4 - Friday, January 15, 2010

The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
E-MAIL DANIEL AT DWGOLD@UMICH.EDU

Ce fiict gan at y
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DANIEL GOLD

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 ofttheir authors.
Charging forward
Detroit automakers must invest in greener vehicle designs
The big three U.S. automotive-giants are finally getting
some good publicity after months of bad news. The annu-
al North American International Auto Show in Detroit
has been the source of much excitement in the auto industry, as
automakers unveiled their future lineup of cars. Among the stars
of the show were new electric cars slated to hit the market later
this year. The event showed how important energy-efficient and
environmentally-friendly cars are to the rapidly evolving auto-
motive industry. Electric cars are the right investment for auto-
makers, Michigan and the environment, and the industry should
focus on improving these in-demand designs.

The Auto Show is making headlines as
Michigan automakers show off new and
exciting advances. And there are good
announcements for the state of Michigan as
well. Ford Motor Co. plans to build its elec-
tric Focus in Wayne County, and around
1,000 jobs are expected to come to Detroit
to work on Ford's electric cars. Chevrolet is
showing off the 2010 Volt - a much-antici-
pated electric car that will contain engines
assembled in Flint. The Volt will go on sale
late this year. Present at the show were
Washington politicians including Speaker
of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who
called the event "historic."
Michigan emerges as a winner at the
Auto Show. While the state has had the
highest unemployment rates in the nation
since 2006, General Motors Corp., Ford and
battery suppliers are expected to finally
create jobs. Instead of producing more gas-
guzzling SUVs, the Auto Show has exhib-
ited an encouraging surge of hybrid and
electric vehicles. Closed Michigan plants
that previously built mammoth vehicles are
being renovated so they can construct the
sorts of environmentally-friendly cars that
will likely dominate the auto market in the
future. For automakers often criticized for
their financial problems and poor decisions,
these uplifting developments are a welcome
change - no matter how late they are.
And while the projects unveiled at the

Auto Show don't indicate the immediate
resurrection of Michigan automakers, they
show important progress for a group that
has frequently lagged behind the move
toward green technology. Automakers
seem to be finally realizing that they need
to build cars that appeal to the modern con-
sumer - and the day of the gas-guzzler is
over. The only way for auto companies to
restore themselves is to emerge on the fore-
front of this technology. And as the auto
companies start to improve, so will the
state's economy.
Electric and hybrid cars are also a boon
for the environment, decreasing the use
of oil as a fuel source. According to Green-
peace, 30 percent of Michigan's greenhouse
gas emissions result from transportation.
While electric cars rely on electricity that
is often generated from fossil fuels today,
they can put a big dent in greenhouse gas
emissions if fossil fuel power plants are
increasingly replaced with greener alterna-
tives like solar and wind energy.
Though this year's Auto Show has show-
cased some impressive technology, if Mich-
igan automakers are to get back on their
feet then they'll have to do more than just
capitalize on flash and good press. Auto-
makers should invest heavily in the green,
fuel-efficient cars that Americans and the
rest of the world want, and make the con-
cept cars at the Auto Show a reality.

I'm sorry Man, I just
dan't feel comfortable
with yur girl friend Eaty
sleeping over.
Please We
won't even talk.
A date with registration
T he Monday night before seats begin to dwindle, all bets are off. in desperate attempts to save seats in
finals began I was exactly So scold me all you want for not back- popular classes, students often ask
where I should have been - packing classes sooner, but my efforts other students with earlier registra-
at the library. But would be worthless come registration tion dates to hold classes for them -
instead ofusing the time - when half of the classes in my a practice that puts even more stress
Hatcher Graduate backpack are closed, and my perfectly on the honest individuals waiting
Library's silence constructed schedule is in shambles. patiently for their turns.
and my caffeine- 4 Then it's back to the drawing board,
induced alertness and so-long study time. And it's not
to study, I was like we can simply put our registra-Students sh uldbe
busy backpacking tion aside until our studying is done, IIOUIU
classes in anticipa- because more classes close every sec-
tion of my 9:15 a.m. ond as other students register. able to pick classes
registration time. LEAH I understand that class times and
Naturally, I had POTKIN locations take time to schedule. But before exam w eek.
prepared multiple once backpacking opens, all of this
schedule options has been completed by the University
(in the likely event - except for the odd TBA discussion
that my classes would close), searched section - and I don't see why there So maybe a little added stress isn't
ratemyprofessor.com for the best pro- must be such a large gap between the worst thing in the world, but it
fessors and ultimately failed to learn backpacking and registration dates. becomes a problem when students
anything for my upcoming exam - I'm not suggesting starting registra- add anything and everything to their
time well spent and study-time well tion drastically earlier, but a week backpacks hoping something will
wasted. or two would save students some of work, and end up enrolled in classes
As former Daily Editorial Page the unavoidable stress that accom- they would otherwise have no inter-
Editor Robert Soave accurately point- panies registration time exacerbated est in taking. I even considered tak-
ed out last year in a column ((Wol- by the added stress of exams. Earlier ing a class about video games simply
verine) Access Denied, 04/13/2009), registration times would also allow because there were many open seats
registration is no exciting time for students more time to make appoint- and it fit in one of my prospective
students at the University. With an ments with advisors and work out the schedule (although I'm still vaguely
incomprehensible Student Business best schedules - instead of rushing interested).
page and fierce competition to avoid in a frenzy to add any class that will When 9:15 a.m. came after my
dreaded Friday classes, there's little give them that desired green check- night of frantic backpacking and
to praise about this process. But in mark after "proceeding from step 2 to course browsing, I was fortunate
addition to the already-addressed 3". And allotting more time between enough to have one of my potential
flaws of the online registration pro- registration and the beginning of schedules work - but it took upwards
cess, I have another bone to pick with the semester creates a greater time of one full night's worth of stressful
the University. I want my study time window for students to get off class studying hours to figure this out. I
back. And in order to gain back some waitlists and get overrides when nec- understand that the stress that comes
of these valuable hours, class reg- essary. with registering for classes is inevi-
istration should occur before finals This may not be as much of a prob- table (especially for the baby Wol-
begin, as the process puts extra stress lem for upperclassmen, who have ear- verines), but by making registration
on students during an already stress- lier registration dates, but why should dates slightly earlier, the University
ful time. half of the student body suffer when could ease at least some of the final-
In the University's defense, the the problem could be avoided? My time stress for studiers campus-wide.
LSA Course Guide is posted weeks in heart goes out to the little freshies I was lucky this semester - but had I
advance of registration dates, but this who probably continued refresh- seen one of the notoriousblue squares
isn't much help when students can't ing their browsers well into exam while trying to study, I think it would
backpack classes until weeks later. week, just praying they wouldn't see have pushed me over the edge.
And even backpacking isn't all that the dreaded yellow triangle (waitlist
helpful, because once the actual reg- status) or blue square(class closed) - Leah Potkin can be reached
istration process begins and available symbols appear. Not tomention that at lpokin@mich.edu.
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LECTURERS' EMPLOYEE ORGANIZATION|
End lecturers' second-class status

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WANT TO BE AN OPINION CARTOONIST?
E-MAIL RACHEL VAN GILDER AT RACHELVG@UMICH.EDU
MICHELLE DEWITT I
Haiti needs your help

4

This week disaster struck Port-Au Prince, the
capital of Haiti. A 7.0-magnitude earthquake
brought this city of nearly 2 million people to
the ground. The National Palace, hospitals,
schools and all manner of buildings and homes
have completely collapsed. Beneath this wreck-
age lie potentially thousands of people. Tens of
thousands more are already believed to be dead.
There is little help for injured survivors, many of
whom are being treated in makeshift triage cen-
ters located in parking lots or not being treated at
all because they are out digging through rubble,
searching for loved ones. Haiti needs immedi-
ate help to deal with the current state of disaster
in the capital city. But this already struggling
nation will need ongoing aid to rebuild itself into
a modern society.
Problems are not new for Haiti, the poor-
est country in the Western Hemisphere, which
has been a public health disaster for a very long
time. Much of the population lives in a devastat-
ing state of poverty, and malnutrition is a huge
problem, especially among children. Nearly
200,000 people are living with HIV or AIDS and
less than half of Haiti's citizens have access to
consistent drinking water, according to a CNN
article published yesterday. Keep in mind that
these were the conditions before this disaster
struck. Now, people who were living with next
to nothing have been left with absolutely noth-
ing. Tuesday's quake has taken a mess, flipped it
upside down and created a bigger mess.
The people of Haiti need urgent aid and for-
tunately many nations are responding and are
aware of how pressing the situation is. The dig-
ging is already underway to try to rescue those
who are trapped beneath the rubble, and these
efforts need to continue as efficiently as pos-
sible. Relief workers need to find a way to orga-
nize the distribution of food and water so that
these items are accessible to all of those who
need them. The wreckage needs to be cleared

away to make the city inhabitable for the mil-
lions of people who have been affected by this
quake. It is crucial that these efforts move as
quickly as possible to prevent the development
of diseases that can emerge from the unsani-
tary conditions that follow such disasters. But
this immediate recovery is just the beginning
of what Haiti needs.
Haiti should be rebuilt to a better state than it
was in before. Port-Au Prince needs a function-
ing sewer system and all citizens need access to
clean water. Haiti needs the infrastructure of
modern societies, and work needs to be done to
elevate this country out of its state of debilitating
poverty. The world has heard Haiti's current cry
for help and there has been a huge outreach of
support. But this show of support needs to con-
tinue after the initial debris has been cleared to
help get Haiti to the level of a working nation.
What struck Haiti on Tuesday was a cata-
clysmic natural disaster that in no way could
have been avoided. Earthquakes have hap-
pened before and they will surely happen
again. What is different about Haiti is that it
was not able to operate properly before, and
in the wake of this disaster their society is not
able to operate at all. The country needs to be
rebuilt to a point where it would be able to effi-
ciently manage disaster situations.
The citizens of Haiti are in the midst of a
colossal human tragedy and they need help.
They needed help years ago, but they particu-
larly need it now. Whether help comes in the
form of a donation to the Red Cross or a small
thought or prayer at some point during the day,
I urge the entire campus to do what it can. The
people of Haiti are suffering terribly, and all
people have a responsibility to lend whatever
support they can in response to this tragedy.
Michelle DeWitt is an assistant
editorial page editor.

In the Jan. 6 editorial entitled "The Real Cost of Pay
Raises," The Michigan Daily articulated two goals: 1)
Undergraduate education should be given greater weight
in the University administration's priorities, and 2) a Uni-
versity education should be affordable to working and
middle class students. The Daily argued that faculty sal-
ary hikes are driving tuition fee increases that undercut
affordability and concluded that faculty salaries should
be frozen - for an unstated period of time - to help hold
down University costs and tuition.
We endorse both these goals, as does the Lecturers'
Employee Organization (LEO) - the union of non-tenure
faculty (i.e., lecturers) at the University. However, we
strongly disagree with the recommended pay freeze that
the Daily believes follows from these goals. We think a
faculty pay freeze would undercut the editorial's first goal,
while doing little to achieve the second. We only have space
to address the implications of a wage freeze for the first
goal; however, on the second goal, our research shows that
increased wages are not a significant driver in increased
undergraduate tuition. (On our website, leounion.org, we
provide support for this assertion).
A faculty salary freeze is incompatible with raising
the priority of undergrad education in two ways. First,
its negative impacts would fall disproportionately on lec-
turers, whose primary focus is undergraduate education.
Second, it would strongly incentivize professors, who are
already more focused on reseach, to put less time and
effort into teaching.
On the first point, we must begin with an embarrass-
ing fact: lecturers are paid much less than professors of all
kinds. According to University figures, the median lecturer
salary on the Ann Arbor campus in 2008-2009 was $44,505;
it was $74,845 for new, untenured assistant professors and
$131,625 for tenured, veteran full professors. A pay freeze
applied to lecturers would lock in this inequality.
It's important to understand why the pay gap is so large.
It is often assumed that lecturers have lower qualifica-
tions, or less experience or are (somehow) worse teach-
ers. None of these explanations are consistent with the
facts. Most lecturers have the highest degree in their field.
Their average age and years of teaching experience easily
exceeds that of the assistant professors, whose median pay
is $30,000 a year higher. And undergrad student evalua-
tions - as examined by former LSA Dean Edie Golden-
berg and former Associate Dean John Cross in their new
book, "Off-Track Profs" - show higher evaluation scores
and higher average examination scores (over 12 years) for

lecturers thanfor professors in every department equiva-
lent to the University's LSA department they exanined, for
both upper and lower level classes.
No, the real "trouble" with lecturers is that, while many
of us do research, the only thing we are paid to do is teach.
Even worse, from the standpoint of the prevailing
norms, most of our teaching focuses on undergraduates.
In LSA, lecturers account for about 36 percent of all fac-
ulty classroom. contact time (aka student credit hours)
with undergraduates (GSIs supply another 24 percent;
professors the remaining 40 percent). For the "sin" of
focusing our careers on teaching undergrads, we are paid
much less per class, and are seen and treated as second-
class by the University leadership which believes that
research ought to be the University's paramount value.
Not all professors and administrators take this view, but
it is currently the dominant tendency.
By freezing the salary inequalities that result from this
distorted conception,the editorial'spay freeze undermines
their goal of raising the status of undergraduate education.
But what would happen if a freeze were confined to profes-
sors, reducing the pay gap between lecturers and profes-
sors in that way? The result would be the opposite of the
desired outcome: if denied reasonable raises, professors
would devote more time to securing the research grants
that supplement their Utiversity pay and increase their
chances of getting a job offer elsewhere. Such an attention
shift would then further exacerbate the disproportionate
rewards professors get for doing research versus engaging
in undergraduate teaching.
As long as undergraduate education is a second-order
concern in the dominant culture of the University, lectur-
ers will be second-class faculty. In this sense, the status and
treatment of lecturers and undergraduates are inextrica-
bly intertwined. It is therefore in both groups' interest to
change this culture. This is no easy thing to do, but both
groups hold vital resources. Undergrad tuition is now the
single largest source of University revenues, and lecturers
do almost as much undergraduate teaching as professors.
LEO will soon begin bargaining with the administration
over our next contract. We intend to use this process to
promote a serious discussion of the place of undergraduate
education in the priorities of the University. We look for-
ward to debating with those who defend the current priori-
ties and to workingwith our students to change them.
This viewpoint was written by Kirsten Herold and Ian
Robinson on behalf of the Lecturers' Employee Organization.

EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS:
Nina Amilineni, William Butler, Nicholas Clift,
Michelle DeWitt, Brian Flaherty, Jeremy Levy, Erika Mayer, Edward McPhee,
Emily Orley, Harsha Panduranga, Alex Schiff, Asa Smith,
Brittany Smith, Radhika Upadhyaya, Laura Veith