4 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, October 3, 1995 cuje iriguotn ?Ouilg JEAN TWENGE THE ERASABLE PEN 420 Maynard Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Edited andmanaged by students at the - University of Michigan MICHAEL ROSENBERG Editor in Chief JULIE BECKER JAMES M. NASH Editorial Page Editors Want to be Mivs Amenca? Learn to builda sandcastle 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. Dollars and nonsense Atale oft2 MSA budgets - no, make that 3 s budget battles go, this was supposed to be Waterloo. The Michigan Student Assembly's two dominant parties - one stinging from the defection of a prominent member - were set to square off last Tues- day night over the student government's annual budget, a document that reflects some deep and intractable differences between the parties. But this battle was not to be. As the Michigan Party and the Students' Party pre- pared to face off, a supposedly neutral execu- tive stepped in with a "compromise" budget -turning the budget meeting into a full three-ring circus. At the end of the night, the assembly voted 21-12 in favor of the original budget proposal drafted by the Michigan Party ex- ecutives -- MSA President Flint Wainess and Vice President Sam Goodstein - and Budget Priorities Committee Chair Remco Van Eeuwijk, a Students' Party member. Assembly members left the proposal virtu- ally untouched. Approval of the executive budget followed some four hours of squab- bling over two rival budget drafts, which played to the political disharmony in MSA more than to an intelligent debate over the assembly's priorities. In fact, that debate had already happened among Wainess, Goodstein and Van Eeuwijk. According to the MSA compiled code, the president, vice president, treasurer and Bud- get Priorities Committee chair are respon- sible for writing an annual budget and pre- senting it to the whole assembly for a vote. If a majority of the assembly is unhappy with the budget, it goes back to the drafters for amendments. The two alternative budgets made a mockery of this process. The Students' Party budget did have its merits, such as a reduction in MSA's oper- ating expenses balanced by an increase in funding for the Ann Arbor Tenants Union. But the alternative seemed hastily written, reflecting the ideals of a few Students' Party members - such as a massive re- duction in payroll and $13,500 for a vague "student leader scholarship" - and not the realities of the student government. Van Eeuwijk presented his "compro- mise budget" - incorporating ideas from both party budgets - at the assembly's Tuesday night meeting. While this was a valiant attempt to bridge the differences between the budget plans, it only added to the confusion. Van Eeuwijk had already signed off on the executive budget, so for him to renounce his support and create an entirely new budget could only destabilize the budget process, not resolve differences between the parties. Following the rejec- tion of his compromise, Van Eeuwijk an- nounced his resignation from the assem- bly, expressing disgust with the politics of the budget debate that he had helped fuel. He later agreed to stay on an interim basis. The ultimate misfortune of the budget debacle is that by the time both alternative budgets were voted down, few assembly members were in the mood to debate the executive budget - effectively squelch- ing important and substantive debate. The next Budget Priorities Committee chair would serve the assembly better by work- ing within the process instead of trying to circumvent it. T he vote last month was carefully watched. Television news highlighted the decision, straw polls predicted the re- sults, and commentators debated about its impact. In the end, there was no need for concern: The Miss America swimsuit com- petition was safe, supported by an over- whelming viewer vote of 4 to 1. Now 75 years old, the Miss America pageant has become an unshakable icon of pop culture, an event watched with emotions ranging from dreamy fantasizing to morbid fascination to feminist outrage. The emo- tions are not unusual, for the pageant itself suffers from an identity crisis, not sure what it really represents. As a young girl, I caught the pageant bug from my mother, who would watch Miss America, Miss USA, Miss Universe and the other competitions with a bowl of popcorn on her lap. I was fascinated by the beautiful ladies in their ball gowns, interested in where they came from, wowed by the dance rou- tines. When I was 6 and slightly scarred my knee in a quite spectacular fall from a bike, I remember my mother saying, "Well, that just means you'll never be Miss America." She was probably joking, but I remember feeling more than a little disappointed. Later, after I learned the word "objectification," I wasn't disappointed anymore, but the feel- ing of my own inadequacy stayed with me. Eighteen years later, beauty pageants now walk the line between old-fashioned debutante values and the world of new op- portunities for women. Many pageants bill themselves as "scholarship competitions," giving away money for education along with the obligatory car, crown and fur coat. Sug- gesting an end to the swimsuit competition followed this recent line of modernization; without it, supposedly, the competition would emphasize character, community ser- vice and wholesome good looks instead of the strip-show of women in swimwear. Yeah, right. The truth is that Miss America, like all of the other "competi- tions," is a beauty pageant: not a scholarship competition, not a judgment of character and not a political election. It sells a care- fully packaged version of young American womanhood, a version with exacting re- quirements. Becoming a Beauty Queen, a book writ- ten by a former Miss USA and a former Miss Minnesota, provides a unique look into this paradoxical world. First, they run down the rules for participating in any local, state or national beauty pageant: A woman must not be married or divorced, she must not have any children, and (I found this especially intriguing) she must never have had an abor- tion. (Fortunately, they stop short of sug- gesting outright that she must be a virgin.) Miss USA 1957, for example, was decrowned after the pageant judges discovered she had been married twice and had two children. Dating is not even allowed during the pageant period, and the authors advise con- testants to "avoid having photographs taken with anyone's arm around you (it could be misconstrued as a public display of affec- tion). Finally, never be photographed kiss- ing anyone, even on the cheek." Vanessa Williams, Miss America 1984, obviously ignored this rule; she was forced to resign her crown after nude pictures of her ap- peared in Penthouse magazine. The pag- eants sell an intriguing paradox: beautiful women judged on their sex appeal who must nevertheless be innocent of their own sexu- ality. The marriage requirement is espe- cially telling: More than anything else, the contestants must be seen as available. Most distressing are the so-called "teen pageants" where contestants get their start. Pageant promoters are careful to make these competitions "wholesome" despite their obvious emphasis on girls' bodies. The Miss Teen USA competition broadcast, say the authors ofBecoming a Beauty Queen, shows contestants "involved in various youthful activities, such as building sandcastles." Miss America and her companion beauty pageants may seek to portray a wholesome vision of young womanhood, but the truth is that this vision is driven by sexuality - whether they acknowledge it or not. Miss America is all about being desirable: beauti- ful, thin, intelligent (but not too intelligent), available and nubile. The vote in favor of the swimsuit competition is no surprise: How can you judge beauty without getting a look at the goods? In the end, I'm glad I gave up my fasci- nation with beauty pageants and pursued other means of paying for my college educa- tion. Besides, it's not just a slight scar that disqualifies me anymore: By next year, at 25, I'll be too old to compete in any of the major beauty pageants. - Jean Twenge can be reached over e- mail atjeant@umich.edu. 1 ~ MATT WIMSATT MOOKIE'S DILEMMA IlM. CWjCc( 1 momp'", IT% V IN , Pro, S , 1i1r oo C10~ (LST fvTL. \/ 4/ br G400 Ll, L1Itt$ :a %7U oQIAGE .l C a ll ,' ° d r.U &s NOTABLE QUOTABLE 'Larry Deitch is lying. He is one of the major problems on the board, as people will see become evident as more information comes out.' - John Truscott, spokes- man for Gov. John .Engler, on the Democratic regent's~ alleged involvement in University President James J. Duderstadt's resignation . SL Segregation, 1995-style Busing for diversity still has a place n schools A s American race relations weather an affirmative action backlash and con- flicting visions of a multicultural society, conservative politicians across the country are proposing to abolish federal orders to integrate the nation's schools. America can- not afford to return to a state of de facto segregation. The societal value of learning to work together at a young age and the educa- tional benefits children receive from study- ing among a diverse student body cannot be sacrificed at a time when race relations and educational standards are deteriorating faster every day. In the last year, controversies over man- datory busing to balance the proportion of minorities in public schools have sprung up in cities across the country. In Pennsylvania, two state representatives, with the support of Pittsburgh Mayor Thomas Murphy, have in- troduced a bill to the state legislature that would end required busing to achieve deseg- regation. In Arizona, conservative Gov. Fife Symington is working to release state school districts from federal court busing orders. The old debate over the wisdom of busing has been renewed in part because of the recent conservative sweep to power and be- cause of a series of Supreme Court decisions that have made it easier for districts to evade responsibility for integrating their schools. Those who favor eliminating busing pro- grams maintain that the programs have little grassroots support and that even many mi- norities are unsure whether busing is in their best interest. There is some truth to this point: It is both expensive and inconvenient to bus students How TO CONTACT THEM across the city to go to school. One can also make an argument that separate is not "inher- ently unequal" as was stated by the Supreme Court in Brown vs. Board of Education. Ad- vocates of this position claim that if the districts were funded equally and good teach- ers were hired, there is no reason an all-black school could not be as successful as an all- white school. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has even claimed that it might be advantageous to blacks to study in segre- gated schools. This position is misguided. While well- funded, well-staffed all-black schools could certainly function as well as all-white ones, it is difficult to overstate the educational and societal value of maintaining a diverse stu- dent body for both whites and minorities. For a student trying to understand the world, whether it be a history, English or govern- ment class, perspective is a necessary educa- tional tool. To truly comprehend the prac- tices, literature and idiosyncrasies of one culture, a student must be familiar with those of another. There is no better way for a child' to learn about other cultures than by interact- ing with children from diverse backgrounds. Finally, and most important, even if there were no educational advantage to integrated schools, America's children growing up in a multiracial and multiethnic country need to learn to be more accepting of difference. The benefits of integration, such as increased tolerance, only materialize after many years. It is the responsibility of elected representa- tives not to be shortsighted when deciding the fate of important legislation. It is not yet time to give up on mandatory busing. LETTERS Women are a true majority To the Daily: I completely agree with Judith Kafka and her sentiments about women's issues in her column ("Women's issues aren't one-di- mensional," 9/26/95). When one labels a column a "women's is- sues" column, one is dismissing the importance of what the col- umnist is saying and is implying that issues that affect women are not important to society as a whole. When a woman does something sensational and an- other woman writes about it, that column is labeled a "women' s issues" column. However, if a man did the same thing and some- one wrote about it, it would be business as usual. Judith also raised the issue of Congress labeling women a "spe- cial interest group." Don't they see the irony in labeling a group that consists of more than half the population a special interest? What we are is the majority. The Republicans in Congress experi- ence glee in referring to them- selves as "The Majority"; if the minority of Democrats in Con- gress labeled the Republicans a special interest, perhaps then they would see the absurdity of label- ing women as such. There is a need to rid our minds of the ex- treme dichotomy of "men" and "women" and reach a middle ground as "people"; specifically, people who care about the greater good of others and don't try to take rights (i.e. reproductive rights) away from others. Per- haps that's idealistic, but I don't think we should settle for any- that job. When she fell, literally and figuratively, it was interpreted as the inability of women in gen- eral, not the fall of one woman who perhaps was just not ready to take on such a task. I completely support Judith Kafka in writing about "women's issues." Judith, keep on writing about the things you feel are im- portant to you and other women. Not everyone is going to say so, but I'm sure that more people than you know will appreciate it. Karl Tervo LSA sophomore Code is only symptom a To the Daily: The "code" is only a smidgen of the University's problems. The non-academic code of conduct, sired by the regents sev- eral years ago, is under revision due to heavy criticism. However, the "code" betokens a greater problem at this University: the undervaluation of students (un- dergraduates especially). Why do the regents and the administra- tion feel the need to control the conduct of fully capable adults? Why are we, the students, viewed as incapable of maintaining be- havior within the jurisdiction of everyday law? The answer is simple. It's all a matter of "image." The University wants to maintain a pristine portrait of itself and to do that it has to make sure that there are no unruly students run- ning around. The construction sites around campus are testa- ment to this. The armlifts, cranes example. Why do you think there is such an emphasis on research insteadofteaching? Research gets the grants. Unfortunately, enriching stu- dents' minds doesn't. It's pathetic that the University has devoted itself singlemindedly to the former. "Yes! more money, so that we could have a 1:1 faculty- administration ratio!" exclaims a gleeful administrator. Universities are institutions of higher learning but here, it is an institution of higher earning. Given that this place is so re- search-oriented and dedicated to the "truth" (epistemological ar- guments aside), why does it feel the need to fabricate such a shal- low image of itself? Sometimes, this stuff is an outright lie. I once picked up a copy of "The University Record" with a headline that said some- thing to the effect of"The Shapiro Library is indicative of the U's dedication to undergraduates." The last time I checked, the library's benefits extend to ev- eryone, not just to undergradu- ates. Obviously, it was another attempt from the administration to show itself as "undergraduate oriented," which by numerous examples, it is not. There are more instances, such as the University's attempts to stop Hash Bash and Duderstadt's expulsion of Jake Baker. Never- theless, the point is clear. We as students are among the bottom rung in the totem pole of impor- tance within our community. In order for the University to hold the honorary title as an educa- tional institution, our status in this community must change. A large number of reforms is due help break yet another barrier of sexism. However, it seemed that she was more intent on creating publicity, than anything produc- tive. At the risk of being sexist, I just have to say that Shannon Faulkner is a fat pig. Look at her. She's overweight, and totally de- void of any muscle. Apparently the only thing she did during that legal battle was eat her daily regi- men of a box of Twinkies. Does anyone in the world realistically believe that Shannon Faulkner dropped out because of the emo- tional stress that had been placed on her? I don't think so, and I hope no one else does either. Jimmy Wan LSA junior Daily ignores N. Campus To the Daily: Your article today noted con- struction in Angell Hall. ("Angell Hall construction disturbs stu- dents, faculty," 9/25/95). Now I want to hear you guys give equal time to the crap going on on North Campus. News flash for Daily editors: North Campus is where Engineering, Art, Architecture and Music students study. You have to take a BUS to get there! You think Angell Hall is bad? Try waiting a half-hour in the cold for a bus, walking to class through muddy fields, or going through two or three different buildings before you can find an open computer or a place to study. Construction is months behind schedule, the staff parking lots are half-empty and the visitor lots and commuter lots are overflow- Sen. Carl Levin (D) Sen. Spencer Abraham (R) I