Letters to the Editor

Shaman Drum tries to accommodate students

To the Daily:
We at Shaman Drum are always interested in what our customers have to say, be it positive or negative. In response to the Jan. 13 letter ("Using Shaman Drum is an inconvenience"), we readily acknowledge that the start of a semester can be an inconvenient time not only at Shaman Drum but anywhere else in the campus vicinity, including the other textbook stores. And while the author of the letter exaggerates the usual time it takes to buy course books at Shaman Drum, he fails to mention our commitment to serving the needs of students and faculty. From the moment we receive a book order until the student walks out the door with his or her books, we strive to make the necessary ordeal of purchasing course books as smooth and stress-free as possible.

Our commitment doesn't end once the semester has begun. Our text and trade stores serve the needs of both the academic community and the community at large throughout the year. That is why it does matter that we are independently owned and not a chain store. Shaman Drum is operated by an owner and staff concerned about the people of Ann Arbor and the students and faculty of U of M, not by an out-of-town board of directors concerned solely with the bottom line.

As our textbook store has grown, we have tried to stay in touch with the needs of students and faculty by expanding our staff during book rush and extending our hours to relieve the midday crunch when lines tend to be at their longest. We welcome any suggestions that might make buying course books at Shaman Drum as convenient as possible.

The Staff of Shaman Drum Bookstore

Article was 'one-sided'

To the Daily:
Once again, the Daily has sunk to a new low, with the recent article on race-based admissions ("'U' admissions process alters GPAs," 12/10/97). The problem that I have with this article is the fact that it started with this line, "Minority applicants from Marquette, Mich., who earned a 2.7 GPA at Detroit Country Day High School could have their GPA boosted to a 3.7 ... ." Why the article began this way is obvious: The author wanted to play into the fears of all the affirmative action opponents - that hoards of below-average "minority" (you should just come out and say African American, because that's what you really mean) students are getting such a great boost from being minorities. Why didn't the article start by saying that any student who attends Country Day, which is a predominantly white school, also get this same "boost?" So, a student of any race with any GPA would get the same "boost" of a .4 if they came from Country Day High School.

Since the article started the way that it did, why wasn't it deemed necessary to point out that minority applicants from Marquette, Mich., got extra points (as anyone from the same area would as well) because geographic location is also considered in admissions.

I am also very curious about the fact that any time the issue of race-based admissions comes into debate, there is always this mysterious unqualified "minority" person who stole a place at a university from a desserving white person. And somehow it becomes an unqualified African American. Nobody says that they didn't get into school because some woman took their spot, which is ironic since white women are the greatest benefactors of affirmative action.

In this debate about affirmative action, too many people seem to believe that "minorities" take the back door in while all of the white students have ACT scores of 36 and 5.0/4.0 GPAs. There are plenty of people at the University whose scores didn't come anywhere near perfection, but some special circumstance and the grace of God let them in this school. So why doesn't the Daily do an article about all of the students that "slid" into this university with B-/C+ grades and low test scores, because I guarantee that it will find non-minorities more often than it seems to think.

The Daily needs to take a step back and re-evaluate what it is trying to say and actually make concrete arguments. Basically, if the Daily wants to say that it thinks unqualified people are getting unfair "boosts" then it should just come out and say it instead of dancing around the issue and trying to make snide digs about the qualifications of minorities.

There are several factors that go into admission selection, so to just focus on one aspect is one-sided and not at all objective. If the Daily thinks someone was admitted to the University who was unqualified, it should prove it.

Sandra Enimil
LSA senior

ITD should reinstate consultants

To the Daily:

What is going on at the North University Building computing site? For some reason, the Information Technology Division has decided that everyone who uses NUBS is a computer genius and does not need help. They have pulled out all of their consultants permanently. This poses an enormous problem for those of us who frequent the site. On Jan. 13, the printers did not work and we were left with nothing to do but walk to Angell Hall. This should not happen. ITD should realize that all computer centers, not just Angell Hall, need consultants. They can either reinstate the NUBS consultants or watch the entire lab go to waste.

Kenny Harris
LSA sophomore

Daily omitted election date

To the Daily:

I want to thank the Daily very much for informing us as to some of the candidates' positions and for reminding us to vote in the upcoming gubernatorial primaries. But the Daily forgot to tell us when the elections are! The Daily pointed out that students are underrepresented at the polls, but you could have helped solve the problem by telling us when to go vote!

Anthony Hornof
Rackham

'U' students lack class

To the Daily:

In the last couple days, our campus newspaper has printed several letters from U of M students. Never at a loss of words, they dubbed us as "hick-assed" and "corn-hoaxers," called the national title we won "tarnished," and called Coach Osborne a "pale, satanic freak." This is only an example of the content of the letters I've read in the last couple of days. Call us what you will, but I keep hearing from you that Michigan is the classy bunch and the people at Nebraska are poor losers. Excuse me?

When it was announced that the title was split, Coach Tom Osborne immediately came out and congratulated Michigan and said he was happy for them. Lloyd Carr? Well, he simply whined that he only won half the title. And to call Osborne satanic? There is no man on the face of this Earth I admire more than him. If there is anybody I would want my son to grow up and emulate, it would be Tom Osborne.

We've got an imperfect system in college football. The national championship is completely mythical. Show some class - accept the fact that there were two undefeated teams this year and both teams deserved an equal share of the title. Remember, it was your conference that sold out for money and the Rose Bowl - if not for that, we wouldn't have had to face this situation. Nebraska hasn't played Michigan since the '85 Fiesta Bowl. Maybe we can meet up again next year.

Jason Ponec
University of Nebraska student

01-20-98