4A - Wednesday, January 21, 2009 The 7 Jid4ian &i3 J Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@umich.edu GARY GRACA ROBERT SOAVE COURTNEY RATKOWIAK EDITOR IN CHIEF EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR MANAGING EDITOR Unsigned editorials reflectthe official position of the Daily's editorial board. All othersigned articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors. FROM T E DAILY Keeping a promise Reducing college funding is a bad choice for state legislature After a few months of breathing room, it looks like the Uni- versity's funding is back on the state legislature's chop- ping block. With deficits anticipated in Lansing, the state legislature has started looking for costs to cut, and funding for the University is a serious target. In such difficult economic times, spending cuts will be necessary to balance the state's budget, but these cuts shouldn't be aimed at education. Reducing funding to public universities will devastate many students' ability to pay for college, and by doing so, negatively impact Michigan's economy. To invest in the state's future, the legislature needs to maintain its current levels of funding for higher education in the form of schol- arships and direct funding. )pinion 4 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America." - Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States, in his inaugural address in Washington, D.C. yesterday. ELAINE MORTON | NATURE CALLS E-MAIL ELAINE AT EMORT@UMICH.EDU h-lW lortj dliwe l~a yu tn' aready be war + eSe 'ghiue e Coplani3 about wasing letici {L3 h on!ev k1a iyofl O'. ~Chrohdtm 5 dor..- 1 9 Ol .AuAr 0-- Furries have feelings, too A s students at a progressive fetishes. As long as you're not hurting self-esteem from being ostracized University, most of us take anybody, it doesn't matter whether you for years. Their forums are filled pride in our so-called toler- masturbatetopornoreroticdepictions with topics such as "What's wrong ance. We're happy of refrigerators. That's tolerance. with me?" and "Serious Depression - to tell you that we But red flags start going up when Life-threatening." The Otherkin FAQ respectyou no mat- one realizes the phenomenon isn't has a section describing the longing ter what your sexu- isolated. There's been surprisingly to return to a special "home" where al orientation, race little research done on the furry pop- they feel accepted. It's been reported or religious beliefs ulation, but I estimate there might be that suicide is disturbingly common may be. Yet many upwards of 100,000. On the popular in the "dragon community." of us still shun art website deviantart.com, for exam- "that weird kid" ple, 85,776 results come up for "furry," - you know, the EILEEN and that's only when restricting it to socially awkward the special anthropomorphic section. person that's hov- STAHL A "furry convention" in Pittsburgh R ered around since boasted over 3,000 attendees, and w ho identify more middle school. It only the most committed furries go . may not seem like much at the time, to conventions. w ith anim als. but enough shunning can push some- It's because of the Internet that one over the psychological edge. groups like this can form. People have Given the lovely, intelligent and a desire for comfort, and online, it's These groups are coming onto the overwhelmingly modest social but- easy to find people who can relate tq media radar and are usually a sub- terfly I am now, it may surprise you to your experiences and tell you you're ject of ridicule, but I think we should learn that I was once "that kid." Never okay. The problem is, that sometimes have more compassion. These people knowing when to keep my trap shut, you're not, and people who have been need someone to talk to. They don't I elected to do most of my socializing hurt enough can come to believe just be ome asuuned because ey're on the Internet. It was there that I ran about anything. furries, but become furries because into a number of bizarre groups who For example, furries who call they're shunned. These are people had made the same decision. Many of themselves "Otherkin" take it a step who have given up on ever fitting in their members were adults, and the further and purport to be fantastical with humans and have joined a fanta- majority were far worse off than me. creatures, claiming they've always sy reality online that only reinforces One of the most prevalent of these felt "different" fromhumans. They're their isolation. While they claim this groups is the furries. You may have reincarnations of faeries, unicorns, coping mechanism is keeping them heard of them - these are the people elves, and especially dragons. To "more sane," in the end it prevents who identify as animals more than their credit, Otherkin are aware that true healing. The only way to recover humans- think Disney's Robin Hood what they believe in might be hard from low self-esteem - like I did - is or Sonic the Hedgehog - and cre- for others to swallow. Their response to come to love yourself and every- ate vast online communities. They is that as long as you can behave as thing that comes with it. create anthropomorphic characters a functional member of society, it Enough ostracizing can cause the known as "fursonas" to represent doesn't matter whether you consider lifetime psychological damage you themselves, which they draw pic- yourself a human or a creature from see in 40-year-old guys who believe tures of, write fiction about, and role another planet. they're something called "star drag- play. Most of this stuff is so heavily Again: I agreebut in reality,Other- ons." So while you don't have to be sexualized it stops being creepy and kin are overwhelmingly not function- best buddies with the weird kid, becomes hilarious. al. I'll be the first to admit that they're please show him or her some respect Oddly enough, though, that part usually kind and intelligent people. - lest you unleash their inner beast. doesn't bother me much. Sure, being However, they're psychologically turned on by Chip and Dale is a little unhealthy; the majority are socially Eileen Stahl can be reached weird, but alot of people have strange awkward and have cripplingly low at efstahl@umich.edu. 4 4 4 Michigan's Legislative Commission on Government Efficiency - a taskforce charged with finding ways to save the state money - recently commissioned an educa- tion study group to find costs for the state to cut. Last week, the group released a report outlining its recommendations. One such recommendation was to eliminate the Mich- igan Promise Grant Program, a major source of the University's scholarship aid. Another idea was an across-the-board.cut 7.1 percent in funding to state colleges and universities. The group also suggested some even less via- ble options, like privatizing the University of Michigan, which would actually require an amendment to the state constitution. These ideas range from disastrous to absurd. And none of them take into account the place higher education has in Michi- gan's transforming economy. Canceling the Michigan Promise Grant Program, which accounts for 40 percent of all scholarship aid to students at the University of Michigan, would hamper the post-secondary educa- tions of many students. As tuition continues to increase each year and loan-based aid becomes increasingly scarce, scholarships are necessary to make college more acces- sible and affordable. Though the abolition of the program would mean short-term savings for the state, countless students won't be able to geta college degree without the assistance of the scholarship program. The proposed 7.1 percent cut in funding to public universities is equally grim. The University has had to raise tuition the past few years even as state funding increased. A decrease in funding would result in an even higher tuition hike to offset the mas- sive amount of lost revenue. The high cost of tuition is already making college an impossible dream for some students - even higher costs would deter potential college applicants from even applying to the Uni- versity and stop many who were accepted from attending. But decreasing funding to higher educa- tion affects more than just students who depend upon scholarships and reasonable tuition. As the state's economy reduces its emphasis on heavy manufacturing, it will need workers with new talents and skill sets. Institutions of higher learning provide these skills and are necessary for creating and con- tinuing economic growth into the future. To protect such an important component for the state, lawmakers need to trim the budgets of other discretionary items. There are areas of the state budget than can bet- ter absorb cuts - Michigan's dysfunctional, costly corrections system is probably one of those areas. As money dries up in Lansing, it's true that the state legislature will have to make tough decisions on how to re-allocate precious dol- lars. But devastating funding for education is not an acceptable way to cut spending. This state simply can't afford to stop investing in public universities that will be responsible for developing tomorrow's workforce. 4 4 4 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. I L ET' TER 1 T0T 1 -EDT1"S EN Respecting others should be way of life for students ID LETTERS TO: TOTHEDAILY@UMICH.EDU an event with you on campus, please email us at expectrespect@umich.edu. Amber Zarb The letter-writer is a member of the Expect JEREMY LEVYI VIEWPOINT TO THE DALY: Respect Student S It is no secret that Barack Obama's election as the first African American president in U.S. history has vast implications for us as individu- The Dail als and as a society. For this reason, the Expect Respect Student Steering Committee encour- remember ages students to take some time to reflect on their own personal beliefs while respecting others. Reflecting on what is important to you TO THE DAILY: in the present and in the future is a way to build Amy Munslow energy for social change. ment inartificial b But it is also important to remember that concise and infor while we pause to celebrate this historic event, artificial bone ma other events are going on around the world. type of article tha The violence in the Middle East, the struggling the Daily. As the in global economy, and the troubling housing and keep pace with ex unemployment rates in the U.S. are just a few ic knowledge, it b examples. It is our hope that the University to report on new community will be respectful of each other's vigor and a critica political viewpoints and feelings regarding the Despite their i start of the new presidential term. events occurs wit It is our individual responsibility to be aware print. There's note of our own role in promoting a positive and safe articles on the Da campus climate. If you feel that you have been concerned with . a target of hate or bias, please know that there and sexual orien are confidential resources available to you on in the make-up o campus. Go to http://www.urespect.umich. written. But the t edu/ and view the "reporting section" of hate/ reflect the Univer bias incidents. ceptable to leavec If you are interested in joining the Expect Respect Student Steering Com- Arikia Millikan mittee or would like us to collaborate Alum teering Committee. 's articles should the 'S'in LSA 's article on a recent develop- bone marrow research was both mative ('U' prof helps develop rrow, 01/16/2009). It was the t I would like to see more of in habitants of the world strive to ponentially advancing scientif- ecomes increasingly important developments in science with 1 eye. mportance, coverage of these th a relatively low frequency in even a way to search for science ily's website. The Daily seems making sure all races, genders tations are represented both of the staff and in the stories opics the Daily covers should sity as a whole, and it is unac- out the science community. Making sense of Gaza I As an American Jew, I have been taught for my entire life to support Israel in every situation without question. My old Hebrew school teachers would probably say that they taught students to be critical of both the Palestin- ian and Israeli regimes, but I don't think it's a coincidence that those teachers rarely, if ever, presented any of Israel's decisions as wrong. I have spent nineteen years surround- ed by pro-Israeli messages and images. I remain proud of Israel, but only recently have I come to terms with how limited my perspective has been. It is my hope that others who have grown up in pro-Israel or pro-Palestine house- holds can realize the same thing. Due to the recent surge of violence in Gaza, campus organizations like the pro-Israel Initiating Dialogue, Education, and Advocacy and the pro-Palestine Stu- dents Allied for Freedom and Equality have held rallies and organized other events to raise awareness on cam- pus regarding the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Frustrat- ingly, both sides promote rigid, one-sided views of the issue, which leads to an even greater gap between the two groups when they should be reaching for mutual under- standing. The fact that there has been violence ever since Israel was created serves as evidence that no one - Israeli, Pal- estinian, or otherwise - has yet grasped the full complex- ity of the issue. And although Israel decided to end their campaign on Sunday, I guarantee that this past month's violence in Gaza will not be the final skirmish. As long as each side expects the other to accept full responsibility, peace in Gaza will not be possible. Propaganda on either side of the argument is preva- lent both on and off campus. Lately, the catchphrase that seems to have attracted the most attention is "innocent civilians." Depending on which side they support, Face- book users can donate their statuses to either display how many Palestinian civilians have been killed or how many rockets have been launched at Israelis in the recent Gaza skirmish. Pro-Palestinian students have set up vivid dis- plays of wounded Palestinians to attract support. In the e-mail I received about the Israel rally, the sender used "innocent civilians" twice in the first sentence. These images and slogans provide sad reminders of the number of victims in this war. But, more importantly, they are also ploys intended to convince spectators of the oppos- ing side's cruelty. Appeals made about innocent civilians are frequently one-sided and avoid the harsh truth that both Hamas and the Israeli Defense Forces kill innocent civilians. In promoting their interests, pro-Israeli and pro-Pales- tinian organizations frequently deny their own role in the conflict and place complete responsibility on the other side. SAFE's recent viewpoint in the Daily (An appeal for human rights, 01/15/2009) states, "Any ceasefire is destined for failure as long as Israel and the international community refuse to examine the core of the conflict." Similarly, the Israeli government's assurance that it is taking every pre- caution it can to protect Palestinian civilians does not seem to be convincing the rest of the world. Every student who is concerned about the situation in Gaza needs to understand that attempts to place blame on one side and not the other are oversimplifications. All those who are hoping for a solution to this conflict need to learn as much as they can about both the Palestin- ian and Israeli viewpoint. As astarting ground, pro-Israel students need to understand that supporting Palestine is not synonymous with supporting Hamas, and that although the Israeli government says it's doing all that it can to prevent the deaths of Palestinian civilians, this statement may not be viewed as adequate justification for 4 the large civilian death toll. Similarly, pro-Palestinian students need to understand that Israelhas good reason to believe that self-defense is necessary in Gaza, that nego- tiating with an organization such as Hamas is extremely difficult and that Israel has a right to exist because this world needs a Jewish state. I may not be an expert, but I do know that those who are concerned need to educate themselves and engage in a respectful dialogue. Students need to be critical of the information they receive. On a campus with a diverse population of pro-Israel and pro-Palestine students, I think the most important thing any of us can do is talk to each other. Jeremy Levy is an LSA freshman. The Daily is looking for a diverse group of strong, informed writers with an interest in campus issues to become editorial board members. E-MAIL ROBERT SOAVE AT RSOAVE@UMICH.EDU FOR MORE INFORMATION. EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS: Nina Amilineni, Emad Ansari, Emily Barton, Elise Baun, Harun Buljina, Ben Caleca, Satyajeet Deshmukh, Brian Flaherty, Matthew Green, Emma Jeszke, Shannon Kellman, Edward McPhee, Emily Michels, Matthew Shutler, Jennifer Sussex, Neil Tambe, Radhika Upadhyaya, Rachel Van Gilder