4 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, November 14, 1995
(Thle , ic igttn ttil
JEAN TWENGE
T E ERASABu PEN
420 Maynard Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Edited and managed by
students at the
University of Michigan
r--
MICHAEL ROSENBERG
Editor in Chief
JULIE BECKER
JAMES M. NASH
Editorial Page Editors
Ifit's snwing, -rimustbefwinter
iaz Michigan - or maybefall
Unless otherwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of a majority of the Daily's editorial board. All
other articles, letters, and cartoons do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily.
TheD ballot quetions
Several proposals
"T omorrow and Thursday students
have two sets of important choices to
make: who should represent them and how
several important issues will be resolved.
'Along with candidates for the Michigan Stu-
.,4ent Assembly, the ballot will feature four
-.questions from MSA in three categories, as
well as one LSA Student Government pro-
posal. Though marking random answers to
these referendums is tempting, they deserve
.more than that - the issues at stake affect
each student.
Student Legal Services
For MSA to ask the University Board of
Regents for the additional
ending SLS desperately
'eeds, students must ap-
prove a fee increase. Un-
.frtunately, the last refer-
4ndum struck downthe 23-
. ent raise, disabling MSA,
the Board of Regents -
'nd SLS. To MSA lead-
rs' credit, a plan to salvage SLS was insti-
tuted: The regents placed the money in es-
Lrow, pending this fall's referendum. Ifques-
ions 1 and 2 pass, the funds will go to SLS
immediately. If they fail, SLS will be forced
jo lay off many employees indefinitely. A
"YES vote will allow SLS to continue the vital
services it provides to students: free legal
.advice and representation in all cases except
hose involving another student or the Uni-
versity.
To further maintain SLS, the third ques-
lion deals with the removal of the legal ser-
vice from the MSA fee cap. Voting NO will
free SLS from the assembly's restrictive bud-
get and place control over SLS into its own
.nore capable hands. Though funds would
=ome from the SLS fee on the tuition bill and
"applied to the operation of SLS. A no vote'
will also prevent the meddling of offices like
the Division of Student Affairs in students'
deserve attention
free legal counsel.
Campus Safety Task Force
Vote YES to amend the MSA constitution
to elevate the campus safety task force to the
campus safety commission. Replacing the ad
hoc task force with a permanent commission
would ensure a spot for campus safety on the
MSA agenda for years to come, rather than
just in response to incidents. A yes would
mean that equal resources will be available to
work on safety as for other MSA commis-
sions. A safe campus is essential to students'
well-being - as such, it must be a priority .
Central Student Judiciary
The decision for the last
MSA ballot question re-
quires little thought or ef-
fort. It asks students to raise
the term limits for jurors
| on MSA's Central Student
Judiciary from three to four
in an attempt to increase
effectiveness. A YES vote
would be most beneficial to CSJ members
and to the students they serve.
LSA Student Government
LSA-SG's proposal aims to add to its
representative pool, with a yes vote raising
the number of members from 15 to 19. Add-
ing four students to the government would
lift some of the workload from the existing
representatives, without decreasing efficiency
or accountability. As LSA-SG deals increas-
ingly with pertinent issues to students, it
needs the numerical strength to tackle them.
U.,
The outcome of these questions, along
with the representatives elected this week,
will have a far-reaching effect on students'
lives over the next year and more. Students
have a responsibility to themselves and one
another to put their voices into their govern-
ment.
Elections are Nov. 15 and 16.
A s a child growing up in Texas, I loved
snow. Since snow powder was usually
accompanied by the lethal combination of
ice and clueless Texas drivers, school was
canceled; my brother and I were free to
spend the day stomping about in the meager
scattering of white on the front lawn. The
occasion was so rare that we usually took
photographs of each other in coats and mit-
tens, gesturing gleefully at the half-inch
cover on the ground.
I've lived in the Midwest for seven years
now, and snow is no longer cause for either
joy or photographs. It is cause for whining.
There are both good and bad things about
snow and winter, but I'll begin with the bad
things, since they tend to predominate when
the weather grows nasty so early in the
season (it's still officially autumn, dammit!).
Driving. Notice six-inch accumula-
tion of snow on car. Decide you can't get
away with starting the car and hoping it will
melt away eventually. Start car and listen to
the useless whirr of the wipers anyway.
Brush snow away with 79-cent wooden brush
you got at Meijer. Brush harder as you dis-
cover that the layer of ice on top of the snow
is making things more difficult. In frustra-
tion, start throwing the snow off the car with
your hands, dooming yourself to having wet
gloves the rest of the day. Scrape off the
underlying ice with the other end of your
Meijer brush. Decide if you really need to
see out the side windows. Now thoroughly
freezing, get into your car and wait 10 min-
utes for the heat to start working.
Walking. This isn't much better. First,
bundle yourself from head to toe in down
coat, down gloves, warm hat, scarf, ear-
muffs, long underwear, snow boots, wool
socks, mummy suit, electric blanket, house-
hold pet and anything else you can think of
to keep you warm. Then realize you have to
go to the bathroom.
Rebundle. Head outside. Be careful not
to slip on the ice-covered stairs, sidewalk,
grass, etc. Walking in the street where the
cars have cleared the way is easier but more
dangerous. At 100 yards, take off scarf be-
cause you're too hot. At 125, put it back on
because you're too cold. At 150 take it off
again. Repeat as necessary (i.e., until you
reach your destination and unwrap yourself
completely).
Staying inside. During the winter, it's
tempting to stay inside unless absolutely
necessary (i.e., the quick dash to get the
mail, the quick dash to buy groceries, the
walk to your girlfriend's place and, oh yeah,
classes). You forget what sunlight looks
like, static cling and electric charges become
a way of life and your skin begins to re-
semble that of a three-toed sloth. It's the
isolation from nature that's the worst, though;
even when you go outside, the wind is blow-
ing too hard to look up, so you don't see
much of the world. Reminder: The sky is
blue and trees are green, despite your creep-
ing winter suspicions that the sky is gray and
trees are brown.
Admittedly, there are a few good things
about snow:
Snowmen. These are most enjoyable
when used as caricatures. Sculpt one to re-
semble your cheating ex-boyfriend, your
whiny roommate, your boring professor.
Don't forget the unflattering details of the
form, specialized for each person. When
you've tired of your creation, you can al-
ways practice your softball swing on your
snowman's all-too-deserving head. As we
say in psychology, there's nothing like a
little displaced aggression.
Snowball fights. I've never enjoyed
these all that much (since I spent my forma-
tive snowball-throwing years in Texas, I
suck); however, I gather it can be rather fun
if you have a knack for hitting your target.
Besides, what better excuse do you have for
walloping your dormmates?
Quiet. Despite its many disadvantages,
snow creates an extraordinary quiet that
settles over a town and the lives of its inhab-
itants. Footsteps are muted, cars make only
a quiet hum on the street, and people walk-
ing by are too cold to say anything even if
they didn't have scarves wrapped around
their faces. Winter is a good time to be
introverted: reading a book by a warm fire
(or at least a warm heating vent), contem-
plating the snow in silence, climbing under
warm covers. No wonder I never got to do
any quiet thinking in Texas.
- Jean Twenge can be reached over e-
mail at jeant@umich.edu.
MArr WMSATT
MOOKIElS DILEMMA
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NOTABLE QUOTABLE
'As President, I
have not received
the level of
support from
the Board (of
Regents) enjoyed
by most of
my colleagues
throughout higher
education.'
- University President
James J. Duderstadt, in a
confidential letter to the
regents the day he
resigned
LETTERS
Dive-through V ndelivery
Bill would improve safety for mothers, babies
n a time when little in the health care
debate can be labeled progress, a bill fight-
ing its way through the Michigan Legislature
defies that trend. This proposal, dubbed the
"Drive-through Delivery" bill, would man-
date that all health plans provide 48 hours of
hospital time to a mother for a standard birth,
and 96 hours for a Caesarean section. By
making the first few days a mother spends
with her child safer and more productive, and
by taking some power from insurance com-
panies, this bill takes a marked step forward
for the state's health care.
The bill's provisions would make condi-
tions safer for newborns. In today's busy
hospitals, a pregnant woman often will enter
a hospital and leave with her child within 24
hours. This period is insufficient for the thor-
ough tests a baby needs following birth,
particularly on its lungs, heart and brain. In
the hurry to clear out a mother and what
seems to be a perfectly healthy baby, impor-
tant problems can be overlooked. In recent
years there have been several cases of babies
dying from heart or lung defects after they
got home. Other cases have included babies
readmitted to the hospital for a problem that
could have been detected and treated at birth.
The "Drive-through Delivery" bill will help
HOW TO CONTACT THEM
cut down on such occurrences.
The hours following a birth are also the
time when a mother must learn about matters
such as detecting signs of illness in her child,
proper breast-feeding techniques and even
the correct way to hold her baby. In most
cases, 24 hours simply is not sufficient for
mothers to learn about caring for a newborn.
Most disturbing about this scenario is the
reason it occurs: Insurance company accoun-
tants and budget analysts simply want to save
money. Even when a doctor is happy to keep
a mother who feels she needs more time in
the hospital, he must tell her that the time will
come out of her pocketbook -the insurance
company won't pay for it. A hospital room
for a day can impose exorbitant costs, and
insurance companies are rarely cooperative
in meeting requests to stay any longer than
the requisite one night. They need to make a
profit, but childbirth coverage is not the
place to cut expenses.
Rushed is the last way a woman or doctor
should feel when delivering a baby. Both
should have all the time they need. The
"Drive-through Delivery" bill would pro-
vide this time, and consequently make the
experience of childbirth safer and less worri-
some for mother and child alike.
Remarks c
To the Daily:
Student Legal Services needs
your help. During the MSA elec-
tions on Nov. 15 and 16, students
will decide whether SLS will re-
ceive the funds necessary to con-
tinue to exist. It is imperative that
you vote to support SLS on
Wednesday or Thursday. I fear
that this upcoming vote may be
the last chance for SLS.
SLS provides legal advice,
assistanceand representation to
any student who needs it. It is a
pre-paid service, which means
that you pay a couple of dollars
on your tuition bill each term to
ensure that it is around for you if
you need it. SLS provides a valu-
able service to students, especially
if you ever need a lawyer but
can't afford one. They've helped
students in everything from land-
lord disputes to criminal repre-
sentation, and have done an out-
standing job representing the
needs and rights of students on
this campus. The lawyers at SLS
are hard-working, respected and
have helped thousands ofstudents
just like you with little or no fan-
fare.
SLS is in serious financial
trouble. It has been crippled by
the MSA fee cap, which was de-
signed to curb the spending of
MSA, not SLS.tThe lawyers at
SLS are paid substantially less
than typical lawyers, embarrass-
ingly low for attorneys of their
caliber. Because of these finan-
cial difficulties, some lawyers at
SLS have already been laid off
and their ability to represent your
rights has been reduced. Last
March, a ballot question that
would have helped SLS failed by
a couple hundred votes and their
situation only worsened.
On Wednesday or Thursday,
If S
lutely r
suppor
A vote
serve y
we all<
Louis
SLS bi
LSA si
this week's campu
LS is to survive, it is abso- which is scattered throughout the
necessary that you vote to walkways and hallways of our
t it this week. Remember: campus, making not only an un-
for SLS is a vote to pre- sightly mess, but much more work
your rights. If SLS loses, for our custodial staff. If these
do. candidates were half as respon-
sible as they claim to be, they
Andrew Stefanic would post only single copies of
oard member their signs on designated posting
enior boards, saving themselves time
and money.
To the Daily:
I am writing to give facts clari-
fying the false campaigning of
Fiona Rose in the current MSA
campaign. Fiona has not in the
past and is not currently working
with Women's Issues Commis-
sion. There are two major false-
hoods in her campaigning. She is
claiming to be working on the
Campus Sexual Assault Informa-
tion bill. However, I am coordi-
nating the University's lobbying
effort on this bill. I have met with
and I am in contact with members
of the Michigan Legislature con-
cerning a strategy for the passage
ofthese bills. Yet, when I e-mailed
Fiona asking for her help on these
bills she did not return my e-mail.
Also, when Fiona speaks of her
Michigan Women's Caucus it is
only for MSA women and not for
her constituents. This should not
be confused with Women's Is-
sues Commission's "Women's
Round Table," which is for all
University women.
These two campaign issues
show Fiona's blatant disregard
for women's issues on this cam-
pus. If you have any questions
please e-mail me at
saute@umich.edu.
Emily Berry
MSA Women's Issues chair
LSA junior
Philip Brenner
LSA senior
To the Daily:
On behalf of Alianza, The
Latina/o Student Alliance, I wish
to offer my wholehearted endorse-
ment to the United People's Coa-
lition, the only all-student-of-
color slate running for MSA.
UPC runs out of a desire to
counteract the historic and present
lack of U.S. minority representa-
tion on MSA. Their slate repre-
sents a diverse coalition of stu-
dents of color, both men and
women, who are committed to
improving the University for all
students.
Unlike other parties who "fo-
cus solely on the University" -
so to speak - UPC recognizes
that the same stratifications of
power, race, class, sexism and
privilege which we as students of
color encounter outside of
academia are also prevalent in-
side the University setting as well.
The United People's Coalition
does not sidestep or shy away
from those issues that directly
impact us, but engages in a dia-
logue over such things as affir-
mative action.
To the best of my knowledge,
not one of the other parties has
made this commitment in public
- in fact, as the results of a
s election
affect us in our daily lives, and
demands a guarantee that the next
president of the University do
likewise. They advocate for a tu-
ition cap set at the rate of inflation
or 3.5 percent annually, which-
ever is greater.
Additionally, the United
People's Coalition has made it
known that they support: an in-
crease in the numbers of faculty
of color, following a 50/50 male/
female split; Gov. Engler rein-
stating the Indian Tuition Waiver
-if Englerrefuses to do so, UPC
demands that the University con-
tinue to waive tuition for its Na-
tive American students from
Michigan; free day care for any
students who request it; contin-
ued funding of the AATU and
SLS; an increase in preventive
measures for campus safety; open
search committee and adminis-
trative meetings affecting stu-
dents; the establishment ofa Gay/
Lesbian/Bisexual Studies Pro-
gram; that DPS be disarmed and
not carry loaded weapons; the
renewal of the Baker/Mandela
Center; no cutbacks in the South-
east Asian Languages program.
Other parties give little (to-
ken) or no attention to any of
these issues - instead we get
"Project Smile"-mentality pro-
grams that erase and obscure real
differences and power relations
in the name of a sham "diver-
sity." Alianza pushes-for change
at all levels of the University,
from the administration to the
student body. And the United
People's Coalition is about
change - changing the student
body to become responsive to stu-
dents of color. We share a similar
agenda and similar goals - with
UPC there is no one-way com-
munication or resume padding.
State Rep. Mary Schroer
(D-52nd district, North Campus)
99 Olds Plaza Building
Lansing, MI 48909
r-A '. 71 A-7-3d P
State Rep. Uz Brater
(D-53rd district, Central Campus)
412 Roosevelt Building
Lansing, MI 48909
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