w .0 0 0W 0 0pw I . TeMchgn" enedyONvmer 20 Wednesday, November 15, 2006 - The Michigan Daily SB Progress for the fallen giants ZACK MEISNER/Daily Many students of the same background decide to live together. Perhaps the American automak- ers have taken a lesson from their Japanese counterparts. Just a few days after Fox News host Neil Cavuto made headlines in Detroit newspapers for his opti- mism regarding the future of the American automakers, several top executives from the Big Three took an important step in righting the ship yesterday. The chief executives from Ford, General Motors and Daimler Chrysler met with President Bush in the oval office, discussing some of the issues that are most pressing for the automakers. This meeting was a rare display of the foresight that the Ameri- can manufacturers so often lack - the same foresight gave Toyota and other foreign automakers the competitive advantage that they have eagerly taken advantage of in recent years. It should be undisputed that gas prices and climate change have necessitated improved fuel efficiency and the use of alterna- tive fuels. As the realization that changes in efficiency were neces- sary spread across the nation, the Japanese automakers were abli o seize the moment. They became the first to perfect hybrid technologies and to produce trendy vehicles like the Toyota Prius, which consumers are still lining up to buy. This was just one example of how foresight has led to Toyota's recent success. Having seen the need for changing manufacturing processes and technologies, Toyota and its Asian counterparts were able to streamline their production cycles, allowing them to develop these new technologies quicker than the Big Three, one of many reasons that the Motor City has been drowning. Consideringthis, one of the more compelling topics addressed by the president and his guests was energy policy and how the industry might be affected by changes in the com- ing years. The fears of potentially debilitating legislation have been magnified by last week's elections, as many congressional Democrats, backed by environmental groups like the Sierra Club, have recently supported an increase in corporate average fuel economy for SUVs and pickup trucks. Simply raising CAFE standards would not achieve its goal effi- ciently. Using conventional tech- nologies to achieve a more efficient output is an expensive proposition, making the discourse between the executives of the industry and the nation, which focused on promot- ing alternative fuels, particularly intriguing. The proposition for alterna- tive legislation centered around an agreement from last summer, where the automakers agreed to double the production of flexible fuelvehiclesbycthe year2010. These vehicles, which can run on biofuels like ethanol, have become increas- ingly popular among consumers. But these vehicles remain tough to fuel because ethanol pumps have yet to pervade traditional filling stations. Having shown their willing- ness to develop these vehicles and knowing that the sale of flexible fuel alternatives could help them regain some of their lost market share, the American executives encouraged the president to sup- port policies that would aid the industry as it tries to pull its head back above the water. The resultof a bill that was signed into law simply raising CAFE stan- dards would be that the automakers would be forced to pay fines for not meeting the given level. Rather than havingthe desired effect of creating a disincentive for not meeting the standard, the new standard would likely justserve as an obstacle on the way to new technologies. Instead, Washington should take advantage of the Big Three's excitement regarding the develop- ment of flexible and alternative fuel technologies. The policies support- ed by the industry executives were surprisingly aggressive, and this readiness to submit to lofty goals displays a confidence that these industry leaders have been lack- ing in recent years. According to The Detroit News, General Motors chief Rick Wagoner even went as far as to say that the proper incen- tives could drive the manufactur- ers to make biofuel vehicles half of their total productiono by 2010. Finally, the American automakers have found something they believe they can compete in, and with the right congressional encouragement, the Americans have a chance to cor- ner a market much like the Japanese have with hybrids. Instead of supporting disincen- other. But that certainly tends not to be the case. It's not just a problem at Michigan, though. The problem is nationwide." Self-segregation can be seen every day on the Diag, at campus parties and in dorm cafeterias. Some say students' backgrounds influence who they choose to spend the most time with once they start college. "I think a lot of it has to do with the person's upbringing," said LSA sophomore Kate Mul- rooney, who is white. "When I was brought up, I was around a lot of different races. But if you are a white student (who) hasn't had a lot of interaction with minorities before, it could be more difficult." Many students do come from largely segregated areas, where they have had little contact with peo- ple of other races. A significant portion of the Uni- versity's black students come from Detroit, where 83 percent of the population is black, making it the most segregated major city in America. "If one looks at the challenge and why we have this problem, they'll find that it's because of the way society is structured," Bowman said. "It shouldn't be a surprise - when students of different races come to Michigan, they don't integrate well. The number of integrated high schools pales in com- parison to the number of completely segregated high schools." Although taking courses on race and ethnicity may not be of pressing importance to some, many feel education on the issue is just as necessary as classes in other subjects, if not more so. John Matlock, the University's associate vice provost and director of the office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives, feels that gaining knowl- edge about other people's different backgrounds is a type of education that is often overlooked but yet Many students do come from largely segregated areas, where they have had little contact with people of other races. very important. "To me, the best way to solve the diversity prob- lem is to create opportunities for students to learn about each other," Matlock said. "That opportunity has to be there in order to make progress." THE SCHOOL'S EFFORT According to Bowman, Michigan is creating more opportunities for people of different eth- nic backgrounds to talk to each other than most institutions. He said that the school offers Inter- group Relations courses in sociology and psychol- ogy. The classes generally are made up of about 20 people, all of different races, who meet to discuss racial, ethnic and gender issues for two hours a week. The courses take place in various residence halls in order to help students relax and interact with people of different races outside the class- room. The Intergroup Relations program, which was started by LSA Prof. Patricia Gurin, has been large- ly successful, Bowman says. With Gurin's help, 17 other universities across the nation have started similar programs in hopes of duplicating what Michigan started. Bowman added that programs such as the Mich- igan Community Scholars Program in Couzens Hall focus on having dialogue between different ethnic groups about various racial issues. "The goal is not just for students (of different races) to interact with each other, but to get stu- dents to interact with each other around difficult conversation," Bowman said. "We want students engaging each other outside of classroom set- tings." Most of the University's residence halls have multicultural lounges, where students take part in events geared toward creating interaction between people of different races. LSA sophomore Samantha Pabich said when she lived in Fletcher Hall last year, the 75-per- son South Campus dorm held numerous events Auto Industry executives leave the White House after a meeting with President Bush yesterday. tives that won't have the desired effect, Congress could have an impact on the revival of the indus- try by creating incentives and sub- sidies for the development of these new technologies. Everyone understands that the industry and these companies are in trouble. Everyone knows that the gas prices are a problem for consumers. And everyone knows that the environment is in trouble. So now that we have a solution that would encourage new growth in the auto sector, new growth of biofuel agriculture in the heartland and a chance to save or create thou- sands of jobs, why would we throw it away for the immediate gratifica- tion of interest groups? APBPHOTO BELOW: The Toyota Prius is an example of a vehicle that has given Japanese automakers a competitive advantage in recent years.