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March 23, 2006 - Image 13

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SOLE and the Coke campaign, is new to
the activist scene: "There are some people
in SOLE who talk about how they've been
going to union protests since they were
five. I haven't done that sort of thing." Yet
she became aware of social justice issues
at home, listening to her parents. "My
mom is from Warren. Her dad worked in
a nonunion factory," she said "My dad ...
is a Jewish attorney who went to school
here." As a result, she continued, "It's
interesting to hear them discuss things ...
there's always been so much discussion
in my house. Dinner tables were always
really intense. So it's always been a lot of
energy and awareness."
Clara Hardie's parents also raised her
to be socially aware. "My parents were
always writing letters to the editor of the
local paper and going to school board
meetings," she wrote in an e-mail. "They
took me and my sisters on medical mis-
sions to Belize and Haiti. My mom and
dad were probably a bigger influence on
me than I thought:"
But for a long time, she iust didn't fit

in; growing up in Michigan's conservative
Upper Peninsula, she found herself politi-
cally isolated. When she finally came to
Ann Arbor, though, she found her place.
She explained how, for the first time, she
had friends who appreciated Amnesty
International, friends she could "tell how
I felt without them thinking I was dra-
matic or crazy." It was only then that she
began to see herself as an activist: "Being
in this new supportive environment really
allowed me to become more ambitious
in what I thought could be accomplished
through action and raising awareness."
An engineering junior, Saamir Rah-
man has a completely different story. He
traces his interest in social justice issues
back to his high school, St. John's Jesuit in
Toledo, Ohio. Recounting his experience,
Rahman said: "There was a definite social
justice focus in the high school itself,
because Jesuits are usually social justice
advocates themselves." He says the tale of
Oscar Romero, the Catholic Archbishop
of El Salvador who was assassinated in
1980 while ffihtini for the noor and to

MIKE HULSEBUS/Daily

Ryan Bates leads a protest against Coca-Cola.

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end a bloody civil war, was particularly
important to his education.
Unlike most University students, Rah-
man had the opportunity to explore social
activism while still in high school. "We
had a 'Sanctions Day' when we shut down
all the vending machines in our cafeteria'
he told me. "All the students were like 'Oh
my God!' We had to explain the parallel to
them." It was that hands-on experience, he
says, that convinced him to pursue social
justice activism in college. "It just showed
me the power of doing something pretty
cool, really fun and really innovative to
shock people into awareness of how it is
on the other side"
...With A Shared Ethos
hen all of us first
arrived at the
University, we
were greeted
with a bewilder-
ing array of clubs,
activities and
interest groups. In time, we found our
niches - we found what makes our time at
the University meaningful. In a way, the
social justice activists have created their
own niche, centered on organizations
like SOLE and defined by a certain set
of values and beliefs. What really unites
the social justice community - what has
brought its members to the same table, to
many of the same issues - is a common
sense of purpose.
That common purpose, contrary to
popular belief, is not the overthrow of
global capitalism. Instead, student activ-
ists feel their purpose is to use student
power to correct situations in which they
see the free market failing: sweatshops,
third-world agriculture, developing indus-
tries. "I think that the market has shown,
again and again ... that it does come out
with beneficial scenarios, that it does
help most people," Brandvain admits,
but "sometimes it doesn't; sometimes it
leaves people screwed, and that if you left
it to markets, these people would just keep
getting screwed. In those cases, there is a
responsibility for intervention"
In many ways, the argument isn't
against markets - it's against "market
efficiency" as the ultimate goal. Sweat-
shops, their defenders argue, are alright
because sweatshop pay is what the mar-
ket will bear; not only is it above subsis-
tence, it's good enough to keep attracting
new workers. Social and economic justice
advocates maintain a higher standard is
needed.
Ryan Bates, a SOLE senior who has
worked against sweatshops, explains this
well: "No sweatshop activist you will ever
talk to will tell you those women in Ban-
gladesh shouldn't have jobs. No one's going
to ever say that to you because, for a whole
number of reasons, they desperately need
the jobs. And the wages in the factories are
just a little bit higher than subsistence agri-
culture ... so no one says it's bad for the fac-
tory to be in Bangladesh. What they say is
that just because those people need the job
doesn't mean you should be able to sexu-
ally harass women on the job floor, doesn't
mean you should be able to rape people,
doesn't mean you should be able to time
how long they're in the bathroom, doesn't
mean you should be able to beat them with
a shoe, doesn't mean you should prevent
them from forming a union, doesn't mean
you should shoot people for standing up for
their rights. Giving people a wage slightly
higher than subsistence doesn't entitle you
to do whatever you want to do to them.

I N MY OWN WORDS
Leading the Maize and Blue
Band member shares his gameday experience
By Dennis Lee / Marching Band Drum Major

or the past 2 years, I have had the
14i honor oif serving as drum major of
the Michigan Marching Band. It
has been, without a doubt, the most amaz-
ing and humbling experience of my col-
lege WTe. From the doing the back-bend
to the roar of the crowd, catching the goal
post toss, or strutting down the field to
"The Victors," I have memories that will
stay with me long after I have graduated.
Even now, I find it hard to believe that I've
been part of such a storied tradition.
I always love hearing non-band mem-
bers say, "I love the band", or "I get
tingles every time they explode out of
the tunnel," because this is exactly what
fuels the band. I'm not talking about
the comments themselves. I'm referring
to the feeling that is behind these com-
ments. I'm talking about that intensity, or
that overpowering emotion, that feeling
of pride in Michigan, in everything that
"The Victors" represents ... this is what
fuels the Michigan Marching Band.
Most of us have seen a band performance.
But to really understand what it's like, you
need to imagine yourself as a member ...
It's a hot and sunny September Satur-

day. Say, high 70s. You are standing at
attention outside the mouth of the sta-
dium tunnel, clad in a thick, navy-blue,
wool uniform that covers everything
from neck to toe. You've got on a tall
hat, so any heat that escapes your head
is directed right back at you. It's hot, it's
sticky, and you can feel your uniform
getting heavier as you start sweating. At
this point, you load the tunnel. It's rather
dark, and an orange light basks every-
body in a strange glow. This is when the
adrenaline starts pumping. Every band
member is stretching, jumping up and
down, staying loose. High fives, chest
bumps, push-ups - any "pump-up" ritu-
al you can think of is done by the Michi-
gan Marching Band in that tunnel before
pregame. And then we get the two-min-
ute warning. Now, everybody is focused.
Some yell, others remain quiet. Either
way, it's electric, it's intense - you're
ready to go. And then it starts ...
"Ladies and Gentlemen," (you can feel
the anticipation of the crowd grow), "Pre-
senting the 235-member Michigan March-
ing Band ... Baaaand, take the field!" and
as soon as you hear the report of the snare

drum, you're a machine. You have no
thought process. Your sole purpose is to
be the most intense and precise marcher.
In an explosion of maize and blue, you
storm the field, knees above 90 degrees,
arms up, yelling, radiating every ounce of
energy you can. And as you emerge from
the tunnel onto the field, the world literally
opens up before you and you lose yourself
to the moment. The green turf, the sun lit
crowd and that sky - so blue and pure -
you lose yourself. And the best part is, you
have more than 235 other people feeling
the exact same way; ready to pour their
heart and soul into the performance, and
leave every drop of sweat on the field.
So at this point, the band has folded
out into the famous "Block M" forma-
tion. You're standing still, but you're out of
breath, gasping for air because for the past
couple minutes, you've sprinted across the
field while keeping your knees above your
waist. You can't rest now, because you have
to play your instrument, spin your flag, or
twirl your baton for "M Fanfare." Regard-
less of what you're doing, your energy is
fading fast. Finally, the song ends. But
instead of a break, you go right into "The
Victors". And you better use all your ener-
gy to play this song loud, proudand in tune
because everybody knows this one. While
doing this, you're high-stepping toward
the north endzone. Once you get there,
you don't stop, you flank to face the south
endzone and keep going all the way down
the field. At this point, your legs are lead,
your lungs are burning and maybe that hot
dog from the tailgate wasn't such a good
idea. But you can't stop. Alright, good job,
you're halfway done with pregame.
It doesn't matter how tired you are,
because you love every second of it. You
love being a part of the band. You love the
football team. You love Michigan. You
are a part of that Michigan tradition.
Once pregame is done, you're drenched
in sweat, and wearily make your way back
to where the band sits. You're drained, but
you still manage to notice how your perfor-
mance has affected the crowd. You see the
fire in the alumni's eyes, the smile of the lit-
tle kids, the cheers of your friends in the first
row, or the subtle nod of approval from the
event staffer in the yellow vest, and you're
reminded again of why this has meant so
much to you for the past four years.

Lee leaps through the air at Elbel Field,

Lee has become known for his dexterous moves.

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88 - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, March 23, 2006

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