4A - Thursday, March 13, 2008 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com 74C fidiigan:43al&j Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@umich.edu 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 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. FR A T1 L AY" No- smoking jobs? Not hiring smokers at'U' would do more harm than good he list of potential consequences of smoking cigarettes is lengthy. It includes lung cancer, emphysema, asthma, heart disease and stomach ulcers. If two Michigan state senators get their way, smokers will have one more thing to add to that list -- unemployment. The two senators, Tom George (R-Kalamazoo) and Bill Hardiman (R-Kentwood), suggested last month that the state's three research universities - the University of Michigan, Michigan State University and Wayne State University - stop hiring smokers to help cut down on the state's health care costs. It's an absurd idea that the University rightly rejected. That is like asking a woman after she has just delivered a baby, do you want to get pregnant again?" -Former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, responding to a question about whether he would run for president again, as reported yesterday by Fox News. CHRIS KOSLOWSK I IUT TOPASTURE Well, first Hotdog Man gets I wonder what Freud would If's crazy how Ann Arbor is tossed from Michigan Stadium. say about this. so anti-hotdog. and then city council bans eI V all of the sidewalk vendors. 6 Probably something than It's ridiculous would generate moreDaily a cartoon batemail. two 0 Smoke, mirrors and skyboxes George made his suggestion to Univer- sity President Mary Sue Coleman and the two other research university presidents last month at a state Senate Finance Com- mittee meeting. George and another sup- porter, Hardiman, argue that not hiring or promoting employees who smoke will pro- mote healthy habits and lower health care costs. Neither state law nor the University's non-discrimination policy explicitly pro- tects smokers from discrimination. In their veiled attempt to undermine state-funded health care, George and Har- diman make an argument that's built on shaky ground. Sure, health care costs might fall if people who smoke don't have health insurnace. But why stop there? Research universities could stop hiring people who eat fast food, don't exercise regularly and forget to floss. They don't because the ben- efits of covering them outweigh the costs. If the University stopped hiring smok- ers, it might pass over potentially talented employees. When hiring or promoting pro- fessors and staff, the University should be looking for the most qualified people, not necessarily the healthiest. Michigan is already struggling to keep college students from fleeing the state as soon as they get their degrees. Now, it wants intelligent professors who happen to enjoy cigarettes to follow them. While the law might not explicitly protect people who make poor personal health choices, this suggestion to not hire or promote smokers raises major privacy concerns. Not only would it require the University to ask about people's personal habits, it would also require them to con- tinually monitor employee habits. How is the University supposed to know ifa pro- fessor is lighting up a cigarette between classes - or better yet, at home? And who can forget that smokers are already paying a lot of the state's bills. A substantial amount of funding for the state's universities - like the School Aid Fund, the Michigan Educational Assessment Program and the Michigan Merit Award - comes directly from the Tobacco Master Settle- ment Agreement of 1998 and is based on the total sale of cigarettes in the state. The set- tlement requires tobacco companies to com- pensate the government for smoking-related medical costs. As of 2005, reports estimate that 34 percent of the $300 million settle- ment was spent on education. Smoking is dangerous. But there are much better ways to discourage it without adding smokers to Michigan's unemploy- ment problem. Better education about the negative consequences of smoking would be a good place to start. Maybe George and Hardiman could get a few of the state's chain-smoking professors to help them. hate to be the one to do this. Truth be told, there probably isn't one student at the Univer- sity more thrilled to be here than I am. Everyone who has ever known me has known that I'm an exuberant champi- on of the University. But for all my fervor, I know this placeI isn't perfect. As lib- IMRAN erals have learned I in recent years, if SYED you truly love an institution, you will feverishly decry its wrongdoings and demand improvement. So, here it goes. The University has finally settled the lawsuit filed against it by the Michigan Paralyzed Veterans of- America concerning the renovations to Michigan Stadium. The lawsuit alleged that the University broke the law by not bringing the stadium up to the standard mandated by the Ameri- cans with Disabilities Act of 1990. The ADA requires one percent of all seating in a public facility like Michigan Stadium be wheelchair accessible. Because the stadium was built before 1990, it was exempt from the ADA - until renovations were made deemed significant enough to require compliance with the ADA. The University until this week tried to skirt the ADA by arguing that this construction at the Big House - which was significant enough to deem the stadium unfit to hold com- mencement, as you might remember - still qualifies as "repairs" and not "renovations." The University finally caved earlier this week: The currentrenovation plan will now incorporate enough wheel- chair-accessible seats to appease the MPVA. So we're all good, right? No, Wheelchair-accessible seats take up far more space than a regular seat. As a result, total capacity at the stadium will go down - far enough to make the Big House the second-biggest sta- dium in the country. And that's going to be a problem. As good Michigan Wolverines, we students often feel entitled to certain things. One of those things is that our stadium be the largest in college foot- ball. Another is that our commence- ment be held at the Big House, and you remember how touchy we got about that a few weeks ago. From the grumblings I've been hearing around campus, I see that the frustration has started to flow. Already students are expressing dis- may and outrage at the fact that the solution has made the Big House the second-biggest stadium in the coun- try. A few have been naive enough to blame the MPVA and fans who require accessible seating (Blamefans in wheelchairsfor lower stadium capac- ity, 03/12/2008) which, of course, is simply ridiculous. This lawsuit with the MPVA, not to mention the uproar over the addi- tion of luxury boxes at the stadium, had made this construction process a public relations disaster for the Uni- versity. But all of a sudden, the mess is gone, and the University miraculously emerges almost unscathed. As much as I hate to entertain the thought, that seems like too much of a coincidence. Maybe the University knew what it was doing all along. Consider this: In late January, the administration announced Sompletely out of the blue that this year's Spring Commencement would be held at Eastern Michigan University, not the Big House. It should have expected' the astounding level of student out- rage that followed. Then, seemingly as an example of responsiveness to student wishes, the administra- tion announced commencement was coming back to campus - not to the Big House, but to the Diag. Students breathed a sigh of relief. Did you catch the trick? Had the administration announced right off the bat thatgraduation would be at the Diag because the Big House was not ready (due toa gross, and sus- picious, lack of planning), students would have been upset. But how then would you mollify those students? The only possible solution would be to move commencement back to the Big House, and that was not on the table for the University. So, as the Univer- sity, you give students a disgustingly outrageous option and then get them to play into your plan by accepting a compromise that you would have taken all along. How smooth. As unfortunate as it sounds, the settlement of the MPVA lawsuit reeks of the same ploy. Surely the Univer- sity knew that with the addition of its luxury boxes, there would be no way to also accommodate the mandated number of accessible seats while ensuring that the Big House remained the largest stadium in the country. It then had two options: Either take the heat for its luxury boxes - those The grand illusion about who gets the blame hated structures that are the true root of the dilemma we're now in - or find something else to take the blame for the Big House becoming the second- biggest stadium. For months the University dragged its feet about meeting the MPVA's demands, despite the pending law- suit. But, when the U.S. Depart- ment of Justice joined the suit on the MPVA's side last fall, the game was essentially up. And now the Univer- sity has finally shown its hand, having held out long enough to ensure that the ensuing outrage is targeted at the MPVA and fans in wheelchairs rather than at the administration's stubborn insistence on haphazardly building luxury boxes. Ihopeyoureaders are brightenough to see through the smokescreen. Imran Syed was the Daily's fall/winter editorial page editor in 2007. He can be reached at galad@umich.edu. I ( EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS: Emad Ansari, Harun Buljina, Anindya Bhadra, Kevin Bunkley, Ben Caleca, Satyajeet Deshmukh, Milly Dick, Mike Eber, Emmarie Huetteman, Theresa Kennelly, Emily Michels, Arikia Millikan, Kate Peabody, Robert Soave, Imran Syed, Neil Tambe, Matt Trecha, Kate Truesdell, Radhika Upadhyaya, Rachel Van Gilder, Rachel Wagner, Patrick Zabawa. SEND LETTERS TO: TOTHEDAILY@UMICH.EDU Looking forward to inclusive Big House Daily, this simpl "U.S. Deaths" bodies closer to me, this box - between Sudokt TO THE DAILY: dom advertisem In his letter to the editor yes- man I respect ve terday (Blame fans in wheel- also killed in Ba chairs for lower stadium capacity, years ago. Did it 03/12/2008), ChrisVesselsexplic- Daily that there, itly blamed people with physi- who have serves cal disabilities and the Michigan ing overseas in Paralyzed Veterans of America current military for the University administra- To these me: tion's mismanagement of the suspect the nur Michigan Stadium renovations. represents theI As an able-bodied Michigan foot- fellow soldiers,s ball fan, I was not only offended, Marines withv but also embarrassed by his cal- risked or willI lous tirade. lives. To others, i I was particularly angered by a fallen mother the way Vessel held an "us-ver- sister or friend. sus-them" mentality throughout speak on behalf his letter, implying that either but I respectfu the University or disabled fans Daily either tu must lose in order for the other count into a tril group to accomplish its goals. selfless America: The way in which he labeled women who hav the new accessible seating "the for their country wheelchair section" and implied that disabled fans were "willing Stephen Taylor to sacrifice Michigan Stadium LSA senior tradition in order to see games" was especially degrading and Some love polarizing. To the extent that his letter was possibly an attempt atc sarcasm, it was bigoted and in s poor taste. I, for one, look forward to TO THE DAILY: watching next season's Wolver- I would like I ines in a stadium with fans from appreciation to all creeds, abilities and walks of University stude life. basis - the bus di y means that the stoplight at Hubba box inches five Parkway, the Nc 4,000 dead. To pulled up to the squeezed as it is the driver opened u and some ran- though it was not ents - insults a route. Although I v ry much. He was home, I was gratefi ghdad over three the driver cared e not occur to the me the option of h are students here bus to ride the re d or will be serv- This is the same b support of our I saw last week p, operations? directions to some( n and women, I This is just one, mber in that box drivers employed I living, breathing sity. I'm sure there sailors, pilots and other drivers who whom they have same care while be risking their dents around cam it might represent you University bus, , father, brother, I don't mean to Sara Henry f of anyone else, School ofinformation illy ask that the rn this casualty LawSchool bute to all of the i servicemen and book misrej e given their lives or remove it. rd and Huron rthwood bus red light and the door, even a stop on the wanted to walk ul to know that nough to give opping on the st of the way. us driver who atiently giving one. of the fine bus by the Univer- are numerous illustrate the shuttling stu- pus. So, thank drivers. profs iresented me think that the Miller was any different from writing diatribes about his per- to the stadium? W sonal views of what is disgusting, gan Paralyzed Vet: which included two men kissing ica did was ensurE as an example. wheelchairs and t To understand the accusation abilities were affor: better, I researched the book It is ridiculous th and discovered that my initial "expectation," asv appraisal based on the Daily's placed on those inj article was inaccurate. This book accommodations is a scholarly look at common would like to be gt views of disgust and how these civil rights. views influence law and society. I've been a seaso In addition, Miller cites numer- et holder for the p ous other examples of things There aren't even f viewed as disgusting with no rel- dent section who n evance to gay people whatsoever. expectation of wh Knowing that such descriptions are given in a specific scholarly context to explain the role of disgust makes me reconsider the ARIELA STEIF passage that Green cited fromthe book out of context. In the acad- emy we are supposed to grasp and respectfullydiscuss concepts and beliefs that do not necessar- ily reflect our own. While I don't know Miller, I imagine that he is fully capable of using his examples without harboring or applying this to his professional life. I feel that Daily readers should be made aware of this so that they will not make pre- mature conclusions (as I did) with the limited information provided by Green's quote in the article. fans who walk be a good far hat the Michi- maize and bl erans of Amer- deafening lo e that those in fans aren't o hose with dis- tain obligati( ded civil rights. game withoi at there is an wheelchair Vessels argued, deserving of need of greater I would pr because they gan traditio uaranteed their rights, rathe It'snot an ho on football tick- have the lar, ast four years. bodied peop fans in the stu- eet up Vessel's Brian Choi at it means to LSA senior n: being decked out in ue and cheering with udness. Just as these bligated to meet cer- ons and can enjoy the it guilt, those in the sections are equally these freedoms. efer to boast a Michi- n of upholding civil r than fillingup seats. nor to declare that we gest stadium of able- 4e. I ,0for its drivers to send a note of those folks that ots see on a daily rivers. These men TO THE DAILY: I read with great interest the Daily's recent article about former Law School Prof. Peter Hammer's discrimination case against the University (Former law profclaims anti-gay bias influenced tenure decision, 03/07/2008). I would like to comment on the information cited by Hammer's attorney, Phil- lip Green, about why several Law School professors should have abstained from voting on Ham- mer's tenure decision because of anti-gay bias. Daily readers should be aware of the article's misrepresentation of the book "Anatomy of Disgust," whichwas incorrectlytitled "Dis- gust" in the article. The book is being used by Green to make the claim that its author, Law School Prof. William Miller, was biased against Hammer because he is openly gay. The article's brief representation of the book made L \-OUR$ cWTH A K -~EJ ~ ST'lTt-rE? SA L,4RY? $ 00 ?PF1:Oj1 C,4 4-/7A- y A Ri~c ELE S Adam Booth Medical School Bobby Poulson-Houser LSA sophomore Daily's troop death count disrespectful TOTHE DAILY: Five more U.S. soldiers died in Baghdad on Monday. To the and women drive the same route, hour after hour, and graciously get us to our classes, dorms, apart- ments and jobs. I especially want to thank the gentleman who drives the Northwood route on some after- noons. I chose to walk back to my apartment in Northwood V from North Campus Tuesday afternoon because it was such a beautiful day. As I neared the A value bigger than our seating capacity TO THE DAILY: I took issue with Chris Vessel's letter to the editor yesterday, which responded to the Michi- gan Stadium accommodations for wheelchair users (Blame fans in wheelchairs for lower stadium capacity, 03/12/2008). Since when were people using wheelchairs ;C44 /t i SI 4 I