Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site kontron.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!decwrl!pyramid!voder!kontron!cramer
From: cramer@kontron.UUCP (Clayton Cramer)
Newsgroups: net.college,net.politics
Subject: Re: E.g. Student Gov't Project.
Message-ID: <517@kontron.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 18-Feb-86 18:31:28 EST
Article-I.D.: kontron.517
Posted: Tue Feb 18 18:31:28 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 20-Feb-86 00:14:53 EST
References: <39@crystal.UUCP>
Organization: Kontron Electronics, Irvine, CA
Lines: 45
Xref: linus net.college:1073 net.politics:12854

> As yet another U of M alumni, I wish to speak in favor of the MSA having
> the right to attempt to ban the CIA from campus.  I doubt that almost any
> major campus has student government elections that get more than 10% voting 
> attendance.  We certainly don't get that much at the Univ. of Wisconsin.  
> A 10% sample of such a large sample space would be considered representative 
> under almost any circumstances (except by people who disagree with the 
> decision).  Pollsters make do with much less than that.  Hence I think the MSA 
> has the right to view themselves as a representative body, and to proceed under 
> those assumptions.
> 

A pollster uses a REPRESENTATIVE sample of the general population to make
estimates of general public opinion.  The 10% that vote on my college
campuses are disproportionately political, and my impression is they are
strongly disproportionately leftist.  Who does MSA speak for?  I would
be very skeptical that they speak for anything but a small chunk of the
students.

> As to the actual banning of the CIA, it is not a matter of restricting a 
> students choice of whom to work for.  Banning recruiting on campus does not
> prevent the students from seeking out employers they wish to work for.  
> It seems reasonable that a college should have the right to forbid at least 
> certain kinds of recruiting.  Although we may have to allow the Moonies, the 
> IRA, the Nazis, and similar groups the right to speak on campus, I don't think 
> the University should be required to give them rooms and give implicit approval
> of such organizations.  With a little thought, I suspect most of us can think 
> of several groups that we would not want to allow recruiting priveleges on 
> campus.  The only question is where to draw the line.  The CIA has engaged
> in several illegal activities, activities that Congress had forbidden to them.  
> Some people think that the activities of the CIA are onerous enough to place 
> them in the same category as the above mentioned groups.  Others of us disagree.

Except the CIA is a part of the government that PAYS THE BILLS!  Show your
real independence of the CIA and the rest of the evil institution!  Refuse
their money.  Or would that hurt too much?

> Nevertheless, this is not a case of black and white; attempting to ban one 
> group from campus recruiting based on their illegal activities is something 
> that most of us could agree with in at least some incarnations.  As the only 
> reasonable representative of the student body that there is, the MSA has the 
> right to attempt to decide where this line should be drawn.

You seem to be saying, "There's no real student government, so the only
people around interested in calling themselves that will make the decisions
for the rest."  Lenin would be so proud!