0 4A - Friday, September 18, 2009 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com E-MAIL BELLA AT BELLZ@UMICH.EDU L74c Mic4igan wily BELLA SHAH 0 Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@umich.edu ROBERT SOAVE COURTNEY RATKOWIAK EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR MANAGING EDITOR GARY GRACA EDITOR IN CHIEF 1E~ ntnewwn a e- QaVQoIJ , Q t flfTE YOUR cJT5( COULD E Lost lin translation 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. The right to breathe freely Appellate decision counters police intimidation of teens Many college-aged students across the country are famil- iar with the routine of the late night police encounter, which often ends in the student being forced to take a breathalyzer test on the vaguest of suspicions. But a series of recent judicial rulings has found a Troy city ordinance that permits police to conduct preliminary breath tests for minors without a warrant to be unconstitutional. These rulings were correct to uphold the protections that the Fourth Amendment provides against unwar- ranted searches and seizures regardless of age, and when the case makes its way to higher courts, these courts should rule in favor of protecting young people's rights. According to a Sept. 11 article in the Detroit Free Press, the court proceedings were spawned by an incident in which a group of young adults leaving a party was stopped by Troy Police officers. Sus- pected of underage drinking, the police administered preliminary breathalyzer tests. According to testimony, members of the group were told that failure to comply could lead to incarceration. But in court, the attorney for Emran Chowdhury - one of those who were tested - was able to block admission of the test as evidence, arguing it was taken in violation of Chow- dhury's constitutional rights. The court ruled in Chowdhury's favor, stating that a preliminarybreath testconstitutes asearch as laid out in the Fourth Amendment, that consent under duress does not meet the legal requirements and that in such cases a search warrant must be obtained. Any incident where constitutional rights are impinged is atrocious. The Fourth Amendment guarantees citizens the right to be "secure in their persons ... against unreasonable searches." The idea that an ordinance could be in direct conflict with this important constitutional right is pro- foundly distressing. The courts right to recognize this breach of rights, and the local governments - even those beyond Troy - shouldn't hesitate to reform their laws respectively. In addition to their unconstitutional underpinnings, such ordinances make teenagers easy prey for law enforcement. Teenagers are often unaware of their legal rights, and can fall victim to intimidation. Police shouldn't be afforded the opportu- nity to stop and search every person under the age of 21 who happens to be out at night. In the Troy case, the police even admitted that they didn't ask for search warrants, and the court rebuked the officers for not investigating how arduous it would be to simply obtain a search warrant. Such a case provides a clear example of why local ordinances should not empower police at the expense of young people's rights. It's also a shame that these rights are being trampled in defense of a drinking age that may not actually be appropriate. It's not clear that raising the drinking age to 21 has done anything to curb binge drinking. In fact, there are more deaths and accidents each year due to underage binge drinking since the National Minimum Drinking Age Act made 21 the de facto drinking age in 1984. With any hope, higher courts will con- cur that young people's Fourth Amend- ment rights are worth protecting. E veryone on campus has taken less because of language comprehen- or knows someone who has sion and more because 3D geometry taken a course in which the makes my head hurt. graduate student But the most noteworthy trend instructor's English among the aspiring GSIs was that was less than per- they wanted us to tell them when we feet. The prevalence found their English difficult to under- of GSIs struggling stand. The graduate students asked with English - , - specifically for language feedback and that struggle's and eagerly wrote down any problem effect on students' words we suggested they work on. ability to learn - is The perception that GSIs don't care the subject of many to learn how to speak English well complaints, rants, JAMIE is clearly a myth, and undergradu- excuses and jokes BLOCK ate students shouldn't get be ab;le to around campus. get away with operating under the But while many assumption that GSIs are apathetic to students feel justi- improvement. fied complaining about their GSIs' Even between lessons or while language skills, it's often the under- walking to and from the teaching graduates who are to blame for not sessions, the GSIs engaged the other understanding the material. pretend students and Iin casual con- Over the summer, I worked for versation. Maybe practicing English the English Language Institute as a was their primary motive or maybe undergraduate student in practice I'm just a really fascinating guy, but teaching courses taught by aspiring regardless of why the GSIs struck GSIs. All graduate students hop- up the conversations, they made a ing to teach-in the fall are required notable effort to improve their lan- to take this course if their previous guage skills during our chats. If we education wasn't taught primarily in used a word or phrase they didn't English. At the end of this intensive understand, they would ask us what it course, there is an exam to make sure meant, and if they pronounced aword the graduate students are qualified to incorrectly, we could let them know teach. This exam tests not only peda- without them feeling offended. gogy and classroom management Many of these GSIs said they hope skills, but also language ability. And to find jobs in the U.S. after graduating, because nobody likes failing any- and several wanted to continue teach- thing, especially with a job and a lot ing beyond their graduate studies. It's of money on the line, aspiring GSIs clear that these students' desire to work incredibly hard on improving learn English is rooted in a passion to their English. teach and to grow that goes far beyond In my experience, there were no just passing an aptitude test. graduate students whose English, on So when an undergraduate doesn't the whole, was particularly difficult to understand something a GSI says but understand. For each graduate student, doesn't ask for clarification, it's dif- there were some individual words that ficult for me to find anyone but the I didn't initially understand, but by the undergraduate to blame. These GSIs end ofeach lesson I didn't feel like Ihad have - in a span of only a few short missed anything - or, if I had, it was weeks - gone through an insane amount of training, including over 200 pages of worksheets and practice lessons. And the graduate students have done it all with remarkable drive and enthusiasm, so it's hard to fault them for not achieving perfection. As the omnipotent headmaster in the "Harry Potter" series, Dumb- ledore - who I would argue is even more difficult to understand than any GSI - so wisely said, "Soon, we must all make a choice between what is right and what is easy." And while it may be easier to sit back, relax and complain to your friends after class, the right thing to do is to help your GSIs, and, in the process, help your- self. They wantto better their English as much, if not more, than you want to learn - or at least pass - organic chemistry. GSIs actually do want to improve their English. I realize this is asking a lot of undergraduate students. Often, ask- ing a question or making a comment in class is nerve-wracking and awk- ward enough without the added fear of either offending your instructor or appearing insensitive to your class- mates. But trust me when I say that your GSI will appreciate you step- ping up. And if your classmates don't, maybe they'll change their minds when they realize they understand the material a whole lot better. - Jamie Block is a senior arts editor. Hean be reached at jamblock@umich.edu. I I I 4 The Daily is looking for a diverse group of strong, informed, passionate writers to join the Editorial Board. Editorial Board members are responsible for discussing and writing the editorials that appear on the left side of the opinion page. E-MAIL ROBERT SOAVE AT RSOAVE@UMICH.EDU FOR MORE INFORMATION. EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS: Nina Amilineni, Emad Ansari, Emily Barton, Ben Caleca, Brian Flaherty, Emma Jeszke, Raghu Kainkaryam, Sutha K Kanagasingam, Erika Mayer, Edward McPhee, Harsha Panduranga, Asa Smith, Brittany Smith, Radhika Upadhyaya, Rachel Van Gilder, Laura Veith SEND LETTERS TO: TOTHEDAILY@UMICH.EDU MSA meeting with SACUA Daily story wrong, students addressed important issues preferred the Halfass 4 Asking the right question TO THE DAILY: As a senior, I have had plenty of experience dealing with both Department of Public Safety and the Ann Arbor Police Department. I must admit, they both have relatively exceptional crews and I have little to complain about indi- vidual officers. What I will complain about, how- ever, are the unnecessary exploitations that the AAPD subjects students to - mandatory MIP's for "Good Samaritans", trash tickets and noise violations (Students, faculty promise cooperation to solve campusproblems, 09/15/2009). As students we have all probably been in situ- ations when we were faced with an ultimatum: slap our unconscious, vomit-choked friend awake and off of Markley's community bathroom floor or calling DPS and suffering the consequences of saving a friend's life. It's a terribly scary situation for an 18-year old kid. I think the "Good Samari- tan" clause should be passed unanimously in order to keep that18-year-old, scared-shitless kid from making a life-or-death decision. Then there are trash tickets. I have been a vic- tim of the ridiculous $530 fine for my first trash offense. Thishowever, hadbeenmyhouse'sthird offense due to the tenants before me. Rather than ticket students, the AAPD tickets the residence, or landlord. The AAPD needs to figure out a sys- tem where the tenants are ticketed, not the land- lord or the residence. That will put an end to the triple trash ticket. A noise violation in Ann Arbor is a misdemean- or. Playingyour music too loud after 10 p.m. lands you in the same courtroom as those who have committed crimes like theft, prostitution, minor assault, disorderly conduct, trespassing, vandal- ism, drug possession and MIP/DUI offense,s to name a few. I have been exploited by the AAPD because of bogus legislature that's in place to reduce officers' workloads. Don't expect a pre- liminary warningeither, unless you are a known campus character or athlete. If you don't want a misdemeanor clinging to your background check for the rest of your life, you better end the party at 10 p.m. I'm glad that the Michigan Student Assembly and faculty are pairing up to knock out some of these injustices. There is nothing more frustrat- ing than sitting in the 15thJudicial District Court to face humiliation because you got a little loud at a party, missed a few cups in your yard or called DPS to save your friend's life. Matthew Ashley LSA senior TO THE DAILY: As a Residential College student, a former employee of the Halfass and current employee of the place that the Residential Dining Ser- vices so tenderly calls "Retail," I felt enraged to read the Daily's recent article aboutthe relo- cation (East Quad's Halfway Inn converted into student lounge, 09/16/2009). First of all, I find it troubling that the article speaks on behalf of employees of the establishment as well as Resi- dential College students without ever actu- ally interviewing any. I can attest not only to my own anger over the end of the Halfass, but also to tap the anger of many other Residen- tial College students who have expressed their discontentment the moment they step into the converted south side cafeteria. The article claims that the Halfass "was lim- ited in its ability to provide customers with a variety of options," and that "the move upstairs has allowed for an expanded grill menu and healthier menu options." This makes me ques- tion the research put into the article since, had the reporter visited either place, it would have been apparent that neither of these statements are true. I'm disappointed because this front-page article has neglected to dig, as a piece of excel- lent journalism should. There is a frontpage story here, but it is not "Let's Pat Dining Ser- vices, Etc., on the Back for Their Progress!" Though one LSA resident advisor in East Quad may welcome the change, this is a story about the death of yet another Ann Arbor favorite. The Halfass, the article fails to report, has existed since the beginning of the Residential College, which was founded in 1967 and has been called "The Halfass" since that time. The story here is about why the kitchen of this long- loved restaurant is now plastic-wrapped and collecting dust while RDS lies to themselves and everyone else that the move upstairs is an improvement. I'm deeply saddened by the rapid degrada- tion of Ann Arbor in general. The city used to swell with independent businesses. Now, I watch its personality increasingly stifled by lofts and chain stores. It's disturbing to me that East Quad, once a beacon of free thought, is not exempt from the fall, and even worse, that an article at my school newspaper would so slop- pily report on this coup d'etat. Molly Roth LSA skior After watching herds of fresh- men roam around campus with those incredibly fashionable lanyards attached to their MCards, it occurred to me that I might try my hand at an advice column filled with wisdom I've 3 gleaned in my three u years at the Uni- versity. But I didn't BRIAN want to scrawl the FLAHERTY same old- truisms: Take classes you're interested in. Try new things. Figure out what you're passionate about and do that thang. Don't step on the 'M' before your first finals or worms will devour your brain! As wise as those statements are, I'm instead going to urge stu- dents to ask one of my favorite first date questions, which also happens to be a weird sort of analogy for what I've learned at the University: "What are you thinking?" As obvious a question as that seems to be, I can probably count on one hand the number of times those sylla- bles have been tossed at me. It's sur- prising, because there are few, if any, things that are more relevant about a person than their thoughts. At the University we're regularly accosted by requests that don't tell the asker much of anything about us: What's your name? (Most people forget it and ask again at a later date.) How are you? (If you don't answer with some form of "good," you had better brace for an awkward silence.) But the thoughts people are hav- ing are often more worth talking about than the forgettable, surface details. Facing this looming question has been one of the hardest and most rewarding challenges I've faced in genuinely try to see what the world college. looks like through others' eyes. A truthful answer is easy to dodge. Universities can encourage people What are you thinking? I dunno. End to attempt just that. In classrooms, of thought. But life gets a lot more students can learn about topics like complicated and exciting when you the Myer-Briggs typology - a theory start posing critical questions about of personality based on the idea that people's thoughts - about beliefs and people's brains function very differ- values. ently on multiple dimensions, result- During my third semester at the ing in a great deal of diversity in what University, my philosophy professor what people think about and how assigned a reading that argued the they think about it. Outside of the suffering of animals should, based on classroom, students have plenty of logic, receive the same consideration opportunities to meet many sorts of we give to human suffering. I was people, choose from about hundreds shocked to find I agreed. Just like that, of organizations, experiment and my beliefs about eating meat were engage in various social activities of torn to shreds, and I went through a questionable legality. All in all, there brief bout of learning what it's like to are plenty of opportunities on cam- be a vegetarian. Students who don't pus to learn about others if you have a have professors and experiences on genuine interest in who other people campus that change their beliefs and are and what they're thinking. force them to see the world in a more complex and enriching way aren't getting their money's worth. But for The 'U' can offer that to happen, you have to be willing to ask what you're thinking withoutnew perspectives if presupposing that your initial answer n Wp Yp~ i~ Si is the right one. youo ask. When applied to other people, o nly "what are you thinking?" takes on additional significance. It's very easy for us to live in isolated worlds and When I entered the University as relate to others only on our ownterms a freshman, I had never been asked without trying to understand other to take a hard look at myself and my peoples' worlds. Millions of years of main mode of thinking. But on cam- evolution have made people's brains pus, I've gotten in the habit of asking very good at recognizing patterns "what are you thinking?" every day. and categorizing things, including It makes life much more meaningful people. So, it's typical human behav- and fun, and I encourage other stu- ior to arrive at an understanding of dents to do the same (or at least give people by labeling them as this-or- it a try). The University isn't a perfect that rather than as unique and com- place, but it is a great place to think plex individuals. I suspect that one about thinking. of the reasons I've rarely been asked what I'm thinking by others is that - Brian Flaherty is an associate it's not altogether common or easy for editorial page editor. He can be people to look beyond themselves and reached at bfla@umich.edu. 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 ldtters to tothedaily@umiciedu.