensuing courtroom battle.
Some critics of the media coverage surround-
ing this incident have painted this as another rea-
son for laws controlling the media and their access
to sensitive information.
Polls during the Persian Gulf War indicated that'r
a large percentage of the American public did not
trust the press covering the Middle East conflict,
and had no problem with the restrictions placed
upon them by the Pentagon.
However, it is critical that any restrictions on
the press come from within, and the editors of
prestigious publications like the New York Times
should exercise caution in their news coverage, so
that further efforts to censor sensitive stories like
the Palm Beach incident will not be necessary.
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[Readers respond to .Jennifer Kno I l
To the Daily:
I am writing in response to
Jennifer Knoll's article, "Today's
anti-Zionists are the new fas-
cists," (4/18/91). Knoll's claim
that anti-Zionists are fascists is
without basis and borders on pro-
Israeli propaganda.
As Knoll points out, The New
Fascist states that a central
"element" of fascism is to "make
some ethnic minorities non-
nations, to destroy their sense of
national consciousness and
identity."
Knoll uses this definition to
support her argument, yet fails to
realize that all "elements" of
fascism could be applied with
equal propensity to the policies
and attitudes of the Israeli
government toward Palestinians.
Palestinians are an ethnic
minority denied a nation. The
Israeli government has long
implemented brutal policies,
which deny Palestinians a sense
of national consciousness.
What Knoll fails to emphasize
is that from its very inception, the
idea of Zionism has been based
upon the dispossession and
displacement of the Palestinian
people, and not the ideology of
peace as she proposes in her
article.
As an example, I include
what David Ben-Gurion, Israel's
first Prime Minister, wrote in his
memoirs, on Dec. 14, 1947, that
"in each attack, a decisive blow
should be struck, resulting in the
destruction of homes and the
expulsion of the population"-
doesn't sound like an olive
branch of peace to me.
Mathew N. Beshara
University graduate
Go to the Library
To the Daily:
It is unfortunate that the Daily
saw fit to print Jennifer Knoll's
pathetic column about anti-
Zionists being the "new fascists"
("Anti-Zionists are the new
fascists," 4/18/91). In blatant
disregard of the facts, she
dismisses the claim that "Zionism
is a political ideology introduced
by secular Jews."
The bookshelves of this
University are filled with the
works of Jewish and Israeli
historians and thinkers (and
others) who have made
precisely this claim, and who
have documented its truth by
citing the writings of dozens of
Zionists in the past century
who have candidly admitted
that they were secular and that
the agenda behind the forma-
tion of "the Jewish state" had
nothing to do with God or with
religion (except insofar as the
latter might be exploited to
advance the cause of the
former).
It is too bad Knoll is
graduating. Perhaps before she
leaves, she will stop by the
UGLi, go to the card cata-
logue, look up "Zionism," and
then proceed to the stacks to
learn some facts about the
movement with which she is so
blindly and dangerously in
love.
Gary Herion
Exam time!
fudents should observe proper
X s exam time approaches, and more and more
r students are beginning to frequent campus
braries, it becomes necessary to establish a sort of
s;udent non-academic code of library etiquette.
"Idents are encouraged to follow these rules:
* If you want to talk, go to the UGLi. This
brary has become a socially acceptable place to
hld study groups or gossip, whichever you prefer,
8 If you want to talk, don't go to the Grad or
: aw Libraries. Even prolonged whispering can be
a severe annoyance to students trying to study;
0 Food and drink are acceptable. Contrary to
'he signs in the Law library, those "refusing to
Tmply" will not be asked to leave.
M Gum is alright, so long as your mouth re-
mains closed for more silent chewing;
etiquette in libraries
Since paper deadlines are common this time
of year, excessive yapping in computing centers is
also a bad idea, and;
Try to refrain from obsessively clicking the
button on ball point pens.
Basically, it is important for students to be
courteous during this stressful time. If someone is
breaking the code, students are encouraged to
politely tell them to stop. To quote the Michigan
Mandate: We must become a community in which
all barriers to full participation of all people in the
life of our University are removed... but also a
place where we can work constructively together
as a community of scholars and as citizens of a
democratic society.
Won't be
at graduation
To the Daily:
By bumping Carole Simpson
from the slate to allow President
Bush to peddle his goods on
Commencement Day, the Univer-
sity administrators have proven
once and for all that they care
next to nothing about the people
if I didn't think that Bush, Engler,
Duderstadt and the rest of them
were too dense to pull it off.
I have talked with several
seniors who are planning to attend
the ceremony simply so they can
walk out in protest when Bush
takes the podium. More power to
them. As for myself, I can think
of 10,000 better ways to spend an
afternoon.
On iv 5 T 'Inn I n on n imy
Sticking
around
this summer?
Come write
for the Daily
Opinion Page!
0
"uts and Bolts
by Judd Winick
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