4 -The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, November 29, 1995

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Edited and managed by
students at the
University of Michigan

MICHAEL ROSENBERG
Editor in Chief
JULIE BECKER
JAMES M. NASH
Editorial Page Editors


cultures, majors and term papeis?

Is bonding stili possible across

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.
Presi dentX
A student committee would maxmze imput

n the chorus of ideas about a new Univer-
sity president, the most important voice -
the students' - has the faintest ring. Now
that the Board of Regents has decided upon a
game plan, it must consider the next step in
the presidential search: structuring the pro-
cess to maximize student input. With Nellie
Varner (D-Detroit) and Shirley McFee (R-
Battle Creek) heading the search committee,
and the Senate Advisory Committee on Uni-
versity Affairs adding faculty views, stu-
dents must have their own committee to be
heard above the din.
Michigan Student Assembly President
Flint Wainess, the student representative to
the Board of Regents, has spoken to SACUA
Chair George Brewer and MSA about estab-
lishing a student advisory committee. The
committee could take a number of shapes. If
students joined with SACUA, the two would
make a strong partnership. However, given
SACUA's current disrepute with the regents,
the alliance could overshadow students' good
intentions. Moreoyer, students would be
bound to the faculty government's concep-
tions of credentials and qualifications, and
would have to play by SACUA's meetings
rules. The unified voice may be muted if
faculty and students align.
Another option is an independent student
committee, drawn from MSA members and
student volunteers. Autonomy would be the
advantage of this route: Students could make
recommendations, free of regental or faculty
interference. Some would argue that such a
committee would be the most desirable choice

A.
because it would not be subject to the Open
Meetings Act as the regents are. Unsuitable
candidates could be eliminated early on, the
argument goes, sparing them from poten-
tially damaging public scrutiny. However, a
student veto with no evidence or rationale
would be a mere whisper. Private meetings
would not eliminate the necessity of report-
ing to the board, which has to make the report
public. Airtight secrecy is not the type of
autonomy students need - they must be
heard in the open.
Students would be better off partnering
with - but not subordinating themselves to
- the regents. A regent-designated commit-
tee would confer credibility that neither
SACUA nor MSA can give to students. To
work alongside the regents in the search is by
far the best option. Wainess must use his
representative status to push for this, even if
he has to step on some administrative toes in
the process.
Ideally, a committee charged by the board
would bemade up of MSA members, cam-
pus leaders - and plenty of other students. It
would hold its own meetings, open to the
public and accountable to the regents. How-
ever, it would remain independent in select-
ing a viable presidential choice.
The University needs to pick a leader on
whom the administration, faculty and stu-
dents can agree. Each portion of the com-
munity should be able to eliminate options.
It is up to Wainess and the regents to ensure
that the student voice is heard loud and
clear.

tudents at this large and fragmented Uni-
versity rarely find themselves in a set-
ting where the brutal differences in social
class, ethnicity and major can be bridged.
For all the talk about diversity, has anyone
ever actually seen a math major? When was
the last time you heard a guy majoring in
math talk to a woman studying psych? If
such a conversation ever took place it would
probably go something like this:
Math genius: "Hi. Will you go out with
me?"
Woman re-learning cool stuff about the
id, ego and superego: "What?"
Then legions of frat boys would swoop
down and beat the hell out ofthe next Einstein
while the psych major heads for Cava Java.
With this lack of inter-major communi-
cation, will the .University ever be able to
achieve harmony among its many constitu-
ent social groups? Will clean-cut B-school
types ever forgo Mitch's to get baked at East
Quad? Will the Nectarine soon be the site of
the BSU/College Republicans Hip-Hop Gala
Fundraiser? Will the football teameverhang
out at Bruegger's? Will I ever hang out at
Bruegger's?
For the record, I will never hang out at
Bruegger's. But once upon a time, there was
a magical place on campus where superfi-
cial differences were forgotten, where stu-
dents felt only camaraderie and love for one
another. Of course, I refer to the Angell Hall

v i. AL

Computing Center, a place where students
find themselves locked in mortal combat
with that most unforgiving of enemies, the
clock. Angell Hall is the kind of place
where people don't judge one another by
the color of their skin because they know
that in a few short hours they will all be
judged by the content of their term papers
which are either nonexistent or in pretty
sorry shape.
This common purpose, i.e., finishing at
all costs, is a great eraser of social differ-
ence. But this atmosphere of profound to-
getherness has been ruined by the new policy
whereby students choose their own stations.
Angell Flail is now the place where
computerless students roam frantically in
search of a free computer or even one that's
not being put to good use. Just this week the
sign at the entrance encouraged students to
"fillet and eat" anyone who was playing
games while others were waiting. Besides
the fact that Pac-Man is an essential part of
my writing process, I'm worried that the
new'policy could be the first step to some-
thing more draconian. What ifnext semester
we'll be able to take someone's station ifhis/
her paper isn't due the next day, or if our
paper is worth 30 percent of the grade and
his/hers is worth only 25 percent? Students
will be pitted against one another and the
dream of campus unity will be lost as fist
fights break out between procrastinators who

are going to get bad grades anyway.
Another blow to campus harmony is that
stations are reassigned much more frequently
than before. Gone are the days when you
could check out a station and call it yours no
matter how many trips you made to the Jug.;
Now an atmosphere of suspicion and fear
dominates because if you spend too much
time running to you professor's office to get
an extension, a snotty New Yorker might be
typing away at your station when you get
back. And what does that do for your atti-
tudes toward the East Coast? Not a whole
hell of a lot.
I long for the days when you could spend
a few nights at Angell Hall and feel deeply
connected, in a real elemental, humane
sort of way, to all the other idiots who-put
off their work as long as you did, even if
their work was psychology. Then again,
maybe I have too rosy a view of the past.
After all, I was living in Angell Hall in
early December last year when I returned
"home" from the Jug only to find that my,
station had been reassigned and my 52
books placed in a cardboard box next to
my station. Believe you me, I have never
felt so empty inside as when I realized that
I would have to wait two hours for another
computer. And to think that it's termpaper
time again ..
-Jordan Stancil can he reached over
e-mail at rialto@umich.edu


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I just can't see
Maureen Hartford
taking up
and just doing
these things.'
- George Brewer, chair
of the Senate Advisory
Committee on University
Affairs, referring to plans
to make the Dean of
Students office more
accessible to students

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Technical details
Washtenaw program would give needed skills

I

LETTERS

Seventy-five percent of America's high
school students say they want to earn a
bachelor's degree, but only 20 percent of
jobs in the next century will require one,
according to a study by the Washtenaw Inter-
mediate School District. Those are pretty bad
odds for today's students -but fortunately,
the district is taking steps to do something
about them.
Plans are underway inWashtenaw County
for a partnership that would allow high school
students to gain the technical skills that are
becoming crucial in industrial jobs. The col-
laboration between Washtenaw Community
College, Eastern Michigan University and
10 local school districts is modeled on 19
programs across the nation. Dubbed the
"Washtenaw Technical Middle College," it
would be based at the community college and
offer courses ranging from advanced robot-
ics to applied math and science. The program
would include apprenticeships, job shadow-
ing and one-on-one instruction.
The area's educators deserve commenda-
tion for this forward-looking plan. In the past
20 years, the number of skilled jobs that
tequire only a high school degree has plum-
meted, while those demanding advanced
training have multiplied. A few decades ago,
4person with a high school diploma could
iake a good living wage. Today, in contrast,
ihe same diploma is good for little more than
a fast-food job. The financial gap between
those with a college education and those
without has widened dramatically, leaving
those on the lower end struggling to keep
afloat.
Technical education presents one feasible
way to fill that gap. In the working world of
How TO CONTACT THEM

the 21st century, the skills in highest demand
will be technical ones - computers and
other complex machinery require a profi-
ciency only specialized training can provide.
Washtenaw Community College has long
recognized this need, offering occupational
and technical programs aimed specifically at
preparing students for jobs.
Under the proposed partnership, those
advantages would extend to the area's high
school students. Unlike their peers in tradi-
tional high schools, participating students
would graduate from the program with skilled
training, making them more competitive in
the job market. In addition, those who choose
to go on for associate or bachelor's degrees
would have a head start, allowing them to
earn the degrees in less time than traditional
students.
Many details remain to be ironed out
before the spring, when school districts will
vote on joining the program. However, both
the individual districts and the central plan-
ners are enthusiastic - as they should be.
Not only has the "middle college" idea ex-
isted since 1974 and proven successful in
many cities, but Washtenaw is taking the
idea a step further. While other middle col-
leges incorporate a broad liberal arts curricu-
lum, the Washtenaw program would be the
first aimed directly at technical careers.
In a world where new technology devel-
ops every day, Washtenaw's focus is a good
one. If schools are to prepare students to
enter the adult world, they first must recog-
nize what the current adult world requires
and then take steps to meet those require-
ments. The Washtenaw Technical Middle
College would do just that.

Columnist
encourages
segregation
To the Daily:
While I commend Julie
Becker's attempt to express her
viewpoint and stimulate intellec-
tual thought, I would like to point
out a few fundamental flaws in
her reasoning.
Becker's main argument is
that Christmas "is a Christian
holiday,(and) non-Christians can-
not honestly celebrate it." She
backs up this statement with two
reasons. The first being there is
some popular myth floating
around this world which "says
you have to act like a Christian to
be accepted as a Jew." The sec-
ond is that "this is not a politically
correct world," so non-Christians
shouldn't have to be forced to
smile and put up with doing
Christmassy things.
Becker supports her first
premise by saying, "I (note the
word I) thought being Jewish
meant being Christian, just with
slight variations ... make me
(once again first person) realize
that being Jewish means being
not Christian." Whoa. First of all,
Becker uses first person argu-
ments ofpersonal insecurities and
identity crises to generalize on a
third person level, telling the
reader that "we don't need to buy
the myth," etc.
I am not a true Christian, nor
am I Jewish, but I feel Becker has
no right to lump Jews and non-
Christians together into her little
grinch-like world just because of
herown personal insecurities. The
second thing that baffled me about
this statement is the phrase "be-
ing Jewish means being not Chris-
tian." I shivered at the total ludi-
crous nature of this statement.

Judaism existed long before
Christianity came about, Jesus
Christ Himself was a Jew, and it
was not founded to be the antith-
esis or nemesis of Christianity,
nor was Christianity formed to
oppose Judaism. How can Becker
believe that Judaism is not a
"question of faith, of whom I
(note the first person, once again)
worship, or when or where or
how?" Becker's argument basi-
cally states that her idea of Juda-
ism is not of worship or faith but
to oppose Christianity?!? To top
it all off, she claims to speak for
the general non-Christian popu-
lace! I think it is time for a reality
check.
From Becker's argument that
this is not a politically correct
world, and "I wouldn't want it to
be," it is possible to trace her true
intentions and rationalizations.
Becker does not want a politi-
cally correct world. So she would
rather have a world filled with
racism, religious hatred and seg-
regation? I hope not. Political
correctness is not a cutesy, fash-
ionable thing to do, it is the right
thing to do. Period. If you think
about it carefully you will realize
this. For example, what is the
non-politically correct terms for
woman or African American or
Asian American? Not very nice
terms come to mind, huh?
So what it all boils down to, it
that either Ms. Becker is a ra-
cially and religiously charged
segregationist, much like the
Nazis who, ironically, persecute
all Jews and other non-Aryans,
or she is one very confused indi-
vidual. In either case, I would
hope the editorial staff would
think twice before publishing
such an offensive piece of litera-
ture.
Ryan Cuskaden
LSA senior

Liberal media
biased toward
president
To the Daily:
The Washington Post article
printed in the Daily recently
("Public behind Clinton in bud-
get battle," 11/21/95) is only one
of many examples of the way the
president's soulmates in the me-
dia have mischaracterized the
budget issue.
For those who haven't read it,
the Washington Post article re-
ported the results of a self-con-
ducted poll of 827 people. Fifty-
six percent of the sample "said
Clinton's position on the budget
issue was closer to their own,"
and 2 out of 3 "agreed that the
Republican plan to balance the
federal budget in seven years cut
too deeply into domestic pro-
grams."
Let me first discuss the myth
of spending cuts. People need to
realize very quickly that the Re-
publican budget plan contains no
cuts in government spending!
This plan achieves a balanced
budget in 2002 by decreasing the
rate of increase of many govern-
ment programs, which means that
spending will continue to rise
significantly. Medicare spending,
for instance, will increase annu-
ally by 6 percent, twice the rate
of inflation. The fact that poll-
sters are spreading lies long-dis-
tance outrages me, and the news
that 66 percent of everyone swal-
lows them whole distresses me.
Speaking oflies and liars, let's
now talk about the Great BSer
himself. Two years ago, he and
his wife Hillary promoted cut-
ting the growth of Medicare
spending from 10 percent to 6
percent during the health care
debate. Yet when Newt and Bob

talk about doing exactly the same
thing now, Clinton's press secre-a
tary accuses them of wanting to'
let the elderly die a slow death.-
The president has made state=.-
ments supporting a balanced bud
get since the '92 campaign with'
out ever having produced one
that even approaches zeroing the
budget gap at any time.
Unfortunately, most of the
press is choosing to ignore
Clinton's hypocrisy and his lies
and to unfairly criticize a Con-
gressional Budget Office-ap
proved plan that has gained the
support of no fewer than 50
Democratic legislators. And af-
ter doing their damage, they as-
sess it through their polls and
publish the results which are dam-
aging in themselves.
The truth is that a balanced
budget is in high demand by the
vast majority of this country who
want to preserve the economic
freedom of their children and
grandchildren. Republicansneed
to find ways to communicate to
America that they are leading the
way. Unlike the Clintonites, they
don't have the mass media kiss-
ing up to them.
Michael Wheaton
Engineering senior
Great photo
To the Daily:
I want to commend Daily pho-
tographer Kristen Schaefer for the
awesome shot on the front page
of the Daily on Tuesday ("Gothic
nights," 11/28/95). What a cool
photo. That column and arch and
illuminated Law Library made
my morning. Keep up the good
work, Kristen!
Joy A. Burnett
LSA senior

Sen. Carl Levin (D)
459 Russell Senate Office Building

Sen. Spencer Abraham (R)
B40 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Thanks for clearing un long

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