4 -The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, October 4, 1995 420 Maynard MICHAEL ROSENBERG Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Editor in Chief Edited and managed by JULIE BECKER students at the JAMES M. NASH University of Michigan 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. JORDAN STANCIL LAST-DITCH APPEAL 'The best an U' betrays reputatioi n he University of Michigan - "leaders T and best." It's in the fight song; many would claim it's the University's unofficial slogan. But to what extent must it ring true? Last Wednesday the University's interim provost, J. Bernard Machen, accepted a task force proposal to eliminate the master's de- gree program injournalism. The reason given for this severe action: The University is not a "national leader" injournalismonthe master's level. Journalism, one of the most popular pro- fessions in the country, will no longer have an academic breeding ground in Ann Arbor because it seems the program did not rank high enough in the polls. Yet there is no possible way - and no need - for every program the University offers to be among the elite. Just because one program does not hold its own compared to other top universi- ties - most of them private - is a poor reason for the University to turn its back on journalism. This move is simply another in a long line of University assaults to the field of journal- ism education. This past January it cut all undergraduate journalism classes, under the rationale that they did not fit the "mission" of the College of LSA - ignoring the high demand for the classes among the under- graduate student body. University officials also misspent funds that were intended for scholarships out of the endowments contrib- uted forjournalism programs. When the mis- handled money was discovered, the Univer- Under t Wilson, INS botc R ecentraids on California garment sweat- hops have seen scores of illegal Thai immigrants released from years of forced servitude. These immigrants, smuggled into the United States by an organized crime gang, had their passports confiscated and were told part oftheir earnings would be kept to repay the costs of bringing them here - forall practical purposes, making them slaves. Unfortunately, closer examination of this apparent Immigration andNaturalization Ser- vice success story reveals some alarming questions about the agency's competence. Politics and a lack of communication among federal, state and local officials have left these workers at the mercy of Asian -organized crime groups for seven years. The INS apparently received information ofthese sweatshops as far back as 1988. But person- ality clash, tied the INS's hands until late last month, leaving many illegal immigrants in appalling conditions for years. One man tried to end the abuse. In sum- mer 1991, INS special agent Phil Bonner Jr. - who is now suing the agency - repeat- edly requested raids on these sweatshops, but was refused and subsequently disciplined. Bonner says he was not allowed to speak Thai in the office or pursue cases related to Thais. He claims that he was discriminated against because he married a Thai woman and is able to speak Thai Due to the internal problems the INS had with Bonner, the agency failed to act on information that could have nd brightest? in with journalism cut sity had few explanations - and now that there is no journalism department for these intended funds, they have no concrete expla- nations about where the journalism money will be rerouted. Instead of using these funds to rebuild a bigger and better journalism department, the University has suggested replacing it with a certificate program. The program, modeled after the Women's Studies Program, would require a small number of formal courses and the completion of an internship to supple- ment other graduate training. This, the Uni- versity claims, is what the journalism profes- sion is looking for today. However, a certifi- cate program would not hold a candle to what a solid journalism department would offer. Even if a journalism graduate program may not be the best step for future journalists, it should be an option at a school renowned for its large selection of academics. In cutting journalism from undergraduate and now graduate education, the University has shown complete disregard for the needs and desires of its students. Faced with a program it considers substandard, the logical reaction would be to try to improve it - but instead, the University has simply decided to give up. When it cut undergraduate journal- ism last year, it noted that students interested in a journalism degree should "go to Michi- gan State." For a University that purports to be a world-class institution, the latest cuts show nothing but world-class laziness and ignorance of student concerns. Don't besadO.J trad i over { - there will be more lessons It was good when the O.J. trial was still be a "wake-up call." There would be a dia- The wake up calls from the verdict will going on. It was good because there was logue. be followed by residual wake up calls, something for everyone to talk about with "Dialogues" in this country are held on stimulated by the coming deluge of books each other. The best part was that you didn't talk shows. I like this because it's on TV and movies, about issues like How People have to know anything about anything. All which means that, even if you don't get Sell Out and How Commercialized Every- you had to do was find any person and make dressed or go outside, you still get to partici- thing Is Getting These Days. It'll be sad some sort of comment about O.J. You could pate in a national dialog which was started when there are no more wake-up calls and say, "Jeez, Johnnie Cochran sure did one by a wake-up call and which deals with a no one has anything to talk about anymore. helluva job on whatsisname." very serious thing like domestic violence. Or at least not anything good like money Thenyou and the other person could start One wake-up call in this case was that O.J. and sex and Marcia Clark topless in Eu- to talk about all sorts ofother things, ranging abused Nicole. The message from the wake- rope. There won't be any more lessons, and from domestic violence to racism to civil up call was that men sometimes abuse their it will be hard once again to strike up a good liberties to the utility of defense lawyers. wives or ex-wives or girlfriends. conversation with just anybody. You could talk about psychology and pas- I'm sure glad we learned that lesson. But that won't be the worst part of post- sion and about the role of football players in Maybe it would have been learned sooner if trial America. The worst part will come society. With O.J., you could talk about people had been paying attention to their when people start to realize that it's a lot these things, whereas usually, you don't get very own local circuit court. Or even to their more difficult and a lot less fun to actually to talk about big societal issues with just neighbors. The problem is that it's no fun to participate in your society than it is to watch anybody. head on down to the county building to see it on TV. It's been fun to think about all the Another good thing was that O.J. and Joe Blow on trial for spouse abuse. No lessons, and, when you and your friends Johnnie and everybody else taught us a lot lessons there. And no dialogues. Plus, you make big generalizations about the Nature about our society. It seemed like the number have to go outside. It's more fun if you wait of Our Society based on what you've of major social lessons taught per day went 'til you get a wake-up call. learned, it makes you feel pretty good. The way up. In your average real estate case in Now the trial's over, but there's still the only problem is that we might have forgot- circuit court, there just aren't as many les- verdict (unknown at this writing), which ten what happens when you're actually in sons to be learned. Maybe there would be if will itself be a wake-up call of one kind or the society and, as a citizen, partially re- it were on TV. But in the O.J. trial, there was another. It might start a dialogue. The wake- sponsible for what happens there. a new lesson virtually every day. The big up call will be interpreted. It will teach us But it's OK because before you know it lesson came in August when we learned that some new lesson that we didn't know be- there'll be another trial or a scandal or there definitely is at least some racism in the fore. This will happen because everyone something really fun to watch. And it too Los Angeles Police Department. This was a likes to learn O.J. lessons, and if you had a will have lessons ... good lesson because it would be the catalyst talk show (or a column), you'd find a lesson - Jordan Stancil can be reached over e- for anational discussion about race. It would just as fast as you could. mail at rialto@umich.edu. JIM LASSER SHARP AS TOAST NoTABLE QUOTABLE :-- I'PEV Murderer.' -Fred Goldman, Ronald Goldman 'sfather, after the delivery ofO.J. Simpson's not-guilty verdict for first or second degree murders of his son and Nicole Brown Simpson he cloak h sweathouse bust released the immigrants from their plight. Moreover, it was not only an appalling lack of communication, or even discrimina- tion within the agency that allowed the prob- lem to fester for years -but the major block was external and government-sanctioned. California Gov. Pete Wilson has twice ve- toed bills that would hold big manufacturers responsible for monitoring their subcontrac- tors' compliance with labor and immigration laws. These laws would make it much more difficult to exploit illegal aliens. But Wilson says that such restrictions would be to bur- densome for manufacturers and would drive them out of the state. Once again, it is clear that Wilson, mas- termind of the anti-immigrant and almost certainly unconstitutional Proposition 187, has forsaken the welfare of immigrants for political popularity. However, what is more interesting in this case is Wilson's motiva- tion. He has risen to fame in the past year in large part due to his promise to keep illegal aliens out ofthe country, and thus, away from U.S. jobs, has done just the opposite. Evi- dently, Wilson's strong stance against illegal immigration does not extend to situations where it will hurt big businesses. So the real question this situation raises is: What leaves a worse taste in the mouth of Americans - the existence of forced servi- tude in their country, the incompetence of the INS or the staggering hypocrisy of Republi- can presidential candidate Pete Wilson? VIEWPOINT q O.J. comes full By Antoine Pitts It seems like more than a de- cade has passed since I was an intern in the KTLA newsroom. KTLA is an independent station in Los Angeles owned by the Tri- bune Co., and I was selected to spend the summer of 1994 with its news team. KTLA was the first television station west of the Mississippi and through its 53 years ofopera- tion has hadplenty ofearthquakes, floods, riots, murders and more to cover. WhathappenedJune 11,1994 and in the days to follow easily ranks up there with anything else the station has ever covered. I remember seeing the face of Stan Chambers, a reporter who has been with KTLA since it first went on the air. Chambers was in awe of what happened that Friday - Bronco Friday, as it should be remem- bered. A look of surprise, aston- ishment and incredulity filled his face as well as everyone else's that night. The unbelievable was happening. I'm sure many had the same reaction following yesterday's reading of the verdict. That summer was my first trip to Los Angeles and didn't quite know what to expect. When news of the murders first came out, I didn't understand the magnitude it would have on that city and this country. It was just the ex-wife of a famous athlete. Murders hap- pen all the time in this country. Pitts is the Daily's managing sports editor. Bronco Friday other day for me. I to report at'4 p.m That morning I h nounce an arrest o imminent. The ph utes later with s KTLA asking me1 help with the cove All essential cameramen, repo cians, writers, inter summoned for th situation. KTLA w live for the rest of Working at tI desk for the rest c evening, I saw all t and developmer America glued to sets. I assisted tt editor in coordina ment and news g ties of our crews./ veteran news peol the story of the ce Never before h famous been accu Others had becom committing mur were American Older people reme as a Heisman Trop star in the NFL.T generation, he wa ABC and NBC sp Everyone from works to ESPN, t others wanted to c It's because every have some involve in the Simpson Tri some, it repulsed the last year ever some portion of tI KTLA ran eve circle; will the began like any testimony from the preliminary was scheduled hearing all the way to yesterday's . for my shift. verdict. eard CNN an- At the end, just as in the be- f Simpson was ginning, everyone was watching, one rang min- and how could you not? In the omeone from future our children will ask us to come in and "Where were you on Bronco Fri- -rage. day?" They will also ask "Where personnel - were you on Verdict Tuesday?" )rters, techni- We've seen all the twists and ns, etc. -were turns for the last nine months - is "code red" the opening statements, the dis- vould be going missed jurors, Rosa Lopez, Kato the day. Kaelin, the DNA evidence, the he assignment gloves, the Fuhrman tapes, the of the day and closing statements and the ver- he commotion dicts. nts that kept It's all over, for now. There its television are still the possibilities of civil he assignment trials asking for monetary dam- ting the move- ages against Simpson but he can athering abili- never go to jail on these charges. All day, I heard A lot of people were outraged ple calling this that race was ever brought into ntury. this trial. I believe race was ad a person this brought in the day O.J. and Nicole sed of murder. were married more than a decade e famous after ago. They are plenty of people in der, but none this country that believe interra- sports icons. cial marriages should not be al- mber Simpson lowed. Mark Fuhrman, the police hy winner and officer who handled critical evi- ro the younger dence in this case, is one such s known as an person. Race was a factor in this ortscaster. case from day one - there's no the major net- doubt about it. CNBC, E! and It outrages many people that cover this trial. with so much evidence Simpson gone wanted to was set free. How many black ment somehow people in the history of this coun- al. It enchanted try have been killed by white others, but for people without any retribution? yone has seen You need go back only a few his case. decades to find instances of sub- ry single day of stantial evidence against a white Country? suspect ignored or thrown out in cases of black victims. How many lynchings, knifings and shootings have gone unpunished? In this case, even though the evidence was overwhelming against Simpson, you could never forget Fuhrman's role. The man who found a bloody glove at Simpson's mansion, blood in O.J. 's bronco, blood drops on the driveway could not be ignored. The last few night's words from Johnnie Cochran Jr.'s clos- ing argument have dominated my dreams. I've been hearing the words "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit" - a reference to the gloves in evidence not fitting Simpson. I've also heard "You have to stop the cover-up." The jury was the only force that could put an end to the outrage. You have to wonder if the jury was hearing the same thing. I hope this jury's verdict was a message to all the Fuhrmans out there. It says you can't get away with this. Things ended for Simpson seemingly the way they began. How ironic is it that Simpson went back home to Brentwood- this time in a white minivan - with helicopters and news crews following him again? I really feel I was part of an historic event that began some 15 months ago in the KTLA news- room. I'll never forget it. I hope the future will lead to the removal of the Mark Fuhrmans of the world from public service..Some- how I realize we'll never find them all. with the Pope on these first two ideas, I understood where he was Ann Arbor Mayor and City Council: Mayor Ingrid B. Sheldon Ann Arbor City Hall 100 N. Fifth Ave. Ann Arbor, MI 48107 994-2766 Tobi Hanna-Davies (D-1st Ward), Patricia Vereen-Dixon (D-1st Ward), Peter Fink (R-2nd Ward) Jane Lumm (R-2nd Ward), Jean Carlberg (D-3rd Ward), Haldon Smith (D-3rd LETTER Pope maintains silence on 'culture of death'