4 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, January 31, 2006 OPINION ibe 3iNbijgtt &il DoNN M. FRESARD Editor in Chief EMILY BEAM CHRISTOPHER ZBROZEK Editorial Page Editors ASHLEY DINGES Managing Editor EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN SINCE 1890 420 MAYNARD STREET ANN ARBOR, MI 48109 tothedaily@michigandaily.com NOTABLE QUOTABLE The vote today is whether or not we will take a stand against ideological court- packing." - Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass), arguing against U.S. Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito on the Senate floor, prior to a 72-25 vote to end debate Monday afternoon, as reported by CNN.com. COLIN DALY Tim MIcV1I_ fi GN AY 41 EVERY SECOND SHANNOtN ft& Q,-TED FNcA1 N4C HIM IN TH E F~ACE RKOU ~RlHEP- ONE - J>C S~ .TO CNU G1- N ENS: 0 0 Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily's editorial board. All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their author. Warming up to Crisler Arena DAVID BETTS PONTIFICATIONS ver the past several years, I have been extremely cynical when talking about the Mich- igan men's basketball team. I've only been to one game, and I felt justified in that decision because, for various reasons, the team just wasn't very good. But, after the squad took Illi- nois down to the wire, I stroked my beard and said, "hmm?" After the blowout win against Minnesota, I paused and said: "Wait a sec- ond, what's going to happen when State comes to town?" As Michigan State came and lost I almost got excited. But then the cynic in me decided that every decent team protects home court and that the emotions of a rivalry game lead to fluke wins all the time. The realist in me knew that without beating Wisconsin, the then-imminent top-25 national ranking was not going to come. So when the Badgers fell to the Wolverines last Saturday, I had to finally give in and admit that this team might be for real. It seems other people have bought in as well. Crisler Arena has seen two straight sellouts, probably the first time that's happened in quite some time. There was almost as much energy in the building as the games during the mid-to-late 1990s that may or may not have officially taken place. The student section was rowdy, and the rest of the arena joined in with a little noise as well. The alternating "Go Blue" chant during oppo- nents' free throws was a particularly nice touch. Despite the renewed fan interest, Crisler Arena still has a bit of a cold atmosphere. The Maize Rage does a tremendous job of wearing maize to the arena. The rest of the crowd - not so much. I'm not looking for a completely uni- fied color scheme like the crowd at the Uni- versity of Illinois, although a 13,000-person maize-out would be impressive. Rather, I'm just looking for the elimination of white. During the game on Saturday, all the white shirts in the crowd created what seemed to me to be a cold, unimposing feeling in the gym. Speaking of the color white, the athletic department could go a long way toward killing some of the sterility in the gym by painting the inside of the tunnel and the facings of the upper seating level some color other than plain white. While I'll concede that a majority of the sense of place in an athletic venue is a direct result of fan enthusiasm, there are a couple more things that the athletic department could do to make Crisler Arena more impressive. During the Brian Ellerbe era, television viewers saw a huge shadow under the scoreboard, due to the fact that Crisler is one of the few venues I've seen where the speakers are underneath the scoreboard instead of above. Someone has apparently worked hard trying to get rid of the shadow, as it's almost gone. But almost gone means it's still slightly there. If money were no object in my renovation of Crisler, I would completely eliminate the poor attempt at a grand staircase on the East side of the arena. In its place, and in place of the grass berm on either side of it, I would build a large entrance atrium. It could hold a small team hall of fame, maybe a mini M-Den or a few more concession stands. With the concourses as narrow as they are, why wouldn't the athletic department want to increase the points of sale? Now, of course, money is definitely an object and building a new entrance would also prob- ably entail quite the structural engineering feat, but hey - let's think big. I don't know much about the bowels of the arena, but locker rooms and training facilities go a long way toward drawing recruits. And the word on the street is that, at the very least, the wrestlers' locker room is in need of a renovation. If I come off as being nit-picky or ridiculous with all of these complaints and suggestions about Crisler Arena, it's because I am nit-picky. But all of these recommendations come with good intentions. In the future I would love to be able to turn on a game, or even attend one, and be impressed by "the house that Cazzie built." I would love for viewers all across the country to be able to turn on a Michigan basketball game and be somehow impressed by the aesthetic experience. Now, I realize that the standard basketball fan isn't going to necessarily con- template how the large, white tunnel behind the North basket - and the gap that it creates - contributes to an empty, sterile feeling in the gym. But I think these things do matter - at the very least subconsciously. Does the wood trim in Cameron Indoor Stadium make the Duke University basketball experience what it is? Not really, but the wood trim is still there. Intercollegiate athletics are an incalculable asset, and having a prominent men's basketball team can go a long way in maintaining the Uni- versity's status in the nation. It would be wise for the athletic department to consider ways to make its basketball venue more respected, because with that respect will come years of positive attention. Betts can be reached at djmbetts@umich.edu. VIEWPOINT Not a Band-Aid, but healing nonetheless By LIA IZENBERG Imagine you are graduating from college. You have some choices: Go to grad school, and spend the next years of your life feverishly studying and networking with the higher-ups; or skip grad school and spend your last dollars traveling, cer- tain that something will work itself out eventually; or wait tables, perhaps volunteering part-time. Then there's Teach for America, which, despite common misconceptions such as those written in Sam Singer's Where Teach for America goes wrong (01/24/2006), remains an alternative for students who are ready and willing to bypass juicy salaries and fancy suits to take on one of the most chal- lenging opportunities they might ever face. And challenging it is, even for the most sea- soned teachers. I myself am headed to Oakland, Calif. to teach secondary English in a district that has trouble retaining any teachers at all, much less those who will work for what the district can pay them. In Oakland, I will be a welcome addition. When people hear my plans, they wince and say, "Oh, man," or something of the like. From this type of reaction, I take it I am getting ready to do something that most people wouldn't dream of doing, including education majors with four years of training or teachers that have been in the profession for many years. That doesn't make me some kind of altruist - it simply makes me someone who believes in the power of a real commitment to social justice and in Teach for America's mission. The truth is, it's my future students that are fueling my and others' commitment to TFA. We don't have visions of our students reciting Chau- cer at recess or scratching crazy geometric equa- tions onto overpasses instead of graffiti, but we do believe in students who are usually considered a lost cause. Keep in mind that while you can quantify years of teaching experience, you cannot quantify what enthusiasm and a passion for social change can do for a classroom or what a belief in every child's potential can do for their self-esteem. And isn't that the most important part of a "mean- ingful education?" Sam Singer's column seems to state otherwise. TFA may not be a quick fix, but it is not without conviction and commitment, and neither are its teachers. Am I nervous? Of course. But I sleep well know- ing that my training, which will have me teaching in Los Angeles public schools by day and work- ing on projects by night to develop my knowledge of both pedagogical methods and pertinent social issues, will have me as well-prepared as I'll ever be for what I will face. Unlike what was implied in Singer's column, my training will not be in "class- room management," and it's no "crash course." It is a tough and rigorous five weeks aimed at enhanc- ing my previous leadership experience and honing it in on teaching. I will be doing many things this fall, but one thing I definitely won't be doing is "devaluing" the profession by coming unprepared. And what I don't learn during training, you can bet I'll learn in the classroom, whether I want to or not. In fact, the principals of schools that benefit from Teach for America agree with me: 75 percent of such principals say Corps members come better prepared than traditionally certified teachers, and 95 percent say we're at least as good. In short, our students do succeed. Despite this success rate, TFA won't expect me to commit to teaching for the rest of my life. In fact, while a definite benefit, that's really not the goal of the program. The goal is an ever-expanding advo- cacy for public education, one taking place in law offices, hospitals and Congress to do what teachers in these ailing school districts, despite their hard work and dedication, haven't yet been able to do. That said, 60 percent of our alumni do stay in edu- cation. Considering only two percent come in with education training, TFA is significantly increasing the number of people in the country who choose to devote their lives to this issue. But even if the program produces great teachers, who is going reliably assess education? Who will ensure proper healthcare for low-income students? Who is going to see that teachers get a fair salary? TFA alumni will, in whatever field they choose, and this means we are one step closer to closing the achievement gap for good. So, it is time I left my high blood-alcohol con- tent in the trash. I am done being a student and I'm ready to take on real life. I am ready to do some work that won't just benefit me. I am ready to meet 150 eighth-graders who are at a critical point in their lives, and I'm ready to try and convince them that they can be more than a statistic. No, I am not saving the world, Mr. Singer, but I am going to make a difference. And while I wish that policy- makers would pay more attention to an ever-grow- ing problem, I have to do my part now. Because when the classroom doors close, it will be just my kids and me, and no one can tell us what we're doing isn't learning. Izenberg is an LSA senior. She is joining Teach for America after graduation. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Send all letters to the editor to tothedaily@michigandaily. com. Editorial Board Members: Amy Anspach, Andrew Bielak, Reggie Brown, Kevin Bunkley, Gabrielle D'Angelo, John Davis, Whitney Dibo, Milly Dick, Sara Eber, Jesse Forester, Mara Gay, Jared Goldberg, Ashwin Jagannathan, Mark Kuehn, Will Kerridge, Frank Manley, Kirsty McNamara, Rajiv Prabhakar, Matt Rose, Katherine Seid, Brian Slade, John Stiglich, Ben Tay- lor, Jessica Teng. Article defines new levels of absurdity, nonsense To THE DAILY:, Being a second-semester senior, I assumed I had seen almost all this University has to offer in terms of nonsense. For example, one day I encountered a bum walking out of had superhuman strength - enough to break away from two people holding him - but also a horrific incontinence problem. Just as an aside, what exactly did he rap about? I'm sure he is a modern-day Shakespeare. There was actually someone there fearful of retri- bution? It was a concert at East Quad, not a dinner with the Gambino crime family. For the love of God, the writer refers to someone versity (Without parental help, students pay for college, 01/24/2006). Unfortunately, this campus has a few students who must pay all of their college expenses on their own. Han- dling one's own entire college expenses is not only a financially stressful situation but can result in being overworked and frustrated at one's situation. For such students, being able to study abroad, getting an iPod or even