12B - The Michigan Daily - Perspectives - Thursday, March 6, 2003 Ann Arbhor's bau\ diversity: A new economics By Joseph Litman Daily Staff Writer In the Michigan Union yesterday, I spoke with several MUG custodial employees, wondering if they had a few moments to discuss their respec- tive experiences working in Ann Arbor. Unfortunately, none of them had much spare time (they were on duty and I was likely a nuisance), but, I was able to gather some infor- mation. Their most provocative dis- closure was that none of the gentlemen with whom I spoke were Ann Arbor residents. Instead, they lived in nearby places like Ypsilanti, forced to commute to work because living closer to the Union was too expensive. That these men resided beyond the boundaries of our fine city piqued my interest because the University has championed diversity as a neces- sary condition when establishing a community in which people can learn. And I agree with that asser- tion, because my contact with "oth- ers" - non-New Yorkers, non-Jews, non-whites, non-sensicals - has enhanced my college experience, and I will graduate next month having gained far more than just a better understanding of the what motivated the authoring of John's apocalyptic vision. Yet the diversity I have come to value exists in a fishbowl of sorts, restricted from flowing out onto Lib- erty street or running down the hill toward Jackson road: Is Ann Arbor really diverse? My sad findings at the Union sug- gest otherwise, and that unfortunate circumstance illustrates that the diversity from which our municipali- ty derives fame is perhaps mostly ersatz - enhanced solely by the presence of the University communi- ty - or, worse, wholly fictitious. There are the more tra- -a ditional (and given this uni- versity's ongo- ing litigation, I A more notable) indices, like racial composition of the population, that prove this point. For instance, the 2000 U.S. Census found that black persons in Michigan com- prise 14.4 percent of the state's overall population. In Ann Arbor, blacks are only 8.8 percent of the populous. How- ever, the lacking diversity of which I speak is economic. Surely, one can find a wide array of people walking down State Street any given day - preppies, neo-hippies, professorial types, myriad others - yet that range of appearance is a super- ficial indicator and does not equate to economic diversity, income diversity, wealth diversity. Perhaps the child of two University Hospital doctors is going through a phase right now. Better indicators of Ann Arbor's cloistered nature are the median- average price for a home in Ann Arbor Township and the income dis- tribution of Ann Arbor's working professionals. The Census lists the former as $345,000. (For compari- son's sake, the highest average in the state, Bloomfield Hills, stands at $854,000, while the lowest, Ahmeek Village, in Keweenaw County, is $27,100.) As for the latter, 56.7 per- cent of the city's workforce earns $75,000 or more annually; more than half of the individuals who hold jobs make $33,00 than the average Ameri- can household. Statistics don't always tell a full story and obviously, there are other factors that influence who lives where and why. However, the figures enumerated above paint a bleak picture for those like the MUG employees who would prefer to live and probably raise families in the area yet can't. The University community, particu- dents, should also concern itself with Ann Arbor's not- so -varied y demographics. While students from a broad spectrum of financial backgrounds matriculate here, there are a noticeable number of kids who have lived comfortably for most of their lives. College is routinely cited as an opportunity to go beyond one's com- fort zone, one's standard routine. And Ann Arbor, with its abundant cultural amenities, is often extolled for provid- ing students with an endless supply of entertainment possibilities. However, if the city is not the melting pot it is rumored to be, then how does exposure to its people really challenge and edu- cate the students? America's economy and social structure are predicated on class strati- fication, and, more crudely, not every- one gets to be the boss. Thus, I did not leave the Union yesterday with a defeated spirit having abandoned some quixotic dream of a perfectly egalitarian American utopia. However, I also was forced to reconsider Ann Arbor's distinction as a diversity breeding ground, a mecca of variety. People can refer to the city as "diverse" as much as they'd like, but without a greater mix of economic sit- uations among the population, such a title is a misappropriation. Call or write to: Fr. 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