4A - Wednesday, April 11, 2007 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. JOHN OQUIST I O t 413 E. Huron St. Ann Arbor, MI 48104 tothedaily@umich.edu IMRAN SYED JEFFREY BLOOMER EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR MANAGING EDITOR KARL STAMPFL EDITOR IN CHIEF DID YOU USE - THE JAPANESE DOMINATED THE WAR OF WIKIPEDIA FOR 1812 THROUGH SKILLFUL USE OF THEIR THIS PAPER SECRET WEAPON, MEGATRON. THOUGH MACGYVER'S DISCOVERY OF THE FLUX CAPACITOR PROVED MAYBE SGNIFICANT, ALL OUR BASE WERE BELONG TO THEM. SO ? I told you so." - Larry Birkhead after DNA results proved that he is the father of Anna Nicole Smith's daughter, as reported Tuesday by CNN. YOUR PARENTS ARE WASTING THEIR TUITION MONEY. HUH? I'M ON SCHOLARSHIP 0l 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. FRI T E D10t Corrupting financial aid Scandals highlight the need for more transparency While students have long suspected that loan companies and financial aid departments strike it rich at their expense, emerging evidence is proving that sentiment to be more than baseless paranoia. Recently revealed scandals impli- cate college financial aid officers, Department of Education staffers and college financial aid departments in unfair and possibly illegal practices. These scandals raise serious concerns about the integrity of financial aid institutions at a time when rising tuition costs have more and more students seeking loans., The scandals began several months ago when Nelnet, a student loan company, drew scrutiny from Congress and the media after receiving $278 million in subsidies that it was not unqualified for. Further inquiry into the company found that it had strong ties to the Department of Education as well as the financial aid departments at several univer- sities. More surprisingly, many universi- ties - including Wayne State University in Detroit - have their financial aid consulting done by private loan companies with their own interests to serve. What happens when financial aid depart- ments are outsourced to private loan com- panies is shady at best. Students call the financial aid office for advice, only to be con- nected unknowingly with representatives at private lenders. These companies can easily lead naive students into unfavorable loans because students think they're speaking to a person who is on their side. It's the rich steal- ing from the poor in the most literal way. Unfortunately, the story does not end there. At Columbia University, the Univer- sity of Texas and the University of Southern California, high-level aid officers have been holding significant amounts of stock in Stu- dent Loan Xpress, a "preferred len'der" at all three universities. Each department actively promotes these companies, to the profit of aid officers. For example, David Charlow, executive director of financial aid at Colum- bia, sold his stock options in Student Loan Xpress for more than $100,000, The New York Times reported. This financial relationship between those in positions of power and lendingcompanies extends to the Department of Education as well. Matteo Fontana, a general manager in the Office of Federal Student Aid, is also a big investor in Student Loan Xpress and sold his stock in 2003 for more than $100,000, according to the Times. These incidents paint a disturbing pic- ture of the financial aid system throughout the country. Whether or not the transgres- sions were illegal, they represent a blatant conflict of interest between financial aid departments and the private lenders they promote. That these cases came from prom- inent universities and federal employees suggests that these close relationships are not especially rare. In fact, it is common for lenders to market themselves to financial aid departments and to provide their employees with benefits. As tuition goes up nationwide and more students seek loans, they need to be assured that they are not being hoodwinked by their own financial aid office. Students ought to be able to trust the information that financial aid departments supply. For this to happen, the relationships that financial aid departments have with lend- ers, even at the University, need to be made more transparent with the implementation of strict codes of conduct for financial aid employees and offices. Students should be getting what is best for them - not what enriches their universities, loan advisors or lenders. n 2004, at the Cary Christian School in North Carolina, South- ern history was taught from a pamphlet titled "Southern Slavery: As it Was." This pamphlet asserted that "slavery was a relationship based on mutual affection and confidence" and that the Bible "requires a respectful and submissive demeanor from Chris- tian slaves." A stu- dent defended the school on a blog by saying: "The school r always believes in showing both sides of an issue." By that rationale, the Ku Klux Klan now demands plu- TOBY ralistic tolerance MITCHELL and respect. According to the Arizona Daily Star, a pharmacist in Tucson refused to dispense the morn- ing-after pill to a rape victim in 2005 "because of religious and moral objec- tions." When another pharmacist also refused to dispense emergency contra- ception, an executive initially claimed that her decision on the basis of her religion was protected under civil rights legislation. Apparently, we should honor your beliefs - even if you think that the woman who wants the pill is a slut that must have asked for it. It's a simple game to play. Anyone who doesn't agree with your own prej- udices is biased. A respondent to my recent column on reason and faith (Sex, God and terrorism, 03/28/07) stated: "I love when atheists call Christians big- ots because we believe that the homo- sexual lifestyle is wrong." Even though gays are demonized, persecuted and occasionally murdered all across the country, it's you who is the real vic- tim - of anti-Christian bias. Claiming you're a victim means never having to say you're sorry. This Orwellian inversion of "bias" is nothing new. The far Left has been excusing its biases the same way for more than 30 years. In 1978, leftist intel- lectual Michel Foucault argued that the age of consent should be repealed: "We may even agree that it was (the child) Mybias whoseducedthe adult."Ifthekid'soffer- ing, why not go for it? How can society presume tojudge the pedophile? Foucault's compatriot Jacques Der- rida even defended a Nazi propagan- dist. When it was discovered that his friend Paul de Man had written nearly 200 anti-Semitic articles for a pro- Nazi newspaper during World War II, Derrida retorted that "to judge, to condemn the work or the man ... is to reproduce the exterminating gesture which one accuses de Man of not hav- ing armed himself against sooner." In plain language, the person who judges the Nazi is the one who really commit- ted the Holocaust. These are extreme examples, but they're part of a broader pattern. Think gangsta rap is misogynistic and dumb? You're probably racist. Think tradition- al Islam's stance on gays and women's rights is barbaric? Why can't you toler- ate their beliefs? Think "Lady Lumps" makes women look like vapor-brained bimbos? Fergie's just expressing power feminism. There's no clearer example of eth- nocentric groups claiming they're victims of prejudice than the campus groups engaged in debate over the Mideast conflict. Both sides write to the Daily claiming to want a mutually respectful dialogue. Then they list the ways the other side has failed to listen and demandtheir own perspec- tive be recognized as correct before any compromise is possible. They end by arguing their right to defend their tribe at all costs; including carpet bombings or suicide attacks. Forget the cycle of violence - this is the vor- tex of hypocrisy. Conservatives simply extended this logic to bigots. Conservative political correctness has been devastatingly effective. In a recent Zogby poll, fully 83 percent of the public believes the media is biased, and 64 percent still believe that bias is liberal. Mandatory school prayer isn't religious indoctrination to some - it's actually religious freedom. Fox News isn't a Republican propaganda opera- tion - it's actually countering liberal media bias. The president isn't lying - he's just expressing sincere counter- factualbeliefs. All "compassionate conservatives" needed to do was to adopt the pose of the victim, and the American Left caved. After decades of using no more than accusations of bias to prove their moral superiority, liberals lost the abil- ity to argue from evidence or convince anyone who didn't already share their beliefs. Now instead of opposing the war in Iraq, the peace movement would rather fight over whether Palestinians or Israelis are more oppressed. of course, I could be wrong. As many critics have told me, my ownbias infects this column. I believe mutual understanding is better than bigotry and equality is better than privilege. Maybe I'm illiberal for thinking that we ought to marginalize a govern- Are bigots really oppressed victims of society? ment gleefully engaged in torture, the demonization of political opposition and the unilateral expansion of empire. When the world is wondering why the American left is silent, I should prob- ably tell people that we can't unduly judge our opponents' perspective. Liberals need to stop banging the drum for their own petty political- cultural identities and unite against politically correct bigotry. We are black or white, gay or straight, Jew- ish, Christian or Muslim. But we are human first. Without this fundamen- tal unity, we are nothing more than quarrelling tribes, overwhelmed by our old enemies of hatred and fear in a battle that was lost before it began. With this unity, we are strong, buoyed by that same force which carried our forebears, that current of evolu- tion which no narrow-mindedness can divert to serve its own bleak and backwards dreams of purity without perspective. Toby Mitchell can be reached at tojami@umich.edu. 0 CHRIS KOSLOWSKI [ n once was a car named the Prus There e Ford £ixpedrcian Now I m savg a heapy byg trucks Dntyou r e s sou cul*blta*orican 0 Editorial Board Members: Emily Beam, Kevin Bunkley, Amanda Burns, Sam Butler, Ben Caleca, Mike Eber, Brian Flaherty, Mara Gay, Jared Goldberg, Emmarie Huetteman, Toby Mitchell, David Russell, John Stiglich, Jennifer Sussex, Neil Tambe, Radhika Upadhyaya, Rachel Wagner, Christopher Zbrozek SEND LETTERS TO: TOTHEDAILY@UMICH.EDU America remains blind to real global issues TO THE DAILY: In critical situations, America has risen to the occasion time and time again. More telling of a nation's fortitude is its ability to foresee trouble before drastic action is needed. In times of rela- tive prosperity, it may be all too human to rest on our collective laurels. The truth is that danger may be just around the corner, but we cannot recognize it or we lack the fortitude to engage it. I find it almost farcical when I go to CNN.com and see two adjacent head- lines: "103 dead in suicide attack in Iraq" and "Britney Spears divorces Kevin Federline." I wonder how the hit counts for the two articles compare. America loves its entertainment, but this is an immediate indictment of the misappropriated priorities of Ameri- cans. Humanitarian crises are occur- ring throughout the world, from civil wars to malaria to the AIDS pandemic. How much could we help these blighted peoples if we took the money we use to text message our votes for "American Idol" and put it toward anti-retroviral medication? Beyond the glaring humanitarian need, this sort of action would combat the severe damage America has done in the world recently. Many perceive America as a unilateral imperialist that is always looking out for itself. Exam- ples like the war in Iraq and America's objections to the Kyoto Protocol drive the point home. America's ideals of free markets, democracy and the power of entrepreneurial are valid and have survived competing ideologies. But the survival of these ideas rests on our con- science as a nation, especially our abil- ity to see the human factor around us. In a global community, we cannot think of only ourselves. Disenfranchisement, economic inse- curity and governmental instability foment terrorism, suicide bombers and extremism that can fundamentally undermine our way of life. We must act in our current prosperity to help people in places like Africa and Afghanistan by supporting dialogue with rogue states and utilizing our economic strength to show the wisdom of American cul- ture. Terrorism and radical ideas will continue to exist and grow when basic human needs are ignored. We are writ- ing our own future every moment with decisions like taking poodles to get $200 pedicures instead of donating that money to a humanitarian cause. Patrick Wycihowski LSA senior Certified construction is environmentallyfriendly TO THE DAILY: In response to Susan Wineberg's letter last week (Construction waste is unnecessary pollution in green Ann Arbor, 04/04/2007), I would like to say that while her point of view is valid, it is not necessarily based on all of the facts of the project. While I have no personal view on whether the Anberay apart- ment complex should be demolished, as a civil engineer I do know that how "green" a demolition is depends on the contractor and the design plans. Having read that there was a plan to install a vegetated green roof on the new Zaragon Place, I am led to think that some sort of sustainable design is going to be incorporated into the build- ing. This also leads me to believe that Zaragon will try to obtain a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification on the building, because it would be silly to install a green roof and not obtain that certification. With that said, LEED designs receive their certificate from categories like building reuse, construction waste man- agement and resource reuse that would help make this new building green. So people shouldn't jump on the bandwag- on that demolishing this old building is a bad idea. It is probably run down beyond the point where it would be economi- cally feasible to repair, and it is probably wasting energy because of its 80-year- old design. A new sustainable building is much better for the environment. If Zaragon is not proposing a sustain- able building, then that is the fight that should be made because all new con- struction in Ann Arbor should be LEED certified. Dave Pratt Alum SOLE'S struggle should start at the 'U' itself many University employees receive benefits and how many do not. During this time, my department also had incidents in which signed time sheets were altered. Some staff mem- bers made more than their signed time sheets indicated, others were paid when they were not present at work and an evaluation process was implemented that harassed uncooperative employees through unfavorable evaluations. Each situation I refer to in this letter was documented and submitted to the Office of University Audits. In addition, this documentation was submitted to the Department of Public Safety, which, after a six-week investigation, concluded that I should talk about the situation with the same supervisors who were cited in the report. Moreover, the information sub- mitted to the Office of University Audits TO THE DAILY: and DPS was then I commend Students Organizing for and concealment of Labor Equality for its stance in favor of Meanwhile, my fair and decent work conditions for the was traveling toc employees of companies doing business the world. New off with the University. However, as the screen TV and carp saying goes, charity begins at home. in his office. Also, a As an employee of the University, I plete with running have been subjected to a hostile work steel mini refrigera environment for more than a one-year - was built in the d period. Staff members have been laid-off As I've said, I bel under curious conditions, rehired as tem- is a fair and worthw porary employees without benefits and until the Universit then laid-off again. Whenthe department its employees in a rehired workers for the second time,those manner, I would no employees who previously questioned this of the compan departmental policies and procedures ness with. were not called back to work again. When I was rehired as a temporary Robert Overmyer employee without benefits, I asked that University staff my benefits be restored. I was told that would not be possible because of Uni- versity policy. When I asked for a list of Obama is re employees whose status was changed from"permanent"to"temporary"under ofthe averac University policy, a representative from the Freedom of Information Office told TO THE DAILY: me that no such list existed. However, Sen. Barack Ob this list probably does exist. One could about $25 million i only imagine how difficult the ongoing this year in his bid negotiations between MCare and Blue presidentialnomin Cross would be without knowing how extraordinary, but t used for retaliation facts. department head conferences around ice furniture, a flat- eting were installed new kitchen - com- g water, a stainless- tor and a dishwasher lirector's office. ieve SOLE's struggle hile cause. However, y consistently treats fair and respectful I expect it to require ies that it does busi- presentative ge American ama (D-Ill.) raised n the first quarter of I for the Democratic ation. That amount is the story behind that number is even more extraordinary. At first glance, the $25 million may seem like nothing more than a testa- ment to the fundraising abilities of the junior senator from Illinois. Upon clos- er investigation, this enormous amount sheds light on the broad appeal that Obama has around the country. The most astonishing part of his fundraising figures was not the money he raised, but the manner in which he raised it: Obama received donations from more than 100,000 donors. This is double the number of donors who con- tributed to Sen. Hillary Clinton's (D- N.Y.) $26 million fundraising effort. This ability to win support from the average person is the cornerstone of Obama's campaign. He is running a race that focuses on the voter, and more importantly, the individual person. Another aspect that makes Obama's numbers noteworthy is his campaign's policy of not accepting money from lob- byists or political action committees. This policy is an effort to prevent cor- ruption and promote politician account- ability, two areas in which this country desperately needs improvement. Obama does not want to accept extremely large sums of money from relatively small groups who only have their own inter- ests in mind. He would rather get his support from those whom he would like to work for in 2008 and beyond: the American people. Through thousands of donations of amounts as small as $5, Obama has been able to remain near the top in a record- breakingcycle. The University chapter of Students for Obama would like to encour- age all those who want to see a people- powered politician in the White House to stand behind Obama in these early months by donating money and support. David Leapheart LSA freshman Kyle Sutton LSA sophomore Communications chair of the University chapter of Students for Obama 0 0