4A - Wednesday, October 10, 2007 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com C I I I e fitic4tgan ailIj Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@umich.edu IMRAN SYED JEFFREY BLOOMER EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR MANAGING EDITOR I have a glass of ethanol every day before breakfast, but I still don't think we should subsidize it." - Republican presidential candidate John McCain in yesterday's Republican debate. Manufacturing a better way 6 KARL STAMPFL EDITOR IN CHIEF Unsigned editorials reflectthe officalrpositionofthe Daily's editorialboard.Allothersigned articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors. The Daily's public editor, Paul H. Johnson, acts as the readers' representative and takes a critical look at coverage and content in every section of the paper. Readers are encouraged to contact the public editor with questions and comments. He canbe reached at publiceditor@umich.edu. Neighborhoodoutreach A semester for students in Detroit would benefit city and 'U' nyone who has looked into the University's history would know that our institution traces back its roots to the city of Detroit, where it was founded in 1817 and continued until 1837 before moving to Ann Arbor. A recent proposal to organize a program for University students to spend a semester working in Detroit while taking classes at the University's Detroit Center would be a timely return to those distant roots. The program prom- ises immense benefits for all parties involved; the city of Detroit, the University of Michigan and University students, but in order to work, it must be broad enough to make a significant impact and simple enough for the average student to get involved. We live in a manufactured world. Whether made in China or in our own back- yard, most of the objects that help us live our lives were built in a factory. For yearsK we've been hearing" about our state's promised "knowl- edge-based econo- my" and preparing BRYAN for a time when all of the factory jobs KOLK will be sent over- seas and the only way to make money will be by thinking and knowing things. But doesn't that leave us just as dependent upon manufacturing? And does the assembly line really have to be the antithesis of knowledge? This summer I did some investi- gating while working as a temporary employee in a Michigan factory. My primary objective was to make money for school, but the experience pro- vided an eye-opening look into a part of life I suspect most of us are largely blind to. On the average day, I drove past the cheerful security guard and proceed- ed happilyto mylittle slice of paradise. My department was "Core Steel," and I worked in the Recon Zone, which is short for Recontainerization. I am fairly certain somebody made this word up. But it is an apt description of what we did. Fresh, greasy steel went from one container into another. I would then walk these containers to one of four places, identified by the letters and numbers printed on the beams closest to them, much like find- ing a car in a mall parking lot. Names and impersonal monikers are hallmarks of manufacturing's overly reductive science. The least complicated system possible is cre- ated, excluding any potentially con- fusing or time-consuming pieces of information (such as adjectives) and becoming as blank and indifferent as can be managed. Thus my little steely friends had names such as 7554158 and 7560444. They were located at 02 and UL and went to-M16 and D19. While talking instead about a "flat, yellow-gray bar about a foot and a half long with a Saturn-shaped hole" feels, to me, a little more mentally engaging. and almost even pleasantly personal, it did take a while longer to type than 7560444. There is a certain degree of efficiency necessary for effective manufacturing. But just how far that needs to be taken is debatable. Having a task die- tated by a piece of paper full of non- descript digits and letters invokes a robotic response, setting the mind to neutral and the hands on autopilot. Things move automatically, on and on like a big, robotic chain - or rath- er, a vacuum, as nothing comes back around full circle. And nature abhors a vacuum. We seem to think factories should ideally be at the opposite end of the spectrum from nature. But those impersonal, mechanized assembly- lines are run by people, and those peo- ple would benefit immensely if their workplaces were a little more natural and life-affirming. Mental engagement and creativity are enemies of industrial efficiency, but they need not be excluded from it. I felt hopeful every time I drove by the security guard who waved me on before returning to her book. I don't know what she was reading, but she had found a way to stay out of a mental neutral and was visibly happier for it. A real knowledge-based econo- my should mean a mentally engag- ing world for everyone. As it stands, manufacturing strives earnestly to strip away any desire toward thought or personality, and is thus excluded from the economy we are prepar- ing for, which would have us send all these brain-deadening jobs off to cheaper places. But if we continue to strive for universal human rights, out- sourced labor will eventually not be so cheap. And either way, factory work- ers of any nationality deserve jobs that allow them to interact as humans and not machines. This would certainly be more expensive, but we are long over- due for a reevaluation of what is truly costing us, both as an economy and as human beings. What we sacrifice in the name of . efficiency. We can either continue to treat our own factory employees like robots or begin working to create an environ- ment designed for humans. The first steps aren'teventhatexpensive:tweak- ing leadership training on the basis of advice from social scientists, design- ing systems based more on interper- sonal communication, commissioning murals for the expansive blank walls of giant warehouses. These sugges- tions are anathema to efficiency, but a knowledge-based economy should be aware of greater priorities. That economy will be built by our generation. Some of us may work in a factory for all or some of our life. All of us will contribute to whether such experiences remain needlessly mind- numbing or become more valuable pursuits. Bryan Kolk can be reached at beakerkgumich.edu. 6 6 6 The program, still in its planning stages, would allow students to spend a semester in Detroit taking classes at the University's Detroit Center, working in the community and living in the city. Like other outreach efforts from the University, such as the Detroit Project, the program will be part of the new collaboration between the Uni- versity and the Motor City. The program could increase the University's presence in Detroit as a way to reach out to minority groups and seek potential students for the Ann Arbor campus. The importance of such a program can hardly be overstated. Detroit, despite its shortcomings, is still the 11th largest city in America, and it still offers an array of opportunities and a wide range of people from different socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. In the same way that study abroad programs expose students to new environments, spending time in Detroit would be another experience that students could choose to broaden their experience and understanding of both American soci- ety and their chosen field of study. And it would be much cheaper than a semester abroad or even a semester in New York City. Exposing students to the realities of an urban center like Detroit and maintain- ing a strong University presence there could also help in promoting understand- ing and diversity - at both the personal and institutional levels. Compared to the rest of Michigan, Ann Arbor is a bubble of prosperity that many students take for granted. Making students aware of the real maladies plaguing our state will per- sonally invest them in the state's struggles and maybe even make them care enough to stay in the state upon graduation. Thus, the program should be tailored to the average University student, not simply the select few who will take the extra initia- tive. Having a presence in Detroit will make the University more accessible and per- sonal to a pool of diverse students that the University hopes to attract. It's better than outreach; it's like the University being in your own backyard. In the aftermath of Proposal 2, this could prove vital as the University seeks to continue bringing in underrepresented minorities - groups that disproportionately live in urban centers like Detroit. The idea is equally as useful for Detroit too. Access to the big talent and knowledge pool from one of the finest research uni- versities in the world could prove crucial to its revival. Close collaboration with the University is bound to leave an impact in the research and development and other knowledge-based industries, similar to the way that schools like University of Cali- fornia at Berkeley and Stanford University fostered the growth of Silicon Valley. More generally, by investing in Detroit, the Uni- versity is endorsing a belief that Detroit will succeed - an endorsement that alone could help the city's image and encourage investment from other institutions and businesses. SEND LETTERS TO: TOTHEDAILY@UMICH.EDU A tale ofpoor laundryGfacilities and broken change machines in contrast wit The centerp that a true Ch saved one mu mit another sir TO THE DAILY: false ideas, the This is the story of my laundry experience from hell is right to say t and an open plea to the University for basic utilities that to live a perfec actually work. caught in adult I left my room with my MCard, laundry and deter- more." Howevi gent in hand. I got to the laundry room only to discover entirely, and c that both MCard readers were broken, which meant the impossible that I needed change. Of course, I hadn't brought any The Scriptu with me. I returned to my room and opened my wallet will continue to find that I only had a $20 bill. After whining about their struggles it for a few minutes, I decided to get a burrito to break stumble in ma my twenty since I was hungry anyway. I returned to my by stating, "If, dorm, ate my burrito and finally had some dollar bills. I ourselves, and was in a good mood, because I love burritos and I could who wrote mo then get some change and do my laundry writer, goes fu My good mood didn't last long. I returned to the world to save s laundry room, put my clothes down and made my way Venyah argu to the change machine; it was broken. I figured that Christians sin that wasn't a crisis because every snack machine in the their lives bef dorms give quarters as change for a dollar, so I went above verses a to each and every one of those machines. Not a single are also a grea machine would take a dollar bill. I walked out of my teaching, incl dorm and to the Michigan Union's change machine. It judgmentalism was also broken. There was a snack machine next to it, go to Heavena which finally took my dollar. It ate it. attacks on Chr So I was down to the last of the two dollar bills I had Catholicism.N brought with me. Next, I went to UGo's for change, neither suppor but apparently the store was out of quarters. Finally, understanding I went to Mrs. Fields Cookies and got four quarters. all of us, he sta I returned triumphantly to the laundry room, quite the healing ha. angry about what had just happened. There were three washers available, but each had an "Out of Order" sign. Sean Moberg I proceeded to wait for the user of the only functional, LSA senior available washer to finally claim his laundry, and after putting 45 minutes into a process that should have taken only10,I had my laundry inawashing machine. Zach Greenberg Engineeringsophomore LE h those of the Holy Scriptures. iece of Venyah's religion is his belief ristian never sins. Thus in order to be st, upon accepting Christ, never com- n for the rest of one's life. As with most re is a grain of truth at its core. Venyah that both Jesus and the Apostles call us t and holy life. After sparing the woman tery, Jesus then told her, "Go and sin no er, in demanding people to cease sinning laiming to do so himself, Venyah asks res themselves teach that Christians to sin after their conversion, despite to the contrary. St. James says, "we all ny things." St. John goes even further we say that we have no sin, we deceive the truth is not in us." Finally, St. Paul, re of the New Testament than any other irther still: "Christ Jesus came into the inners, of whom I am chief." es that all New Testament references to ning are in the past tense, referring to ore they were converted. However, the re all clearly in the present tense. There at many other difficulties with Venyah's uding but not limited to his extreme n, his claims of knowledge over who will and who will go to Hell and his vicious istians - especially his slanderous anti- Venyah teaches a false Gospel that is rted by the Holy Scriptures nor by the of Christians throughout history. Like nds in desperate need of repentance and nd of Christ Jesus. Editorial Board Members: Emad Ansari, Kevin Bunkley, Ben Caleca, Milly Dick, Mike Eber, Brian Flaherty, Gary Graca, Emmarie Huetteman, Theresa Kennelly, Gavin Stern, Jennifer Sussex, Neil Tambe, Matt Trecha, Radhika Upadhyaya, Rachel Wagner COLLEGE DEMOCRATS AND DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE GROUPS f A shameful smear campaign ETTERS TO THE EDITOR In response to an event sponsored last week by the University chapter of the Col- lege Republicans called "Hillary Clinton Exposed," we - as leaders of the College Democrats and campus groups for Joe Biden, John Edwards, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama - wish to express our deep disappointment. With more than a year until the general elettion, and months before the Democratic Party selects its presiden- tial nominee, the College Republicans have already begun the distasteful practice of smearing a candidate by sponsoring an event that was rife with character attacks. Since the formation of our groups, we have been working to engage students in productive and informative political dia- logue. All of our groups have held mass meetings, highlighting the achievements and future plans of our candidates. We were all disgusted to see the College Repub- licans lower the bar of political discussion on campus so much by their sponsorship of that disgraceful event. Last Thursday, the College Democrats host- ed a candidate forum focusing on the issues and featuring representatives from student groups supporting several different Demo- cratic candidates. That event sent a clear mes- sage: This campus is eager to distance itself from petty politics and begin discussing the issues and the presidential candidates in a meaningful and positive way. As campus leaders, we feel obligated to bring honest and factual information to the student body. We want students to support our candidates because of their strengths and plans for the future. We urge the College Republicans to edu- cate their members and the rest of campus about the Republican candidates. Why spend time attacking a Democratic primary candi- date? This 2008 election promises to be one of the most exciting in recent history. The potential for history to be made, by both Republicans and Democrats, is unprecedent- ed. There are countless ways to capitalize on the excitement this election is certain to bring, but attacking an opposing candidate's character should not be one of them. This campus can count on us to continue their positive and informative campaigning with a focus on involving and educating stu- dents. We will continue to provide numer- ous ways to get involved and gain hands-on experience with presidential campaigns. We challenge the College Republicans to do the same. Sam Harper is the chair of the University chapter of the College Democrats. Kelly Bernero is the chair of the University chapter of Students for Hillary. Tom Duvall is the chair of the University chapter of Students for Obama. Travis Radina is the chair of the University chapter of Students for Edwards. Justin Schon is the chair of the University chapter of Students for Biden. s Venyah's message of hatred is not true Christianity TO THE DAILY: Diag preacher Michael Venyah returned to Ann Arbor on Monday to preach his message to the Michi- gan community. Since some people seem to consider Venyah to be the voice of Christianity when he preach- es - with those who oppose him representing tolerant liberalism - it is well worth examining his teachings . Readers are encouraged to submit letters to the editor. Letters should be under 300 words and must include the writer's full name and University affiliation. All submissions become property of the Daily. We do not print anonymous letters. Send letters to tothedaily@umich.edu. CHRIS KOSLOWSKI I f this is an attempt by ABC i 4 a ..,4n 6,a, "ii.5* ,s8 01 .