4 - Tuesday, April 6, 2010 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com 49 Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI48109 tothedaily@umich.edu JACOB SMILOVITZ EDITOR IN CHIEF RACHEL VAN GILDER EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR MATT AARONSON MANAGING EDITOR Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily's editorial board. All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors. Gender-neutral safety New IFC party rules spread burden of responsibility orority members will soon be joining their neon-T-shirted brothers as monitors at fraternity parties. The Interfrater- nity Council, the governing body of most campus fraterni- ties, recently passed a bylaw amendment to mandate sober sorority members in addition to fraternity sober monitors at Greek parties. The IFC and the Panhellenic Council, the IFC's sorority counter- part, believe participation will be mutually beneficial. The new reg- ulation is only a minor adjustment, but it demonstrates the Greek leadership's genuine desire to increase safety at parties. The Greek community should continue to implement changes that encourage students' security. And the University should join in this culture of safety instead of ignoring the realities of underage drinking. I was a little disappointed with the pitch. It was high and outside. Fortunately, Zimmerman has a tall reach:' - President Barack Obama, commenting on the pitch he threw to open the 2010 Major League Baseball season, as reported yesterday by the Associated Press. ELAINE MORTON E-MAIL ELAINE AT EMORT @UMICH.EDU 1 6~ cO I - I "EF"*"T, PiNIE ~ (mt Coleman's smoking gun Last week, the IFC passed an amend- ment to its bylaws that will require each sorority attending a fraternity-sponsored social event to provide two sober liai- sons. The regulation sought to extend the responsibility of monitoring parties to sororities on campus. The Greek commu- nity claims that the regulation is neces- sary to protect party-goers by increasing the number of sober individuals at a party and spreading the responsibility among more people. IFC and Panhellenic leaders believe the sororities will comply, since female guests may feel more comfortable asking a fellow female for help. Though the title is different, sorority liaisons would essentially fill the same role as sober monitors. And their presence will make parties safer. More sober individu- als at parties will increase the likelihood of identifying and dealing with the concerns that can arise when alcohol is involved. And many female party-goers may feel more comfortable asking a female for help than a male. A more diverse group of sober indi- viduals will also be capable of handling a wider variety of problems that may arise. The amendment illustrates a changing mentality in Greek communities nation- wide. Sororities currently aren't allowed to hold parties because of antiquated gender- role conceptions. Due to this provision, fra- ternities have had to bear the entire burden of throwing and supervising parties alone. The update to the IFC bylaws reflects mod- ern gender roles and distributes responsi- bility more equally among members of the Greek community. It also changes the traditional approach to the binge drinking that often takes place at campus parties, which has been to ignore, overlook or deny. This has often been the attitude of both the University adminis- tration and the IFC in the past. University President Mary Sue Coleman has stalled progress on combating the dangers of binge drinking by refusing to sign the Amethyst Initiative, which calls for discussion of the current drinking age and asks if it is the most effective way to encourage safe drinking practices. Coleman's actions haven't helped to deal with binge drinking on campus. But the Greek system is stepping up. With the new regulation, the IFC and Panhel- lenic Council are acknowledging the some- times dangerous elements of Greek parties and are trying to do something to combat it. While the presence of liaisons is only a small improvement, it indicates that the culture of turning a blind eye to the reality that students drink is ending. Coleman and the University administra- tion should follow the IFC's lead on this issue. It's important to recognize problems so that steps can be taken to resolve them. The new regulation is beneficial for the Greek community, and it should continue to increase its efforts to keep parties safe. The policy was made by the president. No one knows how this decision was made." This was the comically honest response of Ken Warner, dean of the School of Public Health, to the question of who proposed the cam- pus-wide smok- ing ban, according to The MichiganY Daily. ROBERT It's clear, then, SOAVE that University President Mary Sue Coleman is the architect of the Smoke-Free Initiative, which will take effect in July of 2011. The initiative will prohibit smoking on all outdoor University property. Cole- man and University administrators have been embarrassingly vague about why such a ban is necessary. Instead, they keep insisting that the smoking ban will improve public health. Interestingly enough, the smok- ing ban may also improve Coleman's salary. That's because Coleman isn't just a college president. In her spare time, she moonlights as a businesswoman, sitting on the board of directors for major pharmaceutical company John- son & Johnson, as well as the Meredith Corporation, a magazine publisher. According to Forbes.com, her position at Johnson & Johnson netted her an income of $229,000 last year. Among Johnson & Johnson's many marketed brands are smoking ces- sation products like Nicorette and Nicoderm - products that University smokers will feel encouraged to use once smoking becomes unwelcome on campus in July 2011. Indeed, adminis- trators have already announced that smoking cessation products may be offered at discounted prices to stu- dents who are trying to quit. obviously, this is a sizeable con- flict of interest for Coleman. Even if her Johnson & Johnson salary didn't actively influence her decision to ban smoking, it makes it substantially harder to take her at her word that the University needs this ban - especially when representatives of her adminis- tration can't come up with a specific reason for it. But Coleman's corporate troubles run deeper than this. As the Univer- sity's College Libertarians pointed out in a press release this weekend, Johnson & Johnson has an affiliated non-profit group, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which lobbies for the adoption of certain health- related policies through research and grant money. RWJF is notoriously anti-smoking, as its website explains: "At the state and community level, we support advocacy for proven tobacco control measures, such as smoke-free air laws, funding of prevention and cessation programs and increases in tobacco taxes." While it's no surprise that RWJF would fight for laws that restrict smoking and lead to increased use of Johnson & Johnson products, such an aggressive lobbying force should not hold financial sway over the pres- ident of a public university. Students, faculty and staff must be able to trust that their president is working in the best interests of the University corn- munity, not a profit-motivated cor- poration. Even the perception of a conflict of interest is embarrassing for this institution. Seen in this light, some of Coleman's other policy positions make more sense, too. She has adamantly refused to sign the Amethyst Initiative, a peti- tion asking Congress to take up the issue of whether the current drinking age should be lowered in accordance with mounting evidence in favor of such a change. Though 135 college presidents have signed the initiative, Coleman won't - a baffling position, since the initiative only calls for a dis- cussion, not a change. As the presi- dent of a research university, Coleman can't actually believe that the current drinking age is a matter that shouldn't even be debated. 'U' president has questionable corporate relations. I I But in addition to its anti-smoking policies, RWJF has been accused by the Center for Consumer Freedom of holding attitudes toward alcohol con- sumption that are borderline prohi- bitionist. Among its policy positions, RWJF intransigently supports keep- ing the drinking age at 21. Coleman's seemingly baseless opposition to the Amethyst Initiative makes a lot more sense if it's.because she has corporate overlords at J & J breathing down her neck. Coleman's situation, then, is a fun- damental betrayal of the values of a public university - whether she's being influenced or not. She should demonstrate that her true commit- ment is to the integrity of the Univer- sity and resign her corporate positions, donate her salaries or, at the very least, reverse the upcoming smoking ban. And when Ladies' Home Journal - published by the Meredith Corpo- ration, which paid Coleman $137,000 last year - becomes required reading in English 125 classes, that's when we'll really know Coleman's corporate ties are influencing her. - Robert Soave was the Daily's editorial page editor in 2009. He can be reached at rsoave@umich.edu. DANA CRONYN I Fund Teach for America Nationwide and here at University, mem- bers of the class of 2010 applied to Teach for America in record numbers - more than 46,000 applicants for this fall's class of 4,350 teacher corps members. Here at Michigan, 461 seniors applied - a remarkable 7.4 percent of the senior class. This continues the strong rela- tionship between TFA and the University. For the last four years, the University has been the top contributor to TFA. But in spite of all of this interest, Teach for America is facing a funding crisis. Under a new proposal currently before Con- gress, TFA's federal funding for 2011-2012 would be eliminated. This is a deeply troubling proposal that would dim admissions prospects for Univer- sity seniors and derail the organization's long- term goal of ending educational inequality. Due to its strong track record of providing quality teachers and leaders, TFA has received federal funding for years. This year, TFA requested $50 million from Congress to meet increasing demand among college students and communities. Without federal funding, TFA would be unable to hire the more than 1,350 teachers who would teach 86,000 students in the com- ing school year. This scenario severely limits opportunities for recent graduates at the Uni- versity and other schools to make a difference in our public schools. The proposed federal funding cuts come at a critical time for TFA's expansion. For the last several months, TFA representatives have been meeting with Detroit's top leaders and charter schools in hopes of bringing at least 50 corps members to Detroit schools by next fall. Without secure federal funding, TFA faces yet another hurdle in this planned expansion into Detroit. It would be disheartening to see another year go by without TFA corps mem- bers in Detroit, further delaying the opportu- nity for University students to give back to the state of Michigan. The need for TFA corps members in Detroit could not be more real. The average ACT score for a student in Detroit Public Schools is a 16, with a graduation rate under 50 percent. This reality is not confined to Detroit. Nationally, more than 14 million children living in low- income communities are performing below grade level on standardized tests, and are falling further behind their more affluent peers each year. 50 percent of students in low- income communities will not graduate from high school by the time they are 18 years old. Those who do graduate on time perform, on average, at an eighth-grade level. We need pro- grams like TFA to increase educational oppor- tunity in our public schools. With an annual $50 million appropriation from Congress, TFA would be able to double in size over the next five years. At this scale, the organization would be able to provide nearly 17,000 corps member positions each year and reach more than one million underserved stu- dents in nearly all 50 states. And by 2016, TFA will have more than 50,000 alumni who will create a powerful leadership force for mean- ingful and bold education reform. As college students, we can make our voices heard to Congress on today's most urgent civil rights issue: education. As students at the Uni- versity we have so much at stake. A smaller TFA corps will mean fewer jobs for University gradu- ates, and school districts just 30 minutes away will continue to struggle to succeed in the face of the achievement gap. I hope you'll join me in a grassroots campaign to call and write U.S. Sena- tors Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow to urge them to support federal funding for TFA. Dana Cronyn is an LSA senior and a campus campaign coordinator for Teach For America. 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. All submissions become property of the Daily. We do not print anonymous letters. Send letters to tothedaily@umich.edu. 0 AIMRIE REAM I a Why I Relay Relay For Life is a 24-hour event benefiting the Ameri- can Cancer Society. Michigan community members join together in the fight against cancer in the hopes that one day cancer will be eliminated. Last year, Relay For Life had over 5,000 participants here at the University. We raised over $305,000 in 2009 and have been nationally recognized as one of the top five collegiate fundraising events. At Relay For Life, we celebrate cancer survivors. A cancer survivor is anyone living with a history of cancer, from the moment of diagnosis through the remainder of life. Anyone who has lived one day with cancer is a survi- vor. Survivors are encouraged to attend our event to help us celebrate all the successes we have accomplished. At the University we take great pride in our superb fac- ulty, staff, administration and community, and as such we are encouraging you to join the Michigan community in the fight against cancer. Most people have been affected by cancer at some point in their lives. Relay For Life serves as a means to celebrate the successes we have had in the arenas of cancer research and patient support, remember those who have lost their lives in the battle against can- cer, and to fight back. I participate in the Relay to find a cure so that others don'thave to deal with the pain of cancer. My grandmoth- er was diagnosed with cancer before I was born, but she survived and I never knew what she really went through. But the summer before my freshman year of college, the cancer resurfaced. She considered not going through with surgery because of the pain it had caused her earlier in life. This was devastating to me. What would I do without my grandma? She ended up getting-the surgery and was told that it gave her another 20 years of life, which I am so grateful for. But it was very hard for me to move away to school while she was recovering. I couldn't believe that my grandma had almost been taken away from me. The pain and sadness I felt was awful and I wish no one would ever have to feel such emotions because of cancer. Join me and over 2,800 participants at Relay For Life at Palmer Field, from 10 a.m. on Apr. 10 to 10 a.m. on Apr.11. The day oftRelay includes a lot of food, games, entertain- ment, sports and, most importantly, being a part of Michi- gan's fight against cancer. All money raised goes directly to the American Cancer Society to help fund research efforts and programs to support cancer patients and their families. As an amazing research institute, the University receives a number of grants each year sponsored by the American Cancer Society for cancer research. Starting a team is extremely easy - you can sign up today at www.mrelay.org. Between now and Relay, team members must register and then begin to fundraise. This is a great way to encourage and promote unity throughout all departments, schools and colleges, as well as support University students while helping out a great cause. If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail mrelayl0@ umich.edu. Join Michigan in uniting for a common cause in the hopes that cancer will one day be eliminated. Aimrie Ream is an LSA junior. 0 a 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