4A - The Michigan Daily - Monday, October 2, 1995
420 Maynard
AnnArbor, MI 48109
Edited and managed by
students at the
University of Michigan
1 .1
MICHAEL ROSENBERG
Editor in Chief
JULIE BECKER
JAMES M. NASH
Editorial Page Editors
JiEs R. CHo0SIGN ON THE Dorn LiE
W'i3at happens when t/he
presidents batterkes run out.?
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.
:pvsdtilul politics
In 1993,1
that the t
Open Meet
formationY
dential sea
James J. D
In the Wake
tion, many
keep its pr
his success
Search for successor must be open
he Michigan Supreme Court ruled geration. Last year, University lobbyists were
University violated both the state's rendered almost ineffectual because lawmak-
tings Act and the Freedom of In- ers thought them snobs. The misrepresenta-
Act by conducting its 1988 presi- tion was nearly a costly one - it came at a
rch - which resulted in hiring time when the Legislature wanted to with-
uderstadt -behind closed doors. hold millions of dollars from the University.
e of Duderstadt's sudden resigna- A president chosen in accordance with the
still want the Board of Regents to law would help revive the University's sag-
oceedings secret as it searches for ging reputation.
sor. The illegality alone of this Finally, opening the presidential search
prospect should deter the regents, who have would ensure a clean, honest search process.
a responsibility finally to allow the public to It would, for example, deter regents from
listen In on their decision making. making threatening phone calls to candidates
Sadly, however, this may not be the case. - as was done in the past - and frightening
State Sen. John Schwarz (R-Battle Creek) off qualified people. During the last presi-
suggested last week that the regents should dential search, Baker called the University's
ignore the "outrageous" 1993 decision. "It is first choice forthe position, Vartan Gregorian,
(the regents') duty to choose the University and told him he would not support his presi-
president, and for that reason, I strongly dency. Without the board or the public know-
believe we should leave the regents alone," ing about this abuse of power, Gregorian
Schwarz said. Regent Deane Baker (R-Ann pulled out of the running.
Arbor) said last week the board had not The biggest concern opponents of open
discussed whether or not it will follow the searches raise is the notion that an open
court's ruling. "I think it's too early to make process will violate the privacy of the candi-
a judgment like that," he said. dates. But the reality is that being considered
On the contrary: This should not be a for the job of University president is an
difficult decision. Aside from following the affirmation of skill and qualification. Some
ruling simply because it comes from the express fears that candidates would lose cred-
Michigan Supreme Court, there are other ibility at their current jobs - but if a person
compelling reasons to abide by the law. is prestigious enough to be considered for the
First, it might be construed as a generous job, that fact would likely come as no sur-
move dcn behalf of this publicly funded uni- prise to his or her employers. Furthermore, if
versit$Io allow its taxpayers the opportunity candidates cannot stand up to the scrutiny of
to evafuate presidential candidates. Taxpay- an open presidential search, there is no rea-
ers largely shoulder the University's ex- son to believe they could withstand the in-
penses, and they have a right at least to tense spotlight ofbeing the University's chief
observe the decision-making process. Also, executive.
a University willingness to abide by the law In choosing Duderstadt's successor, the
would be good for public relations. State regents must abide by the Open Meetings Act
lawmakers might finally be convinced that and conduct the search in public. They owe it
the image of the University as arrogant and not only to the law, but to the University
pretentiously above the law is an unfair exag- community as well.
Appointing regents would sour board politics
A replica of that charming but obnoxious
pink Energizer bunny sits atop a shelf
next to University President James J.
Duderstadt's desk -you know, the one you
always see on TV thumping that drum; the
one that keeps going and going and going
and going and going - ad infinitum. Look-
ing at that cute little bunny sitting above his
desk has brought many smiles to Duderstadt's
face as he wound up another 18-hour day at
the office. But, as we all know, nothing lasts
forever, not even Energizer batteries, not
even Duderstadt. Who can blame him?
He's been called ajerk and an autocrat by
some, a mentor, an educator and flat-out
genius by others. Sure, at the meeting of the
political science faculty afterthe resignation
went public, there was applause. Others were
both saddened and shocked by his announce-
ment. But it would have been impossible for
Duderstadt to be everyone's buddy. Heck,
you'd have to be God for everyone to like
you and yet there are some people who don't
even like God. You can never win.
University presidents have their hands
tied. Duderstadt tried to judiciously divide
his time among several pressing obligations
- meeting with wealthy alums, dealing
with state and federal legislators, accommo-
dating alumni, keeping faculty members
under control and appeasing regents. He
hardly had time to indulge in the fun stuff
that other normal professors get to do -
conducting research, teaching graduate stu-
dents, going to brown bag lunches or writing
papers for publication.
He's not resigning because he made a
racist slur or sexually harassed a colleague.
He's not stepping down because faculty
members petitioned for his resignation or
students were staging a protest in his office.
No, he couldn't deal with the politicization
of the office. He couldn't stand catering to
the petty needs of some of his regental bosses.
And Duderstadt finally said, enough is
enough.
I cringed when Gov. John Engler told
reporters Duderstadt's resignation stemmed
from his reluctance to accommodate infan-
tile regents: "It became an issue of Jim
Duderstadt not getting a passing grade in the
care and feeding of regents - everything
from which box they get to use at University
of Michigan football games to where they're
being recognized at University events to
how much stature they can have as regents."
A University administrator who wished
to remain unidentified corroborated the re-
mark, saying Engler's comments were cor-
rect. "I'm sure Engler's right and everybody
involved knows that." When did pampering
the whims of regents find its way into the job
description of a university president? That's
the truly sad part of Duderstadt's shocking
departure.
The sudden announcement last week
brought nothing but disgrace and embar-
rassment to the University. The resignation
and subsequent fallout made the often elu-
sive, aloof regents sound utterly despicable.
The incidents that have spiraled out of con-
trol have been a p.r. nightmare. Just ask
Walter Harrison, vice president for Univer-
sity relations, who conveniently left town
this weekend. In the eyes of outside observ-
ers our reputation is forever tarnished and it
did not result from a naive student posting
graphic messages on the Internet or football
players illegally purchasing beer at a local
Dairy Mart. These are forgivable offenses.
Theories that Duderstadt pre-empted an
imminent coup d'etat have been circulating
among everyone from the stressed-out stu-
dent to sensationalizing journalists. This
conspiracy theory stems in large part from
the governor's comments and from the re-
marks made by Regent Laurence Deitch (D-
Bloomfield Hills) in regards to the possible
firing of Duderstadt: "There was no plan in
the works - at this time." Incidentally,
Deitch was seen scalping tickets at Saturday's
Miami of Ohio game. "Call it whatever you
like, but I saw an exchange of tickets and an
exchange of money. Looked like scalping to
me," said a friend who wished to remain
anonymous. I can see why regents would
like box seats at Michigan football games.
In his damaging assessment of the
University's Board of Regents, Engler has
been calling for the power to appoint regents
himself. It's not going to happen any time
soon and besides, wouldn't the governor
love that privilege?
So what's next for the 50-something
president emeritus? Is he about to embark on
a nationwide book-signing tour? Is he going
to run as Colin Powell's vice-presidential
candidate? Random House probably won't
give him the same $6 million advance given
to Powell, but Duderstadt will certainly leave
his office well compensated. The regents
two weeks ago approved the highest pos-
sible merit salary increase for Duderstadt,
leaving him with $260,000-plus. As part of
his contract, he is entitled to a full-year
sabbatical at full presidential pay to help
bridge the transition from the president's
office to the College of Engineering where
he will become a professor of science and
engineering. He will receive a faculty salary
of $170,000.
Undoubtedly, interim Engineering Dean
Glenn Knoll will welcome the brilliant
nuclear engineer/president emeritus back
with open arms. Heck, they're both nuclear
engineers and they even collaborated in a
book called the "Principles of Engineering"
more than a decade ago. How about a book
called, "The Physics of a Public University"?
Is he going to run for president of the
United States? He's no Colin Powell, but
he's well connected with many Washington
cronies. A political appointment is certainly
not out of the question. He's already served
for four years as chairman of the board of the
National Science Foundation. More impor-
tant, how many people do you know have a
picture of themselves standing between Bill
Clinton and George Bush in the Rose Gar-
den of the White House? Duderstadt does.
President Emeritus Duderstadt happily
leaves many headaches behind but if his
illustrious track record is any indication,
don't expect him to sit by quietly forever.
Even Energizer batteries can be replaced.
- James R. Cho can be reached over
e-mail atjcho@umich.edu.
JIM LASSER SHARP
-00 YOU TAKE
ALL YOU LEEDE
LETTERS
AS TOAST
r
NOTABLE QuOTABLE
'I don't think
Duderstadt figures
very much in
campus life.
Not many people
worry about him.'
- LSA senior
Michelle Lee
f all the reactions to University Presi-
O dent James J. Duderstadt's resignation
last week, perhaps none has beenso outra-
geous as that of Gov. John Engler. Calling
Duderstadt a great leader, Engler blasted the
University's Board of Regents as incompe-
tent and accused them of forcing the presi-
dent out of office. Underlying those remarks
were motives born from the lowest form of
politicking: a naked grab for power.
What made Engler's comment surprising
was that the governor has never been a great
supporter of Duderstadt or of the University.
Just last spring Engler backed a move to
deliver to Michigan State a lopsided share of
state funds at the University's expense. For
the governor to suddenly praise Duderstadt
is disingenuous.
The gist of the governor's comments be-
come clearwhen viewed as part ofhis agenda
to bring the regents under Lansing's control.
Although he later said that the proposed
change would not take place until after his
term had ended, Engler's proposal is still a
blatant attempt to further politicize the state's
largest universities. Blaming the current sys-
tem ofstatewide regental elections for Michi-
gan State University, Wayne State Univer-
sity and the University of Michigan for pro-
ducing incompetent administrators, Engler
has voiced a preference for boards consisting
of gubernatorial appointees. The idea rests
on the misperception that university boards
are polarized by political labels - when in
fact e~n controversial issues such as affir-
mativiaction and the change to include sexual
orientation in the University's non-discrimi-
nation bylaw have had strong bipartisan sup-
How TO CONTACT THEM
port. Contrary to Engler's belief, gubernato-
rial appointments would have disastrous ef-
fects for the University.
Although the current system of regental
election certainly has its problems - the
major parties anoint two of their biggest
financial backers, and the prevailing political
trends sweep one set of candidates to victory
- it does allow the Michigan's voters some
control over who oversees "their" universi-
ties. Engler's proposals would remove even
nominal voter input, making regents account-
able only to the governor. Far from removing
politics from meetings, partisan appointment
would put politics squarely in the middle of
many discussions. Appointees personally
raised to office by a governor would be hard-
pressed to vote against the wishes of their
sponsor. In addition, ifthe system were struc-
tured so that each governor picked his or her
own appointees, every time a new governor
of the opposite party were be elected, he or
she would want to replace the entire board to
mirror the party in control. This would erase
all hopes of consistency or continuity in the
board and destroy the autonomy from Lan-
sing that the regents now enjoy.
Any move toward appointedregents would
require an amendment to Michigan's Consti-
tution - a process involving a massive peti-
tion drive and lobbying of state legislators
and one that political analysts fortunately
deem unlikely. Ifthis question did ever come
to a statewide referendum, it would be im-
perative that the state's voters realize the
University is a public institution, and should
never be controlled solely by political hacks
in Lansing.
__
Daily errs in
faulting MSA
appointment
To the Daily:
In the editorial "Wright for
the job?" (9/27/95), crucial facts
were left out when the Daily con-
demned MSA for appointing
Andrew Wright to city liaison.
The editorial presented MSA
members as hypocritical for ap-
pointing him and condemning him
in the past. The Daily fails to note
that MSA has gone though one
election, a few resignations and
many appointments since Rep.
Wright was stripped of his posi-
tion. New students sit on the as-
sembly, including two students
who were not even at the Univer-
sity last year; obviously the new
assembly will not agree with all
the positions taken by previous
assemblies. This new assembly
has tried to put the partisan poli-
tics aside to work in the best in-
terests of students. Andrew
Wright's appointment will help
MSA and students with their re-
lations with the city.
The second important area left
uncovered by the editorial was
the amount of work this position
requires. The Ann Arbor City
Council meets every Monday
And since he is the only one will-
ing to perform this time-consum-
ing position, MSA unanimously
supported the nomination. As for
the Daily's concerns about his
actions in the past, elections are
six weeks away, Nov. 15 and 16,
at that time Rep. Wright will be
up for re-election. Let the voters
decide what they think of his ac-
tion, and meanwhile let MSA
appoint the Wright person for the
job.
Dan Serota
LSA sophomore
Chair, MSA Academic
Affairs Commission
Contract foes
w rongheaded
To the Daily:
I amwriting hopefully to settle
the question once and for all, re-
garding whether the House Re-
publicans' Contract, is "On" or
"With" America. While the first
100 days are over and the House
is moving forward in debating
the provisions of their latest pa-
perback, "Restoring the Dream,"
groups on campus seem as mobi-
lized as ever in protesting last
year's legislation. The Contract
With America set a common plat-
form for House Republican can-
Contract.
However, those of us without
a mouthful of sour grapes see
things differently. On principle,
it made sense for the House Re-
publicans to follow the agenda
they had campaigned on. For
once, politicians actually did what
they promised the voters, instead
of making vague promises to ev-
eryone in order to be elected and
then delivering on nothing.
Now that its name has been
established, it is time to consider
some of its substance. Now that
Congress has to obey its own laws,
it is no longer the elitist body that
had considered foisting social-
ized medicine on the people after
being able to exempt themselves
from it. Another important issue
is Medicare. Independent of any
tax cut, Medicare is going broke
in seven years, a condition the
president has admitted. Afraid of
antagonizing the AARP, the
103rd Congress sent Medicare
hurtling ever closer to the brink
of disaster by not slowing its
growth. The 104th Congress is
increasing Medicare at a rate
above inflation, but not at the rate
that will burn it out. In the name
of compassion, the House Re-
publicans could have ignored the
problem until millions of elderly
people were without health care,
but that would not have been very
editorials. The Daily calls the
Contract extreme, yet endorsed
Clinton's budget, which would
have set $200 billion deficits for-
ever. It was so extreme it was
defeated 99-0 in the Senate. The
Daily is as bereft of ideas as the
Democratic Party. While Repub-
licans are shaping national de-
bate, the Democrats are circling
their wagons in defense of the
Commerce Department. They are
fighting for Ron Brown's job, but
he has already been indicted.
In letters, CACOA points to
rising defense spending as if it
were a wholly Republican idea. I
am still waiting for a Democrat to
decry defense spending, and then
suggest cutting it by closing the
base in his or her district. Cutting
defense would have the same ef-
fect as firing teachers or postal
workers. While some accuse the
Republicans ofstarving children,
it has been documented that
1996's 4.5-percent increase in
school lunch funding is higher
than the increase in Clinton's
budget. The Daily has tried to
arouse fear regarding student
loans, but it has had little effect.
On top of the yearly 10 percent
tuition increases, the prospect of
paying an extra few cents per day
really isn't that daunting. Lastly,
when the Democrats saythey only
want to raise taxes on the wealthy,
a
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