Name change does not make up for racist past

To the Daily:
I find it absurd that the University would consider recognizing Michigamua as an official student group (Michigamua commits to reforms, 04/12/2006). Any group that has a history of mocking my people and culture, such as this group, does not have a place in the University. Racism is racism, no matter what the name. I also find it absurd that the members of Michigamua would willingly make their names public. I guess it is good for all of us to know the names of racists on campus.

Wyaudtnoong Adams
LSA junior

Eicke's column 'shows the true definition of frankness'

To the Daily:
David R. Eicke's The old man and the V (04/12/2006) was the best thing I've read in The Michigan Daily for a while. One reason why struck me hardest. It may be the obvious aspect of the article (being that I am a female), but I have yet to recover from its effect, nonetheless. The record Eicke has created of the separation between American society's image of "man" and his own self shows the true definition of frankness. This quality is rare. I can attest, as a single gal, that this is especially rare among the college dudes I roam campus with. To distinguish oneself from what many men have spent and will spend their entire lives seeking to be a part of shows maturity, honesty, strength and balls. Eicke's friend has it wrong - he is the one lacking a pair. Eicke just spread the black and white version of his all over the Daily.

Katie Miller
LSA first-year

'U' decision on Coca-Cola goes against free market

To the Daily:
The decision to reinstate the Coca-Cola contract with the University is anti-free market on a number of fronts, but I will only address the philosophical, not the procedural.

Coke is a corporation with the bottom line as its only guiding principle. The University is a more pluralistic institution that has a wider range of interests, and it has a code of conduct it expects business partners to follow. The University takes into account fiscal, human, social and natural capital when it looks for business partners. When the University is talking about a free market, it means a marketplace of ideas, too.

If Coke doubled its prices tomorrow, we would drop its contract in a second and move over to another vendor, and no one would complain. That's the nature of free markets. In that vein, the University administration needs to listen to students and tell Coke it is too far in the red when it comes to social and natural capital to do business with.

Coke doesn't think about those forms of capital, but the University does, and there is nothing wrong with the University acting in its own self-interest. We don't need to wait for Coke to prove itself a worthy partner even it as it continues to perpetrate environmental and social crimes in countries not even currently part of agreed-to investigations.

Instead, the University should move to a vendor that has a more holistic portfolio of assets to share with our globally recognized University, and let Coke sort out its charts. When Coke is ready and is in the black socially and environmentally, maybe the University can work with it again - and at lower costs.

There is no innocent-until-proven-guilty in the marketplace, and Coke should be treated like any bad business partner -dropped until it looks more lucrative for our University fiscally, socially and environmentally.

Zack Denfeld
School of Art & Design
The letter writer is a former Daily columnist.

Coke Coalition 'needs to just grow up or get out'

To the Daily:
The Coalition to Cut Contracts with Coca-Cola needs to just grow up or get out (Coke to return to campus, 04/12/2006).

Its demand for the investigation of allegations against vendors has been met with more than the bare minimum, from what has been reported on the Vendor Code of Conduct. Two respected third-party organizations have been brought in to figure out if the allegations are true, but apparently this is not enough.

The Coke Coalition's members are obviously so self-absorbed and egotistical that they believe their organization should have put some type of seal of approval on the deal.

This hypocritical group was absolutely pleased when the University cut Coke during semester break, thus leaving out students, but when the administration left Coke activists out of "their" business, they get all upset. The Coalition has done what it set out to do, and now it is time to grow up and let the proper people deal with it - or get out.

Matthew Lewis
LSA sophomore