4 4 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, September 5, 2003 OP/ED U 420 MAYNARD STREET ANN ARBOR, MI 48109 letters@michigandaily.com EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN SINCE 1890 LouIE MEIZLISH Editor in Chief AUBREY HENRETTY ZAC PESKOWITZ Editorial Page Editors 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. NOTABLE QUOTABLE (( Honestly, I think we should just trust our president in every decision that he makes and we should just support that, you know, and be faithful in what happens. - Pop singer Britney Spears when asked about the war in Iraq in an interview Wednesday with Tucker Carlson on CNN. SAM BUTLER Cl.,ASsIc: sOAPBOX Eac. r, FeeJ 1 Ke. 4ti+ los4-- Preshman wavy de-mnc n e- dios on the first o - . 4 Ann Arbor linked to greatness A SRAVYA CHIRUMAMILLA or the thousands of students returning to cam- pus, Ann Arbor seems different not only because of the young fresh faces eager to dominate campus but also due to the many changes that took place during the sum- mer. While people noticed the re-routed downtown and two-way traffic, which have led to some slight congestion down- town, most have missed out on two of the most exciting additions. Earlier this summer, after facing bud- get obstacles and low ridership, the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority was forced to close some lines that reach neighboring towns, Dexter and Saline. Riding on the heels of this loss, however, arrived a new line catering to commuters in need of a quick trip downtown and to campus. The Link, funded through the Federal Transit Administration, promotes environ- mentally sound public transportation. The 18-month Congestion Mitigation Air Qual- ity grant has provided for the five buses that take turns running the routes. Three buses travel 24-minute loops between 11 a.m. and 10 p.m. allowing for passengers to get on a bus every eight minutes for a fare of just 25 cents. Not only are the posh, state-of-the-art buses air conditioned dur- ing the summer and heated during the win- ter, but they are also a part of AATA's fleet of low-sulfur buses. Most notable about the Link are AATA's efforts to familiarize residents WEAVING THE HANDBASKET with the purple buses: AATA has pur- chased advertisement space in local papers, placed banners on main roads and is offer- ing rides this month for free. Not only does the Link help children and special cardholders reach dining and enter- tainment venues on a dime, but the AATA offers weekly rides for seniors in nursing homes to get around town for grocery shop- ping or for a movie matinee. My excitement comes not just from the 24-stop route, but for what this could mean for the expansion of public transportation in this state. After former Gov. John Engler's 11th hour veto of the Detroit Area Regional Transit Authority, area government officials have been working on overdrive to revive a similar transit program. They have, however, faced numerous problems due to bickering and a dearth of cooperation with Macomb County. DARTA has been limping along in its efforts to unite the two inefficient bus systems in the area and needs a boost such as a success in a neighboring town. Following in the footsteps of Ann Arbor, the Detroit area should finally be able to attain an effec- tive transportation system. The summer is known for drawing large crowds for bourgeois events such as the monstrous Art Fair; however, the com- munity felt at events such as the nightly concerts and movie screenings for Top of the Park, a three-and-a-half week gather- ing located on the roof of the Fletcher parking lot, is the true character of the town. All too often students forget that this campus is just one part of a vibrant city that is famed for its legacy. The Downtown Development Authori- ty's Citizens Advisory Council, the City Planning Commission and the City Coun- cil helped extend our knowledge of the history behind several corners around town. Due to the Ann Arbor Historical Street Exhibit Program, one can read up on the first Borders bookstore or the financial district on Main Street or student activism on South University Avenue by just walk- ing around. The University was also instrumental in providing material for the project, as the Bentley Historical Library furnished many of the photographs and stories found on the lithographs. The his- torical plaques located on main corners are noteworthy themselves as they are the product of a 15 year collaboration of dedi- cated councils. These two additions have brought to Ann Arbor residents knowledge of the his- tory surrounding us and an effortless means of accessing downtown locales. They will hopefully also herald partner- ships in lagging cities around the state to promote similar endeavors. Since taking office, Gov. Jennifer Granholm and Detroit Mayor Kwame Kil- patrick have repeatedly focused on the need to attract younger residents. Ann Arbor has maintained its vibrancy as it is somewhat of a pod distanced from its neighbors because of what it provides its residents. Its dedica- tion to offer educational and engaging events must be emulated in order to provide a quality of life for the rest of the state that is comparable to the one enjoyed in the bubble known as Ann Arbor. 4 0 Chirumamilla canbe reached at schiruma@umich.edu. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 44 Greenbelt, A2 two-way traffic more problematic than Paul's crag rants on neocons TO THE DAILY: While Ari Paul's hysterics over neocon- servatives once again take their place on the editorial page, What the hell is a neocon (09/03/03), where is the concern for the needs of students (you know, the people returning to campus)? Over the summer, the city of Ann Arbor has "accomplished" making many streets near campus two way, making it harder to drive or walk near campus without being hit or run over. Meanwhile, the city is contem- plating a greenbelt resolution to raise the cost of living in the city (property taxes and what else; the cost of which, of course, to be borne by students as well) in order to "prevent sprawl" on the outskirts of Ann Arbor. The city is talking about a long-term plan to make the city even more crowded and expensive; according to The Ann Arbor News, $40 million or so needs to be raised over a 30-year time span in order to pay for the open land in the greenbelt. Isn't this more worrisome than Paul's rants over "neocons?" Millions of dollars in waste, and students over the long term will definitely be paying for this nonsense. JOHN LAIcH LSA senior Divestment discussions sup- ported by many students Africa." He went on to say that he saw "the humiliation of the Palestinians at checkpoints and roadblocks, suffering like us when young white police officers prevented us from mov- ing about." (BBC News, April 29, 2002) Don't believe me, don't believe Aghion. Believe those who have experienced apartheid in all its horror, for they are most able to recognize it again. AMER ZAHR Law School Students should agitate for University to divest To THE DAILY: During the 1980s, when the global com- munity began isolating the racist apartheid regime in South Africa, Israel stood by their ideological allies, sending them aid and arms, until they were finally forced out of power. It appears that support for this apartheid regime indirectly continues to this day by some of Israel's supporters. In his letter, Students on campus do not sup- port divestment from Israel or other nations (09/04/03), Daniel Aghion counters calls for divestment by stating "Divesting from a sov- ereign country is not the correct path to take." With this logic, by divesting from apartheid, but sovereign, South Africa in 1984, the Uni- versity erred. In reality, after the University divested, over 100 universities followed suit until 1986 when Congress finally cut their ties to that political system. Today, the parallels between the two states extend beyond common calls for divestment. South African anti-apartheid heroes from Nelson Mandela to Jewish leader Ronnie Kasrils have referred to Israel's domination over the Palestinians as "apartheid." Archbishop Desmond Tutu has called for divestment from "apartheid in the Holy Land," praising the student movement. As one student among many other con- cerned students, I support divestment from apartheid Israel, just as I support divestment from apartheid South Africa. IRFAN SHUTTARI LSA senior Minority Affairs Commission chair, Michigan Student Assembly the point at which students are more satisfied with their grades at the time course evaluations come around. 2. What we do need, though, rather than studies that point out the obvious, is for profes- sors and administrators (like the article's anony- mous English professor who speaks about grade inflation and course evaluations) to cease being anonymous, and to actually speak up about the tremendous flaws that are part of both the grad- ing system and the hiring policies for and treat- ment of non-tenured faculty at large universities like ours. Until people like this anonymous English professor publicly acknowledge the fact that course evaluations are being misused in deciding who should and should not teach our undergraduates, and then begin to encourage administrators to seek fairer and more sensible hiring policies, I'm not sure that the problem of grade inflation will ever get fixed; instead, we will have, as it seems we are at least starting to have now, a permanently "adjusted" grading scale. But maybe this really is a new era, a post- C age for the university? (Or really, a post-B minus age, or a post-B age...) ARIc KNUTH Lecturer I, LSA English Daily website an eyesore; restart from 'square one' To THE DAILY: I am a frequent visitor of your website, www.michigandaily .com, and I was personally appalled when I recently noticed the "face lift" which has been applied to it. I must say that in my eye the new layout is a step backwards and reflects poorly on an otherwise wonderful pub- lication. Most noticeably, the link in the upper- left hand corner is one of the most horrendous things I have ever seen, or actually barely seen, since it pretty much blends in to the back- ground. It looks as if a monkey was hitting ran- dom buttons in Photoshop. Also, only about two-thirds of the full width of my screen is uti- lized by this fixed-width design, wasting a good deal of space. The advertisement at the top is obtrusive and poorly placed, since the ad is centered (along with the footer), while the actual body is not. Personally, I would go back to the old site and start from square one. You must consider the large audience who is out of reach of your circulation and relies on the web- site for their perusing. An eyesore such as the * TO THE DAILY: Danny Aghion has got a few of his facts wrong, Students on campus do not support divestment from Israel or other nations (09/04/03). First of all, many students and faculty on this campus do in fact support divestment from Israel. And many don't. It is a debate that is lively, creating much worthy discussion. Those who try to portray that there is no support for divestment are only trying to kill the debate. It should be noted that pro-Israel groups on this campus have repeatedly refused to publicly debate this issue, a clear sign of their distaste or perhaps fear, of sharing their true ideas. There is, in i .J'k 4fi~WirkL: YY ILAt: WALE. ~ ;GLi GWk , .I i t.3t 1 V.1 b/di 7,i11 k1;* V : ' Y 17rLW. YV Xd.[W :: ,rs.w .a!va w ,w.cwua Fdl /. VL~i1I I -I