vol_10_no_2

16
dministration Defends Spending by Kishore Jayabalan The University of Michigan misallocated $2 million in indirect Gen- eral and Administrative (G&A) expenses, according to a report released September 9. Approximately $300,000 of this remains in dispute. a press conference on September 11 to offer its side of the story. Walter Harrison, Executive Director of University Rela- tions, was visibly angered by the Detroit News headline, which he called "a lie ... [and) yellow journalism." For fiscal year 1989, the auditors ini- tially questioned $7.9 million as unallowable indirect costs, plus some $400,000 as inappropriate, for a total of $8.3 million. The U-M did not support $474,121 of its costs, which left $7.9 mil- lion that the HHS-OIG office cited as questionable. All guidelines for unallowable and inappropriate costs are under Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circu- lar A-21, which designates what is the proper use of university funds. The re- port cites unallowable costs as those that "did not benefit organized research or provide only incidental benefit to re- PleilSe See Page 10 The report, based on the findings of auditors sent by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), was leaked from the Washington, D. C. HHS office. The auditors had started their work in April and completed the audit in August,at which point the HHS-OIG sent a report to the U-M. The U-M was then given a month to respond to the report, and no- tified that a final report was to be made public in early October. Coursepack Ruling Costly for Students The leak from Washington issued the confidential findings before the U-M could respond, however. A September 11 Detroit News headline read: "Audit: U-M Misspent Millions." The ghosts of the Stanford scandal, where President Donald Kennedy was forced to resign, were revived. As a result, the U-M held , . by Joe Cole«( As you probably noticed, coursepack prices have increased this year, even though some coursepacks are smaller than they were previously. This is the result of a U.s. District Court de- cision last March brought against Kinko' s Copies by eight publishers. In the case Basic Books us. Kinko's Graphics Corporation, Kinko's was found guilty of copyright infringement by Judge Constance Baker Motley, who ruled tha t Kinko's was printing coursepacks for profit-making, and not educational rea- sons, and therefore was not covered un- der the doctrine of "fair use." The "fair use" doctrine, the rule of thumb by which printers determine whether a particular reprinting the payment of royalties, is only vaguely defined. The idea of the doctrine is that no permission is needed from the pub- lisher if one is only printing small sec- tions of works which are used for educa- tional reasons. Since the guidelines of the law are not concrete, personal interpreta- tion is required, and in the past, cases have been overturned by higher courts 00190n Headlines at Regents' Plaza ... ... - . K: _ - - ," iew GEO lead guitarist Corey Dolgon, with supporting vocals by Pattrice Maurer, serenades a standing-room only crowd of over nine people at a recent rally in Regents Plaza. The concert album should be available at finer music stores soon. that disagreed on the fundamental rul- ings that determine whether a document falls under the cover of "fair use." Kinko's regional director, Douglas " Kempton, says that the March decision is actually a blessing. PrevioustY, Kinko's obtained permission for most things but had to make difficult flfair use" determi- nations on others. Kempton says the court decision makes things clearer. to avoid similar problems, Kinko' s now gets permission for everything it prints and will not print anything without receiving permission from the publisher. The effects of the ruling will be felt throughout the photocopying industry. At present, there are almost as many processes for dealing with copyrights as there are copy shops. Kinko's system involves working with some publishers in a "Partners in Education" agreement Please See Page 11 UC299 Seven Nights at the Nectarine Interview: Erick Anderson Cru,sty's Comer 6 1 7 8 16 "";- ." .. ... ,,,.-.. .... """""-.. --.. . .... ..... ''''',-''''- -- .

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Page 1: vol_10_no_2

dministration Defends Spending by Kishore Jayabalan

The University of Michigan misallocated $2 million in indirect Gen­eral and Administrative (G&A) expenses, according to a report released September 9. Approximately $300,000 of this remains in dispute.

a press conference on September 11 to offer its side of the story. Walter Harrison, Executive Director of University Rela­tions, was visibly angered by the Detroit News headline, which he called "a lie ... [and) yellow journalism."

For fiscal year 1989, the auditors ini­tially questioned $7.9 million as

unallowable indirect costs, plus some $400,000 as inappropriate, for a total of $8.3 million. The U-M did not support $474,121 of its costs, which left $7.9 mil­lion that the HHS-OIG office cited as questionable.

All guidelines for unallowable and inappropriate costs are under Office of

Management and Budget (OMB) Circu­lar A-21, which designates what is the proper use of university funds. The re­port cites unallowable costs as those that "did not benefit organized research or provide only incidental benefit to re-

PleilSe See Page 10 The report, based on the findings of auditors sent by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), was leaked from the Washington, D.C. HHS office. The auditors had started their work in April and completed the audit in August,at which point the HHS-OIG sent a report to the U-M. The U-M was then given a month to respond to the report, and no­tified that a final report was to be made public in early October.

Coursepack Ruling Costly for Students

The leak from Washington issued the confidential findings before the U-M could respond, however. A September 11 Detroit News headline read: "Audit: U-M Misspent Millions." The ghosts of the Stanford scandal, where President Donald Kennedy was forced to resign, were revived. As a result, the U-M held

, .. by Joe Cole«(

As you hav~. probably noticed, coursepack prices have increased this year, even though some coursepacks are smaller than they were previously. This is the result of a U.s. District Court de­cision last March brought against Kinko' s Copies by eight publishers.

In the case Basic Books us. Kinko's Graphics Corporation, Kinko's was found guilty of copyright infringement by Judge Constance Baker Motley, who ruled tha t Kinko's was printing coursepacks for profit-making, and not educational rea-

sons, and therefore was not covered un­der the doctrine of "fair use."

The "fair use" doctrine, the rule of thumb by which printers determine whether a particular reprinting requir~.,

the payment of royalties, is only vaguely defined. The idea of the doctrine is that no permission is needed from the pub­lisher if one is only printing small sec­tions of works which are used for educa­tional reasons. Since the guidelines of the law are not concrete, personal interpreta­tion is required, and in the past, cases have been overturned by higher courts

00190n Headlines at Regents' Plaza ...... - . K: _ - -

," :~t.~}.

iew

GEO lead guitarist Corey Dolgon, with supporting vocals by Pattrice Maurer, serenades a standing-room only crowd of over nine people at a recent rally in Regents Plaza. The concert album should be available at finer music stores soon.

that disagreed on the fundamental rul­ings that determine whether a document falls under the cover of "fair use."

Kinko's regional director, Douglas " Kempton, says that the March decision is

actually a blessing. PrevioustY, Kinko's obtained permission for most things but had to make difficult flfair use" determi­nations on others. Kempton says the court decision makes things clearer. to avoid similar problems, Kinko' s now gets permission for everything it prints and will not print anything without receiving permission from the publisher.

The effects of the ruling will be felt throughout the photocopying industry. At present, there are almost as many processes for dealing with copyrights as there are copy shops. Kinko's system involves working with some publishers in a "Partners in Education" agreement

Please See Page 11

UC299

Seven Nights at the Nectarine

Interview: Erick Anderson

Cru,sty's Comer

-------,.----~-.-

6 1

7

8

16

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Page 2: vol_10_no_2

2 THE MICHIGAN REVIE~

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Serpent's Tooth Moose droppings are the latest rage of the Alaskan tourist industry. Visitors to the great northern state apparently can­not get enough of the nuggets. Says Terry Boyer, associate professor of wildlifeecol­ogy at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks, "What you get in the feces are really fine pieces of undigested vegeta­tion that produ~ patterns that are sort of attractive." And they make fine gifts for environmentalists.

notices? tions that the University misspent mil­lions of public dollars with this epigram:

"In the University undergraduate body there is probably enough support to sus­tain affirmative action policies, but enough opposition to create tensions as a result of such policies," said U-M profes­sor of sociology Howard Schuman in the University ReaJrd (Sepl9). In other words, if all of us agitators would just shut up and let the social engineers manipulate us as they please, things would be one heck of a lot better. Sorry Howie, we won't go for that. Next time maybe you should consider whether or not it's the policies themselves that create the ten­sion.

The Office of Minority Affairs recently placed an ad in the Daily and claimed to be a non-discriminatory, affirmative ac­tion employer. Hardee, har, har, Cmon folks, isn't it about time to admit the fact that you discriminate on the basisof race? Or is it just easier to lie and hope nobody

\

Mr. Boffo by Joe Martin

1).\1:: k iND o~ -n41\.)& 'leu AS5,JW TQY OO!J-rWPN-r IV VEAL wrm AFTER A R:)RlY- . yEAR WArT

IW)o f}::',.;:-..= ..............

K~P YOOR SHIf2T ON ...

ITS HEI2E SOME:W~.

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"An item in Thursday's [paper] about the Massachusetts budget crisis made referen~ to new taxes that will help put Massachusetts 'back in the African­American.' The item should have said 'back in the black,'" read the correction column of the Fresno Bee, reports the University of Texas' University Review. According to our sources, the person who made the mistake was pummelled by fellow staff members until he turned Af­rican-American and blue.

The Michigan Student Assembly recently began the process of nominating a mem­ber of the community to serve on an interview committee. Onemernbernomi-:: .. nated Tami Gd<Xistein, from SODC. RackhamrepresentativeJeffHintenomi: nated failed MSAvice-presidential can­didate, convicted chalker, and MSA tag­along Todd Ochoa to the position, Presi­dent Green asked, "Ms. Goodstein, do you have anything to say in support of your nomination?" "No," she replied. ''Mr. Ochoa, do you have anything to say in support of your nomination?" "No." he replied." Then Green asked, "Do you have anything to chalk?"

Walter Harrison, the U-M's chief dis­penser of propaganda, answered allega-

"Our job is to pinch every penny until Abe Lincoln screams." We thought this comment to be a bit odd, and concocted a number of possible interpretations:

1. The U-M is a racist and sexist institu tion. Abe Lincoln, who was a whi te male, has a voice. The oppressed multi­tudes, however, remain silent and voice­less.

2. We must awake from the alter.nate universe of Abe Lincoln'sdreams, which we call "reality." It's still 1862 and ques­tions of research fraud are merely imaginatory.

3. Mr. Harrison really, really likes Abe Lincoln. ~ 4. No waste occurs on campus be­cause the U-M bureaucracy employs lots of bureaucrats and pays them lots of money to make sure every penny is spent wisely. Tuition increases well above the rate of inflation are necessary because the administration needs to hire more administrators so it can be absolutely certain no administrative waste ocCurs, '

There has been some concern lately that, well, U-M students are not very sharp dressers. Heck, just last week a Review editor on the Diagspotted someonewhose socks did not match! To curb this disturb­ing trend, the University Activities Cen­ter will be spending your tuition dollars to sponsor aMademoiselle Magazine Fash-

..

1

I ij !i !~

ion Show in October. The Bland Appear­ance Movement (BAM) has threat­ened to boycott the event. BAM argues that fashionable clothes dispropor­tionately affect at­tractive people. In addition, BAM de­mandsthat UAC can~l its show, the U-M create a gradu­ation requirement focusing on the op­

JC)MJU~~ /; pression of poor dressers, and the re­gents condemn United States for-eign policy.

1J.iE KiND OF ilH t.JG 111AT a!W ~ 1'0 -n.lE: PE?I2£%lON

l-z.

Happy Birthday to Cindy Mello!

'J'E~w

September 25, 1991

THE

MICHIGAN REVIEW

"We are the Establishment"

The Campus Affairs Journal of the

University of Michigan

Editor-in-Chief ... .. .. .. .... .. Brian Jendryka

Executive Editor .......... ... .... Adam DeVore Executive Editor .. ....... .. .. ............ .. Jeff Muir

Contributing Editor ... Karen S.Brinkman Contributing Editor .... .... .David J. Powell Contributing Editor .... ...... .5tacey Walker

Publisher .......... ............. ..... Mark O. Stern

Assistant Editor ....... .. ... Peter Daugavietis Assistant Editor ........................ Corey Hill Assistant Editor .. : ........ Kishore Jayabalan Assistant Editor ...................... Jay McNeill

r~f"""'"

,,' Music Editor .................... ....... Chris Peters

Uterary Editor .................. Adam Gargiola MTS Editor ............................ Doug Thiese

Staff Chris Bair, Mike Beidler, Andrew Bockelman, Ryan Boeskool, David

Boettger, Mister Boffo, Kevin M. Bowen Chris Cloutier, Joe Coletti, Brian Cook, Chris Daniel, Tim Darr, Keith Edwards,

Athena Foley, Tony Ghecea, John Gnodtke, Chris Gutowski, Aaron

Hamburger, Mike Hewitt, Nicholas Hoffman, Aaron Hurst, Beth Martin, Kirsten McCarrel, Peter Mil>kech, Bud

Muncher, Crusty Muncher, Bill Murley, Hashim Rahman, Tracey Robinson,

David Rothbout, Camran Shafii, Michael Skinner, Dan Spillane, Jay

Sprout, Jim Waldecker, Tony Woodlief, Chetly Zarko.

Editor-at-Large ___ , __ , __ John J. Miller

Editor Emeritus ___ ._ ..... .Marc Selinger

The Midtigan Reuitw is an independent, non­profit, student-run journal at the University of Michigan. We are not affiliated with any

political party. Unsigned editorials represent the opinion of the editorial board. Signed

articles represent the opinions of the author and not necessarily those of the Review. 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, MI 48109-1265 (313) 662-1909

Copyright 1991

Page 3: vol_10_no_2

September 25, 1991 THE MICHIGAN REVIE~ 3

"

Roving Pbotographer How would you react to a teaching assistant strike?

by Adam DeVore

~<

. ~ . ~\tH'SA "i ...........

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~ ';:"~""'~"" ,""

I Kristi Luther, LSA junior: "They would be justified in doing it. I would support it because TA's work really hard and the University should recognize that."

Mark Freyman, LSA sophomore: "I think GEO would be justified in striking, though it should not come to a strike. Out~f-state students pay so much that this should not be an issue."

Shannon Lucas,LSA sophomore: "1 de­pend on my T A's to e~plain things and I would be in real trouble if I did not have them around, especially during mid­terms."

Chris Jackson, LSA junior: "Last year I supported the T A' s work stoppage by not attending class. But if they strike, there is not much I can do, either to support itornot, because I have no choice about going to class."

A Bastion of Hateful Conservative Ideas

n,e Micldgan Review MrS Computer Collferenq, .•

To join, type "source MREV: Forum" at the # prompt~ ~", " ., .... . ~ ,~

• Linda Powrie, Business School sopho­more: ''It could be very bad. I'm uncer­tain classes in LSA would continue. It would at least screw up many sched­ules."

Greg Buttermore, Ann Arbor resident: "I sympathize with them. Good instruc­tion is the backbone of the University. The teaching assistants should be paid

.' .. what'they are worth."

r-------------------------, I I I

Do you ...

Oppose speech bans? Support the teaching of classic literature? Abhor the politicization of the classroom?

Feel the U-M's leftists need to be challenged?

If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, support

The Michigan Review

I With your tax-<ieductible donation of $20 or more, you'll receive a one-year subscription to the campus affairs journal of the University of Michigan. You' ll read in-<iepth articles about the wasteful U-M bureaucracy, be the first to hear of First Amendment violations, and keep abreast of the forces

working to erode traditional Western education.

YES! I WOULD UKE TO HELP! I'm sending my tax-<ieductible donation of:

_$20 $25 _$50 _$100 _$500 _other

Name:

Address:

I

L -Suite One, 911 N. University, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1265- .J -------------------------

......................... ...... ........ , .............. "'"--.... "-,, ...... "'''''--- ~----.~~=-~~~ ----------------------~~ .

Page 4: vol_10_no_2

4 THE MICHIGAN REVIEW September 25, 1991

From Suite One: Editorials

Federal Audit Disgraces the U-M "I would doubt there isa university or a corporation in the country that can claim

more competent or responsible stewardship of the public's money that the University of Michigan," wrote Regent Philip Power in a recent letter to the Michigan Daily.while Regent Power's "we're no worse than anybody else" response to a slew of media reports that the U-M misspent millions of federal tax dollars for the 1988-89 school year may speak volumes about bureaucratic waste in general, it hardly justifies the egregious lack of fiscal responsibility demonstrated by the U-M.

Indeed, unless one actually believes Rose Bowl tickets for university administra­tors or Christmas ornaments and flowers for President Duderstadt's home exemplify "responsible stewardship of the public's money," one cannot even begin to take Regent Power's remarks seriously.

Of the $177 million in Federal Research and Development (R & D) support received by the U-M for 1988-89, $7.9 million (nearly 4.5 percent) was originally called into question by the feds. That number shrank to $2 million when, under pressure from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the U-M agreed not to claim $5.9 of the disputed costs - although the administration offered no explanation for why it took a federal audit to determine this. While U-M officials are fond of referring to the $5.9 million retreat asa Usettlement/ suspicions that the U-M was simply trying to cover up illegal expenditures and aviod public embarrassment will persist until the exact nature of those expenditures is made public. At press ti~ 9nly$300,ooo is being disputed. . ... ~

Because total university expenditures for 1988-89 were in excess of one and a half billion dollars, it may seem ridiculous for HHS to continue to fuss over $300,000.

Money, however, is no longer the principal issue; principle is. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A21 stipulates that R&D

grants given to public universities must be spent on direct and indirect research costs. Indirect costs are defined as those that cannot be identified with a specific research project but are nonetheless vital to the continuance of research in general, such as the maintainance of research laboratories and equipment. Yet by claiming such things as campus busing, lobbying in the state capital, and luxury automobiles for University administrators are legitimate research expenses, the U-M has made a mockery of the federal funding process and its burden of accountability.

Even more reprehensible, however, is the U-M's blatant use of public money for political purposes. HHSauditorsdiscovered, inter alia, that $28,000 of federal research grants had been improperly funneled into Martin Luther King Day activities, while an additional $23,000 went to the United Coalition Against Racism (DCAR), a purely political organization of dubious repute. Another $5,000 paid for political activist Cesar Chavez's speaking honorarium.

Due to the sheer absurdity of these misallocations, the U-M must make full disclosure of all its "research" expenditures for 1988-S9 if it is to restore public confidence, especially the original $5.9 million that was returned without explanation.

Should such a disclosure reveal additional large-scale improprieties, the univer­sity should admit its mistakes and dismiss those responsible. The U-M has created an atmosphere of distrust that will be remedied only when it disposes with secrecy and deals with the issue forthrightly.

New Student Seating Policies Flawed University of Michigan students have for years enjoyed watching great football

teams, and even if the Wolverines did lose in the Rose Bowl most of the time, there was always the opportunity to watch them crush six opponents a year at the packed Michigan Stadium. And even though the athletic department had over 100,000 fans to accommodate, students were always guaranteed improved seating every year. Ann Arbor was a content football toWn.

Then the ba~ketball and hockey teamsslowly began to gain national recognition. This year Steve Fisher's basketball team has the best freshman class in the country, and this year's hockey team has been consistently ranked in the top two in preseason polls. The once sparsely-populated Crisler Arena and Yost Ice Arena now regularly brim with students. For some reason, however, the U-M cannot seem to employ a satisfac­tory student season ticket policy for either sport.

A couple of years ago, the athletic department decided to make basketball games in Crisler Arena a Ii ttle more enjoyable by crea ting a student section. Granted, the seats selected were some of the worst in the arena (e.g. directly behind the south basket), but at least the students could all sit in one general area and cheer together. In addition, seating priority was determined by the number of consecutive seasons a student had ordered season tickets. In spite of these efforts, Crisler Arena remained one of the quietest and friendliest places in the country for opposing teams to visit. There was really no such thing asa home-court advantage when the Wolverines took the floor. Then along came head coach Steve Fisher, who decided it was time to put an end to this nonsense. As his first full season began to wind down, he enlisted in the help of the Michigan Daily to try to make Crisler Arena more like the rambunctious nuthouses found in East Lansing and Columbus, whose "sixth man" crowd often helped spur the Spartans and Buckeyes on to victory. The Daily ran several articles urging students to write in with ideas, and they received a few suggestions, most of which emphasized the need to move the student section courtside and relocate the existing comatose alumni. The reasoning behind these proposals was that closer and better seating for students would enourage them to become more boistorous and vocal. Well, to everyone's surprise, the athletic department enacted such a policy over the summer, and this season we will all be enjoying a better view of the action.

But there is a catch to the new plan, and it has caused a small uproar. No longer will the seating be based on seniority. Instead, the gates to Crisler will open two hours prior to game time and seating will be based on a first-come, first-serve basis. Consequently, seniors who have ordered tickets for three straight seasons now find·,

that their seniority and past patronage count for naught, and those wishing to see the action up close must plan on wasting at least two hours before each game.

While the former policy failed to bring in raucously enthusiatic crowds, the athletic department's solution shows little promise. A reworking of the new policy, however, could achieve the desired effects without slighting and alienating loyal fans. The student section .should be relocated behind the team benches, but the seniority policy should remain in effect as well. There is simply no reason for seat acquisition for each game to be a free-for-all. Arguably,the annoying delays might even hamper enthusiasm. Despite the athletic department's reasoning that anyone willing to wait two hours for a seat is certainly going to make some noise, it seems equally likely that someone who has ordered tickets for three straight seasons would be just as rowdy and vocal. Furthermore, the seniority approach creates an incentive system for students to begin patronizing basketball games early in their college careers, for it guarantees everyone will have a chance to enjoy courtside seats for at least one season before graduating.

The policy regarding hockey tickets is similarly confused. Because of the success of last year's hockey team (second in the CCHA and a final--€ight national finish), the ticket office had to deal with its first rush on student season tickets in recent times. Their answer? Instead of having a due date for students to send in applications and basing the tickets on seniority, the office said, in effect, "form a line."

What resulted was a long, snaking queue in the Michigan Union that provided a six-hour wait for some, who were told that only "general admission" season tickets were left. Part of the problem was tha t students were not required to stand in lines, only their student IDs were. This resulted in various people holding over 50 IDs.

A more reasonable and fair solution for both the hockey and basketball ticket problems could be achieved by adopting a modified version of the successful football ticket system. Students would send in their requests,and seating would be based on the number of years students have ordered tickets rather than how many credits they possess. This system would encourage fan loyalty while streamlining the now unwise and chaotic procedure.

While it is too late to prevent the hockey ticket fiasco, there is still some time for basketball ticket reform. Season passes go on sale October 14th, and the first game is December 9th. If you would like to see more enthusiastic crowds without slighting loyal fans, you can register your complain t by calling the Athletic Ticket Office at 764-0247 .toYOice YQur,support for,a past patronage system.

>.·''''A''''~~''~''''''''-'''''lN''~''''-_I;>._\lW~~~_¥i!t:'''S)l''' __ ''

Page 5: vol_10_no_2

September 25, 1991 ___________________ THEMICHIGANREWE~ 5

But Wait, There's Muir \, c .. ,'t ""

A R · A A b T. · . ' . '- t' i ··U ..... . ." u eVOlr, nn r ,or . le;nan:.is,·t ~ , n'lob·' .• ,~ by Jeff Muir

Adios, AA TV! Goodbye, and good riddance. On September 17th, the Michi­gan Student Assembly (MSA) ended a four month-long debate and slashed your funding by 44 percent. Of course, this won't actually shut you down, but it ought to prevent you from continuing your role as an activist umbrella group on campus.

You' ll no longer be able to provide support to the Recall Governor Engler campaign, as you did this summer by urging the readers of your newsletter, the TeTumts' Voice, to join the movement, and as. you did by placing a "Recall Engler" sign on your booth at this summer's Art Fair. You'll no longer be able to publish, at student expense, re­ally, really bad anti-war poetry, or orga­nize protests against President Bush.

Of course, you attempted to deny these allegations when they were made public, but gone are the days when mind­less radical leftists control your purse strings, willing to believe anything you tell them. Almost in the same sentence you (through your human incarnation, Jeri Schneider) told the assembly how dearly the students needed you, and then you lied to the assembly, the elected rep­resentatives of those students, denying any involvement with Recall Engler.

For shame! Even more shameful is the way in

which you attempted to fight your bud­get cut. You tried to:ciaim that such ac­tion was directed at the Recall Engler and bad poetry issue alone. You failed to acknowledge your involvement with the Homeless Action Committee (HAC), one of the most radical student groups on campus.

It cannot be ignored, however, when you have rnembers of each other' sgroups sitting on each other's bt>ards, spending each other's money. You see, when you take money from all the students, as you do by receiving 96% of your total budget from the MSA, which itself is funded by a mandatory fee . levied against all stu­dents, you cannot go around supporting such causes. .

Yet Jen Rubin, listed as a signer on HAC's 1991 Student Organization Reg­istration Form and therefore having ac-

. cess to HAC's funds, also serves as a member of the Tenants' VoiceCornrnittee, which allOcates AA TIJ money for pub­lishing costs.

And the connection runs deeper still. Jeri Schneider is your "co-eqordinator," yet according to MSA treasurer Andrew Kanfer, "Virtually every time HAC has

corne before my committee to request anti-war poetry orRecallEngler.;YOloq' :. ·.MSA'sactionsagainstyoutomereretali-funds, Jeri Schneider has been its repre- involvement with thosecausesiss~e- : . . ation,ior·\:hese petty politi(al~auS!e$ for sentative." ful, andyou oughtto be held aceountable , which yoylaoor;;Thecrux of the matteris :

And we haven't even mentioned -for them, 'but you cannot ;reduce the .the combination ,oiyour political advo-&ilW,.!ii1.' a _ m. .. ! t;,ll~ & cacy and your financial incompetence.

HO~lELESS tTION

('OMMITTEE

. -<$ . Perhaps you have completely· ratio­

nal reasons for each of these violations of the students' trust, But you only brought ,scrutiny upon yourself by your radical political agenda and your finantialmis­management. It is hard to look innocent when you lose receipts, fail to hold board meetings, don' tpublish financial figures, anddon't fHeta;: returns.

Had you contented yourself with merely informing the studentsabout their rights as tenants, and refrained from at­tempting to recall the governor, protest­ing the President, lobbying for housing codes and other laws, and wedding your­self to the HAC, perhaps nobody would have bothered you.

But you grew arrogant and fat, and believed yourself invincible. Whatever one thinks of the larger issues with which

" .. yotrh~lVe involved yourself in over the . years, it is simply impossible to justify

why the student body as a whole must subsidize these views and projects.

50 goodbye, AA TIJ! You may con­tinue to exist in name, but the spirit of what you have been all of these years will soon whither and die. And the average student will not miss you, for you never represented the average student's inter­ests to begin with.

Perhaps one day the U-M will have a Stude.nts' Tenant Union that concerns itself with providing information to stu­dents on their rights as tenants. No more, no less.

. We can only hope.

The AATU Art Fair stand and its Recall Engler sign, which the organization's leaders claim never existed. . '

Jeff Muir is a senior in g.eneral studies and an executive editor of the Review.

your financial mismanagement yet. The cat got out of the bag this summer when the U-M administration mandated that

. you be audited. Plante and Morane,a Detroit-based accounting firm, found that you "did not maintain a general ledger nor other means of financial re­porting." They found that the "IRS has no record of an application for exemp­tion from federal income taxes,"even though "the Tenant's Union has not filed any income tax returns since its incep­tion(1969)."Theyfoundthatduringl991 you "did not maintain minutes or other documentation" of your board meetings. Finally, they found "Several instances where documentation for spectflc cash disbursements could not be located."

So you see, this isn't mercly about

Letter to the Editor I am outraged at David Powell's state­

ment that Corey Glover, lead vocalist for Living Colour, is a ''beneficiary of the Emancipation I:roclarnation." I could not believe the utter stupidity and insensi­tivity shown by Mr. Powell in making that statement.

The lyric Mr. Powell refers to goes as follows: ''History's a lie they teach you in school." This line is a reference to the fact

, that modem history books don't deal in­depth with the fact that native Africans were kidnapped from their homes and brought to the colonies to be used as

slaves. A million Emancipation Proclama­

tions could not make up for that. If you were to ask Corey Glover, or

any black American, if he/she felt they were beneficiaries of the Emancipation PrOclcUnation, they would be outraged at the sheer idiocy of even suggesting it. I think Corey Glover would say to Mr. Powell, " ... know your history - the difference between me and you." - from "Pride" by Living Colour. .

Ian A. Taronji LSAjunior

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Page 6: vol_10_no_2

6 ________________ ~ _________ THEMICHIGANREWE~ September 25, 1991

Essay: University Course 299

UC 299 Heightens Racial Tensions in Class by Doug Thlese

Much has been said about the Uni­versity of Michigan admUrlstration's at­tempts to transform the dass of 1995 into a swirimg mass of moral relativists, tol­erators of academic perversion, and hy­persenSitive phobiaphobes. The fresh­man orientation program is only the be­ginning of. this

white male society. In other words, UC 299 attempted to induce or increase a feeling of alienation against "the white male system." .

A prime example of how UC 299 fanned the flames of racial hatred was the February 21, 1991 lecture on the topic of II African-Americans: Cultural and

cause] they must have at their disposal the types of power, economic, political, and ultimate ... to be implicated in domi­nation and in racism that is a special form of domination."

To learn why the University and LSA established a course that has evolved into an anti-white.male witch hunt, one

process. Stu- The rna)' or fault with UC 299 is that it exac­dents firstenter-

can turn to Dinesh D'Souza'sflliberal Edu­cation: The Politics of Race and Sex on Cam­pus.

ing the College erbates racial conflicts. Any honest attempt of Literature, Science,andthe to reduce racism must begin with an objec-A11S (LSA) this • ff I th f h·

Universities, ac­cording to D'Souza, often look at low mi­nority representation on campus with a "deep sense of embar­rassment" which is then exploited by a

September will hve e ort to exp ore e true causes 0 t IS also have to face bi DC 299· h k' ff t the new "diver- pro· em. . ,owever, rna es no e or ~~~ require- whatsoever to be obj~<;tive in its approach.

This new graduationrequirement, approved by the LSA faculty last October, forces students to take a course on issues arising from "racial or ethnic intolerance." Although a student could use one of many course offerings to fulfill this requirement, at least one class -University Course 299:

Political Resistal}Qe." The first part of the lecture is a skit called IICelebrHy SlaveshipH from the play A Colored Mu­seum. This dip purported to show how white males have oppressed blacks in this country through Slavery, foreign wars,and capitalist economics. After this excerpt, a teaching assistant lectured the class on how to look for different means of resistance starting with the realization of ''how the flag can blind you, how the flag can cover you up, how the flag in general ... stands for oppression."

The next presentation was an Eyes on

pressure campaign from campus activ­ists. Therefore, "universities agree to make herculean efforts to attract as many blacks, Hispanics, and other certifie<i minorities as possible." The catch is that only a small number of minorities "nor­mally qualify for acceptance at selective" institutions such as the U-M. In order to increase minori ty enrollments, universi­ties must undermine their admission standards by using affirmative action and paying minimal attention to the percent­age of minority students who actually succeed.

nations for their difficulties." They are warned by older students to watch out for "the pervasive atmosphere of bigotry on campus.1f They are taught that mod­em day racism is much "more subtle" and hides in "various guises" such as "baleful looks" and '''polite' behavior." They are lectured about the "institutional racism" where only a disproportionately small percentage of the faculty and ad­ministration is composed of minorities. In short, bigotry is preventing minority students from having the "racism-free environment they need to succeed."

Once minori ties "discover" that rac­ism is responsible for their academic prob­lems, they then launch a campaign to expose the pervasive bigotry on campus. Since university leaders usually seek to deflect blame away from the administra­tion, they are eager to agree with "minor­ity activists that the real enemy is latent bigotry among their fellow students and professors, and that their energies are best invested in combating white preju­dice." When the inevitable white resent­ment against affirmative action surfaces, university leaders and minority activists then use the opportunity to set up a "di­versity course" where whites can con­front their own racist attitudes.

The tragedy of this delusionary line of thought is that it impedes universities from achieving their main objective: the pursuit of knowledge, no matter how

Race, Ethnicity, and Racism - offers a distorted and harmful look at its pur­ported subject matter. Originally slated for continuation this fall, LSA later can­celled UC 299 for the current academic year. According to Stephen Sumida, a professor of English and previous UC 299 coordinator, LSA did not have the available staff to teach the course, but he hopes there will be enough instructors for F all 1992.

I enrolled in UC 299 in the winter tenn of 1991. By the term's end, I had realized that I had best keep my mouth shut lest I should be called "racist" and "insensitive." .

the Prize excerpt about Malcolm X and militant blacks. Among its highlights was Louis X (later known as the Na­tion of Islam's Louis Farrakhan) conducting a rally of blacks as a trial

The tragedy of this delusionary line of thought is that it impedes universities from achieving their main objective: the pursuit of knowledge, no matter how painful it may be. The only way to truly stop racism is to stop treating people on the basis of their race. The major fault with UC 299 is that it

exacerbates radal conflicts. Any honest attempt to reduce racism must begin with an objective effort to explore the true causes of this problem. UC 299, however, made no effort whatsoever to be objec­tive in its approach towards racism.

against lithe white I' __________________________ .----J

painfulitmaybe. The only way to truly stop racism is to stop treat­ingpeopleon the basis of their race. In other words, this means the elimi­nation of mis­guided policies such as affirma­

This lack of objectivity could be seen in the selection oflecture topics: all of the ma~r ethnij: groups, such as Arrerican Indians, blaclcs, Hispanics, Asian-Ameri­cans and Arab-Americans, were given attention. White people were largely ig­nored except as vehicles of racism. Each of the non-white ethnic groups were dis­cussed with the viewpoint of how they had been "dominated" by white males. Once this aspect of "domination" was explored, the lectures then considered hQW each group could resist the yoke of

man" for "being the greatest murderer This misguided policy of affirmative . .. greatest liar ... greatest trouble- action has several unfortunate conse-maker on earth." quences. When minorities admitted un-

The last excerpt came from A Colored der preferential policies begin taking Museum in which a black businessman university classes, they soon realize that threw out his items of black pop culture they are academically unprepared as while repeating the mantra "I have no compared to other students. Yet they are past" in order to avoid becoming "ex- still "expected to read several hundred tinct" in "the ice age." pages of literature, history, biology, and

Throughout all this finger pointing, other subjects every weekI and produce one might have wondered in what ways analytical papers, appropriately foot-blacks may have practiced racism against noted, on short notice." whites. In herlectureonJanuary17, Pro- Confronted with this feeling ofinfe-fessor Patricia Gurin, a white female, riority, many minority students join the provided UC 299's answer by stating: "In "exclusive endaves" of minorities-only this class we're going to be quite dear organizations. From such peer groups, that they [blacks] are not racist, .• [be-. ' minorities often discover "novel'expla-

tive action which admits less-qualified students at the expense of those truly deserving admission. It also means the elimination of classes such as University Course 299, which divisively emphasize the racial differences within society. To differentiate people on a basis other than merit accomplishes nothing more than the inflammation of human passions, inevitably leading to the scourge of rac-ism.

Doug Thiese is a junior in political sci­ence and MTS editor of the Review.

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Page 7: vol_10_no_2

September 25, 1991 THE MICHIGAN REVIEW.- 7

Satire

Seven Nights at the Nectarine 8allroo'm by Jay Sprout

It all began when some friends rec­ommended I take some time off. At the rate I was going. it wouldn't be long before I killed myself, someone else or both. They suggested that I party a bit and unwind.

Since the city of Ann Arbor as a wholeremindsoneof a wild life preserve for lunatics, I chose to see the heart of the weirdness, the infamous Nectarine Ball­room.

Monday: Altema tive-industrial mu­sic night. As I arrived, someone was be­ing thrown out quite violently. "What was that all about?" I asked, showing the bouncer my ID.

"He hasn't seen A Clockwork Orange," he said as he stamped my hand "VIP." I walked into the loudest, darkest bar I had ever visited, and before I could even get used to having been thrown onto the set of Blade Runner, something wearing a black leather jacket that said "I kill for pleasure" asked to buy me a drink.

I went up to the DJ's booth to see whata "Cyberpunk" looked like. I asked if he would play Tom Petty's "Spike" or "Zombie Zoo." He didn't know what I was talking about, which was probably just as well.

The Sex Pistols carne blaring from the walls and the floor cleared so that

I'm gay doesn't make me a bad person. I think the worst thing I've ever done is hit my dog for knocking over something and even then I felt bad and petted him afterwards."

"I know exactly how you feel," I told him, "by society's standards, I'm a crimi­nal just because I kill people."

"What?" he said, sobering up. "It's not like being a serial killer is fun or anything. I hate myself, but I can't help it. It's not like I chose to be born homi­cidal," I replied, enjoying the warmth of my Colt Python in my customized low profile shoulder holster.

I thought this would get ridof him, but he put his hand on mine and said, "You poor thing ... can I see your tattoo?"

I let him buy me a midnight dinner at Denny's and got rid of him by pulling over on US 23 and gojrlg into a psycho­pathic rage screaming liMy tattoo lives! It says to rape and kill yo~ and not in that order!" .

He disappeared into the woods and I drove horne satisfied.

Wednesday: I thought it was safe to go on the dance floor and mix among the natives on an unintimidating night of Top 40.

I left the floor to sit down and see if the crowd got any weirder - I was al­most getti ng disappointed. A couplemo-

HI know exactly how you feel," I told him, JJby society's standards, I'm a criminal just because I kill people."

those willing could slam dance. I was surprised how few actually did. A blond Amazon with a nose ring and more tat­toos than a model for Easy Rider kept yelling obscenities at the non-partici­pants.

This was too much for my brain to take its first night away from home. I went back to my attic apartment far away from the Nectarine and its living dead.

Tuesday: Boys' Night Out or "gay night" as the unenlightened say. I was sitting at the edge of one of the balconies looking at the dance floor when a very drunk man next to me who had been politely staring into his glass told me, "My parents didn't react well to my tell­ing them I am gay."

I wondered if this was a typicalopen­ing line. I looked back at him and said, "My lover didn't dig it when I got 'redrum' tattooed on my member."

'They just don't understand me, they're so uptight. I mean just because

mentslater a lady who had been dancing next to me sat in the other chair at the table (nothing more than a coaster with legs). She seemed nice enough. Blond hair almost to her shoulders and earth tone, color coordinated, clothes.

"I've never seen you here before," she said.

"I've been here a couple times," I said, getting ready. Even cute dogs bite.

It was pleasant until she began talk­ingaboutsomeNew Age nonsense about positive thinking and Mother Earth,since it reminded me I still had that door-to­door Shaklee salesman locked in my closet.

While she babbled on, I wondered if she was so into herself that she wouldn't noticeifl walked away. I did and she did not.

Thursday: I arrived before most of the Eurobeatcrowd showed up and chat­ted with the bartender. He seemed like he would rather be anywhere else. Why

do people who always complain about their jobs never quit?

"What's Eurobeat?" I asked. "No thin' special, it's a mixed crowd.

They'll play some rap." I looked around at the few people

already there and wondered if it was just the calm before the abnorm.

The bartender gave me his progres­sive philosophy on diversity: II As long as it's not those punks. They must have been beat when they was kids or somethin'. Tonight's gonna be Asian Invasion night again."

The rest of the night was equally stimulating so just before midnight I de­cided to piss off some Blockbuster em­ployres by walking in just before they lockea up. I rented Class of '84 and mar­veled that every one of them decided to attend The University of Michigan. • Friday: Boys' Night Out.

As I got dressed, Ithought of the guy I'd seen Tuesday wearing a shirt that said "No one knows I'm gay. " I put on my t-shirt emblazoned with "It's a con­servativewhitemalething-youwouldn't understand."

Saturday: more than any other night, people were there to watch and be watched. In a perverted mixture of Amen­can Bandstand and Club MTV, the sides of beef and would-be butchers looked around to see if they were being looked at.

At the bar, I said hello to a girl who was staring at me.

"Hi," the strawberry blond said, "my name is Crystal."

Surprise, I thought. "I'm studying theater here." '1 write." I said. "Oh? What do you write?" "A lot of stuff, everything." I figure

that covers it all, but, of course it didn't. "Like whaF" she asked, genuinely

interested as people sometimes are. "I write plays. I'm hoping to do a

screenplay sometime in the future." "Have you done anything I would

have heard of?" she asked, trying to act nonchalant, which made me wonder if she could act at all.

"I don't know. What about yoU?" I said looking into her eyes, a DuraSoft blue.

''Not yet," She pouted. "Maybe we could get together and

work something out." I said, reading some graffiti next to her barstool. She mistook this as a glance at her legs and misinterpreted my suggestion.

"Okay," she said naughtily. ''Where's your place?"

Immediately, the guy I chased into the woods came to mind. '1 could show you if you like. Then you could see the script,"

"Sounds cool." " .. .and maybe my tattoo," I mut­

tered too quietly for her to hear. Sunday was going to be, yet again,

Boys Night Out, beginning at 10 p.m. t,Jntil then, it would be teen night. A combination of New Kids On the Block fans and the usual decadent crowd seemed like too dangerous a mixture for me.

I decided todoa penance of sorts and went instead to a small "Christian" night spot called the SonlightOub. The people did not look much different, but there was no alcohol, so I sat with a Pepsi and a clear head reflecting on the weeks ac­tivities.

If nothing else, the Nectarine is a very interesting place. I don't know if the time off was good or bad for my mental health. What I do know is that one does not need to make stuff up to be interest­ing. !fyou live in Ann Arbor, all you need to do is look outside your window.

Jay Sprout is an LSA freshman and a staff writer for the Review .

Do you play volleyball?

Want to take out your "daily" frustrations on the Michigan Daily staff in a "friendly" grudge match on October 5th? Well •..

Join the Michigan Review!

Join us at 7 p.m. Sunday evenings, at the Michigan League, Suite 1 (third floor) or call 662-1909.

'"'·'<>-"-'_*''''' __ "''''=~''''''~~''''''''~_'-_W,=~~OI~j[>\;Z\ p~.---

Page 8: vol_10_no_2

8 THE MICHIGAN REVIEW September 25, 1991

Interview 'V;':

~ '

Anderson Leads Wolverine Defense On September 18, 1991, Corey Hill of the Review interviewed U-M standout linebacker Erick Anderson. Last year Anderson was named to the All-Big Ten first team. Anderson is from Glenview, IL and a fifth-year senior in General Studies.

REVIEW: How do you feel after finally beating Notre Dame?

ANDERSON: It was great a feel­ing. Anytime you go four years without bealing a team, when you finally beat them, it's prob­ably one of the greatest feelings you can have at Michigan be-sides winning the whole thing. The win was definitely one of the greatest achievements we have had since I have been here.

~:9ioW

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REVIEW: Coming off the big victory against Notre 'pame, do you feel the team is emotionally prepared to play Florida State?

ANDERSON: I think the team is pre­pared. If we would have lost to Notre Dame, I still think we would be prepared for Florida State. We know wearea good team. We are happy to have that victory and we know we can play with anyone. The team knows we have to stay focused on Florida State.

REVIEW: What teams do you consider to be the legitimate contenders for the Big Ten tiUe?

ANDERSON: Anytime you playa Big Ten team you have a chance of losing. Anybody can beat anybody on any given day depending on how people play. Michigan State and Illinois have always been tough teams. Iowa has a lot of talent coming back from last year and they proved they were good team last year. Ohio State is a tough and physical team and they always play hard. I don't think thereisa team that can beat us if we play as well as we are capable of playing. I

think we will win the Big Ten outright.

REVIEW: Do you think Michigan has earned its number three ranking?

ANDERSON: I think we deserve the number three ranking if not higher. We have proven we can play with a nation­ally ranked team. Anytime you hold a

Bob KalmbachlNIS

team like Notre Dame to 78 yards rushing, you have proved yourdefense,can play. Just per­sonally knowing the type of team we have, I sceno problem with the ranking as long as we stay-· focused. No mar­ter where we are ranked, we still have to come out and play.

REVIEW: Has all the attention Desmond Howard re-ceived dis-tracted the team?

ANDERSON: We are all proud of Desmond. He is a great person and a

great athlete. He deserves everything he gets. I think its nice for a Michigan player finally to get national recognition. It is a reflection of the team and the coaching staff.

REVIEW: What was your best game as a Wolverine?

ANDERSON: There have several games that standout in my mind. The greatest thrill was the 1989 Rose Bowl. I feel I played my best against Notre Dame last week.

REVIEW: What are your thoughts about becoming the first player in history to \.ead the team in tackles for four con­secutive seasons?

ANDERSON: There have been a num­ber of great players and it would be an honor to be listed among them. All of those tackles I have made could not been possible without a great defense sur­rounding me. Just to be able to say that} played with all those great players will be a larger thrill for me than the record itself.

REVIEW: Do you find balancing aca­demic and athletic responsibilities to be difficult?

ANDERSON: At times I have founded it to be difficult. The first two years I played, it was a problem. I was really excited

about playing and that interfered with the main purpose, which was school. After that I settled down and really learned how to manage my time. The biggest key is managing your time. It is real difficult for 18 to 20 year olds, espe­cially coming right out of high school where it is fairly easy to get by.

REVIEW: Outside of winning the Rose Bowl, what would you consider to be a successful season?

ANDERSON: As far as team goals, noth­ing compares to the Rose Bowl. I think we should not settle for anything less than the Rose Bowl because of the talent on this team. We set that as a goal, and withoutaRose Bowl win, we would look at this season as a subpar season .

REVIEW: So much is written about your skills as a football player, what are your interests outside of football?

-ANDERSON: I enjoy the outdoors, hunting and fishing. Butright now, I feel if I don't put everything into football I can, I will not get as much out of it. This being my last year at Michigan, I have have to do as much as I can for football.

REVIEW: Have you considered your potential value to the NFL?

ANDERSON: I have definitely consid­ered a career in the NFL. I feel that I can

Bob KalmbachlNIS

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Page 9: vol_10_no_2

September 25, 1991

play in the NFL. but the decision is not up to me. I can only playas well as I am capable of playing right now and the rest should take care of itself. Hopefully a team will feel that i

I have some value and draft me or maybe I will sign as a free agent.

REVIEW: If you do not pursue a career in profes­sional football, what do you plan to do?

ANDERSON: I'd like to take a La. !. ,¥**'t little bit of time ~ ~ off be fore I start a career.lhaveput so much time into football, I re­ally do not have a good gras~ ?n :m theopporturuties _~_.-.-available to me. I'd like to settle down in the Chicago area and work in sales

THE MICHIGAN REVIEw..

,'2

REVIEW: What did you think about Central Michigan's victory over Michi­gan State?

ANDERSON: It showSj'ou when a team goes out and takes a victory for granted

that some bad things can happen. Cen­tral also had played two games and State did not. The loss ~hould not take away from the year State could have. State will

be ready to play come Oc­tober.

REVIEW: What will you remember most from your experi­ences asa Wol­verine?

ANDERSON: I think I will re­member the friendships that I have made here. I'll never forget the locker roomexperi­ences after we won games. I will also re­

member the experiences of losing, and that you cannot take anything for granted.

Where's Waldo? Where's the Dude? How many of these tickets were paid for with grant money for cancer research, but were funnelled through covert channels to the U-M's Task Force on Undergraduate Football Predictions?

9

Pig"kin Pi'cl(s preSent8d., by CoNy"

the Wolverines' next opponent is the Florida State semmores. the' Seminoles are coKhed by ~ Bowden and are 2~ after d.«isi'te victoriesagaiDst Brigham Youagand Western Michigan. Htisrnan Trophy candidate Casey Weldon leads the FSU offenge. Last season Weldon was. second in passing effidency behind HeismaD Trophy winner Ty Detmer of Brigham Young.

The Seminoles' defeMe is loaded with sophomoresensalion LBMarlun Jones leading the way. The over­whehning factor that mikes fSU a strong contender for the national ~hampionship is their tremendoU$

depth at every position. The Semi­noles will have had two weeks to prepare for the U-M, but I expect the W~topreyaiJ 'l1-14,sincethe U-Mhlda.bigberieltlnNotre DIIIM than fSU had with BtighamYOllDg.

AroJmd the BigTeI\MicNgan State must be feeling ~ after two con­secu~ losses to Central Michigan and Notre Dame, the SpaTtaM -should" defeat Rutgers, 27-17. Notre Dame travels to Purdue for another intmtate match. The Irish Will be hoping 10 ad\lal\Ce h\ the ~ so lookfor the score to be very lop$ided. 4S-1o.1ndlanawill trawl 10 Missouri, but theHoosim will leave the Show­

\~i; 'Me-State losers in a 29-24 game. 00· ~t ro!s ,is $till enjoying its 51-10 vktDry , cwerthe Houston Cougars, is 1d1e thlS

week. The little guy vs. the big guy-show­

down of the week is NortbernUlirois at Iowa. There will be J'IO upset sina? Iowa will win easily 38-7. The Pitt Panthers are next on Minnesota's schedule. The Gophers were ~ to CoIorado58-0,l\owever, the Panthers will wtn a 24-17 fourth qu~t squeaker. The woefulstaSOJ\ conlin­uesforEMU and Northwestern. They wiU Jose to Wis<;onsin 20-14". Wilce Fon=st14-10'~~~f Cony Hm is a aa,phomore li\ polW cal sdent'.e and an ualstant editor 0:

tht &tMw. Th~ Rerlit:llI 'Ed1torial Boud guarantees that Colet' pre-< dictioN will aJtimately be. q,xe. Jot tb.. resulta, contadthe U-M Administration" TaskFolce cm\bi· ~.hotball~~ '"

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---- """-"- /// -

Page 10: vol_10_no_2

10 THE MICHIGAN REVIE~ September 25, 1991

Administration Defends Questionable Spending

Continued From Page 1

search," and inappropriate costs as "ex­travagant or otherwise inappropriate even though they are not Specifically unallowable per OMB Circular A-21." The unsupported costs are primarily travel expenses where the purpose of the trips was not documented in sufficient detail.

The next step in the audit procedure was for the U-M to negotiate with the Division of Cost Allocation (DCA) on these preliminary figures. Of the $7.9 million, the U-M and the DCA came to agreement on $5.9 million, which left $2 million unnegotiated. The administra­tors at the press conference said this fig­ure relates to indirect G&A expenses, and of the $2 riilllion,15 percent could be attributed to indirect research costs, for which the HHS is responsible. This leaves $300,000 as the actual amount in conten­tion between the U-M and HHS.

While only $300,000 is officially be­ing contended, it is clear that the HHS-

OIG found a substantial amount of ques­tionable expenses, even though they were not research costs. It is not clear if the U­M would have ever found or revealed these expenses as ina ppropriate if it were not for the HHS-OlG audit.

The report cited expenses for News and Information Services, which includes funding of the Michigan Daily, as not allowableunderOMB guidelines. Trans­portation services such as the campus­wide bus serviee is also an expense that is not allowable because it is a student ser­vice, not a G&A expense, according to the auditors.

The auditors also found $1 million . for computers for the Provost and Vice

President of Academic Affairs that should have been charged to the computer eel}­teis. Other questionable G&A expe~ included football tickets and travel to the Rose Bowl for U-M administr~tors, alumni ~iation activities and sup­port, fund raising, and flowers. the re­port also fQ,loInd $28,440 that the U-M spent on Martin Luther King Day activi-

ties as an inappropriate G&A expense. In addition, the U-M also spent $38,178 for lobbying expenses in Lansing and $37,764 for three cars for the use of staff. $10,715 was spent on non-research related travel, and $10,504 for 20 flags for various U-M schools and colleges.

Some unallowable G&A expenses included $5,535 for the printing of 'What Students Should Know" about student discrimination, $23,085 for the United Coalition Against Racism (UCAR), and $1,750 for the winter activities of Socially Active Latino Students Association (SALSA). None are indirect G&A ex­penses, but are student services, and should be listed as such by the U-M.

The U-M defends many of these ex­penses as G&A costs because they are legitimate costs of running a university. For example, Harrison contended that faculty and staff members, as well as the auditors themselves, use the bus service provided by Transportation Services. The ' U-M also believes that $4,820 paid to Cesar Chavez, a Hispanic activist of the

>,,,,. ,,,

1960s and 1970s, was to the benefit of minority initiatives and are thus a G&A expense. Martin Luther King Day ex­penses are "a legi timates cost of running a university," since the speakers paid to come here helppromotea "multicultural and diverse community."

The process of indirect cost alloca­tion remains a complex and confusing procedure. It is not clear how much fed­eral money the U-M actually spent on inappropriate expenses, though the fig­ure is probably somewhere between $2 million and the $300,000 figure the U-M gives. One point is apparent: the more federal money that works through the U-M bureaucracy, the more that is lost and is sure to be wasted on frivolous, non-academic items like Rose Bowl tick­ets.

Kishore Jayabalan is a senior in eco­nomics and political science and an as­sistant editor of the Review.

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Page 11: vol_10_no_2

:eptember 25, 1991

Coursepacks

Continued From Page 1

.vhich basically grants blanket permis­>ion for Kinko's to copy works from the Jublisher. This system results in a turn­tround of about 48 hours for electroni­:ally handled requests.

Other copy shops have their own Nays of dealing with the ruling. 4Jphagraphics seeks copyright permis­,ion through its corporate office. Dollar 3il1 works with a non-profit organiza­:ion for some permission requests. Digicopy, for whom Ulrich's distributes :ourse-packs, goes through a copyright :learinghouse. Most requests are handled in about 6 to 8 weeks, though in some :ases permission isnot granted. The slow turnaround time has resulted in some coursepacks not being available on time.

Michigan Document Supply's policy has sidestepped the problem of turn­around time for now and also attempts to address the problem of what is a fair royalty rate. Michigan Document Sup­ply owner Jim Smith views the court decision as wrong and feels that the roy­alties requested by the publishers ($0.142 per page at the University of Michigan Press) are much too high. He therefore :ioes not seek permission but pays a fee Jf one cent per page copied and sends a

THE MICHIGAN REVIEW

,1 .... '

check to the publisher. Even at this rate, prices are 20-25% higher than last year (although authors are only paid 10-15% in royalties by the publisher).

While the policy at Michigan Docu-

journal subscriptions. Vellemansaid that the publishers and authors deserve to be paid what they are owed in these cases . Kempton says that copy shops do "un­derstand the publisher's position," say-

Publishers will attempt to have people move back to textbooks, although this requires taking a view that coursepacks compete with textbooks rather than complement them.

ment Supply simplifies things for that store, standardization of processes is needed to make things easier for all con­cerned, according to Allan Strauss, man­ager of Dollar Bill. He suggests a system along the lines of what is in place in the music industry reg¢ing digital audio tapes (OAT), in which royalties are fig­ured right into the pric~ of the equipment and distributed according to market share.

Philosophy professor David Velleman agrees with this idea, saYing that perhaps a tuition fee could be charged to cover royalties and to help the Univer­sity libraries pay the tremendous costs of

ing that if all concerned parties work together, things will be much better than before. But he also stresses that publish­ers ~an also make it more difficult on the copy shops, professors, and students.

Smith believes that the publishers -will attempt to have people move back to --textbooks, although this requires taking a view that coursepacks compete with textbooksratherthancomplement them. He points to two other court cases under way as part of a larger push by publish­ers to gain control of what is in print. The first is a case involving a law firm in Washington, D.C. that uses parts of an­notated cases in its briefs to judges. The

Anti-Macintosh Shanty Constructed

This IBM shanty recently appeared on the Diag.IBM built the shanty to protest Macintosh's dominance at campus computing centers. IBM, marginalized by the Macintosh monopoly, demands a computer lounge for non-traditional computers.

---------~------------- -.~--........,-----

11

second case, against Texaco, involves the fairly common practice in business of copying news articles and putting them in a newsletter-type format for execu­tives to see what may affect business or how the company is perceived. When one looks at all of these cases together, it would appear that publishers are trying to regain a monopoly on distributing information to people.

The question of whether coursepack sales affect textbook sales remains un­clear. Although coursepack orders have shrunk (Alphagraphics has only 30% of the orders they had last year), orders at bookstores have not gone up. The Michi­gan Union bookstore and Ulrich's have not seen much effect; and Michael Bond, textbook manager at Michigan Book and Supply, sees only a slight increase in the orders for English 125 books. The reserve deskatthe Undergraduate Library, how­ever, has 50 percent more lists for maga­zines now than they had for the entire term hist year, and 33 percent more book lists than last year at this time according to Mary Louise Westin, supervisor of the reserve desk.

One proposed solution to the coursepack problem would be for the university to internalize the printing of coursepacks and sell them to students at cost. This has already been done in the Business School. Asa non-profit method, it has an advantage that Kinko's did not in the event of a lawsuit. The main prob­lem of response time from the publishers is not solved by this system, however, as permission would still be necessary in some instances.

Whatever the end result of all this, two things seem certain: students will, for the time being, pay a higher price for coursepacks and publishers and authors will receive compensation for their work at a higher rate than before. It seems that there will be some form of standardiza­tion among photocopiers, whether it is Kinko's method of getting permission, or Michigan Document Supply's method of paying a set fee and not worrying about permission. This will happen whether or not the University internalizes the pro­cess. The key is for all involved - profes­sors, publishers, and copy shops - is to do something that few have attempted yet: operate according to common sense and look at what is best for their interests.

Joe Coletti is a junior in Asian Studies and a staff writer for the Review.

'---~

"

Page 12: vol_10_no_2

12 THE MICHIGAN REVIEW September 25, 1991

Book Review . . ;) "

... Japan Just Says No! T~ Japan TIJBt 0111, ~y' No: Why Japan Wnt Be First ~n; Equal, by Shlntaro ishihara . " Simon and Sch~er . . . Hardcover, $18.95 ' ,. 158 pgs.

by Peter Daugavietis Shin taro Ishihara iso~of Japan's

most prominent coOsetVatlwpOliticians. In his. book, The Jllptln Thilt . Ca!l Say No: Why Japan WillBe First Among Equals, he argues that the UnitedStates treats Japan as an inferior in their political and eco­nomicrelationsrups. He is Simultaneous!y critical of his own country's politicians, whom he accuses of being obedient to the U.s.

Mr. Ishihara's premise is that Japan . has thecapabiIities to be one of the world's leading countries. Since the United 5.tates is aware of Japan's potential, he c!<ums, it has used its present global superiority to suppress Japan's advancement.

In his introduction, Ishihara states that he wrote his book because he wan ted to bring light to the tensions between the UnIted States and Japan which jeopar­dize future economic and political ties. He says, "too much is at stake for Japan and the United States to drift apart." His confidence in the importance ' of Japa­nese-U.s. relations has lead him to say, "For some time I have proposed that Japan and the United Sta tes form a Super GroupofTwo analogous to the Group of 5evenma;,r industrialized nations."

Ishihara believes that Japan and the United States will be the two superpow­ers in the 21st century, and that their differences need to be resolved in order to maximize success for both countries.

His book, originally written in Japa­nese, is divided into two parts. Part one

pletely \lpset if Japan dedded to sell its COIl\p';lter chips to t~ S6vi~ Union in­steado( the, Uni~ States." 'This state­ment' quk~y prompted 'the Pentagon's DefenSe Advanced Research Projects Agency to pirate a copy of the book while it was still written in Japanese. Some­how, the Pentagon ~verely butchered its translation, and this has obstructed · any serious discussions of Mr. Ishihara's topics . .

. Japan has no plans to make such a foolish mistake of selling its computer

. chips 10 the Soviet Union, but Mr.

~

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Ishihara's point was that the nuclear threat the United States can pose to the Soviet Union (and vice versa) hinges on Japanese technology, not the technology of the U.S. or the Soviet Union.

Another issue regarding Japan' s tech­nologyis the United States' pressure for co-development of the new Japanese air defense fighter, the FSX (fighter ~uppOrt experimental). He claims that the United States forced co-development because "U.S. contractors want[ed] to steal Japa-

Japan's economic catbird seat has certainly stirred jealousy among some Americans.

is an accurate translation of the Japanese version that centers on how Japanese politidans should rid themselves of their "subservient mentality" when dealing with the United States.

Part two, an additioJ) found only in the English version, has comments on the issues raised in Part One .addressing the United States directly in some pas­sages.

-Thecontroversy" of thisbook stems from Mr. Ishihara's comment that, "The global military bal~ could be com-

neseknow-how." . . The principle political conffict con­

cerns the national security of both Japan and the United States. Just as United States' conservatives propose a strong national defense, Mr, Ishihara,who also has conservative beliefs, presses Japan to take a more active role in its own national defense. To his dismay, though, his fel­low politicians "believe deference, even 'to the point of servility, is safer than confrontation" when dealing with · the United States.

As the United States exercises its na­tional security policy on a world-wide basis, Ishihara believes that the prece­denceofUnitedStates'securityoverJapa­nese security has reached a point where Japan is not in control of their own na­tional security. Instead, "Japan's mili­tary forces are merely an auxiliary to U.s. global strategy;" Mr. Ishihara says. This forms the basis of the FSX conflict.

Because the FSX is superior to the F-15 or F-16, the United States indeed has reason to be worried. But when "U.S. Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger frantically tried to stop MHI (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries) from developing the FSX," according to Mr. Ishihara, he was over-stepping his powers as a U.S. gov­emmentoffidal. His strategy should have been to pressure U.s. contractors to im­prove their fighters instead of infiltrating a business in a foreign country . .

Mr. Ishihara comments, "Our politi­cians still failed to comprehend the im­portance of Japan's amazing high tech­nology,even though the AmericaI)Swete besideS themselves with fear.u

Probably Mr. Ishihara's central be­lief, yet not the most wholly convincing, is that the United. States, and Westerners in general, severely discriminate against the Japanese. He sites the United States' discrimination from the fact that the United States decided to drop two atomic bombs on Japan and none on Germany during World War II.

He does not se(m to grant much weight, though, to the fact that by the time the bombs were ready for use, Ger­many was already defeated, and that using the bombs in all probability saved the the lives of many Japanese soldiers and civilians as well as American troops. Plans for operations Coronet and Olym­pic, the invasion of the Japanese home islands, contained estimates of up to one million Japanese casualties with losses for the allies running into the hundreds of thousands.

On the basis on this, Mr. Ishihara claims, "But ubiquitous discrimination remains a ~ of Western societies," and "Oass-<:onsciousand racist attitudes are deeply entrenched in the Caucasian psyche." .

Granted, the United States cannot claim to be free of any animosity toward the Japanese. But Japan's economic cat:... bird seat has certainly stirred jealousy among some Americans. ·Such feelirigs are not totally justifiable, but nonetheless exist and attempts should be made ' to remedy them.

The usual complaint that American

businesses have against Japan is that the country does not open its markets to foreign competition. This argument holds in some cases, but Mr. Ishihara counters by arguing, "The primary cause of America's financial malaise is excessive spending and consumption."

Yet, he also adds, "I want to believe that the United States, with its enormous underlying strength, will pull itself to­gether and come roaring back."

Ishihara admits that American busi­nesses have legitimate complaints in some areas, such as public works: "[These} projects also have to be opened to foreign construction firms ... It is an open secret that bid-rigging by general contractors in Japan raises the cost of public works projects about 40 percent higher than in Europe or the United States." In addition, he points out that Japan is plagued with "an army of

. middlemen [w ho] dri veconsumer prices sky high."

Mr. Ishihara states that in order for a healthy balance of trade to develop be­tween the United States and Japan, ''We (the Japanese) have to say no to both the hypercritical elements in Washington and the old-fashioned types in Tokyo who think this country can still export with­out importing."

With Japan being an established and foremost industrialized nation, though, Ishihara \'fould like to see Japan "shift from the enrichment of the corporation to the fulfillment of the individual." See­ing the past decade in retrospect, "[the] Japanese .became aware of how totally we had committed ourselves to work and economic expansion."

As the United Sta tes prepares to ffiQve into the 21st century, cooperation with Japan will become increasingly impor­tant. Ishihara alSo recognizes this, and he cautions, "For our sake and that of the whole Pacific region, the specialTokyo­Washington relationship must be pre­served."

His book is meant to be a candid account of the many barriers that both Japanese and Americans encounter when they interact. Ishihara desites such inter­action to continue, but believes that in order to optimize this partnership, both sides need to offer each other more re­spect.

Peter Daugavietis is a junior in the Resi­dential College and an assistant editor for the Review.

Page 13: vol_10_no_2

September 25, 1991 --________________ THEMKHIGANREWE~ 13

Book Review .~ .

Let's Kill All the Lawyers The LltIgBtlon Explosion: What Hap­pened When Amet1cs Unleashed the lBwsult? Walter K. Olson l>uttonlTalley Books Hardcover, $24.95 388 pga.

by Stacey L. Walker Vice President Dan Quayle ad­

jressed the excesses of American juris­prudence with sharp criticism at a recent American Bar Association convention. He questioned the need for 18 million new lawsuits annually at a cost to the public of more than $380 billion in direct md associated legal fees.

In his first book, Walter K. Olson, 5eniOT Fellow at the Manhattan Institute, :llso grapples with this national problem. The United States is in the throes of a litigation explosion from which, i t seems, only judges and lawyers can emerge un­scathed. In 16 chapters Olson eloquently outlines the history behind the current wave of litigiousness, focusing on the modem reinterpretation of older legal guidelinesand the subsequent courtroom theatrics that have resulted in looser re­strictions, all of which increasingly flood our nation's courtrooms at an astonish­ing expense to taxpayers.

To comprehend the chaos of our cur­rent legal system, Olson takes the reader through a historical mini-lesson in American common ,law tradition. Old ethicalla ws specifically forbade the "stir­ring up" of litigation. lawsuits were viewed as necessary, but evil. Also kept in tow were the strategies litigants could utilize against each other.

In recent times, however, attitudes toward litigation have changed dramati­cally; as Olson observes, "law schools had turned around on the subject of liti­gation," to the point of open admiration.

Accompanying these changes in at­titudes were changes in policy. First law­yers were allowed to advertise their ser­vices (Read: "Have you been injured in a slip or fall?"). Next came authorization to solicit customers (collectively known as "ambulance chasing"). One enterpris­ing lawyer donned clergy robes and pa­raded through the wreckage of a Detroit plane crash pressing business cards into the palms of victims' family members. Olson credits the Supreme Court with the continued deregulation of litigation. Several landmark cases in the early 1980s turned litigation into "a goal to be sought rather than a danger to be fled ."

Olson devotes an entire chapter to lamenting the United States' reliance on

contingency fees (taking a direct cut in the earnings of a case). He argues that salaries based on contingency fees as opposed to hourly rates serve as incen­tives for huge cash returns and encour­age hostility in the courtrooms.

Olson also expounds at great length upon the destruction of certain legal prac­tices. Abuses of discovery (the process by which lawyers force opponents to hand over information) have skyrocketed. People can be dragged into court, made to endure endless hours of questioning about personal and private affairs, and if the lawyer finds anything remotely speculative (whether it applies to the lawsuit in question is irrelevant), he car­ries out a suit.

Punitive damages ("damages meant to set an example of the loser as opposed to compensating l:he" winner") are also soundly rebuffed, though not as harshly as they should be. OI:;9n does not go far enough in explaining the damage they can cause. Punitive damages carry the added weight of allowing the lawyer to discuss personal incomes and financial holdings of the individual being sued. It is not surprising therefore to see pension funds, educational funds, life insurance premiums stripped away from defen­dants "to set an example of the loser."

Olson does an excellent job of dem­onstrating the need for refonn. Indeed, over two-thirds of the book is simply futher substantiation of his introduction and the first chapter. The pages are filled with Olson's subtle attempts to discredit the legal profession through their ov.;n actions. "When asked why four times as many innocent ,as negligent doctors get sued, trial lawyers invoke the idea of litigation as surrogate social insurance. When it is asked why suing doctors should ever be considered a rational way for society to get money to injured pa­tients-it takes years and the fighting eats up most of the money changing hands-the lawyers switch back and pro­claim themselves society's only line of defense against bad doctoring." Olson is at his best when he is railroading the profession for all it's worth. His sqbtle innuendos keep the reading fast-paced and entertaining.

It is only toward the end of the book that Olson loses ground. He tries to show the failure of past attempts at litigation regulation and also the failure of current proposed solutions. Without a doubt, the most oft-cited solution is increased gov­ernment spending in the areas where people need it most, namely personal injury litigation. Olson does not ad-

o , • t \ . ' ! J:

equately refute the reasons why this s0-

lution would never work. If people have a choice between waiting for Medicare or worker's compensation to pay their bills, or hiring a clever lawyer and possibly taking home several million dollars in a suit, most people would abandon the system and opt for the big money.

Equally disturbing, Olson claims his isa book "primarily for the non-lawyer," yet he does not adequately emphasize the more important facts to general read­ers. People need to know that sui ts can be filed in their names without ever seeing a courtroom, and that the lawyer, not the individuals named in these class action suits, often take home the majority of the aW31ded sum. They need to know how much of their tax dollars are being thrown

"put the window each year on junk litiga­tion pr<><iesses such as forum shopping

-and shotgun complaints. Olson mentions these topics, but only briefly. Too often, the reader becomes so engrossed in the

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next example of embarassing legal con­tradictions that they forget the impact of the previous statement.

Olson does offer hope for the future at the end of the book. His proposal is strongly conservative and surprisingly simple but filled with enough common sense to be feasible. He proposes a fee shifting strategy whereby losers in a law­suit incur all of the fees resulting from the suit. This would keep unnecessary cases outof the courts and would ensure genu­ine concern for the well-being of the clients by the lawyers since they would not be working on a contingency basis. Olson argues that lithe only real hope in lowering the steam levels is to tum down the fire under the pot."

Stacey L. Walker is a junior in commu­nication and a contributing editor for the Review. .

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Page 14: vol_10_no_2

14 THE MICHIGAN REVIE~ September 25, 1991

.~'

Music: Jewel Boxes 'l\

,~ ...

Forget the Whales, Save the Jewel Box by David J. Powell

The wasteful compact disc (CD) longbox is near extinction and nobody­or nearly nobody - is complaining. Ac­cording to Rolling Stont magazine, the throwaway cardboard boxes are respon­sible for21 million pounds of paper waste annually. And, while one can always create more landfills or grow more trees, the excess costs incurred by using the longbox are simply unfeasible. Faced with a similar fate is the jewel box - that hard, plastic case that protects CDs.

A radical shift in CD packaging may render existing CD storage units obso­lete, or at very least, impractical.

Lawrence Buchanan, assistant man­ager at Wherehouse Records in Ann Ar­bor, reports numerous customer com­plaints about cardboard cases not fitting standard CD storage racks. Thus, retail­ers, many of whom already have to re­invent their own storage bins now that the longbox is near death, may also be faced with an inventory of dysfunctional home storage units.

While most proponents of alterna­tive packaging argue that theirs is the most environmentally sound, the nod should actually go to the traditional jewel box, sans longbox. Jewel boxes, all of which are interchangeable, can be re­used and thus rarely require costly recy­cling. Conversely, the leading alterna­tives - because they are pre-printed and made of plastic glued to paperboard - are neither re-usable nor recyclable, according to officials.

Considering the enormous number of unsold CDs returned by retailers (50 million in 1990 alone), it seems both eco­logically and economically sound to stick with the reusable jewel box. So why has the jewel box come under so much fire? Seemingly because a handful of retailers and radical environmentalists have voiced concerns, primarily over the pos­sibilityof th¢tdue to the srnall size of the jewel box, and the relative indestructibil­ity of plastic over ecological time.

Joe Chase, manager-on-duty at Schoolkids Records on Uberty St., says abandoning the jewel box for a slightly larger cardboard case, such as the ind us­try-favored Eco-Pak, is just plain "dumb."

'1 don't think the manufacturer has even bothered to find out what the con­sumer thinks. Our customers prefer the jewel box and so do I, quite frankly." Buchanan concurs, "Due to the Eco-Pak' s lack of durability, I prefer the jewel box. The jewel box has proven itself for keep­ing CDs in good condition.

While lingering questions about its marketing attractiveness and, the possi­bility of theft have caused hesitation in shifting to a jewel box-only format Buchanan and Chase dismiss such wor­ries. For instance, Schoolkids packages the jewel box (when not contained in a cardboard longbox) in an inexpensive, re-usable plastic hard-shell the size of a longbox. In fact, Chase insists that the jewel box-only format can be used to cut security costs. Instead of security-taping every Eco-Pak or longbox, which the CD buyer then takes home, retailers need only tape the hard-shell that displays the jewel box, which never leaves the store.

In addition, some like-minded re­cording artists have offered rebates to any retailer willing to abandon the maJy excesses of cardboard packaging for the jewel box,.7Qnly format. Such support couldjutther assist disgruntled retailers who are making the difficult transition frOm one f6rmat to another.

Unfortunately, it may be too late for a comprehensive shift to the jewel box

~~

format, for such popular artists as Sting and Bonnie Raitt have already made the switch to the Eco-Pak. Also, come spring, all Time-Warner releases will be in the Eco-Pak form - despite the fact that a single Eco-Pak, in display form, is twice the size of a jewel box (thereby doubling shipping costs and the amount of com­mercial waste). It all makes very little sense.

Actually, there is one serni-obvious reason why CD manufacturers might initially prefer the Eco-Pak - the jewel box adds an estimated 50 cents to the price of a disc. This cost could be elimi­nated overnight simply by employing a cardboard substitute. Why the environ­mentalists have chosen to side with big business, however, is not entirely known. It is possible that their fear of plastic waste-products exceeds their love of trees.

Scientists have concluded, however, that the disc inside the jewel box will outlast its plastic container by centuries. Yet we have not heard Sting,!or -e~~ -'

ample, calling for the complete elimina­tion of compact discs. It seems that many artists are very interested in making "statements" about the environment, but very few are willing to be self-critical or jeopardize their profits by renouncing an entire industry that, by their own stan­dards, is so environmentally unsound.

Quick economic payoffs and wacko environmentalism, however, need not stand in the way of the jewel box. JAMs, a recently formed pro-jewel box lobby group, is requesting that consumers no­tify their retailer that they are willing to foot the extra 50 cents for the superior product. And do not forget to tell your CD-listening friends to do the same, not necessarily because you fear the conse­quences of deforestation, bu t because you love your music. If you do not save the jewel box, who will?

David J. ~owell is a sophomore in po­litical science and a contributing editor of the Review. He owns more CDs than you do.

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Page 15: vol_10_no_2

.. September 25, 1991 THE MICHIGAN REVIEW 15

Arts: Music Reviews '? .

The Second Coming otBlues,Traveler Blues Traveler Travelers and Thieves A&M Records

by Bud Muncher With their latest release, Travelers and

Thie-oes, Blues Traveler has produced a work of lyrical maturity set to their unique sound. Vocalist and lyricist John Popper, guitarist Chan Kinchla, bassist Bobby Sheehan, and drummer Brendan Hill have recorded an album which explores the joys and sorrows of life- celebrates them--and resolves to go on. In accom­plishing this, Travelers and Thieves is much more a work of art than a Top 40 effort, in the same sense as R.E.M.'s Out of Time.

The epigraph to Travelers, Johnathan Lindsey Sheehan's "Of Travelers and Thieves," points out the power of music and reflects the album's direction and purpose: "Just sing with us and you will see! that inner joys are not forbidden! your inhibitions keep them hidden."

The collection begins with ''The Tiding," a 90 second psychedelic intro which surges into the jams of "On­slaught," arguably the heaviest tune in the band's catalog.

When Blues Traveler settles into "1 vory Tusk," the broad and eclectic musicianship within the group contin­ues to unfold. The band combines ele­ments of country and blues with shades of pop (''The Best Part") and funk ("What's For Breakfast").

Interestingly, Blues Traveler dedicates the al­bum to lithe multi­tude of musical in­fluences both old and new which we have been fortu­nate to absorb .. . We ... dedicate to their spirit collec­tively, and can only add that we steal from them every time we touch our instruments."

,. "one of the best harp players alive."

The centerpiece offravelers is its next track, "Sweet Pain." To say the least, it blows away sappy, made-for-M1V dirges liks Poison's "Life Goes On" sim­ply because it's from the soul.

For Popper's emotional introspec­tion, lyrical power, and singin~ "Sweet Pain" is a masterpiece. "Sweet pain/ It's sometimes what you need/ Sweet pain/ It allows the blood to bleed/ Sweet pain/ From the moment of your birth! Sweet pain/ You know it keeps you here on Earth," sings Popper, who sees the value of suffering in pel'S9nal struggle. "Sweet Pain" is the strongest track on the record.

Other exceptional works include the free-form jam "All in the Groove" and a solid blues track with special guest Gregg Allman, "Mountain Cry."

Blues Traveler'\Vill bring its sweat­drencheq live show to St. Andrew's Hall on Friday, October 18.

Bud Muncher recently disappeared for three weeks. When he returned he would not say where he had been, but he smelled like this scratch n' sniff fish:

Travelers and Theives moves on to "I Have My Mo­ments" featuring the virtuoso har­monica playing of John Popper, who Late Night's Paul Schaeffer called

. ~ , . ' - ..... ' Guitarist Chan Kinchla on stage at:last>:.e~s EMU ~~c!<!~s~_ .. ' .. " ~ • 0'1 ,t ", .J .' .• ,' .. '" .~ .. . ~ ,'., .,,,. , '. :: ,!. . • , -.< " ... , • • , • •

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Page 16: vol_10_no_2

16 THE MICHIGAN REVIEW

'\0(,

Arts: Music Review ~~~ "

ANe Dosage of Nirvana Nirvana Nevermind DGC Records

by Crusty Muncher This week Nirvana will be releasing

the follow-up to the Sub Pop smash Blw;h on their new label, Geffen Records. Ti tled Neuermimi, the sophomore effort features 12 tracks laden with lots of guitar(both electric and acoustic) and impressive vocal melodies. Vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobian moans, whines, and screams with the soul of an old Motown singer and the garage-grit of Neil Young, while drummer Dave Grohl and bassist Chris Novoselic supplement Cobian's beauti­ful sloppy-yet-poppy noise with rude and churning rhythms which both stabi­lize and characterize the Nirvana sound.

The band recently completed a Euro­pean tour with label-mates Sonic Youth and are currently doing their soul-punk thing in clubs here in the states.

Just before hitting the road with sup­porters Urge Overkill, bassist Chris

Novoselik took some time to give us the scoop on himself and his trio ...

Crappy music and major labels: "Most mainstream music is so stale and bad. Then again, it might be a reflection of society's tastes. So who knows if what we want to do stands a chance. I believe that there's a lot of good music out there and people have to hear these bands. Somebody's got to spread the gospel and I hope we can po

do that. That is kind of how we justify what we did by moving to a major. We want to break the way for these bands:'

I l\"{i u • ences a,Qd groovy bands: "I like country music, world music, and rock music. As long as it strikes a chord with me and has that special muse. I like bands with a good

pop sensibility: well written songs and hooks. I'm into the Melvins, Sonic Youth, L-7, Teenage Fan Club."

Videos and cheerleader chests: "Our first video is for 'Smells Like Teen Spirit.' It takes place at a high school pep rally and the cheerleaders have anarchy sym­bols on their chests. It is a 'cool goes crazy' video."

Songwriting and the meister: "Kurt is the meister behind the songs. He'll sit on his couch and hack off a riff and a vocal melody and then he brings it to the band and we throw in some dynamics."

Touring and dyinr: "We will tour until we go insane or die of exhaustion. We're going to go out with Urge Overkill and then the Melvins. Teenage Fan Club will be with us on the West Coast dates."

Nirvana with special guests Urge Overkill will perform at 5t. Andrew's in Detroit on Friday, October 11. .

Crusty Muncher has spent most of Sep· tember underwater holding hisJ,~atlC'

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September 25, 1991

Crusty's Corner

:::.

by Crusty Muncher The sold-out Jesus Jones show at

Hill Auditorium last Saturday did havea few shining moments, but the perfor­mance didn't hold a candle to the set from show openers and fellow European popsters Ned's Atomic Dustbin. Jesus Jones are far to techno-dependent for a truly 'live' show. Samples and keyboard effects managed to overpower the two guitarists and proved that these chart­toppers are more of a Bananarama with a decent songwriter than a real rock n' roll band. Ned's, on the other hand, played a 4S minute set of simplistic and catchy guitar-based Euro-pop, most of which can be heard on their Godfodder album. The coolest thing about this five-piece band is that they have successfully incor­porated a second bass player into a genre thriving on formula. Matt Cheslin pro­vides the low-ended foundation while 'lead' bassist Alex Griffin beefs things up with high-ended chords and roaming lines. The Ned's set was very raw, very intense, and very live - quite the oppo­site of the evening's headliner ...

John Lee Hooker, one of the few living blues legends, recently released a newalbumtitledMr.Lucky.Spedalguests include Van Morrison, Santana, Albert Collins, Robert Cray, and many others ...

There is some very good contempo­rarypop/rhytmnand blues coming to us from across the drink. Texas, a band from Glasgow, Scotland, will release a new record called Mother' 5 Heaven in early October. Their first album, Southside, sold 1,000,000 copies and debuted at number three on the U.K. charts ...

A band called Widespread Panic will be supporting Blues Traveler at 5t. Andrews Hall in October. They hail from Athens, Georgia, and have a free recorded info line. The number is 1-800-955-4636 ... Other neato upcoming shows include the Smashing Pumpkins at St. Andrews on Oct. 5 and Bob Mould at Alvin's on Oct. 17. Guitarist Eric Johnson will do a show at the Michigan Theatre on Oct. 3. The Tragically Hip, a Canadian band that sound like a cross between Mid· night Oil and the Black Crowes, will open. Road Apples is the title of their most recent release ... Pearl Jam and I Love You will perform together at 5t. Andy's on Oct. 24. Both bands have recently released.debuts on Geffen and Epic re­spectively ...

Queensryche tickets went on sale last Saturday for a show at the Palace on Oct. 25. Warrior Soul, with native Detroiter Kory Clarke on lead vocals, are the special guests on the tour.

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