4 -The Michigan Daily - Friday, October 27, 1995 Ublw £id g~qmviwnanudg 1.1 ,; : ; z ; I , , -, , - . I . I M,1,111 M, r", " " , -"", V, --I'- I I Y',"T , - -,, , . . .r BRENT MCINTOSH a.ra. 71 M7 ir AA . * __.._ _. . , 420 Maynard Street Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Edited and managed by students at the j University of Michigan t 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. Lets Ptalk DsueResolution Program a posi tive ove L ast Wednesday, a meeting calling for volunteers marked the inauguration of the new Dispute Resolution Program on cam- pus. The action shows promise in creating a better academic and social environment for University students by giving them the op- p6rtunity to resolve their own conflicts. The program is intended to resolve stu- dent disputes via a student mediator. The 25 to 30 mediators will be trained by two attor- neys from the Center for Dispute Resolution of Washtenaw County, and will work on a volunteer basis. Next term, the program will be tested in Bursley Residence Hall, and if successful should be expanded to a full cam- pus-wide service. The most important function of this new program will be to give students the alterna- tive of solving their own conflicts and com- ing to their own resolutions without legal or University intervention. This is a positive move toward creating channels for students to'work out their own problems rather than 'hving resolutions dictated to them. :. As past evidence has shown, when stu- "dents arrive at their own solutions to prob- rins, they are often more pleased with the results. The mediation is rightfully an en- ,#ly voluntary option, and if either party is ihappy with the way the mediation is going, he or she is completely free to resolve the conflict by other means. Similar successful programs at Antioch College of Ohio and the University of Hawaii at Honolulu also have demonstrated that student mediations help to resolve problems in a preventative manner. Solving a problem before it has a chance to escalate beyond easy solutions is an excel- lent way to prevent serious conflicts. The new program also has the potential to be an avenue for bypassing the soon-to-be- revised Statement of Student Rights and Re- sponsibilities (the code) in determining reso- lutions and punishments for student conflict. The Dispute Resolution Program is espe- cially timely considering the strong student opposition to the code. While some form of the code certainly will playa part in student conflict resolution, any initiatives to prevent a problem from reaching that stage are wor- thy. In addition, with the language of the draft of the new code leaning increasingly toward mediation, this program could serve an ever-expanding and important role in con- flict resolution at the University. The initiative of the Michigan Student Assembly's Student Rights Commission is to be commended for its good work in the creation of this program. LSA sophomore Anne Marie Ellison, chair of the SRC, and others in the program have created the frame- work for this new program to succeed. The $2,900 of the MSA commission's budget should be money well spent. A process providing student-friendly reso- lutions to disputes has been a long-time goal of students. With the advent of the Dispute Resolution Program, the University will be one important step closer to achieving that goal. M ost of my friends rarely dat This is not because my fr notoriously ugly. Nor are they so with studying that they do notl UGLi except to eat and sleep. It just seems that the only t friends date is when I want them to and watch football. It also seems that the only tim immediately after I schedule the4 sevenish on Friday, someone call offers me a free third-row ticket to Jam, the Beastie Boys, and Game the Stanley Cup Finals all on the sa - Friday, about sevenish. In economics, that's called "op cost"; in real life, it's called "m really bad luck." Don't get me wrong. Many ofm have girlfriends and/or boyfrien just that they don't really date, e with relationships. Of course, calling them '"relati assumes that men and women can You must realize that this is not Men and women cannot relate, no Men think things like, "Hey, In this girl. Maybe I'll buy her sor tools for Valentine's Day." Women do not relate to that. Women, on the other hand, thi like, '"This guy is really great. I1 send him a subtle sign that I lik nodding and flashing a quick smi while flicking my hair demurely." Men do not relate to this, Men think the woman has a b How to play the data or at least makeMom e. hair when she flicks it demurely. Or they baby to iends are don't notice, because they're too busy de- to hold obsessed ciding which Craftsman power tools they're overgro leave the going to buy for that special lady. Or they're If y thinking about the NASCAR race they're don't ha times my missing, all because they got roped into this girl hang out doing that "quality time" thing. Is she trying Letterm to imply that NASCAR isn't "quality time"? It's, lik ies I date, Speaking of cars, this may have some- .. or so event for thing to do with the dating situation. I don't Ther Is me and date because I don't have a car. (Wouldn't I ing. Yo see Pearl like to pretend that's the reason?) call whz Seven of Dating without a car is difficult. It's not "Wh ame night impossible, but it takes a lot more creativity. It iss It's tough to say, "Hey, let's do dinner some- any que portunity time. I'll pick you up Friday, say, sevenish? "Wh ny really, Oh, dress casual - you have to ride on the "Wh handlebars of my 10-speed, and I wouldn't "Wh ny friends want you to ruin any nice clothes in the case "Wh ds - it's of a sudden loss of balance." talking ven those Dating, at least among the carless set, is "Oh dead. The ionships" W We do not date. We hang out. you can "relate." Hanging out does not require a car. Hang- not-quit possible: ing out does not require money. Hanging out it impl )t ever. does not require a life. riage. really like This is good for me: I have none of the You me power three. Hence I should be among the best knot if' hangers-out of all time. "whate, The problem with hanging out is that Boy nk things you're not dating - that seemed obvious, is one s think I'll didn't it? Getariir e him by So what are you doing? How do you moon, f le, all the respond when your mother asks "So ... dat- The ing anyone? Any romantic interests? Bought a ring yet? Will you please get married and -- B iug i her carry on the family name and give me a little 4CINTOSH CLASSIC$ 'ggame - happy hold and'cuddle and coo at like I used and cuddle and coo at you, you wn freak?! ?" ou're just "hanging out," you really ave an answer to that. "Yeah, Mom, and I get together and watch Dave an and listen to Phish sometimes. e, pretty cool ... but it's, like, nothing mething ... don't worry about it ..." re is an option besides all this stutter- u can go the nonspecific way, and at you're doing a "whatever." hatever" works for most anything. sufficiently vague to answer just about stion: "Are the two of you dating?" hatever." hat did you guys do last night?" hatever." ho's this guy Theo that you're always about?" , he's my whatever." nice thing about "whatevers" -and use that term to refer to your current te-a-boyfriend-or-girlfriend-is that ies absolutely nothing about mar- just can't even think about tying the you categorize what you're doing as !ver." friend/girlfriend, on the other hand, tep away. You're in the aisle, baby. ig make reservations for the honey- fid yourself a good mortgage. wedding is Friday, about sevenish. 3rent McIntosh can be reached over e-mail at mctosh@umich.edu. JIM LASSER 4 SHARP AS TOAST A TEENAcdE ANTI- - MMM. I LOVE TH E SMELL- 6AoKIN(, -AME n* OF YOUR n &%ARGATTE. TH AX WOv. K s....TMY & Y'EA HJ ANtD YOL' LOOK O COOL! "IL) NOTABLE QUOTABLE 'I was thrown out of college for cheating on the metaphysics exam; I looked into the soul of the boy sitting next to me.' -Woody Allen Looking to MLK Day Early planning promises worthy celebration r s " i . {"" -- r r . 1hirty years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was spreading his dream of equality around the nation. Today, the University dministration is helping to realize his wishes. When Martin Luther King Jr. Day is com- memorated Jan. 15, many minority groups within the University will be responsible for 4he day's events. Such cooperation is a change from two years ago, when the Black Student Union P.rotested its lack of involvement in the plan- rIng of this national holiday's campus events. 1|his year, the BSU and many other student tminority groups will help create and sched- uIe events throughout the month of January, fallowing the trend set last year when this sime conglomeration ofgroups was involved in the planning. : Last year's events brought positive reac- tions from participants and attendees. The university is to be commended for continu- ipg an obvious step in the right direction. The distribution of power among the many stu- ent groups affords a much more diverse and eijoyable experience to all. One feature of this upcoming MLK Day tiat has already been announced is the key- gote speaker, Joycelyn Elders. Elders, Presi- dent Clinton's former surgeon general, will speak at the University on Jan. 15. She is an propriate speaker for a variety of reasons. elders, an African American female, has sppken her mind quite freely on numerous Occasions. As Dr. King did, she has voiced !HOW TO CONTACT THEM her opinion no matter how radical - even when it was obvious her statement would upset many people. She also frequently speaks of equality for all and superiority for none. While her outspokenness cost Elders her position in the Clinton administration, she still deserves admiration for her refusal to bend to political pressure. Elders also fits with the history of activ- ism at the University. MLK Day was estab- lished as a campus-wide celebration in 1988 only at the insistence of student protestors. The movement followed earlier successful drives - known as the Black Action Move- ments - for greater minority representation and support on campus. When the BSU boy- cotted MLK Day in 1994, members cited the University's neglect of this activist legacy in favor of a more conciliatory multiculturalist perspective in the day's events. Bringing in speakers such as Elders marks an appropriate return to the real meaning of MLK Day at the University. In this time when the United States seems to be taking one gigantic step in the conser- vative direction, it is heartening to see pro- gressive notions such as the spreading of decision-making power to minority groups reinforced here at the University. This cam- pus houses students of many different cul- tures and backgrounds. It is only right that diverse people have a voice in contributing to a day that is dedicated to a man who fought for equality. I LETTERS Race-based remedies not created equal To the Daily: Folks like Joel Heeres ("Af- firmative action programs are another form of racism," 10/23/ 95) oppose affirmative action be- cause affirmative action programs reek of racism. Others support it because minorities that have little or no access into the white-male establishment will continue to be denied entry into that establish- ment without it. I believe the folks who oppose affirmative action are perfectly right when the say that such programs are another form. of racism. Needless to say, many, non white males are denied ac- cess to jobs and universities be- cause they simply do not have the same opportunities as some white males. Affirmative action oppo- nents risk appearing racist or sex- ist, and appear to want to main- tain the status quo ofa society run by an old boys' network. Propo- nents risk appearing opportunis- tic ("reverse racism" and "reverse sexism" ... ), and seem to want access to the establishment by denying more qualified individu- als on the basis of their own skin color or sex. Before I can lend support for or inveigh against affirmative ac- tion, 1 want to delineate the con- cept a bit. Affirmative action alone is unnecessarily ambiguous. Pro- ponents and opponents alike risk appearing as bad guys. Part ofthe division of opinion for/against affirmative action is because the concept itself is fuzzy. I seetwo distinct types of affirmative ac- tion: preferential and equa-op- <4. ily might be able to get into a university and be awarded Afri- can American scholarships; a stu- dent from a poor white or Asian family might get into the same university and not be able attend because ofinability to pay. More- over, many whites and Asian Americans are discriminated against under preferential action. Often, a system of unfair quotas is set up, such as in the San Fran- cisco high school system where an abundance of qualified Asian Americans are regularly denied entry into high schools when the "Asian quota" fills up. Preferential action is an insult to all minorities because it says that in order for us to compete with the majority, we must deny access to some more qualified individuals ofthat majority. Pref- erential action balkanizes the population into communities of victims. Affirmative action is not about giving special rights to the biggest victims. Privileges should be awarded on the basis of merit alone. Once we come down to the level where we as minorities feel we deserve greater access on the basis of being the greater victims of "the establishment" it's the same as punishing the other quali- fied individuals based on their skin color or sex. Louis Farrakhan said during his speech at the Mil- lion Man March that it's time to stop laying the blame on the whites. He said he doesn't see the Japanese standing around blam- ing white males, instead the Japa- nese bought out white banks and moved them overseas. If women and minorities want a level play- ing field, they should betterthem- selves and be awarded on the ba- sis of merit. Individuals as hu- man beings should be given ac- nity action should be mandated by law. Equal-opportunity affir- mative action is the only fair af- firmative action. Calvin Chu Engineering junior Discrimination lurks behind empty labels To the Daily: I see affirmative action as an- other form of discrimination. It only allows a percentage of a cer- tain ethnicity to be accepted, at either jobs or higher-learning in- stitutions. Which means that those from certain groups are skipped over even though they are more qualified or would be better for an organization or institution be- cause of the color of their skin or what their ethnic makeup is. As Adero Fleming put it: "Justice is where every person, regardless of color, creed or ethnicity is judged equally on their charac- teristics, without having to worry about racism" ("Groups rally for affirmative action," 10/13/95). Racism, discrimination occurs every day in every walk of life. I shouldn't have to worry that al- though I am highly qualified for something, I will lose that spot due to my ethnic makeup to some- one who may not be as qualified as I am. If I don't get a spot because the other person was bet- ter then me, I can accept that. Everybody has the exact same opportunities but those who want them will most likely get them. As an example: I applied to the University of California at Berkeley. I didn't get in because what affirmative action is doing, violating anti-discrimination laws on the basis of one's color, race, creed, sex, nationality. If they have too many whites they ex- clude you, if they have too many blacks they exclude you, if they have too many Chinese they ex- clude you, if they have too many Southeast Asians they exclude you, if they have too many ... they exclude you. People neea to stop giving "special" oppotunities to people when those people should be go- ing after theirown dreams and goals with their own merit. I've worked hard to get where I am at and wherever I go I will work hard to succeed. I don't want institutions to have to accept candidates for po- sitions because a law states they must have a certain percentage of their population to be a certain ethnicity, race, color or creed. I want them to accept those candidates based on merit and ability not on race. color, ethnicity. Adam Thodey Engineering senior Pornography yields a bitter harvest To the Daily: Mr. Rodgers' reply to my let- ter on the University sponsoring pornography by showing "Strange Days" ("'Strange Days' an important work of art," 10/25/ 95) was condescending and pa- tronizing, featuring a personal and sexist rejoinder uncalled for in adult debates about serious is- University Regent Daniel Horning (R-Grand Haven) 600 S. Beacon Blvd. Grand Rapids, MI 49417 University Regent Philip Power (D-Ann Arbor) 412 E. Huron, P.O. Box 7989 Ann Arbor. MI 48107 University Regent Shirley McFee (R-Battle Creek) 611 Jennings Landing Battle Creek, MI 49015 University Regent Nellie Varner (D-Detroit) 771 East 8 Mile Rd., Suite 223 Detroit. Ml 48220 I