4 - Tuesday, March 17, 2009 6 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com E-MAIL ELAINE AT EMORT@UMICH.EDU L 4e firic4t*pan 43at*lg ELAINE MORTON I 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 ofntheir authors. AM.Y Te end of a regime New drug czar should focus on treatment, prevention lthough the title may sound like something you would call a drug cartel's leader, "drug czar" is actually the name of the official in charge of federal drug control pol- icy. Under the George W. Bush administration, this role was ele- vated to a Cabinet-level position - a move that President Barack Obama is reversing with his pick for the job. Obama's choice for drug czar could signal a much-needed change in the nation's drug enforcement policies since the individual in question is likely to be a supporter of a more reasonable drug policy. Obama's admin- istration - and his new drug czar - should live up to expecta- tions by adopting policies that treat drug users as people with addictions rather than as criminals. o B, A( S. W i df+ ou f'y so Virg +V~ &, hs is -tIre dlS Free speech is sexy it's easyto take for granted the fact that the Daily prints without any University oversight. Indepen- dence from admin- istrative control is vital so that our content can main- tain its objectiv- ity and responsibly assess University institutions. While rt the need for an independent stu- ROBERT dent newspaper may seem obvious, SOAVE the reality is that there are troubling events on other campuses that under- mine these principles of objectivity that newspapers value so highly. Kristen Juras, an assistant law pro- fessor at the University of Montana, recently took issue with the content of the university's student newspa- per, the Montana Kaimin (Sex Column causes controversy; First Amendment issues raised, 03/11/09). Her problem was with the Kaimin's sex column, entitled "Bess Sex Column." Its author, Bess Davis, is the Kaimin's first sex columnist, though newspaper editor- in-chief, Bill Oram, noted in his Mar. 12 article "Sex column adds to campus discussion," the Kaimin is hardly the first student newspaper to add a sex column. Juras called the sex column "embarrassingly unprofessional" and demanded action. She wants the Kaimin to establish written rules for hiring writers that would eliminate inappropriate content. If her demands are not met, Juras is promising to take the issue to the Publication Board, the Board of Regents and even the Mon- tana legislature. The Kaimin's situation immediately raises several questions. The first is, "What is a kaimin?" (The newspa- per's website depicts the outline of a bear-like creature, but a Google Image Search of the word "kaimin" didn't offer me any clues.) Of course, the more relevant ques- Obama. announced last Wednesday that he would appoint Gil Kerlikowske to be the nation's new drug czar. As Seattle's police chief for more than eight years, Ker- likowske has hands-on experience in deal- ing with the often devastating impact drug use can have on communities. In addition to this pick, Obama has decided not to continue the drug czar as a Cabinet-level position, possibly indicating a more laid-back approach' to a national drug policy. With any hope, Kerlikowske's appoint- ment will represent a long-overdue shift in the federal government's drug enforce- ment policies. Under George W. Bush, policies focused on punishing drug users. According to the Washington Post's Mar. 12 article on Kerlikowske, funding for treatment and prevention decreased by 25 percent during President George W. Bush's two terms. But Kerlikowske is expected to imple- ment a policy that focuses on treatment and prevention rather than punishment. He has said that the best way to slow the flow of drugs like cocaine is to decrease usage, starting in local communities. The idea is to target the use of illegal substanc- es by decreasing demand rather than just attacking the supply. Education about drug use is the first component of a more sensible drug pol- icy. By informing individuals about the harmful effects accompanying addictive substances, the government has the oppor- tunity to prevent drug use before it leads to addiction - and potentially crime and other problems that can go along with it. And with additional education, individuals will be better equipped to make decisions about what they put into their bodies. The Obama administration is also right to focus on rehabilitation and treatment over incarceration. Under the new drug policy, drug users will have a chance to serve their sentences in a rehabilitation center instead of in the already over- crowded prison system. This makes sense, considering that drug use isn't a violent crime and doesn't necessarily present a threat to others. Focusing on rehabilitation is also a more humane approach. Just last week, a police officer shot an unarmed student in the chest during a marijuana raid in his resi- dence hall room at Grand Valley State Uni- versity. This sort of event is all the more common because of drug control policies that have targeted users rather than dealers. Addic- tion is a condition that calls for treatment and prevention - not overzealous enforce- ment. Changing national drug policy to reflect the fact that users need treatment facili- ties - not police raids - is just one more way Obama is demonstrating his much stronger grasp of what constitutes sen- sible policy. Maybe his next decision will be to rename the position to something that screams "oppressive Russian autocracy" a little less loudly. tion is, "Who is this Juras person and what gives her the right to censor legitimate newspaper content?" It may seem like an obvious fact of life, but Juras's objections signal that at least some readers didn't get the message - sex is an important part of college life, and ignoring it does a dis- service to students. Ironically, Juras's stated objection to the column is that it is not serving an educational purpose - but that is exactly what sex columns do. Across the country, sex columns offer practical safety tips about safe sex, birth control and reducing the risks of sexually-transmitted diseases. To say that a sex column serves no educational purpose isn't just mislead- ing - it's flat out wrong. Oram'sarticle in defense of the sex column sheds some light on why Juras would have such passionate objections to it. He explainedthatshe is amember of the Christian Legal Society, which sued the School of Law in 2007 for denying fundingto the CLS. What was the School of Law's reason for denying funding? Well, according to Oram's story, the CLS "does not allow gay stu- dents to hold leadership positions or even grant them voting rights." Instead of digressing into my argu- ment for why no group could deny gay people voting rights and simultane- ously consider itself "Christian", Iwill merely take issue with Juras's tactics. Does she have the right to disapprove of the column? Absolutely. Is it appro- priate for her to express her dissat- isfaction with the Kaimin's editors? Yes - she is, after all, a reader, and any responsible editor should listen (and, when appropriate, respond) to feed- back from readers. But should she attempt to bring legal ramifications upon the Kaimin's staff for not com- plying with her (absurd) demands? The answer is an emphatic no. Just because someone objects to a newspaper's content doesnotmeanthe University administration, the Board of Regents or the state legislature has authority to step in and influence its editorial decisions. A student newspa- EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS: per is only able to credibly examine its University administration as long as it remains independent of the institu- tions it covers. While banning a sex column from astudentnewspaper may seem like a minor issue, any infringe- ment upon a student newspaper's right to print the content it deems relevant to students violates not only the First Amendment but also the very founda- tions of ethical journalism. Student newspapers should be wary of censorship. And what happened at the Kaimin is by no means an isolated incident. The staff of the University of Ore- gon's student newspaper - the Daily Emerald - went on strike last month after its Board of Directors appointed a publisher who had editorial control over the paper and who had not been approved by the students. The Board then went ahead and published its own version of the paper. The fact that this could happen to a student newspaper should only solidify the need to watch out for even the least egregious infringements upon edito- rial freedom. While the burden of defending print journalism from unethical intrusions mostly rests with editors themselves, students also have a responsibility to voice their dissatisfaction with dimin- ished journalistic autonomy. At the very least, all readers - and students, especially - should recognize not only the relevance of sex columns to today's college students, but also the right for student newspapers to print them. And if someone knows what a kaimin is, I'm all ears. - Robert Soave is the Daily's editorial page editor. He can be reached at rsoave@umich.edu. I I i i 4 Nina Amilineni, Emad Ansari, Emily Barton, Elise Baun, Harun Buljina, Ben Caleca, Satyajeet Deshmukh, Brian Flaherty, Matthew Green, Emmarie Huetteman, Emma Jeszke, Shannon Kellman, Jeremy Levy, Edward McPhee, Matthew Shutler, Jennifer Sussex, Radhika Upadhyaya, Rachel Van Gilder michigan vision party CAMPUS DEBATES MSA ELECTIONS 2009 MICHIGAN VISION PARTY g REMICHIGAN CAMPAIGN I Changing the assembly's vision Making student gov't relevant Most of the attention focused on the Michigan Student Assembly in recent years has centered on an election scandal that ended in a felony convic- tion, a president resigning in disgrace and an appar- ent transformation into a debate society. Recently, MSA has debated the conflict in Gaza. It is hard to take MSA seriously with this record, so we understand that you may not have been pay- ing attention. By any measure, MSA has failed to fulfill its promises. Every student at this University has great potential - why hasn't this translated to the stu- dent government? In our time at MSA, it has become clear that the current culture does not recognize that the stu- dent should hold the government accountable for its actions. The lack of responsibility and transpar- ency in an institution that is supposed to repre- sent the student body has made MSA inaccessible and unrepresentative. It's not surprising that voter turnout is so low. Much of MSA's current work does not merit positive attention and is merely self-in- dulgent debate to fill the agenda. With these failures in mind, the Michigan Vision Party has tried to change the stagnant "business (or lack thereof) as usual" attitude. If you've been through the Diag as of late, you may have had some- one ask you - or seen a T-shirt asking, "What's your vision?" Rather than resorting to simply handing out flyers that you will inevitably throw away, we have urged you to give us something. Our vision is a student government that addresses student concerns and is relevant to campus, rather than a government that recycles old personnel and talking points. We don't want to be re-elected on a promise to refocus. We don't want to "re" anything. Instead, we want to fundamentally change the cul- ture of MSA. Our vision should be synonymous with your concerns. This can only be done if students have a student government that they believe will listen and representatives that truly understand student concerns and deliver real results. This is probably the biggest difference between MVP and the cadre of students who have managed MAP and the reMICHIGAN campaign. If elected, MVP will insist that MSA focus on issues it is capable of han- dling. This is not to say that our impact will be small or limited. MVP wants MSA to work for all students. We will do this by implementing plans such as a "How to Get a Job" week of resume preparation, interview practice and a job fair for all schools, col- leges and departments. We're committed to making campus greener by placing recycling bins alongside every trash can and encour- aging students to print double-sided. We would like to make campus resources more available by creating a Student Help Desk that may not have all the answers On Wedn but ,can direct students toward someone who does. students h We want to contribute to a campus that can respond elect nev effectively and holistically Pick ca to LGBT concerns. We want your to be vigilant in handling student safety issues like sexual assault and domestic _ violence. We will promote a campus as unified as it is diverse while sharing ideas, engaging in dialogue and striving toward our individual and collective potential. Our vision has many different aspects and con- cerns because it is a reflection of the student body. MSA should be a similar reflection. But this can only happen when we have an MSA that is account- able, transparent and at work for students. This is our vision. We hope that on Wednesday and Thurs- day, you'll help us realize the student body's poten- tial by voting for the Michigan Vision Party. This viewpoint was submitted on behalf of the Michigan Vision Party. lesda ave ti Wr lead lidat The reMICHIGAN Campaign is the first major step in refocusing student government. We are a group of students representing seven schools and colleges who'are committed to important student issues. The reMICHIGAN Campaign is a new idea about how student government and Michigan Student Assembly elections should work. A party is about people but a campaign is about substance, and we believe that this election has the potential to make MSA relevant again. The substan- tive difference between the reMICHIGAN Campaign and the parties in this y and Thursday, electionisthatwe offer more than he opportunity to just ideas and a .1 . vision for student dership in MSA. government. We es at vote.umich.edu. offer a complex eS a V~e~umC . u-and intellectual approach toward solving prob- lems. We have been committed to fig- uring out the "how" for solving the pressing prob- lems of this campus and we have developed plans and backup plans to comprehensively attack issues. Our diverse slate of candidates reflects the talent, energy, experience and work ethic that MSA needs to revitalize the way it works. Led by presidential candidate Gibran Baydoun and vice-presidential candidate Greg Caplan, the reMICHIGAN Campaign offers a wealth of expe- rience, innovation and initiative. Baydoun and Caplan lead through their persistent commitment to this university and the Michigan community. Turning the page on the history of parties in MSA, the reMICHIGAN Campaign does not have a laundry list of intangible ideas. We focus on six major initiatives: tuition and financial aid, career and internship opportunities, sustainability and green initiatives, academic guidance, student orga- nizations and Michigan spirit and tradition. For each of these initiatives, we have laid out a multi- faceted approach to tackling each problem, even starting before Election Day to explore and test dif- ferent solutions. We are not waiting for the title to start fighting for students and the issues they care about. Put candidly, the University deserves a student government that works and it can't afford to wait. Imagine an active student government that serves as a mobilizing body for students, fighting for their interests, defending their rights and lobbying on their behalf. Imagine a persistent student gov- ernment, one that goes beyond just talking about student issues and ideas and works continually to implement multiple plans of action for bettering campus. Imagine a collaborative student government, a government that serves as a union for students, uniting them and their organizations for collective action in solving Michigan's problems. Imagine a student government that tackles issues proactive- ly and is not afraid to handle real challenges that affect students. At the end of the day, we believe in'MSA's poten- tial to dogreat things and we are certain that if you trust and support the reMICHIGAN Campaign, there will be a new day in student government. We know that when students are engaged and united, amazing things can happen. We thank you for the cross-campus support and ask that you check out our entire slate of candidates and our detailed platforms at www.reMICHIGAN. org. Join us in revitalizing MSA and enhancing the Michigan experience. This viewpoint was submitted on behalf of the ReMICHIGAN Campaign.