4A - Thursday, November 8, 2007 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@umich.edu I've seen stupid strikes ... This is a stupid strike." - Former Disney CEO Michael Eisner on the current strike of the Writers Guild of America. 0 KARL STAMPFL EDITOR IN CHIEF IMRAN SYED EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR JEFFREY BLOOMER MANAGING EDITOR Northern exposure 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. The Daily's public editor, PaultH. Johnson, acts as the readers'representative andtakes 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. Amess InMSA Innocent until proven guilty, but someone is responsible J nbthe year and a half since the denial of service attack on the Michigan Progressive Party's website by members of Students 4 Michigan (the now-defunct party with deep ties to the cur- rently dominant Michigan Action Party), MSA has done little to address the underlying issues of petty electioneering and the closed, isolated culture that fueled those attacks and has historically stag- nated the assembly. President Zack Yost's insistence that the facts of the case are yet to be revealed is a duplicitous defense of a person and system that clearly ignored the best interests of students. W e come to this University. with a wide variety of inter- ests and motives. Some of us are probably just here to get a good job and start making money, but the University has its own agenda: It wants to make us into intelligent and active members of society. This BRYAN entails more thanK spending the week KOLK paying lip service to a long list of graduation require- ments and spending the weekends seeking bliss and alcohol poisoning. The Universitywants us to experience the world in new ways and to seek such experiences out. ThedUniversityemploys many subtle methods toward this end. The unsus- pecting may not notice the slew of art galleries, the world-famous concert hall or the open-air discussion forums sprinkled across Central Campus, but they are there.A big reason why we pay so much in tuition is to have the oppor- tunity to be swayed by these unique venues for personal growth; it's what makes this university better than oth- ers. But our museums and performance spaces do not simply exist to make the University an acclaimed institution; they are there for us to engage in. We are all essentially aware of the width and breadth of Central Campus. And at least 110,000 people also have a passing familiarity with South Cam- pus and the opportunities it presents. But then there is North Campus, abus ride and a world away from Central, overlooking Ann Arbor like a hawk. Or a socially uncertain misfit outside of a party. Though more and more freshmen are being housed on North Campus, it largely remains a mystery. Most are still unaware that it exists for any reason other than to house the Burs- ley cafeteria. The dubious blessing of the University's largest dining facil- ity aside, there are many reasons to become familiar with this significant section of the University. North Campus is a different world, but diverse opportunities to experi- ence the world abound, just like on Central Campus: They just happen to be more subtle on North. Nrorth Cam- pus requires a level of dedication to be explored that is especially hard to come by during the early-November, post-midterm coma, but the rewards are worth it. For starters, it's home to the Uni- versity's world-class School of Music, tucked quietly behind a row of trees and a pond struggling to resemble a grand piano. Every year more than 400 recitals and performances are given - often by world-renowned faculty members - 99 percent of them free of charge. Classical, jazz, world music and electronic media performances occur regularly, all conveniently listed on the school's website, www.music. umich.edu. Across the road is Pierpont Com- mons andtheDuderstadt Center,which house gallery space, the University's only 24-hour library and an incred- ible digital performance studio, among many other things. Exhibits and shows go on daily, and the outdoor commons area offers all the benefits of the Diag without the nuisance oftbeing attacked -by people with flyers. The entire engineering campus is spackled with a variety of large sculp- tures, 16 in total, including the 1,800 square foot Wave Field designed by Maya Lin. There is a bell tower con- structed with no right angles or sym- metry. There is a circle you can stand in and hear your own echo. Try not to be a little curious. North Campus offers more than 4 4 just-engineers. As University students, we are offered many opportunities to develop and engage our curiosities both in and out of class. It is up to us to make the most of them. While somewhat less convenient, the opportunities provided by North Campus offer a different perspective on the University and are all waitingto be taken advantage of New experienc- es are just the thing to bring many ofus out of the pre-winter blues. If the usual routine just isn't doing it for you, a trip 4 up North Campus may be the solution. Bryan Kolk can be reached at beakerkdumich.edu. Two weeks ago, MSA Rep. Anton Vuljaj was arraigned in the March 2006 attack on MPP's website during that year's MSA elections. Facing the felony charge of use of a computer to commit a crime and inter- ference with an electronic communication device and with piles of evidence implicat- ing him, Vuljaj could face severe punish- ments if convicted. However, speaking to the Daily's editorial board on Monday, Yost, far from condemning a representative who feloniously worked to disenfranchise stu- dents, wasn't prepared to commit to asking for Vuljaj's resignation - even if the Washt- enaw County Court finds him guilty. This isn't a question of innocent until proven guilty; not for an instant are we suggesting that Vuljaj is legally guilty before he is convicted in a court. Instead, the point is about MSA and its duty to stu- dents. We know members of S4M were guilty of the denial of service attack; senior party officials acknowledged the fact at the time, and no one has yet denied Vuljaj's guilt. So, either Vuljaj is guilty and should be forced to resign, or some- one else is guilty and Yost and MSA must work actively to bring that person to jus- tice. Simply sweeping the whole situation under the rug is not an option. Considering MSA's treatment of Vul- jaj and the scandal up to this point, Yost's response is hardly surprising. Vuljaj, an S4M supporter at the time, resigned from his position on LSA Student Government after the scandal erupted. S4M officials, including then-party chair Robbie O'Brien, condemned the attack and those involved in it, promising reforms (O'Brien resigned in light of the scandal, but insisted that he was not involved). Inexplicably, Vuljaj was still nominated for and confirmed as chair of MSA's Community Service Committee in December 2006. Under what circumstanc- es is it ever acceptable for someone tied directly to tampering with MSA elections to be appointed to an MSA committee? It gets worse. The Michigan Action Party was formed in time for the March 2007 MSA election. Yost, running for president on the MAP ticket, assured us in his endorsement interview that the party was different and that the antics of S4M were truly some- thing MAP regretted and was committed to avoiding. Such assurances are difficult to believe, however, when we consider that MAP allowed Vuljaj to run for MSA representative on the party's ticket. Again, this was while Vuljaj was part of an open criminal investigation dealing specifically with manipulation of MSA elections. Even if MAP officials believed that there was a chance of Vuljaj's innocence in the courts, there is no excuse for welcoming him into their party; he could have run as an independent. Furthermore, after Vuljaj won a seat on the assembly in March, MSA appointed him chair of the Budget Priori- ties Committee, one of the most important committees on the assembly. Yost insists that he and MSA have stuck by Vuljaj because he is a great representa- tive and "a great guy." That may be so, but clearly the assembly didn't lose much sleep over putting someone who may have will- fully inhibited a student group's success in charge of allocating crucial funding to other student groups. Yost assured the editorial board that he had "done (his) homework" in this matter. When asked what changes MSA had made in response to the scandal, though, he cited a failed attempt at creating an election reform committee and some minor code changes, the specifics of which he couldn't recall because they were "nothing huge." Beyond Yost, not one representative on MSA has yet had the ethical epiphany to publicly call for Vuljaj's resignation. One would assume that MSA, an orga- nization that is supposedly composed of some of the strongest leaders on campus, is capable of making productive election reforms, conducting an internal investiga- tion to find those responsible and punish- ing those who do not abide by its ethical standards. Instead the assembly is once again behaving as a self-aggrandizing club whose members are too enamored with each other to respect their responsibilities as representatives. On Oct. 30, Yost wrote in a viewpoint on this page (Proposed MSA reforms, 10/20/2007) that this is the perfect time "to take an introspective look at self-governance and how we can make MSA better." He's right, but he's hardly the first MSA president to voice those words; the trick is acting on them in a meaningful way. The process of nominating committee chairs must be overhauled. Although any student is eligible for some of those posts, only those with existing connections on the assembly, like Vuljaj, are likely to be nominated. Clarifying and publicizing the guidelines and requirements for becoming an MSA representative is also a good idea: Nothing in MSA's current compiled code lays out a process for dealing with situa- tions like the one involving Vuljaj. Finally, though the assembly passed minor election reforms this week, more needs to be done to prove that it has learned from its mistakes and taken the necessary steps to avoiding them in the future. If nothing else, such initiatives would assure students that MSA has their best interests in mind - not just the interests of its own, as has too often been the case. NEIL SARDANA I Activism and survival in our times We have experienced a great deal of uncertainty recently as to where our lives and world are going, We lived through Sept. 11, continuing conflicts in the Middle East and the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. We're facing the consequences of global warming, an oil crisis, and wide- spread This viewpoint erty and is the fourth in a hunger series about the through- . out the present state of develop- student activism. ing world. At home we are seeing major unem- ployment and economic hardship, a flawed health care system, and our cultural and political systems are rampant with discrimination. Historically, social activism has been an effective way to address these problems and to make our soci- ety a more respectable place. Toward that end, American society made progress during the movement for desegregation and civilrights, asswell as the movement for equal rights for women. We are currently fighting for progress across the globe for ending various forms of inequality, oppres- sion and conflict. In today's world, these struggles have not only become more difficult but also more crucial to the survival of our communities and world as a whole. We know of the moral and ethical reasons for activism, but now all of our lives and futures depend on it. We are seeing that we can no longer engage in conflict and war- fare because it entails great human and environmental costs while also Writer misreads 'The Golden Compass' TO THE DAILY: Paul Tassi's column Tuesday about "The Golden Compass" (Losing my (and your) religion, 10/06/207) por- trayed the movie as a fun film for kids, with some "subliminal" anti- religious themes mixed in. Tassi failed to mention that "The Golden Compass" is based on the first book in a trilogy that concludes by glori- fying the death of God. Explicitly killing God is not "subliminal." The author of the trilogy, Philip Pullman, has publicly stated that his goal is to "undermine the basis of Christian belief," and according to an article published in The Telegraph, he "expects the film to remain 'faithful' to the books he wrote." Tassi argued that it's "stupid" for Christians to be concerned that this movie is coming out. In making this argument, he fails to understand that the end-goal of Christianity is to have a relationship with Christ; Christians are called to fall in love with the Lord and make him the cen- ter of their life. A loving husband would never consider seeing a movie based on a fueling terrorisn. We are finding that when workers are employed in sweatshop-like conditions, it allows companies to unfairly compete in markets, driving down wages and working conditions. This causes the loss of thousands of jobs and has destructive effects on economies. We now see that ignoring the causes of globalwarming has allowed major disasters like the 2004 tsunami and Hurricane Katrina to occur, causing the loss of thousands of lives. This is the reality of our world. These actions and their effects are placing our world at risk. That's why it is so urgent and important that we begin to stand up to these injustices as a human community. We must join or form groups and networks to challenge this unnatural decline. Our campus and its surrounding commu- nities offer numerous opportunities for us to become engaged and active on issues that impact us deeply. One of many crucial issues rel- evant to the University is holding The Coca-Cola Company account- able for its severe injustices in allow- ing its bottlers in Colombia to have collaborated for many years with paramilitary death squads in the systematic intimidation, kidnapping, torture and murder of union leaders and activists. Coca-Cola is also responsible for causing severe water shortages in extremely drought-prone communi- ties in India, making thousands go thirsty and allowing the contami- nation of water and soil in several poor farmingvillages. Coca-Colahas sought control of water resources throughout the world and plays a crucial role in controlling our global access to water as this vital resource becomes scarce. Our University has been directly involved in this issue by ordering the investigation of Coca-Cola's opera- tions in Columbia and India. Howev- er, in several steps along the process, the University administration has looked the other way on Coke's vio- lations and has helped the company hide its crimes by creating an "inves- tigation process" that has not even started yet. It is important for the University community to stand*up to these injustices and to speak out against the University's involvement in them. The University of Michigan Stop Killer Coke Coalition formed to challenge the administration on this issue and is workingtounite the cam- pus to finally put an end to this stain on our University's image. This is, in the end, about challenging the power of Coca-Cola and makingthe compa- ny recognize that it cannot continue to operate in such a disgraceful man- ner without consequences. This is just one of many different outlets for activism in our commu- nity; there are hundreds of issues we all can work on. It is imperative that we all find whatever issue strikes us and find a way to work on it. Because there are so many social issues to deal with, it is important for us all to recognize the intersections of our work and to support one another in the hopes of buildinga strong, inter- connected movement addressing all the challenges to our human rights and our survival on this planet. Neil Sardana is a Public Health graduate student and a member of the Stop Killer Coke Coalition. SEND LETTERS TO: TOTHEDAILY@UMICH.EDU LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Readers are encouraged to submit letters to the editor. Letters should be less than 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 tothedoily@umich.edu. ARIELA STEIF trilogy that ends by glorifying the death of his wife, and neither would he take his children to see such a movie. Not only would seeing the movie hurt his wife, but his relation- ship with her would be damaged. The relationship with God is no dif- ferent in that sense. Monica Przebienda LSAjunior Ann Arbor's election of Ann Arbor's summer residents, which are not always in line with those of Ann Arbor's residents for most of the year. Voting in yesterday's election would have been as meaningless as voting in Myanmar's elections. Sean Serraguard Rackham Maize outfor Ohio .S'tate showdown Igo VAZ EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS: Emad Ansari, Anindya Bhadra, Kevin Bunkley, Ben Caleca, Jon Cohen, Milly Dick, Mike Eber, Gary Graca, Emmarie Huetteman, Theresa Kennelly, Emily Michels, Robert Soave, Jennifer Sussex, Neil Tambe, Matt Trecha, Radhika Upad- hyaya, Rachel Wagner, Patrick Zabawa is meaningless TO THE DAILY: TO THE DAILY: With a home In response to Wednesday's archrival Ohio story about the lackluster election time the Big Ho in Ann Arbor (The Quiet Election, it really is wi 11/07/2007) I ask: What exactly do maize out. Stud you expect in terms of voter turn- alumni or corpo out for an election that was decided duce maize T-sh approximately four months ago? at the game. A Ann Arbor is dominated by Demo- now have the ch crats, with little to no second-party tradition agains presence. The primaries for the City 110,000-plus far Council were held, and have always Notonlywouldi been held, during the summer, when but an intimidat the students have no opportunity Buckeyes. Let's to voice their vote. This essentially look and feel as, means that you have one person to vote for in the general election. That Bryan Chesen person only represents the views Rackham showdown against- State looming, it's use shows how great ith a stadium-wide ents need to contact rate sponsors to pro- irts to be distributed lumni and sponsors ance to start another t Ohio State. Imagine ns, all wearing maize. tbe aremarkablesite, ting force against the make the Big House amazing as it is. A