4 - Tuesday, November 9, 2010
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.corr
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It clearly was about harassing Mr. Armstrong,
not engaging in free speech.'
- Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox, in a statement regarding his decision to fire assistant attorney
general Andrew Shirvell, as reported yesterday by The Michigan Daily.
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 solelythe views of their authors.
A loco beverage ban
MLCC needs to rethink the removal of Four Loko
ecently, a rising number of teens and young adults
appear to be going loco for Four Loko. But a recent ban
on the alcoholic energy drink in Michigan will interrupt
the craze for this controversial drink. A Michigan Liquor Con-
trol Commission order, signed on Thursday, prohibits the sale of
55 types of alcoholic energy drinks in the state, including Four
Loko. With two of the commission's five members absent, the
ban passed 2-1. While the drinks may prove to be dangerous, the
MLCC's decision skipped procedural steps necessary to imple-
ment a statewide ban. The MLCC should reevaluate its reaction-
ary ban of Four Loko and other alcoholic energy beverages.
Together, we can be Superman
Four Loko - a 23.5-ounce drink that
contains approximately four beers worth
of alcohol and as much caffeine as 12
ounces of coffee - stirred much contro-
versy in Michigan after the hospitaliza-
tion of students who drank the product
and the reported rape of a 14-year-old girl
who drank Four Loko mixed with rum,
as reported last week by the Detroit Free
Press. The University of Rhode Island,
Ramapo College in New Jersey and several
other schools have reacted to incidents
surrounding the drink and banned alcohol
energy drinks on their campuses. Michi-
gan is the first and only state to prohibit
the drink statewide. The order requests
that the caffeinated alcoholic drinks be
removed from shelves within 30 days.
The MLCC ban was a knee-jerk reaction
to recent frenzy, rather than a careful con-
sideration based upon empirical evidence.
The MLCC couldn't possibly have had
time to consider the data and discuss con-
cerns - the FDA hasn't even completed its
study of Four Loko and its health effects.
Without clear, empirical reasoning for the
order, the MLCC shouldn't have passed
the ban.
And MLCC seemed to sidestep proce-
dure to implement a ban. Two out of the
five members of the commission were
absent from the meeting at which the ban
was passed. It's unreasonable to enact a
statewide ban without full attendance of
the small commission. All members of
the MLCC should be present when mak-
ing important decisions, especially when
those decisions affect the entire state.
The MLCC also failed to communicate
with these businesses and the company
responsible for the sale of Four Loko, Phu-
sion Projects, LLC. Phusion Projects was
never given a notice of the commission's
proposal and never had a chance to make
it's side of the story heard. The MLCC
also failed to consider the effects of the
ban on companies that produce alcoholic
energy beverages, as well as the businesses
in Michigan that profit from distributing
these drinks.
Without time to consider the imprac-
ticalities of the ban, the prohibition is a
naive response to the drinks' safety con-
cerns, rather than a comprehensive plan
to prevent further harm. The MLCC hast-
ily skipped over reasonable alternatives
worth trying, like the use of educational
campaigns or the relabeling of the prod-
ucts to emphasize possible dangers.
The MLCC was too rash in its decision
- even hastier than Ann Arbor City Coun-
cil's porch couch ban. The MLCC should
revoke or reconsider its decision to ban
alcoholic energy drinks.
he Michigan Theatre's screen-
ing of "Waiting for Super-
man" on Wednesday night
struck a chord with
everyone packed
in the theatre that
night. The film cre-
ated a symphony
of sniffles as the
credits rolled. The
audience watched
the flip side of luck
bring tears to the
eyes of four out of LIBBY
the five children ASHTON
we met that night.
My heart broke as
I was confronted
with the inequalities plaguing Amer-
ican children.
The world I knew as a child is
inextricably linked to the person I
am today. I am a product of a public
school and I am one of the lucky few
who lived in a district that made our
public school a top priority. I attri-
bute my optimism about the world
and my belief that I can make a dif-
ference to my educational experience
during my formative years.
In the world that incubated me for
12 years, I felt loved and empowered.
My early education teachers were
genuinely invested in not only my
academic success, but also my emo-
tional well-being. I felt like I mat-
tered to the community that greeted
me every morning and waved good-
bye every afternoon.
As I grew up, my relationships
with faculty members, the admin-
istration and community members
developed, too. My voice as a student
carried weight among the adults in
my world. I felt encouraged to chal-
lenge ideas and push boundaries. In
my first year of high school, I had an
English teacher whose expectations
of excellence terrified all of my class-
mates and me into working harder
than we thought we ever could. She
inspired us to pursue our intellectual
potential and gave little - if any -
care to the mandated curriculum and
standardized tests. She treated us as
though we might all become Pulitzer
Prize-winning writers.
Among my peers, it was cool to
be smart. I can distinctly remember
feeling socially influenced to work
harder because the people who did
were more impressive than the peo-
ple who didn't. Those who ostracized
themselves from school ostracized
themselves from the social world to
which the school was so intimately
connected.
And here I sit in Ann Arbor, able to
write about the power residing with
our generation simply because I have
had the privilege of experiencing a
system that worked for me rather than
against me. I fervently believe that I
can make a difference in this world
because my experiences thus far have
shown me so. But this belief in myself
is a privilege of which I am not the
slightest bit more deserving than the
children whose names weren't called
during the lotteries documented in
"Waiting for Superman."
My heart broke on Wednesday
night as I was confronted with stories
to which too many children around
the country can relate. Too many
children spend the first part of their
lives in a world that leaves them feel-
ing hopeless and insignificant. Before
they're even old enough to realize
the gravity of the injustice to which
they've been subjected, these children
are robbed of the opportunity to feel
as if the world is theirs to seize. Their
ability to aim high and reach far is
restricted by an education system that
fails to nourish their essential human
need for self-actualization.
The members of the panel discus-
sion thatoccurred after the screening
- who were all experts on the status
of the American education system -
reacted to the movie, highlighting
the movie's flaws and expanding on
its messages. Most thought the blame
shouldn't be placed exclusively on
bad teachers, bad parents, bad princi-
pals, the teachers union, bad schools
and so on. Rather, we - as a society
that claims to care about justice and
equality of opportunity'- must col-
laboratively re-evaluate the nuances
of what's working and what isn't
within American public schools.
Re-evaluate the
nuances of broken
public education.
I was (and, to a large extent, still
am) blind totheinner-workings of the
flaws in the public education system.
I won't be able to contribute anything
of value to the prescribed societal
re-evaluation until I see the problem
first-hand and learn about the expe-
riences of the people its afflicting.
We should feel a sense of urgency to
see where, exactly, the problems lie
and what, exactly, we can do to solve
them. If so many American children
continue to spend their first 12 years
of school feelingbeaten down, unspo-
ken for and powerless, what kind of
contribution can they be expected to
make during their next 50 years?
- Libby Ashton can be reached
at eashton(umich.edu.
I
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS:
Aida Ali, Jordan Birnholtz, Will Butler, Eaghan Davis, Michelle DeWitt, Ashley Griesshammer,
Will Grundler, Jeremy Levy, Erika Mayer, Harsha Nahata, Emily Orley,
Harsha Panduranga, Tommaso Pavone, Leah Potkin, Roger Sauerhaft, Asa Smith, Laura Veith
BRENDAN FRIEDMANI
Keep electing MForward
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We do not print anonymous letters. Send letters to tothedaily@umich.edu.
SIMON BOEHME I
The need for student regents
Last spring, University students overwhelm-
ingly voted to elect MForward candiates to
represent them on the Michigan Student
Assembly. All 19 MForward candidates up for
election won seats, led by current MSA Presi-
dent and MForward founder Chris Armstrong.
This landslide victory was a mandate from the
student body for MForward to pursue their
campaign promise of aggressive advocacy to
address major problems on campus.
Since taking office in April, MForward's slate
of diverse student leaders has become the new
leaders of the MSA. MSA's. current treasurer,
chief of staff and seven committee chairs were
all MForward candidates and have been at the
forefront of many major initiatives. We have
met with the Ann Arbor Police Department to
address noise and trash violations on Football
Saturdays, worked with administrators to offer
transportation options for student organizations
and delayed the vote on the porch couch ban due
to a lack of student involvement in the debate.
Currently, MForward party members on
MSA are leading the initiative to implement
an open housing policy on campus. For those
who are unfamiliar with open housng, it would
allow students living in University housing to
choose their roommates regardless of gender
identity and expression. Open housing isn't
simply about creating an inclusive and non-dis-
criminatory community. it's also about about
students' rights to make their own decisions.
ELAINE MORTON
MForward is proud to be leading the way on
such a monumental policy change and proud to
keep its promise to work for the students.
Our new slate of candidates for this Novem-
ber's election is as poised and energetic as the
last. With the election less than two weeks
away, our 15 candidates have already been out
on the Diag listening to concerns from the stu-
dents. MForward is sticking to its plan to listen
to the needs and desires of the students that
MSA represents.
We have established a group of candidates
consistent with our goal of bringing diverse
ideas and experiences to MSA by selecting
student leaders from a wide variety of campus
groups and communities. Our slate of candi-
dates includes leaders from the Chi Phi Fra-
ternity, College Democrats, Indian American
Student Association, Arab Student Associa-
tion and the NAACP, to name a few. Our slate
also includes current MSA representatives and
MSA committee members.
Keep a lookout for MForward candidates
around campus and be sure to let them know
what you'd like to see improved or changed at
the University. For more information on our
candidates and their platforms, check us out
on Facebook or at mforward.org. Most impor-
tantly, be sure to vote in MSA Elections on Nov.
17 and 18 at vote.umich.edu.
Brendan Friedman is the MForward Party Chair.
E-MAIL ELAINE AT EM0RT@_UMICH.EDU.
Sixteen years ago, Michigan voters rejected the chance
to hold a constitutional convention. On Nov. 2, 2010, the
outcome was the same. Many may have voted against the
measure because of the high expenses involved and the
ominous threat of another blow to the University's fund-
ing. And these reasons may hold some validity. ButI think
that the University of Michigan, other state universities
and community colleges missed an opportunity to come
together and have students' voices be heard.
This year, I ran for the University's Board of Regents
with the ambition of collecting 30,000 signatures in
three weeks. While a seemingly impossible goal, I tried
my best and successfully spread awareness for the need
to have a student's voice on the Board of Regents. While
the goal was never reached, the positive feedback was
encouraging. Someone told me that "having no student on
the board would be like Meijer having no customer ser-
vice. How would Meijer know if it was doing everything
right?" This person brought up a good point. How can the
Board of Regents truly know whether or not their deci-
sions are beneficial for students?
I'm not suggesting a student takeover of the Board of
Regents, three spots for students or the elimination of this
governing body, but rather one voting student regent. Just
one. Not just for the University, but for every public universi-
ty in Michigan. Imagine the University of Michigan, Michi-
gan State University, Wayne State University, Grand Valley
State University, Western Michigan University and many
other outstanding educational institutions in Michigan
having one student on their governing board. While these
officials are either elected or appointed by the governor, the
constitutional convention was our - the thousands of col-
lege students across Michigan - missed opportunity.
The most salient reason for a student board member is
the unique and refreshing perspective it brings to many
discussions. Currently, inadequate - but appreciated -
efforts are made to incorporate students' voices at board
meetings. There may be time for public comment and
sending a letter, but students must be engaged in mean-
ingful dialogue.
A student regent could give insights on issues that are
on the minds of the people the board serves. This student
would see first-hand the impact of a tuition increase or
implementation of a new policy and could submit ideas
that may not normally be discussed. The feedback given
during participation in a board discussion would improve
both the governance of the university and the institution
holistically.
This would also give student representatives priceless
leadership experience, something I wish could be grant-
ed to every student to better prepare a new generation of
leaders. Student representatives would learn communica- 4
tion skills and gain valuable leadership experience.
Student representatives would close avoid between the
students and administration. Welcoming a student on the
board would increase awareness about campus issues and
hopefully start new dialogue among students. Certainly,
these meetings are within public domain, but to the stu-
dents, there is such a disconnect that the meeting might
as well be held in the dark. Students deserve a meaningful 4
engagement with their university's governing body.
The University of California has a student regent. The
University of Texas has a non-voting student regent.
Michigan should be the first state in which each univer-
sity and community college has a student regent. Proposal
1 would have been our key to unlocking this opportunity.
With the exploration of our out-dated constitution, stu-
dents across the state could rally, send letters and petition
for an amendment to add student representation to elect-
ed university boards. This isn't possible now, but students
must continue to look forward.
Now is the time to start something that may be icono-
clastic, coming together as college campuses to fight for
representation. Students should create a ballot proposal
to be voted on by Michigan citizens that amends the state
constitution to read: "Every state-funded university and
community college will have one voting student repre-
sentative." While the process to select that student may
bring about new debate, the fundamental issue must be
resolute. The students' voice must be heard.
Let's call our newly elected representatives and lead-
ers, petition at every university and community college
and spread the word. Let's gather the necessary support
and signatures to place a proposition in an upcoming elec-
tion to amend the constitution for a change that can ben-
efit students and the state schools.
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Simon Boehme is an LSA freshman.
--the
podium
4
Seeing Red: Kylie Kagan discusses the importance of
Republicans' plan for the economy following last week's midterm
election. Go to michigandaily.com/blogs/The Podiuml
r