4 - Friday, January 19, 2007 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com 6 Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 413 E. Huron St. Ann Arbor, MI 48104 tothedaily@umich.edu DONN M. FRESARD EDITOR IN CHIEF EMILY BEAM CHRISTOPHER ZBROZEK EDITORIAL PAGE EDITORS JEFFREY BLOOMER MANAGING EDITOR Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily's editorial board. All other signed articles and illustrations representsolely the views of their authors. A public concern Citizen activism vital in future of Detroit schools A s an increasing number of parents in the Detroit Public School system direct their children to schools just out- side district lines, the battle between individual pragma- tism and broad idealism threatens to further derail the city's public schools. With each student who leaves Detroit schools, the district loses $7,500. And with an exodus of almost 15,000 students from the district this fall, the district stands to suffer quantitative losses - only worsening its already distressing financial situation. Show us all that you have become a caring, productive member of society ... I know you can do it. Do it." - Oakland County probate judge EUGENE MOORE at the final status hearing for Nathaniel Abraham, who at age 1T was the first person in Michigan to be prosecuted as an adult for murder, as reported yesterday by mlive.com. Abraham was released yesterday, a day before his 21st birthday. RYAN JABER WANT TOJOIN \ DAILY OPINION? COME TO OUR MASS -. MEETING SUNDAY AT 730 P.M. AT 413 E. HURON.-, ALL THE COOL KIDS{5w WILL BE THERE. PROMISE. The land of mi+ssed opportunity Parents' desires to secure the best edu- cation possible for their children often come to a head when dealing with failing school districts. Children become both the direct victims of declining schools and Detroit taxpayers' strategic chess pieces. The moral compromise made by hopeful parents wanting their children - and tax dollars - to remain in the Detroit Public School district is often substantial. It is not sensible to ask that all parents in the district sacrifice their children's futures for a cause that requires time to show results. But progress will remain unthinkable with such a mass exodus of students. Answers are difficult to come by in a system so deeply mired in mismanage- ment and corruption, but district residents hold the key to improving schools: It will take time and the election of competent, visionary officials. Financial loses of this magnitude crip- ple the district's efforts to attract new students and cast a shadow over any hope for improvement in academic programs for the students that remain. Last week, Detroit Public Schools unveiled a plan to close 52 schools - including a number of high-performing and magnet schools with crowded waiting lists - in a last-ditch effort to make up for funding that district constituents no longer provide. With more than a third of the city's chil- dren attending schools outside the district, Detroit residents must address the crisis in civil responsibility that the district's con- tinued downward spiral heralds. voters must demand increased transparency and administrative oversight. They must base their voting decisions on how well current leaders respond to their demands. No team of administrators, parents or teachers can be blamed for the decay of Detroit schools; the process has been characterized by a long and tragic his- tory of struggling with a shrinking tax pool. While the district's decline has been further pockmarked by the incidence of corruption, assigning blame is hardly a worthy priority. Even those parents who decide to educate their children outside of the city school system must continue to strive to make the city schools better so that future generations don't also have to commute beyond city limits for a decent education. As the district stands now, responsible parenting may dictate driving children to other districts, but parents and residents must remain interested in and passionate about their city for things to ever improve. We know voters can be excited into action and that there have been overhauls of the school board in the past. While those attempts failed, they were for the most part commendable, and residents cannot be afraid to repeat them again. Change will come slowly and may take hold only after several false starts, but the sooner we begin, the better. it's interesting to note the dichot- omy between the perceptions different groups have of Ameri- ca. People living in Asia perceive this country as a magical land of opportu- nity, where if you're willing to work hard untold riches can be made. Those living here, though, see a country strug- gling with the same old prob- lems of poverty as they try to make ends meet, feed their fami- lies and put a - roof over their heads. Elsewhere RAJIV in the world, peo- p KR ple line up at U.S. B embassies every- day to plead for the opportunity to live and work here, but people living here rarely express appreciation for the economic opportunities afforded to them simply by their birth. If you were to have conversations with just a few Americans, you would think that this country - despite having the largest economy and the best higher education system in the world - is no different from any other developed country. So why do poverty cycles still plague this land of oppor- tunity? Even taking into account the impact of economic policy, there is really no reason for the continued existence of poverty cycles in a country with such a strong economy and social mobility. On paper, pulling yourself out of the slums isn't that hard. You simply have to go to school, do your homework, take up a part-time job, go to a decent college and pick your major wisely. There you have it. You are now be a 22-year-old college graduate with employable skills. Yes, this path is arduous and tiring, especially if you're from an under- privileged background. But it's still a cinch compared to other countries, where schooling is extremely expen- sive, financial aid andscholarships are hard to come by, and college admis- sions are so fierce that high school students need to burn the midnight oil every night. The problem here is with people not making use of the opportunities given to them. The kids who grow up in slums and most direly need to lift themselves out of poverty are sadly also the most likely to neglect school and waste their youth. A few years ago, when I was vol- unteering at Ann Arbor's Pioneer High School, I met a girl who couldn't grasp even the basic principles of math and showed no interest at all in trying. When I asked her what she wanted to do when she grew up, she coolly replied that she was going to be a dancer. I laughed, thinking that she was joking; I had never met anyone who had no plans of going to college and who intended to put all her eggs into one fragile basket. It was only a few seconds later that I realized she was dead serious. As time went on, I realized that this was the mindset shared by a number of kids living in poverty. Everyone wants to be the next Eminem or LeB- ron James, and why not? American pop culture deifies singers, actors and athletes more than it does doctors, engineers and scientists. When was the last time you heard the rags-to- riches story of someone who rose out of the slums to become a math profes- sor? Unfortunately, out of the millions of teenagers out there, only a handful can ever hope to secure a glamorous and well-paying job in the entertain- ment industry. Unless all the others focus on their education and develop employableskills, theywillbe doomed to perpetuate the cycle of poverty. It is easy then to simply lay the responsibility on the shoulders of those in poverty themselves, but you can hardly blame an adolescent for not knowing how to best lead his life. Chances are they grew up in fami- lies where studying is seen more as a social stigma than as a pathway to success. The responsibility of ensur- ing the well-being of these youths falls on the mantle of the education system. A change of focus is in order for America's students. JOHN OQUIST I HEY,THE BULLETISFA CSCITISTS SOI? AREN'T Y UWORRIED?$ O THEY'RE JUST LIKE THE WEIRDO WITH MOVED THE DOOMSDAY CLOCK TO ONLY ' EALLS A LOCK, ITS THE SIGN THAT SAYS "THE END IS NEAR' 5 MIUS TO T5MIDN ATIII' O ELYACOKI' H EP RIGTO TALK TO MIIBY A VISUAL REPRESENTATION OF HOW TH EsONVENENCE STORt A SPECIFIC GROUP OF SCFIENTISTS s0.? FEELS ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY SORT OF, BUT IT'S SLIGHTLY OF NUCLEWA wR MORE HORRIFYlNG SINCE THEY HAVE YEARS OF EXPERTISE Cc AND DON'T REEK OF LIQUOR. Starting from as early as grade school, there needs to be a much greater emphasis on instilling values and virtues like work ethic neces- sary to succeed in nearly every career. Charter schools have achieved great success by focusing extensively on developing such character traits. Stu- dents need to be taught that their best bet for financial success comes from college and a good education - not the NFL or Hollywood. Teachers must promote better role models like famous lawyers, doctors, scientists and businessmen who pulled them- selves up out of poverty. In this land of opportunity, poverty cycles are caused not by the lack of opportunities but by people not know- ing how to take advantage of them. Rajiv Prabhakar can be reached at rajivp@umich.edu. 4 SEND LETTERS TO: TOTHEDAILY@UMICH.EDU '60s activism should be a to all parts of campus, 01/18/2007) lamenting that diversity of sports teams is treated differently role model, not a specter than the diversity of intellectual thoughts and experiences. Ironically, in her example she only TO THE DAILY: measured diversity by race, clearly failing to rec- Whitney Dibo's heart is in the right place (Out ognize that sports teams are diverse. Following from under the '60s shadow, 01/18/2007). That she her logic, a sports recruiter only looks at talent, - like many other students - is grappling with but in reality, a recruiter looks at a combination questions about the form and utility of a student of talent, drive and potential, among other things. movement. A broader political coalition oppos- The University has never admitted a student solely ing the war in Iraq is an important thing, but her upon race and gender but through a combination dramatically oversimplified and misunderstood of characteristics. characterization of the new Left and the student Contrary to Valenti's view, race and gender movement of the 1960s and 1970s obscures the les- change thoughts, experiences and talents. It's sad sons we can take from them. that she has only learned about diversity from The hippies and disaffected children of privi- "friends who went to private schools, had differ- lege weren't the ones who grew up, forgot their ent religious backgrounds or grew up in different values and elected Ronald Reagan. The working states." I learned about diversity at the University, class rejected the Democratic party after recession where I learned from my friends, including those and stagflation. Along with members of the middle who went to non-traditional or foreign schools or class who espoused individualism rather than col- grew up not only in different states but in different lective welfare, it crossed over to the Republican parts of the world. party. I suggest everyone attend a museum showing of The most significant student organization of "Boxes and Walls" from Jan. 22 to 28. Those who the 1960s, Students for a Democratic Society, was think they are diverse may experience a new preju- founded in Ann Arbor by a student at the Univer- dice and discrimination first-hand and learn some- sity. Over the course of the decade, members of thing new about the social identity of minorities. the new Left movement promoted civil rights in1 the South, worked in urban ghettoes in the North, Edward Santos successfully opposed and obstructed war research LSA senior here at the University as well as around the coun- try and promoted economic and racial equality on a number of fronts, including a massive rent strike Wal-Vart is bad for small in Ann Arbor in 1969. Rather than trying to shake their legacy, we should emulate their enduring businesses; bring in Target values and learn from their mistakes. Thousands of lives could depend on it. TO THE DAILY: the ones where it didn't let anyone work full-time (not even managers) so it wouldn't have to pay overtime. And how about the discriminatory hir- ing practices? By the way, Target sells higher-quality products and organizes volunteer work in the community, whereas Wal-Mart screws over employees and destroys communities. The Federal Deposit Insur- ance Corporation would do well to deny Wal-Mart its own bank. Brendan Kretzschmar LSAjunior Students entitlement on display in theft of plastic-ware TO THE DAILY: Waiting for my order at Beanster's cafe in the League yesterday, I observed some fascinating behavior. A young woman, getting her plastic- ware, grabbed a large bundle of spoons and forks, so large that some of them fell from her grasp. My first thought was how nice it was of her to get plastic-ware for the rest of her party. Her friend uttered a remark hinting at disdain, to which the young woman answered, "I don't care, I'm pay- ing 40 grand here." I was not aware that Univer- sity tuition included utensils from local eateries. Watch out local restaurants, entitlement is alive and well here on campus. HarrietKozyn AnnArbor Textbook prices are not as bad as tuition and student fees TO THE DAILY: The Daily's recent editorial (Well Read butBroke, 01/17/2007) failed to provide an accurate under- standing of the changing nature of today's college textbooks. Publishers are sympathetic to students' concerns about the cost of textbooks and offer a range of options from which faculty can choose for their courses. For example, there are 216 intro- ductory psychology titles currently on sale in col- lege bookstores around the country at retail prices ranging from $23.44 to $120.54. These alterna- tives - in addition to a new and expanding range of technologies - are helping more students pass their courses, stay in school and graduate sooner, saving them time and money while improving their success rates. In fact, textbook prices, which account for less than 5 percent of the core higher education expenses for the average four-year stu- dent, are not rising as fast as other higher educa- tion costs, like tuition and student fees. According to Student Monitor, a student research service, the average college student spent $644 on textbooks during the 2005-2006 academ- ic year, a cost that has remained generally steady for the past three years. As the cost of higher edu- cation escalates, America's publishers are helping students get the most out of their tuition dollars by responding to changing needs. Contrary to the perception created by the editorial, today's col- lege textbooks may be among the best long-term investments a student can make. Stacy Scarazzo Skelly The letter writer is an assistantdirectorfor the Higher Edu- cation Association ofAmerican Publishers Letters Policy All readers are encouraged to submit letters to the editor. Please include the writer's name, college and class standing or other University affiliation. Letters should be no longer than 300 words. The Michigan Daily reserves the right to edit for length, clarity and accuracy, and all submissions become property of the Daily. Letters will be printed according to timeliness, order received and the amount of space available. Send letters totothedaily@umich.edu. Editors can be reached at editpage.editors@umich.edu. 6 I Dale Winling Rackhamn Diversity on playing field poor analogy for diversity in class TO THE DAILY: I am appalled by Sabrina Valenti's letter to the editor (Diversity at the University should extend Once again I find it necessary to rebuke one of John Stiglich's outlandish claims. In his column this week (The Bank of Wal-Mart, 01/17/2007), he claims Wal-Mart is an American success story. Correction: Wal-Mart crushes American success stories. Itputs even the most successful local stores out of business through abusive pricing schemes and forces the population of backwoods Arkansas to purchase generic low-quality products. So what about those ground breaking business methods Wal-Mart came up with? You must mean -