4 - Tuesday, January 23, 2007
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
74C fid1ligan Bja11M
Edited and managed by students at
the University of Michigan since 1890.
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EMILY BEAM
DONN M. FRESARD CHRISTOPHER ZBROZEK JEFFREY BLOOMER
EDITOR IN CHIEF EDITORIAL PAGE EDITORS - MANAGING EDITOR
Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily's editorial board. All other signed articles
and illustrations represent solely the views oftheir authors.
Price but private
Private donors foot the bill for state's new med school
"We have thought long and hard about these steps,
because we are acutely aware of their impact on
colleagues and the communities where we are located."
- Jeffrey B. Kindler, the chairman and CEO of Pfizer, speaking yesterday about the company's decision to
close its Ann Arbor research center and lay off the 2,100
employees who work there, as reported yesterday by mlive.com.
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A fter more than five years of speculation, it's official: Michi-
gan State University will soon begin construction of a new
medical school in Grand Rapids. In an uncommon approach,
however, the project will rely entirely on private funding, to the tune
of $70 million. But while the venture holds promise for Michigan's
economy, projects like this one are rare. The project underscores
serious concerns about the future of education in Michigan because
the focus of state funding remains far off the mark.
The war on common sense
The new Secchia Center, named after
former MSU alum and ambassador to
Italy Peter Secchia, is an unprecedented
achievement in how much can be done
with private donations alone. Secchia
himself will donate $20 million, Rich-
ard DeVos's Spectrum Health will drop
$35 million and the privately-owned Van
Andel Institute has pledged another $16
million for research.
The seven-story facility will be construct-
ed in downtown Grand Rapids and will
boast state-of-the-art research and teach-
ing facilities. More importantly, the project
promises to double MSU's medical school
enrollment. Starting in 2010, the Grand Rap-
ids campus will admit 100 students per year
with another 100 entering the East Lansing
campus. With demand for medical profes-
sionals on the rise and most schools hesitant
to increase enrollment, the center should
help to fulfill a pressing need.
The project will also help buoy Michigan's
staggering economy. Having a new medical
school in the area will bring intelligent and
educated people into the state. Better yet,
there is a good chance that they will choose
to stay in Michigan even after they graduate
(yes, despite the inclement weather). After
all, just under half of medical school gradu-
ates choose to practice in the state in which
they graduate. That means that a significant
number of skilled medical professionals will
choose to remain in Michigan. How can that
be bad?
Unfortunately, this success story is not
altogether common. The fact of the matter
is that Michigan does not have many more
Secchias or Van Andels to bail the state out
of its economic difficulties. These tycoons
aren't going to be around forever, and even
if they were, occasional philanthropic dona-
tions are simply not sufficient to rejuvenate
the economy or sustain a viable educational
system. Ultimately, that responsibility rests
with the state legislature. Regrettably, while
legislators have been eager to boast their
support of anew knowledge-based economy,
they have been reluctant to support higher
education with the one thing that matters -
money. In fact, when spending cuts need to
be made, public universities are all too often
the first victims.
If the politicians in Lansing are serious
about fixing the state's economic situation
and advancing higher education, they need
to support universities by providing addi-
tional funding. Expanding higher education
in the state is the best way to train the sort
of individuals who could drive a recovery of
our strugglingeconomy. While the construc-
tion of this new school holds a great deal of
promise, its reliance on private funding is a
testament to the legislature's failure.
n a recent demonstration of money
wellspent duringthe BushAdmin-
istration's tenure, agents from
the Drug Enforcement Agency raided
medicinal marijuana clinics to confis-
cate the one medicine many believed
could help them. Upholding the con-
cept of federal-
ism by granting j
supremacy to fed-
eral law over Cal-
ifornia state law,.
the DEA seized;
the contraband
in part to honor'
the federal ban of
marijuana.
Our country's
prohibition of JARED
pot began not as GOLDBERG
a concern for our
health but rather
as a reflection of early 20th century
racism. Harry Anslinger, as commis-
sioner of narcotics in the Bureau of
Narcotics, campaigned for marijuana
prohibition vehemently. The result
was a 1937 act levying a tax on mari-
juana. During the hearings on the
law when it was debated in Congress,
Anslinger let this one slip: "There are
100,000 total marijuana smokers in
the U.S., and most are Negroes, His-
panics, Filipinos and entertainers.
Their Satanic music, jazz and swing
result from marijuana use. This mari-
juana causes white women to seek
sexual relations with Negroes, enter-
tainers and any others."
Marijuana would later be grouped
with other narcotic substances like
heroin and LSD after the passage of
the Controlled Substances Act in 1970.
President Richard Nixon, in a brilliant
if not a politically evil move, used this
as another way to battle against the
anti-war protesters who were fervent-
ly pushing for an end to the Vietnam
War. In the decades that would follow,
the "war on drugs," of which marijua-
na was a major target, would cost the
American people billions. According
to the 2006 Budget Summary for the
National Drug Control Strategy, the
federal government directly spent an
estimated $12.5 billion on this war in
2005, with an astounding $734.5 mil-
lion going toward the Andean Coun-
terdrug Initiative. Additionally, in
2003, 20 percent of the population in
state prisons consisted of drug offend-
ers. The figure jumps to 55 percent for
federal prisons. It should be apparent
that our current policy is grossly mis-
directed.
In the spirit of The Michigan Dai-
ly's infamous 1967 call for an end to
marijuana prohibition, I propose two
policies. If marijuana is to remain
illegal, then we must also ban tobacco
products, alcohol, high-fructose corn
syrup and all fast food. Since cardio-
vascular and cerebrovascular dis-
eases account for almost 30 percent
of deaths worldwide, eliminating fast
food and high-fructose corn syrup
from the diet of Americans would cer-
tainly make us healthier.
Because such a policy denotes that
Americans can't be trusted to manage
their own bodies as they choose, gov-
ernment intervention into our indi-
vidual lifestyles would have to be the
answer. The concept that one set of
dangerous chemicals is bad for us while
another set is perfectly acceptable - as
long as that other set is provided by a
corporation - is hypocritical and illog-
ical. We would need to ban all nuclear
power plants and any other products
that may be carcinogenic, because
cancer is another of the big killers,
responsible for the death of 13 percent
of humans on this planet.
The other policy is simple - com-
plete legalization of all drugs, espe-
cially marijuana. The modern war in
drugs, begun by Nixon in1971 andcon-
tinued through the present adminis-
tration, must end unconditionally. We
must recognize its utter failure and
the injustice it has wrought. The so-
called drug problem would need to be
recognized as medical, not criminal.
It would therefore go without saying
that our anti-drug policies in Central
and South America have to end. Our
1987 invasionto arrest Panama's Pres-
ident Manuel Noriega - who through
much of the Reagan administration
was also on the payroll of the CIA
- exemplifies the fallacy of our pro-
hibition. The disbanding of the DEA
The war on drugs
is fought for all
the wrong reasons.
or its complete transformation from a
law enforcement agency into a health
agency would be required.
Terrorists originating from central
Asia whose main sources of fund-
ing are the production of opium and
other very harmful drugs would find
their profits seriously hindered if we
ended our war on drugs. The freedom
we purportedly wish to spread to Iraq
and other areas of the Middle East
would look much more genuine if we
were allowed the most basic freedom
to put into our bodies any substance
which we choose.
I am not advocating the use of mari-
juana or any recreational drug. The
health risks associated with such drugs
are significant. But just as we are inun-
dated with advertisements for alcohol,
tobacco as well as fatty foods, and are
still trusted to make the right choices,
the same must be true for marijuana
and other recreational drugs.
Anything else is unAmerican.
Jared Goldberg can be reached
at jaredgo@umich.edu.
JAMES DICKSON
Democracy for public schools
0I
The classic knock against politically active
college students is that we tend to support social
justice in ways that place no burden on ourselves
and that we lack connectivity with the causes
we support. The Daily's editorial board unfor-
tunately opened itself to that argument with last
Friday's editorial (From the Daily: A public con-
cern, 01/19/07), which placed the responsibility
to improving Detroit's schools on parents.
Although a supermajority of editorial board
members are Detroit suburbanites (or can afford
out-of-state tuition), their faith in the value of
grassroots political activism would straddle par-
ents with an unfair and unnecessary burden -
that of willing a blatantly corrupt school system
to perform up to a high standard and mortgaging
their children's education on a school they must
force to do its job.
For all the very American rhetoric we hear
about "choice," "free market" and the "will of the
people" - useful at times to those of every politi-
cal stripe - few speak of K-12 education in such
terms. While all of us have driven around town to
shop for the best gas price, it's never occurred to
many people - and is abhorrent to others - that
education can be thought ofinthe same way. Such
thinking, if persistent, will prove crippling forthe
educational futures of children in the state.
Raised on the value of neighborhood schools,
which for suburbanites are a reality but in major
American cities are an educational death sen-
tence, some naively hold to the notion that every
child should receive an education in his or her
own community. But what if a neighborhood
school can't provide a quality education? What if
the neighborhood school is a liability in terms of
educational and career prospects? So many peo-
ple are quick to ask "what about the schools?" Far
fewer ask "what about the kids?"
Activism is great for those who have the time
and the disposition, but most parents aren't activ-
ists, neither should they need to be to ensure
quality schools for their children. It's the job of
the state, not of parents, to educate children, and
in many places, particularly in Detroit, the state
is failing terribly.
Let's be clear on this point: It does not fall to
parents in Detroit - already paying far higher
taxes than the quality of living in the city can
justify - to entice the city's school system to be
better. Not when the district's problems are so
structural that they may warrant a state take-
over.
The editorial board is rash to bewail the loss of
$7,500 per student when Detroit parents find sub-
urban addresses without considering that maybe
underachieving schools don't deserve the money.
It's just like how we all pass by an overpriced gas
station without giving it a second thought. Most
parents don'thave time for school board meetings
or to spend campaigningfor change - they're too
busy raising children. In making the educational
great escape, Detroit parents are merely partak-
ing in a tradition time immemorial, yet uniquely
American: voting with their feet and tax dollars.
Now that's democracy for you.
James Dickson is an LSA senior, Daily
columnist and is also the former editor
in chief of The Michigan Review.
SEND LETTERS TO: TOTHEDAILY@UMICH.EDU
KATIE GARLINGHOUSE
Nostalgic activists should go great interest i
reforming textb
out and do something to explore thisc
University admi
TO THE DAILY: for the distribut
In her column last Thursday (Out from under the Student gover
'60s shadow, 01/18/2007), Whitney Dibo bemoaned the lower textbook1
"pathetic" efforts of campus groups voicing student sary resources a
opposition to the war. To be honest, I'm sick of hearing tion as studentst
about all this supposed political apathy on campus. This the search for n(
Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I marched with hundreds of professors do li
others in a rally organized by BAMN in defense of affir- know of whatv
mative action. During the march, I was approached by a is a great way tc
Daily reporter who asked me to comment on student apa- should be furthe
thy. He had to shout to be heard over the spirited slogans these solutions r
being proclaimed by students in defense of civil rights. frustrations oft
When we grow accustomed to complaining about the ductive. Get inv
impotence of our generation, we can become blind to government, tal
what is going on around us. If you want a more active this long-term s
campus, go out and start something.
Eric Li, Max N
Alex Smith Li is an LSA junior
LSA senior Nowak is an LSAs
Commission. Ruka
Textbook prices can't come down
unless students get involved Studentsr
TO THE DAILY: campus
As the Daily's editorial board acknowledged, the Cam- TO THE DAILY:
pus Issues Forum on Textbooks last week was indeed Why must the
"a formidable starting point" in tackling the issue of from its idealsa
rising textbook prices (From the Daily: Well-read but The '60s were a
broke, 01/16/2006). Bringing together University faculty went from segr
and administration as well as local business, the event insane war tha
allowed for a thorough discussion of this enormously cared about the'
complex problem. Both the Michigan Student Assembly dren. We seem t
and LSA Student Government are committed to fighting WhitneyDibe
this cause on behalf of the campus community. 01/18/2007), exj
Textbook prices depend on everyone from professors should have our
to publishers. Sometimes professors release textbook I agree. But wec
lists very late, preventing students from escaping the created and try
campus monopoly by purchasing their materials from '60s were not so
online or off-campus retailers. But local bookstores, dream go out of;
while easy to target, are also caught in a vicious cycle. ing to show you
Karl Pohrt, the owner of Shaman Drum, said that the As John Lent
store earns less than five cents on each dollar. Then to show us the p
there are the publishers who often needlessly print new all have. It wasm
editions of textbooks, forcing businesses and students the possibility."'
to buy those instead of cheaper, used editions. This has and a dream th
amounted to a massive industry, one that now has rev- that dream, we
enues upwards of $8 billion a year. Yet, to be fair, text- down inside of
books are expensive to produce - not only for the actual we must take tI
book itself but also the figures, charts and copyrighted struggle from it
information it contains. of. Now we mu:
Last term, the University created a Textbooks Task working to dotl
Force, an investigative body of both faculty and students.
This collaboration is a good start, and we must sustain Yousef Rabhi
this effort. From abusiness perspective, Pohrt expressed LSA freshman
n working with student government in
book policy. MSA and LSA-SG are ready
opportunity, in addition to working with
inistration to finally set sound guidelines
ion of course materials.
rnment is ready to spearhead the fight to
prices. MSA and LSA-SG have the neces-
and contacts, but we need your participa-
to lobby the administration and faculty in
ew solutions. As articulated at the forum,
isten to their students but don't always
we want. For instance, ctools.umich.edu
o post course materials and this practice
r encouraged. The pressure to implement
must come from us students. Funnel your
high textbook prices into something pro-
volved. We encourage you to join student
k to your representatives and help us in
truggle to lower textbook prices.
owak, Lisa Rukavina
and chair ofMSA's Budget Priorities Committee.
sophomore and chair of MSA's Academic Affairs
vina is an LSA senior and a member ofLSA-SG.
ust be activefor
ctivist groups to thrive
o '60s era bea shadow? Why must we flee
as if it were a fad that faded into disuse?
period of dreams and action. The nation
regation to integration. They ended an
t was fought for insane reasons. People
world that they would leave to their chil-
to take their gift for granted.
o's column(Outfromunder the'60sshadow,
pressed a clear feeling that our generation
own unique movement for social change.
can't just trash what previous generations
to build something completely new. The
'me fad that can just go out of style. Cana
style? Peter, Paul and Mary were just try-
that beautiful energy isstill alive.
non once said: "The thing the'60s did was
ossibilities and the responsibility that we
n't the answer. It just gave us a glimpse of
They created an energy of peace and love
at a better world is possible. We too have
too have that energy, somewhere deep
all of us, inherited from that time. Now
hat energy - that dream - and mold our
. The'60s showed us what we are capable
St go and do it. Anti-war Action has been
his, but we need your help.
0i
01