49 4A - Thursday, September 24, 2009 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com L7 4 e 9 ti c4igan wily 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 It should not be called the Security Co called the 'terror counc - Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, asserting that the five permanent memb have too much power, in an address to the U. Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily's editorial board. All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views oftheir authors. Making the right call U, state need Good Samaritan policy for underage drinkers hen a friend who has had too much to drink clearly needs to go to the hospital, the first thought is probably to call for help. But the law states that an intoxicated minor who calls for medical attention for a dangerously intoxi- cated friend can receive a minor in possession charge. To fix this, the Michigan Student Assembly and the Senate Advisory Commit- tee on University Affairs are trying to include a "Good Samaritan" policy in the Student Code of Conduct that would enable students to call the Department of Public Safety without fear of legal reper- cussion. While the University should certainly implement this change, the Good Samaritan policy also deserves consideration and approval from the state legislature. The forgotten J n February 2007, Vice President Dick Cheney and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi locked horns over the Iraq War troop surge. The media mudslinging between the two reached a climax when Pelosi called the White House 1 to complain that Cheney had ques- tioned her patrio- tism. Good Morning CHRIS America's Jonathan KOSLOWSKI Karl asked Cheney what he thought about Pelosi's accu- sations. He responded, "I didn't question her patriotism. I questioned her judg- ment. Al-Qaeda functions on the basis that they think they can break our will. That's their fundamental under- lying strategy. My statement was if we adopt the Pelosi policy, we will vali- date the strategy of Al-Qaeda. I said it, and I meant it. And I'm not backing down." I put that quote in the "favorite quo- tations" section of my Facebook pro- file when I heard it - not only because it sums up the awe-inspiring gump- tion of our former vice president, but also because I wanted it to remind me of something. If Al-Qaeda perceives weakness in the United States govern- ment over the Middle East wars, it will validate their plan to defeat us. More than two years later, in a confidential document leaked to the Washington Post this week, General Stanley McChrystal, lead commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghani- stan, said the U.S. will lose inAfghani- stan unless more troops are brought to the fight. Despite many Democrats' contin- ued opposition to the wars in the Mid- dle East, I expected President Barack Obama to quickly heed the advice of his top general. After all, it was just last March when Obama made a speech outlining his commitment to "enhance the military, governance, and economic capacity" of Afghani- stan. Obama warned, "If the Afghan government falls to the Taliban - or allows Al-Qaeda to go unchallenged - that country will again be a base for terrorists who want to kill as many of our people as they possibly can." But Obama has not yet decided if he will send more troops to Afghanistan. Aides have said the President wants more time to weigh his options, and USA Today reportedthat several of Obama's advisors, including Vice Pres- ident Joe Biden, have revealed their aversions to increasingU.S. forces. I don't fault the President for taking his time to make a careful decision in a matter that will affect thousands of Americans and Afghanis, but I don't understand why this issue is not tak- ing precedence in his administra- tion. According to the Washington Post, Defense Secretary Robert Gates received McChrystal's report on Aug. 30, nearly a month ago. What have we heard about Obama's Afghanistan: strategy between then and the leak of this report? Even if you disagree with Obama's desire to stay in Afghanistan, you should be wondering why his admin- istration was devoting so much atten- tion to health care and climate change with this bombshell sitting on his desk. McChrystal guarantees that a failure to change tactics will result in defeat. Obama should have been act- ing quickly on the General's advice or designing a plan to remove our troops before the situation becomes even more deadly. uncil, it should be il.' " er states of the U.N. Security Council N., as reported yesterday by MSNBC. ight Obama's hesitation to address this report as seriously as he hasaddressed health care sends the wrong message to Al-Qaeda. Maybe the administra- tion will surprise me with news of a well-reasoned troop increase plan within the coming days, but I fear Obama has been purposefully delay- ing action so as not to alienate Dem- ocrat support for the public health insurance option. His support margin is so thin that the risk of an unpopular troop increase driving away potential votes is too great. Obama is stalling on Afghanistan to save his domestic agenda. Regardless of his behind-the- scene motives, Obama needs to fol- low in the steps of Dick Cheney and take a strong stand on Afghanistan if he hopes to keep Al-Qaeda and its supporters at bay. Shuffling his feet, especially for political reasons, makes the U.S. appear weak, energiz- es the opposition and validates their strategy. Obama promised a better future for Afghanistan. Around half of America disagrees with him over health care. Any minuscule impact we could have on the Earth's climate would take decades to occur- The American and Afghani lives at risk in an extremely unstable situation demand that Obama take action now. It's about time he gave this issue the attention it deserves. - Chris Koslowski can be reached at cskoslow@umich.edu. The Good Samaritan policy was proposed at a meeting between MSA and SACUA to discuss changes to the Student Code of Con- duct. These University governing bodies are following in the steps of state Sen. Liz Brater (D-Ann Arbor), who introduced a bill to the legislature in April to protect under- age drinkers who call for help on behalf of intoxicated friends. Minors who seek help for their friends would be exempt from MIPs and the resulting fines of up to $400, court appearances and possible probation. This was Brater's second attempt to pass such legislation. MIPs, expensive fines and inconvenient court appearances are serious threats. Rath- er than face such repercussions, underage drinkers may choose not to call the police when friends are in need. But lives could be saved if only underage drinkers had less to fear from calling the police at urgent times. The law should not act as a deterrent to sav- ing lives and amending the Student Code of Conduct to include a Good Samaritan clause signals the University wants to seriously combat alcohol-related deaths. Still, the University is hardly the only place in need of such a policy. Despite two attempts, the legislature failed to act on Brater's bill. But this statewide bill is the best way to make sure that lives are not lost because underage drinkers fear getting MIPs. If the legislature really wants to make protect the lives of underage drinkers, it should reconsider the Good Samaritan pol- icy and adopt it. But the University, for its part, is not in the clear on drinking issues just by putting the Good Samaritan policy into the Student Code of Conduct. The alarming amount of alcohol-related deaths on college campus- es has caught the attention of 135 college presidents, who have reacted by signing the Amethyst Initiative. This proposal calls on Congress to look into the 1984 National Minimum Drinking Age Act and determine whether it has been effective at curbing binge drinking. A discussion on the effec- tiveness of the current drinking age could only be beneficial, but University President Mary Sue Coleman has refused to sign the Amethyst Initiative, calling into question her dedication to finding solutions to binge drinkingas well as her supposed open-mind- edness toward new ideas and approaches. So while the University needs a Good Samaritan clause, it also needs a president who is willing to look for new solutions to the binge drinking problem on college cam- puses. 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 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. Don't miss campus moments 4 4 SEND LETTERS TO: TOTHEDAILY@UMICH.EDU Make respectapriority while recruitingfor student groups TO THE DAILY: As the new academic year kicks off, many student organizations start off with heavy recruitment. But as different groups try to get their message out, recruitment can become competitive. Though competition can be a powerful uniting factor, it is our hope that recruitment strategies are done in a respectful manner. Strategies of hazing and destruction of Diag boards, banners and flyers are not going to unite our community. We have seen more of this behavior this year, and it is worth the reminder that respecting competitors is a more effective strategy. As the semester progresses, we would like to encourage co-sponsorships as one way to foster an inclusive campus environ- ment. Itis our individual responsibility tobe aware of our own role in promoting a positive and safe campus climate. If you feel that you have been a target of hate or bias, please know that there are confidential resources available to you on campus. Go to http://www.urespect.umich. edu/ and view the reporting section. If you are- interested in joining the Expect Respect Stu- dent Steering Committee or would like us to collaborate with you on an event on campus, please email us at expectrespect@umich.edu. Christina Tzortzinis and Amber Zarb LSA junior; School of Social Work graduate student HARU N BULJ INA E E-MAIL HARUN AT BULJINAH@UMICH.EDU - ( \ re. D 00 flu Don' t Tread O M Campus is a vibrant and hap- pening environment: living in Ann Arbor presents many opportunities to learn outside of class. Unfortu- nately, undergrad- uate students are often unaware of these opportuni- ties, and they are not always at fault. While students HARSHA should undeniably .pAprgA be more aware of their surroundings, the various Uni- versity departments and organiza- tions that sponsor noteworthy events and important speakers should also make a more concerted and orga- nized effort to advertise them.- A university setting is meant to foster education and facilitate the broadening of our mental horizons. The diverse range of events that occurs on a college campus is nearly unparalleled. Where else can a per- son attend a Warhol exhibit, a ques- tion-and-answer session with the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court and a speech from a Nobel Prize-winning economist and New York Times columnist all in the span of one month for free? It's impor- tant to utilize this advantage as stu- dents, since such opportunities may never return. Tuition is hardly inex- pensive, so we should get the most knowledge for our buck. But it's difficult to take advantage of these opportunities when they aren't well advertised. I followed Paul Krugman's weekly column in the New York Times over the sum- mer and would have been interested to hear him speak had I known he would be visiting campus. The Mich- igan Daily did a short news story on Krugman's planned visit, but it ran on Sept. 15 and said the tickets were gone. Luckily, one of my Politi- cal Science GSIs had sent an email to students in my class on Sept., 9 informing us of the upcoming event - I went to the Union and picked up tickets the next day. I couldn't have been the only person who was ill- informed, because not many other undergraduates I spoke with knew of Krugman's visit, either. The promotion of sponsored events on campus is clearly unco- ordinated. While this isn't anyone's fault specifically, it's instead due to the conglomeration of event spon- sors on campus that all use different methods of promoting their func- tions. For example, the Public Policy School and the Citigroup Founda- tion will host Krugman, whereas the Michigan Student Assembly hosted oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens for Homecoming Week last year. The different advertising methods make it difficult to find specifics on each event in a centralized location. The University does have resourc- es to advertise events: the UM Events website lists a great number of hap- penings around campus. But the prob- lem with the website is that especially significant functions are drowned out by a flood of other events. The best way to fix this problem would be to have events advertised through a well-sorted centralized source. UM Events does this to a cer- tain extent, but does not differentiate between a Free Shabbat Dinner at Hillel and Paul Krugman's lecture, unless the user specifies they are look- ing for a lecture. The student should have some responsibility in finding events of their interestbut should not have to sift through so much infor- mation in order to find them if they're not entirely sure what they might be looking for. If the website was rede- signed to highlight events that occur less regularly, like Krugman's visit, or if there were centralized e-mail lists to direct student attention, informa- There has to be a better way to learn about 'U' events. tion might be better distributed. While it's true that many do attend noteworthy events - Krugman tick- ets were gone, after all - it doesn't mean that enough people know about them. A rush for tickets is obviously not desirable - the reason I was able to obtain mine mayhave beenbecause people weren't aware he was coming. But just because the seats are filling doesn't mean there's enough pro- motion. People who want to attend should be able to if they're willing to wait for tickets early enough. It's only fair. Becoming more knowledgeable is something we all should strive for. A morediverse perspectiveis neverbad, be it in the arts, politics, or sciences. It's vital that students are made more aware of the opportunities that they have to learn on campus. - Harsha Panduranga can be reached at harshap@umich.edu. I 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. a