4A - Wednesday, November 26, 2008 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com I Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 . tathedaily@umich.edu How to move from whining about the economy to whoopee!" - Rev. Ed Young, explaining the benefit of his Seven Days of Sex program, which supposedly puts parishoners closer to God, as reported yesterday by The New York Times. WhatI didn't plan for ANDREW GROSSMAN EDITOR IN CHIEF GARY GRACA EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR GABE NELSON MANAGING EDITOR Unsigned editorials reflect therofficilposition of the Daily's editoria board. All other signed articles sod illustrations represent solely the views of their authors. W hy you shou be here 'U' needs to give students day before Thanksgiving off J you're the only one currently sitting in your usually packed lecture hall, you may be wondering if you didn't get the memo about class being canceled. The good news is that you were technically correct to go to class - there's no blanket can- cellation today. But there should be. Having class the Wednes- day before Thanksgiving is an unnecessary inconvenience for all students, but especially for out-of-state-students whose delicious turkey dinners are a plane flight away and getting cold. The Uni- versity needs to reform this ridiculous scheduling policy and give students the day off before Thanksgiving. Last week I paid $140 to miss an afternoon of classes and take a standardized test on which I'm certain I could have scored better without three and a half years of higher educationmuddling my memory of high school geometry.' This weekend I paid $50 to have a university in my EMMARIE home state tell me that the fact that HUETTEMAN I've possessed a Georgia driver's license, driven a car registered in Georgia, paid Georgia income taxes, voted in Georgia elections and - oh yeah - lived in Georgia for more than 17 years isn't "adequate" proof that I'm a Georgia resident. Why? I am trying to avoid the recession - I mean, apply to gradu- ate school. To be honest, this isn't how I pic- tured the fall semester of my senior year. For one thing, having fulfilled my LSA quantitative~ reasoning requirement, I was fairly confident my weakness in mathematics would never be relevant again. Last winter I started planning for graduation, deciding that I would follow the advice of seasoned journalists and jump right into the job market, then either save up enough money for graduate study or see if my employer liked me enough to foot the bill. I spent the summer cultivating con- nections, bulking up my resume and clipping ads for entry-level posi- tions. Then the economy tanked. I lis- tened in silent terror as my room- mate, who is graduating in a few weeks with only a vague notion of where she'll go next, related stories about job interviews that ended with sighs of "we like you ... but we can't hire you right now." And like many of my classmates, I looked at my still unemployed friends who graduated last year and decided that graduate school seemed like the perfect place to wait out the storm. It's not an uncommon plan. A recent study conducted by Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions showed that there has been a nearly 45-per- cent increase in interest in business, law and graduate programs in just the past few months. As the direc- tor of graduate programs noted, the level of interest in such programs is often dependent on the economy - specifically, the worse the market is, the more likely college students are to pursue post-graduate degrees. It's sound logic, really: If you can't find a job, you might as well devote your energy to becoming more employable. My father figured that out in the 1970s, and it's still a good option today. Unfortunately, as the "how to get into your dream graduate school" books have informed me, we eco- nomic refugees are late - about six months late, in fact. So armed with little more than a list of graduate pro- grams out of U.S. News and World Report, I've tried to condense sev- eral months of painstaking research into the past several weeks. And now, with less than one week until the application deadline for my first choice school, I have seven partially finished applications, three recom- menders in various states of confu- sion, two undergraduate classes in which I'm falling behind, a head cold and the growing conviction that I'm being punished for graduating this year. There are so many details that make this process more difficult than it needs to be. For instance, finding references who fit each school's spe- cific criteria can be nearly impos- sible, even for students who go to office hours and have friendly bosses. The GRE is basically the SAT four- plus years later with more esoteric vocabulary words and, bizarrely, inadequate preparation tools for Mac users. (Don'tworry, "I'maPC" people - the free tutorial software works on your computers.) And unless you're a dirt-poor undergraduate at the school to which you're applying for gradu- ate study, forget about application fee waivers. By the end of this pro- cess, I'll be down almost $600 - and at least I don't have to worry about flying myself across the country for interviews. But hassle aside, I can't deny that college graduates gain something from this process: a mature, distinct sense of self. When I applied to col- lege four years ago, all I had was a How the economy drove me to apply for grad school. vague notion of what I wanted to do and how I was going to do it. I may have filled out most of the paper- work and written the cliche essay about challenges, but I had my par- ents, teachers and one very helpful guidance counselor telling me where to sign. And while I've developed that plan for my life over the past few years here at the University, nothing has shaped the image of what comes next more than choosing the pro- gram that will help me distinguish myself as a journalist, as a student and as a person. I just hope that that plan is willing to forgive my tardiness. Emmarie Huetteman is an associate editorial page editor. She can be reached at huetteme@umich.edu. Under the current schedule, students can't officially get out of class and start Thanksgiving break until 5 p.m. on Wednesday, the day before the holiday. This just happens to be the busiest travel day of the year, and many students have no choice but to book evening plane flights in order to get home. Plane tickets on this day cost hundreds of dollars more than they do even one day earlier, meaning that students who can't miss Wednesday class are literally paying for it. With roughly one third of the student population hailing from places outside of Michigan, this is a significant inconvenience. Another clear sign that Wednesday should be a day off is that many students just skip it anyway. And many professors and graduate student instructors have recognized this reality by canceling their classes ahead of time. Unfortunately, most teachers don't notify their students of this until the week before Thanksgiving. Out- of-state students, the perpetual losers in this situation, have to book their plane flights weeks in advance, meaning that while other students just drive home atday early, these poor students' schedules are already solidified. The teachers who haven't canceled class end up with lecture halls that are half filled at best. The resulting classes are generally a waste of time not only for the few stu- dents who show up, but also for the pro- fessors who feel compelled to follow the rules. And the University is taking a hit, too, because it wastes energy heating and lighting mostly empty buildings all day. The solution to all of this would be for the University to just cancel classes on Wednesday. This would give all students more time to get home for break, and out- of-state students could buy plane tickets for Tuesday night when they aren't nearly as expensive. And while planning the aca- demic calendar may be difficult, it's hard to believe that there's no way to move a different off-day up to the beginning of Thanksgiving break, especially consider- ing the fact that this year we have a longer winter break than we did last year. Since not all students can benefit from their professors spontaneously cancel- ing class the week before, the University needs to step in and just let Tuesday be the last school day before break. Or just give students the whole week off. This will allow out-of-state students to save money on plane flights and everyone can enjoy a break that's a little longer. Now go home. EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS: Nina Amilineni, Emad Ansari, Elise Baun, Harun Buljina, Ben Caleca, Satyajeet Deshmukh, Brian Flaherty, Matthew Green, Emmarie Huetteman, Emma Jeszke, Shannon Kellman, Edward McPhee, Emily Michels, Kate Peabody, Matthew Shutler, Robert Soave, Eileen Stahl, Jennifer Sussex, lmran Syed, Radhika Upadhyaya, Rachel Van Gilder, Margaret Young SEND LETTERS TO: TOTHEDAILY@UMICH.EDU The Daily is looking for a diverse group of strong, informed writers to be columnists next semester. Columnists write 750 words on a topic of their choice every other week. E-MAIL ROBERT SOAVE AT RSOAVE@UMICH.EDU FOR MORE INFORMATION. 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. Letters are edited for style, length, clarity and accuracy. All submissions become property of the Daily. We do not print anonymous letters. Send letters to tothedaily@umich.edu. WILL GRUNDLER ( VIEWPOINT Something to be thankful for I I Giving thanks for the Michigan football team American Mo dents Allied F soring an ev personal polit debate on car TO THE DAILY: everyday occu I love Michigan. I love the people I've met I would als here, the experiences I've had here and, most the Union of P of all, I love Michigan football. Not 10 minutes ing the logistic after the clock ran out against Ohio State, my that UPZ andi Facebook newsfeed was littered with com- praise for thee ments like "Rich Rod is blowing up all kinds of and effort into records" and "What a fabulous record-breaking without the w season" on their statuses. My status said that I have been neat was "proud to be a Michigan Wolverine." We all should be proud to be Wolverines, no Aaron Willis matter what the scoreboard says. Did we hon- LSA senior estly think we could completely change our style of play and compete for a Big Ten titleY after just one season? This was a rebuilding year in every sense, and Michigan fans need to d be patient. I'm confident we'll be back atop the Big Ten soon. But with a winning tradition that has run deep for 129 years, we need to realize TO THE DAIL that seasons like this one will happen. How many1 While this year's men in maize and blue about our foot didn't perform nearly as well as past teams, we the number ha should focus on the positives. At the onse The Michigan defense held both Penn passed up a cl State and Ohio State, two of the best offenses I couldn't sit t in the country, to 14 points in each first half. upon us. Little Let's thank Michigan's defensive coordinator as severe as it Scott Shafer for that. And Michigan sacked the Ohio Stat Terrell Pryor, who was averaging 50 rush- hurt too much ing yards a game, three times. That gave him My fear is n a grand total of negative 7 yards rushing. er fan or one t Thank you Mike Barwis for the speed and like to tell to " conditioning training that made that hap- somehow in tl pen. And thank you, Zoltan Mesko for never decided that M ceasing to amaze me when you punt the ball really matter.I into orbit. And thank you Rich Rodriguez for up a new Big H sticking with this team. a new coachu Next season will bring better things. So all that wasn't reset your Ohio State countdown clock, proud- offense. I amn ly wear your maize and blue and remember ly. But I think everything that makes Michigan the absolute correctly you I best place to be. tory and tradit upon them. Adam Mael Rodriguez h LSA sophomore dence. I'm hoi Because if the *rrecord of cons, UPZ deserves credit for certain that he Israe-.alestine foruml too of people who OI~ t- Ct~ tL.JL'L ' tit, too There are th Our football te vement for Israel and the Stu- or Freedom and Equality spon- vent together. Whatever one's tics, anyone familiar with the mpus knows that this is not an rrence. o like to make known the role of rogressive Zionists in spearhead- cs of this event aswell as ensuring its leaders are not left out of the event that they put so much time . I have no doubt in my mind that ork of UPZ, this event would not rly as successful as it was. the price when you ctfoot ball tradition LY: letters a day is the Daily getting ball team? I would like to think as risen to 107,501. t of the season, I was worried. I Iance at season tickets because hrough the season I feared was did I know the carnage would be turned out to be. I didn't watch e game Saturday. It would have to watch. ot in sounding like a fair-weath- hat coach Rich Rodriguez would get a life"; rather, my fear is that he past year the University has lichigan football traditions don't The Athletic Department ordered louse, made new uniforms, hired without Michigan ties and, as if enough, put in a new system of not opposed to change complete- that to implement the changes have to not only be aware of his- tion, but also be willing to build has yet to earn my vote of confi- peful he proves me wrong soon. e next milestone to fall is our ecutive sold out home games, I'm will feela maize-and-blue wave want to remove him. ings you simply don't mess with. am is one of them. The televisions are on, and the Lions are winning. We need a lot of TVs, because everyone's here. Even Uncle Ernie. I've never had an Uncle Ernie, the kind of relative who's loud, farts a lot and gets so drunk that he chucks drumsticks at you, or your dog. I'd like to have an Uncle Ernie. - The TVs are everywhere, like at Buffalo Wild Wings. There's even one in the bathroom. Whenever the Lions intercept the ball you get excited and pee all over your- self. It's great. I know what you're thinking: There's a miniature TV in the turkey, too. Nope. There's no turkey. Turkeys are always dry, by which I mean they taste like sand. "Put some gravy on it," you say, but I don't like wet sand. It's time we admit that turkey is blander than Ohio, where, incidentally, it was invented. No, we're only serv- ingthe good stuff tonight: pumpkin pies, mashed potatoes and Jell-O with gummy worms inside. That's all. Uncle Ernie has already pied the dog in the face. Hand turkeys are still allowed, though. I haven't made a hand turkey in at least a couple months, so we've got a bunch of supplies at the dinner table - construction paper, glue sticks, feathers, pens to trace your hand with, those little eyeballs that roll around. Do turkeys have eyes? They always run out in front of your car like they don't. But everyone in Ohio does that. We've got pilgrims here, too. They're real ones, with hats and diseases and everything. They add a little authenticity to the room, even though they're in the back scarfing down the Jell-O. So far they won't let me try on their headgear, the ones with the big gold buckles in the middle. It makes me feel a little like the Native Americans must have felt. We give these guys Jell-O and they won't give us some hat time? What is this? Everyone is at the same table. I've been at the kid's table for 18 years, but not tonight. The entire congregation I is seated at one long medieval affair that spans the entire house. We can seat about 40 at a time, which is also the number of minutes it takes to pass the gravy. Boring talk is not allowed. This includes politics and Ohio. Every- one is talking about exciting, hip topics like hand tur- keys. Also, everyone is in sweatpants and T-shirts. This 4 is what people normally wear when they sit at home and eat, right? There's no point in coming tactfully dressed - Uncle Ernie doesn't even have pants on. Grace is different, too. Giving thanks is always so humdrum, with a bunch of muttered words and bowed heads. Tonight, Uncle Ernie launches into a treatise on Scientology, and where turkeys are really from, and Grandma gets so flustered that everyone yells at Ernie to keep quiet, except Grandpa, who wants to hear more from Ernie so he can steer the conversation toward tax reform. This is when my imaginary seven year-old niece Grace stands up and says, "I can say Grace," with a big smile, and everyone snaps at her to shut up. She cries and asks why there's no turkey. We're about to apologize and act like adults when the Lions lose. OK, my Thanksgiving probably won't turn out as interesting as that. For one thing, pilgrims are very hard to come by these days. But maybe, . just maybe, could the Lions win this year? A 0 AG 0 0 ti *r\~ r tl A TO THE DAILY: I want to express my appreciation for the Josie Ann Lee Daily taking notice of the significance of the Alum /- Will Grundler is an LSA freshman.