01 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 CHRIS KOSLOWSKI I lItI ~ -q ~ ~ i How do you feel about Tim' Tebow? O $0 +gl Jir e migit have had a chane lathe NFL ifhe quit chr cising F ilipinos and earned how to play qtarserback in a pro-style o 1fe s if: Kindaharsh man Oh, nd lhat t.At1,.,.:- , , . :, l - ---.- II 0 o5 b I 0 0 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 STWDJ LW py A (NSo MN Y * N I 'r - 0 0 0 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. 0 6 0 40