4A - Thursday, February 11, 2010
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
MJb 1 d14an 3&I4
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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 ofntheir authors.
Collaborating for a cause
University Research Corridor helps technology, economy
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Advanced Placement Exams
that were failed in2009.
- According to a College Board report, as reported by The New York Times yesterday.
CHRIS KOSLOWSKI I E-MAIL CHRIS AT CSKOSLOW@UMICH.EDU
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ith Michigan's economy in trouble and unemployment
high, research conducted in the state seems to be the
only area in which the state has been advancing. And
the opening of Michigan's University Research Corridor headquar-
ters in Lansing on Friday shows that research growth doesn't appear
to be slowing any time soon. The new facility will allow for further
collaborative research between the state's three main research uni-
versities. The opportunities stemming from the URC could be ben-
eficial not only to the University, but also to the improvement of the
state. Because the state's economy will increasingly rely on science
and technology, it is important that the URC continues to lead the
way in research.
Semester at the museum
As reported by the Daily on Friday, the
URC headquarters opened its doors this
week. The URC, formed in 2007, aims to
improve research opportunities by bring-
ing together the state's three major research
universities: the University of Michigan,
Michigan State University and Wayne State
University. With each participating institu-
tion bringing forth its own specialties and
research concentrations, the hope is that the
URC will facilitate collaborative advance-
ments in research and success for the state.
The opening of the headquarters comes
at an opportune time, since the University
of Michigan has just been awarded two
significant research grants from Google
totaling $425,000. The first grant, worth
$325,000, will be used to investigate how
large computer systems can better save
energy. The other $100,000 grant will help
University researchers concentrate on
developing energy efficiency hardware.
The research that the University of
Michigan, Michigan State and Wayne
State produce can have life-changing
effects. The University of Michigan has a
wealth of powerful research programs -
the computer technology that the Google
grants encourage are only one such pro-
gram. In particular, the University has
surged ahead in embryonic stem cell
research since the passage of a statewide
ballot proposal in 2008 that loosened strict
restrictions on the research in the state.
Stem cell research isn't simply an exercise
in academia - it has the potential to cure
debilitating diseases. And Michigan State's
agricultural research, along with Wayne
State's urban research, could have impor-
tant practical applications in food produc-
tion and community development.
But as much as isolated research is valu-
able, collaboration among the universities
could leadto even more breakthroughs in
science and technology. Through the URC,
researchers at the state's research univer-
sities can benefit from the cooperation of
the other two contributing research insti-
tutions. The sharing of knowledge would
hasten research progress and bring about
more technology that will make the world
a better place.
Increased university research will
also give the state a chance to tap into a
thriving economic resource. Michigan's
future economy, long dependent on the
automotive industry, lies in scientific and
technological advancements. Research
developments will encourage businesses
to make their home in Michigan, bringing
jobs to the state and encouraging a poten-
tially profitable economic sector.
The significant research developments
that begin at the URC and at the Univer-
sity can have real-world effects in science
and technology and can be a big boost
for the state's economy. The University
should continue to embark on collabora-
tive research that benefits this institution
and the state.
Sess you've been living in a
cave for the past few - I'm
sorry. That
phrase is becoming,
really overused,
isn't it? It's also
offensive, because
some people still
live in caves.
So unless you've.
been dead in a cave
for the past several
weeks, you've been
celebrating theW
current LSA theme GRUNDLER
semester. Wait -
you don't know
what the current
LSA theme semester is? You don't
CARE about the current LSA theme
semesterAnd your dog died in a cave
last week?
Well, I'm sorry. Not about your
dog, but about your failure to take
advantage of this semester's theme,
which is: old stuff. To be precise,
the theme is "Meaningful Objects:
Museums in the Academy," and it's
really been going on since last semes-
ter. To those readers who have vis-
ited the museums on campus already,
congratulations and proceed to the
crossword. Why are you reading this
anyway, since you go to museums and
just know everything, huh?
Ofcourse, alack ofknowledge and/
or interest concerning theme semes-
ters is more common. This is due to
three main reasons:
1. There is not enough publicity
about theme semesters.
2. Theme semesters can sometimes
be more boring than "The Notebook."
3. Maybe something to do with
MSA. Dang you, MSA!
Let's address the first two points.
It's true that there hasn't been much
of a media frenzy about "Meaningful
Objects," and we at the Daily would
like to apologize for that. We did final-
ly get around to publishing a nice arti-
cle about the Museum Studies minor
(Declaring Docent, 02/01/2010), but
that's only one article.
However, our sister paper The New
York Times has NOT been pulling its
weight, either. For instance, I searched
"Michigan Daily theme semester" on
its website and got zero articles for the
past month. Astonished, I searched
"Michigan Daily" and also got no
results. So I clicked "All Results Since
1851" for the Daily and got the shock-
inglylow figure 249. More articles have
been written about the dung beetle
(288). What gives, New York Times?
We write aboutyou!
Anyway, I'm trying to raise museum
awareness in today's column because
I'd hate to see "Meaningful Objects"
fall under point two from above. In
fact, when anyone says to me, "Before
graduating you need to (go to a hock-
ey game/go to Ashley's/get a life)," I
remind them that they need tovisit the
Exhibit Museum ofNatural History. Or
the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology. Or
the University of Michigan Museum of
Art. We have lots of museums on cam-
pus. There is even a dentistry museum.
You might want to skip the dentistry
museum, but still.
However, I have the suspicion
that many students regard muse-
ums as uncool, because you usually
can't drink beer, listen to rap music
or bench-press inside of them. But
that's just a stereotype! And vague
arguments aside - such as how they
give us the opportunity to "connect"
with our "past" and "learn" about
our "future," or are an essential part
of a "liberal arts education" - muse-
ums can simply be fun. At the Exhibit
Museum alone you can: 1) look at
dinosaurs, including a T-Rex, and
big mastodons, 2) learn that "mast-
odons" is Latin for "nipple-teeth," 3)
see a planetarium show and remem-
ber how utterly insignificant you and
your homework are in relation to the
universe and 4) make nipple-teeth
jokes.
"Mastodons" is
Latin for
"nipple-teeth."
At the Kelsey Museum of Archae-
ology you can look at treasure all day
long - and who doesn't like treasure?
And UMMA - well, UMMA is just
in a class by itself. There's just so
much art. Even if you don't like art,
there's art there for you. The best
part is feeling like you're in "Ferris
Bueller's Day Off."
So try to get to at least one muse-
um, because they're pretty under-
appreciated, and if this theme
semester doesn't generate more inter-
est in them, the University will begin
to tear them down. Okay, I made that
up, but one wonders how long a den-
tistry museum can last.
The point is, really, to think out-
side of your routine - your cave.The
University has many options. Take a
class on a subject you're unfamiliar
with. Attend a speech over the week-
end. Read The Michigan Review.
Well, no on that last one. Look, just
head over to the Exhibit Museum
to see some nipple-teeth before you
graduate, okay?
- Will Grundler can be
reached at wgru@umich.edu.
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS:
Nina Amilineni, Jordan Birnholtz, William Butler, Nicholas Clift,
Michelle DeWitt, Brian Flaherty, Jeremy Levy,Erika Mayer, Edward McPhee,
Emily Orley, Harsha Panduranga, Alex Schiff, Asa Smith, Brittany Smith,
Robert Soave, Radhika Upadhyaya, Laura Veith
SEND LETTERS TO: TOTHEDAILY@UMICH.EDU
.Koslowski gives Clarence ionas much as I currentlyrespectour president's.
Thomas undeserved praise Adam Deutsch
PLSA junior
TO THE DAILY: Supreme Court aives special
I would like to address Chris Koslowski's
column in which he praised Supreme Court interestgroups unduepower
Justice Clarence Thomas, claiming he is a "sup-
porter of individual rights and equality" (A just
defense offree speech, 02/09/2010). If this were TO THE DAILY:
true, Thomas wouldn't have supported bans In his recent column, Chris Koslowski
on abortion or upheld a law banning sodomy. applauds the Supreme Court's recent decision to
He also wouldn't have supported President strike down laws prohibiting unlimited corpo-
George W. Bush's vision of presidential power, rate contributions to political action committees
in which the mostbasic rights of people all over (A just defense offree speech, 02/09/2010).
the world were crudely violated. This disturbing decision should not be
Koslowski also spends a significant amount applauded. It gives corporations unchecked mon-
of time defending the Court's recent decision etary influence on our government, the same
that allows corporations to spend freely on government that protects us from self-interested
political issues. Sadly, a majority of justices corporate attacks on everything from our finan-
supported this attack on the democratic pro- cial markets to our environment. In other words,
cess. Justice Thomas was the only one involved the Supreme Court has decided that the fox gets
in a dissent that also pushed for the removal of unlimited say over who guards the henhouse.
acts that require sponsors of political advertis- Koslowski argues that corporate contribu-
ing to disclose who paid for them. In essence, tions are protected by the First Amendment
he doesn't want transparency. right to free speech. But the First Amendment
Even worse, Thomas blamed this on gay isn't an unlimited license. We have the right to
activists in California who opposed Proposal prohibit free speech that endangers our soci-
8, which banned same-sex marriage. Not even ety, like shouting "Fire!" in a crowded theater.
Justices Antonin Scalia or Samuel Alito were The dangers of giving oil, banking, insurance
willing to sign on to his homophobic rhetoric and other powerful corporations unlimited
this time. power to influence government have been on
Koslowski also needs a quick history lesson. display for decades.
There has been tension between the executive Our founding fathers designed the Constitu-
and judicial branches since the creation of our tion to prevent powerful special interest groups
country. For President Barack Obama to stand from gaining too much influence and hijack-
up and denounce a decision isn't showing dis- ing the government at our expense. The justices
respect or attacking the Court's legitimacy, it's that voted to uphold campaign finance law were
simply stating his opinion. Don't beso offended upholding the"Founders' original intent. They
that the President doesn't agree with a decision were defending the Constitution, not practicing
that will hurt the political power of the indi- judicial activism.
vidual citizen. Our democratically elected representatives
Lastly, Koslowski writes that the country passed campaign finance laws to keep our gov-
is victimized by a "president with a seem- ernment from being bought. We should applaud
ingly deficient understanding of the Supreme the four justices who almost succeeded in pre-
Court's responsibilities and traditions." When serving them.
Koslowski becomes a constitutional law pro-
fessor at the University of Chicago Law School, Paul Shearer
which Obama was, then I will respect his opin- Rackham
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:
Readers are encouraged to submit letters to the editor. Letters should be
fewer 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.
ANGELA BOZELL |
Coleman must sign climate pledge
The American Colleges and University Presidents' Cli-
mate Commitment is an organization that aims to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions and to promote research and
educational efforts on collegiate campuses across the
United States. Unfortunately, University President Mary
Sue Coleman has yet to join 667 other collegiate presi-
dents and declare her support to the organization. Since
the University is a large and highly regarded research
institution, it has a responsibility to sign and adhere to the
environmental commitments outlined in the ACUPCC. It
is imperative that Coleman signs the ACUPCC.
The University can easily accomplish the objectives of
the ACUPCC. Just as the University of New Hampshire,
one of the participants in the ACUPCC, has implemented
sustainability into their campus, the University of Michi-
gan can complete an emissions inventory, seta target date
for being climate neutral, reduce greenhouse gas emis-
sions and make sustainability part of the curriculum. It
also can make the action plan and progress reports pub-
licly available.
Though the University of New Hampshire is much
smaller than our university, their leading sustainabil-
ity efforts can be integrated at large institutions. Their
main objective is their CORE program. CORE stands for
curriculum, operations, research and engagement. The
University already has some operations and research in
place, but we are lacking in curriculum and engagement
departments.
Our university has the environment-friendly Dana
building, which holds environmentally conscious students
in it, but not all buildings across campus are so green, nor
are all students as eager to help the environment. With a
possible mandatory academic environment requirement,
more students and faculty would be engaged on campus.
Committingto ACUPCC might help the campus and cam-
pus buildings become more environmentally aware.
Moreover, the University is fairly environmentally con-
scious to begin with, so it only makes sense for President
Coleman to sign. For instance, just the fact that we have
both a graduate and undergraduate environmental stud-
ies program (SNRE and PitE) shows the University's lean-
ing toward sustainability efforts. PitE, in fact, is one of
the fastest growing majors on campus.
Furthermore, the University has created a Planet Blue
team. The teams are part of the Environmental and Ener-
gy Initiative, which came about from President Barack
Obama's Environmental Task Force. Planet Blue teams
consist of facility managers, plant operations personnel
and building representatives. The teams work with build-
ing representatives to reduce energy usage and increase
recycling. Coleman supports their efforts, saying on
their website that, "The University of Michigan takes
its responsibility of protecting and preserving resources
very seriously, and every contribution can make a dif-
ference. I challenge everyone in our community to think
about how even the smallest efforts will work to make our
great institution even greener."
Additionally, the University has begun green comput-
ing initiatives, according to the Detroit Free Press article
entitled "U-M saves energy, cash with green computing."
Things being done include handing down old equipment
and switching to systems that allow one computer to do
the job of multiple ones. Another green computing pro-
gram called Climate Savers Computing Initiative seeks to
cut computer energy consumption in half by 2010. This
would save the University $5.5 billion. With the Univer-
sity pursuing several environmental plans, the President
should sign onto something that will really cut our impact
on the environment.
Critics may urge the University not to sign, because if
the goals are not met, the University's prestigious repu-
tation could potentially be tarnished. While this may be
true, the University should still take every step to ensure
the goals are met. Critics might also claim the goals of the
ACUPCC will cost the University more money. But the
energy savings would outweigh any upfront costs. Uni-
versities are a breeding ground for sustainable-minded
youth who will lead our businesses and.organizations in
the future.
The ACUPCC is a cohesive, attainable commitment
that will really shape the future of campus sustainability
and sustainability for our cities, states and nations. By not
signing the commitment, Coleman would be making an
egregious error.
Angela Bozell is an LSA junior.