4 - Friday, October 22, 2010 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@umich.edu JEFF ZUSCHLAG E-MAIL JEFF AT JEFFDZ@UMICH.EDU ((0)).-- 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. Legislation on the rocks State should override governor's veto of liquor bill W ith an already-tight budget, ebbing tax revenue and a lack of business growth, Michigan is in no position to deny legislation that would increase state revenue. But on Oct. 12, Gov. Jennifer Granholm did exactly that when she vetoed a bill altering the sale of liquor that would have paid an estimated $500,000 into the state's general fund. The liquor bill would have been an easy fix to bring in added revenue needed to fund higher education and unemployment benefits, and repeal an antiquated law. To give the state's pocketbook a much-needed boost, the Michigan legislature must either reintroduce the bill or overturn Granholm's veto. Video games and crap for brains 0 The liquor bill approved by the state legislature in late September would have expanded the hours when liquor can be sold. According to an Oct. 13 article in The Detroit News, retailers would be permit- ted to sell alcohol from 7 a.m. on Sundays until 2 a.m. Monday with the purchase of a special $160 permit. It also increased the hours that liquor sales are allowed on Christmas, allowing for purchase after midnight on Christmas Eve and noon on Christmas day. The bill included provi- sions allowing for beer and wine tastings at grocery stores, alcoholic beverages to be served at restaurant-catered events and for community colleges to use alcohol for culinary classes. Granholm has stated that though she is in favor of extended sale hours, she didn't approve of the other pro- visions, which is why she vetoed the bill. The governor's veto will prove hurt- ful to both the state and small businesses. The legislature has already been forced to cut spending across the board - the esti- mated $500,000 in revenue could have funded some valuable programs. As noted in yesterday's editorial from the Daily, the funding could have been directed toward stabilizing unemployment insurance ben- efits. And small businesses will now lose out on profit that could have been made from sales during the extended hours. In this uncertain economy, any chance to increase profits is valuable for struggling businesses. Granholm's decision also keeps in place an antiquated, paternalistic law that was designed to promote puritanical Chris- tian morality in legislation. Laws like this, often called blue laws, while seemingly unimportant, limit citizens' personal free- doms. Granholm needs to recognize that ideals about the use of alcohol shouldn't be thrust upon citizens by the state. The legislature needs to recall the eco- nomic benefits of this bill and put it back on the table. Granholm stated that she would be willing to work with legislators to rework the bill. Due to the Nov. 2 elections, however, many are unwilling to revisit the topic during a lame-duck session. But that shouldn't stop legislators. Granholm shouldn't have vetoed the bill in the first place - now, the legislature shouldn't stop supporting such a beneficial change. Extending the hours of liquor sales would not only help businesses, but also help cut away at a large deficit. Whether legislators introduce the bill again or gath- er the required votes to override the gover- nor's veto, they should find a way see this bill turned into law. eople often think that those with a sense of humor under- stand the more complex things in life, like the male psyche or sexual intercourse. But sometimes I don't get the male Specifically, I don't get the male obsession with video games. in today's column, WILL we will explore GRUNDLER what link - or links - between ,Neanderthals and modern-day men causes such unin- telligent aggression toward innocent televisions. I'm joking, of course. I'm not a geneticist. And some people are just really stupid, like - my housemates. (Note to English majors: Don't just write about what you know. Write about WHO you know, and then threaten to publish their names along with it. This will probably make more money than writing in the long run.) The situation in my house is becoming intolerable, if you want to know the truth. If you don't want to know the truth, this column is good for that, too. Anyway, all my house- mates do is play Xbox games like "Red Dead Redemption," in which you go around killing people and horses in the Old West. You can even skin a horse, if you want to, which of course they want to.' Housemate: "Hey, watch me skin this horse!" Me: "What is WRONG with you?" They also play "Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare," in which, as the title suggests, you go around killing terrorists in a modern and humane way. You can even radio in big planes and helicopters to transport injured terrorists to hospitals, I think. Or maybe the planes just bomb them. I can't remember - it's all very stupid. The most annoying game - even more annoying than killing horses and terrorists - is FIFA soccer. Good god is it aggravating. Not so much the game, but my housemates' wild reac- tions to it. Here is a typical conversa- tion when a goal is about to be scored: "Woah." "Woab!" "Ooooh!" "OOOOOOH!" "OOOOOOH!" "WOOOOOOAH!?!" This usually takes place at one in the morning and is not a conversation that normal people have. It's the kind of conversation that the ape-men in "2001: A Space Odyssey" have when they discover tools and go and kill some other ape-men. My housemates would tell a differ- ent story, no doubt. If you could hear' their side, you would hear something like, "Hey, don't listen to this hotshot columnist! He is very good-looking, and funny, and we will be calling him for money in the future because he will become rich and famous, but he just uses the TV to watch trashy B-movies like 'Spring Break Shark Attack!"' This is entirely untrue, of course. I TRIED to watch "Spring Break Shark Attack" but the idiots wouldn't let me. They have complete sovereignty over the TV. But that's not the issue here. The issue here is that there's a right and a wrong way to waste your time. The right way includes things like watching bad movies on purpose for comic effect, like "Cocktail" with Tom Cruise. It means singing popu- lar songs with offensive lyrics in place of the real ones. And discover- EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS: ing obscure and bizarre videos on YouTube. (Search "world of chemis- try rod and balls.") Drugs. All these activities stimulate the brain in posi- tive ways and can be brought up at parties. ("Have you seen 'Cocktail'?" "Do you have drugs?" It's simple.) 'Red Dead is the wrong way to waste time. The wrong way includes playing video games. And the Michigan Quid- ditch club, but that's another column. Good lord. Anyway. How manyvirtual goals canyouscore? How many terror- ists can you shoot? How many horses can you skin? It's meaningless. Try to talk about it with a friend, or bring it up at a party. Not that my housemates go to parties anymore. Our next-door neighbors threw a party and they stayed at home to play FIFA. I'm afraid it's too late to save them. This column is really a last resort. If you or your friends are acquainted with Walker McHugh, Tim Pituch, Jeff "The Sloth" Sorensen or Ryan Aliapoulios (don't bother trying to pronounce that one), please inform them of your concern for their health. They're, not busy, they don't have funerals to go to, etc. They are just playing Xbox. And if this plea is suc- cessful - if they lay down their con- trollers - I will provide, at only $5 a head, a screening of "Spring Break Shark Attack" to all those who helped. - Will Grundler is an assistant editorial page editor. He can be reached at wgru@umich.edu. CURTIS KOWALK, JOHN OLTEAN, FELIX LOPEZ AND LAUREN ROSS Consider Teach for America 0 Aida Ali, Jordan Birnholtz, Adrianna Bojrab, Will Butler, Eaghan Davis, Michelle DeWitt, Ashley Griesshammer, Will Grundler, Jeremy Levy, Erika Mayer, Harsha Nahata, Emily Orley, Harsha Panduranga, Tommaso Pavone, Leah Potkin, Asa Smith, Laura Veith "Alfonzo, one of my eighth grade students, wrote to me that he wants to be a doctor. Alfonzo spent the past two years in the middle school where I now work - one of the lowest performing middle schools in Baltimore City. As a result, he reads on a fifth grade level and has difficulty thinking critically. Although Alfonzo is bright and hard-working, he may not graduate high school on time, let alone make it to medical school, simply because of where he was born." Lindsay Miars, a University alum and Teach For America corps member, is currently teach- ing eighth grade language arts at a middle school in Baltimore, Maryland. She is the only language arts teacher in the middle school. Miars's students, who are performing well below grade level, are unfortunately typical victims of a broken education system in which students in low-income communities signifi- cantly underperform compared to their more affluent peers. This academic achievement gap is one of our nation's greatest social injustices. Unfor- tunately, a child's place of birth has become a powerful factor in determining the quality of education he or she will receive. In fact, only 1 in 10 children who grow up in low-income communities graduate from college. This is unacceptable. In the so-called "land of oppor- tunity," nothing is more fundamental than pro- viding a quality education for each and every child, regardless of where they happen to live. Teach For America is leading the movement against educational inequity, and we need the help of University of Michigan students to address this problem. We have an obligation to ensure that future generations of Americans have the tools and opportunities needed to achieve academic success, regardless of their racial or socioeconomic background. The persistence of the achievement gap is painfully obvious - even in our own backyard. Though only 40 miles separate Ann Arbor and Detroit, there is an enormous disparity stu- dents from these two districts. Accordingto the Ann Arbor Public School website, "Over 96% of third graders and 93% of seventh graders met or exceeded state standards in math. Also, 91% of third graders and 91% of seventh graders met or exceeded state standards in reading." While Ann Arbor Public Schools have been extremely successful, the Detroit Public School system is struggling. According to Teach For America, "Detroit's academic achievement is among the lowest for major U.S. cities - only three percent of Detroit's fourth-graders and four percent of its eighth graders meet national math standards. As an example, test scores sug- gest that only one in three of Detroit fourth- graders can correctly subtract 75 from 301, even when given a choice of three multiple-choice answers." A proper education system cannot simply cater to children in higher income neigh- borhoods. Every student is entitled to an excel- lent education regardless of his or her zip code. Teach For America is working to close the achievement gap by enlisting college gradu- ates to commit two years to teaching in a low- income community in one of 41 regions across the country. Within these communities, Teach For America corps members make a dramatic difference in the lives of their students, aca- demically and beyond. Corps members receive full salary and benefits as employees of their school district and also have access to loan-for- bearance programs that help make Teach For America a financially viable option for recent college graduates. Many college students have never consid- ered a teaching career. Many are also under the impression that without a major in education, they are unqualified to apply for Teach For America, which isn't the case. In fact, while admission is highly competitive, Teach For America recruits students from all majors. Though 39 percent of Teach for America teachers choose to stay in the classroom, Teach For America recognizes that after fulfilling their two-year teaching commitment many corps members will choose to attend grad school or enter the private sector rather than continue with a career in education. Teach For America seeks to hire individuals who will become leaders in education as well as in medicine, business, law, policy, engineer- ing and other fields. These individuals will be able to continue advocating for students in low-income communities in a broader scope in every professional sector. As America's future leaders, Teach For America corps members will soon be in positions of influence, where they can continue to affectbroad social change. Together, we can fight educational inequity and close the achievement gap. If you are inter- ested, please join us Monday, Oct. 25 for a Teach For America Alumni Panel, featuring Unversity and Teach For America alumni from a variety of academic disciplines at 7:00 p.m. in the Pendle- ton Room of the Union. Also, learn more about Teach For America and the next application deadline, Oct. 27, at www.teachforamerica.org. Curtis Kowalk, John Oltean, Felix Lopez, and Lauren Ross are University seniors on Teach for America's recruitment team. The infamous all-nighter h, the first college all-night- er. The first caffeine-fueled panic attacks during which evenings melt into mornings withoutA a blink of an eye (mostly because you taped your eyelids open). The first of many nights filled with more self-pitying thoughts than all the years of puber- MELANIE ty combined. It's KRUVELIS truly a mystery that rapper Asher Roth left these evenings out when he wrote "I Love College." It wasn't supposed to come to this. Schedules had been made. Timeta- bles had been drawn. The philosophy essay could be tackled. The Spanish work could be completed. And yet, somehow, after 46 nights of some- what consistent sleep at the Univer- sity, I had finally made it to the first all-nighter of my college career. Like many problems developed during the college years, the first stage of my all-nighter began like a line out of an Alcoholics Anonymous handbook: denial. "I don't need to stay up," I thought to myself as the clock struck one. "I can finish my homework, no problem."Twenty minutes later, I found myself passed out, drooling on the keyboard, with a half-completed Sporcle game the sole fruit of my labor. Feeling defeated and marginally disgusting, I ven- tured downstairs to the Madrigal Lounge in East Quad, hoping that a change of scenery could give the boost I needed, Maybe it's like this in every resi- dence hall (yeah, right), but the occu- pants of East Quad are truly weirdos. The most bizarre nightlife scene at the University isn't late-night Quid- ditch matches in the Diag or outside of Necto - it's the parade of night- crawlers, insomniacs and Adderall addicts that fill residence hall loung- es on Tuesday evenings. There's the nerdy couple that's more into their calculators than each other, toiling away at their Calc 4 homework that's not due for another three weeks. or the girl tucked away in a corner, blubbering on the phone to her high school boyfriend with sobs so strong it's nearly impossible to tell if she's even speaking English. And then there are the poor sexiled souls who spend their evenings either watching "Glee" on their laptops or crashing on the stained couches. But, of course, the main stars of the 3 a.m. show are the procrastinators - those who spend more time planning out how to do homework instead of actually doing it. Swearing to any- one awake that they work best after Leno is over, they attempt to regain a shred of sanity by taking solace in nature. "This isn't so bad," they think to themselves. "Bear Grylls said you should see the sunrise at least once in your life, right?" Be careful, how- ever, when identifying a student with a delayed sense of motivation. Often the best procrastinators - those with twitching hands and blood-shot eyes that you develop from chug- ging two Red Bulls - are confused with flat-out stoners who simply sit in the lounge because: a) they can't find their room or b) they believe that they're being incepted and cannot leave the general area until Leonardo DiCaprio comes to the rescue. At any rate, these excursions into the Twilight Zones of college life aren't experienced fully until the shuffle to the 9 a.m. class, a.k.a. the lecture from hell. If you think it's hard pulling yourself out of bed on a normal Wednesday morning, try doing it after you spend the major- ity of Tuesday evening blasting Avril Lavigne ballads as you slave away at a paper analyzing the Mexican Drug Wars. Have you ever seen an East Quad lounge at 2 a.m.? As it turns out, those ugly eve- nings transition into the ugliest of mornings. After my first all-nighter, I found myself getting odd stares from my classmates during my Span- ish lecture. Later, an amigo told me I had been twitching and drooling all over my workbook as I kept a steady gaze at the fluorescent lights above me. I wasn't ostracized by my peers, thank God, though I did later find pamphlets for rehabilitation clinics wedged under my door. An annoyingly correct devil's advo- cate may argue that anyone with even a smidgen of organizational skills can avoid burning the midnight oil if she simply does the work instead of watching reruns of "The Office," fill- ing out Facebook notes or creating fake user profiles on eHarmony.com. But all-nighters aren't merely evenings of cramming and panicking - it's an experience to see a part of the world that no one else really sees on a regular basis. it may not be beautiful. It may not be fun, and it may not be... Sorry, I dosed off. Good thing I waited until 5 a.m. to start this col- umn. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go catch some of The Today Show before I hit the sack. - Melanie Kruvelis can be reached at melkruv@umich.edu.