0 4 - Wednesday, November 4, 2009 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com E-MAIL ROSE AT ROSEJAFF@UMICH.EDU Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@umich.edu ROSE JAFFE GARY GRACA EDITOR IN CHIEF ROBERT SOAVE EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR COURTNEY RATKOWIAK MANAGING EDITOR Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily's editorialboard. All other signed articles and illustrations representsolely the views ofttheir authors.1 Backing up education Students should find ways to give back to their communities T hanks to the abject failure of the state government to do its job of providing Michigan's schools with the money they need, the primary loser in this year's budget debate is K-12 education. Despite the obvious importance of education to the state's future, legislators don't seem to understand that with- out well-funded schools, Michigan's prospects only grow more hopeless. But until legislators are held accountable and reverse their failure, private citizens must step up and choose to fund local schools. And college students, too, should do their part to make sure the children of Michigan do not suffer a decline in the quality of their education. rUrPiZ2Ookw 5TILL S Bust out of tef student bubble After weeks of Democrats and Repub- licans in the state legislature fighting over spending, Michigan's budget debate finally ended last week. Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed the final 2010 budget on Friday - a budget that slashed K-12 edu- cation funding, the Promise Scholarship and higher education funding The big loser, though, was K-12 education, which will now see at least $292 less per student. There's no escaping the fact that state government failed one of its most criti- cal tasks by reducing depleting education funding. Providing for education is one of government's most important functions, and the legislature can't be said to have done its job until it rights this wrong. But in the meantime, Michigan's schools can't just wait for the government to realize how badly it's erred or until the next election when these impotent legis- lators can be punished. Private citizens have some additional responsibility to fill in, for now. One such citizen who is doing some- thing is Ypsilanti Township resident Lon- nie Scott, a Democrat who is running to represent the 54th District in the state House of Representatives. According to an Oct. 29 annarbor.com article, Scott wants to find 3,000 people who will donate $12 to create scholarships of $1,200 each for students in the three school districts. This type of fundraising could provide a stop-gap measure for school districts across the state. The generosity of people who care about the quality of education in Michigan is needed to maintain educa- tional quality in the short run. That includes means college students. Though students are infamous for having small funds and busy schedules, there's no reason why they can't find some time to help out the schools that first cultivated their intellectual abilities. While encour- aging other students to vote for a school millage that most of them won't ever have to pay for is one strategy, college stu- dents should do better than advocating that someone else take care of the costs. In addition to raising some money them- selves, students can volunteer as tutors and coaches at local schools in the area or back in their hometowns. Indeed, some students at the University are already giving back through programs like K-grams, in which University stu- dents are paired with elementary-school pen pals. This type of program is low- cost and a small time commitment, but it makes a big difference to individual kids. More students should recognize the need for volunteers in programs like these in times of need for local schools. In tough times, many people are lending a hand to local schools, and more people - including college students - should do what they can, too. L iving in Ann Arbor has been sion, Ann Arbor has found a niche. an excellent experience. I have Nationally known summer fairs like lived in a hospitable neighbor- Top of the Park and the Ann Arbor hood and enjoyed a solid public school Art Fair have risen from partner- system. I have had ships between city council and the the opportunity University. These partnerships are to be entertained crucial to the smooth functioning of and broaden my the University and town, and foster horizons by visi- a learning environment while being tors like the real conducive to tourism. So while the life Hotel Rwanda University does wonders for the city hero Paul Ruse- in attracting visitors, the welcoming, sabagina, comedi- safe and hospitable environment of an Russell Peters HARSHA Ann Arbor - a paragon of University and socially con- PANDURANGA towns - shouldn't be overlooked. scious rapper The decisions of the Ann Arbor Talib Kweli. After I government can also impact the lives graduated from Pioneer High School, of students. For example, a long- I made the transition to a student at debated issue in City Council has the University. Being a townie and been whether or not to introduce an a student resident of Ann Arbor are income tax to close budgetary gaps undoubtedly different roles, but the as well as possibly provide property relationship between the two is more tax relief. Property taxes are passed complex than many students think - on to the consumer in the form of what happens in Ann Arbor affects higher rent on campus, so an income the University and vice versa. tax on Ann Arbor residents could of course, it's undeniable that Ann indirectly result in lower prices for Arbor wouldn'tbe the town it is with- student housing. But obviously, stu- out the University and its students. dent incomes would be taxed as well, The wealth of ethnically diverse res- so there are varying perspectives to taurants and famous visitors, which consider. Either way, students will be is a result of an affluent population, affected by a decision. wouldn't exist. The University has Zoning rules and related restric- carved Ann Arbor a place in history tions also affect expenses and choitc- as, among other things, the location es for students. These rules set the of the announcement of the Peace guidelines for how buildings may be Corps in 1960 and President Lyndon constructed within the city limits. Johnson's call for a Great Society in Recently, the application and cre- 1964. The employment and status ation of these rules has been evident provided by the University allows for in the City Place apartment saga: A a vibrant environment that all Ann proposed mid-level housing com- Arbor residents can enjoy. plex has been plagued by obstacles But even when school isn't in ses- due to the potential historical value of the area and the city's numerous zoning restrictions. Students regu- larly experience the effects of City Council decisions regarding housing development, both in price and loca- tion, when they search for housing options. Ann Arbor has a lot to offer students, and vice versa. Students could have participated in the city's affairs during yesterday's City Council elections. Voting direct- ly voices the concerns of the student body as it relates Ann Arbor's laws and policies. Students, who make up a large proportion of the city's popu- lation during the school year, have the chance through elections to have their interests fairly represented. Ann Arbor and the University share a symbiotic relationship. Stu- dents are members of both societies, and being aware of the city's stances on issues is important. And coming fromk a former Ann ArpF 9OyWnie, the town - whether or not due to the presence of the University - has much to offer. It's helpful to step out- side the strictly student bubble. Take 0 a walk down Main St. on a weekend evening sometime, and you'll see. -Harsha Panduranga can be reached at harshap@umich.edu. EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS: Nina Amilineni, Emad Ansari, Emily Barton, Jamie Block, Ben Caleca, Michete 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 MATTHEW BLANTON No excuse for racism 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 tothedoily@umich.edu. On Halloween morning, prior to a day of work and college football, my wife and I trav- eled to our neighborhood Denny's for break- fast. A trip to Denny's is a modest treat, but for two graduate students on a strict budget, we look forward to the simple pleasures that we can enjoy in our free time. As the hostess walked us to our booth, another patron's eyes met mine. The absurdly large Afro wig and the smeared black makeup on her face belied her blue eyes and the fair' hands that held her fork. It was 10 a.m., and my wife and I, not to mention the other patrons and wait staff, witnessed our first blackface costume of the day. What conversation my wife and I had been engaged in was lost. What enthusiasm we had for the day was stunted. We sat in silence for a moment. Out of necessity, many people of color have learned to function competently on a day-to-day basis in the face of implicit and explicit racism. Nonetheless, on this occa- sion and engrossed in the weekend's leisure, it caught us by surprise. Our reaction was visceral. We sat there in sadness, anger and fatigue, with a burning sense of our race and its seeming insignifi- cance. We felt scrutinized and shamed while this young woman seemed to be enjoying her morning, oblivious to the shock waves of dis- comfort and disbelief moving through the res- taurant. After sitting in our booth for a few sec- onds, my wife stood up. "I'll be right back," she said. Retracing her steps two booths, my wife calmly and quietly told this young lady, sitting with an older woman - presumably her mother - that her outfit was offensive. They were surprised but nodded, admitted (feigned?) ignorance that the costume could be perceived as offensive and apologized. For anyone who has suggested to an indi- vidual that he/she is racist or that what he/she is doing is racist, you know it rarely goes well. This response was surprisingly less explosive than either my wife or I anticipated, but her outfit and response revealed a whole host of other dynamics at work. Would it have been more hurtful if she was trying to be explicitly offensive? Or is it more remarkable that she claimed to not know that some people might see her as an embodiment of historical and contemporary oppression? What makes it okay to wear a black person as a costume? Blackface isn't a post-racial example of how people blur the lines of racial construc- tions. It is a racist practice. The same is true for the head feathers and war paint of the "Native" costume, the "cholo" uniform and many other outfits that, as Felix Lopez artic- ulated in Thursday's issue of The Michigan Daily, become, unsurprisingly, prevalent on Oct. 31 of each year (Halloween unmasked, 10/30/2009). I am confident that this instance of black- face was not the only one in Ann Arbor this past weekend. Ignorance does not excuse rac- ism, and racism is alive and well in our uni- versity town. If you deny this is true, don't be offended if I tell you that you are wrong. Matthew Blantonis a graduate student. LARRY HARVILLA | Keep homophobia out of 'U' sports 0 As many in the University community know, Ann Arbor has a well-deserved reputation as a liberal, tol- erant and open-minded city. Imagine my great shock, then, when I traveled to Ann Arbor to watch my beloved Wolverine athletic teams play only to be faced with the kind of ignorant, bigoted behavior I would expect from those associated with far lesser institutions. I'm talking about the homophobia I have seen and heard exhibited by students, alumni and fans alike, particularly at some of the most popular events like football and men's ice hockey. As a former student and Yost Ice Arena cowbell player from roughly a decade ago, I'm well versed in the chant performed by the student section when an opposing play- er is penalized. Hell, I can still recite the 1999-2001 ver- sions of it from memory to this day. A couple of years ago, to my horror, I learned that the student section had appended "cocksucker" (a pejorative term for gay men) to the end of the chant and voiced it with what seemed to be a particular flourish. Suddenly, it seemed that in less than 10 years, I had gone from lead- ing more than 6,000 fans in chants to persona non grata in Yost. I never thought I'd live to see the day when I would have to defend Michigan Marching Band baton twirler Nathan Magyar from homophobic comments made by Michigan football fans (as opposed to, for example, MSU fans at last year's game), but that day came justbefore this year's Penn State game. Carl Grapentine's booming baritone introduction of Magyar during "M Fanfare" was immediately followed by a shout of "fag boy" from a fan in the row behind me. Never mind that, even if that were the case, that's nobody's business but Nathan's - but this fan, who I believed to be an alumnus, felt it perfectly okay to demean a member of his University's marching band based on a stereotype and hate. I chided this fan, "So what even if he is gay? It doesn't matter - he's one of ours." These incidents are part of a disturbing trend of homophobia increasingly considered perfectly accept- able, and in fact even encouraged, at University sporting events. This needs to stop, and it needs to stop now. I remember well from my days at Yost how creative we could be back then without crossing the line of using terms offensive to minority groups. It was a known fact to many of my fellow Yost fans of the time that I am gay, and none of them were bothered - even eight years ago, before many of the recent advances gay people have made in society. Where has the basic level of tolerance and respect gone in just eight years? Don't get me wrong. There are few things in life I love more than the Wolverines. I fork over large amounts of hard-earned cash not only to see them play, but also to fund the Athletic Department, which gives scholarships to student-athletes so they can make a positive impact on our world long after they have hung up the block M or winged helmet. It pains me that my love for the Univer- sity is met with such hateful words by fans and that the hateful words are met with indifference by the Athletic Department. The news came out last week that Athletic Director Bill Martin will be retiring from his post next Sept. 4. With the jury still out on what legacy he will leave with his recent coaching hires, combating homophobia at Michi- gan sporting events would be a great way for Martin to leave a positive, lasting legacy, on Michigan athletics, regardless of Rich Roderiguez and John Beilein's even- tual win-loss records. I call on Bill Martin to make this a priority in the sunset days of his career at Weidenbach Hall. And in closing, I call upon you - students, alumni and 6 otherwise unaffiliated fans - to do your part. Refrain from homophobic statements and chants at athletic events, and speak out to combat those you do hear - that's just what the leaders and best do. Larry Harvilla is an Engineering alum. 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.