4 - Tuesday, November 3, 2009 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com e ii g~an Ba1*1V Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. yAnn Arbor, MI 48109 ''- . =tothedaily@umich.edu GARY GRACA EDITOR IN CHIEF ROBERT SOAVE EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR COURTNEY RATKOWIAK MANAGING EDITOR What I hope comes out of this study is an understanding that food stamp beneficiaries aren't them - they're us." - James Weill, president of Food Research and Action Center, commenting on a recent study that found that nearly half of all U.S. children will be on food stamps at some point in their lives, as reported yesterday by MSNBC. Unsigned editorials reflect te officialrpreosito f the Daily's editorial board. All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors. A caltculated strategy ELAINE MORTON E-MAIL ELAINE AT EMORT@UMICH.EDU Change to admissions policy promotes importance of arts W hen University Provost Teresa Sullivan laughs and con- fesses to not knowing why the University recalculates the GPAs of high school applicants, it's probably not a well-advised policy. Last week, the administration decided to end this time-consuming practice in order to focus on other aspects of the admissions process - a welcome change. Recalculated GPAs removed important classes, including most arts classes, from a student's GPA. The University should value high school students' achievements in all courses, not just ones in mainstream subjects, as a way of encouraging high schools to maintain diverse curricula. 'en esterdos r ewS,-tIsc msols ex h2..hd i. as s hr c dark -AA v =cI:n r by csi g ba ie usK ~ tb~vqscopc 1C 1 You're WHAT? Until last week, the University's policy was to remove courses that did not fall into the major academic categories and recalcu- late each applicant's GPA, though all classes were still factored in as part of the student's coursework. But with the policy change, the University will now simply evaluate the GPA that appears on an applicant's tran- script. Administrators claim that GPA isn't a major factor in the admissions process in any case, and that this change will save time. No matter how little GPA actually counts toward a student's admission, the calcula- tion should still include all of a student's coursework. Arbitrarily removing art class- es discounts students who worked hard and received good grades in those classes. Proficiency in classes that are outside the English/math/science/history mainstream is exactly what the admissions office should be looking for. For a University that claims to value diversity, it's wrong to put high school students who performed well in fine arts courses at a disadvantage. The arts play a valuable intellectual role in the education of many.scuenc.an .-should be treated as. such. After all, the University offers many such classes, and excelling in at least some of them is a necessity for most University students. Changing this policy, if nothing else, sends the message that the University does weigh the merits of all academic sub- jects. Sendingsuch a message is more important than ever. With funding for K-12 education decreasing across the state to compensate for the budget deficit, high schools will be looking for ways to cut costs. Universities shouldn't be indicating that arts and other courses are less important and could be cut to save money. If students don't have access to these classes in high school, they will be less prepared to handle the diverse range of coursework that college offers them. High schools should try to preserve these classes, and the University should reward students who excel in them. Creating a strong intellectual commu- nity isn't accomplished solely by evaluating math, natural sciences, history and English - the fine arts and other areas are a part of that too, and the University should use this change in policy as an opportunity to give fair consideration for candidates from .all backgrounds.andncourage-theirintel- lectual curiosity. S o Halloween weekend was pretty dece, right? ("Dece" is a cool word that I learned recently. I think, though I'm not entirely sure, that it's an abbreviated form of "decent" ' and was coined - like so many of our modern words - by Shakespeare.) - Indeed, I think WILL many of us had an GRUNDLER awse time. Admit- tedly, I didn't think my Mary Sue Cole- man costume (Amazon, $49.99) could be beat, but as the night wore on and I saw Gumby and The Burger King and people kept offering me punch, I began to question my judgment on things. But this week's column isn't, unfor- tunately, about those happy times, about those few good, clean, dece costumes that I saw, or about how students were pinnacles of morality. I wish it wereI really do. Yet can I let my conscience stand idly by, smoking its last cigarettegDoes that mtap;grp work? The answer toboth questions is absolutely not. Therefore, this week's column is about the consequences of modern- day Halloween at the 'U' - about bad costumes - you know, offensive cos- tumes,.costumes that you wouldn't want your little sister to see because she would get nightmares, or ideas. Well, not really, because by bad cos- tumes I mean BAD costumes, like those students who attached card- board boxes to themselves in order to look like robots when, in reality, they looked like cardboard boxes. Hon- estly, you-just can't help those types of people. So let's make fun of them, starting with the delightfully unintel- ligent person who decided to be a 1. Mustard Container: Honest- ly, what do you say to a person who thinks a condiment would be a neat idea for a costume? Beats me. But is wearing a yellow frock and a yellow pointy hat really worth the effort just to say "squeeze me"? The poor guy even had "Mustard" written in big black letters on his chest in case peo- ple didn't realize that he was, in fact, mentally unstable. Maybe I didn't see his friend who was Ketchup or Hot dog or something, but later on, I glimpsed his pal who had the insight and courage tobe a 2. Jar of Milk: Now, this guy had enough sense to avoid writing "Milk" on his costume, but come ON! Milk? You're MILK? Have I got that right? You're an emulsion of butterfat glob- ules within a water-based fluid? (Always use Wiktionary to strength- en your insults.) Couldn't you think of anything better than a glass jar of milk? I'm sorry that I'm getting so upset. Maybe the guy wanted this type of reaction. In fact, maybe he's ,s ociology major., Mgyb heq Ilently defended his costume and said, "Oh, YEAH? Why CAN'T I be a jar of milk?" Maybe he got punched in the face by 3. Men in Tights: Noticing a trend? Yes, guys seem to choose dumber cos- tumes than girls. This is an estab- lished biological fact. There were plenty of men wearing tights last Saturday night, but I ran into a stag- geringly awkward guy wearing tights and a leotard who was apparently mocking Beyonce's hit song "Single Ladies." Now, I love "Single Ladies," but that's not what concerned me. The costume was funny, actually. What concerned me was that after approximately a nanosecond, the cos- tume stopped being funny. The guy didn't try to SELL it, you know? He just stood there, saying nothing, in his leotard. Needless to say, I motioned to something behind him, waited until he turned around and then bolted. But the most awkward costume goes to This year's worst Halloween costumes. 4. MCard Girl: (Rejoice, men!) I'm not acquainted with this student and I don't hold anything against her as a person, but she had possibly the worst costume ever, a costume so cringe- worthy that my face still ached the following morning. What she had (inexplicably) done was cut a head- sized hole in a piece of cardboard, decorate the cardboard so it looked like a, MCard, and then (l*gera ' the odd part) she wore it on her face. I was completely baffled. I thought I had seen all there was to see when it came to people dressing up as arbi- trary objects, but I was wrong. She's a bit hard to describe, but imagine a person who headbutts a painting and then wears it around proudly. I briefly considered writing "MCard" on her forehead in big black letters, but I refrained myself. I mean, I was the president of the University. What could I do? -WillGrundler can be reached at wgru@umich.edu. SEND LETTERSTO: TOTHEDAILY@UMICH.EDU School millage is necessary for quality education TO THE DAILY: Unprecedented cuts to K-12 education fund- ing have put school districts across the state in a terrible situation. Here in Washtenaw Coun- ty, several school districts that had already balanced their budgets for the year were blind- sided by the state's severe cuts to education funding. Ann Arbor's school system alone faces a $17.5 million shortfall this coming fiscal year. This is not the result of waste or inefficiency - Washtenaw County schools have in fact been cutting their budgets for years. This gap is the result of a state government that has lost its sense of duty. We can correct this glaring mis- take by voting yes on Proposal 1, which would institute a millage to mitigate the effect of the state's cuts. Opponents of the millage argue that schools should make deeper cuts to their programming given that families are suffering economi- cally throughout the county, state and nation. There is, however, little left to cut. Washtenaw County schools have already increased class sizes, reduced custodial staffing, consolidat- ed administration operations and eliminated enrichment programs. For some schools in the county, even cutting all arts and athletics pro- grams would still not be enough to make up the gap. We all know that education is the key to the revival of Michigan's economy. Also, any small increases in property taxes will be more than made up for by the increases in property values for county residents. Families choose where to live based on the quality of the public schools, and good schools will draw new residents to the area. For students, most of whom plan to leave the area after graduation, the future of Washtenaw County may seem trivial and distant. But the fundamental importance of education is not. We encourage students to think about the high quality primary and secondary education that many of them received. Taking five minutes to vote today will help grant tomorrow's children the same opportunities you had. Zachary Martin and Evan Nichol University chapter of the College Democrats Good sportsmanship starts at the top TO THE DAILY: As a lifelong fan of Penn State football and a 15-year fan of Big Ten football, I appreciate the opportunity to reach out to like-minded Big Ten fans. As a frequent visitor to Ann Arbor, I have found the overwhelming majority of Michigan fans to be very similar to the overwhelming majority of Penn State fans, who recognize that there is no place in college sports for animosity' toward opposing fans. They welcome us whole- heartedly to their college, stadium and even their tailgates. However, both universities also have a minority of disrespectful, abusive and embarrassing fans that get enjoyment from the degradation of others. I would like to see that change as much as possible at both institutions, and I believe that both are capable of making such a change. Just as Ohio State has made strides to improve what many Big Ten fans would consid- er to be the most threatening and abusive Big Ten game day environment, I.am hopeful that the Michigan and Penn State will follow suit. I truly believe that most Michigan fans find the verbal and physical abuse that my fellow Penn State fans and I endured on many occa- sions this past weekend to be just as despicable as we do when we see Michigan fans treated the same way in Happy Valley. I believe that it is time-for the vocal majority of good, respect- ful fans to demand that there is no place for bad sportsmanship before, during or after the game. Why is it that we demand better sportsman- ship from our players than our fans? I never understood how normally good, respectful people feel better about themselves by mak- ing derogatory, abusive comments or throw- ing things at the fans of opposing teams. The same can be said for the boos that welcome the opposing team onto the field - a group of 18-21 year olds just trying to do their best - that would not be greeted the same way in any other scenario. I think that most of that would change if instead of being egged on by laughter and cheers from fellow fans, bad sportsman- ship was properly recognized by jeers and boos from fans wearing the same colors. It is in the interest of all local Big Ten com- munities to encourage the economic stimulus that traveling fans bring, and consequently treat opposing teams' fans more like invited guests. Along those lines, many Penn State fans were disappointed by the University adminis- tration's choice to move most of the opposing team's seats to the top of the end zone sections. While this type of treatment may be tolerated in truly inhospitable locations like Morgan- town, W. Va., it should have no place in Big Ten athletics. I am certain that traveling Michigan fans prefer their current seats in the northeast corner of Beaver Stadium to being strung out along the highest rows of the north end zone balcony. For their own interests, they should not tolerate similar treatment of opposing fans. In the spirit that competition makes us bet- ter, it would be nice to add one more Big Ten competition to see who can be the most wel- coming and hospitable venue for opposing team fans to visit. This message needs to start at the top. John Duda Penn State fan EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS: Nina Amilineni, Emad Ansari, Emily Barton, Ben Caleca, Michelle DeWitt, Brian Flaherty, Emma Jeszke, Raghu Kainkaryam, Sutha K Kanagasingam, Erika Mayer, Edward McPhee, Harsha Panduranga, Alex Schiff, Asa Smith, Brittany Smith, Radhika Upadhyaya, Rachel Van Gilder, Laura Veith SETH BUCHSBAUM I Local elections are just as important 0 You couldn't go anywhere on campus around this time last year without hearing that oft repeated anthem: "Hey! Are you registered to vote at your current address?" Get- out-the-vote activists were on every corner, flyers and stickers were posted on every available space and every other conversation was about the coming election. People groaned at the politicians' latest mistakes, talked about how great they were in the previous night's debate and waited in line for up to four hours on the first Tuesday in November in order to support one candidate or the other. Last year's election night was for some a triumph and for others a disappointment, but everyone agreed on one thing: History had been made. The atmosphere on cam- pus for the whole month leading up to that Tuesday was more electric than I've seen in my whole life here in Ann Arbor.4 Tuesday, Nov. 3 (which happens to be today), there will be another election. There are no national candidates, there is little drama and relatively few people on campus are working for and talking about the elections. But it shouldn't be this way. Local elections are just as important as national ones. Your locally elected officials make huge decisions about your lives that are often undervalued. Zoning laws allow students to live in some places and not others. Local laws govern how leasing works and the types of contracts that can be drawn up. Local governments influence police poli- cy, the municipal courtsystem, Ann Arbor Transportation Authority buses - the list goes on and on. This year's local elections are no different. A contested City Council race will pit a pro-mayor candidate against a University student. There is also a millage (property tax) on the ballot that will define Ann Arbor's education spending for the foreseeable future. These issues affect the lives of everyone who lives in Ann Arbor, students or otherwise. Some people might claim that their votes don't mat- ter. That is completely, patently false. During the summer of 2008, I worked for a political candidate who ended up losing by eight votes. Elections, especially local ones, are decided by a tiny percentage of the electorate. But there is areason forvotingthatgoes above and beyond the statistics. The reason is not the candidates, the issues or the fact that a single vote may make a difference. The reason is that voting is what defines us as a democracy. The vast majority of people in the United States, including myself, believe in democracy as a theory and an ideal. We speak out against dictatorships and for freedom all across the world - and yet many people don't realize what their belief in democracy means. The precise reason we have a democracy is because it gives every citizen a way to be heard in our society. If we hold these beliefs and make these claims about the power of democracy but do not participate in our own democratic government, then we are a nation of hypocrites, fighting for free elec- tions all over the world and then not participating in our own back home. We are a nation of whiners, perpetually complaining about current conditions and the state of our lives but making no move to change them. We are a nation of the uninterested, more worried about what hap- pens today than decisions that could affect us years in the future. But I believe that we are also a nation of the con- sistent - people firm enough in our beliefs that we can hold them strong. I believe that we are a nation of doers, knowing when to take action to change something wrong in the world. We are a nation of the concerned, speaking out loud about things thatwill affect both us and our chil- dren. I believe in a nation where every citizen uses his or her own voice to bring up what they believe in, and where peo- ple participate because they know it is their obligation to apply their beliefs to the issues that affect them directly. I believe in a nation where we all vote. Vote today Bring your MCard to the polls. Visit www. a2gov.org for more information on candidates and propos- als. Seth Buchsbaum is the Vice Chair of Voice Your Vote.