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4B - Tuesday, April 15, 2008
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The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
E-MAIL OQUIST AT JOQUIST@UMICH.EDU
I e Wc 1 1n at'*1
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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 Editorial Page is a forum for diverse opinions on key issues of
contemporary concern. In honor of the class of 2008, this page represents
a compilation of insights surrounding the most compelling events that
occurred over the past four years.
FROM THE DAILY
Bleachers, not skyboxes
'U' should consider alternate stadium plan
JOHN OQUIST (
WELL, HERE'S YOUR CUBICLE C AN OFFICE JOB ISN'T HEY, CHAMP, rVE GOT SOME
HOW ARE YOU LIKING YOUR SO eAD, I DON'T KNOW WHY WORK FOR YOU. WELL ... IT'LL PROBABLY
- SEW JOB? ALL THOSE MOVES AND SHOWS ONLY TAKE YOU
MAKE IT OUT TO E. sINFINITY MILLION YEARS
THIS IS GREAT, THANKS r".. .. "- SURE. WHEN'S IT DUE?
GREATI ILL GET
RIGHT ON IT.
YOU DON'T HAVE A LUNCH DUDE, I DON'T SEE WHAT YOU'RE
BREAK, BUT THE COOLER iS WORRIED ABOUT. YOU'RE A HISTORY
BY THt ELVATO IF YOU GAN MAJOR WHAT0D OYOU RtALY THINK THE
FIND YUR WA. THE0I1ODD OF YOU FINDINGA JOB ARE?
KNEW I COULD COUNT
ON YOU.
More than just getting b
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In a move many regarded as a mis-
take, the University Board of Regents
approved a controversial expansion
of the Big House last May. The plan would
actually remove bleacher seats, replacing
them with club seats and luxury boxes.
But the Board of Regents has other options
- ones it needs to seriously consider - that
could add 10,000 bleacher seats to the Big
House instead of the luxury superstruc-
tures.
Each home game, more than a hundred
thousand fans journey to Ann Arbor to
watch the Wolverines play. There are no
advertisements, no distractions -just fans
and football. The Big House has embodied
the tradition of Michigan football since it
was completed in 1927. Sitting and stand-
ing on the same cold steel bleachers is part
of that tradition.
Affront to tradition aside, the skybox
plan has a number of other flaws. The esti-
mated cost is over $200 million more than
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the bleacher plan. The skyboxes - while
not necessarily guaranteed to sell out -
would tower over the masses, leavingmuch
of the stadium in shadow.
The Athletic Department will say that
many plans were considered, yet only the
plan including luxury boxes could finance
needed renovations without increasing
ticket prices. But questions need to be
raised as to the truth of this reasoning.
Clerical oddities and other shady tactics
have been the norm regarding this subject
since the administrative sleight-of-hand
that placed the stadium expansion plan on
the Regents' meeting agenda for in May at
the last minute - after the deadline to reg-
ister to speak had passed.
The Board of Regents should remem-
ber that Fielding Yost put extra steel pil-
ings into the ground for a reason. It's a safe
bet that the reason wasn't to allow for the
future construction of "enclosed seating."
- Sept. 26, 2006
After MCRI
Proposal 2 passes, but affirmative action debate not over
n my four years on campus, not a
day went by that I didn't hear fel-
low students complaining about
some aspect of the
University. While
I did spend a great
deal of my time
around the editori-
al page of a newspa-
per - an institution .
that wouldn't have
a reason to exist
without frustration IMRAN
about the status
quo - I don't think SYED
my experience is an
anomaly.
A significant number of students
are dissatisfied with their educational
experience. This sentiment is rooted in
a dangerous sense of entitlement that
we students managed to transfer from
ouradolescenceandmaintainthrough-
out college. But now, as we graduate,
it's time to finally discard this attitude.
Though we've all been pushed to
embrace so many responsibilities,
many college students remain trapped
in the immature mindset that there
are things the University ought to do
or have done for them.
Over the past four years, rising
tuition costs provoked accusations
that the University was fleecing its stu-
dents. The passage of a race- and gen-
der-based affirmative action ban in the
state again brought general outrage.
The recent walkout by the Graduate
Employees' Organization introduced
a barrage of letters on this page repre-
senting both - equally angry - sides of
the argument. And, of course, I'll never
forget the annual onslaught of "fire
Lloyd Carr" letters that we used to look
forward to each fall.
This discontent isn't necessarily bad
- I applaud students who choose to
engage in their own education enough
to be aware of the University's trans-
gressions and become outraged by
them. But the culture of blame that
consumes the entirety of the average
college student's political motivation
also holds us back from fairly examin-
ing and learning from our own efforts
over the past four years. The Univer-
sity isn't perfect, but the beauty of
your time spent here is that you dictate
exactly what you get out of it.
Both inside and outside the class-
room, the University does students
the marvelous service of making
available its immense resources for us
to use as we see fit. Too many of us fail
to take advantage of these resources,
choosing instead to get through our
classes by meeting only the minimum
requirements. And then we construe
our ability to get through the Univer-
sity without pushing ourselves as a
fault of this institution: Many of my
classmates have mocked that fact that
the University allows them to get by
with doing so little.
I was astounded recently to learn
that a friend of mine, a very accom-
plished senior about to graduate with
honors, did not even know how to
access electronic journals from the
University Libraries' website. How
many others are there who have com-
pletely ignored the many resources
of this university just because no one
made us use them?
We pay to be at the University and by
doing the least we can, we're ensuring
that we get as little as possible for our
money. How many of us did the sup-
plemental readings indicated on the
syllabus? How many of us attempted to
learn the background of the authors of
some of our more controversial texts?
Hell, how many of us even went to our
professors' office hours?
Being at an institution that grants
us independence with minimal over-
sight liberates some students to pur-
sue things they never dreamed they'd
be interested in. It also, however,
means that we are responsible for
planning our own paths, and we can't
simply wait for some "requirement"to
dictate the next step. Why do the bare
minimum? By doing the least possible
to get by, we're not gaming any sys-
tem; we're simply cheating ourselves.
What you get out
of college and life
depends on you
For those graduating later this
month, this advice maybe too little too
late to have any effect on our under-
graduate careers. But this lesson still
holds true - indeed, takes on added
importance - as we depart from the
protected nest of campus for a world
that certainly won't coddle us.
The necessity to make our own col-
legiate experience afforded to .is by
the University's hand-off approach
probably did us a greater service
than anything on any syllabus ever
did. But, if in college we failed to find
the wisdom to take the initiative and
move ahead, we have to make sure we
don't make that mistake again.
Imran Syed was the Daily's fall/winter
editorial page editor in 2007. He can
be reached at galad@umich.edu.
few hopeful souls may be waiting
for a deus ex machina to uncover
the missing half-million ballots
opposing Proposal 2, but it's clear that
the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative has
passed. Despite years of effort, first to
keep the proposal off the ballot and later
to educate voters about what the proposal
actually means, Michigan residents have
spoken - and come out overwhelmingly
against affirmative action.
The passage of Proposal 2 is a blow to
remedying social inequalities that are
unacceptable. For being born to the wrong
family, thousands of children receive an
inferior education from the first day of
kindergarten. For being born the wrong
gender, women across the state face the
legacy of male privilege that persists today
in employment and contracting.
But the battle isn't over. Some changes
are certain: The University will revamp
its admissions process, tweak some pro-
grams and probably eliminate others. But
Proposal 2 hasn't put an end to the affir-
mative action debate. The University has
fought battles in the U.S. Supreme Court
to defend its commitment to diversity; we
hope it doesn't abandon that commitment
now. Some may be willing to accept Pro-
posal 2's passage as the end of affirmative
action, but we have a feeling the Univer-
sity won't give up that easily.
- Nov. 8, 2006
UGH.JM 50 HUNGOVER, WHY'D HEY, DID YOU HEAR THAT
WE POP THE CHEAP CHAMPAGNE PROPOSAL I PASBED? WELL..WE SHOULD PROBABLY
AFTER THE DEMS TOOK THE START DRINKING AGAIN.
HOUSE? FOR REAL?
Q THE LAST TNINRECALL ISYUP
WOLF BLITZER SAYNG *
SOMETHING ABOUT THE
SENATE BEING TOO CLOSE ,
f
Settling for less
Stadium deal a minor victory in long line of failures
KARL STAMPFLVI ON
Stumbling to a better tradition
I
Better late than never. That's about the
best that can be said about the Uni-
versity's recent settlement with the
Michigan Paralyzed Veterans of America.
While finally agreeing to necessary accom-
modations, this settlement hardly negates
the University's 11 months of unconscio-
nable resistance to making the stadium
wheelchair accessible.
In April 2007, the Michigan Paralyzed
Veterans of America sued the University
for failing to meet the requirements of the
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
While the University refused to admit any
wrongdoing, the two sides reached a settle-
ment requiring the University to have 329
wheelchair-accessible seats by 2010, and
improved accessibility to bathrooms, con-
cession stands and ticket offices.
All of these issues point to one major
theme: The University administration and
the over-eager Athletic Department com-
pletely botched the planning for the sta-
dium construction - not this is surprising
anymore. If the administration had been
forthcoming about the complaints from the
Department of Education's Office of Civil
Rights when construction plans were being
considered, this prolonged negative atten-
tion could have been avoided.
Adding the seats will cause the Big House
to relinquish its title as the largest stadium
in the country for at least two years - and
maybe forever. While this is an unfortunate
consequence, it's embarrassing to hear that
some on campus blame the Michigan Para-
lyzed Veterans of America for the loss of
this utterly meaningless title.
If this is something fans actually care
about, they should not direct their con-
tempt on football Saturdays at their fellow
fans in the wheelchair section. Instead,
they should look up - above the crowd,
above the press box - to the seating area
for the University's leaders who thought
the Michigan Athletic Department was
above the law.
- Mar. 12, 2008
Here's a recap of what happened:
Administration miraculously forgets
commencement can't be held in foot-
ball stadium because of construc-
tion. Administration remembers, but
neglects to ask students what they
think and announces ceremony will
be held at Eastern Michigan Universi-
ty's Rynearson Stadium. Students get
angry - perhaps angrier than they've
ever been about Iraq, Darfur or plum-
meting state funding. Students start
Facebook groups, blog and alert par-
ents, grandparents and local media
outlets. Realizing this ruckus might
upset fundraising, Administration
finally notices. Administration does
what it should have in the first place,
involvingstudents bylettingthemvote
on where ceremony should be held.
Students vote for Diag.
There are some drawbacks to hold-
ing commencement on the Diag. For
instance, each graduate gets six tickets
instead of eight. But all things consid-
ered, the Diag isn't merely better than
EMU's stadium - it might also be bet-
ter than our own. By the administra-
tion's own folly, we've stumbled onto
a new tradition that may make more
sense than the old tradition.
The Big House is a symbol of many
of the University's glories, but it is
also a symbol of its sins. Too often the
University is forced to abandon its val-
ues on behalf of the Athletic Depart-
ment. There's no shortage of examples
either, and this year's controversy over
skyboxes taking priority over disabled
seating is another example to add to an
already long list. In what other part of
the University would a lawsuit be nec-
essary to strong arm the administra-
tion into accommodating people with
disabilities?
Holding commencement in the Big
House gives graduates a false final
impression of what this university is
about - an impression that this sym-
bolic location change may help fix.
First, there's the impression we
make on past students. For many
University students, the last memory
of their time in Ann Arbor is gradu-
ation day. When alumni think back,
we want them to remember Angell
Hall, not just Michigan Stadium. We
want them to endow a professorship
in the English department rather than
another athletic scholarship. Let's give
the thousands of alumni who come
to commencement every year to cele-
brate their daughters', grandsons' and
nieces' accomplishment avisual repre-
sentation that academics are a priority
as much as athletics.
There's also the message we send
to future students. Local media cover
commencement heavily, especially
when the speaker is a prominent per-
son like Bill Clinton. In the week lead-
ing up to the May 1 deadline for high
school seniors to commit to colleges,
it would be nice to attract the kind of
students who are drawn by televised
images of the University's Diag, home
to emblematic buildings like both the
graduate and undergraduate libraries
and symbolic of our strong history of
scholarship.
There are some good reasons for not
holding commencement on the Diag.
There's tradition. But isn't a university
the kind of place where we have an
honest debate about the tradjtions that
don't make sense? Perhaps this year's
change should spark the administra-
tion to start a conversation on campus
about whether commencement should
be moved back to Michigan Stadium,
even if it's ready in April 2009. And if
administrators don't, students should.
Can you imagine a new tradition in
which campus gathers each spring at
its academic center, the crowd flanked
by academic buildings, the cathedrals
of our education, to send a new class
out into the world?
- Feb.18, 2008
Karl Stampfl is an RC senior. He was the
Daily's fall/winter editor in chief in 2007.
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FR T H E DAI LYThe wa
deeply imp,
Iraq, looking back
To die for one's country
On Sept. 7, four American soldiers lost their lives
in Iraq. Had these deaths occurred at another point
in the conflict, the soldiers would have become just
c, ~another number, but there is an artificial signifi-
cance to the passing of these young people: The
death toll of U.S. soldiers in the Iraq war has
now passed 1,000.
s~i twhile this figure is a symbolic turning point
in our involvement, there are other numbers
receiving less attention that deserve it equal-
640 fo m IDF # ly. To date, 7,000 U.S. soldiers have been
:N ht=Mod tho wounded, and analysts believe that more
than 10,000 Iraqis have been killed since
word!the war began.
More than 80 percent of the U.S. soldiers who
have died in this war died after President Bush
declared major combat operations over. The
situation on the ground in Iraq is dangerous
now as it was then. More soldiers will die; this
is an unfortunate reality. Our fearful trip is not
done.
- Sept. 9, 2004
r in Iraq may have begun before we arrived at the University, but it has no doubt
acted our four years here. Here, we look back at major developments in the conflict.
Keeping promises
After months of promising to veto any Iraq spend-
ing bill that included timetables, President Bush made
good on his promise. While misguided action from
the president is always expected, the Democratic
Congress has to share part of the blame until it finds a
way to end the illegal war that it is funding.
Although Congress's bill authorized the additional
funding requested, it added a schedule of goals that
need tobe met. Timelines don't restrain the military;
they simply help ensure that progress is being made.
Unfortunately, cutting off funding completely may
not be an option. But one government heavyweight
still has the option to take action - the legislature.
America doesn't need more hollow action from
Congress - we've had plenty of that since 2003. We
need Congress to push for timetables, work to inter-
nationalize the effort and patch up the relationships
that Bush has destroyed.
Bush made good on his promise to veto the time-
tables. Can Democrats make good on their promise to
end the war?
- May 7, 2007
A different exit strategy
Leave it to the next guy - that's President Bush's
new exit strategy. Echoing the recommendations
of Gen. David Petraeus, the military's top com-
mander in Iraq, Bush announced yesterday that he
will indefinitely halt troop withdrawals from Iraq in
July, meaning that as many as 140,000 U.S. troops
will still be fighting in Iraq when he leaves office in
January.
After five years, more than $500 billion spent,
more than 4,000 American lives lost and an untold
number of Iraqis killed, it's about time that we real-
ize that the war in Iraq can't continue on this course.
And if that requires that the Democratic-controlled
Congress start backing up its rhetoric with action,
then so be it.
Allowing Bush to continue without timetables and
with an open checkbook is irresponsible and coun-
terproductive. If it wants to guarantee that troops
will be out of Iraq come January 2009, Congress
needs to guarantee that Bush's exit strategy isn't just
his own exit from the oval Office.
- April 11, 2008
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