MSA should not meddle with Iraq

I can't believe the Michigan Student Assembly passed a resolution asking to lift sanctions on Iraq.

First, MSA is a student-oriented organization. They do great things for students in terms of funding. They adequately lobby state and federal officials about student needs and concerns. They do not and should not lobby or make statements regarding issues that do not directly affect them, especially international matters.

Second, did MSA members forget that the sanctions were put in place because Iraq is developing biological and chemical weapons and because they attacked a defenseless country? During the Gulf War, Iraq invaded and occupied Kuwait. They also attacked Israel, who didn't even respond or provoke them. It was because of this weapon production that the sanctions were imposed. The sanctions need to remain because the weapons are still being made. If we lift the sanctions, there is very little chance that any of the incoming capital will even reach the people.

The solution is to remove Saddam Hussein and his whole regime, then lift the sanctions.

Andy Schor

University Alumnus

UN sanctions take grave toll on Iraqi lives

To the Daily:

I would like to publicly acknowledge the courage and principle of the Michigan Student Assembly representatives who recently passed a resolution calling for the lifting of the genocidal and criminal sanctions on the people of Iraq. Slowly but surely, people around the country and the world are coming to the realization that sanctions do no harm to Saddam Hussein, but have taken a grave toll on Iraqi civilian lives. Notables from former Attorney General Ramsey Clarke to Pope John Paul II to the Beastie Boys have questioned the U.S. government's policy in Iraq. This is not an easy task, since real information about the human tragedy in Iraq is hard to come by in the U.S. media.

I urge University students who are curious, confused or even angry about the MSA stance on Iraq sanctions to investigate the facts for themselves. The Iraq Action Coalition's website at http://leb.net/iac/ provides links to all sorts of sources on the effects of the sanctions. When questioned on "60 Minutes" about the deaths of more than a million Iraqis via U.S./U.N. sanctions, Secretary of State Madeline Albright arrogantly claimed "we think the price is worth it." I believe that students and Americans in general who check out the facts themselves will decide that no foreign policy is worth this terrible cost.

Saladin Ahmed

LSA senior

MSA cannot lose student focus

To the Daily:

On Jan. 26, MSA passed their resolution calling for an end to the economic sanctions placed on Iraq after the Gulf War. It angers me to know that two hours were spent discussing this issue that they have absolutely no power to do anything about (unless they recently amended their constitution to include omnipotence). Instead of discussing issues that are pertinent to students at the University such as dorm food, busses and more parking spaces, MSA spent the night away trying to undermine a U.N. Security Council resolution (not to mention the governments of most of NATO). I applaud LSA Rep. Mehul Madia for taking a stand for those of us who expect MSA to help us and not meddle with international affairs.

To MSA President Trent Thompson, I also say shame on you - part of your responsibility as president is not only to govern over MSA but to also make sure it's doing the best work possible for its bosses - not University President Lee Bollinger and the University Board of Regents, but Joe and Jane Student. If you feel necessary to up the ante even more, feel free to pass a resolution on whether Pluto is a planet or not - I'm sure there's a proposal for it already on the table.

Jose Alvarez

Engineering senior

School of Music concert was "phenomenal"

To the Daily:

The capacity crowd at Hill Auditorium was recently treated to the wondrously unique celebration of music known as the Collage Concert. From the rousing "Fanfare Liturgique" commencing the evening all the way through to the incessant, driving force of "Bolero" for the powerful finale, listeners were endlessly engaged in fresh thrills as the culmination of one piece flowed right into the downbeat of the next impressive display. That is what made Collage so distinctive; rolling together all the diverse talent at the School of Music and exhibiting the finest aspects of the various genres in an intensely packed, cannonade of musical joy. The result that went ringing through Hill for a virtually continuous two hours was perhaps the best artistic performance the campus will see this year.

The performers provided many musical memories that those present will not soon let go of - a comical Sondheim piece where the audience couldn't contain their forbidden applause, the wildly captivating "Coyote Dreams," featuring Mayumi Hama's marimba performance that elicited a collective gasp of pure, speechless amazement from the audience at the conclusion, and the delightful cello quartet with Katri Ervamaa masterfully illustrating why some call the cello the most beautifully versatile instrument made.

Then there was the golden voice of Sachal Vasandani, the colorful sounds of the tight Jazz Ensemble doing Thad Jones, the ghostly "Adoration of the Magi" with Ching-Chu Hu on (and in) the piano, and the voice of Jennifer Larson celestially floating throughout the auditorium with the sounds of Mozart. All this with nothing less than Brahms, Stravinsky, Elgar, Dizzy Gillespie and Beethoven wonderfully interspersed to fill out the glorious spectrum of musical performance that is the Collage Concert.

I am still in awe at the massive and exceptional display of talent, and I know I do not speak alone when I say thank you to all the performers for sharing it all with us in a phenomenal evening at the Hill.

Aaron Boyle

LSA junior

GSIs' role at 'U' is "often unwanted"

To the Daily:

Why is it suddenly so bad to be a GSI at the University of Michigan? If the salaries paid to GSIs are so unfair, why don't grad students find employment elsewhere? I didn't realize it was so unheard of to need to take a few loans during grad school. For many of us, loans are a reality that we learn to live with if we value our opportunity to get an education. The sense of entitlement expressed by the Graduate Employees Organization is bothersome to me because I have not found that classes taught by GSIs have all that much to offer.

How many students would attend the discussion sections taught by GSIs if they were not mandatory? I don't think that the GEO can accurately claim that its GSIs help to generate tuition dollars by making a large contribution to the education of undergraduates, since their role is often unwanted and in my experience essentially valueless.

Additionally, GSIs ought to be thought of as recipients of financial aid rather than "employees." If GSIs want to be treated like employees, they should be held accountable to the College of Literature, Science and Arts by some standard of performance. The University is right in its decision to limit the financial desirability of being a GSI to prevent misuse and the very obvious temptation to abuse the role of instructor. The University should take one further step and declare that a student's attendance in a GSI-run class must not be used as a basis for grading.

If the GEO decides to strike, the undergraduate population ought to realize that it is being used as a pawn in a battle between the GEO and the University administration. This battle is about money, not the quality of education.

Matthew Murphy

LSA senior

02-02-99