4A - Monday, September 15, 2008

The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

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420 Maynard St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
tothedaily@umich.edu

We're suddenly being
ripped apart"
- Roger Freeman, a nine-year veteran of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., on
the firm's collapse, reported yesterday by The Wall Street Journal.

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ANDREW GROSSMAN
EDITOR IN CHIEF

GARY GRACA
EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR

GABE NELSON
MANAGING EDITOR

ELAINE MORTON

E-MAIL ELAINE AT EMORT@UMICH.EDU

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.
Feeling less rushed
IFC and Panhel should move recruitment to later in year
W elcome Week may be over, but many students are still
finding their niche in the University community - spe-
cifically, its Greek community. For most prospective fra-
ternitybrothers, fall rush officially starts today. For most prospective
sorority sisters, rush started yesterday. At best, rush is a two-week
introduction to an active, enthusiastic community. At worst, rush is
a stressful process of choosing an identity that will stick with stu-
dents for their time at the University and the rest of their lives. Out
of everyone's best interest, the Interfraternity Council and Panhel-
lenic Association should move rush to winter semester.

\ / 1
yp ri& ?I rt K.
One way to tell them apart

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Rush is the recruitment process for stu-
dents hoping to join a fraternity or soror-
ity on campus. For students hoping to join
IFC fraternities this fall, rush is an 11-day
process that begins today with open hous-
es, proceeds to individual chapter events
and ends with bid acceptance on Sept. 25.
For students hoping to join Panhel sorori-
ties, rush is a two-week process that began
yesterday, proceeds over three rounds in
the coming weeks and ends with Bid Day
on Sept. 26.
In either case, fall rush is a grueling pro-
cess. Unfortunately, it is a process made
worse by its poor timing.
For students rushing fraternities and
sororities, rush events often take four to five
hours a day - a huge commitment most stu-
dents can barely manage when they're also
worried about things like buying textbooks
and starting a new school year. Considering
that most prospective Greeks are freshmen,
the stress of fall rush only compounds the
transitional stress of moving to a new town,
adjusting to a new education system and
learning how to live onone's own.
Such pressures are hardly conducive to
a strong academic start, let alone to find-
ing one's place in the University commu-
nity. Freshmen in just their third week of
college are largely unaware of the many
options open to them here at the Univer-
sity, inside and outside the Greek system.
Discouraging these students from finding
the right groups for them is detrimental to
both the University and the Greek system.
If prospective members were afforded a
semester to explore their options and learn
about the Greek system before rush, they
could make a better-informed decision in a

less-pressured environment.
Similar concerns arise about fall rush
for students already in the Greek system.
In many sororities, for instance, prepara-
tion for rush begins weeks in advance - at
a time when students are settling in to their
new houses, attending football games and
beginning their classes. Ifrush were pushed
back to the winter semester, this prepara-
tion could happen during winter break or,
at the very least, during a less hectic time.
In fact, an alternative to the hurried and
harried fall rush is already practiced in the
University's Greek system. Fraternities
and sororities in the National Pan-Hellenic
Council and Multicultural Greek Council
recruit later in the year. Despite this differ-
ence, these fraternities and sororities are
still vibrant communities with committed
members. There is no reason the IFC and
Panhel couldn't follow this model, too.
Obviously, there are some downsides to
a winter rush. Traveling between houses
during the Michigan winter can be a pain.
Students who don't want to wait until the
end of January to decide their housing for
the next year maybe discouraged from join-
ingthe Greek system, especially ifthey have
to live in their Greek houses their sopho-
more year. And if winter rush doesn't yield
enough members, fraternity or sorority dues
would have to rise to cover the vacancies.
These costs are far outweighed by the
benefits of holding only a winter rush,
though. Rushing a fraternity or soror-
ity should make students who are new to
campus or just Greek life feel welcome,
not overwhelmed. And by postponing rush
until winter semester, a less stressful rush
can be a reality.

There are two truths about pres-
idential elections: a) you will
voteforthe candidateyoutrust
and b) you probably
won't know any of
the candidates per-
sonally. So where
does this trust come
from? The strategic
consideration of
how to gain mass
trust is the essence
of democracy, and
lately, it has been BRYAN
frightening. KOLK
Lacking the
option to sit down
and chat one-on-one with my suitors,
I have to rely on what they give me.
And most of what I hear is a series of
stump speeches designed to convey
leadership, experience and a generally
centrist position. That, and a hint of
personality.
Unfortunately, when I think about
it, a lot hangs on that hint of person-
ality. The character traits we perceive
in a candidate can completely surpass
consideration of issues and sway an
entire election.
Personality shouldn't be of prima-
ry concern in choosing a president,
should it? The idea seems repulsive at
first. But then again, personal choices
can be quite revealing. A close friend
of mine refused to even consider John
Edwards duringthe primaries because
he was "a slimy class-action lawyer."
That Edwards was willing to submit
to that dubious trade as a career - to
profit off thousands of other people's
misfortune - said enough about his
personality to render him completely
un-presidential.
The thought carries a lot of weight,
and it should. What sort of a person
would make their millions as a trial
lawyer? What sort of person would

switch careers from financial consult- moderate tax increases on the rich.
ing to community organizing? What McCain thought that "rich should
sort of person could endure five years be defined by a home, a good job, an
as a prisoner of war? What sort of education and the ability to hand to
person would pick Alaska Gov. Sarah our children a safer world than we
Palin as a running mate? And do I inhabited." A nice, feel-good answer.
want that sort of a person to be presi- But then, after explaining that he was
dent? We ought to think about these a fiscally-responsible-conservative-
things. unlike-some-others, he finally came
My personal favorite personality to the number: $5 million.
indicator came from the Saddleback Now there is a difference. Sure, half
Civil forum. It took place in the Sad- of what either of them will ever say in
dleback mega-church of Lake Forest, the next two months will be part of a
Calif. and provided a unique insight stump speech. But by observing their
into the differing personalities of the reactions side-by-side and listening to
candidates by asking them both exact- the answers that each question natu-
ly the same questions without letting rally elicited, we can start to get a pic-
either hear how the other answered.
Rick Warren, the pastor and author
of "The Purpose Driven Life," inter-
viewed Obama first. The questions W hy personality
centered on issues of concern to social.
conservatives, but spanned a variety matters when you
of other topics, including economicr W
policy and personal relationships.
Obama's answers were slow and cir- pic th president.
cuitous. He often took time to explain
his rationale and explore the conse-
quences and benefits of his decisions. ture of how each of these men think.
McCain's approach was much more One of them appeals to the brain, it
forceful. Several times he answered so seems, and the other to the gut.
quickly that he interrupted the ques- Personally, I want a man in charge
tion being asked. Many of the rest of who chooses a Joe Biden rather than a
the questions were answered with a Sarah Palin. Most importantly, I want
story from Vietnam. The impression a population that responds critically
was of unswerving, ruthless confi- to the behavior of their candidates.
dence. A man who doesn't blink - a Personality should be a major con-
war hero. sideration .in national politics. Its
Fair enough. These are the styles effects transcend current issues; per-
each candidate embraces. Several sonality affects how a president would
times, though, the specific questions respond to events as unexpected as
provoked sharply different answers. Sept. 11. If anyone is still convinced
Consider the distinct approaches each that we have two centrists to choose
candidate took to the query "What is from in this election, let their person-
rich?" Obama gave a reasoned answer, alities tell them apart.
setting the bracket at $250,000 or
more, and then explaining the need Bryan Kolk can be reached
for liberal social policies, paid for by at beakerk@umich.edu.

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EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS:
Harun Buljina, Emmarie Huetteman, Emily Michels, Kate Peabody, Robert Soave, Imran Syed
PAT ZABAWA E
More freedom, but less food

EMAD ANSARI E
Globalizing the Olympics

When I was a first-year student at the Uni-
versity three years ago, I thought the dorm
cafeterias were a dream come true. My meal
plan was nothing spectacular, just the basic
Any 13 meals per week, but I was excited to
have a different selection of dinners to choose
from every night. Not only that, but every
meal in the cafeteria was all-you-could-eat.
Though my 13 meals only allowed me two
meals per day, I could certainly eat enough
for three meals in two sittings.
Lucky for me, I was a first-year student
three years ago, because this year, Residen-
tial Dining Services changed its basic meal
plan to include just 10 meals per week.
Of course, RDS doesn't label the new
meal plan the "Basic 10" plan. That would
be too obvious. Instead, it calls it the "150
Block" plan, because students can use the
150 meals whenever they want throughout
the semester.
The plan also includes $75 in Dining Dol-
lars and $75 in Blue Bucks. The latter of these
can be spent at cafeterias, residence hall
retail dining centers, the Michigan League,
the Michigan Union and numerous other
places on campus. Dining Dollars can only be
spent at RDS establishments, not the League
or the Upion. Together, these two new inven-
tions replace Entree Plus, the equivalent of
what Blue Bucks are now.
That may seem like a lot, but is it enough
to last a semester? Well, 150 meals divided by
the 15 weeks per semester of classes equates
to 10 meals per week. If you are generous and
assume that the $150 in Dining Dollars and
Blue Bucks will get you 30 meals at $5 a meal,
you're still only getting 12 meals per week.
There's no way to stretch that $150 into the SO
meals that were taken away from the plan.

Ten meals per week is not enough food.
And I'm not being generous and assuming
that the extra,$150 is going to get me any-
where near the same amount of food I would
have gotten at the cafeteria.
Worse yet, the 150 Block plan assumes
students will ration their meals appropri-
ately. They probably won't. This way, when
Thanksgiving rolls around, a lot of students
may be surprised to find they're almost out
of meals. While the idea of giving students
more freedom over their meal credits is a
laudable goal, it comes with the problem of
students running out of meals long before the
semester ends.
If you lived in the residence hall last year,
you can stick with your old Any 13 plan. But
if you're a new student and want 13 meals per
week in the cafeteria, you will have to buy
the Block 200 plan, which will cost you an
extra $120 per semester.
What's worst about the downsizing of
RDS's meal plans is that it comes on the heels
of a major increase in room and board rates.
Last year, residence hall room and board
rates rose 4.9 percent. RDS has recently
been touting the cost-saving benefits of the
new Hill Dining Center, which replaced four
cafeterias. But who's benefiting from these
savings? Certainly not the students, who are
paying almost 5 percent more to live in the
dorms and have to pay more to get the same
number of meals they used to get.
RDS changed its meal plan system because
of student demand for more non-cafeteria
food options. Students wanted more dining
options, which is understandable, but they
didn't want less food.
Pat Zabawa is an LSA senior.

Dismayed as I was after Pakistan's
worst-ever showing at an Olympic
games, I couldn't help noticing -
quite enviously, I admit - that sev-
eral countries were celebrating the
end of their medal droughts and the
achievement of "firsts" at the Beijing
games.
But some medalists weren't hum-
ming their home country's national
anthem when they were presented
their bouquet of flowers. Instead,
the medalists were donned in the
colors of other nations - places they
adopted because of the opportuni-
ties these countries offered.
The games may have beenthe big-
gest ever, but they were also the most
cosmopolitan in Olympic history. No
less than 33 foreign-born athletes
competed for the United States alone
in the Beijing games. The fast-grow-
ing trend was perhaps inevitable,
given the effects globalization has
had in breaking down national bor-
ders. And it was inevitable that the
change wouldbe controversial.
Jacques Rogge, the president of
the International Olympic Com-
mittee, has termed the change of
nationalities for sporting reasons a
"mercenary" act and has criticized
athletes for exchanging patriotism
for money. In a bid to curb the pre-
viously unrestrained drain of tal-
ent from countries with inadequate
resources, the IOC enacted a three-
year waiting period before athletes
can represent their adopted country
- an approach similar to the NCAA's
rules for athletes who transfer from
other colleges,
Despite the IOC's efforts, though,
the cross-border movement of ath-
letes hasn't stopped. While Michael
Phelps - Ann Arbor's new favor-
ite son - was seemingly breaking
records for fun, athletes from across
the globe were flying the flag high
for their adopted countries. Only
three of the 35 paddlers of Chinese
origin donned the red and yellow.
Two ex-Brazilian volleyball play-
ers made a political statement when
they defeated Russia wearing Geor-
gian colors, in the midst of a war
between the two countries. And
then there were the three Chinese-

born table-tennis players who ended gold medals would have tied him for
Singapore's 48-year medal drought. ninth place on the gold medals table
But are the IOC'srestrictions war- in this year's games - higher than
ranted, given the fact that choosing a 196 countries' totals. But I probably
country to represent is, after all, the wouldn't have been as happy as I
athlete's choice to make? At the root would have had a native Pakistani
of that question, though, is a more won a single gold.
far-reaching one: Are the Olympics The success of Bahrain's highly
a competition between countries or rated Morocco-born athlete Rashid
the best athletes in the world? Ramzi echoes this dilemma. Are
Inevitably, the second Bahrainis willingtocelebrate
question is where the the success of a hired ath-
problemlies. Unless ath- V lete while local athletes
letes can prove that their are left to languish in the
potential isn't being background? ,
fully realized orhoned That is what the trend
in their own country, spells for a country
there is seemingly no. acquiring foreign ath-
reason to think the letes. In the short run,
Olympics don't '/there's immediate glory
and more medals. Ideally,
this success would raise the
'-' bar, compelling local athletes
to train harder to uphold their
country's glory. On
the other hand,
the exorbitant
amounts of
money being
used to attract
E j superstars might
be better spent
scouting and
nurturing local
already show- ,,1 '' talent.
case the world's ,str i, I It's unlikely - given
most exciting the current popular-
talent. ity and momentum of the
What is compromised IA,,trend - that countries with the
in the IOC's current process, resources to attract the best foreign
of course, is the will of athletes to talent will acknowledge the argu-
make what would seem to be a per- ment in favor of local development.
sonal decision regarding their sport- Under pressure from prominent
ing careers. Though the IOC makes, members like the United States, the
allowances for extraneous circum- disapproving IOC might eventu-
stances - like inadequate facilities ally have no option but to give in.
in an athlete's home country or bio So will the Olympics of the future
logical ties to a country other than be preceded by a National Football
an athlete's own - it seems unrea- League-style draft? Maybe. Regard-
sonable that athletes should need less of our personal misgivings
to obtain the IOC's approval before about border-hopping athletes and
making their choice. the undesirable commercialization
But let's assume there are no of a sacred tradition, we may well
restrictions on athletes' choices. If, be witnessing the future of global
for some inexplicable reason, Phelps games in a cosmopolitan world.
decided to don a green swimsuit for
Pakistan, I would have been quite Emad Ansari is a Public
happy. His individual tally of eight Policy sophomore.

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