4 - Tuesday, December 7, 2010
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
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ELAINE MORTON
JACOB SMILOVITZ
EDITOR IN CHIEF
RACHEL VAN GILDER
EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR
MATT AARONSON
MANAGING EDITOR
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Welcome the Cornhuskers
0
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.
Funding a home
County must work to decrease homelessness
Jf you've been encountering more panhandlers around cam-
pus lately, you're not alone. The number of homeless indi-
viduals in Washtenaw County, specifically in the city of Ann
Arbor, increased in 2009. But area homeless shelters haven't been
able to keep up with the influx of people in need of help. As the
weather in Michigan gets colder - even dangerously cold - it's
especially important that homeless people have a shelter avail-
able. Washtenaw County and its residents have a social responsi-
bility to help the homeless. The county should allocate resources
toward expanding homeless shelters and programs for helping
0
these individuals to find jobs.
According to the Washtenaw County
Office of Community Development, the
number of homeless individuals registered
in the county has grown from 3,940 in 2006
to 4,618 in 2009, as reported in an Oct. 25
Daily article. This increase has resulted in
overcrowding at shelters around Washtenaw
County. Ellen Schulmeister, executive direc-
tor of the Shelter Association of Washtenaw
County, attributes this increase to the "gen-
erosity of students." Brian Nord, a found-
ing member of the tent city for homeless
individuals known as Camp Take Notice,
believes that homeless people are drawn to
Ann Arbor because of the safety of the city.
The residents of Washtenaw County
should devote time to understanding and
battling homelessness. While giving money
to the panhandlers is kind, it may have an
effect of keeping homeless individuals from
becoming financially self-sufficient. Stu-
dents and other residents should make an
effort to realize the causes behind the pov-
erty of the homeless.
It's a public duty ofthe county to help those
who are financially less fortunate. Home-
less shelters are able to provide food, water
and a bed to people who would otherwise go
without. Currently, the Delonis Center - the
main homeless shelter in downtown Ann
Arbor - is able to help 1,200 to 1,500 people
annually in a variety of ways by maxing out
its resources. But the shelters still aren't able
to help everyone in need. Washtenaw County
needs to allocate more funds toward improv-
ing shelters and building more so they can
help more people.
Shelters can't single-handedly solve the
problem of homelessness. Though home-
less shelters are important in the short term,
homeless individuals still need help in the
long term. Individuals often move from
shelter to shelter and are never lifted out of
poverty. It's crucial that there are resources
in place to help homeless people to find jobs
and eventually a permanent place to live.
The Delonis Center currently has a long-
term residential system in place, but it needs
the resources from the county to expand so
it can serve more people. Washtenaw Coun-
ty needs to increase social services aimed at
decreasing poverty and homelessness, which
are necessary to reduce the number of peo-
ple who rely on the shelters.
The increase in the number of home-
less individuals in Ann Arbor has stretched
resources too thin to help all those in need.
The county needs to allocate resources to
provide immediate help to the homeless,
while also helping to lift them out of poverty.
As the fall sports season for the
Big Ten draws to a close, it
brings the end of an era. Next
year schedules,
teams and com-
petition level will
change for all Big
Ten sports when 4
the University of
Nebraska joins
the conference.
We shouldn't get
comfortable with -
just the addition of COURTNEY
Nebraska - there's
potential for even FLETCHER
more teams to
join the Big Ten in
the coming years.
While most fans won't be personally
affected by the addition of Nebraska
- after all, it's just an extra team on
the schedule - it affects the Big Ten
greatly.
The level of competition from
Nebraska will be undeniably high.
The Cornhuskers live and breathe
athletics and have outstanding sup-
port from fans. They have 21 teams
- including bowling and rifle - that
are all talented. At the end of each
year, the National Association of Col-
legiate Directors of Athletics gives
out an award called the Directors
Cup. This award runs on a system
that awards each team a certain num-
ber of points. Whichever school has
the most points at the end of the year
is crowned the strongest Athletic
Department. Last year, five Big Ten
schools were in the top 25 - the Uni-
versity of Michigan included - and
so was Nebraska. The Big Ten isn't
just adding easy wins to its sched-
ules, it's adding a high-level competi-
tor that not only has the potential to
hold its own, but could possibly be a
powerhouse Big Ten team.
Highly competitive teams are fol-
lowed closely by fan support. The Big
Ten is known for having outstanding
and downright rabid fans. Rivalry
games like Ohio State vs. Michigan,
Michigan vs. Michigan State and
Purdue vs. Indiana all bring out the
best - or worst - in fans and games.
If you've ever played Nebraska or
been to a Husker event, you know
these fans are no exception. The
state of Nebraska has no profession-
al teams or notable tourist attrac-
tions, but they have the University
of Nebraska. They think they're the
best, expect the best and play the
best, which means they'll fit right in
with the mentalities of schools like
Michigan State University and Ohio
State University. I think teams will
enjoy competing against the Huskers.
It's an experience that can't be for-
gotten. For example, when the volley-
ball team beat the Huskers in three
short games on their home court in
fall 2006, I've never heard 5,000 peo-
ple so quiet.
Scheduling is going to be the big-
gest change for athletic teams. For 20
years, teams have enjoyed the same
rotation in schedules. For exam-
ple, volleyball has enjoyed an even
"round-robin" schedule where every-
one plays each other twice each sea-
son - once at home and once away.
With new teams comes larger rota-
tions and fewer meetings of teams.
There has been fear that rivalries
would be lost. Can you imagine a
football season without a Michigan
matchup against Michigan State or
Ohio State? While fans enjoy watch-
ing our football team beat up on the
University of Connecticut and Illi-
nois, those aren't the games that they
enjoy the most. Keeping the confer-
ence strong is important, but I think
keeping traditional rivalries alive is
as, if not more, important.
So far, rivalries have stayed in tact,
0
but with the possibility of adding
more teams I think we'll see fewer of
these matchups. There's a possibil-
ity that fewer meetings will lead to
rivalry games becoming an even big-
ger deal, leaving teams with two-year
bragging rights. But I can only see fans
liking this if their team wins. Nobody
wants Michigan State boasting for
two straight years without a chance
at redemption. But because the con-
ference is driven by money and the
media, it seems these games would
stay on the schedules simply because
of the revenue that they bring in.
Nebraska could
be a powerhouse 0
Big Ten team.
While the Big Ten will benefit
from the addition of Nebraska, the
biggest beneficiary is Nebraska itself. *
The Big Ten is a stronger and more
prestigious conference than the Big
12 - Nebraska's current conference
- which should improve the school's
recruiting. The Big Ten is stronger
than the Big 12 in academics as well.
At first I resisted the idea of add-
ing new teams to the Big Ten, but I'm
starting to come around. People said
the same thing when Pennsylvania
State University was added 20 years
ago and it has turned out to be one
of the strongest teams in the confer-
ence. While nextyear might be a little
shaky as the Big Ten adjusts, I think
it's going to turn out to be an over-
whelming positive in the end.
- Courtney Fletcher can be
reached at fletchco@umich.edu.
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Make time for contemplation
Who's to say what it means
to bea true'Michigan Man?'
TO THE DAILY:
I'm so glad all the Michigan Men happen to
write for the Daily. It's such a fresh breath of
air for you guys to let us, the students, know
who really is and isn't fit for the overused and
now meaningless title of "Michigan Man."
Hell, I had no clue all you young journalists had
the merit and experience to judge who should
be fit for the throne as head coach of our foot-
ball team.
Imran Syed's recent column (The next Michi-
gan Man, 12/06/2010) is so full of shit that you
can tell from his picture that he's enjoying his
own stink. I didn't know that "Until three years
ago, all was well with the state's great Univer-
sity and its football team." I forgot about Lloyd
Carr giving up on recruiting, giving up on bowl
games (losing five out of his last seven) and giv-
ing up on "The Game" with Ohio State (losing a
pitiful seven out of his last ten).
So, Syed, was Bo a "Michigan Man" because
he grew up in Ohio, played for Miami of Ohio
and coached for Ohio State or is it because he
won games? Because if it's the latter, then that
would mean all it takes to be a "Michigan Man"
is winning games. But that would contradict
your point that there is more than just winning
required to be deemed a "Michigan Mar."
Please tell me how many other coaches these
days are "leaders" that push for better academ-
ics and an all-around better campus - because
I can't find any. Do you know why I can't find
any? It's because all the fans (and the media,
which includes you) have been getting so
worked up about any flaw in Michigan athlet-
ics that we simply won't allow for anything but
the best coaches and players.
You see, back in the day the students didn't
all wear the same silly colors to games (What
is this, Michigan State?) and there weren't 500
SEND LETTERS TO: TOTHEDAILY@UMICH.EDU
Michigan apparel stores on campus. People
had a little more patience when it came to los-
ing. Coaches weren't fired every three years
because the virtue of patience was a little more
prominent. Yes, Roderiguez has a bad record,
but as supposedly smart as this school is, get-
ting rid of him doesn't seem to be wise. With
wisdom comes patience. If you did the math (3
wins, 5 wins, and this year 7), you would know
that things are headed up. But no: You want
results and you want them now. Give me, give
me, give me. You sound like a "Michigan Man."
I mustn't forget Managing Sports Editor Ryan
Kartje, either. Kartje wrote a scathing column
speaking against the head coach when Michi-
gan was chosen for abowl game (GatorBowlputs
Michigan's coachingfarce in spotlight, 12/06/2010)
- which is a privilege, not a right, by the way.
Athletic Director Dave Brandon is keeping Rich-
Rod until after the game because he, unlike you,
has patience and doesn't jump to conclusions like
the media and the ungrateful student population.
Iknow if Bo had sung the same Josh Groban song
while still alive, you would have certainly praised
him faster than I could say "ironically-nonathlet-
ic sports columnist."
Do you really want current Stanford foot-
ball head coach Jim Harbaugh to be the next
Michigan head coach? The guy who grew up a
brat in the Michigan football system? The guy
who didn't grab the coaching job the first time
around because he was too busy bad-mouthing
his former alma mater for their supposed lack
of academics? The guy who grew up with a sil-
ver, maize and blue spoon in his mouth? Have
you read the news recently? Harbaugh has a
nice big contract at Stanford. And he'll prob-
ably stay there - but my guess is that's only
because he doesn't want to have to deal with
the bratty, self-entitled students at Michigan.
Keep up the great junior high journalism,
guys.
Sam Zettell
School of Music, Theatre & Dance senior
n writing my last column (Pur-
suing the Semester's Theme,
11/22/2010), I sought to bet-
ter understand
the nature of the
LSA theme semes-
ter, "What makes
life worth liv-
ing?" I wanted to
articulate why I "
felt slapped in the
face every time I
saw it advertised
around campus. I LIBBY
wanted to know
the intentions of ASHTON
the professors who
organized it. I also
wanted to grasp the implications of
probing such self-conscious thought
among students at the University.
That aspiration to have a sense of
what it would mean for us - students
who live a specific lifestyle and face a
specific set of challenges - to answer
the question posed by the theme
semester required further conver-
sation, consideration and a longer
word-count. I decided that I should
learn about how anyone considers the
meaning of life and then assess how
well-situated we are to make the con-
sideration ourselves.
I spoke with the two professors
who organized the theme semester,
Psychology Professor Christopher
Peterson and Ford School of Pub-
lic Policy Professor John Chamber-
lin. I suspected both perspectives
would offer personal and profes-
sional insight on considerations of
the meaning of life. I also hoped
they would maintain an awareness
of undergraduate students' unique
position. From our conversations and
from my own introspection, I think
I'm on to something.
Answering the question "What
makes life worth living?" requires
two steps: first, living an active life
that has meaning and second, living
a contemplative life that allows for
the appreciation of meaning. At first
glance, it seems that action requires
harder work and leaves more room
for mishap than contemplation. After
all, things that stand in our way of
action are often out of our control,
whereas what stands in our way of
thought is under no one else's control
but our own.
When I asked Chamberlin what
made his life worth living, he said
his theme semester t-shirt reads,
"Justice Makes Life Worth Living."
His answer is consistent with duties
of government, which his field (pub-
lic policy) is responsible for study-
ing. When I asked Peterson the same
question, he responded in an e-mail,
"work, love, play and service." A basic
understanding of the duties of gov-
ernment might demand that a just
society allows all people to lead an
active, meaningful life of work, love,
play and service.
So if society does its job in guaran-
teeing the freedom to actively pursue
happiness, does it have a further obli-
gation to guarantee the space to con-
templatively pursue happiness?
Internalizing the richness of life
requires time - time to wander
(both in place and in thoughts), time
to form beliefs as well as challenge
them, and time to create something.
But, as Chamberlin and many others
of his generation have noted, we - as
University students - don't have that
kind of time. We've found ourselves
in a system that places extreme pres-
sure on the task of leading an active,
meaningful life but inhibits our abil-
ity to engage the equally important
task of contemplation.
Chamberlin acknowledged the
conundrum. He noted that the stu-
dents he admits to the Ford School of
Public Policy are expected to havetop
grades, display serious leadership in
several extracurricular activities and
remain interesting, energized and
engaging people. We have a campus
full of students who race from one
source of meaning to the next, rarely
stopping to breathe let alone read a
piece of fiction for pleasure. These
students' ability to lead a maximally
fulfilling life is stifled by their leading
lives that are too full.
Internalizing
the richness of life
requires time.
The pathways to meaning and hap-
piness vary with each person. For
some, love is the answer. For others,
it's freedom. Peterson said cheering
on the Wolverines could be a primary
source of purpose for someone.
But the "What makes life worth
living?" t-shirt that can be worn by
everyone reads "balance." We seem
to live in a culture that's collectively
off-balance. I would call for a serious
reprioritization. In order for society's
future leaders to do their jobs well,
they must be nourished emotionally,
psychologically and spiritually. As we
transition into finals and then into
our all-too-short winter break, I hope
we're forced to consider the balance
in our own lives and restore what's
not there.
- Libby Ashton can be reached
at eashtonwumich.edu.
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS:
Aida Ali, Will Butler, Eaghan Davis, Michelle DeWitt, Ashley Griesshammer,
Will Grundler, Jeremy Levy, Erika Mayer, Harsha Nahata, Emily Orley,
Harsha Panduranga, Teddy Papes, Tommaso Pavone, Leah Potkin,
Roger Sauerhaft, Seth Soderborg. Julian Toles, Laura Veith, Andrew Weiner