~~~~;."-I~~~~~~""""'.:m",·~; .<,,,,~"~\oU(""""~'_~ ""'! ~f""'-" THE MICHIGAN REVIE Volume 9, Number 2 October 1990 Exploring Academic Ghettos by Athena Foley "Afro-American studies are new diversity requirement for stu­ only to fulfill requirements. They don't which ostenSibly evolved out of a de­ needed to crush the white idea that dents in the College of Literature, Sci­ see it as taking an elective." sire to respect diversity of thought, Africans are subhuman. White society, ence, and the Arts (LSA). Some students do not take CAAS have developed their own orthodoxies in its lack of understanding and its As the most likely beneficiaries of and Women's Studies as seriously as often explicitly hostile toward dissent. arrogance, thinks Afro-Americans are the new requirement, these depart­ traditional departments, and employ­ Former Michigan Student Assembly less than human," says Teron Jones, an ments have yet to address many of the ers have been known to take a similarly President Aaron Williams said that East Quad Minority Peer Advisor problems associated with defining dim view of concentrations in these people in Afro-American or Women's (MPA). entire fields of study on the basis of fields. The chair of the Women's Stud­ Studies classes may think a "generic Controversial comments like race or gender. ies department, Abby Smith, said she white male knows little about the sub­ these raise questions as to the educa­ Among some students - espe­ encourages double concentrations so ject and stifle his ideas when he's just in tional orientation of academic pro­ cially white males - there seems to be that people applying for a job "don't there to learn about it." grams such as the University of a stigma about taking classes in even have to mention they're a Jones, who has taken many Afro­ Michigan's Center for Afro-American CAAS and Women's Studies. Bill Fos­ women's studies major if they don't American classes, confirms William's Studies (CAAS) and Women's Studies ter, an LSA sophomore, said, ''White think it would be to their advantage." department, especially in light of the men are most inclined to take them Ironically, these departments, Please See Page 11 Van Valey's Conflict of Interest: the MSA-PSC Connection by Adam DeVore the Ann Arbor Art Fair this summer. The PSC received $1,000 this summer analysis of an MSA member's duty; The Review recently acquired a This raises an interesting ques­ for a "fact finding" mission to Israel's thinking the question irrelevant, how­ photograph of Michigan Student As­ tion: Should members of MSA di­ West Bank and Gaza Strip ever, is clearly not. sembly (MSA) President Jennifer Van rectly involve themselves with stu­ According to Van Valey, "It is ri­ Is Van Valey as confused as she Valey working at the Palestine Solidar­ dent organizations that will come be­ diculous to expect that the students seems? While this is possible, it is per­ ity Committee's promotional booth at fore the Assembly asking for money? who sit on MSA are totally objective and haps more likely that she was trying to that they somehow know what's going handle a sensitive, highly charged is­ on around campus without becoming sue with as much delicacy as circumlo- involved. I believe in activism, so, absolutely, I think MSA members Please See Page 11 should be involved." Such logic would not have seemed strange, had not a moment earlier, Inside when asked if she had any affiliation with the PSC, she responded, "I think Essays: Diversity that is irrelevant." and Education 6 One would have expected Van Va ley to have said either, "Unfortu­ nately, no, but then again I can't be eve­ Interview with rywhere at once," or, "Why, yes, I am af­ Bill Schuette 8 filiated with the PSC! I selfl essly spend my time getting involved in many campus organizations so I may better "Confessions of serve U-M students." Either answer would have been consistent with her a White Male" 9 MSA President Jennifer Van Valey gave PSC a helping hand last summer. ,'W ,,1· .,,,,, ,,,,' ' ,,< ,l..a I,b ,; & . .. , ;$. f l" '"' .... ' ~ , ;;.. ';'.' ,:.f . .. .. ~ , ' e, ,to ' '. " ';, .,-':' 't . 1/ ' Ii, ~. .. ~, ,,~ ;1'1,'\', ,! ,11 ', It. ' ~.. ,T. ,j,' .,t ' . ~, :,l" ,I. ,f" 'i .;. i', ,1/. ,¥", "i-, ~ \. \" ' ,1; 'if:. ,,t, ~ .ll' \ ~ ,~'I ,'.' .., ,,' .J ,1' ;" ,<'/.'1'. "." The Michigan Review, October 1990, p. 2 THE Serpent's Tooth MICHIGAN Apparently ACf-UP didn't like the month about its editorial freedom, the mud of socioeconomic and psychosex­ REVIEW article we printed about them last editors wrote, ''We believe policies on ual complacency." Please, Forrest, month. At one of their innumerable. deadlines, style, and content should be lighten up just a teensy-weensy little protests, the group burned a Septem­ created, implemented, and maintained bit. You read far too much into bad The Campus Affairs ber issue of the Review. The moment by the editors." This confirms our long­ music. Besides, rumor has it you se­ was nicely captured in a Daily photo­ standing suspicions that the Daily edi­ cretly desire to be fondled by David Journal of the graph. Unfortunately, ACf-UP must tors feel "content should be created." Duke. University of Michigan not have been aware of our printing And, instead of boldly striking the procedures, which involve noxious paper's" A Century of Editorial Free­ Editor-in-Chief chemicals and radioactive waste. The dom" slogan, we believe they should We were the proud recipients of the John J. Miller Review is safe-to read, but burning it have simply substituted it with a new Daily's ''Best (worst?) piece of pub­ releases harmful, carcinogenic sub­ one: "All the Bullshit that's Fit to lished ignorance" award last year for Publisher stances into the air-things even more Print." our editorial "Oppose Gay Lounge." Carey Brian Meadors dangerous than our loathsome, hate­ Folks, we have been vindicated. The ful opinions. If anybody would like " . Daily editorial page's wonderful little Executive Editors further information, meet us next Campus conservatives recently had elegy lamenting the fall of East Ger­ Adam DeVore week on the Diag. We will be burning the outrageous misfortune of being man socialism wins hands down. In it, Brian Jendryka copies of Huckleberry Finn and will mentioned in one of Phil Cohen's the authors whined about the West Mark Tulkki happily discuss health concerns after blatherings in the Daily Weekend Maga­ German government not providing the bonfire. zine. In the process of writing an entire the "free legal aid" East Germans so Assistant Editors column about an interview that never enjoyed. Yes, we at the Review have Rahul Banta, Oifton Gault, Bob happened, Phil decided to define the always thought that if the secret police Juneja, Joseph Klein From Sodom and Gomorrah to burn­ word "conservative" with his pocket honored you with one of their infa­ ing issues of the Michigan Review - dictionary. This act left us simply mous midnight visits to take you to a French Correspondent gay rights activists sure have come a aghast. After all, dictionaries are writ­ labor camp, at least you wouldn't have Karen Brinkman long way, haven't they? ten by racists, just like UCAR ~ys. to pay the court costs. Please Phil, diversify yourself. Production Manager Ruth Armstrong Is it ok if we call them flamers now? From Adam Smith's Wetllth of Nations: About a week after the last issue of the ''The greater part of universities have Personnel Manager Review was printed, we received a not even been very forward to adopt VinceWilk ''If we privatize, then I lose my ability terrifyingly homophobic message on these improvements (in philosophy), to control how we handle our waste," our answering machine, in which after they were made; and several of Editor Emeritus said Ann Arbor city council member members of our staff were called very those learned societies have chosen to Marc Selinger Thais Anne Peterson (D-5th Ward)in a nasty things. Any information leading remain, for a long time, the sanctuaries Daily article on the city's recent move to the sensitization of the responsible in which exploded systems and obso­ Staff to privatize waste disposal. This, we individual will be greatly appreci­ lete prejudices found shelter and pro­ Mike Beidler, Thomas Binkow, believe, is a textbook case of anal reten­ ated. tection, after they had been hurled out David Boettger, Jim Borninski, tive behavior. of every corner of the world." The more Brian Cook, Pete Daugavietis, things change, the more they remain the Vincent DeSantis, Gregg Donnen­ Head-line of the Year: "Alden same? You tell us. feld, Mark Dundon, Mary Beth In a recent discussion about UCAR's Whibnan, 76,aReporterfor the Obi tu­ Dziedzic, Athena Foley, Adam thought-provoking ,shanties, a ques­ aries in the Times, Dies." We found Garagiola, Reg Goeke, Jon tion came up: ''1)0 sequestering ani­ this beauty in the Sept. 5 issue of the The editorial board of the Review has Hoekstra, Nicholas Hoffman, mals have property rights?" We have New York Times. Guess which section. decided to wholeheartedly endorse the Heather Johnston, Matt Latimer, often scoffed at the notion of "animal inclusion of women authors in litera­ Shannon Luttermoser, Jeff Muir, rights," but a re-evaluation of Locke ture classes. Begin with Ayn Rand's Chris Peters, Dave Powell, caught us off guard. If a beaver builds Forrest Green ill used to bea half-way Atlas Shrugged. Michael Skinner, John Stanfield, a dam, are we not violating his prop­ decent record reviewer for the Daily's Mark Stern, Chris Terry, John erty rights by allowing lumber compa­ Arts section.