a 4A - Wednesday, September 5, 2007 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com eICdI'*an 4a14hj Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 413 E. Huron St. 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. RMTHE i Book blues University's textbook reform doesn't go far enough Students have had plenty of time to contemplate the exorbi- tant cost of textbooks while waiting in line at local book- stores this week. Don't worry though, the University has a task force on it. That doesn't do much to make you feel better about dropping three figures on a 600-page, hard-bound mon- strosity that you later find out was only "mildy recommended" (though the sign in the bookstore said otherwise). But at least improvements are in the works. The question is, when will we Thanks for the question, you little jerk." - Republican presidential candidate John McCain responding at a campaign event at a New Hampshire high school to a student who questioned whether his age would impair his judgment, as reported yesterday on CNN.com. JACK DOEHRING EYE NOSE TOF5 TO E7 IY - Last lessons .I i start to see substantial results? Lester Monts, the University's senior vice provost for academic affairs, launched the textbook task force in June 2006. Late last semester, the task force ranked the Uni- versity of Michigan 38 out of 39 universi- ties with regard to their systems of making book lists available early. Everyone agrees that a problem exists. The proposed solu- tion - creating an online database where students can access book lists before each semester - is not perfect, but it at least attempts to alleviate the problem. The plan would let students know what books they need early enough to order them through online retailers, who have significantly lower prices in general than the bookstores. That plan would help but it is only part of the solution - one which still won't be in place for at least another year. Professors would be urged but not required to post book lists online before the semester. The University continues to labor under the delusion that requir- ing professors to do so would overstep its authority. Certainly some professors might object, wanting every last minute to decide which of three expensive books they want to use. However, because .they, have to settle on one eventually, asking them to do so a month or so in advance is not exactly totalitarian. Textbook reform must also go beyond just posting book lists online. Professors must say on the online list which books are required and which ones are recommend- ed, and they should elaborate on what the purpose of the recommended books is so students are better informed when decid- ing whether to buy them. Another welcome improvement would be the end of unnecessary book bundles. Too often, students pay extra for a two- or three- book bundle when only one of those will be used, a terrible waste of money and paper. speaking of a terrible waste of money and paper, a complete overhaul of coursepacks is long overdue. A university at the brink of a completely digitized library should be able to recognize the wastefulness of forcing stu- dents buy hard copies of readings that are very often available for free online through outlets like ProQuest. Knowing which read- ings are part of the coursepack will let stu- dents decide on their own if they want to print out each one, read it online or ignore it completely, should it never come up in class. These changes aren't radical. They've been discussed for years, and there's no bet- ter time than now to finally give students a break on textbooks. The first time I met Marilynn Rosenthal, we were in New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. Five weeks had passed since her son Josh, and my father's best friend had died in the terror- ist attacks on the World Trade Cen- ter, and we were gathered to com- EMMARIE memorate his life. Unlike most HUETTEMAN mothers in her- position, Marilynn was composed. She smiled warmly when she greeted me, and as I found myself smiling back, I naively wondered if it was appropri- ate for people to smile at memorials. It was clear that Marilynn understood the magnitude of the tragedy, but she wouldn't permit self-pity; that just wasn'ther. Instead, she celebrated her son and channeled her energy into her search for understanding. Marilynn continued that search until she died of aggressive cancer last month. She was 77. Because most University of Michi- gan students knew her as Professor Rosenthal, her desire for knowledge would seem normal, even unremark- able. She was a medical sociologist who wrote eight books, including "The Incompetent Doctor: Behind Closed Doors" and "Medical Mishaps: Pieces of the Puzzle." After all, most profes- sors engage in research, write books and have PhDs. But what professor travels halfway around the world to meet the mother of the man who murdered her son? After Josh's death, Marilynn pur- sued every available resource to understand what had happened on Sept. 11, 200L She went to the govern- ment, studied the Quran, even visited the restaurant in Florida where the hijackers ate lunch after their flying lessons. She used her share of the Sept. 11 Victims Compensation Fund to start the Ford School of Public Policy's Josh Rosenthal Education Fund Lecture, given each year to help the community objectively understand the cross-cul- tural challenges facing our society in the wake of the terrorist attacks. In 2006, she testified at the trial of Zacarias Moussaoui, sometimes dubbed "the 20th hijacker." In her testimony, Marilynn contended that Moussaoui did not deserve the death penalty, because the case against him was weak. She told the jury, "We're not going to get caught up in a whirlpool of frustration and sadness and anger." And while the Bush Administra- tion called the terrorists savages, Marilynn came to know her son's murderer as "another mother's son." She researched the life of Marwan al-Shehhi, the young man who flew United Airlines Flight 175 into the South Tower of the World Trade Cen- ter and killed Josh. She traveled to the United Arab Emirates to try to meet with al-Shehhi's mother, talking to his relatives and visiting his hometown. And she learned that the woman was another son's anguished mother. For Marilynn, though, her desire for understanding was hardly an unhealthy obsession. When we met to catch up, she would spend most of the discussion asking about my college experience before mentioning her own work. She described with unassum- ing passion her plans to compile her research into a book about the lives and connected fates of Josh and al-Shehhi. To her, it was a story that needed to be told - a story that she needed to tell. And while Marilynn's search had nothing to do with bitterness, it had perhaps even less to do with the pub- licity she attracted. When she intro- duced Lt. General Brent Scowcroft as the speaker at Josh's first memo- rial lecture in 2002, the media largely bypassed the former national security advisor and focused instead on Mari- lynn. After the speech, my dad men- tioned complimented Marilynn for telling us, "Don't you know? None of that matters." The consummate mentor, in life and death: U I FAHAD FARUQI WIN Obama stands for hope It really didn't matter. No matter how many times I saw her on CNN, to me, Marilynn was the advisor who once ticked off my parents by sug- gesting that I bartend to supplement my 16-year-old dreams of musical theatre stardom. She was the teacher who asked me challenging questions about my first freshman courses when everyone else just wanted to know if I liked my professors. She was the friend who gave me a hug at last fall's memorial lecture, despite the line of important people jockey- ing for her attention. And she was the mentor who taught me that good can come of evil. She was the good. Emmarie Huetteman is an associate editorial page editor. She can be reached at huetteme@umich.edu. Forty-six million Americans do not have the health insurance necessary to access Amer- ica's health care system. More than 3,600 Americans have now died in a war that should never have been waged and has provided Al Qaeda with a ripe recruiting ground for ter- rorists. Twelve million children in America are living in poverty. And as multinational corporations receive tax breaks while report- ing windfall profits, middle-class Americans are losing jobs because these same corpora- tions are outsourcing to India and China. Politicians in Washington, pressured by powerful special-interest and lobbying groups to help a small number of corpora- tions rather than the majority of Ameri- cans, drafted the policies that created such dire conditions. It is time for a fundamental change in the way Washington does politics. As Senator Barack Obama (D-Ill.) demon- strated in the CNN/YouTube presidential debate on July 23rd, he is the most qualified candidate to convert that need for change into sound and sincere policies. Whatever the issue, from healthcare to education, Obama was the only candidate in the debate to repeatedly point out the role of special interest groups and lobbyists in craft- ing the destructive policies that are leading America down a disastrous path. He empha- sized the fact that when special interest groups buy every seat at the negotiating table there is no room left for the voices and con- cerns of ordinary Americans. Obama made it clear during the debate that, when confronted with a choice between sid- ing with special interests and powerful cor- porations or hardworking Americans, he will always choose the latter. For this very reason he has refused to take any money from lob- byists and has relied instead on a grassroots movement composed of Americans from all walks of life to run the kind of campaign capa- ble of changing politics in this country. On foreign policy, Obama has demon- strated his ability to make sound decisions. He is the only major presidential candidate who opposed the war in Iraq from the start because he foresaw the difficulties that have since claimed so many lives. He realized that getting out of such a volatile region would not be nearly as easy as going in. Obama has introduced legislation in Congress that would pull U.S. troops out of Iraq by March 2008. Additionally, he wants to once again engage in constructive dialogue with the rest of the world to regain America's moral author- ity after eight years of senseless policies that have marginalized even our oldest allies. In his decade-long political career, Obama has already demonstrated his ability to unite people through hope instead of dividing them through fear. As a community organizer in the southside of Chicago, he united a neigh- borhood to confront the devastation brought on by the closing of steel mills. As an Illinois state senator, he helped pass tough ethics leg- islation to make sure special interests could not buy the votes of elected officials. He is now leading the fight to do the same in Congress. On every occasion and at every opportu- nity Obama has shown his capacity to change politics and unite people through hope. He has shown his capacity to battle the special interests and create policies that help ordi- nary Americans, not powerful corporations, and to be an American leader, not just a Dem- ocratic one. That is why, as leader of the free world, Obama will bring the nation and the world together after eight years of division. Fahad Faruqi is an LSA junior and the comwunications coordinator for Students for Barack Obara in the state of Michigan. SE I. T GE TT ETOR SEND LETTERS TO: TOTHEDAILY@UMICH.EDU Timeless lessons learned from loss were countini onship to mal ence: Get you the alumni w on their alma TO THE DAILY: Realize what I would like to thank the Univer- you yourself sity Athletic Department and the players? It's t football team for the education they character. TI gave me as an undergraduate and in ashes. Let's le the 38 years since then. I had forgot- this loss. Beat ten an important lesson learned out- side the classroom. Now I've recalled Jim Powers it, and I am the better for it. Alum In my first football season as a student in 1975, I was stunned when Michigan tied its first two home Greeks s games. I had chosen Michigan over Michigan State because of my vague message understanding of its better aca- demic reputation and potential for a TO THE DAI national championship in football. I have a set The reality check from those ties way that thet made me realize that, though spec- dled itself sine tator sports were fun, education sity. It has isc was my real goal. Although I wit- from the res nessed some thrilling games over and a great ex the following years, the seasons is its annual f were also peppered with upsets they make it and, usually, a loss to Ohio State or the annual fo our bowl opponent. to stand out, b Gradually, I came to realize that doing is sayi Michigan football was not just a fun you" and "we part of the college experience but everyone else also an essential part of the Univer- At the pat sity's educational process. Football Saturday, I l wasn't just for the fundraisers, the to see the w coaches or even the players. It was T-shirts that bigger than that. The football pro- see? Huge gl gram was intended to build char- system shirts acter within the student body. The ,only were the idea was to raise their hopes and of maize, but then dash them. What better way to versity's blue teach students how life was going to the opportun be in the outside world? that are badg The football team's record has ity every fall. been so consistent over the past "Change You decades that there's really no other change my lif explanation than that it must be This mess intentional. But once in a great ing that my l while, life surprises you, like it did that my life w during the undefeated 1997 season. their stupid c So dry those tears, streaming ternity will b since Saturday. Those of you who if the Greek; g on a national champi- ke your college experi- r priorities straight. To whose self-image.rides mater's performance: really matters is what do in life. And to the ime to show your real he past is a bucket of arn the true lessons of t Oregon. offering me an eternity of happiness upon my death. The way this shirt is designed shows that it is not target- ed at the freshmen who most com- monly rush but at upperclassmen. How can freshmen "change their life" if they don't know what college life is like yet? You can expect me, and I hope many others, booing at every Greek member who wearsthis shirt on football Saturdays. Marshall Sunshine Engineeringsenior CHRIS KOSLOWSKI | A erM'ony'keburiedRayChar coudhae seen ths on Oh ts for the fra I'Of =cou Dn& coft rushng COLUMNISTS WANTED LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Daily Opinion is looking for new columnists to fill out Readers are encouraged to submit letters to the its columnist roster. Columnists are expected to turn editor. Letters should be under 300 words and in a column of 650-750 words every other week. Inter- must include the writer's full name and University ested parties should contact the editorial page editor affiliation. All submissions become property of at syed@michigandaily.com right away. the Daily. Send letters to tothedoily@umich.edu. end wrong Upsets tea at game more than LY: TO THE DAILY: rious problem with the Michigan lost t Greek system has han- over the weekend ce I came to the Univer- heard. Unfortunat Dlated itself repeatedly the loss as an om t of the student body, Michigan footbal xample of this isolation loserdom. These J fall T-shirt. Every year too busy changing a different color than the epic battle pla; otball T-shirt in order field. This is spo but what they are really and you lose son ng "we're better than last Saturday wa e don't need to be like lent football gam ." watched or heard hetic football game last they would rather ooked back, expecting the massacres hos onderful sea of maize teams? Leave that I love, and what did I In 1903, the obs of bright blue Greek "point-a-minute" . It infuriated me. Not to a tie by a little ey wearing blue instead team. The result it wasn't even the Uni- rivalry in college . After the game, I got that continues to ity to read these shirts pose that we invit es of ego and superior- or whoever is th . on the back they say, onship Subdivisi r Life." Like I need to sion I-AA) natio: fe. every year. If we age is clearly imply- ing rivalry, it wou ife is not adequate and that the Big Hous 'ill get better by joining fair-weather fans lubs. Like joining a fra- bring me happiness, as Franek Hasiuk system was my savior, Rackham o Appalachian State , in case you haven't ely, some have taken en of the decline of 1 into a cesspool of folks were probably their diapers to see yingitself out on the rts. You win some, me. What happened s a seriously excel- e. Can anyone who the game really say have been at one of ted by other Big Ten to Ohio State. storied Michigan offense was held -known Minnesota was the first great football history, one this very day. I pro- e Appalachian State e Football Champi- on (formerly Divi- nal champion back make this an ongo- ild show the country se is for football, not s. ch us about sports 6