*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. .. J !{r}-1 };(:; : '{(; ~'?1'{{.rJ4hr Vf'J".l . rJl f: F,,r4y *.Y.:S{:4 ?{ 4h4h. fi: J i'rFF'" ":":{":":":":":X"i:<{?":":":v:":"Xv:"., r.? !....:"}i}::v}>:{v::. "r r..,A, J r r . :f ' '''hr'"CJT, ."r:r4o , "rd"" 4rrA "'4 ::........... . r. A. ."r. v? ' 1J { .: .. r.: ":J V.vJ:: ... . x.. Jr; . r " .F ?:. A"rr... isr. fi .A, A . rr . ".{ f:~~v:;?": ki:Y:: ~.?"A{":.v::":":v3?its}:=: :? :t ::?:::: ::: : 3' rF "r' F,. !.r.""J A:r"r:::.v.:v v: ": ..' ":', r rF F :.{:Y 'Fr Nr,'::: ~:v::': S.':? .J. F" v'""F r. ,r. ............ r F11,111, Srl rrTi rr.. ", i yy,, " r t:Y 'r " ' rY' F. Y . r tr M1} T}I P r' ..r A"rA"r r :{ .r. rY . A r r. i" :{' :V "T'{{"J S": N':"', JA "A"a "r Y~:JiY.. . ,} }:: "} ": A, . r.......... , J" . r. F . r 4 ". ..A. a. .. V C AV r. Y l { ,JCY" { :" .... :....... _. :.:. .. ...":>: ::'!v};y:.. ,....... R.?r:"...... X.,....... Mx.,ry.rny%:,r.?r,..".F 4f 4.r}."} '{"ri}}. .^#""9.},C:{.}f:sib. ".rr: :fi,:,":,J{;faSr.+.d . ,ah:":.w::.::":w.v::w........r.":": }T'":":" ..... ...........::..... . / K r M N r ;t, DO o I URG. WRE , Ii' .. T Prn ' GEO 2 " i S w 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. 1, \ yj A.A-'.A , [vlt/tiL. t lAtL w tan,~,ZL - . GDPS " 1 WJNS AA - i : iti:" a{:F:%": Kati v:rii: :'ti:i:::{{:i .'."{rr:.".r{,}'.:.:,":."{.:.:.. ". ". ".. L. "..,.."..L...... {:; ..... . a.. a. "{.:4:{.!{{i e.';:ti::'r,'{{.)!:.!.:{:...: rY..::.,.1":{ ^::.:":.:L'. :ll:. L": ......:.... ...: ..,:....:: ? .................... ......... , ..................... .... n. .. .... .. , 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. ". ::.4'S:: :".Y.YV ":."v4".4" Y':. 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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 fY'RE U 1hWAT S Z'M JUSTr'A* Tc WQ.LC-4NC7,'rHIS S'it HAS DRWNToA AUSS A WUS. c ,_djM -EC i()(4N