Deitch, McGowan bank on experience

By Jen Fish

Daily Staff Reporter

At the monthly meetings of the University Board of Regents, Rebecca McGowan and Larry Deitch sit at the head of the table as the senior members of the board.

Both elected to the board in 1992, the two Democratic incumbents say they are ready for another eight years at the head of the table.

Standing in the way of their re-election are three University students asking for equal representation, four other third-party candidates and two Republicans eager to restore a conservative majority on the board.

The Board of Regents is supposed to be a nonpartisan body, and rarely has there been a regents' election in which the two major party lines have been so clearly drawn.

Certainly, Deitch and McGowan seem to be in sync with each other, both personally and ideologically. At a recent candidates forum, Deitch urged voters to support both he and McGowan, and McGowan yielded part of her speaking time to Deitch.

They agree on a number of issues, but two main topics on voters' minds are their commitment to the affirmative action lawsuits and their steadfast support of academic freedom, including English Prof. David Halperin's widely criticized "How to Be Gay" literature course.

"I don't belong in your classroom, Regent Deitch doesn't belong in your classroom. That's the way it's been, that's the way it should stay," said McGowan, of Ann Arbor.

Deitch, of Bloomfield Hills, called any discussion of canceling the controversial course "the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."

Like every year, another important issue is rising tuition costs. Earlier this month, University President Lee Bollinger asked for a 7 percent raise in state funding to help combat tuition costs and funding for other programs.

But both candidates agree state funding is not enough. McGowan told The Michigan Daily's editorial board that the University must pursue outside funds to build scholarships for out of state students.

Regarding the Code of Student Conduct, the University's disciplinary guidelines of student behavior, McGowan said she supports it but encouraged constant review and student input. Deitch told the Daily's editorial board that he does not "love the thing - I'm not locked into the notion of having a code" - but that he did vote for it despite his ambivalent feelings.

But one subject that Deitch has no ambivalence about is his support of Bollinger.

"One of the major reasons I'm running for re-election is because I support Lee Bollinger," Deitch said at the regent candidates forum.

McGowan agreed, saying that the present administration is "doing an extraordinary job."

In asking for voters to grant them another term, the candidates not only point to their previous experience on the board but also their own personal commitment to the University.

"I'm proud of the things we've been able to accomplish." Deitch said. "We've done a number of things to make the University a better place."

"I believe I share the values of the people of the University of Michigan," McGowan said. "I feel like I'm in a good place with the values that have stood this institution so well for so long."

ELLIE WHITE/Daily

Rebecca McGowan and Larry Deitch hope to return to the head of the University Board of Regents' table for another eight years.