4 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, September 13, 1995
Ule 13bttdi&Iv
, .A
420 Maynard
Ann Arbor, Ml 48109
Edited and managed by
students at the
University of Michigan
F- --- .1
MICHAEL ROSENBERG
Editor in Chief
JULIE BECKER
JAMES M. NASH
Editorial Page Editors
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.
Fill in the blanks
Code survey overly simp listic, biased
66 physically harming another person,
including such acts as: killing, as-
sault, threatening, stalking or hazing" - in
this situation, should the University take
action and if so, what action: expulsion,
suspension, community service, restitution/
fine, formal reprimand or other (without ask-
ing the respondent to specify "other"). Con-
fused? Apparently, so were the writers of the
survey that included this vague and illogical
question. The five-question survey was writ-
ten by a work group assigned to rewrite the
Statement of Student
Rights and Responsi-
bilities and given to
students this summer.
Any information it
yielded -- ostensibly
to help the University
rewrite the code - is
questionnaire - what kind of sanction is
unspecified "other"?
Despite the handicap of the reduced sum-
mer student population, and the looming
October deadline, the group did admirable
work in scrambling to reach as many students
as possible. However, the survey confirms
the concern that the work group will be
unable to fulfill its duty: creating a student-
friendly code of non-academic conduct. If
the survey is any indication, the group will
write not only a haphazard code, but a code
L ast week it was announce
Francisco's Candlestick Pa
renamed 3Com Park. 3Com Corp
fornia corporation that is paying a
ofmoney forthe privilege ofhavir
attached to the famous stadiunr
Francisco needs money. This is n
time this has happened - Chica
United (Airlines) Center and,
Wrigley (Chewing Gum) Field -
to think this is a bad thing.
It all goes back to the good ol
debate about public broadcastin
National Endowment for the Ar
bear with me forjust a moment.) I
right wants these organizations
because there's nothing more eff
American business and nothing
versive than making Newt's "norn
cans" pay for opera and multici
The left wants to keep the art,
accessible because there's no big
tine than an American businessp
The real issue is power. W
name our stadiums? Who decid
money goes to the Milwaukee1
for inner-city education program
Milwaukee Polka Band to play a
Beer Tent Jubilee? The public?)
trained musicians? Or 3Com C
isn't just about budget-cutting.
It was bad enough when Calvii
could confidently assert in his b
JORDAN STANCN LLLsT-DrrcI A i
Rep ubllcns, f/ie NEA and
(firmer) Candlestick Park
d that San Club style that, "The business of America is the-common-good, non-deceptive, h
rk will be business." Now the culture of America is poor type stuff. Even if it were true
. is a Cali- business. In a society where quality of film- institutions in this country would
agreat deal making is determined by quantity of ticket without the NEA, the art they exhib
ng its name sales and where the kickoff is sponsored by produced would not be the same.
n and San Dockers, perhaps it makes sense that instead European monarchs supported art
ot the first of the NEA, we can have corporate-spon- ornamentation oftheir own lifestyles
go has the sored art exhibits. General Motors can propa- will be used to decorate the lobbyc
of course, gate its own art (and social values) because smoked-glass office building.
- but I tend we don't want to pay to propagate ours. The The worst part is that the debate c
city of San Francisco is scrounging under funding and the increased commer
fashioned the couch cushions so we'll screw our sense tion of everything signify a muc
ag and the of civic pride and common ownership and problem: the unwillinginess of the p
us. (Please name our stadiums 3Com. Whatever hap- do things together. Our cities used t
n short, the pened to "Municipal Stadium"? semblance of social cohesion, the i
privatized Municipal Stadium doesn't exist any- certain institutions and organizatio
icient than more - except in Cleveland - because no owned by everybody. With this %
more sub- one wants to pay for it. The NEA won't exist idea that it was possible to solve
nal Ameri- in any significant form for the same reason. problems through concerted action:1
ultural art. So we'll get even lower taxes but our insti- could and should be fed, the you
s free and tutions will be named after, and controlled cated, etc.
ger Philis- by, big business. It's the Republicans' alter- Even though the efforts to sol
erson. native to big government. I, for one, see no problems were never wholly success
ho gets to benefit in privatizing institutions that should we don't even feel the need to try. N
es whether be public. And I've never heard of a corpo- era of downsizing, streamlining and
Symphony ration that was willing to shell out big bucks out for yourself. How can we addre
1s or to the without control over the money ... and a pling social problems if we can't eve
at the GOP return of 14 percent. to name sports arenas?If3Com and]
A panel of This is fine for the Republicans, who represent the new polis, maybe they4
orp? This would like my morning shower to have cor- house the homeless. Don't count on
porate sponsorship. But it's not fine for
n Coolidge anyone who's interested in not-for-profit, - Stancil is an LSA senior. He
est Rotary culturally enriching, mind-broadening, for- reached over e-mail at rialto@umi
r
elp-the-
that arts''
surviVe
ited avr4
Just a
for the
s, our art
of some
over arts;
wcializad
,h larger:
iublic0
o have a
dea that
ns wereY
went tle :
e sociaf
Thepoof
ng edu-
ve these
ful, now
owisthe_
looking
ess crp-
n afford
Dockers
can also
n it.
can be
ch.edu.
i'
based on misinforma-
tion from misled stu-
dents.
Any group of stu-
dents could have writ-
ten a better question-
naire with little effort.
The work group's
t S
Jim A SSER
SiARP AS TOASTI
all but worthless.h
When the Board of
Regents directed the
office of Student Affairs to rewrite the docu-
ment, the University promised to incorporate
student input into the writing process. But as
usual the University is proving unable - or
unwilling - to keep its promises.
The format of the survey smells of Uni-
versity interference. Five questions cannot
possibly cover the issues surrounding the
code. And the survey neglects to mention
why it is in circulation at all - a glaring
omission, considering that many students on
campus are unfamiliar with the code debate.
Perhaps the most insidious aspect of the
survey is that both the questions and the
response choices are loaded. The aforemen-
tioned situation lumps killing into the same
categoiy as hazing, in addition to assuming
that any of the sanctions are relevant or
appropriate. "Misuse of computer software
or other University equipment" is narrow
enough to include pirating shareware yet
broad enough to include Jake Baker. The
question on discrimination is equally am-
biguous. Loose is the pervading theme in the
The code survey, shown here at 83 percent
as
chance has passed, how-
ever. To undo the dam-
age, the Office of Stu-
dent Affairs and the work group must consult
professionals to write a comprehensive, un-
biased survey - one that truly explores stu-
dent needs in terms of conduct regulations.
Given the flimsy survey, the short notice,
the sketchy origin of the work group - the
Office of Student Affairs - and potential
meddling from University officials, the work
group also appears to be yet another flag to
wave. It gives the impression of student in-
volvement, when in reality such involvement
is minimal and misdirected.
Ifthe administration understands anything,
it should be this: Students care about their
academic environment. Students are com-
pletely capable of thinking for themselves.
Students are the reason the University exists.
And students are willing to work with the
administration in a real capacity. Instead of
raising the flag of appeasement, the Univer-
sity must prove it is willing to work with
students as well by taking the time and effort
to include them - and their opinions - in
writing the code.
of actual size. Comprehensive? Not quite.
confession0fatherflannigan . rel .
from:Tom Smith
Father -
forgive me ,
I have
sinned.
ft.'
~I Confession in the 90's
NOTALE QuOTABLE
'(The Rhodes
Scholarship is)
pure prestige, a
goody-two-shoes
award.'
- LSA Honors Program
Director Ruth Scodel
VE1WPOINT
The 19th Amendment:. Keep up the fight.,
Please evaluate the following situations in regards to:
* Should the University take action Yes/ No
"
1.
2.
If Yes what sanctions should be taken
expulsion 3. community service
suspension 4. restitution / fine
by
5.
6.
the university?
formal reprimand
.other
Misuse of computer software or other university equipment.
Univ. action YIN Sanction #:
Physically harming another person, including such acts as: killing, assaulting,
threatening, stalking, or hazing.
Univ. action Y/N Sanction #:
Destruction of commercial property in Ann Arbor.
Univ. action Y/N Sanction #:
Discrimination against another person because of: her/his race, ethnicity, sex,
religion, creed, national origin, socio-economic background, sexual orientation, age, disability,
or Vietnam-era veteran status.
Univ. action Y/N Sanction #: __
By Ann Markey
It was probably one of the
most prolonged political fights in
the history of the U.S. Congress
never to erupt in a war. The con-
troversial campaign spanned 72
years before its proponents earned
their well-deserved victory.
Along the way, the action spilled
out to the actual voters through
56 referenda and even to 47 cam-
paigns to state constitutional con-
ventions.
Whatwas the hotly contested
issue? Would you believe
women's suffrage? Today, be-
cause it is taken so for granted,
the struggle for women to claim
universal voting rights remains
an untaught lesson in the annals
of history.
The end of this summer
marked the 75th anniversary of
the 19th Amendment - which
finally gave women the right to
vote. The occasion passed last
month virtually unnoticed. To
honor this anniversary, I want to
salute a few of the women who
continue the fight for an even
better tomorrow.
Sen Barbara Boxer (D-Ca-
lif.) deserves a commendation for
her tenacious battle to open up
fellow Sen. Bob Packwood's (R-
Ore.) ethics hearings to the pub-
Markey is an LSA senior
and a member of the Daily
editorial page staff
lic. Her tireless campaign kept a
spotlight firmly in place on the
findings ofthe committee. Thanks
to her, the investigation into nu-
merous charges brought against
the now-resigned Packwood for
sexual harassment received the
media's rapt attention. Boxer let
Wassong will pay dearly for his
horrific behavior, and will serve
as a lesson to others, thanks to the
tenacity ofthese women. Beware:
sexual harassment is a crime and
it will be punished.
Lashonda D., a fifth-grader
in Georgia, rocked her school dis-
Beware: Sexual harassment is a crime
and it will be punished.
Congress and the American
people know that women haven't
forgotten the Clarence Thomas/
Anita Hill hearings. Give them
hell, Boxer.
A. secretarial pool brought
charges against their boss, Dan
Wassong, after enduring years of
lewd and abusive behavior. Busi-
ness as usual for Wassong meant
grabbing an employee's breast,
refusing to zip his fly, using his
office bathroom without ever
closing the door, as well as rou-
tinely making demeaning and
vulgar comments about appear-
ances of his employees. Earlier
this summer, the women won their
case and were awarded damages
exceeding $1 million. Officials
regard the case as the largest
monetary settlement the Equal
Employment Opportunity Com-
mission has ever garnered.
trict when she and her mother
sued for sex discrimination. It
seems no one took Lashonda se-
riously when she routinely com-
plained to the teacher that a fel-
low student was constantly both-
ering her by using vulgar lan-
guage, rubbing up against her and
trying to touch her breasts and
vaginal area. School officials have
no choice but to take a sincere
interest in the matter now that a
huge lawsuit is at stake. Lashonda
used Title IX of the Education
Amendment of 1972 - which
prohibits sex discrimination in
schools that receive federal
money - to sue for damages.
Thanks to Lashonda, teachers will
have to face the reality that offen-
sive behavior begins at a young
age and it should not be tolerated.
Lashonda may have already kept
another would-be Bob Packwood
early age. Go Lashonda!
Callie Khourie, the writer/
genius behind the classic "Thelma
and Louise" has scored again with
"Something to Talk About." I'm
proud that she's among the few
successful female screenwriters
in Hollywood today. Her new film
skillfully shows the double stan-
dards that still proliferate in soci-
ety. She enlivens the screen with
her witty and distinctly female
writing style.
The trials of these women re-
mind us that, sadly, the fight for
equality did not end in late Au-
gust of 1920 with the adoption of
the 19th Amendment. It is my
hope, however, that one day in
the not-so-distant future, the con-
troversies that these women are
stirring up now will seem as righ-
teous to us as does the 19th
Amendment.
or Dan Wassong from ever harm-
ing anyone again. Because she
spoke up, she has created a better
learning environment for all
schoolchildren. She refused to be
a victim of sexism. The next gen-
eration can only benefit by root-
ing out harassment at such an
Theft between two
Univ. action Y/N
students in . a residence hall.
Sanction #:
please put additional feedback on other side
HOW TO CONTACT THEM
Code Workgroup
Office of Student Affairs
6015 Fleming Building
7y~ 2) ca
LETTERS
Football fans should show more respect for those on the field
To the Daily:
Every football Saturday, the
Michigan student section gets
fired up to cheer on the team,
partake in the festivities, and join
in on the many traditions that,
over the vears. have been associ-
themselves to whiten the north
endzone, fearing maybe that the
winter snowfall just won't arrive
in time. Egg-white-and-sugar
dodgeball in the stands may be
hilarious, but a certain group of
people also find it amusing to pelt
school. I know of no other stu-
dent section at a university that is
more discourteous to its own
people than the University stu-
dents. The worst of it is that this
game of flying marshmallows has
progressed beyond creampuffs to
have $10-$20 dents put in instru-
ments, simply because some
people can't findabetterbaseball
diamond.
Students, have a bit of pride
for your school and for those who
show up in that stadium to enter-
f