4 - Tuesday, March 13, 2007 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 413 E. Huron Sc. , "Ann Arbor, MI 48104 tothedaily@umich.edu KARL STAMPFL IMRAN SYED JEFFREY BLOOMER EDITOR IN CHIEF EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR MANAGING EDITOR Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily's editorial board. All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors. Outreaching expectations 'U' must dig deeper into pool of potential applicants D espite the continuing fear that the recent affirmative action ban will hurt campus diversity, there have been some hope- fulsigns in theUniversity's fight to protect diversity.A stron- ger outreach program has contributed to the 5-percent increase in minority applications from this time last year. However, until the University has its real test next year with a full year under Proposal 2's restrictions, outreach programs need to continue to expand and be creative if they hope to overcome the negativity generated by the debate surrounding University admissions. Why shouldn't the black community ask questions? Are we now being told, 'You all just shut up?"' - Rev. Al Sharpton responding to comments that he is trying to hurt the campaign of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, as reported yesterday by CBS. SAM BUTLER | E A lie.eo~ dh . -' Tti This cartoon arngsally appeared is the Jan.25,2004 edition of The Miehigan~ooiy. 6 6 Since the affirmative action ban passed, the University has come under fire from both sides of the political spectrum for its diversity policy. Supporters of Proposal 2 attacked the University's admissions pro- cess as illegal under the new amendment, forcing an immediate change in admissions policy. On the other side, BAMN filed a law- suit trying to force the University to contin- ue its affirmative action policy despite the new state law. High school students who pay limited attention to the news rarely get the full story and are likely to be disturbed by see- ing the University attacked. All this would be expected to have a negative effect on minority applicants. Following the Univer- sity's Supreme Court battle in 2003, there was a 28 percent drop in black applicants. Most expected this to happen again. These dark predictions have not hap- pened yet - but this stasis is temporary. Instead, the University seems to have found a grassroots formula that transcends the negative portrayals in the media: simple, individual outreach. It's time to move for- ward with that policy. As of now, the University's outreach pro- gram is primarily targeted atupperclass high school students in underrepresented areas. However, the University often gets to these students too late. While wealthier school dis- tricts in the state are able to provide advis- ing from the beginning to ensure students understand the requirements to get admit- ted to the University, low-income districts are not so fortunate. By simply expanding the efforts already in place for juniors and seniors to include freshmen, sophomores and perhaps even younger students, the Uni- versity can begin preparing students to be admitted, not simply inform them about the application process. The University wants a more diverse body; it has the chance to liter- ally build that one student at a time. Outreach programs must also move beyond students to include reference groups that students turn to when they need to make difficult college decisions, like teach- ers and parents. Not only are these groups important for changing the image of the University's commitment to diversity, they also provide the pressure that pushes stu- dents to prepare for college. These efforts should not be exclusive to just the University administration; students can have an impact on how high school stu- dents perceive our campus culture. In the past, the University has e-mailed students asking them to participate in recruiting events in their hometowns over the sum- mer. We hope these events continue, and students must seize these opportunities to share the positive experiences they have had at the University. The University should be commended for its actions in securing diversity thus far, but it should never become complacent. Bulimia is our own fault a SEND LETTERS TO: TOTHEDAILY@UMICH.EDU We know there is a health care crisis in America. From sky rocketing obesity rates to national health care policy, the issue is known as the "third rail" of American politics because it's so controversial. More than 45 _ million Americans live without health insurance. It was discoveredlast week that at Walter Reed, our nation's state- of-the-art military hospital, veterans - are living in mold- MARA filled rooms where GAY rats abound, among more than a few other problems. It's obvious thathealth care-related issues warrant attention. But we're college students. It's dif- ficult to get outraged about a situation that seems so far removed from our lives. Well-fed, well-sexed and barely into our 20s, we feel health is a topic to be explored by a more geriatric-like age group. There always seems to be a sexier issue to organize around. At least that is how I used to feel. Then three of my friends landed in the hospital, all in the month of February. Very quickly I realized that whatever sense of invincibility I had previously associated with my youth was a farce. First my friend Robyn ate half ajar of Peter Pan peanut butter, unaware that it was part of a bad batch infected with Salmonella bacteria. A few days later, word came that a high school friend of mine studying abroad in Spain had con- tracted bacterial meningitis and was in acoma. And toround off the month, my roommate had a serious bout of appen- dicitis. The experience was made far scarier by the fact that she unknowing- ly walked around with a burst appendix for two days after University Health Services misdiagnosed her symptoms as "stomach flu" and sent her home as a walkingtime bomb. Thankfully, such freak incidents are rare. While most of us will never Catch an Illegal Immigrant Day. But have to experience a meningitis- when it comes to the health of the induced coma or poisoning by peanut student body - our own and that of butter, many of us put our health at our friends - we have little to say, at risk every day. least collectively. Alcoholism and drug The combination of drugs, sex and addiction are not characteristics we rock'n'roll, infamous among parents like to associate with a wealthy and and social conservatives everywhere, elite student body, and yet their pres- are a part of college life for many. But ence on this campus is very real. We while I have no interest in indulging speak in hushed tones about these the moral police, I will admit that I afflictions and the peers they harm. sometimes wonder: How much drink- But these issues should be talked about ing is too much? And if this kind of openly because they are not always iso- drinking was going on outside of the lated incidents of students gone off the college campus or the 18-to-25 age deep end. They are often symptoms of range, would it be considered (gasp) a University community that is not as alcoholism? healthy as it should be. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, it would. Binge drinking is defined as Health care issues consuming five drinks in a row for men and four for women within a two-hour are ngnored on period. This definition makes even your average game of beer pong a flir- College campuses. tation with alcoholism. Eating disorders and depression also plague college campuses. Accord- Technically speaking your room- ing to the National Institute of Health, mate's bulimia is all in her head. But about 10 percent of college women are do we really believe her condition has bulimic. And a 2004 American College developed independent of a community Health Association survey found that in which college women can be found almost half of college students have in mini-skirts and stilettos in the dead reported some form of depression. of a Michigan winter? It might very These statistics should come as no wellbe, for example, that the wealth in surprise to University students - we the University's Greek community has already know we have a problem. created a special market for cocaine Almost everyone has that one friend among college students. Or that the who goes to the bar a little too often or general unease with which the black who doesn't ever seem to eat enough. community regards mental health may We don't need statistics to tell us that put that group of University students at cocaine has returned to college cam- higher risk for depression. But instead puses with a vengeance. And just last of trying to offer a social context to year, two students at our university these issues we have chosen to treat committed suicide, jumping to their breakdowns inhealth amongiour peers deaths off of the same parking struc- as solely of the individual. ture less than two months apart. Strangely, in the face of its own None of this, though,,seems to instill health crisis, one of the most vocal a sense of urgency or alarm in the stu- groups of college students in the coun- dent body. try has remained altogether silent. Odd - this campus is filled with activism and protests of almost every Mara Gay can be reached kind, from anti-Coke coalitions to at maracl@umich.edu. To freeloading students: Since when is stealing OK? TO THE DAILY: Regarding Paul Tassi's B-Side article (File- sharing blues, 03/08/07), I have to disagree that everyone pirates music. His attitude of "why the hell am I going to stop and pay an outrageous price for something I barely want in the first place?" as opposed to just stealing it is extremely naive. I don't mean to defend the RIAA - their shock and awe tactics are reprehensible and their statistics on the effects of piracy are known to be overinflated. But regardless of the situation, when did stealing become ethical? Only want one song from a new album? Try 99 centsoniTunes.Don'tknowifyou like anew band? Find track previews on Amazon.com or temporarily download songs. But don't try and defend stealing with the high cost of music; you have free choice to not buy anything. Christopher Peplin LSA sophomore Action necessary to prevent another Katrina TO THE DAILY: The many Americans struggling to rebuild their lives after hurricanes Katrina and Rita need to know that Congress has not forgot- ten them. Hope was provided when three members of the Senate Homeland Security Committee flew to New Orleans in January to re-focus attention on the progress of the rebuilding efforts. The crafting of sensible pol- icies requires the correction of three common misperceptions. First, the aftermath of Katrina is not merely a local crisis; it is national problem. Second, Katrina was just not a natural disaster; it was a human-made disaster triggered by natural events. The flooding, caused by the breaching of the levees, was the direct result of human mistakes and neglect. Third, the federal government was respon- sible for the causes of the catastrophe. Over decades, our government made decisions that eliminated the wetlands as the natural buffer against storms and allowed the water surge to devastate Ne region. It also do known to be ina What is nee but accountabil Students for G national organi: ed to working w er disaster like Washington, D: with our repres non-partisan St to take the step: Katrina. Dan Chiorean Alum w Orleans and the Gulf Coast esigned and constructed levees dequate. ded is not merely assistance ity. As a member of the Law overnment Accountability, a zation of law students dedicat- ith Congress to prevent anoth- Katrina, I will be traveling to .C. on March 14. I will meet entatives to ask them to sign a atement of Principles pledging s necessary to prevent another Sentiment alone shouldn't hinder needed development TO THE DAILY: Jon Koller's argument that City Council should encourage Zaragon to build on the cur- rent location of Good Time Charley's (Maybe it's time to move the Big House to the Diag, 03/07/07) would be a good one if we lived in the command economy he longs for. Unfortu- natelyforboth of us, companies inAmerica are free to build where they choose as long as zon- ing and building requirements are met. Anberay may not be the ideal location, but the development of a high-quality, high-den- sity mixed use building will only benefit Ann Arbor. Bringing more housing and commerce to city centers is an important part of curbing urban sprawl and fossil fuel use. Buildings like the one Zaragon proposes can help promote the sort of lively downtown that makes profes- sionals want to come to Ann Arbor and stay. Although Anberay may have some value as a historical relic, Koller's comparing it to the Diag points out why this loss is not one to mourn. Anberay serves no important social function. Its courtyard is not a gathering place where students rally for the proletar- ian revolution. No one even sunbathes on the lawn, and the building itself is in poor condi- tion. The proposed development will provide real benefit in exchange for a loss that is only sentimental. Gabe Slabosky LSA junior STUDENTS FOR A DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY Take action for U' laborers The University is like a city in itself. Its population consists of far more- than academics, administra- tors and students; there are thou- sands of laborers here, too. Be they groundskeepers, techni- cal support staff or cafeteria work- ers, this place runs thanks to the labor of these largely invisible indi- viduals. For these people, the term temporary worker is inaccurate, undermining the dedicated service they provide. Recently we were informed that the conditions these instrumental community members work under would not make the student body proud. Temporary workers here are denied essential benefits. While they have MCards, basic services, like the use of the University Health Services or enrollment in University health care programs, are unavail- able to these workers. Many temporary laborers are fired every three months, only to be re-hired weeks later, prohibit- ing them from attaining benefits or full-time status, no matter how long they have been employed. Some workers' wages are permanently capped far below a living wage. Quite often, whole staffs are fired after a determined number of years only to be replaced by a new staff that will work for a price far below the old staff's wages. As students, we are part of the same community as these workers. We must address this problem. Our tuition goes toward new buildings, athletics and administrative sala- ries. While University President Mary Sue Coleman makes more than $700,000 a year, we are some- how unable to provide a living wage to the thousands of other workers that enable the University to func- tion. Workers are routinely denied the respect that laborers at a world- class university deserve. We are part of the campus com- munity, and it is our responsibility to protect the rights of those who work with and for us every day. Stu- dents for a Democratic Society plans . to work alongside these laborers in promoting a change in University practices. We need to see the day when temporary workers are allot- ted the same benefits as every other member of the campus community. This semester we will be orga- nizing around this issue, which inhabits every crevice of our cam- pus. From cafeteria meals served at Bursley to emptied trashcans in Mason Hall, the work of these indi- viduals affects all of ourlives. They deserve to be treated with respect. As students, we have the power to change the University's practice as well as its obligation to make sure that all members of this com- munity are treated equally. At this very moment, many workers here on campus are unionizing for the first time. Students for a Democrat- ic Society will back them every step of the way. At the University there are many groups focusing on issues of social responsibility. Students are fight- ing to preserve the diverse student body, to focus on researching new energy alternatives and to ensure the rights of workers at home and abroad. On March 15, these groups will be coming together to create "Campus Unite" to show the Uni- versity Board of Regents how we feel and to take the first steps to a socially accountable University. Join us at the Cube on March 15 to help create a University that you will be proud to represent. Nathaniel Voss, Syma Khan, Kelly Simmons are LSAjuniors and Alexandra Lazar is an LSA sophomore. They are members of Students for a Democratic Society. a ERIN RUSSELL mItY NO...ACTLIALLY IN NO' NOT THE THIS I1 AN OION'T OQOEB A TOY BOX. OUTBA6E' LA'6E PIZZA WITH UNHANO ME YOU /" XA CALUN ANCHOVWI9S ,SALMON, LITTL. BAPAT - PCTA ANO XTQA HONEY sGL1AZE. Editorial Board Members: Emily Beam, Kevin Bunkley, Amanda Burns, Sam Butler, Ben Caleca, Brian Flaherty, Mara Gay, Jared Goldberg, Emmarie Huetteman, Toby Mitchell, Rajiv Prabhakar, David Russell, Gavin Stern, John Stiglich, Jennifer Sussex, Neil Tambe, Radhika Upadhyaya, Rachel Wagner, Christopher Zbrozek