4A - The Michigan Daily - Monday, November 13, 2000 cII 1£i}i{&nf Datlg Finally an enlightening academic experience at the 'U' 420 Maynard Street Ann Arbor, MI 48109 daily.letters@umich.edu Edited and managed by students at thei University of Michigan MIKE SPAHN Editor in Chief EMILY ACIIENBAUM Editorial Page Editor am trying to pinpoint when I developed a seething hatred for classes, and I can't remember. As I inch toward graduation, my time on the hamster wheel that has been my liberal arts education is winding down. The aura of grandly serious and bea utiful learn- ing that permeates from the undergradu- ate library's reading Unless otherwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of the majority of the Daily 's editorial board. All other articles, letters and cartoons do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily. Mwtown's ovin up New initiatives promise to benefit Detroit room and the columns of Angell Hall inspires me and then mocks me. It is sacrilegious and malicious to my instructors to say I have not learned much here. To say I haven't learned here is a lie. It's just that classes are not the central part of my University educa- tion. This is probably true of most people. but the mental shut- Emily Achenbaum Diarro If 41 ouh was probably the best learning experience of my college career. After doing volunteer work and internships, you see the difference a degree makes. What did you expect, says the voice. You chose to attend a major research institution, where undergrads are somewhere between a distraction and irritation. You should have gone to a small, nurturing school. But I wanted a big school. I have initia- tive. I never wanted anything to be handed to me. Why don't you try attending class regu- larly and doing your reading -- you might be surprised by what you discover, says both the voice in my head and kind-hearted but frus- trated professors. I guess it's true that you can't force some- thing that isn't meant to be. Am I really not working up to my potential, or is it that I am learning more outside of class and so that's where I concentrate my energy? What is wrong with that? It's just like the criticism many of us get in our romantic lives. But we do not run because we fear commitment. We run because we fear commitment to the wrong person. I've had three, yes, three, enlightening academic experiences (out of countless, yes, countless crappy and many mediocre ones) over the past four years that warranted the higher education hoopla I was spoon-fed in prep school: Two independent studies in psy- chology (Qne on divorce, one on eating disor- ders) and the English department's New England Literature Program. In each of these experiences, I was entrusted with my own education. Like friends who are loyal, those that are good to me are rewarded back. So I'm excit- ed to participate in NELP's mass meeting this week. This program reminded me that acade- mics can be happily obsessive, and when not distracted by Polo Sport, Skeep's. remember- ing to pay Visa and finding keys, many of us are scholars. Life experience is education. That is why I find the classroom so stifling. Once you get the hell out of Angell Hall, you start to understand what they mean by acade- mic freedom. Taking place during spring term on a lake in New Hampshire, NELP is eight credits of English - the most rigorous formal academ- ic work I've ever done. We learned what we were living: New England history and cul- ture; the area's authors and their works. I wrote more than 250 pages in a journal. NELP is a small group of students and facul- ty, and yet still you get lost. But not because you're a number. Lost in writing, the ideas of your peers, the woods, a book, your own head. Academic purists sniff at programs like NELP. Because going to the library for flirt- ing/studying, doing the crossword puzzle during lecture and filling out scantrons is an education. NELP takes place in the woods. There are no stone columns and stained- glass windows. There is no Internet. I try to restrain from patronizing smiles when poli sci students who've never traveled further out of the U.S. than Windsor and Cancun argue Russian policy with a tone that sug- gests they grew up in the Kremlin. We read Thoreau where he wrote it. Edu- cation is not about lecture halls. Perhaps education is the ultimate human wanting. In a few months I will have a degree that suggests I had a tidy college edu- cation. In a few months, I will finally have complete freedom from 1.5-inch margins and regimented syllabi and be able to learn the way I want to. - Emilv Achenbaum can be reached via e-mail at emilvlsa@umich.edu. A short drive down Woodward Avenue can be quite an eye-opening experi- ence. Imagine it is Saturday afternoon and you're heading south on Woodward at 15 Mile road. This puts you in down- town Birmingham, a very well-to-do suburb of Detroit. A glance in any direc- tion reveals fashionably dressed folks, nice restaurants, cafes, stores and tasteful landscaping. But, as you are trying to keep up with the lightning flow of traffic, this picturesque scene does not last long. A few minutes later, you whiz past a sign that reads "8 Mile Road.' You might as well be on a different planet. Gone is A cleaner, the endless array ofD - quaint shops. Aban- Detroit Wi doned buildings and businesse liquor stores that cower . behind iron gates have Jobs, boos replaced the Gap and the morale ant designer Kroger where sushi is sold. Long- economy. neglected empty lots swell with weeds and ankle-deep grass. Garbage is strewn everyhere. Welcome to the Motor City. As Detroit's 300th birthday rapidly approaches, the city is more in need of revitalization than ever before. Finally, it looks like help is on the way. Last Thurs- day, Detroit mayor Dennis Archer announced a multi-faceted plan to improve the city: Cleaning up aban- doned lots, towing away old cars and demolishing crumbling buildings. In addition, he is calling for tougher penal- ties and stiffer fines for conniving auto mechanics and litterbugs, respectively. Archer even pulled deputy mayor Fre- man Hendrix from his school board position, naming him overseer of the project. Archer's concerns reach beyond the appearance of the city; Detroit's public safety and economic future are also in line for tune-ups. Specifically, the police and fire departments will be carefully examined to ensure, among other things, t d that firefighters have adequate equipment and police officers are protecting Detroi- ters without overstepping their bounds. Overall, these concrete measures will do more for Detroit than Comerica Park or glossy magazine ad campaigns ever will. This is because the long-term eco- nomic advantages of building casinos and subsidizing other big development projects downtown are uncertain. Archer's new initiatives run in tandem with the draw of these new business ven- tures to emphasize a vision for a more livable and beautiful Detroit. While some have brighter criticized Archer for attract waiting until now to address these longtime provide problems - this being the eve of an election community year and Archer's sev- feed the enth year as mayor - his efforts should be commended. A clean- er, brighter Detroit will attract businesses, pro- vide desperately needed jobs, boost com- munity morale and feed the economy. Any measures that will help bring com- mercial enterprise and, in turn, tourism to the city of Detroit will easily benefit the entire state of Michigan. There is no rea- son that Detroit cannot become more like Chicago or New York City - a place that its residents are proud to call home and its visitors are sorry to leave behind. But why let Archer have all the fun? Volunteers are essential to such a vast undertaking. Campus organizations like the Detroit Project (http://www. umich.edu/~thedp) are always looking for extra hands in their days of lot clean- ups, playground construction and, yes, building demolition. Getting involved is easy and the rewards are great. This kind of optimism is just what Detroit needs. Archer's plan may spark the beginning of a veritable revolution in the city, but it is going to take a great deal of hard work and determination to keep that fire going. down I experience crossing the threshold lecture halls on campus is disappointing. Once I decided I didn't trust GSI's three years my senior that put discussion sections in groups to make posters with my educa- tion, I took the task of upon myself. I have obtained a tremendous education here - the less time I spend on classes, the more time I can use to teach myself: Personal reading and writing, visiting lecturers and film festi- vals, my peers, the Daily. It's guiltily whor- ish: All I want from the University at this point is a piece of paper, and I'll pay the tab to get it. Neither party really cares whether any more than that comes from the deal. If you hate school so much, why don't you leave? A fair question for my gripes. Well I did, for a little while. A year off from college 0 'This type of drinking isn't necessarily about a rite of passage or being a young adult.' - Frank Cianciola, Interim Dean of Students on Engineering sophomore Byung-Soo Kim, who is in critical condition at University Hospitals after drinking 20 shots of Scotch whiskey early Saturday morning. Antiquated elections Electoral college impedes democracy T his year's election has presented the should be maintained to preserve the nation with a unique situation: strength of the two national parties and While Al Gore has probably won the force candidates to address less populous opular vote nationwide, George W. states' issues. The winner-take-all sys- ush appears prepared to win more elec- tem unfairly squelches the voice third toral votes . This has happened twice and fourth political parties and national before - 1876 and l888 and has politics could only gain from an renewed interest in the method of elect- increased diversity of viewpoints. It is ing the president - through the anti- unlikely that a direct popular election q uated Electoral College system. would increase regional campaigning Because this system unfairly represents because candidates already campaign in the public will and because it has out- the most populated states. lived its intended purpose,_the president Meanwhile, critics argue that the should be elected system is fundamen- through a direct popular The direct election tally unfair to voters election. because votes have The framers of the of the different weights in constitution invented the different states and Electoral College to pre- and vice-president voter turnout in vari- vent the pro lems a ous states is not direct popular election willfour taken into considera- might cause: They fearedf tion. Each vote poor communication and commitment to a should bear the same regionalism would splin- weightbnationwide ter the popular vote into a ra - se-- and in a time of number of regionalcan-r broad-based erendums, initia- didates, and that the pub- democracy.tives and the direct lic could be manipulated J election of everyone or ill informed. They also from drain commis- feared political parties: The original sys- sioner to U.S. senators, the people tem gave the presidential runner-up the should be able to choose the president vice-presidency. Today these concerns through a direct national election. seem ridiculously antique; instantaneous A constitutional amendment pro- national communication and two domi- posed first in 1977 - and most recently nate political parties produce an atmos- in 1992 - would provide for the direct phere where a splintered popular vote is election of the president and if no candi- rare, and the public has a wealth of infor- date wins 40 percent, a run-off election mation about national candidates. There between the two most popular tickets. is little evidence that the Electoral Col- This amendment, supported by the lege system counteracts a manipulated or League of Women Voters, Common ignorant public - electors almost Cause, the Chamber of Commerce of the always vote for the candidate they United States, the AFL-CIO and many pledged to elect. Since the reasons why other groups, should be adopted in order the constitutional framers argued for to maintain the integrity of our democra- such a system no longer exist, why do tic process. The direct election of the some argue for the continued preserva- president and vice-president will fulfill tion of the Electoral College system ? our commitment to a broad-based The primary arguments for the democracy, and prevent the election of a preservation of the electoral college sys- president who has not won a majority of tem are these: That the current system the popular vote. Lehman should have provided applicants' test scores, GPAs TO THE DAILY: Proponents of affirmative action have a tendency to use faulty statistics in defense of this policy. Case in point, Law School Dean Jeffrey Lehman's recent letter about the acceptance rates for blacks and whites for the University Law School ("Article could have misrepresented Law School admissions," 11/6/00). In hi's letter Lehman insinuated that whites are not discriminated against because they have a 38 percent acceptance compared to blacks who have a 35 percent acceptance rate. These rates can not be accurately compared unless the applicants have the same scores. A much better com- parison would be the acceptance rates for applicants with an LSAT score of 160-162 and a grade point average of 3.2-3:4. By using a comparison such as this one, we can accurately judge the weight given to race. I do believe that their are benefits to affirmative action, I just wish proponents would stop dismissing the costs. As some- one with an undecided opinion about affir- mative action. I would like to see Lehman submit this comparison in order to judge if the costs outweigh the benefits. MATTHEW BARKOFF BUSINESS SENIOR Anti-Scott chalIki ngs served 'no purpose' TO THE DAILY: As a Jewish student at the University, I am deeply offended that some (presumably) Jew- ish students chose to address the "Agree with Scott" Christian group by drawing Jewish stars and writing names such as 'Schlomo' in highly visible areas throughout the Diag. In a sensitive time in Jewish relations both intra-campus and with the exterior, such lowbrow vandalism does nothing to promote Jewish students' inter- ests nor address the issues which the "Agree with Scott" group has published. For those who wish to respond to this group, I urge you to join in their offer of debating and discussing their ideas about God and religion. Graffiti such as "anyone who agrees with Scott is a tool" did not serve any purpose other that the self-gratification of those who committed this act. Your parents would be ashamed. JORDAN NODEL LSA JUNIOR Nader did not cost Gore the election TO THE DAILY: While this may have been true in Florida and Oregon in a technical sense, it was absolutely false in terms of the real reasons why many Naders voted as they did: They agreed with him on the issues. A vote for Nader was a vote affirming a belief in a stronger sense of govern- ment's role in promoting social justice. The New Democrats, boasting of achievements such as welfare reform, have turned their backs on social issues that, believe it or not, are still important to many people. Many Nader voters wanted to send a message to the Democratic party that they should not trade in concern for the poor in favor of political expediency. The Democrats were not "entitled" to Nader votes. They had to earn them and instead of working for these votes, they tried to scare and intimi- date voters to their side. The character attacks were even more despicable. I found the "Appeal to Conscience" ad published in the Daily on Election Day appalling. First, Nader was the only person in this campaign who can honestly claim that thousands of people are alive today because of his personal efforts in the-area of consumer protection. Second, he was the most honest candidate in the race - brutally honest. He did not pander the way both major party candidates did. Third, to claim that he is not a supporter of women's rights is ludicrous. One of the strongest attacks on women and children came in fact from the Clinton-Gore administration in their championing of welfare reform proposals tell the poorest women that they are not worth helping beyond an arbitrary time limit of five years. Nader has consistently advocated sup- porting the least advantaged members of soci- ety. Finally, Nader did not have a villainous personal vendetta against Gore. He wanted to bring important social issues back into the pub- lic debate. Unfortunately, he was ignored, attacked and ridiculed to the Democrats' peril. This negative approach was extremely poor strategy on the part of the Gore campaign. Their unwilling- ness to enteriain Nader's ideas on a policy level that would have interested Nader voters only attests to the defensiveness of the current Democratic party. Unless it becomes more inclusive of the range of ideas represented by voters from the center to the left instead of try- ing to force everyone to buy into their on-size- fits-all-strategy, the Democrats will continue to fail by hubris. Working to encompass a range of ideas has worked spectacularly for the Republicans under Bush - Gore and the Democrats should swallow this bitter pill. CALI MORTENSON SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY Scott Week allowed Christians to share their ideas about God TO THE DAILY: I agree with Scott. I think Scott Week was a great idea. I don't think David Levy ("'Scott' campaign tactics are disturbing," 11/10/00) understands the idea behind Scott Week. The campus was "flooded" with flyers to get people's attention. After a week of seeing "Do you agree with Scott?" all over campus, I, like many others - including David Levy -- was curious. I took the initiative to find out more about Scott. No one was "tricked" into learning about Scott. Levy was curi- ous, so he asked. If he didn't want to be exposed to views that are different than the ones he came here with, he shouldn't have come to a school as diverse as the Univer- sity. I am a Christian. I believe that the only way to get to Heaven is through faith in Jesus Christ. One of the fundamental ten- ants of Christianity is sharing the message of Jesus and how to have a personal rela- tionship with God. How are people to learn if there is no one to teach them? If Levy is convinced that he knows the best way to get to Heav- en, why doesn't he want to share that mes- sage? Religion is intensely personal. No one should be coerced into agreeing with something they believe is fundamentally wrong. But that isn't what Scott Week is about. It is about sharing the Gospel of Jesus with those who are curious enough to ask. It is letting others know what we as Christians believe, and then letting them decide for themselves whether they agree or not. Scott's "following" on campus is no different than the group of students who supported Vice-President Gore for Presi- dent. They too "vandalized" campus with signs and stopped people on the Diag to spread Gore's campaign message. Count- less other groups have done the same. Make a personal choice about religion, but if you don't have all the information, how can you be confident about your choice. 6 0 0 JENNIFER RUSSELL ENGINEERING SOPHOMORE DANE BARNES )UISI'URBE D LEEP 10~ LI\I -Id *I I i i a , A &A a Iff- I c Aril. Aawal brAl li [I d li 0 j..