New Code Process Questioned Critics Charge Summer Activities Unethical and Exclusionary GREG PARKER AND GENE KRAss
Student Assembly President Flint gone into the drafting process was Wainess, Students' Civil Liberties obtained in primarily closed meetN APRIL OF 1995, THE Watch Chair Pamela Short, and Stuings to which various student groups Board of Regents of the Univerdent Rights Commission sity of Michigan commissioned (SRC) Chair Anne Marie the Office of Student Affairs to reEllison to assist in the write the interim Statement of Stuprocess. Rather than foldent RighbJ and Respons:ibilities. The lowing these directions, regents mandated that the new docuHartford then selected ment be presented at the October four people, all employed regent's meeting, which meant that by her office, to rewrite much of work would have to be done the Code. Two of them over the summer. were graduate students To many, this was the first of a who worked with Hartseries of exclusionary practices surford during the reign of rounding the design of a new Statethe old Code; a third, the ment of Student Rights and Respondaughter of a U-M vi~ sibilities (SSRR), otherwise known as president, is not and has the Code. Critics, including the Michinever been a U- M stu~ Last AprH, students rallied to defeat the Code. gan Student Assembly (MSA), which dent Of the students the pI:lsaed a Code-related resolution this regents originally named to the dewere invited to share their opinions. past summer, contend that constructsign process, only Ellison was involved The group stated that it would seek ing a new code in the summer prein the early stages. more widespread student input folvented students from overseeing the In early June, Wainess, Short, lowing the completion of the revision. process. Without a fully active stuformer SRC Chair Vince Keenan "'Ihat's how our last code was written, dent press and student government, an uninvited, albeit relevant threeand the results were less than scienthey maintain, and with a significant some - were denied access to one of tific, and not exactly successful," portion of the student body away from the early meetings. The Code group Ellison stated, expressing her displeacampus , students' rights may have stated that Wainess and Short would sure with this process. been overlooked. be contacted "later" in the process, There are other problems with Even the students who the rethe writing of the new Code as well. and Code group supervisor Mary Lou Antieau told Ellison that they were First, those students proffered as "stugents originaly intended to be part of dent representatives" in the process an unnecessary addition to the the design p:rocess were ~unned from workgroup because they would simare unelected and unaccountable to participation. The regents delegated the student body. Furthermore, they the process of revising the Code to ply duplicate Ellison's opinion. are on the payroll of the University. Vice-President for Student Affairs The resultant group then spent Maureen Hartford. In addition, the Second, Mary Lou Antieau, the judimuch of the summer collecting stucial advisor who in charge of enforcing regents specifically named Michigan dent input Any input that might have the interim Code, has assumed the role of supervising the writing of the new policy. Finally, and most ftmdamentally, We're for the administration remains hostile to of the University of Michigan.Readtl1e RlNieW for tf)eJate$innatiooa:t; any students' rights voice. "'Th.e office campus, and studeriatfairs. Look totheReviewrs~(Mng CultlJ!'e"f()f@ .. and its employees often characterize latest In the art$,andStayabreast.of cMIJi~rt~ . as theAe~~~tJilies > any vocal, anti-code student leaders as having a political agenda," Ellison to protect your freedom aOd rfghts; W6ukfyou like to ·. be~p~ 6fJ~ ) stated. "If caring about student rights Review? Seepage 12 for details ... :.... . . . . . . . . is a political agenda, I would hope
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3 Electric Snapple 4 From Suite One Acid Test Greg Parker makes the pilgrimage to Graceland.
New Code construction flaws exhibit inherent unfairness of such policy.
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that we all have one." Events in the summer reached a sort of climax when Ellison left the Code group. At one point, Ellison informed Antieau that she would no longer attend closed meetings. A week later, Ellison was told that her position was terminated because she bad "quit." However, she had never resigned. The Office of Student Affairs interpreted her decision not to attend closed meetings as a submittal of resignation. The group, now more commonly called the "workgroup," has expanded to six people - three graduate students and three undergraduate students. It has continued to gather information from student groups in a closed meeting setting. The workgroup has established an e-mail address, and plans two meetings open to all students in the very near future . Ellison's departure from the official Code workgroup does not mean she is inactive in developing a new code. The Student Rights ColD.lPission plans on developing an alternate code to that of the Code workgroup's version. She predicts that the alternate Code will be more compatible with students' rights. All of these activities will come to a head at the October regents' meeting, where the workgroup will present the new Code to the regents. Students wishing to get involved in the Code process have a few options. They may participate by attending the student group's mass meeting on September 13 in the Koessler Library ofthe Michigan League. Another strategy is to get involved with another campus organization that will strive to influence the Code development process the Students' Civil Liberties Watch, the Civil Liberties Board ofSACUA, and the Student Rights Commission are but a few. Ml
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