4 -Tuesday, February 5, 2008
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Edited and managed by students at
the University of Michigan since 1890.
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Ann Arbor, MI 48109
tothedaily@umich.edu
No, I'm not a traitor. I'm just following my
own truth, and that truth has led me to
Barack Obama."
- Oprah Winfrey responding to claims that she should support Hillary Clinton instead of Barack Obama
in the Democratic primary because she is a woman, as reported Sunday by the Associated Press.
WYMAN KHUU
ANDREW GROSSMAN
EDITOR IN CHIEF
GARY GRACA
EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR
GABE NELSON
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.
The Daily's public editor, Paul H. Johnson, acts as the readers' representative and takes a critical lookat
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.
A government for everyone
LSA-SG recruitment effort exemplifies active inclusion
tudent government at the University has had itsfair share of
criticism over the past few months. The allegations that our
representative bodies are too insular and don't adequately
represent the greater student community have been common. How-
ever, a recent initiative by the LSA Student Government is a welcome
change from this popular image. The move to increase and diversify
the organization's membership not only fights the negative image of
student government, but also helps connect the organization to the
people it is supposed to be representing, the student body.
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Why the State Theatre matters
On Friday, following a heavy January
recruiting drive, LSA-SG appointed 50 new
members. With this one stroke, the organi-
zation nearly doubled its membership with
recruits from previously underrepresented
segments of the student body. The effort
was designed to reach beyond the group's
traditional membership, which even LSA-
SG Appointments Chair Aaron Miller noted
was "heavily" Greek.
A quick glance at any admissions brochure
or the University website shows that diver-
sity is one of our University's most cherished
values - and rightfully so. The students you
see walking across campus every day come
from all corners of the nation and world;
the different views and experiences they
bring with them is one of the most enrich-
ing aspects of a University education. While
not always fervent in its defense of diversity,
the University has a strong track record of
keeping campus open to everyone. Student
organizations, on the other hand, have long
been open to criticism.
Student government organizations in
particular are supposed to give students an
important voice and a key role in shaping
campus life. It's onlylogical that these bodies
should appeal to broad segments of the stu-
dent population. Unfortunately, groups like
LSA-SG have long had reputations as static
clubs with marked in-group mentalities.
Because of this history, LSA-SG deserves all
the more credit for actively seeking to fix this
problem, recognizing its base and making a
concerted effort to expand outside of it.
There's a lot to specifically like about LSA-
SG's measures. For one, new blood is always
a good thing, bringing new ideas and fresh
perspectives. In this case, the effect could be
even more meaningful. In an effort to mir-
ror the University in promoting diversity
and bridging cultural barriers on campus,
the recruiting drive focused on groups that
previously had little voice in government
affairs. For instance, it is especially signifi-
cant that 10 of the 50 new members will join
the Multicultural Affairs Committee.
Sure, more cynical people might call into
question the size of this expansion and voice
concern about the possibility that the orga-
nization is tokenizing minorities. Both of
these points of contention are unfounded
and misconstrued. Although almost dou-
bling the amount of members may seem
like a large influx of people for a group as
small as LSA-SG, 50 new members is not
an unmanageable number of people. Fur-
thermore, the new members come from all
backgrounds and life experiences; race and
ethnicity were only part of what the expan-
sion considered. A look at some of the new
members shows that the emphasis was on
campus involvement and active participa-
tion in student life.
It's often easy to find faults in organiza-
tions with broad responsibilities and lofty
mission statements. In the recruitment
efforts of LSA-SG, there's little fault to
be found. The group has shown initiative
before, and the newest efforts are no excep-
tion. LSA-SG helped open up student gov-
ernment to the students it represents, and it
left an example to follow.
To most of us, it's probably hard
to believe that when the State
Theatre opened in 1942, it was
considered a lavish
movie house, self-
proclaimed as "a
perfect theatre for
perfectmovieenter-
tainment." It had
one huge, two-story
screen that showed
a single movie, and
the ticket prices
were as low as a JEFFREY
quarter at the right BLOOMER
time of the day. -
Back then it was
as sterling a mainstream theater as
any before it, just 15 years shy of the
Michigan Theater and evenmore mod-
ern. Things have changed, but while
most of the local audience has moved
to off-campus chains, we should con-
sider the classic theater on State Street
more relevant than ever.
While the Michigan Theater has
enjoyed continued attention national-
ly, the old-school vision that led to the
creation of the State has slowly crum-
bled. The theater, with an original
design by the Detroit-based architect
C. Howard Crane, was reconstructed
in 1979 to include four screens, which
explains the peculiar arrangements of
the second-floor theaters that remain
to this day. It closed briefly in 1989
when it came under new ownership,
and the bottom of the original theater
was completely gutted to make way
for Urban Outfitters (as if you need-
ed another reason to hate that place)
before the upper level reopened for
business in 1992.
By the time the Michigan Theater
was contracted to book all movies
there in 1997,the State Theatre's iden-
tity as a gauche throwback theater
was already established. With the
help of its sister theater, it was mer-
cifully transformed from a Hawai-
ian-themed dollar show in the early
'90s to a host of important indepen-
dent filmmaking, but many still treat
it as an ancient untouchable. The
confined seating, the cumbersome
screen angles, the clanking projec-
tors you can hear above you - what's
the point?
Even if you buy that, which you
shouldn't, there's something to be
said for the theater's vitality, and
its reputation as a run-down venue
misses what makes its continued
existence so valuable. Until the mid-
'80s, there was a similar theater
across from Middle Earth on South
University Avenue, and the Showcase
multiplex on Carpenter Road was a
massive drive-in. Each succumbed to
the harsh marketplace. But while the
State's recent history has been rough,
it remains open, which is a testament
to its local importance.
Admittedly, even though the State's
current ownership of the theater
has improved the theater's technical
aspects since it took over, it still sus-
tains more remnants of the old the-
ater than a typical contemporary one.
That's not a bad thing. I covered film
for the Daily for three years, and there
was always an apologetic air when
it came time to the State, as if it was
a second-string task to sit through a
movie there. I still have friends who
won't go. But in my mind the down-
town theaters are as important to
the Ann Arbor cultural scene as the
Power Center or the Mendelsohn The-
atre, and even if most of you share that
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS:
opinion of the Michigan Theater, you
probably don't of the State.
You should. Anyone who has
attended a movie at the Showcase
multiplex has experienced a theater
with limitless technology and a prim-
ly modern decor but with no atmo-
sphere and no soul. You can go to a
place just like it no matter where you
are. The State Theatre might insist on
a Midnight Movies-style irreverence
that doesn't always befit the films it
shows during the week. It might not
be the most comfortable theater. But
it offers a singularity of character the
What you sacrifice
in comfort, you
gain in culture
local multiplexes can't hope to match.
You should go to experience the venue
as much as the movies it shows, and
that makes it a cultural rarity we
shouldn't take for granted.
I think there's something to be
said for a theater that allows a couple
hours at Ashley's on a Saturday night
to be followed by midnight movies as
diverse as "Any Given Sunday" and
"Yojimbo." But whatever the source of
your affinity for it, the State Theatre
was the first institution that endeared
me to this campus, and there's no rea-
son we all shouldn't give it its due.
Jeffrey Bloomer was the Daily's fall/
winter managing editor in 2007. He can
be reached at bloomerj@umich.edu.
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__ 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 tothedaily@umich.edu.
4
Emad Ansari, Anindya Bhadra, Kevin Bunkley, Ben Caleca, Satyajeet Deshmukh,
Milly Dick, Mike Eber, Emmarie Huetteman, Theresa Kennelly, Emily Michels,
Arikia Millikan, Kate Peabody, Robert Soave, lmran Syed, Neil Tambe, Matt Trecha,
Kate Truesdell, Radhika Upadhyaya, Rachel Van Gilder, Rachel Wagner, Patrick Zabawa.
SEND LETTERS TO: TOTHEDAILY@UMICH.EDU
Media does not make
men cheat on women
Where is the student body at these
games? Do students only show up when
they are guaranteed a win? Our team,
though not very good yet, works hard and
shows up. It's about time for students to
TO THE DAILY: do the same.
Shakira Smiler's column about how
men's sexual nature is reinforced by the Jerry Acker
media (A trifling media, 02/01/2008) did Alum
a great job of old-fashioned male bash-
ing without much argument to back it Stereoty
up. She made a great point that men's
and women's magazines give each sex Cheaters
different messages (Hint: It's based on
what sells magazines). However, calling
all men "trifling" and saying that women TO THE DAI
are "baffled" by cheating men left me After readi
scratching my head. bashing theE
Studies have shown that just as many media, 02/01/
women lie and cheat as men. Justcbecause laugh. By ster
a former U.S. president, the mayor of ple as liars a
Detroit and a few of the author's friends not only toe
have cheated doesn't mean that there look ignorant
aren't just as many "trifling" women Are we s
doing the same thing. I don't know why because shec
Smiler is so baffled. People don't cheat among her fri
because of what a magazine says. Both are cheaters?
men and women cheat because they are good judge of
human beings, and unfortunately, some I think it's
people feel the need to lie about it so they sullen, adoles
don't lose what they have. rounding her
men greatly
Nick Stadts Maybe if she
Alum she would h
would not ha
Bad team shouldn't reaching and
cle that tarnis
cause bad turnout of a usually e
Stephen Reei
TO THE DAILY: Engineeringgra
This week, the University celebrated
the 40th anniversary of Crisler Arena and Studies
hosted, among other players, our great
alum Cazzie Russell, who played basket- doesn't c
ball for Michigan and was a three-time
All-American. I was at the game. The
Michigan basketball team did its best, TO THE DAIL
and the players worked hard against Big A New Zea
Ten-rival Minnesota. The only people gers of smokin
who didn't show up were the Michigan briefWednesc
students. It was embarrassing that the Know, 01/30/
student section was one-third empty. contained a si
ping men as
signores realily
LY:
.ing Shakira Smiler's article
entire male sex (A trifling
/2008), I couldn't help but
eotyping over3 billion peo-
nd cheaters, she managed
embarrass herself but also
t.
upposed to believe that
can find cheaters and liars
iends and idols that all men
Sounds to me like she isn't a
character.
time for her to drop the
cent attitude and start sur-
self with good men. Good
outnumber the bad ones.
did a little social research,
ave known that. She also
ave written such an over-
disturbingly ignorant arti-
hed her name and the name
xcellent newspaper.
!d
duate student
show marijuana
pause cancer
LY:
aland study about the dan-
g marijuana, cited in a news
day(Three Things YouShould
2008), was misleading and
gnificant inaccuracy.
Medical studies with large sample
sizes have consistently failed to link
marijuana use to increased rates of lung
cancer. In fact, at least two studies have
shown lower incidences of lung cancer
among marijuana smokers who didn't
also use tobacco.
Furthermore, the New Zealand
study's assertion that a lung cancer epi-
demic is imminent because of marijuana
use is simply not credible. Marijuana use
has been ubiquitous in America for more
than 40 years and no such epidemic has
emerged.
On the contrary, marijuana has proven
medical value for patients suffering from
debilitating and painful diseases like
multiple sclerosis and cancer. Fortunate-
ly, Michigan voters will have the oppor-
tunity this November to pass a ballot
initiative to protect these sick and dying
people from the threat of arrest and pen-
alty for using medical marijuana to alle-
viate their pain and suffering.
Chris Chiles
LSA sophomore
Executive Director of the University's chapter of
Studentsfor SensibleDrugPolicy
'U'has done wellfixing
graduation mistake
ized its error and dropped everythingto
make amends.
I now hope that other graduating
seniors will be able to accept the compro-
mises. When I heard the news, I figured
that all of the anger would be gone and
most people would be satisfied. After all,
most students initially just complained
that graduation wasn't going to be on
campus. But I read the comments on the
Daily's website and the walls of Face-
book groups, and I still see students who
are unsatisfied with the decision to have
graduation on campus but not at Michi-
gan Stadium.
The University has given strong rea-
sons why commencement can't be at
Michigan. Stadium, reasons that por-
table toilets and generators won't fix.
No amount of complaining or marches
at the Cube will get graduation to be at
Michigan Stadium. As seniors, there are
two things we can do: Accept this fact,
give the administration credit for quickly
correcting its mistake and have a great
ceremony elsewhere. Or we can hold our
breath, throw a temper tantrum, refuse
to attend graduation and refuse to donate
to the University ever again because of
this grand injustice.
Once again, thanks to the University's
administration. I appreciate what it did,
and I'm looking forward to April 26,
wherever commencement is.
in grads joiningPeace Corps, 01/29/2008).
The work of even the most well-mean-
ing aid organizations often lacks results
or smacks of neo-imperialism when the
West's supposed experts impose solu-
tions on other people.
However, when it comes to the Peace
Corps, such criticisms are largely mis-
placed. These criticisms inappropriately
overemphasize the Peace Corps as an aid
agency while underestimating its unpar-
alleled cross-cultural virtues. Two of
the Peace Corps' three official goals are
explicitly cross-cultural: "Helping pro-
mote a better understanding of Ameri-
cans on the part of the peoples served"
and "Helping promote a better under-
standing of other peoples on the part of
Americans." The other goal is a reminder
that the Peace Corps does not force vol-
unteers on foreign governments. Instead,
volunteers are requested to meet each
country's needs.
I would say most Peace Corps volun-
teers - regardless of their motivation
for joining - quickly learn they are not
abroad to save the world. Instead, the
do-gooders, the adventure-seekers and
even the slackers all form friendships
and understandings that are unavailable
back home. People in the host countries
similarly benefit from the exchange. It's
difficult to think of another program
that affords so many Americans and
people around the world this in-depth
experience.
While the concerns voiced in the
Daily's article should weigh on the mind
of anyone considering work abroad, in
my experience, Peace Corps volunteers
develop nuanced insights on these issues.
Today, when Americans have the wealth
and power to do tremendous good or evil
in the world, the more Peace Corps vol-
unteers we have, the better. The value of
Peace Corps is not necessarily in "mak-
ing a difference," it's in gaining a cross-
cultural perspective on when, where and
how to make a difference.
Matt Muspratt
Alum
The letter writer was a Peace Corps volunteer.
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TO THE DAILY: Aaron Johnson
I feel like I'm going out on a limb, Engineering senior
and maybe I will be ostracized by fel-
low seniors for this, but I would like to Arguments
thank the University's administration agis
for everything it has done to fix the Peace Corps misguided
graduation snafu. I concede that the
administration should have thought
about graduation when planning the TO THE DAILY:
construction project or at least let stu- The charges levied against the Peace
dents know about the problems sooner. Corps and its volunteers inlast Tuesday's
But everyone makes mistakes, and I feel Daily - including paternalism, volun-
the administration has done everything teers' lack of "the experience necessary
it can to make up for its mistakes. to tackle the problems in developing
The administration has spent a great countries," misguided "do-gooder men-
amount of money and time looking into tality" and an insufficient commitment to
alternative solutions to make everyone service - are certainly valid in the world
happy. It's clear that the University real- of international aid (University ranksfifth
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