4A - Thursday, February 19, 2009 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com L7i1L 1Mvld~l*jan4 3al~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 reflect the official position of the Daily's editorial board. All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors. Forget FAFSA You know the real Roland. I have done nothing wrong, and I have absolutely nothing to hide," - Illinois Senator Ronald Burris, on the Senate Ethics Committee investigation regarding his conversations with aides to former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, as reported yesterday by the New York Times. Israel's 'right-wing'victory 6 UI O eorury s, osaess weT -- 0 n February 10, Israelis went New proposal would simplify aid application for students to the polls to elect the 120 ly af s s members of the Knesset from Jn a 2006 report, the Commission on the Future of Higher Edu- cation said that for atypical household, completingthe Federal Application for Student Aid is longer and more complicated than completing the federal tax return. The report also said that people considered the FAFSA to be onerous and confusing. It's these disheartening qualities of the FAFSA that prohibit many students from applying for much-needed aid. But thanks to University of Michigan researcher Susan Dynarski and her colleagues, this tire- some process could be simplified. To ensure that more students who need financial aid are going to get it, the federal government should start by instituting the simple change that Dynarski recommended. The FAFSA is five pages long and has 127 questions. Until now, the form had to be filled after tax returns are filed. High school students who apply to college in fall had to wait until the spring of that year to see what kind of aid they would receive. This is inconvenient for students because financial aid can be the "make or break" factor for many students when deciding which university they will attend, and making that decision without knowledge of how much aid to expect is difficult. In response to this situation, Univer- sity of Michigan Public Policy Prof. Susan Dynarski and her colleagues came up with a simple solution - a check-off box on tax returns that will replace much of the FAFSA. With this change, parents would be able to use incomes from prior years for a quick online estimate of how much aid their child would receive. Dynarski main- tains that most of the data on the FAFSA is unnecessary or already on the IRS Form 1040. This solution could increase the number of applicants by making the pro- cess easier. And that's an important change. Dynar- ski's research also found that low-income families have more difficulty completing the FAFSA. Two-thirds of low-income stu- dents have no Internet access at home, half don't have a parent who previously attend- ed college and 13 percent don't speak Eng- lish at home. The proposed change would make it easier for these students to apply for financial aid, and would consequently offer them greater access to a college edu- cation. Low-income students deserve the opportunities that a college education presents, and they are dependent upon receiving financial aid to get there. But while making the process easier is a good start, this change would not solve all the shortcomings in the financial aid pro- cess. The University needs to be able to offer more financial aid at such a difficult time for Michigan families. Simplifying the pro- cess is one positive change, but efforts to provide increased financial aid are also an important part of providing low-income families with better access to education. Despite other needed changes regard- ing financial aid, the government needs to implement Dynarski's idea as soon as pos- sible, putting an end to one of the worst headaches for high school students apply- ing to college. among 34 par- ties running in the election. Although the centrist Kadi- ma Party, led by Tzipi Livni, took the most seats of any party at 28 and leads the rightist Likudtby a single IBRAHIM seat, it is unlikely that Livni will be KAKWAN able to form a gov- ernment, which requires a coalition represented by at least'61 seats. Instead, it seems likely that the responsibility of forming a government will fall to Benjamin Netanyahu and a coalition of right- wing parties. Yet despite the hawkish attitudes so widespread in the rightist parties, the latest election will not result in a sud- den escalation of violence nor does it represent a desire for the greater use of military force among tsraelis. To begin with, the number of par- tiesgainingseats intheKnessetmeans that many differing viewpoints will be represented. The party that won the third-highest number of seats is Yisrael Beytenu with 15, which sup- ports a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine and whose support will be crucial to the formation of'a coalition government. In 2005, this party campaigned to transfer control of majority Arab lands from Israel to the Palestinian Authority in exchange for official Israeli control of the more populous settlements. Sure, this pro- posal wasn't exactly what either side wanted - and it failed - but it was an attempt at a compromise. More than that, it represented a better deal for the Palestinians, who in the past have received nothing in return for land taken for the construction of settle- ments, and it demonstrated Beytenu's support of negotiations. And now Beytenu is expected to play a key role inthe new government. Evenonissues ofdomestic importance to secular Israelis, their participation will play a role toward curbing the influence of the Ultra-Orthodox par- ties such as the Sephardi SHAS (win- ning 11 seats and expected to be part of the right-wing coalition) which in the past has promoted the banning of numerous activities during the Sha- bat in accordance with orthodox Jew- ish tradition, and which promotes the greater disbursement of welfare, particularly to students at religious universities. And then there is Likud itself. In 2000, then-Likud leader Ariel Sha- ron touched off the second Intifada, a nearly six-year Palestinian upris- ing, by going for prayers at a mosque complex. However, in the following years, Sharon abandoned the idea of "Greater Israel", in which Israel would retain complete control of the West Bank and Gaza. It was also Sha- ron who pushed through the "unilat- eral disengagement" which resulted in the evacuation of 21 settlements in Gaza, and four in the West Bank. Of course, it was this action that caused Kadima to split off from Likud in the first place. And in the years since the Six-Day War of 1967, the various Likud governments have relinquished nearly 90 percent of the lands taken during that conflict. There has also been talk of a coali- tion government led by Netanyahu, but including Kadima members, with possible Kadima appointments as Ministers of Defense and Foreign Affairs. The inclusion of Kadima would serve to moderate the policies of the new government, even if the government as a whole would have a right-of-center leaning. And this does not even consider a potential role for the leftist Labor party. Although it is unclear what Why Likud's wins are nothing to worry about. role, if any, it will play, with 13 seats in the Knesset, there is a chance (though slim) that they will be included in a compromise. At the end of the day, the results of the election do not show a rejec- tion of peace. Granted, in the wake of the recent conflict, increased sup- port for the right is expected though the spread in the allotment of votes argues against awidespread desire for an ultra hard-line stance with respect to Palestine. Even the right-wing par- ties elected have, in the past, shown an ability to reach compromise, and those that are centrist or left of center still account for a large percentage of the total number of seats. Most reassuring of all, the only two parties that continue to support the idea of a "Greater Israel," which is in direct opposition to a two-state solu- tion, managed to take a total of only seven seats. - Ibrahim Kakwan can be reached at ijameel@umich.edu. BRADY SMITH I Holding MSA accountable 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 fofhedoily@umich.edu. 4 Recently I found myself gathered with a group of students who I knew of, but hadn't met. We shared no common background - our differences seemed to outweigh our common- alities. We are from different sides of ideo- logical divides, different parts of the country, different backgrounds and a variety of campus organizations. But we were united by one key element: frustration. There was a sense that although we were proud of our individual work in our student groups and among our peers, the larger student body deserved better. There is a group that has the power to affect every student, yet in recent years has become complacent. The potential of the Michigan Stu- dent Assembly outweighs its product by a large margin. This has been apparent not merely to some of those who served, albeit briefly, in the assembly itself, but a sentiment that has been rightfully articulated on these pages and among the most xdisinterested of students. Students don't need campaign promises of cheaper text- books and meetings with the administration for the sake of meeting - they need a student government whose accomplishments and fail- ures are visible and clear. Michigan students need a new vision. You might think that this diverse group of students would have trouble finding a vision they could all agree to, and that different views would produce conflict. Upon assuming the post of message chairman for the Michigan Vision Party, 1 thought I would have one of the hardest tasks of my college career ahead of me. How could I present a unified vision that rep- resented so many perspectives? I am pleased to find that while my job isn't easy, our message carries a special sort of resonance. This vision is founded on two core principles: transparency and accountability. The majority of us gathered together that Wednesday never saw our future in MSA. We didn't want to be HARUN BUULJNA a part of the problem. But when we talked to each another and others, we found that more students see that they can be a part of the solu- tion. Better student involvement is the only way to accomplish our goals of a more transparent and accountable assembly. To be a part of the solution is not to be satis- fied with winning an election. March 19 is only day one of the task ahead. Though I chronicled our beginning, we want to be clear about one thing: a vision is an open-ended, guiding set of principles. If we believe MSA is to be held accountable, we must begin these tasks by holding ourselves accountable. As one of my responsibilities as message chair, I will ensure that each one of our candidates has a plan not just during but also after the election. If they do not follow through on a campaign promise, I will be the first to let you know. In order for this to succeed, we won't allow our involvement to be stagnant or complacent and assume the current character of the assem- bly's dominant party. We are not a movement that is interested merely in repackaging and recycling. When our members come to us with resolu- tions, I will be asking: How does this improve our accountability and transparency to the stu- dent body? How does this proposal reflect an achievable student concern? There is only one group they need to be accountable to, and that's the studentbody. I want to do my part to ensure that this happens. Curious about our message and our vision? Email me at smith.bradon@gmail.com. Want to see your concern become a part of our pro- gram? Please go to our forum, VisionTalk, at our website, michiganvisionparty.com. Isn't it time your vision was realized? Brady Smith is the message chairman for the Michigan Vision Party. E-MAIL HARUN AT BULJINAH@UMICH.EDU As the Michigan Student Assembly examines its own future on campus, the Daily would like students to voice their opinions on what should be a part of its agenda. E-MAIL YOUR IDEAS TO ROBERT SOAVE AT RSOAVE@UMICH.EDU. A gr"eled-fueled cultureU As I recently walked down State St., I noticed a homeless man on the sidewalk, his knees exposed through _ giant holes in his jeans. The sight of his ragged pants brought my atten- tion to the well-tai- lored, department store-bought jeans I was wearing as I - passed him. It filled MATTHEW me with enormousG guilt as I thought GREEN that had I given the- homeless man the money that I had paid for my jeans, it may have paid for a few weeks worth of his food. And while buying marked- up denim wasn't an act of malice, it was undeniably greedy. When it comes to the recent eco- nomic meltdown, greed has argu- ably played its biggest role yet. Each day, the headlines illuminate a story of self-indulgence that ranges from Wall Street and Madoff to the shady tax practices of D.C. insiders. And though the writing is on the wall, I sometimes doubt that anyone's read- ing it. ' Greed will remain part of our culture so long as it continues to be taught early to generations of future leaders. One need not look further than to the many freshmen currently enrolled in introductory econom- ics courses here in Ann Arbor. The majority of these students are hoping to be admitted into the prestigious Ross School of Business, to which thousands will apply in the coming weeks, in hopes of someday running a Fortune 500 company. But perhaps if they were looking to u'se their economic powers to do something good, those financial wiz- ards might consider the Ford School of Public Policy. Despite the fact that the Ford School is one of the highest- ranked public policy programs in the country, only about 150 University undergrads apply each year. Evident- ly, learning how to better society is less appealing than learning how to make yourself rich. Of course, there's nothing wrong with wanting to be wealthy. On the contrary, the desire to amass wealth is quite possibly the single greatest driving force that keeps the economy moving. But as a result of so many brilliant minds focusing on making as much money as possible, resources are grossly limited in sectors apart from business and finance. Govern- ment, for instance, is debilitated because there is a shortage of great intellect in the public sector. As a result, the character of our legisla- tors struggles to live up to those of our history's political heroes. Perhaps if the best and the bright- est were encouraged to go into pub- lic policy years ago, rather than into more self-serving careers, then the current debate on Capital Hill would be different. In that case, maybe legislators would see themselves above petty partisanship, embody- ing something academic rather than something prejudiced. It seems logi- cal that if we want a smarter govern- ment, intellectual people must be compelled to enter into government positions. That is not to say that there are no born leaders or geniuses currently in Washington. There are indeed a handful of great members of Con- gress on the Hill, but less than stel- lar legislators outnumber that group by far. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg of the U.S. Supreme Court comes to mind as an example of a public ser- vant at her finest. Though she will probably soon retire, the leadership 4 she has shown on the Court has been outstanding. Students should focus on more than getting rich. 4 And in the White House, President Obama'spolitical prowess hasyetto be seen, but Istill have hope. Specifically, I have hope in his power to motivate intelligent young people tobe interest- ed in politics to the point where they ignore the fact that a career in polities might not be the highest paying. New intellect needs to funnel into Washington to ensure quality gover- nance for the future. In order for that to happen, people have to believe that making money is accessory to mak- ing the world better. Greed may have worked for a while on Wall Street, but that clearly failed. And in the ensuing years, greed won't cut it for Washington. - Matthew Green can be reached at greenmat@umich.edu. / T's 9°/ ./ " X4 9 ~ L._ ,Jy a EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS: Nina Amilineni, Emad Ansari, Emily Barton, Elise Baun, Harun Buljina, Ben Caleca, Satyajeet Deshmukh, Brian Flaherty, Emmarie Huetteman, Emma Jeszke, Sutha K Kanagasingam, Shannon Kellman, Edward McPhee, Matthew Shutler, Neil Tambe, Radhika Upadhyaya, Rachel Van Gilder A.