1m:itt11M'*lfAfinp;umm1•mm1t2rifH'·'llrt•t"flrnu:;-noma1•1 What's shakin' : Check out our big columns inside! 31 May 1990 • : .. ;:,.. -~~:' Vol. I No. 27 MSU's alternative and truly endent voice l.l!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.J thoughts flourish... o What's up? Op:! ... OTune in to Viewer Mail ... e Dr. Sex anwers hard questions ... GThrow rocks with the Provoc .. . o Down and Oun Get About! .. . o Branford Marsalis has chops! .. . \ p. 6 p.4 p.5 p. 13 p. 13 p. 14 p. 16 !;?' President, Trustees get thousands from MSU . BY BRIAN MARSHALL UR·! ISSUES CORFESPONDENT On March 30th, 1989, John DiBiaggio and his daughter Dana went to see the NCAA Ice Hockey Final Four in St. Paul, Minnesota And MSU picked up the tab. That three-day excursion cost the university $1074.20, according to travel expense records obtained by the university Reporter-Intelligencer under the Freedom of Information Act. For all of 1989, DiBiaggio was reim bursed by the university for $20,505.55 in travel expenses. In 1989, MSU also footed a $3,476.80 travel expense bill for Provost David Scott. DiBiaggio and Scott each earn more than $100,000, with salaries of $142,000 and $121,000 respectively. For the president's part, reim bursement came for a variety of trips. They ranged from meetings for the American Film Institute In Los Angeles (March 7-10), which totalled $1,500, to a 22-(jay swing In the Far East to •Visit alumni and universities with . linkages to MSU and the Kellogg International Fellowshlp Program,· to the March 30-April 1st trip to St. Paul and the NCAA hockey tournament. DiBiaggio's 22-day trip to the Orient - which landed the president in Seoul, South Korea during the 1988 Summer Olympics - cost the univer sity about $2,500. Despite numerous efforts to contact the president and/or to set up an interview, DiBiaggio was unavail able for comment. When quesioned about · DiBiaggio's trip to the hockey finals, Economics professor Walter Adams, who was MSU president in 1969-70, said, "There is a Junction of the president called 'representation'. (DiBiaggio) must have considered that he was representing the university at the tournament.· Adams added, "anytime some body travels for university business, he should be reimbursed. There are policies which say how much you can spend on meals and the like.· According to travel vouchers~ DiBiagglo's reimbursable trips serve one of two purposes: 1) To attend a conference or meeting; and · 2) To collect gifts, grants, and donations from alumni and other charitable institutions for the univer sity. Many of these trips falling under the second category are for the Capital Campaign, a drive for dona tions headed by DiBiaggio. The Capital Campaign has brought millions to the university in the past few years. In 1989, DiBiaggio totalled about $5,000 in t.ravel ex penses for the Capital Campaign. Last year, DiBiaggio took 34 trips spanning 88 days. He was away from the university from July 9, 1988, to February 20, 1990 on 139 of 591 days. (See sidebar, p. 3) In that same 20-month period, DiBiaggio was re-imbursed for $28,902.83, and in his 49 trips, he averagEid $219.88 a day in expenditures. Provost Scott, In the same 591- day period, sought reimbursement for only 14 trips that he claimed expenses on. He missed 42 days In those 20 · months. Most of these trips were to attend meetings of the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleg,es (NASULGC). According to his secretary, Scott would not be free to discuss his travel expenses with the uR-1 until mid-June. In addition to picking up the tab when the president and provos_t travel on business, MSU reimburses the university's eight trustees. Although board members are not paid for their work at MSU, they are compensated for travel expense$ incurred while on university business. These compensations added up to $9,824.99 from July 1988 to February 1990. Trustee Barbara Sawyer said the Trustees claim expenses on "any trip in which we are representing the university in an official capacity: Of the Trustees, Malcolm Dade of Detroit claimed the most in travel expenses, specifically $3,794.80 in the 20-month period from July 1988 to February 1990. See TRAVEL, p. 2 31 May 1990 during his tenure, Adams cautioned that people should not compare past administration practices to the pres ·ent. As president during a turbulent time at MSU - a time when reporters wore riot gear and DPS desk officers had gas masks handy - Adams said practices that at one time might be prudent "at another time may be counterproductive. "In assessing people, you have to consider the cont~xt of their time," he said. 2 •university Reporter-Intelligencer From TRAVEL, p. 1 On August 29, 1988, Wilbur had In that period, Dade made 26 trips to East Lansing from Detroit, where he works for Detroit Edison, each one costing MSU $46.80, except the six which came before September 1988. Before the 1988 school year, adminis- . trators were given 22.5¢ per mile. Now, they are allotted 24¢ each mile. Those half-dozen trips falling before the increase were worth $43.87. Kathy Wilbur, as well as most of the Trustees, went to a National Invitational Tournament (NIT) in 1988 to see Michigan State's basketball team on their way to the Final Four in that tourney. Wilbur saw them play in the national semifinals in New York City. She claimed $444.05 (not including airfare) for the trip. Wilbur explained her claim: "There are alumni events that are associated with these events. This is very good time for the trustees to meet with the alumni; hear their ideas." She added that "It's important that we get input from them and keep in contact." lunch with colleague Sawyer in Lansing. Sawyer claimed expenses on the lunch, including $13.32 for food, 45¢ for mileage, and $1 for parking. Although Sawyer decided to bill MSU, Wilbur said she didn't seek reimbursement. · "I just chose not to, that's all." she said. 'We had lunch together to talk about university matters: Sawyer claimed $1,316. 73 in expenses over the 20-month period. In addition to regular trips to the university, she also claimed $585.19 in expenses for a trip to attend the NCAA Hockey Final Four on April 2, 1989. She explained, "I was the only Trustee there. We had pep rallies and I was asked to speak there. I'm the only Trustee who really likes hockey and that's why I try to keep in touch with the team and their families. "The only other administrator there was President OiBiaggio," Sawyer said. "I was expected to be there: She also claimed mileage for her trip to Alma Coliege, where she was keynote speaker at ~scholastic awards dinner. She was not compen sated for her speech. When asked why she claimed expenses, Sawyer felt she was representing MSU, and not speaking on her own behalf. Trustee Joel Ferguson only claimed expenses on one trip in the 20-month period. It was a trip to New York for the NIT games from March 27-30, 1989. The trip cost the univer sny $944.91. That's $314.97 a day for three days. Similarly,_ Trustee Robert Weiss went to a NIT game, March 22-23 - but his expenses tallied $1,330.57. The Genesee county prosecutor charged MSU for only two trips from July 1988, to February 1990, including $1,545.49 on an unknowri trip to an unknown desination. Travel expense receipts for Trustees Lawrence Owen, Thomas Reed, arid Deari Pridgeon were not included in documents released to the uR-1. Numerous attempts to contact those three Trustees were unsuccess ful. Although he never left campus m ~i;;:~A;;d E;;:j~y y~;:;; F;;;~;it;; E~h;;;AEW ....... ·; TH!:. WPP=~ K':. I 'IL.: ~-, ~ ~:)} i: '>:1@f-'' ~ i=;~ '!--~ }~~,;> i .-.} \~!! r.:~ ~icfellce 4'1llS - the place te Ml._ -frie,.ds ,__ \.bte< I 1: ..JV5t eoe....iro Olt.!~Ee Pei"'LllJ. Ler-5 ~ TO c..eos-:,eCAOs ·' THe< HtW~ l?t"TI~ RCO AN'{WA'{ ! ~~~.6:".l)~ k ((3 cal eteria r--eouPc>ii, I~ .,,.:'t~~ I fi -~Jl ~~,' at the international center I I ::::: I [~_:,·.: •• r: , -~ \~-.. •• I? :.,,...~~ 1 I Receive I Small Sa. lad I (~ " ·t:~· . ~ ~~ ~ I :-:-: . . i .... ? r ··~ . ,:_'. I ree I exp. 618190 I :t: ._,"// I Not valid w/ any I :~::: f"~:.r,1--- L ~t.b.~,r£f:re"- ..1 -t 11.~~jr . .: 1 HOURS: Mon.-Thurs. 7:30am-7:00pm Friday 7:30am-4:00pm . Buy Any Entree and F :::::: . \". I . ·- ::::: ' -.• > f::_-___ ·~-. ~ ~ .... <:, l .. \~:::· -f~~-...., ·- · ~ ·-\ ~-,., ·: . . -~ :. ,. __ • ~ - y~' A . ~-!.~ )\ ; :· ·.-.· · - ,·. ~-~~:. y Good Reasonably Priced Food With That Little Extra Care '~l~r.' ~~~> ~~~~ .. ,.... · 9·:~~- ~~'tvr ~ -~ "-=-' THE UNIVERSITY REPORTER-INTELLIGENCER Page Three I THE SECOND FRONT PAGE The times they are a changin' DiBiaggio on road for 28o/o of school year BY BRIAN MARSHALL uR-1 ISSUES CORRESPONDENT The universe is in a constant state of flux, and MSU is no exception to the rule of change. , A case in point is the amount of time spent on campus by MSU's president, which has decreased drastically since the days of Walter Adams' reign, from 1969 to 1970. In 1989 alone, President John DiBiaggio was absentfrom cam pus 60 of the 213 days that classes were in session. He was away from the university for 28 percent of the school year. A sharp contrast to Adams, who, in fact, never left the campus during his stint as president. Lest one get concerned that excess dust will collect in Cowles House, Adams said he believes DiBiaggio's business off-campus may be his most vital function. "I never left campus," Adams said. "When I was president my main function was to make sure no buildings were burned down, no students injured, and no riots started. "{But) that time is over," he added. "Today, however, because the president pays for the first class ticket upgrades with his own money. There are other expenses incurred in the course of DiBiaggio's travels that might rile some. , For instance, from November 3-5, 1989, DiBiaggio was in Hon olulu, Hawaii, receiving a gold medal from the Pierre Fauchard Academy for his personal achieve ments in dentistry. This trip cost the university $1,516.53, while the Academy also paid DiBiaggio $600 for his expenses. Also, on October 28, 1989, the president flew to the MSU football game against Purdue, spending $84 for the airfare. However, he returned on the team flight. The Spartans won. From August 26, 1989, to Sep tember 9, 1989, DiBiaggio toured aankok, Moscow, Germany, and Paris to "Visit universities and . · alumni in Bankok, Moscow, Ger many, and Paris." The university paid $823.25 for this trip. Last year, during the minority .-: : <: ·17 A ·uSi;:,7:s9 ··arrlbef1saa ;;.:;;.· ·l:rustaa·Robeit'E~· weissf .: -: :.- : ... :.::: ·: . . ... . .... . .. . ... ··.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.. ·.·.·.·.·.·.· ·.·.·.·.·.·.· . ·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.· ... . . ·· ·.·.-.-.·.·.·.·.·-· ·· ·· ···.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.· . . . . . :~~µ_f:9il.~/.A~~: $Ma~~~~:J@.~9.c;tl~9:\: : <$6ta;~$::f'~h1~!'.~f <: ::<:' :::::;: :(1~12~~§.~~(!!)!l!!i!!!!!!!ajri~r~:!~·:.·: :.:::, tic~~#.6i#;J:i,~f:~~~f~:¢#.~k#'4 > , iil~liRl••••i&ilf!iiil ... . the president's major assignment may be as a fundraiser." So when DiBiaggio travels, he keeps to MSU's first class university status - by flying first class. Students and taxpayers needn't worry, sit-in at the Administration building, President DiBiaggio was in Chicago from May 21-22, and in' Washington, D.C., May 24th. DiBiag.gio could not be reached to com ment on his expenses, despite numerous and lengthy efforts to contact him. ID) ®ml() fr if® ll'$@fr fr® ® Jl'©l @JI' JY®lY!Jl' §'LID. IP>@lf IID. ii IP> «J) if if ii «!ll& Il mffi.c:>II 11@@,_ CC©ftft®mi '"'~ CC®Il §lID.iilffr ft®©l&JY~ Only $12!!! To order, send your check or drop one off at our Gunson Street offices, 142 univer- sity Reporter-Intelligencer plaza. Shirt is white with a small uR-1 crest in blue and green on the front, and a large cres,t in blue and green on back. Be the first on your block! chec~ us out at Mariah Productions if you'd f i~e to get involved in live alternative. music production/promotion no experience .necessary r! 318 Union Bldg. 353-4604 ~ ollaPi 11 Meu? Let Us Help You Out-Come To GARY'S CAMPUS HAIR SALON $9.00 Uni-sex Hair Styling · "II eHL Ill.we ?fet P'liced ~" 351-6511 • 549 E. Grand Rive (next to Confection Connection) M-F 8am-7 m •Sat 9am-2 m The Friends of the Lansing Public Library are having the Final Two Famous 1(2 Price Book Sales (we close for summer only) Wed. 6/6/90• l l :30am-7 :~Opm & Wed. 6/13/90• l l :30am-7 :30pm at Lansing Public Library, The Book Burrow, 401 S. Capital Ave. · Lansing, MI. I . I I I ' ~' - - Here today, gone to Maui ... DiB makes some questionable claims, is way too inaccessible In the course of preparing this week's page one story, the uR-1 confirmed a few things we_ had long suspected - MSU's · top officials have no time for students or just about anyone else who doesn't play a sport or dish out big bucks to Michigan State University, and they get reimbursed for some questionable trips. Trips such as attending the NIT tournament and other sporting events. One trustee, Barbara Sawyer, said it's important for a trustee to be on hand to schmooze with filthy rich alumni. Maybe so, but we question why a// of them have to go to some events and only one go to others? And on those trips to NYC, how come some. trustees did the trip for about half the cost of other trustees? Let's not stay at the Waldorf next time, please sirs and mesdames. And, as you may have noticed, people with names like Scott and .DiBiaggio aren't quoted in Correspondent Brian Marshall's report. Several trustees are also con spicuous by their abse,nce. This is not for lack of effort, we can assure you. In fact, efforts made since March have -been unsuccessful in securing comments from these leading MSU officials. For one reason or another, the_y were so busy that they could not return reporter's phone calls, or would not agree to a meeting. That means they were working very hard for us over the past three months. So hard, in fact, th~ they couldn't take 15 minutes to call a student and answer a few simple questions. Gosh, wonder if they have time to· listen to us when we need to make a suggestion about improyingthe university? Probably not, and we've already seen their contempt for the MSU community's wishes (read: AD). One of the worst offenders all around, however is President John DiBiaggio, who not only nevers speaks to the press except through his lackey Terry Denbow, MSU Vice President for Propaganda, but seeks reimbursement for trips that we can not believe benefit the university - such as a hefty tab for his trip to Hawaii to accept a dental accolade - which not only cost us money, but take him away from his duties in East Lansing. _ - - Case in point: DiB was away during last year's sit-in. This must change. MSU needs a hands-on president, not a globe-trotting fund raiser. Llet someone else do that job. We also need a president who talks to the students and the media - and not just through controlled statements doled out by a minion from Linton Hall. And when DiB does come down from his ivory tower, it would be nice if it wasn't just when he doesn't want someone to get a certain position in the athletic department. And even then, it would be nice if he wouldn't blame the press for something, he, himself, went public with. We must, however, thank former President Walter Adams for taking time to talk to the uR-1 the FIRST time we called. Things sure have changed in less than 20 years, haven't they? What has Oprah's butt, a shit-eating grin, a bark like lassie, and Eddie Mu·rphy's ear? Give it up for this week's Geek - Arseniooooooooooo Hall! A whole Arse. Or do we have that backwards? Yes, you obsequeous suck hole, your flattery and fawning over ·the most putrid celebrities you can find makes you a natural for geek 'o the dishonors. Your annoying attempts to play the homeboy and then - later - five minutes the suave sophisticate are intensely painful to sit through. Only Pat Sajak is worse (barely). What hath Hollywood wrought! Say it ain't so, Jack (Parr, that is)! What's that? You want to mention the uR-1 on next week's show? It's your most favoritest paper in the whole universe and elsewhere? Gosh, maybe called this one all wrong, afteralL the university Reporter-Intelligencer 31 May 1990 . . . . . . ' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . ·:.tt"l~'.'4riiY.:~r~ifY.fr .....•.••.•. •···~~P:P:tt~r +•ot§.1Ji$i~n§~t-•··· ·· .. : >><©1990 •}: :::: ::: :•;:a.:~~~£~i.~i1r1~1:>: :::: 14~ :$l;ir\59.H•$f:::;: ~<:1$t :490~ihg ; . 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He's afraid that if a black leader succeeds in raising up and organizing black people, then the blacks will do the same things to whites that have been done to the blacks for the past 400 years. The racist believes that black people will rule and dominate over white people. But what this racist doesn't understand is that black people only want to rule themselves. This person doesn't see it that way; the eyes are blinded on what black people really want. I really don't care how people feel about me, as Jong as their negative feelings don't affect me in a dangerous way. If anyone's feelings and thoughts threaten me, then that's a force I will have to deal with, not ignore. The racist in this article has bad feelings about blacks and is in a position to perhaps brainwash others. He happens to be the owner of a local newspaper. A group of young, angry blacks are protesting outside Rick Markowski's newspaper building. Ralph Hollman, a \oca\ b\ac'K. \eader, has an appointment to see Markowski about the bias and discrimintory practices in his newspaper coverages. Inside the building, Hollman and Markowski were in a match of screaming. Hallman jumped up and said, "I accuse your newspaper of being racist, and I find you guilty as charged. Your punishment will be for black people to boycott this paper. If I can't make you stop being a racistwith my words, then subtracting my money might do the trick." One of Ralph's advisers whispered in his ear that it would be better to start up a black newspaper. His adviser added, "if we had our own newspaper, then we could battle Markowski's paper. It would kind of be like the battle between the truth and the lies." But Hollman wanted to have integration. He wanted to prove to himself that he could make white people love and accept him. Ralph and the protesters outside were upset at Markowsk,i's brutal attack on their national leader, Fred Cobbs. Fred Cobbs was raising the consciousness of black people internationally. Ralph wanted Markowski to stop attacking their national leader. Ralph said "everything you printed about Fred was taken out of context." Markowski told Ralph, "You haven't seen nothing yet; wait until next week when I release my secret file on Fred Cobbs." Markowski finally told Ralph that he wouldn't print the file, only on the condition that Cobbs step down as the national black leader. Markowski handed Ralph a copy of the secret file and told him to have ''fun reading it." Ralph ran out of the office with the file in his and and then jumped on a plane headed for Atlanta to meet with Cobbs. While Ralph was on the plane, he read the secret file about his national leader. The file didn't look good; it said that Cobbs was a hater of whites, that he advocated violence, was a communist and a promis cuous man. When he reached the Atl;inta headquaters, he had decided to just tell Cobbs straight out what was happening. Ralph went directly to Cobb's office and explained everything about Markowski and his paper. After thinking about the situation for a couple of hours, Cobbs decided to ignore everything Markowski was going to say. As Cobbs gradually began to talk more frequently, so did Markowski through the publication of his propaganda. Markowski's newspaperwas multiplying, and people were beginning to believe what he wrote. Now, a majority of Cobb's lectures were focused on defending himself against Markowski. It got to the point where he wasn't lecturing on anything else but the lies that people said about him. More and more people started to protest everywhere Cobbs was speak ing. Eventually, 75%of his lectures had to be cancelled for security reasons. Also, there had been five reported attempts on Cobbs' life. In New York City, Cobbs spoke to 50,000 people about the problems facing the world. He spoke only for ten minutes when six people stood up in the crowd and fired their Uzi's at Cobbs. The six gunmen ran out of the building, leaving Cobbs dead. Everybody in the audience went hysterical, and they couldn't believe that their national leader was shot dead. After Cobbs' funeral was over, a black television station conducted an investiga tion of how and why Cobbs was killed. The station invited Rick Markowski, Ralph Hollman, and the six apprehended gunmen. The six gunmen were shackled together, explaining to the news reporter why they murdered Cobbs. They said that they killed him because of the newspaper reports. One of the gunmen said, "I though I was doing my country a favor by killing a man who preached hate and violence." Ralph interrupted the gunmen and said, "Everything written negatively about Cobbs was taken out of context." The television reporter agreed with Ralph and said that during their investigation they had reviewed reports from the CIA, FBI, and local police but could find no evidence of Cobbs ' being anything like how he was described and charged as being in the newspapers. The station also played some of Cobbs' speeches to the six gunmen. After listening to the tapes for a couple of months while iri prision, they admitted killing Cobbs was a terrible'mistake •. The gunmen apologized for assasinating him and said.that they were brainwashed by lies. Ralph jumped up and said; "giving an apology can't help him now." At the end of the television program, the reporter gave a final statement: "The next time you pick up a newspaper, book, or anything written, always read the material critically. Never let anyone tell you something when you can find out for yourself. This is a sad case of a newspaper that went too far. Markowski molded peoples' minds to violent acts to the ultimate degree. Am sorry Mr. Markowski wasn't able to speak because our time on TV has run out. At this very moment, the same scenario we discussed may or may not be happening. The views and opinions of this television station may be yours. Enjoy, Andre Austin ' C'mon, Happening! university Reporter-Intelligencer· 5 contraceptive method has been opposed has been the issue of health, safety and risk. (I especially have in mind the IUD.) · uR..f: As MSU's self-proclaimed "alternative" newspaper you sure know very little abet · "alternative" music. I agree with your review of the They Might Be Giants show, Vol. I, No. 24. Theyweregreat. That's why I think they deserve to have their song titles printed correctly. First, it's "Ana Ng," not ,;Anga Eng." Secondly, "Little Green Bottle?" How about "Lie Still, Little Bottle.'' I suggest a geography course for" lnstam: bul not Contantinobul" ("Istanbul, not Constantinople"). ls "Birdcage in You Soul" the follow-up to "Bird House in Your Soul?" Is it out on ab-side? -Jay Krzewinski, Microbiology major - Ouchi Unfortunately, RON HAPPENtNGis so happening that he rarely has time to double checks things. He will no ltmger be~ part of theuR-L -ed. C'mon everyone else! Dear Editorial Staff: In reading editorials, I attempt to keep the distinction between opinion and fact clearly in mind and judge based on the author's ability to argue rationally. Thus, most pro-abortion/pro-choice pieces I disagree with forthe basic viewpoint. But your piece in the May 16 uR-1 had two severe problems beyond this. First, you argue that, in the 50 million induced abortions performed worldwide, 200,000 women die of complications- a rate of 0.4% You then claim that RU 486, with a complications or failure rate of 2- 4%, should be adopted as a far safer method. This claim is altogether unjustified unless you explain what the complications that arise from RU 486 are, and prove that they are relatively minor. My understand ing of the abortifacient is that the major complication is severe bleeding, some thing wich is indeed minor in the United States and other developed countries, but which could easlily lead to death in a third world ·nation. The other major complication, as I understand it, is the possibility that the pill doesn't work and the child continues to live and develop, but with severe defects. This means that, first, women who use this abortion method must be prepared to use another, and, second, that this use of this pill must not be triavialized because if it is used without medical supervision -well, I won't continue, because I do not have much knowledge about the subject. You, however, shoud be awqare of the specific nature of the risks involved, and should take those into consideration in editorializ ing on the merits of RU 486. Secondly, you state that "if American women can choose what form of birth control methods to use, then they also should have the right to alternative abortion procedures." Contraception and abortion are completely different issues; so are contraceptives and abortifacients. With the exception of the Roman Catholic stand (and, I admit, the views of some extremists in the pro-life movement), birth control is not a moral or religious issue, but an issue of practicality and reliability-the major reason that any birth controV Abortion, the termination of pregnancy by destruction of pernatal life, to put the issue in its simplest terms, is an issue of morality and of human rights. No matter which side of the issue one comes out on, whether one believes that the issue is one which can be left up to the woman or one in which the state must intervene because of the overriding importance of the preservation of human life, the issues of abortion and birth control must not be confused, no matter how "invisible" abortion can become. This trivializes the issue and turns the argument away from rationality and toward the extremes on both sides, or, rather, toward a simple accusation and name-calling by both sides of the extremists on the other side, both pro-lifers who accuse all pro-choicers of describing the fetus/unborn child as a blob of tissue analogous to an appendix, and pro-choicers who accuse all pro-lifers of opposition to all forms of birth control or . sex education, and acceptance of only procreative sex within marriage or the rhythm method. ' Incidentally, I have no problem with calling "the opposition" pro-choice, if they will address their opposition as pro-life qr even anti-abortion, ratherthan anti-choice. I believe in the availability of choices for myself and for all women; before preg nancy these include choices in the circumstances under which to engage in sex and the type of protection to use, and after pregnancy, these decisions center on how to care for and raise the child, both prenatally and after birth, whether alone, with the father (ideally, also the husband}, or in an adoptive home. I siirply do not accept abortion as one of these options. As for the other issue of terminology, those who object to the use of the phrase · "unborn child" would do well to look up the word in the dictionary: "an unborn offspring;fetus" (Webser's New World, definition two). Sincerely, Elizabeth Jensen Abramoff sucks! To Whom it may concern: This is in response to Phil Abramoff's letter appearing May 23, 1990 in the uR-1. Well, Well, Well. Isn't "Phildo-the-Dildo-Abramoff" quite the outspoken candidate for man of the year award? ' We were quite surprised by the assumed correlation between increasing rape and divorce rates to abortion. We guess Phil, being the astute statistics student that he is, has found the root of all of society's problems. "That's right folks. Mr. Abramoff states that most problems in the United States are directly caused by abortion.) Also, the relation between breaking and entering, and freedom of choice/right to privacy is way beyond any comprehen sion. Hey Phildo, been dropping too much LSD recently? (Actually, if you were tripping on LSD, you'd be seeing some kind of light - not just blind anger.) We believe stating our moral and legal issues is irrelevant at this point. Your irrational presentation of the Abortion See KILLPHIL, p. 6 6 • university Reporter-Intelligencer 31 May 1990 I Sage words of a graduate: Free at last, Oh Lord, I'm free at last! and collect truces to hire more police and parking enforcement officers to carry out the occupied-territory mentality laws and ordinances they pass year after year. Oh, and let's dispel! another myth. City of the Arts. Gimme a bre.ak. To most of the ·people in this cowtown, an old L'il Abner cartoon in a frame would be a masterpiece. They're still putting up banners to celebrate the return of Pogo. No, this is not a City of the Arts. It's an internment camp in which the jailers feed off the prisoners. It used to be a nice town, in which you could relruc and have fun if you didn't ruin the downtown or anyone else's property. If you did, you· got nailed and justice was done. But today, you can't even have a few friends over for a little geeker without someone knocking on your door and · arresting you for running a_speakeasy. How long •tn the cops start wear ing brown shirts instead of blue? But we come here for the school · campus? and not the city anyway, right? Let's forget - just for a moment - two perpetuate each other, living on forever in a symbiotic, incestual relationship. that the So, OK, boosters and drooling alumni, come kick me in the teeth and ask me why did I stay for the duration.in my case five years. Because of the people. Not everyone at MSU is a total brickhead or lazy prof trying to skate through with a sheaf of yellowed notes and a beaten-up corduroy jacket. Half the students who came here avoided Michigan because they couldn't stand the pretentiousness and pseudo-intellectual superiority bred in the mosquito bog called Ann Arbor. And the other half were just too dumb to get in. But the problem here lies in the administration and those who swear fealty to the frustrated dictators running the joint. Shut up and get away from that tree, hippie, we're building another engineering or business annex here. You ne0d time to earn money and get out of here? Shut up and take all the credits you can swallow in block tuition (it's coming kids, don't fool yourselves. What the provost wants, he gets, i.e. semester system). You got a problem? Love it or leave it, you pinko, U-M loving, commie bastard scum! Well, I do love it, and would - infinitely more without you cretins at the helm. So I've done my time and met some wonderful people and I'm leaving. But just because you got your way with me doesn't mean it's right. Let's remember that academia strives for a utopia that will never come to pass - but that doesn't mean we should stop trying to create the perfect environment. Oh, but let's not forget THE LAND And to those at Fort Hannah who No, this place is bugged and if the GRANT MISSION! have given up the fight: Shame on you. I'm gone, but someday my kid will be back, and damned if I'm going to let you shit all over him the way you crapped on me and my commrades. See you in 20 years - and you better have your act together ... . M.L. Elrick This is not going to be your typical gocxj..:bye column from some sappy, choked-up senior. No, this one is going to be a little different. This is going to be one from a completely fed-up, frustrated, some what bitter asshole who is looking forward to better things. Sure, I'll miss MSU, but I prefer to look at my departure from East Lansing not as a graduation but as an escape. An escape from one of the most bureaucratic, hypocritical, self-serving sinkholes in the state.region, country, and world. Save for supernovas and imploding stars, I can think of nothing larger or more wasteful In the universe than this _ bureaucratic clusterfuck shrouded in green and white. And let us not forget East Lansing! No, what a paradise! students don't register to vote and flush out the current administration floating at the top of the bowl, it will never be saved. The city and the residents hate us - even though we account for most of the money that allows them to shop at Jacobson's, drive their Oldsmobiles Boy, can I bitct1 when I'm on a rolL That's one thing this place has taught me; in screaming, I get out of here magna cum laude. thrown. Then, they u~ually just fumigate us with sweet talk. The Sit-In last Spring should have proven that to you, if nothing else. So, what power do we really have?? This place was created by the Michigan Constitution, which required state funds to be appor tioned for the "dissemination and furtherment of agricultural knowl edge." This means that the sys tem of Trustee election (which calls for demo-publican party hacks, not people from MSU, to run the place) can't change with out a change in basic state law. Not much help to us there. A tuition strike would be eff ec tive. But when you consider that the seniors (and a lot of the juniors) just want to get the hell out before the term change comes down, and the freshman are generally still clueless, that leaves only say 25% of the students that actually would participate. So, 25% of 30% of the dough leaves Tom % McWi II iams What can we do to get repre sentation around here at MSU?? Well, don't get too uptight. Students only pull down about 30% of the tab here. Not only do others (like Michigan Taxpayers) have an interest here, but .30% translates to "not a hell of a lot of power.;' And power really is the issue. The Admin could-give a shit about protests, demands, litera ture, reason, goodwill, logic, morals, or responsibility. The only time they care is when they fear rocks and bottles might actually be You mean put white males on top, rob the Indians, and slash and burn the land? God knows, we haven't forgotten that credo here at Michigan State. You a minority? Shut up, we're doing all we can. You like the rolling, lush, green - McWilliams appears weekly in the uR-1. Write him - he wants your letters, man! ' and I was still upset. The summer heat was Y • k 1 e S . harsh and my hair clung to the sweat of my knew she would be gone when I came back brow, buggingmelikepepperin the nose. I walked across the road and onto the university's campus, where I eventually found whatlwaslookingfor - thefoun tain in the garden. BY J. JosEPH CoNRICODE 'Will you go to bed with me?," I asked. "No. Now now," she said, and my face flushed. I was angry. We sat for 10 minutes. Neither of us Water shot upwards in slender col- umns, peaked and separated into drops before raining in the circular pool below. I sripped naked and looked down toward spoke. I looked out the window thinking my feet. For that moment, I couldn't blame of stained glass and how I once poked my fist through a pane depicting the paschal lamb at Saint Patrick's Church. With blood snaking like a river from my .knuckles to fingertips, I gathered small shards in my cupped palm and popped the pieces into my mouth as if they were M&M's. Chew- ing. Crunch, crunch in the shade of 2 a.m., I, some nocturnal madman and ... oh, dear Jesus ... I've got to get out of here. her or any woman repulsed by men. My ·right foot felt the water and the other followed suit moving closer to the center. The fountain showered over my body in a shock of cold, freezing in contrast to the balmy July air and my mind projected frames of a somewhat clouded memory. a snowbank half-clothed, half-dead by frantic family members and a host of police officers. Recovery via psychiatry: Six months earlier, I had been found in Her resentment followed me as I stood and walked tom y desk. I picked up an anthology of poems, pretended to look for a particular passage and, in silence, , pleaded with her to change her mind. "What were you diong outside in bare feet without a shirt?" 'What? Oh, ... I don't know." "Do you ever hear voices when nobody is around?" I turned 18 and quit therapy. I was fine, She heard every word I thought but refused to give in. No ... the bitch needed her lesbian lover tonight. Not a man ... No. dear Jesus. Just get me out of here. She wanted that wide-hipped, stringy- haired, reptillian-faced atrocity with the small breasts. I slipped back into my shorts leaving my shoes, shirt and fountain behind as I walked to Morrill Hall. After locating the fire escape on the building's side, I as- cended the zig-zagging stairwell. At the top, the stairs became a ladder and I quickly climbed to the roof. For a long Fine, then, you little Gertrude Stein. You're a fish and I'm a bicycle tonight and you won't have me and you won't care. But I will. So get out and let your tongue and hands wander the flesh of your faii sex ·-·time I stood wondering at the city's incan- and leave me frustrated until tomorrow descence, all the.while repeating the 23rd night when you need your ... Oh ... oh ... oh Psalm aloud. ... man. - A low mortar wall squared the. rooftop's perimeter. I jumped up to its But I was the one who left the house. I / width, squatted down like a leapfrog, and looked over the edge, five stories down to the concrete sidewalks which seemed to form anarchy's symbolic A. Holding the pose, my muscles petrified and panic seized all my facultip. In the far distance I glimpsed a tiny wl}ite structure I knew to be the capital. Oh,' my head pregnant with thoughts of flight's freedom, silently say ing, ''I .know I can fly." A new wave of panic pulled the f~bers· of musculature taut; I had turned to stone. Mouth agape, saliva dribbled ewer my lower lip, falling 65 feet to the ground. I was suddenly sruck with an image: Me, a drooling, neo-Gothic gargoyle perched on a parapet ready to take wing, grotesquely contorted countenance expressing sheer horror. This freedom I had frightened me. This freedom to fly, freedom to go mad, freedom of choice and knowing that every action I made was a reaction to choice. Jesus, you died to take away our sins, but for me, thi~ is not enough. Die once more, dear Jesus, and this time, take 'lway our liberty to sin. Please, God, take it away. I don't want it. Take away my freedom. My knee jerked, the city lights swirled for one dizzy moment, and the world went black. Haiku·1 BY: JENNY CROMIE Man is so.advanced he's created a greenhouse to cook himself in . uR-1 LITERARY SuPPLEMENT STAFF: Malynda Little and M.L. Elrick, editors; Tresa Baldos, word processing my mother's birthday. There's a crystal heart underneath that my father and I picked out for their 25th wedding anniversary. Jewelry boxes line the bottom. ''You can take that one," she says, pointing to JOHN'S THINGS. "Tell him if he wants his camera, he'll have to take me to court" Like I'm going to tel.I him that. "Any other messages?" I ask sarcasti- / - - - -- - ---- . Bv: KEVIN TEN BRJNIC . . Lady of the Lake BY: TROYE FRANK Once upon a time, in a land of pomp and grace, I met a strange lady, who claimed to be my bride This lady in the trees, never before had I seen, Yet flowing, and how supple she was, like an ebb tide The eyes of this lady! So subtle, yet oddly I dreamed, Yet my dream, I would make no mistake This was my lady, in the land of pomp and grace As she flowed through each wave in Ipanema, The slow, hot wind shuddered, as I muttered Look at me - Lady! Are you indeed the queen of Sheeba? The eyes of the lady looked at me, then through me Ever turning in a blurry purple haze I keeled, as if I had seen Poe's lady by the sea - Annabel Lee? Then looking, I ran and fell by her tree in the cool Autumn shade Though none of her beauty for myself could I take From this lady, in the land of pomp and grace Forward I swam, as beside the stream she walked Nor could I see here golden cheeks of glistening infinity, Struggled against the tide did I as I could not hear her as she talked Feeling this conflict away from her as a .,christening to my divinity I stroked and stroked, without pause in motion, Yet she still seemed moons ahead of me, thinking not of my insipid devotion· The sun scorched my brow beneath the midday clouds As still I felt the lady abating my crooning Covering herself in the dew of a kelley-green shroud A song I sung, to put together out of a desperate tuning, But I screamed! I screamed into the sky far aloud! Just when the lady of grace, plunged into the lake - drowned. and RedRum -The is Grey Abortion BY: JENNY CROMIE Bv: }ENNY CROMIE Soweto is black and white, white against black, black against white . . Black wants grey, but white fights for absolutes. Absolutism drips red, red rum, Mandela says. And Biko says in death black and white are the same color. Gabriel, come blow your horn a.little louder ... DeKlerk sits deaf in his white Cadillac, drinking red rum and Absolut. blooded, The embryos on the apple tree were aborted during last night's colp- . surgical frost. Their half-developed bodies lie in a pink cemetery around their mother's feet like unwanted children. Swallowing the Moon BY: JENNY CROMIE An empty house sits atthe end of the road where a woman wanders vacantly from room to room. - She peers through the window pane through lifeless eyes, . sips her drink and swallows the moon. Her light goes out as I wnistle past the graveyard and darkness dies to sleep. 31 May 1990 university Reporter-Intelligencer· 11 A letter to the dead and dying ... - . - Trabian Shorters This letter is to the dead and dying. It's meant as polemic prose for those who would make this land a better land. If what I say offends anyone, then I know I said it right. What is the difference between a witness and a criminal or between a racist and a bigot or a coward and a fighter? The difference is honesty and action. The criminal admits that (s)he doesn't respect the law, a bigot admits "I don't respect all people as equals; and a fighter admits that s(he) is vicious. Whereas the witness, the racist and the coward say "I believe in justice, I believe in equality, I believe In peace.· But they don't. We as Americans have been taught to believe that those ideas are good, but that's not the same as believing in them. We do not work to attain these aloof principles. Most of us do nothing to prove that we believe in those principles. Saying "I believe in .. ." proves that you were told what to believe in, but did anyone ever tell you how to show that you believe in these ideas? Most of us can read about rape after rape, murder after murder, and never feel compelled to actively put an end to the injustices. We won't band together for these noble causes. Instead, we lie to ourselves and each other about our real beliefs. We believe in money, materials and capitalism. This is what we work for and fight for and believe in. We are taught how to show that we believe in these things. This is the sum of your value. You are the normal American. You are the majority. You devote your body and mind to gluttony and starve your spirit with your Iuka warm devo tion to melba toast principles. H is this spiritual emaciation and self-delusion, not the honest criminal bigot-fighter, that is to blame for the sick and sorry state that America is in. How can crime run rampant when -the majority of American people believe in justice? How can bigotry kill in a place where the principle of equality is shared by all? How long can you lie to yourself and pretend that things are okay here in the USA? There's no room for Civilization in such a technological society. These days, caring about each other doesn't yield a high enough dividend. The criminal, the bigot, and the fighter are minorities these days, but the uncar- ing witness, the uninformed racist and the unmotivated coward are the majority. When I fight for the causes that t believe in oustice, equality. peace and family) I recognize that I am fighting for a society that cares. That's something you capitalist-individualists don't seem to understand. When I put on my beret and black clothes some see me as a criminal in the making, some as closet bigot, and some as dedicated fighter. I am all these things the same way that Louis Farrakhan, Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcom X, A. Phillip Randolph and Marcus Garvey were these things.' Truth, pride and education are radical concepts to fools. - Shorters is editor-in-chief of Focal Point What the Church means to me ... sup~~0h~~~~~~~~~h~~tiesfrom But the administration has tried to appease us with an 8-day lease. This concession by the administration cannot become a compromise for us students. Homelessness and the Civil War in El Salvador is not an 8-day problem. As the homeless and different groups that stand as testimo- nials to the daily horror of, for ex- ample, South Africa. U-M allows students to tell other students that racist structures of apartheid are as · everpresent as the shanty (even with Mandala's release!). Have we come so far as to forget death defending your right to say it.· Voltaire's cliche, "I might disagree with with their strife and burden, we want to, WE MUST, acknowledge that. We what you say but I will fight to the cannot console ourselves with a token, one-week gesture and call that activism. We cannot say that a one- week tribute will benefit the homeless (1/3 of wich are families; 1/4 have jobs). By removing the shanties the administration is saying that these problems do n 00©0<§1@!1il3>©~ 30 May: Just Say No. Scruffy Tearaways. and , Forced Anger eap. E t Ch . a ... . ...... . .... . . ·.·.-.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·· ......... .. ... . . . ..... ·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.· ::1.1@ii:::.:::ionie~::::::1ia.-t:u-+:u · ·> · .. 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