vol_8_no_1 by Michigan Review

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THE MICHIGAN REVIEW Volume 8, Number 1

September 1989

MSA Trip Stirs Controve 'y by Marc Selinger Four University of Michigan students traveled to El Salvador over the summer courtesy of the Michigan Student Assembly. Since the people who helped organize the trip are all affiliated with the Latin American Solidarity Committee (LASe), questions have been raised as to whether these organizers exhibited a pro-LAse bias when they selected people for the trip. MSA sponsored the summer trips to maintain its sister-school relationship with the University of EI Salvador and allow students to report back to Ann Arbor on the conditions in El Salvador. MSA appropriated $4,000 for the project and set up a three-person committee to select four students, including one MSA representative, to go to EI Salvador. The Assembly also sponsored a $3,500 West Bank trip for two students during the summer, but the people involved could not be contacted before this issue went to print. The four people chiefly responsible for organizing the EI Salvador

trip were affiliated with LASe. Pam Galpern, who chaired MSA's Peace and Justice Committee last year and

of LASe. The other two participants, Pam Nadasen and Luis Vazquez, could not be reached. However, both

liThe Peace and Justice Committee has never been much more than an MSA version of LASC." - MSA President Aaron Williams presented the Assembly during the winter term with the proposal to fund the trip, was a member. Phillis Engelbert, Siry Streyer, and Gus Teschke, the three members of the selection committee, were also members of LASe. Each of the trip participants was either affiliated with LASC or agreed with LAse's stance on EI Salvador. None of them was a member of the conservative Coalition for Democracy in Latin America (CDLA). Robert Hickey and Kathy Savoie, two of the four trip participants, were members

of them have expressed views similar to those of LASe, which is sympathetic to the Faraburido Marti National Lil}. eration Front (FMLN) rebel group and critical of U.S. support for the Salvadoran government. Nadasen has worked as a staffer for the Michigan Daily opi~n page, which has frequently supported LAse positions. An article she co-authored for the Daily praised University of EI Salvador students who "have been so crucial in the effort to overthrow the American-backed regime ... " A piece in the Daily by Vazquez

Education Officials Assail Gourman Report by LIsa Perczak The Gourman Report has been called a "respected Bible for educators," according to the book's jacket. Academic journals, newspapers, and magazines have cited the Gourman Report as an authoritative evaluator of undergraduate and graduate institutions, and the report can be found on the shelves of counseling centers, libraries, and bookstores. Despite all of

this praise for the report, many education officials, including University of Michigan administrators, doubt whether the Gounnan Report is a reliable measure of the quality of colleges and universities. First published in 1%7 and followed by several more editions, the Gourman Report is very different from other books that assess or provide in-

formation on colleges and universities. Unlike Lovejoy's College Guide, Barron's

Profiles of American · Colleges, McClintock's 100 Top Colleges, and others, the Gounnan Report ranks schools similar to the way that collegiate athletic teams are ranked. Gourman, a political science pro-

Seepage 7

said, "The rich people (in EI Salvador) want to maintain their stranglehold on the economy and they'll stoop to any kind of means to continue that. Our government is in cahoots with all that ..." Vazquez, though not officially a member of LASe, was a member of the Puerto Rican Solidarity Organization, which shares an office with LAse in the Michigan Union. MSA President Aaron Williams believes there was no effort to make the group of trip participants balanced along ideological lines. "The Peace and Justice Committee has never been much more than an MSA version of LASe," he said . "I would say it is a . subsidiary directly of LASe. And if you are working very closely with LASe, you are going to send your own people as opposed to someone else." Galpern disagrees with the premise of Williams' argument. "Peace and Justice is a separate committee from LASe," she said . "A number of people

See page 3

Inside Interview with the Provost

Freshman's Guide to Diversity

Football Picks

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The Michigan Review, September 1989, p. 2

Serpent's Tooth A recent issue of the National Review contained the following classified advertisement: "Young, conservative female Republican interested in attending University of Michigan. NR Box 6185." Any benefactors out there?

A bunch of real classy fliers posted around campus thissuirirner asked, "What do you want? A corporatecontrolled economic dictatorship with no unions, no contracts, no fair negotiations, in which working people will have no representation, and about as much bargaining power as a fart in a windstorm."

In case you haven't noticed, the university is refurbishing the Ingall's Mall, the area between the Michigan League and Hill Auditorium. Price tag: half a million dollars. A waste of money? Nah. We'll get a nicer view from our office in the League.

John Ray Castillo, director of Michigan's Department of Civil Rights, wants all of the state's colleges and universities to-create mandatory courses on "cultural awareness and sensitivity training" to ease racial tensions on campuses, according to the Detroit News. Big Brother now-works out of Lansing!

A box appearing in the Daily over the summer read, "The Opinion page welcomes all women.and people of color to its staff." Apparently, white men need not apply.

Contradiction of the decade: "The University of Michigan is an equal opportunity laffirmative action employer."

A group calling itself the Coalition to Boycott Domino's Pizza formed to protest pizza magnate Tom Monaghan's oppbsition to abortion, support of religious groups in Central America, and his other conservative views. Just to show these boycotters how out of touch they are with most people, every U-M student should buy twice as much Domino's pizza as he would normally buy until the boycott officially ends.

The anti-Domino's group staged a picket over the summer and a whopping 65 people reportedly participated. The,.event was organized, in part, by Phillis Engelbert, who then wrote a news story about it in Agenda, for which she is the associate editor. So much for the credo that journalists should report the news and not make it, let alone refrain from writing about events in which they participated.

Boycottin\ Domino's is actually not a new idea. The National Organization of Women (NOW), the same group that actually thinks it can form a third major political party for women, called for a boycott earlier this year. Great minds think alike!?!

According to an op-ro piece published in a summer issue of the Daily,

FREE DANCE LESSONS Monday Nights Starting September 18 &25 6:30 to 8:00 pm Square Dance and Round Dance

FREE DANCE EVENING Square Dance Round Dance Line Dance Contra Dance Friday September 15, 1989 7:30 to l1:oo~m

First United Methodist Church Comer of State and Washington, Ann Arbor Parking Available at Tally Hall No Partner or Experience Necessary Sponsored by U of M A-Squares For more information call Karen at 437 -8828

LASe believes "Cuba is an example for all struggling countries, since it has effectively dealt with deep-set economic problems caused by U.S. imperialism and racial inequities ... " Try telling that to all the Cubans who have moved to Miami.

Did you hear what happened to the Duke? You know, Michael Dukakis, the 1988 Democratic presidential candidate who promised us "competence" if we elected him? Well, it appears Mikey has fallen on hard times. Faced with a tremendous budget deficit, he had to boost taxes and slash spending. His approval rating has fallen into the teens, making him one of the most unpopular governors ever. Fortunately, we in Michigan and those elsewhere were spared a nationwide "Massachusetts Miracle."

THE MICHIGAN REVIEW The Campus Affairs Journal of the University of Michigan Editor-in-Chief Marc Selinger Publisher Mark Molesky Campus Affairs Editors John Miller Peter Miskech Assistant Editors Ian Beilin Matthew Lund Publicity Director Dana Miller

Even though Dukakis mismanaged his state's economy, he was right about one thing: the ACLU isn't all bad. After all, the ACLU helped preserve the First Amendment by getting the U-M's discrimina tory acts policy declared unconstitutional. Maybe someone should tell President Bush.

What's happening to all of our favorite radicals from the 1960s? Abbie Hoffman, Michael Harrington, and Huey Newton have all died recently. It must have something to do with a capitalist conspiracy.

Condom vending machines at Michigan State were recently removed because of slow sales, according to the Ann Arbor News. MSU students must have been unable to figure out how to work the machines.

Remember the Great Douche Debate that occurred last September over the implications of certain items almost placed in the dorms' "Good Stuff" boxes? Well, the forces of feminine hygiene fanaticism have triumphed: Absolutely nothing objectionable was found in this year's boxes.

Production Assistant Rannie O'Halloran Editor Emeritus Seth Klukoff Staff Mark Binelli, Karen Brinkman, Mark Brodson, Bryan Case, Brian Cambs, Melissa Gessner, Ash Jain, Phil Johnston, Ajay Mehrotra, Chris Moore, Belinda Pett, Lisa Perczak, Brian Portnoy, Dan Rice, John Transue, Jennifer Worick, Chau-Ye Wu

The Michigan Review is an independent, non-profit, student-run journal at the University of Michigan. We are not affiliated with any political party. We welcome letters and articles and encourage comments about the journal and issues discussed in it. Our address is:

Suite One 911 North University Ann Arbor, Mich. 48109

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Does anybody remember what those ugly heaps of lumber in the Diag were for?

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The Michigan Review, September 1989, p. 3

From the Editor

Welcome to the New Year by Marc Selinger The end of your summer vacation and the beginning of a new school year may not seem like a reason to celebrate. Whether you are an incoming student who has heard horror stories about University of Michigan students pulling all-nighters and waiting in line for hours to use a computer, or a returiring student who has already had these experiences, you may not be looking forward to what lies ahead. The 1989-90 academic year should be looked upon as full of opportunities, however. Many lower- and upper-level courses are intellectually stimulating, and there are plenty of cultural, social, and sporting events that can provide a healthy supplement to academics. There are also a number of campus organizations, such as the Michigan Review, that can enhance your year. What is the Michigan Review? The Review is a student-run, monthly pub-

lication. It examines campus issues in objectively reported, in-depth articles as well as in editorials, essays, and satire. The Review addresses controversies, problems, and trends relating to such issues as student government, the administration, the curriculum, and housing and also features stories on sports and the arts. If you are a student, you have four options concerning the Review. First, you can completely ignore the Review, or as a few students choose to do, pick up a copy every month and use it as bird cage liner. Second, you can simply read the Review. Third, you can submit letters or articles in addition to reading the Review. And fourth, you can join the Review. If you choose the fourth option, there are a number of possibilities. You can become a staff writer and hone your reporting and writing skills. You can also develop your talents at ed-

iting, layout, cartoon drawing, photography, graphic art, or advertising. The Review is not all work, though. If you join, you will have a chance to make new friends and participate in social events that the Review plans to have this year. . Joining the Review may also help' you get a good job next summer. My work with the Review helped me secure an internship this past summer with the Detroit News editorial page. Not only did I get hands-on experience writing editorials, but Ihad achanceto meet President George Bush, Vice President Dan Quayle, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Detroit Mayor Coleman Young, and other important political leaders. If you have any questions about the Review, my fellow Reviewites arid 1 will be happy to answer them. You can visit us in the Diag on Friday, September 15 during Festifall, the annual re-

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Continued from.pageJ are involved in Peace and Justice. Some of them are involved with LASC; some are not." Manuel Olave, executive director of the Coalition for Democracy in Latin America and one of the applicants who was not picked to go on the trip, said he believes he was rejected because of his relatively "conservative views," in-

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

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1909. For now, enjoy this issue of the

Review and have a great year. The Review has undergone a few minor alterations this year. We redesigned the cover, changed the font of the text, and made a few other format modifications. And unlike last year, I will not write an editor's piece for every issue. Please, no protests in the Diag.

Marc Selinger is a senior in political science and the ~ditor-in-chief of the

Review.

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Here's my tax-deductible contribution to help sustain the University of Michigan's independent campus affairs journal. I understand that with my contribution of $15 or more, I will receive a one year's subscription to the Review. I am enclosing: _$15

Trip

cruiting event for student organizations. You are also welcome to attend our mass meeting on Monday, September 18 in Room D of the Michigan League. Or call the Review office at 662-

rejected becausehe1did not come to a lQeeting he was supposed to attend . <., Olave said that when he was re'jetted, he was given conflicting explanations by two different people. "Engelbert said that since I had not shown up for the meeting, they could not interview me for the trip. Howeyer, Streyer told me they tried to call me for interview, but they could not get a hold of me at the two numbers I wrote down on my application." Williams does not know if the Assembly will investigate the matter

Each of the trip participants was affiliated with LASC or agreed with LASC's stance on El Salvador. . eluding his opposition to the FMLN rebels. Streyer and Teschke declined to comment, but Engelbert denied Olave's assertion, saying, ''We did not quiz everyone" on their views regarding the political situation in EI Salvador. Engelbert also ~d that Olave was F

this fall. But he said, "It is unlikely these trips will be funded next year because MSA does not have the budget surplus it thought it had last year." Marc Selinger is a senior in political science and the editor-in-chief of the

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The Michigan Review, September 1989, p. 4

From Suite One: Editorials

Court Deciphers the 'Code' The University of Michigan's anti-discrimination policy for students has run into trouble. A federal judge ruled last month that the policy's prohibition on racist, sexist, and other forms of offensive speech violates the First Amendment. The decision is a welcome rebuke of the U-M administration, which has ignored the Constitution in its attempts to combat bigotry. Last year, the administration implemented a discriminatory acts policy for students in response to a series of racial incidents on campus. The policy, which many refer to as the "code," prohibited "any behavior, verbal or physical, that stigmatizes or victimizes an individual on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, creed, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, handicap or Vietnam-era veteran status." The administration also distributed a pamphlet to students listing examples of prohibited behavior. For instance, students would be charged with harassment if .they "display(ed) a (C)onfederate flag on the door of (their) room in the residence hall" or if their "student organization sponsor(ed) entertainment that includes a comedian who slurs Hispanics." The administration later quietly retracted the pamphlet when it was criticized on First Amendment grounds. In our December 1988 issue, we ran an editorial opposing the policy. While we agreed with the administration that racism and other forms of bigotry have no place on campus, we argued that the administration should not try to eliminate them by trampling on the First Amendment, which protects even offensive speech. Fortunately, we were not the only ones to oppose the policy. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit against the U-M earlier this summer

on behalf of a graduate psychology student who feared punishment if he theorized that there is a relationship between human behavior and race or sex. The administration tried to backpedal from charges that its policy was unconstitutional. It suspended the clause forbidding behavior "that creates an intimidating, hostile or demeaning environment for educational pursuits." This modification did nothing to change the policy's unconstitutional ban on racist speech, however. U.S. District Judge Avem Cohen recognized this last

The ruling represents a victory for the forces of free speech at the U-M. month when he ruled that the policy's prohibition on such speech violated the First Amendment. Does this decision kill the code? Probably not. When this issue went to print, the administration had not decided whether it would appeal the decision or draft a new policy. The ruling still represents a victory for the forces of free speech at the U-M. It also alerts other schools to the fact that the First Amendment cannot be ignored, even for a such a noble effort as trying to eliminate ignorance.

Administration Must Tighten Belt Students will have to pay a lot more to attend the University of Michigan this year. Some of this year's tuition increase is the result of insufficient state funding, but much of the increase can be blamed on an administration that has not worked hard enough at cost containment, which would minimize tuition increases. Over the summer, the Board of Regents voted to raise tuition by 9.6 percent for resident undergradu~tes and 10 percent for most other students, including out-of-state undergraduates.

Administrative costs for many departments grew several times faster than the inflation rate. The administration said these increases, which are about twice the inflation rate, are necessary in part because of inadequate state funding, as well as rising costs that the administration claims it has little control over. As Charles Vest, provost and vice president for academic affairs, told the University Record, most of the real growth in costs has been in financial aid, laboratories, books, and computers, and "they are costs that we cannot afford to avoid." The administration is right about state funding. The Legislature increased the U-M's funding this year by only 4.5 percent, which roughly compensates for inflation. But this increase does not make up for even 10werincteaSE:!S theU"'M'has received in previous years, such as last year's 2.8 percent rise. Moreover, increases for the U-M in recent years have been the lowest among the state's 15 public

universities. The administration is less convincing when it talks about costs. Although Vest has set up a task force to investigate ways in which money could be saved, the UM continues to waste money in many areas. . The U-M is spending about half a million dollars to complete what is called Ingalls Mall, the area between Washington Street and North University A venue. While improving the landscaping on campus may be desirable, already high tuition rates should not be increased even more to pay for something that is far from vital. The U-M could also be more thrifty with administrative costs. A look at last year's budget data reveals that administrative costs for many departments grew several times faster than the inflation rate. For example, from the 1987-88 academic year to 1988-89, the budget for the LSA College ad ministra tion and the risk management office soared by 29 percent and 38 percent respectively. The administration could also save money if the U-M and other universities lobbied Congress to make changes in federal financial aid guidelines. According to MSA President Aaron Williams, "They are still using standards for financial aid which have not changed since the 1%O's. And student demographics have changed quite frequently since then." With many parents now divorced, it would make sense for both parents' incomes to be considered when determining a student' seligibility for aid rather than just the income of the parent with whom the student is living. Financial aid costs would decrease, and undeserving beneficiaries would have to pay for themselves. In a world of unlimited financial resources, we would not have to make these sacrifices. But when families have to take out second mortgages on their homes in order to send their children to the U-M, the most expensive state-funded college in Michigan, the administration has a responsibility to eliminate unnecessary spending.

The Michigan Review, September 1989, p. 7

Report Continued from page 1 .fessor at the University of California at Northridge, assigns numerical rankings to specific undergraduate and, since 1980, graduate disciplines. He also rates each school overall. The scale and the criteria he uses to evaluate each school vary from edition to edition. But since he explains his evaluation methods only briefly in the preface of his texts, many questions have been raised about his reports. Some educators criticize the information Gourman uses to evaluate schools. Larry Berlin, U-M associate dean of Education, said, "The mere number of volumes in a library is one of the criteria Gourman cites in his studies. For most undergraduates, this

his rankings are compiled." Homer Rose, assistant dean of Rackham, agrees. "There are public documents Gourman would have access to regarding the U-M," he said, "but beyond that it is tough to know exactly how Gourman does what he does." Gourman told the Chronicle of Higher Education he used data gathered from individuals at colleges and universities. "We have respondents on thousands of campuses in the United States," he said. "They are faculty members, administrators, and deans, who all volunteer to contribute information. They write letters about their institutions and their departments." But college officials give a different story. The president of Ripon College told the Oshkosh Northwestern that " ... we at Ripon College have not submitted one piece of information to (Gourman's) organization because we

Perhaps the biggest criticism of Gourman is that he takes too broad of a focus. kind of information has no bearing on the quality of educational opportunity." One of the biggest mysteries is how Gourman tabulates his data. In his 1983 edition, for example, there is no explanation as to why the scale, which varies from edition to edition, skips from 2.99 to 3.01 and from 3.99 to 4.01. Gourman also lists the criteria he uses to assess each school, such as faculty instruction and research, library resources, student admissions policies, and facilities, but does not explain how he assigns numerical values to each of these criteria. Gourman also says that certain criteria are more important for some schools than others, though he does not explain why. Gourman told the Chronicle of Higher Education in 1984 that "it could be confusing to put in too much information about how it (the report) is done. It is not scientific to include so much information." In the preface of his reports, Gourman wrote, "The casual reader appreciating the convenience of these terse numerical evaluations may not fully understand the effort that goes into compiling them." U-M officials know little about Gourman's methods . Erdogan Gaulari, U-M associate dean of Engineering, said, "The last time Gourman's ratings came out, many of my colleagues .and I tried to contact Gourman to find out how he performs his studies. We were never able to contact him, and we do not know how

have not been asked to do so." Gaulari concurred, saying, "I do not know of any instance at the U-M in which we have sent information to Gourman." John Cross, associate dean of LSA faculty affairs, said, "I have not sub-

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mitted any information to Gourman. I don't know what his studies are based on." Educators at small schools, particularly liberal arts colleges, are especially skeptical about the Gourman Re-

Gourman's 1983 edition came out. They felt their schools had been shortchanged, since the report gave low rankings to their schools while giving the three highest ratings in that state to

Smaller schools generally do not fare well in the Gourman Report. port. Many believe Gourman is biased toward large universities-those with many courses and instructors--over smaller colleges and universities. Indeed, smaller schools generally do not fare well in the Gourman Report. In the 1983 edition, for example, no liberal arts colleges are ranked in the top ten in the overall category, and the eleven lowest ranked schools are all sm(i.ll. Gourman categorizes such prestigious private colleges as Willi(ims, Wellesley, Smith, and Mt. Holyoke as "adequate." Gourman also continually shuffles big-name universities in the top spots. Harvard, Princeton, and Yale Universities, the University of California at Berkeley, and the U-M receive top-ten rankings in almost every category. In the edition published this year, the U-M is ranked third overall for both its undergraduate and graduate programs. Several liberal arts college presidents in WiscQnsin protested when

the universities with the highest enrollments. Perhaps the biggest criticism of Gourman is that he takes too broad of a focus. He has evaluated not only undergraduate and graduate programs, but law, medical, dental, pharmacy, nursing, optometry, and public health programs here and abroad, accredited and non-accredited. According to Louis Rice, associate director of LSA academic advising, "No one is in a position to do such a thing." Gourman does not appear dissuaded by all of these criticisms, having just published another edition this summer. Although he could not be reached to comment, he told the Chronicle of Higher Education in 1978, "It's up to me to think what I want to think."

Lisa Perczak is a junior in English and a staff writer for the Review.

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The Michigan Review, September 1989, p. 8

Campus Affairs

An Interview with Provost Charles Vest The Review interviewed Charles Vest, provost and vice president for academic affairs, on August 28. Vest received ltis doctorate from the U-M in 1967, became an assistant professor the following year, and later held the positions of associate professor and professor. He served as associate dean (1981-86) and dean (1986-88) of the College of Engineering before filling his current post earlier this year.

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in part because President Duderstadt and I had both come from Engineering. But I believe that when one takes on a university administrative function like provost, you are here to serve people. You are not here to serve your own narrow interests or background, but to serve the univer~ity as a whole.

We plan to try to increase our engagement with the state in substantive conversations about funding for the U-M and higher education in general.

REVIEW: Some segments of the campus community are concerned that because the top two administration officials-President James Duderstadt and yourself-come from the College of Engineering, LSA and other schools and colleges will be neglected financially in the long term. What is the administration doing to alleviate these concerns? VEST: One thing that we of course cannot do is change either of our backgrounds. It certainly came as quite a surprise to me when I emerged from the selection process for provost. It was not something I was anticipating,

REVIEW: Governor James Blanchard recently threatened to cut aid to the U-M next year unless it keeps tuition increases to 14 pecent over two years. What is the administration planning to do in response to this threat?

REVIEW: Doyou have any indication that you can do that?

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many forces acting on us.

his threat to cut aid to the U-M next year?

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REVIEW: What are your main goals as provost and vice president for academic affairs? VEST: My primary goalisto do my part in maintaining and enhancing the excellence of the University of Michigan as a learning and research environment. If you look at my duties, I wear two hats, so to speak: one as vice president for academic affairs and one as provost. This roughly translates into my being the chief academic officer and chief budget oficer. As far as those two things interact, I have a very important role to make sure that the fundamental academic mission of the university drives most of the budget decisions that are made. That is always a challenge because there are of course

creep in because of one's particular background. I also would say that even while I was dean of Engineering, one of the things I enjoyed the most was having associations and involvement with the other deans and so forth. It is sort of that ecumenical set of interests that probably is largely responsible for my having landed in this office.

And the entire format in which information is presented to us-the people I meet with, the groups I work with day in and day out-are structured so that it mitigates quite substantially against bringing a bias of my background as an Engineering faculty member into this office. I try to spend a lot of time with people from all of the 17 units that use the Academic Affairs Advisory Council, which has all of the deans on it. The council is a primary mechanism for discussing core issues. The staff around me comes from LSA, from the School of Nursing, and other schools. You find that you are so inundated with requests, information, and things to think about that probably the least likely thing is to have a strong bias

VEST: The appropriations bill has been signed, so there is no extant threat of a veto at this point. We plan to try to increase our engagement with the state in substantive conversations about funding for the U-M and higher education in general. Our concern is that the overall level of support that enables us to have the right kind of environment here for our students is maintained. I would like to believe that the long-term goals that the state administration has and that the university has are sufficiently identical that we can come to a position that. we are all going to agree with. But our tuition is ultimately set by the Board of Regents, and we simply held to the

VEST: It is premature to predict what is going to happen. We had to make our decision for this yearno w, and tha t is what we did. We will be in discussions with the state, and I hope those discussions can take place in such a way that by this time next year we will not be thinking about winners or losers or who is backing down and who is going up. I hope we can get together as allies once again and reestablish higher education as a priority in the state. REVIEW: Do you think you can convince the governor to change his mind? VEST: I would hope so.

VEST: It is far too early to make any predictions. REVIEW: What happens if he decid es to stick with the threat? Will the U-M raise tuition by only 4 percent to keep it within that 14 percent guideline, or just raise tuition withoutregard to the threat that he has posed? VEST: That is too hypothetical a question because our job, together with the regents, will be to assess all of our revenue sources and try to set what we believe is a reasonable tuition level within that bound. It is entirely too soon after the signing of the bill, which was just last Friday (August 25), to really begin predicting what is going to happen during the coming year. In addition, we will have to remember that this is both an executive and a legislative process, and that the coupling of those two things needs im-

We have to rebuild a much stronger ronsensus among the people of the state for having a strong higher education system. tuition level that the board had set.

provement as well.

REVIEW: But do you think you can get the governor to back down from

REVIEW: The U-M does not seem to have very good representation in the

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The Michigan Review, September 1989, p. 5

Review Forum

Five Ways to Reform MSA The opinions expressed in the Review Forum do not necessarily represent those of the Michigan Review editorial board. by Zachary Kittrie The Michigan Student Assembly, the University of Michigan's campuswide student government, almost died this summer. The Office of Student Services froze MSA's accounts in May, and members of the Board of Regents were so displeased with the Assembley that in July they nearly cut off its funding for the 1989-90 academic year. In the end, the regents approved a one-year contract for MSA. What prompted these actions by the Office of Student Services and the regents? To begin with, many of the regents are generally skeptical of MSA and the services it provides. During the summer of 1988, for example, two regents did not feel that the Ann Arbor Tenants' Union, an MSA-funded tenants advocacy group for students, deserved funding. Some regents also criticized MSA for its low voter turnout rates. But the regents' complaint with MSA this summer was even more serious. It concerned the Assembly's fiscal irresponsibility. Last February, then-MSA President Michael Phillips said that MSA had a tremendous surplus of approximately $60,000 and urged that these funds be spent. By May, howev~r, no one was talking about a surplus. In fact, there was great concern that MSA was facing a deficit. As it turned out, MSA owed several thousand dollars in back payments to Student Legal Services and the AATU, the two groups to

back MSA's budget and take out a loan for $60,000 at 9 percent interest. MSA is now at a crossroads. As an observer, an Assembly representative, and a presidential candidate in the March election, I have seen MSA function and change over the last three years. After spending the pat two summers watching the regents deliberate over MSA, I have come up with a list of five changes that would rehabilitate the troubled student government. The first three reforms have to do with elections, while the remaining two would create a better set of checks and balances. All of them could be instituted with relative ease. First, a much higher student election turnout, which currently averages around 10 percent, is critical. To bring this about, MSA elections need to be held at class registration (CRISP). What effect would placing MSA election sites near the CRISP areas have? Voter turnout would be much greater than the 2,000 to 3,000 students

who vote under the current setup. This would enhance MSA's credibility and get more students involved. In addition, holding elections at CRISP would spread the voting period out over a greater number of days, reducing the pressure candidates face with the current two--day voting period. Also, students waiting in long lines at CRISP might be more prone to read through

MSA's election guide, which describes the candidates and lists their platforms. The MSA executives should approach CRISP and work out the logistics so that this idea can be implemented in time for the fall election. Unfortunately, graduate and law students would still have to vote at inde-

costing a candidate only about $100. A number of candidates who hold the same beliefs can combine resources

To lessen the candidates' burden, MSA sQould supply campaign materials to all candidates. Many of the problems that MSA has encountered during the last year have had to do with mistakes in record keeping and accounting. My second recommendation is that the MSA parlimentarian, secretary, and treasurer be elected campus-wide, just as representatives are. Currently, these positions are appointed and accountable only to the MSA president and vice president. Because they are appointees, they have very little accountability to the rest of MSA or the student electorate. The parliamentarian, who is responsible for fairly facilitating Assem-

and run as a ticket. But costs for the MSA presidential/vice presidential election in March average $2,000 per ticket and can rise to as much as $5,000. Such expensive elections naturally prevent many students from running. What costs are involved in running a campaign for student government? In addition to an enormous amount of time, it costs a lot of money to blanket the campus with colored flyers and posters, place ads in the school newspaper, reproduce position papers, and buy supplies. To lessen the candidates' burden, MSA should supply campaign materials to all candidates. Diag board canvasses, a set number of photocopies, ad vertising space in the Michigan Daily and the Michigan Review, posterboards, paint, chalk, staples, tape, stickers, and markers should be subsi" dized if not supplied by MSA. There must also be a cap on expenditures. My last two recommendations would make the MSA executives accountable to the Assembly itself, as bly meetings, has often shown great well as the distant student electorate. bias towards those who have apThe executives should be responsible pointed him. The treasurer, MSA's for answering representatives' inquirchief financial officer, has in the past ies, especially concerning finances. gotten away with being lax in teportAlso, MSA should buy space in the ing expenditures because the presiMichigan Daily and the Michigan Redent and vice president have often view so that the treasurer and president been lax themselves. can publish their bimonthly reports, My third recommendation is that making it easier for more students to MSA make itself more accessible to keep up with MSA's activities. greater student participation by imHopefully, by instituting some of proving its election rules. One of the these suggestions and acting upon greatest barriers to increased student some of the other recommendations involvement is the high cost of runthat will undoubtedly be presented in ning for office. Currently, there is no the next few weeks, MSA can get itself cap on spending for elections. There is back on track. After all, there is a lot at an antiquated system for matching stake. All students need to take an infunds in the MSA election rules, but it terest in MSA because its very exisis optional and seldom used because of tence is on the line. a low funding cap. MSA elections occur twice a year-half the representatives are elected in November and the other Zachary Kittrie is a senior in history half, as well as the president and vice and chairman of the MSA External . president, are elected in March. The Relations Committee. November elections are a bargain,

Holding elections at CRISP would spread the voting period out over a greater number of days, reducing the pressure candidates face with the cnrrent two-day voting period.

One of the greatest barriers to increased student involvement is the high cost of running for office. which it regularly allocates money. Poor accounting practices also made it look as ifMSA had more money than it actually did. Consequently, MSA's account was frozen and the regents sounded off. To payoff the deficit, new MSA President Aaron Williams has to cut

pendent sites, since they have registration schedules that are different from the rest of the student body.

The Michigan Review, September 1989, p. 6

Review Forum ,( :

Behind All the Daily's Hype by Manuel Olave Most incoming stu9,~ts areintroduced to the Michigan Daily when they read the orientation issue. This year's edition will help them quickly realize that the Daily serves as a platform for the outlandish ideas of Third World groupies, radical feminists; and other campus leftists. For openers, there is a reprint of a speech given by Kimool11ySmith of the United Coalition Against Racism (UCAR) on Dr. Martin luther King Ir.'s birthday. Smith said that Presi-

tions oJ Latin American peOple to selfdetermination." What the article really means is that lASe supports MarxistLeninist thugs who want to shoot their way into power, pursue inherently flawed collectivist policies, and then blame the United States when collectivism fails. Two stories reveal that pizza magnate Thomas Monaghan has become an obsession of the Ann Arbor left. The lASC article mentions that this group has organized a boycott of Domino's

The one-sidedness of these articles suggests that the Daily will serve as a platform for radic'al activists. dent "Ronald Reagan tells us to say no Pizza, in part because Monaghan supto drugs while he sends shiploads of posedly has strong ties to the CIA. No them into our communities," ludievidence to support these allegations crously implying that Reagan engaged is given, however. A piece about the Ann Arbor Committee to Defend in a conspiracy to send drugs into mi' ' Abortion Rights explains that this nority communities. An article profiling the Latin ' , group supports the Domino's boycott American Solidarity Commi ttee because Monaghan backs anti-abor(lASe) says that lASC dedicates itself ,tion organizations. to "supporting the legitimate aspiraAnother piece in the issue is enIJ,(}rrV;\.~~ ' ~\-.&;>fl"~'~

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titled "Anti-racist . groups educate Daily Staff" and is accompa- . nied by a picture of Daily "staffers talking with.~ members of UCAR. i:iZ , , UCAR's idea of educating is similar to what totalitarian governments do with dissidents: they "reeducate" them. This translates into brainwashing, which UCAR and others unsuccessfully sought to impose last winter term by attempting to institute a mandatory class on racism for LSA students. According to the Daily opinion page, the course would have had "an oversight board of students and faculty with a history of fighting these issues to administer the requirements." In other words, only UCARapproved peOple would have managed this Orwellian-sounding class. The orientation issue also deals with the Israeli-Palestinian controversy. All four articles on this subject are sympathetic to the terrorist Pales-

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tine Liberation Organization (PlO) and / or sharply critical of Israel. Besides showing the lack of balance in the Daily, these articles reveal that the left supports whomever is anti-United States and anti-Israel. Last year, for example, the Daily opinion page charged that the two Libyan fighter planes the United States shot down were unarmed and hinted that Israel ' was responsible for the bombing of Pan-Am Hight 103. Naturally, the evidence was shoddy at best. What can weexpectfor the 1989-90 academic year? The articles in this issue of the Daily indicate that the leftist activists, who remain unfazed by the worldwide collapse of socialism, plan to have demonstrations, teach-ins, and all the other fun things they regularly do between graduate degrees. The onesided ness of these articles, as well as the fact that many of the group profiles, including the one about lASC, were written by members of these organizations, suggests that the Daily will serve not as the student body's newspaper but as a platform for radical activists. The best thing we can do then is avoid taking the Daily or its friends seriously.

Manuel Olave is a junior in political science and executive director of the Coalition for Democracy in Latin America (CD LA).

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The Michigan Review, September 1989, p. 11

Essay

How to S'urvive Your Fresh:m:sn Year by John Miller Welcome to college, freshmen. For years you have heard what it would be like from brothers, sisters, and friends. For months you took tests, wrote essays, and filled out applications in order to get into the school of your choice. And for days you have wondered whether you could handle the workload, the stress, and the next four years. I presume you already have been told about the challenges you will face at college. As someone who only a year ago experienced the dramatic transition from high school senior hotshot to freshman nobody, I can offer some advice on how to handle some of these challenges. As a freshman, I tried to mask my ignorance of life away from home, but I did not always succeed. I had problems figuring out how to do my laundry. To this day, I do not fully understand why the entrance to the Mary Markley dormitory is on the fourth floor, nor do I know exactly where North Campus is located. You will probably encounter similar situations. Now that your mom and dad have said goodbye with a speech entitled "With Freedom Comes Responsibility," you will begin to face some of the unpleasant facts of college life: mediocre cafeteria food, an insufficient number of coed halls, and long reading assignments that seem to keep you forever confined to your lessthan-spacious dorm room. The cunning and resourceful freshman can overcome some of these negatives, though it may require that you play dumb. Want to meet members of the opposite sex? Try out this scenario: "Do I put dark colors in hot water and light colors in cold water? I bet that cute blond on machine #3 would know." Or casually ask some-

one, "Have you figured out how the phones work?" Maybe you want to move some furniture around or need help building a loft. If it requires communication, it will work. While such steps will make surviving college easier, only learning how to get a good education and becoming involved in extracurricular acti vities can ensure that you will ha ve a truly successful experience.

make college enormously frustratitlg '; and suffocating. Take the opportunity ' '. to learn outside of the classroom. One of the ways to do this is to become involved in campus organizations. The U-M is a gigantic place, dwarfing everybody'S high school and even many hometowns. Lectures often contain hundreds of people, most of whom will never even meeteachother. , But involvement in extracurricuta'r;'

Only learning how to get a good education and becoming involved in extracurricular activities can ensure that you will have a truly successful experience. Recognizing the difference between high school and college work requirements is essential to a good academic performance. Where I come from, high school students can do well if they simply show up for most of their classes and cram for exams the night before they are gi ven. College students have to do more. They must spend several hours studying each night and figure out how to keep up with all of their assignments. While first-year grades are important, do not think that your sole objective should be to obtain a 4.0 grade point average. You will get a lot more out of college in the long run if you take classes that teach you something worthwhile rather than courses that promise an easy A' but are devoid of serious content. Do not allow your schoolwork to dominate all your waking hours. Just as too much socializing can hurt your schoolwork, too much studying can I

organizations can help make attending the U-M a more personalized experience and provide a much needed

escape (rom ~sa~emics. Ethnic and political groups; hl'd iostations, acting companies, film cooperatives, publications, fraternities, and sororities are just a few kinds of groups you can join. If you prefer something less structured, you should be able to meet people in you~ d~rm who have an interest in spOrts~ music, role-playing games, elichi'E~; Ah, or just partying. Either way, yoti will build relationships that will help make your freshman year, as well as each successive year, a rewarding experience. If you often find yourself reaching for high school yearbooks and losing yourself to fits of nostalgia, then you have not done enough. College should be enjoyable, but making it so will require some effort on your part.

JolÂĽt Miller is a sophomore in LSA . and campus affairs editor of the Review.

Four Things Every Freshman Should Do (That do not involve academics) 1. Check out the Michigan Theater for lots of great movies and concerts. Living Colour, the Replacements, the Church, and Steve Miller performed there last year. Perhaps the best thing about the theater is its grandiose interior design. 2. See a concert at Hill Auditorium, even if you have never heard of the performers. Hill has perfect acoustics. Need I say more? 3. Go to at least one football, basketball, and hockey game. UM sports are rich in both history and excitement. Besides, everybody should take the opportunity to pay homage to 80' s athletic empire. 4. Attend at least one "open" fraternity party. The school year is just beginning, so there will be plenty of houses attempting to impress would-be pledges. These parties present a great chance to check out houses before rush or to simply have a good time.

The Michigan Review, September 1989, p. 12

Essay

The Freshman's Guide to Diversity by Peter Miskech The first-year student's initial encounter with the Rhetoric of Diversity is most likely to be a rather confusing affair, as the Nomenclature of Diversity can, on first appearance, hardly be described as lucid. An understanding of Diversity is only attained after several months of sustained indoctrination attempts by divers and .sundry folk who seem to ernbQ~Y Ole ideal of Diversity in their moSt tolerantopinions. By Diversity Day (i.e. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday), they will either have succeeded in framing a most Diverse first-year student, or they will have failed to do so, in which case the fascist, absolutist, capitalist dupe who arrived at orientation will forever remain unchanged. There are, however, first-year students who arrive in Ann Arbor already taken by the inebriate of Diversity. You may see them playing guitar (always quite poorly) in the Diag or chatting with the winos that lounge about the East Quad air vent. They sport ugly tie-dyed tee-shirts, friendship bracelets, and woven Guatemalan handbags. They are the guilt-ridden, petit-bourgeoisl many of them vulgar neo-hippies. And it is on them that the Litany of 路Diversity is most effective since they are already quite familiar with Its terminology. But it is the other sort that I write for-the unenlightened, overprivileged, white, heterosexual, upper middle-class male who is as yet nescient of the awful Evil that he embodies. So to help him forego a few months of opacity, here is a concise exposition of the Tenets. of Diversity known as the "ism's." The first term one is usually confronted with is racism. To demonstrate how tolerant, open, and Diverse the discussion of racism is at the University of Michigan, I will be silent on this issue for fear of being thrown into the hoosegow by the campus thought-

nitions of racism. One need not make a racial slur to be considered racist; one need only disagree with the methodology involved in discussing questions of race to be branded a cross-burner. Brm ... I feel a chill ... Sexism will usually come next, and like racism, will probably not strike anyone as a novel concept. Broadly defined, sexism is the belief in the superiority of one gender over the other. But by reading the editorial page of the Michigan Daily, one finds that discussions of sexism are entirely vagicentric; that is, they are dominated by women's, or rather by wymyn's, claims of victirnhood. Why men are never considered victims of sexism is a curious question, but one that is again easily answered by reference to the Daily's editorial page, whose writers suffer from deeply-rooted phaUophobia. One gathers from the Daily that men, especially of the heterosexual, Caucasian sort, are the greatest abomi-

nation to have ever crawled out from under their rocks to live in the light of day (which their presence has subsequently dimmed). But beside the monotonous vituperation of men in the Daily editorial pages, one finds a labored endorsement of the activities of truly enlightened wymyn-for example, last year's Halloween editorial in praise of witchcraft-that informs us that we are dealing with a superior species here. Elitism seems to denote discrimination by social class, and again one will hear largely from the Daily's edito-

rial writers as their agonized wails alert us to the harsh truth that the UM's tuition is so high that it can only be afforded by slave-holding plantation owners. Yet among students one is more likely to encounter animosity toward intellectual elitism rather than

humane treatment of one's fellow man) is very telling. In the end, homophobia and heterosexism are not at-

The Rhetoric of Diversity has a formidable foe: logic. them to form a hegemony designed to protect their feeble intellections from being unmasked by that execrable minority that can think. Along with anti-intellectualism comes accusations of Eurocentrism. The argument is that intellectual discourse is dictated on predominantly European terms and that a failure to recognize this will lead to the formulation of prejudicial judgments among the various academic disciplines. Quite true. But as a Weapon of Diversity, Eurocentrism becomes an unmitigated attack, not of a scholarly error,

Diversity's villain is the patriarchal, obscurantist, Christian, European, white male whose imperialistic plunder of the world is the source of all evil.

One senses in the Rhetoric of Diversity a definite subjectivist strain. police. It is sufficient, however, to observe that the word racism is thrown around so often that it is in danger of losing its meaning. It is not used only to denote the belief in the superiori ty of one race over another, but rather to indicate the non-belief in certain defi-

social elitism. After all, there are so many morons and deinagogic quacks on campus that it is only natural for

but of the entire social and intellectual history of the West. Once again Diversity's villain is the patriarchal, obscurantist, Christian, European, white male whose imperialistic plunder ofthe world is the source of all evil. Discrimination against individuals, especially the elderly, due to their age is known as ageism. One will not hear of any rancorous debate among the campus intelligentsia over this ism, only a few tiresomely repeated complaints from young pagans who are denied admittance to worship at the shrine of Bacchus. One senses in the Rhetoric of Diversity a definite subjectivist strain, especially in the discussion of homophobia and heterosexism, where questions of sexual orientation, or ra ther, of sexual preference arediscussed. Homophobia is not attacked so that the persecution of homosexual~ may end, but because the homosexual does not appreciate the obscurantist moralizer telling him that he should not practice sodomy. That a personal whim should supersede a moral imperative (say, the

tacked nearly as often as homosexuality is advocated as a perfectly justifiable lifestyle. But it is on the question of subjectivism that the entire Edifice of Diversity crumbles. The acceptance of subjectivism, if followed through to its logical conclusion, would negate the moral imperatives that govern the eradication of racism and sexism. For one could easily argue that one prefers to hold racist or sexist opinions and that such opinions are as justly held as any other opinions. One often finds in the Rhetoric of Diversity a reference to the "common or shared values" with which Diversity strives to unite the U-M. But how the word value can be used by the Initiates of Diversity is quite a curiosity, as value is the first thing that they toss onto the rubbish heap in favor of preference. Even on questions of racism and sexism, there exists a strong preferential element so that the moral questions are lost among the rhetoric. What we are left with then is a paradox: a tension between value and preference that continuously resolves into the latter. The Inculcators of Diversity are thus damned if they advocate subjectivism, and damned it they re;ectit. The Rhetoric of Diversity has a formidable foe: logic. So formidable a foe is logic that Diversity is shown not to exist at all. It is merely the Rhetoric of Diversity itself which exists. And in the hands of certain factions, it is a powerful weapon used to combat anyone who disagrees with their personal agenda. But of course, if you point out to the Dupes of Diversity that Diversi ty is logically untenable, they will probably accuse you of intellectual elitism because you have the audacity to exercise your own thought rather than take Diversity at Its word. Peter Miskech is a sophomore in English and philosophy and campus

affairs editor of the Review.

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The Michigan Review, September 1989, p. 9

Vest Legislature. Is there any way to change that? . VEST: It is true that there are no people in real leadership positions on the higher education appropriation committees who have a strong commitment to the U-M. We have to rebuild a much stronger consensus among the people of the state for having a strong higher education system and in particular recognizing the im-

administration justify such large tuition hikes when it does not appear to be containing administrative costs? VEST: It is extremely difficult to look at figures and decide exactly what administrative growth has and has not occured, since a lot of these figures represent new imposed costs on us. They represent some reorganizations ou t of one office into another. But there is no question that in the most general sense of the term, the amount of administration that has to be done within a university is continually increasing.

I have a very important role to make sure that the fundamental academic mission of the university drives most of the budget decisions that are made. portance of having a flagship university of the caliber that we aspire to here. The people of Michigan used to have that commitment and they may still have it. But it is latent if they do. We have to do a more effective job of telling our story broadly, as well as trying to enhance our ability to work with the Legislature itself. REVIEW: You set up a task force to look for areas in which the U-M could cut costs. Has it found anything yet? VEST : The task force people are just in the staff work stage, so I do not know the answer to that question yet. They are doing largely staff and some committee work over the summer, and then they will begin their actual deliberations in the fall. We have asked for at least an interim report by December. We are looking not just for specific suggestions, but for a way of setting the tone and mechanisms for making budget decisions. I suspect they are going to try to articulate a philosophy, as well as just saying, "Take a meat cleaver and chop away here and there./I We are encouraging them to look not only at the traditional sources of academic thought, but to talk to people in the private sector and elsewhere to get their ideas. REVIEW: Last year's budget shows many increases in administrative costs that are well above inflation. For example, the budget for the risk management office increased 38 percent, the budget for the LSA College administration went up 29 percent, and the student admissions budget grew by 12 percent. How can the

What concerns me is that I do not see anything to slow that trend yet. You take the financial aid office for example, or research administration. We continually have more and more duties imposed on us by the federal government. It would be very educational to go over to the financial aid office and look at the analysis that we now have to go through in order to calculate the needs of a student. Today, we are responsible, for example, for finding out whether students have any arrest recordsin the drug area. This is the kindof thing that you would never expect to be our responsibility. As far as risk management is concerned, everything, like the rest of society, has become so litigious that we have to worry a lot about how we are prepared to defend ourselves against various lawsuits. It has become an increasingly important cost of doing business. I do not know what the LSA figure that you brought up really represents. REVIEW: Why is theU-M spending half a million dollars on Ingalls Mall, which some would argue will not benefit students educationally? VEST: I disagree with that. I believe that the enhancement of the environment to a reasonable extent within which welearn and work is important. Obviously that can be taken to· one extreme or another. You could take it to the extreme of having a campus that is nothing but a collection of ugly huts. That would be wrong. You could take it to the other extreme that we will invest 80 percent of our resources into plush carpeting and so forth. That would also be wrong. But enhance-

ment of the environment in ways that all of us benefit, such as the Ingalls Mall, is in the long run in the best interests of tDe university. Those kinds of projects by the way are not funded out of the general fund , which is filled up with tuition revenues, state support, and so forth, but are funded primarily by earnings on investments and things like that. REVIEW: In an editorial last March, we said that buildings on campus are usually too warm during the winter. Computer centers also tend to be too cold during the summer. Do you agree, and if so could the U-M save money by trying to regulate heating and air conditioning temperatures better? VEST:There isno question thatwecan and must do a better job of energy cost containment. However, if you look back over the last decade, energy cost containment is one area that our performance has been pretty good in. In this year's budget, there is no increase in energy costs. Part of the things that you are referring to are related to some of the very antiquated energy infrastructure on parts of the campus. But overall efficiency is not too bad. We generate some of our own electricity and we heat most of the central campus with the waste heat from those generators in winter and so forth . But some of the con trol systems are not up to date, so it is a continuing battle. Our overall record is good, but that is the kind of area that Vice President (and Chief Financial Officer Farris) Womack and his crew will continually try to improve on. As far as the computer centers are concerned, I do not know. REVIEW: Now that a federal judge has found the U-M's discriminatory acts policy for students to be unconstitutional, what do you think the UM should do?

VEST: Our goal must be to generate a policy that is workable and will be a tool in helping uslo have a truly multicultural institution as we move into the future. Unfortunately, this contention between the area of freedom of speech and expression and freedom from harassment and discomfort, which is a very major contention on U.s. campuses, is probably going to takeusafew years to play out. Wedid approve a couple weeks or so ago withholding the implementation of one paragraph that just about everybody agrees is too vague to be enforceable and left too many questions vis-avis the First Am~ri~ment open. REVIEW: Ptop'dnents of a mandatory class on racism for LSA may try to revive the issue this fall. Are you in favor of such a class? VEST: The decisions about what should constitute curricular requirements are clearly and preferably left up to the faculties of the individual schools and colleges, so in a sense my personal opinions on that issue would be irrelevant. What I do feel is that the debate that LSA and the U-M began to go through last year on this issue is a very important one, which for the most part was carried out on a high plane. Most people have come to the conclusion that it would be tremendously difficult to have a single uniform required course for everybody on campus to address this issue. But I think that keeping that debate alive and seeing if there is not a somewhat more general context in which these important issues can be addressed by each of our students is a good thing to do. I do expect LSA to come back with some kind of action on this issue in the next year or so. REVIEW: When you were dean of Engineering, was this an issue that you ever had to think about, and if so

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The Michigan Review, September 1989, p. 10 will the U-M meet its affirmative action goals?

Vest

VEST: I do not like to think about this issue just in terms of numbers, though obviously we do think about goals and so forth. I also do not like the term "qualified minorities" very much. I do believe that I came out of a college, namely Engineering, that in many ways was tremendously diverse. The diversity came from the highly international background of both faculties and students. I benefited tremen-

what position did you take on it? VEST: Absolutely. What I did for one year, and I hope it is being continued this next year, was take our freshman computing course, which is the one class that all of our students essentially take, and devote one lengthy section each term to a broad discussion of diversity. It was a very interactive thing. It was not someone portraying their own particular ideological approach. We used professional facilitators around campus and got the students to engage in discUssions about sameness, difference, and so forth. I would say that that was a modestly successful experiment. I read through every one of the student evaluations. The primary question was, "Would you recommend that we do this again?" The vast majority of students said "yes."

should. We are working on a very important part of that problem, namely what happens in highereducation. But society as a whole has to start thinking about what happens in kindergarten, pre-kindergarten, secondary schools, and so forth. The U-M must continue to do at least two things. First of all, we must continue to try to have an environment in which people from diverse backgrounds can come, live, work, be successful, and live up to their abilities. We do need to double and redouble our efforts to interest

I am not one to equate class size and quality of education quite as readily as some people do. dously from the sort of cosmopolitan nature of that education and the people that I worked with. I would like to think that over time, we can build across the university an environment thatis conducive to people of all different kinds of racial, ethnic, and religious backgrounds. There is no question that the so-called pipeline of students from underrepresented minority groups is just not filling at the rate it

REVIEW: While the U-M has stepped up its efforts to recruit more minority students and faculty, some experts have argued that there is a shortage of qualified minorities. Do you agree with this assessment. and if so how

people from underrepresented minorities in the kinds of careers that higher education is required for to raise their sights and self-expectations and give those with the ability to participate in a U-M education the financial and social abilities to come here. The second thing we must do is try to do something to increase the flow of people toward higher education. We have to work more toward bringing

our own faculty and staff expertise to bear on the problems of secondary education. It is entirely appropriate that we, together with virtually every other segment of American society, playa part in raising people's sights and hopes and enabling them to get the kind of education in grade schools, kindergartens, and high schools that will be required to move into universities like the U-M. REVIEW: When we interviewed President Duderstadt last September, he mentioned an idea he once had to implement a student bill of rights. For example, each undergraduate would have been guaranteed a certain number of small classes. Do you believe the U-M should develop such a plan? VEST: Thatisa very interesting idea. It is also one that I have not given a lot of thought to, so I certainly do not have a yes or no answer to that. I do think that it is important that our students get some intimate conversational kinds of classes, as well as large lectures. However, I am not one to equate class size and quality of education quite as readily as some people do because some of the best courses I had as a student were large lectures.

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While You Were Away by Marc Selinger

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Over the summer, you probably had very little time to think about Ann Arbor. But that does not mean nothing happened. In fact, a lot has gone on. U-M Policy Ruled Unconstitutional A federal judge ruled that the U-M's discriminatory acts policy for students is unconstitutional. The U-M administration was still considering whether to appeal the case or draft a new anti-discrimination policy when this issue went to print. The ruling stemmed from a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of a U-M graduate psychology student who feared the policy would prevent him from presenting unpopular views linking human behavior to race or sex. The policy had prohibited "any behavior, verbal or physical, that stigmatizes or victimizes an individual on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, creed, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, handicap or Vietnam-era veteran status." LSA, Dental School Get New Deans Edie Goldenberg, professor of political science and director of the Institute for Public Policy Studies, was named dean of LSA, and J. Bernard Machen, associate dean of the University of North CarolinaChapel Hill, was appointed dean of the U-M Dental

School. Goldenberg will assume her new post on September 1, replacing the controversial Peter Steiner. Machen begins on October 1, replacing William Kotowicz. Regents Approve Tuition Hike The regents approved a 9.6 percent tuition increase for resident undergraduate students and a 10 percent raise for most other students.

for allegedly violating conference and NCAA rules. Housing Director Charged Again A Detroit judge reinstated narcotics charges against Leroy Williams, the U-M's director of student housing. The U-M has taken no action against Williams, although it did suspend him when the charges were first made.

Regents Give Raise to MSA The regents voted to raise MSA's fee from $6.28 to $6.77 per student. The 49 cent hike will help repay a loan MSA took out to cover a $60,000 cash d~ficit.

Nurses Strike, Return to Work Nurses at U-M Hospitals went on strike over a contract dispute with hospital administrators, but returned to their jobs after a judge ordered them back to work. A state-appointed third party has until September 15 to produce a settlement.

VP for Research Leaves Linda Wilson left her position as U-M vice president for research in order to become president of Radcliffe College on July 1. Wilson had been at the UM since 1985.

Public Health Dean Gets AIDS Post June Osborn, dean of the U-M School of Public Health, was appointed chairwoman of the National Commission on AIDS. The panel is charged with advising Congress and the president on AIDS issues.

U-M Hires New Baseball Coach Bill Freehan, a U-M graduate and former player for the Detroit Tigers, was named the new U-M baseball coach. His appointment follows the resignation of Coach Bud Middaugh, who is being investigated

New Facilities Open Two new buildings, the Willard Henry Dow Laboratory chemiStry building and a computer center in Angell Hall, were completed for use over the summer.

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The Michigan Review, September 1989, p. 13

Arts: Book Review

The Dark Side of the 1960s Destructive Generation Peter Collier and David Horowitz Hardcover, $19.95 Summit Books 352 pp.

by Bryan case The election of Ronald Reagan in 1980 was accompanied by a resurgence of conservative political thought. This neoconservativism was met by a similarly resurgent left. Like neoconservatism, this new leftist movement has constructed an agenda based mostly on the tenets of the original left wing, but it has updated its agenda to suit the 19805. One belief now held by the new leftis a romanticized view of the 19605. The new left made it fashionable to consider radical students innocent idealists who devoted themselves to noble causes, only to be tragically defeated by a cynical and mundane world. This view has been supported by recent books, such as 1968: A Student Generation in Revolt, and films, like 1969, that deal with the 19605. In Destructive Generation, subtitled Second Thoughts About the '60s, Peter Collier and David Horowitz set out to present a different viewpoint. While the authors try to depict "the dark side" of the 1%Os, by no means is their report one-sided. The book begins with a disclaimer: "Some of the accomplishments (of the 1960s radicals) were undeniably positive. There was an expansion of consciousness, of social space, of tolerance, of prospects for individual fulfillment." Although they do not disapprove of

from the reform projects in fear of her life. Stender was years later badly wounded by an ex-con sent to revenge a perceived political wrong. ''The Movement" that she had lavished so much of her life and energy upon had turned against her. The story of Kay Stender is followed by a harrowing history of Weatherman. The most extreme and militant of the competing factions within the liberal-to-radical Students for a Democratic Society (50S), the Weathermen are seen today by many as misguided idealists who chose terrorist violence as a response to desperate times (i.e. the Vietnam War). Collier and Horowitz describe the Weatherman faction as being ri'fe with Stalinist political maneuvering and dictatorial discipline. When Weatherman failed to spark a revolution by the masses, its members turned toward an •increasingly bizarre mixture of drugs, sex, and debates about communist theory. Purged by members of their

'''Racism' functioned as an omnibus charge for radicals the way 'Communism' had for McCarthy." own organization, driven underground to flee from the FBI, the Weathermen each dropped out of sight and into an abyss of failure. In the middle of the book, Collier and Horowitz critically assess the left as it passed from the 1960s to the late19805. The authors denounce vicious

One belief now held by the new left is a romanticized view of the 1960s. every aspect of the 1%Os, the authors choose to illuminate the less savory sides of the era. Collier and Horowitz begin by describing the life of Kay Stender, a famous radical lawyer. Stender was a proponent of California prison reforms, as well as an advocate for such causes as housing for the poor and efforts to eliminate racism. Although she entered "the Movement" with the noblest of leftist ideals, she eventually became enmeshed in power struggles with other radicals and was driven

schools to deteriorate, crime to soar, ~ and social programs to fail. 'e Today, according to Destructive Generation, these radicals are weakening the fabric of American society and ~ hampering its foreign policy. The 8 authors liken the generation of Vietnam War protesters and their descendants to "fifth columnists" seeking to hasten global communist revolution and the collapse of the United States. The most vilified ofleftists is the famed linguist Noam Chomsky, whom the authors accuse of "calumny" and making obscene arguments. Collier and Horowitz end their book with autobiographies, revealing their past involvement in the leftist movement. Both were editors of one of the foremost radical journals, Ramparts. Each worked for a variety of writing skills of Collier and Horowitz. causes, ranging from protesting the The first half of the closing autobioVietnam War to campaigning against graphical section is a fine firsthand racism to leftist theorizing. Yet each historical document of the 19605. recounts at length his disillusionment Yet the authors wound their crediwith the left. The book ends with a bility when they express their political views. The more space Collier and Horowitz use to explain why the Soviet Union is evil or why the world is in peril of a growing and cancerous communist threat, the less believable their documentation of the 19605 becomes. The space they use airing their opinions on Pol Pot, for example, could have been better used describing scathing survey of the Sandinista rethe history of the 50s. gime in Nicaragua and its American Nevertheless, Destructive Generasupporters. tion is still a very good book, largely Destructive Generation is most suc- because of its unique approach. Uncessful when its authors remain jourlike most other works about that nalistically objective. The opening decade, Destructive Generation reveals three chapters of the book, which deal the disillusionment that many leftwith Kay Stender, Weatherman, and wing veterans of the 19605 experithe parallel lives of two Vietnam veterenced. ans, succeed admirably in what the authors set out to accomplish. The Bryan Case is a senior in English and stories are solidly wedded to the bedhonors history and a staff writer for rock of 1960s activism, and their the Review. darker sides are made credible by the

labeling and other tactics sometimes used by leftists. "'Racism' functioned as an omnibus charge for radicals the way 'Communism' had for McCarthy," they write. Leftist theorists, who were weaned on America-bashing tactics of the Vietnam War protest movement, now blame the United States for most of the problems in the Third World. As an example of the failures of applied leftist ideology, Collier and Horowitz point. ito Berkeley, where the leftists who ran the city government caused the

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The Michigan Review, September 1989,p. 14

Arts: Record Review

The Return of the Rolling Stones The Roiling Stones Steel Wheels CBS Records

by John Miller You knew they would get back together; the only question was when. But after the summer of such superstar reunions as The Who, the Doobie Brothers, and the Yes-alu~ quartet, the anticipation surrounding last week'~lrelea~; ofthe 'Rolling Stone's Steel Wheels m~y ~v~ :~me<:i ' lackluster, if not downright predictabl~. 路路路 . However, it's not every year the ''World's Greatest Rock and Roll Band" collaborates and, momentarappears to be unified. With a fairly extensive support tour just underway, the Stones are once again demanding to be taken seriously as musicians, rather than cornicly as tabloid material. And Steel Wheels is a serious musical effort, varied in both content and quality. Opening with the forceful"Sad Sad Sad," reminiscent of the late-1960s, early-1970s glory days, the Stones deliver their knockout pu~ci1early. ~t:UorWnately, this rocker is not indicative of the more slowly paced album. "Mixed Emotions," the second song, second highlight, and first single, radiates with a trademark

ily,

Mick Jagger-Keith Richards harmony chorus. The lyrics, mainly supplied by Jagger, neatly sum up the celebrated feud and eventual reunion of the Glimmer Twins and possibly serve as a conciliatory answer to Richards' biting solo assault on Jagger, "You Don't Move Me." In the first stanza, Jagger sings, "Let's bury the hatchet/Wipe out the past." And immediately before the second chorus, he sings, "Life is a party/ Let's go out and strut." Other upbeat tunes include a pair of songs just begging to be played live. You can almost hear the crowd roar after the abrupt conclusion of "Hold on to Your Hat" and during the intense start-stop finale of "Rock and a Hard Place." Practically every Stones album has a couple of slow songs. At their best, we get" Angie" or "Wild Horses." At their worst, we get "Blinded by Love," which could make an adequately boring VH-1 video, or the album closing let down "Slipping Away." Thankfully, "Almost Hear You Sigh" saves the day with a passionate plea to a lost love. The oddest and most out-of-place song, "Continental Drift/' sounds like one of George Harrison's obviously drug-induced experiments with nonWestern music, only better. At a time when Third World influences are the rage of many musicians and

critics, Jagger and Richards traveled to Morocco to record the bizarre and fascinating rhythms of the Master Musicians of Jajouka, who were originally introduced to the rest of the world by, ironically, the late Brian Jones. But hey, the Stones included a reggae tune on their last album, Dirty Work. If they are simply trying to expand our horizons, it's all right; "Continental Drift" comes off pretty well. Individual tracks aside, let's look at the big picture: Where does Steel Wheels fit into the Stones' legacy? It is arguably their best effort since 1978's Some Girls, although Tatoo You poses a strong challenge for that honor. Steel Wheels is easily better than . either of Mick Jagger's poorly received solo albums, but not nearly as good as Keith Richards' Talk is Chenp. And while Jagger is reluctant to talk about the band's post-1989 future, Keith calls Steel Wheels "the beginning of the second half." Sounds typical. In the meantime, it's a great excuse to hit the road after a layoff entirely too long. Thanks guys, it's great to have you back!

John Miller is a sophomore in LSA and campus

affairs editor路of the Review.

Sports 'j

~~ :'

Pro-Pigskin Picks

by Seth Klukoff Who can even 'think of football in the sweltering sauna of summer? Well, somebody has to. And who can even think of football with the Cubbies in the heat of a pennant race? (Pardon me for exuding some optimism. The Cubs are in first place, and since I'm a Cubs fan, I'm pysched.) Anyway, digression aside, let's get to football. NFCEAST The Redskins are a dynamo on paper, with a potentially explosive new backfield of Gerald Riggs and Ernest Byner. The 'Skins are deep at wide receiver too, with Ricky Sanders, Gary Clark, and Art Monk. The defense is led by a reinvigorated Dexter Manley and solid LBs Monte Coleman and Neil Olkewicz; The Eagles have QB Randall Runningham (I mean Cunningham), fleet receivers Mike Quick and Cris Carter, sackmaster Regie White, and still no running game. But the team is united behind Coach Buddy Ryan, who took

the team from worst to first in three years. All the Cowboys did this offseason was draft QBs Troy Aikman and Steve Walsh, get a new owner and coach, and clean house. New Coach Jimmy Johnson's plastic hair will come

in handy if the DaUa~Poobirq~Jhrow beer cans at him. If Giants QB Phil Simms, RB Joe Morris, and LB Lawrence Taylor re-

tum to their 1986 fonn, the ersatz New Yorkers can win this division. With journeyman Gary Hogeboom and untested rookie Timm Rosenbach, the Cardinals don't figure to improve in the NFL's toughest division.

say the Bears are too old, often too injured, and live and die with Coach Mike Ditka's temperament. Nonsense. The Bears have two solid QBs--Mike Tomczak and Jim Harbaugh-future Hall of Farner Mike Singletary at middle linebacker, and a host of young offensive and defensive talent. '; I ~ How many years have the Vi~ kings been unable to decide on a startg. ing QB? Frankly, I am sick and tired of ;; the "Should Wade Wilson or Tommy S. Kramer start?" debate. The presence of ~ All-Pro WR Anthony Carter make the great quarterback debate meaningless. The Lions have adopted assistant coach Mouse Davis' "Run and Shoot" offense. But it can only work with a quick QB, a fleet receiver, and running backs. The Lions have the first two, either QBs Rusty Hilger or rookie Rodney Peete and WR Pete Mandley. NFCCENTRAL Top draft choice Barry Sanders reSince. the Bears won the Super mains unsigned, however. BowliIl'1986,the "experts" have pre. Packers unsigned top draft pick dic~ their demise every year. They Tony Mandarich, the behemothoffen~

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The Michigan Review, September 1989, p. IS

Picks sive lineman from Michigan State University, might last longer with Mike Tyson than with Dexter Manley or Dan Hampton. Look, up in the sky, it's Buccaneers QB Vinny Testaverde's pass on its way to being intercepted. NFCWEST Two years ago, the Saints made the playoffs for the first time in their history-and were obliterated by the Vikings. They spent last season thinking about it. This year, however, the Saints should take the NFC West crown, carried on the back of RB Craig "Iron Head" Heyward. The Rams' success depends solely on QB Jim Everett, who has not become the team leader the Rams envisioned. Top pick, RB Oeveland Gary, if signed, along with Gaston Green, can add some potency to the running game. The 4gers tend to have an off-season after they win the Super Bowl. And numerous questions abound: Will QB Joe Montana give way to Steve Young? How will the team respond to new Head Coach George Seifert? Can the offensive line adjust to the loss of leader Randy Cross to retirement? The Falcons have a solid, young defense anchored by LBs Aundray Bruce and Marcus Cotton. If QB Chris Miller improves on last year's success, the Falcons could be the surprise of the NFC. AFCEAST The Bills have the proverbial chip on the shoulder. They were clearly a more talented team than the Bengals, who destroyed them in the AFC cham路 pionship game. This year, with the same personnel, they seek revenge. QB Jim Kelly has a crop of talented receivers, like Andre Reed, Chris Burkett, and Trumaine Johnson. And their defense may be the best in the NFL,led by LBs Cornelius Bennett, Shane Conlan, and DL Bruce Smith. QB Doug Flutieretumed to Boston last year and led the Patriots to a lateseason surge. The former Boston College star may be the spark this talented but lethargic, underachieving team needs. TheJets also improved toward the end of last season. If RB Freeman McNeil and WRs Wesley Walker and Al Toon remain healthy (which is a huge "if"), they will remain a contender. If not, Coach Joe Walton will finally be fired .. The Indy Colts arebuiltaround RB Eric Dickerson, QB Chris Chandler, and a bunch of no-names. Top pick

Andre Rison should shore up a suspect receiving corps. Pity Don Shula. His Dolphins will barely float above water, even with QB Dan Marino. AFCCENTRAL The Oilers play in the "House of Pain." Predicting their finish is even more of a pain. The Oilers are probably the most inconsistent team in football. But their gritty, crunching style, along with QB Warren Moon and RBs Allen Pinkett, Mike Rozier, and Alonzo Highsmith, make them the clear favorite in the AFC Central. Last year's Super Bowl losers, the Bengals, are plagued with internal bickering and finger-pointing over allegations of drug use. Oearly, such dissension doesn't make for successful team football. However, the Bengals may have enough talent, such as RBs Ickey Woods and James Brooks, to transform these squabbles into athletic performance. Bud Carson is the new head coach of the Browns. Hisappointrnent, along with trading Ernest Byner to the Redskins, were Oeveland's only significant off-season moves. Has QB Bernie Kosar fully recovered from last season's injuries? Fans in Pittsburgh have taken to calling the Steelers' defense the"Aluminum Curtain." They should direct their wrath at QB Bubby Brister, who has no business earning $2 million for throwing so many interceptions and incomplete passes. AFCWEST The Raiders are the original "bad boys" of sports, though their recent play makes them look like wimps. I don't know why, but I have a hunch the Raiders are going to surprise everyone this year. Their defense is rock solid, led by nose tackle Howie Long and off-season signee Otis Wilson at LB. Either Jay Schroeder or Steve Beuerlein is competent at QB. Last season, the Broncos were plagued by injuries. The emergency room is still taking Broncos this preseason, with RB Tony Dorsett, OL Bill Bryan, and several key defensive players nursing injuries. Even the "Three Arnigos" at WR are no longer intact. But QB John Elway is healthy. So, even with injuries, the Broncos will remain formidable. Every year, the Seahawks appear to be the best team on paper. Every year, they are picked to either win the Super Bowl, get there, or just win the division. Every year, they fail to live up to expectations. This year, they should be happy reaching mediocrity. Watch out for the Chiefs. Carl Peterson, the former Eagles gener~

manager who rebuilt that team from scratch in the late-:.1970s and early1980s, takes the same position in Kansas City. Marty Schottenheimer, who turned the Browns into Super Bowl contenders in just two years, is the hew coach. Success, as they say, starts at the top. Quick! Name the Chargers start-

ing QB. It's former Bears ''bad boy" Jim McMahon. At least until he gets injured. Seth Klukoff is press relations coordinator for the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington, D.C., and editor emeritus of the Review.

NFC East

AFC East

1. Washington Redskins* 2. Philadelphia Eagles+ 3. Dallas Cowboys 4. New York Giants 5. Phoenix Cardinals

1. Buffalo Bills* 2. New England Patriots 3. New York Jets 4. Indianapolis Colts 5. Miami Dolphins

NFC Central

AFC Central

1. Chicago Bears* 2. Minnesota Vikings+ 3. Detroit Lions 4. Green Bay Packers 5. r.B. Buccaneers

1. HoustonOilers* 2. Cincinnati Bengals+ 3. Cleveland Browns 4. Pittsburgh Steelers

AFCWest NFCWest 1. New Orleans Saints* 2. Los Angeles Rams 3. San Francisco 4gers 4. Atlanta Falcons

1. Los Angeles Raiders* 2. Denver Broncos+ 3. Seattle Seahawks 4. Kansas City Chiefs 5. San Diego Chargers

* Division winner + Wild-card winner

Super Bowl winner: Chicago Bears Super Bowl loser: Buffalo Bills (The status of injured and unsigned players may have changed or players may have been traded after this issue went to print.)

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