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4A - Thursday, January 28, 2010
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
E-MAIL CHRIS AT CSKOSLOW@UMICH.EDU
Edited and managed by students at
the University of Michigan since 1890.
420 Maynard St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
tothedaily@umich.edu
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JACOB SMILOVITZ
EDITOR IN CHIEF
RACHEL VAN GILDER
EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR
MATT AARONSON
MANAGING EDITOR
Unsigned editorials reflect the official position oftthe Daily's editorial board. All other signed articles
and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.
Educating educators
Focus on fieldwork will prepare School of Ed students
Students in the University's School of Education may have an
opportunity to have more exposure to their future work-
places sooner than they expected. Changes to the program
will replace the current curriculum of the School of Education
with one that would emphasize more hands-on training within the
classroom. Considering the importance of education in Michigan's
changing economy, it's vital that Michigan teachers are receiving
a comprehensive education. And that while increased fieldwork
is important, students should continue to receive the theoretical
components of the curriculum. The School of Education should
strive to combine increased experience with theoretical learning
to produce teachers that will prepare a highly-skilled workforce
for a Michigan economy dependent upon education.
The proposed program, which is sched-
uled to go into effect at the start of the fall
semester, is called the Teacher Education
Initiative. Deborah Ball, dean of the School
of Education and organizer of the initiative,
claims that the new curriculum would be
modeled after current medical and nursing
curricula, which place a greater emphasis
on hands-on training. The intention of the
program is to make teacher candidates more
familiar with the realities of a classroom
before they enter the profession. Though
there is time before the program officially
begins, Ball is hoping that the faculty of the
School of Education will begin experiment-
ing with initiating the program into their
curriculum this semester.
The School of Education's efforts to better
the teachers it produces are admirable, espe-
cially during the current economic climate.
Improved education at all levels is critical to
ensure the success of an economy that will
depend upon highly-skilled science and tech-
nology businesses in the future. And while
institutions of higher education may play a
more visible role in the increasing need for
education, improvement is necessary across
the spectrum of education.
Successful nursing and medical schools
have shown that practical application
allows students the chance to prepare for
the professional world in a learning envi-
ronment. Similarly, the increased focus on
fieldwork that the School of Education's
revamped curriculum will encourage will
provide education students with an invalu-
able experience. Teaching relies heavily on
effective interaction with students, and ear-
lier introductions to the environment will
help to prepare future teachers for the real-
ity of the classroom.
But the shift of focus to fieldwork
shouldn't make the School of Education for-
get about the importance of the theoretical
knowledge that students are exposed to in
classes at the University. This theoretical
knowledge of teaching methods and the
challenges facing public education will help
new teachers to challenge the status quo
and push for education reform. The School
of Education needs to make sure that with
all of the excitement about the new curricu-
lum, students will still receive the vital class
instruction that will improve their knowl-
edge on the craft of teaching.
The state. needs good teachers and
improved education to pull itself out of
its current economic turmoil. The Uni-
versity must combine classroom learning
and firsthand experience to produce the
most effective teachers that Michigan
will depend upon.
When online, safety first
T oday is Data Privacy Day, is it a hassle. We got a call recently Some may question the value of
which raises a very important from a security expert or someone (I Data Privacy Day, and notjustbecause
question among us college stu- mean, who can tell over the phone?) it's called Data Privacy Day. I have
dents: Who cares? informing us that she had all of our to admit that before learning about
What if I told social security numbers on file. The it I didn't really need a day to remind
you that the federal culprit? What we had foolishly least me about the dangers of the Internet,
government cares, expected: porn. No, I mean Limewire. because IShave a mom.
smarty-pants? You That's right, using Limewire and file
would probably be sharing had unleashed a boatload of
surprised, espe- PII from the family computer, includ- Celebrae at
cially since you lng our social security numbers from te Data
didn't think that tax returns.
the federal govern- So I don't want this to happen to Privacy Day with
ment cared about WILL you. The good news is that many
anything, or even GRUNDLER of us stopped using Limewire after stl an sa
that Data Privacy record companies threatened to
Day existed. (It hunt us down and break our knee-
does, as oflastyear, caps. The bad news is that many of
when the House of Representatives us are unknowingly sharing our PII Mom (on the phone): "So your sister
passed a bill or something) The point up the wazoo through Facebook. It's got an 'A' on her math test, and... Are
is: millions of Americans, including not information that can get us into you listening to me?"
your little sister, are sharing lots of financial trouble - unlessyou consider Me: "Hold on."
private things on the Internet, some- future job prospects. But it is infor- Mom (louder): "Hello? Hello? Are
times by accident. The time has come mation that you might not want "out you on MyBook? You're on MyBook,
to raise our awareness. there," such as what you look like after aren't you? I can tell. Why do you do
To raise your awareness, do the fol- eleven beers. Yes, if you missed or that thing? Honey, he's on MyBook
lowing: log onto privacyisfun!.com. ignored Facebook's change in privacy again."
Then, click the box that says, "Donate policy in December, your pictures and Me: "It's Facebook."
To Privacyisfun!.com." (This is the other info could be visible to friends of Mom: "And...people can see your...
only thing displayed on privacyisfun!. friends, or even everyone, and in some face? I mean, your pictures?"
com.) You will get a prompt asking for cases columnists doing "research." Me: "well, my friends can."
your social security number, credit By my count, which is ongoing, I Mom: "Oh. Well, I guess it's nice
card number and favorite color. Fill estimate that over half - and perhaps that you have some these days. But
this out. As you are filling this out even three-quarters - of the people don't you worry about stalkers? I was
STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING! You in the "University of Michigan" net- just reading this article about..."
have been scammed into givingoutPII work have completely open or par- Me: (Click.)
(personally identifiable information)! tially open profiles. And out of this But if you don't have a nagging
Third parties of questionable morality number, I would estimate that about mother, the federal government is
(such as the Green Party) can use your twelve percent of the females are a good alternative when it comes to
PII to impersonate you, exploit your worth dat- ...I mean, out of this num- reminding you to keep your private
bank account and update your Face- ber, I wonder how many know that information safe. Hey, isn't that ironic
book. This happens to grandmothers thousands of people can stalk them. after they passed the Patriot - Well,
across the country everyday - don't There are, of course, people who who cares?
let it happen to you. This is what Data want all their information out there.
Privacy Day is all about. (These are people you should prob- - Will Grundler can be
It happened to my family and boy, ably avoid dating.) reached at wgru@umich.edu.
MIKE RORRO W
A new constitution for MSA
The University's student government is a broken system. authorities with checks and balances and clear lines of
Ask any student and they'll most likely say the Michi- accountability.
gan Student Assembly's role in campus life is unclear. Its S4PG also proposes to make government more demo-
structures are unfamiliar to students and convoluted. cratic by including the college, housing and organization
Nobody seems to know what it does, what it's supposed to governments that are a vital voice in campus conversa-
do or what it can't do. tion. Students will be able to solve local problems locally
Students will say that MSA is unfair. Graduate and pro- and gain greater access to shared resources.
fessional students are underrepresented. Students believe Finally, we are proposing new ways to engage students.
they have little recourse if an MSA policy or fee is not in We want to make meetings, records, elections and judicial
their interest. MSA seems like a club - people in the know opinions more available to students. We are committed to
get what they want and everyone else is on their own. ensuring students know their rights and responsibilities
Most significantly, students may say student govern- and can act upon both.
ment is not invested in them and that it doesn't affect The structural and functional changes we have
their lives. That's why students don't invest in student designed will make student government more efficient
government - just one in nine of us voted in the last MSA and effective. But no government is an end in itself.
presidential election. Instead, government is about movement. Movement
As the Vice President of MSA, I have tried to address from insularity to collaboration, from diffusion to,con-
these issues and improve the efficiency of students by centration, from a disparate collection of our diverse
working within the system. While we have been able to interests and abilities to one community.
improve the accountability and transparency of the inner These are heady ideals. I bet many students will claim
workings of government, the system inherently limits the we are overreaching, and that student government -
ability of elected officials to enact change on campus. however constituted - can't reach their day-to-day lives.
Students face a decentralized and complicated student This reaction is rooted in hard experience: student gov-
government structure that is nearly impossible to navigate. ernment is too far removed from its constituents. And
Coordinating campus-wide initiatives is extremely difficult students are too far removed from each other.
- limiting the ability for students to effectively organize. We want to change this, but we cannot accomplish our
A campus organization, Students for Progressive Gov- goals without you. We need your ideas, your vision and
ernance, has begun confronting these challenges. I serve your passion. Please visit our website, www.S4PG.info,
as chair of S4PG because I believe student government and let us know you want to get involved. Or better yet,
must be rebuilt from the ground up. That's why S4PG has come meet with us today at 7:00 p.m. in room 2105A in the
begun drafting a new student constitution that will be Michigan Union.
clearer, fairer and more invested in students. It's a chance tontake charge of your own education and
The new constitution composed by S4PG proposes to help move Michigan toward genuine community.
divide the basic powers of student government among
the executive, legislative and judicial branches. These Mike Rorro is the Vice President of the Michigan Student
branches will replace MSA's overlapping duties and Assembly and chair of Students for Progressive Governance.
CHRISTINA SUH E-MAIL CHRISTINA AT CHSUH@UMICH.EDU
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EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS:
Nina Amilineni, William Butler, Nicholas Clift, Michelle DeWitt, Brian Flaherty,
Jeremy LevyErika Mayer, Edward McPhee, Emily Orley, Harsha Panduranga, Alex Schiff,
Asa Smith, Brittany Smith, Radhika Upadhyaya, Laura Veith
MATTHEW SHUTLER I
Help stop human trafficking
The girls wear red dresses while watching
cartoons on flickering televisions. They stare
with dead eyes, their hope broken, and wait.
Their names are replaced with numbers - wiping
away the last of their identity and dignity.
Behind windows, gazing at these girls with
disturbingscrutiny, men stand shoulderto shoul-
der and choose which they will buy. By selecting
from the numbers available, they condemn the
unnamed girls to a life of abuse and rape.
This is one of many examples of child exploi-
tation. This is the story told by Love146, a char-
ity devoted to the prevention and abolition of
human trafficking.
Human trafficking, rape and oppression are
realities for millions of children. An estimated
1.2 million children are sold into this shell of a
life each year. And an estimated market of $32
billion exists because of these sales. Every min-
ute, approximately 2 children are bought. That
means that each time you listen to your favorite
song, about 7 children's lives are forfeited. And
during one of your lectures, about 180 children
are procured as sex commodities or soldiers, for
labor or another callous reason.
These children, stolen with lies, coercion
or force, will probably never see their families
again. Impoverished families are tricked with
false pretenses of employment into sacrific-
ing their children to this life. Ignorance blinds
them to the fate that inevitably lies ahead for
those closest to them. Homes and communities
are destroyed by someone's sick acquisition of
another human being.
Boys and girls, some as young as five years
old, are sold to brothels. South Asia holds the
most prominent and numerous of these intern-
ments. Their customers come most commonly
from Japan and the United States. Ancient cities,
famed for their exotic beauty and exquisite tem-
ples, are stained with blood, as this crime against
humanity exists behind closed doors. These are
places you could never imagine, where predators
travel thousands of miles to reach, places where
their prey is plentiful and on display.
Intertwining criminal networks and ill-
informed, unequipped law enforcement com-
bined with various other reasons, trafficking is
exceedingly difficult to combat and abolish. In
fact, child trafficking is increasing. Some 27 mil-
lion are currently enslaved around the world,
and 10 million are enslaved in the Trans-Atlantic
division of the slave trade alone.
But people exist who work tirelessly to stop
these atrocities from occurring. The aforemen-
tioned charity, Love146, is lne of these orga-
nizations. Created solely to work for greater
prevention and aftercare, this charity was
founded in 2002 after months of deep inves-
tigation into one of the darkest facets of our
world. Lovet46 trains aftercare workers, cre-
ates safe homes for those affected, develops
educational programs in high-risk areas and,
most importantly, offers a voice to the victims
of this modern-day slavery. They offer hope to
people who may otherwise remain unaware.
Completely nonprofit, abolition is their ulti-
mate and commanding goal.
Love146 was named after a girl viewed in a
brothel by members from the charity who were
gathering evidence by impersonating customers.
Co-founder Rob Morris saw amid the sea of bro-
ken souls, to his amazement, one girl with fight in
her eyes. She stared, not at the television screens,
but through the glass at the men. Her name will
never be known, but her number - her brand -
will live forever. "146" - which was her cell num-
ber - now creates hope and new life.
Living in Ann Arbor, college students are
sheltered more than we know. While we hear
about the failing economy (many of us actually
feel it firsthand at home) and other hardships,
here in our little bubble, the world seems to be
passing by carelessly. But the world is in tur-
moil and it's our responsibility as the future
workforce and leaders of tomorrow to fight for
what we believe is right.
If you want to fight atrocities like child traf-
ficking, there are numerous charities, like
Love146, that you can be a part of. To be a part of
the fight, go to lovel46.org. Here you can donate
to the charity and find ways to spread the mes-
sage of child trafficking. You can learn to host an
event, book a speaker, or even start a task force
on campus or in your town. Any aid can help save
another child from this barbaric life.
Whether this information comes as a shock to
your small slice of college perfection or it's sim-
ply one of those things that "just exists" on the
other side of the world, it's our duty to inform
ourselves of the cruelties permeating on our
watch. Will you return to feigning ignorance, or
will you stand and fight?
These children are the same age as your
younger sisters and daughters. What would you
do if a member of your family lived like this? Each
time you look into your loved one's eyes and see
hope and life, think of those who stare with eyes
glazed over in pain and darkness.
Matthew Shutler is an assistant
editorial page editor.
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