4A - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, October 10, 1995 Ci "*c1itttai guilty man is no way of restoring justice. The suggestion that Simpson should be set free because the justice system has often hurt blacks is equally irrational. Setting a' guilty man free on account of his race is the worst form ofaffirmative action, and Cochran never should have made the argument. As it turns out, he didn't need to; the jiiy had their own ideas. At least, in the end, the jury was educated enough to dismigs Cochran's argument for what itwas: ashame less appeal to America's racial fears that had no place in the courtroom. -.Jean Twenge can be reached over e- mail atjeant@umich.edu> cumstances, the committee could not have made a better decision. The absence of a permanent pro- vost would complicate the presiden- tial search. It would have been frivo- lous to search for the provost - the University' stop academic officer and president's direct subordinate - when the office of the president would soon have been vacant. The selection committee could not specu- :: '2 r Y ''"' Machen equate answers to his questions about the non-discrimination clause. More to the point, however, Baker was attacking the bylaw itself, especially its application to same-sex couples in family housing or to insurance benefits. His worry comes from a different agenda, not Machen's qualifications. Baker's theatrics are an obvious smokescreen and the committee disregarded them. late who would be best for either position or for the goals of the administration with the University's leadership in drastic flux. If the Board of Regents approves Duderstadt's recommendation tonight, Machen will serve a two-year term retroac- tive to September, when he was appointed interim provost. The committee wisely chose the two-year period to allow time for the presidential search to be completed - and the new president to become acclimated to the University-before changing the lineup. Two years is a sufficient amount oftime to evaluate Machen's performance. Perhaps he will decide he wants the job and will prove he is capable of handling it. The just-scuttled search yielded five finalists, none of whom are University employees. One finalist with- drew after Duderstadt's resignation was an- nounced, underscoring the natural reluctance to take a job at a leaderless institution. Maybe Machen is not right for the perma- nent job. But two years is plenty of time for him to demonstrate his abilities and evaluate his feelings about the position. He takes the two-year commitment - contingent on re- Machen's former position as Dental School dean and professor since 1989 adds to the stability of this appointment. During the transition, the University must have a sec- ond-in-command familiarwith its innerwork- ings. Machen's experience at the University gives him an inside track. Furthermore, the provost's office is often a stepping stone for future presidents. Re- gardless of Machen's intentions, an inexpe- rienced provost would be highly undesirable in the absence of a president - there is a distinct possibility that the provost would be appointed as interim president if Duderstadt is not replaced in time. The provost is intimately involved in se- lecting deans for University academic units - an especially important part of the job now, with many vacancies in those positions. The provost's steady hand is needed to guide these searches to a successful conclusion. By all measures, the committee made an excellent decision. The president of the Uni- versity has resigned - but the cube still spins away in front of the Fleming Adminis- tration Building, steady on its axis. MATT WIMSATT i-lk I/ , if / N 1 " MOOKIE ' SDILEMM A s o/ TOP TELLLING SE ftu8BsRS.." NOTABLE QuoTABiu "The beautiful day. probably drew them out." - Duska Bericevic, a doctor in Bosnia, explaining why children in a refugee camp near Tuzla came outdoor.- Twenty children were wounded - many seriously - in an artillery attack blamed on Ser IF YOU WIOULD 'piE'% TT EY CANNOT sl Like an arrow Search for president must be fast and focused' VIEWPOINT Why did the 'U' lay Entree Plus to rest? n the wake of University President James J. Duderstadt's sudden resignation, the Board of Regents will begin the search for a new president in the coming weeks. Although Duderstadt's term of office will not officially end until June 30, 1996, the regents have no excuse to dawdle in conducting the presiden- tial search. Thoroughness is key to a successful search. It is vital that the search committee considers all qualified, interested candidates -regard- less of politics. Students and faculty, as well as the regents, must influence the final pick. As financial supporters and members of the University community, these groups have a right and an obligation to decide which can- didate would contribute the most to that com- munity. Accordingly, regents have statedtheir intent to involve student and faculty opinions in the search committee. Although a participative, careful search must be the foremost goal of the search committee, speed weighs heavily. J. Bernard Machen is expected to be appointed as the new provost today - with that decision out of the way, the regents have no excuse in diverting their efforts. Every ounce of energy now must be devoted to finding a president. Some regents do not comprehend the ob- vious need for haste. Regent Andrea Fischer How TO CONTACT THEM Newman (R-Ann Arbor) said, "It would be stupid to rush the process. We can always appoint an interim." Appointing an interim president to avoid conducting a speedy search is a wholly un- satisfactory solution. A temporary president would lack motivation to institute new pro- grams to move the University forward. Machen's appointment would add consis- tency to the administration - pulling him out of the provost's office and into the presi- dency would only switch the location of the instability. Allowing top administrative posts to lapse harms both external and internal University relations. The president sets the tone for the goals and objectives of the University. Just as Duderstadt focused on diversity, technol- ogy and expansion, new leadership will bring new direction, new initiatives and a new focus. A lack of vision will result in stagna- tion within the University. A speedy search for a new president is necessary to rid the University of the negative consequences of an empty office. An interim serves at best as a caretaker while the University is held in limbo. The Board of Regents should form a comprehen- sive committee and conduct a thorough, timely search for new leadership. By Jeff Keating What a mess! After student clamoring about the need to ex- pand Entree Plus (theold student debit card), the University decided to make some changes. Big changes. My Entree Plus was scuttled in favor of Mcard, leaving me thoroughly dis- gusted. First of all, the new Mcard offers nothing you can't get else- where. For instance, most major banks offer a free or minimal charge debit card linked to a checking account accepted any- where credit cards are. You can use thisbank debit card every- where Mcard is taken and at about 20 million other locations around the world. Why would I want to link my checking account to a debit card that I can use only around campus? If I wanted a Keating is an LSA senior and a member of the Daily editorial page staff debit card to use back home, 1 would need a second card, which makes the Mcard redundant. Another problem with the Mcard is that if you want to use it, it locks you into one firm. If I want the convenience of having my banking account linked with my student ID, I would have to switch to First of America. Why would I give up the right to shop around for the bank with the best rates and service (which isn't First of America) just so I could carry one fewer card? If I wanted to use the Mcard as an AT&T calling card, I could do that too. How- ever, if I can get better rates using an MCI or Sprint calling card, I'd much rather do that. No student should be coerced into using one company simply for the right of using the Mcard. Then there's cash chip. Not a bad idea. It allows someone who doesn't bank with First of America to put a few bucks on their card. And it's handy for small items like vending machines, laundry and photocopying. How- ever, it's small change and not much of an option. For anything over five or 10 bucks, I would just rather carry cash. Why would I want to lock up my only 20 on cash chip? But then there was Entree Plus. For all the red tape one encoun- ters around this place, Entree Plus was almost too easy. It was basi- cally a campus credit card. If one were short on cash, all one had to do was walk down to the Entree Plus office, request the money and voila! It was there instanta- neously, you couldn't be denied, and you paid no interest. It made it easy to put school-related ex- penses (books, food and occa- sional souvenirs) together with tuition and fees on the same bill. But the real secret behind Entree Plus is that since the tuition bill goes home, most users never had to pay for Entree Plus themselves. In fact, one could reasonably say thatthe biggestreason EntrePlus was so successful was precisely because it was tacked onto the tuition bill. While it's true that a few un- suspecting parents may have got- ten bilked for a few hundred dol- lars each year by their unscrupu- lous kids, Entree Plus was rela- tivelysafe. There wasn'ttoo mu you could purchase that woul break the bank -there's only s many times one can willingly g to Wendy's and I can see little reason one would want to go on textbook shopping spree. When students asked for a expansion of Entree Plus, it wa with the understanding that the bill would still go home with th tuition statement. The new Mca offers me nothing; ending Entr Plus deprives me of a valuabl, program that I used often. I Mcard is here to stay, which I car live with, at the very leasth University should bring bac Entree Plus. LETTER Defenders of privilege rally around the Republican Contract To the Daily: As the University of Michi- gan campus prepares for the Oct. 12 National Day of Action to Defend Affirmative Action, and as we see the direct lending loan program killed and $10 billion worth of student loans axed by a Congress which "just can't af- ford these programs" although it snends hundreds of billions of making the law of the Old Testa- ment the law of the land, was able to read and respond intelligently to an argument a 10th as well as he can red-bait and think up stu- pidnames, responding to his com- ments might be a challenge. The most obvious stupidity in the letter ("Contract foes mis- guided," 9/22/95) involved Mark's claim that the $500 per ment, Newt and his Michigan buddy Mark, defenders ofthe rich as they are, seem to fail to under- stand concepts ofneed and wealth. You see, rich people have a lot of money, so they don't need a tax cut. Rich people should pay more taxes than poor and middle-class people, because they have enough money to take care of their needs while the poor and middle classes of Action to Defend Affirmativ Action. The Alliance to Defenr Affirmative Action, a local coali tion of groups fighting the racis attacks on one of the most impor tant gains ofthe civil rightsmove ment, is organizing local actions for Oct. 12. At 11:15 a.m. al University of Michigan student are urged to walk out of class an: assemli n the Dial There wit ... ,r. me, . _. - i- - --- rwr S InCar Lin (D) Q1111n Qri nn.n haham (I