4A - Monday, December 13, 2010 4 n c 3The 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 4 ...'The world's greatest deliberative body' devolved into shameful schoolyard spats that put petty partisan politics above the needs of our women and men in uniform." - Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, on the failure of the Senate to repeal "don't ask, don't tell," as reported by Time magazine on Friday. 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. To do in 2011 The Daily's wish list for the coming year As 2010 draws to a close, the Daily is feeling retrospec- tive. The year has been a roller coaster. President Barack Obama spoke at the Big House, the first openly gay Michigan Student Assembly president was elected and then attacked by a bigoted government official, the football season was (once again) lackluster and the Michigan hockey team made an impressive showing at the Big Chill at the Big House, among other things. But looking back, we're reminded to look forward. There's a lot to be done in 2011 - at the federal level, in Michigan and here in Ann Arbor. Some parting wisdom I Our first wish is unlikely - or perhaps impossible. Congress should stop being completely worthless. Specifically, it should pass the DREAM (which stands for Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors) Act. And ditch the incred- ibly outdated ban on LGBT individuals in the military. In the next year, please be productive, Congress. It's always dangerous to ask the federal government to do things, but we would also like it to stop Asian carp from taking over the Great Lakes. Since the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed the Asian Carp Prevention and Control Act without bickering, the federal govern- ment can now shut Illinois locks to slow the carp's progress, assuming Obama signs the act into law. The federal government should get movingto stop the progress of the scari- est fish since Jaws. Another wish we have may sound a bit trivial, but we care, anyway. The Michigan football team should win the Gator bowl, please. A bowl game win would be a sort-of- nice ending to a sort-of-awful season. Our next suggested resolution is for the University administration and Board of Regents. It's pretty simple: Don't raise tuition again. Just don't. On the opposite end of the triviality spectrum is our wish for increased diver- sity in the faculty. According to the Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs, the percentages of black and Hispanic fac- ulty are the same now as they were in 1994 (though there was admittedly a spike of black faculty in 2002). That doesn't seem like it aligns with the University's supposed love of diversity. Google Fiber would be nice a nice gift for the city. Internet that is 100 times fast- er? Virtually instantaneous information exchange, which would benefit the entire University population, especially the Uni- versity Health System? Yes, please. We're counting on you, Larry Page. And the city government should give us back our porch couches. The outdoor couch ban is simply a bad ordinance. The city should instead work with landlords and stu- dent groups to improve fire safety awareness and make sure all houses are up to code. The next resolution is one that's going to take two to make happen: The Open Hous- ing Initiative and the University admin- istration should decide that by fall 2011, there will be an open housing option avail- able to students. 2011 won't be easier than 2010 - the United States is still embroiled in two costly wars, the fate of the Bush tax cuts is uncer- tain, governor-elect Rick Snyder has a lot on his plate and Ann Arbor's street lighting is still subpar. But the list above is a nice place to start. T his is my last column for the Daily. My boss Rachel Van Gilder ordered me to make it "end-of-the semes- ter-y." She suggest- ed writing about: finals. That seemed both boring and depressing. But looking back. through my col- umns, there has been some consis- tency in the things PATRICK I've said. Since I'm the only graduate O'MAHEN student instructor on the Daily staff, perhaps it isn't too arrogant to pre- tend that my columns constitute a "class" of sorts. Besides, I turned 32 on Sunday, which means that I was applying to college when Van Gilder was tooling around the neighborhood on her first two-wheeler. I feel my role as the Daily's wise/crotchety old man entitles me to give a review ses- sion and a lecture or two (aside from yelling at Van Gilder to get off my lawn, of course). So, "class," let's review - if you've been paying attention, hopefully the Daily's elder statesman has managed to convey three things to you over the last two years through my (occasion- ally questionable) wit and (alleged) wisdom. 1. Free markets usually work. Willing sellers and buyers meet to trade goods and the prices that get set generally clear the market with- out much help from outsiders. This is generally a positive thing for most goods. If you set the price too low, demand outstrips supply and we end up like the Soviet Union - long lines of people waiting for underpriced scarce resources. Take the example of street parking: It may be free in most places in Ann Arbor, but it's impossible to find a parking place during business hours. 2. Judicious government interven- tion underpins successful markets. Markets are marvelous things, but they don't spring out of a state of nature - just reading a bit of English philosopher Thomas Hobbes or look- ing at the situation in Somalia reveals what a bad idea having no govern- ment is. At the most basic level, gov- ernment provides protection for private property and a court system to settle disputes over trade. Government intervention can also corrects market failures. Markets are set up to take advantage of indi- vidual incentives. When individuals bear all the costs of an arrangement, any trade that occurs is beneficial to society. But when costs of trade aren't borne directly by an individual, the exchange doesn't help society. Pollu- tion is the classic example. Ifa factory owner doesn't pay for dumping mer- cury in the water, the economic drag created by the resulting destruction of the environment and increased human illness are borne by society. Government regulation of pollution helps individuals realign their incen- tives to benefit society. Government can invest in things that benefit the public that private markets emphasizing individual benefits don't. The majority of edu- cation is the industrialized world is conducted by the public sector - or at least non-profit entities. Gov- ernmental or quasi-governmental institutions construct and maintain transport infrastructure like roads, rails and airports, which let workers get to the job and permit businesses move goods around the country effi- ciently. You might call it socialism. I call it getting to work without wreck- ing my car in a pot hole. 3. People overestimate the risks from high-profile events. Citizens tend to over-estimate the risk of unusual events, while under- estimating the damage that every- day risks can cause. Stop worrying about dying in a plane crash, a ter- rorist attack or a gang-land shoot out. Instead, quit smoking and cut down on binge-drinking. When you drive, wear your seat belt and don't speed or talk on your cell phone. Wear a bicycle helmet. And if you ever get elected to Congress, stop worrying about legislation to deal with exotic things like underwear bombs and missile defense and start worrying about boring things like meat inspec- tions and bridge repair. Here's the part of the column where Rachel glares at me and asks what this has to do with Michigan and Michigan students (Wait, kid, didn't I just tell you to get off my lawn?). Your real final exams start when you graduate. Well, when my columns were at their best, I hope it could serve as a basic course in political economy - explaining why the world of eco- nomics and policymaking works as it does and giving some reasonably informed views on how to improve those workings. And here's the take-home point: Remember, though I'm ending my column and you all are ending your courses, the semester's final exams aren't really final. The University exists in part to give you the knowl- edge to do well in the real world. What I'm saying is that your real final exams start when you graduate. How well you do on the job will affect the well-being of all of us in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the United States and the world at large. Good luck. We're all counting on you. Oh, and one other thing - go easy on your GSI in the end-of-semester evaluations. - Patrick O'Mahen can be reached at pomahen@umich.edu. 4 4 4 4 JERIN PHILIP I In defense of RichRod The Daily is looking for a diverse group of strong, informed, passionate writers to be columnists for the winter semester. Columnists write a 700-800 word column every other week on a topic of their choosing. If you are an opinionated and talented writer, consider applying. E-MAIL MICHELLE DEWITT AT DEWITTM@UMICH.EDU FOR MORE INFORMATION. 4 Bo Schembechler said, "Those who stay will be champions." With seven victories, the Wolverines are head- ed to the Gator Bowl, played on New Year's Day in Jacksonville, Florida. In a conference known for tough-nosed defense, Michigan has racked up 6,011 yards, the fourth best in the nation. After a season plagued by injuries and defections - in which the defense was so depleted that an unheard-of eight freshmen played in the two- deep - the future looks bright. A young defense will be stronger next year for having faced this year's baptism by fire. A young offense will only get better as the players continue to learn a com- plicated offensive system. To a neutral third party, Michigan is a young team on the rise. To many fans, however, this is a teamin sham- bles. Without flinching, they'll blurt out, "Fire the coach. He's an idiot." But firing head football coach Rich Rodriguez a move would be a disastrous move. Not only is it short-sighted, emotion-driven and impractical, it goes against the very ideals this program was built on. Rodriguez cane to the University of Michi- gan with a track record of starting slowly but taking team after team to the top. At Glenville State, he started 1-7. Three years later, he would win four consecutive conference titles. As an offensive coordinator under Tommy Bowden, Rodriguez's innovative spread led Tulane to a 12-0 record and Clemson to two bowl games in two years. As head coach at West Virginia, Rodriguez started 3-8. Within two years, the Mountaineers won the first of four conference titles. In each of his final three years at West Virginia, Rodriguez's teams finished in the top 10 of the NCAA Coaches' Poll. A less ambitious, more cautious man would double down at West Virginia. It would be the safe thing to do. Rodriguez? He moved on to the next challenge, his biggest one yet at the biggest venue: taking the helm of college foot- ball's winningest program. Initiating a sea-change in offensive philoso- phy, with no quarterbacks who were able to run the demanding zone read spread, RichRod started 3-8. With the gutsy, yet erratic Tate Forcier as the signal caller, the Wolverines improved to 5-7 the following year. In 2010, Denard Robinson assumed control at QB, and the offense flourished. "Shoelace" broke sev- eral national and team records with RichRod's offense, one perfectly suited to his unique tal- ents. The team finished 7-5. Many Wolverine watchers complain that Rodriguez hasn't recruited well on defense. They point out that he has tarnished the image of Michigan football by allowing his players to practice too much, drawing the wrath of the NCAA Committee on Infractions. These are valid concerns that can and will be fixed. Are they reason enough to fire a brilliant, tough, ambitious coach with a long track record of success? No. And here's why. Every team has cycles of success - as fresh- men mature and new schemes get implemented, there comes a point when the team peaks. Why fire a coach who is on the upward slope of that cycle? Why waste another two years transition- ing to the system of a new coach when the pieces are already in place for sustained success? Moving backwards to another standard- issue Big Ten offense is unfair to Denard Rob- inson and others recruited for the zone-read attack that Rodriguez uses in his offense. It's also unfair to Rodriguez, who has only imple- mented two full recruiting classes of his own. The University placed a hefty investment in a new coach and his innovative offensive style. This isn't the time to cut and run. The University is an extremely difficult environment for any coach to succeed in. The expectations are so high that even 9-3 seasons get called failures. Fans want results so quick- ly they often miss the potential for long-term growth. College football evolves and Rodri- guez has been ahead of the curve in the move- ment to spreads and dual-threat quarterbacks. If the University is patient and gives its coach a chance to win more games (as he has done each year in Ann Arbor and throughout his career), Wolverine fans will be rewarded. Rodriguez gave up alot to come here, endur- ing death threats from people he grew up with in West Virginia. Now, disgruntled Michigan fans are bringing out the pitchforks and call- ing for his head, even as he has engineered the most electrifying offense the school has ever seen. Patience is a virtue lost in college sports. Perhaps Bo put it best: "When your team is losing, stick by them. Keep believing." Jerin Philip is a University alum. SARAH SQUIRE I Test our GS s before they test us In her most recent column, editorial page editor Rachel Van Gilder discussed teacher quality and evaluation in response to a Michigan Senate bill that would alter the evaluation process if signed into law (Teacher examina- tion, 12/06/2010). The column neatly sidestepped any determined conclu- sion by pointing out that there is no quantifiable measure of a teacher's quality and avoided makinga connection to our education at the University and the teaching evalua- tions currently available on CTools. Van Gilder's approach was probably for the best because any sincere evaluation of the teachers at the University would find a clear failure of hiring, training and evaluation. The teachers I'm refer- ring to are graduate student instructors. I've encountered my share of less-than-impressive pro- fessors and lecturers. I've been bored to sleep mid-lecture or left to decipher lecture notes for hours with class- mates. These experiences aren't the norm for most class- es - and when they happen, professors often have lower expectations so students get a decent grade. Or students can at least look forward to a different teacher the next semester. These classes are tolerable, especially in larger classes where it's easier to meet with a GSI than the pro- fessor. But when you have a bad GSI, you're screwed. When I think of a bad GSI, I refer back to my three worst experiences. One GSI for Economics 101 dedicated adequate effort and time to teaching his class, but that didn't protect my section from suffering. The GSI often struggled to pinpoint where students were struggling. When he did understand where students needed help, his teaching style and inability to adapt to different students rarely succeeded in calming any confusion. My GSI for Discrete Mathematics walked into class each week and spent 40 minutes writing on the board without speaking, leaving the class to frantically copy down logic equations that had been left out of the text- book and lectures but were necessary to pass the exam. Deciphering his accent during the remaining 10 minutes only added insult to injury. My worst GSI? Math 216. He arrived 5 to 15 minutes late to almost every discussion. He never knew what material the lecturer had discussed, so he often attempt- ed to clarify material the lecturer had not yet taught. In lab, he didn't understand how to complete assignments. Each of these GSIs made me dread discussion section each week. I was able to make it through the classes with a few extra hours of work and with the hope for a better experience the next semester. But I can't help but think how my experience and grade in the class might have been different had I registered for a different section or my three best GSIs led these courses instead. I expect more from this University, which prides itself on being among the most elite in the world. Hopefully, GSIs who receive poor evaluations from their students are encouraged to step aside the following semester. But inevitably, there are always some GSIs that struggle. There's almost no application process to become a GSI besides providing basic information and an oral English test for non-native speakers. The College of Engineering uses a more specialized application, which is followed by an invitation to a required training session if graduate students are accepted to become instructors. All GSIs go through general training in their first semester. After that, the process is different depend- ing on the department. Graduate students in the Col- lege of LSA are welcome to sign up for a training session scheduled for the day before classes begin. While the Department of English Language and Literature has an extensive schedule for GSI training and support includ- ing a course in teaching, the Department of Economics only mentions the time requirement: two discussion sec- tions and attendance at the lectures. The College of Engi- neering has more experienced GSIs serve as graduate student mentors that new GSIs can use as a resource. But this isn't enough. GSIs are left to seek training and sup- port for a job that requires practice and feedback that the GSI Guidebook can't provide. Departments throughout the University should take a closer look at the qualifications and training for GSIs. A GSI should lead a discussion or introduce a new topic to a current class as part of the interview. Training should begin a full semester prior to the GSI's first semester teaching. In addition, the lecturer for the course and past students who took the course should sit in on discussion sessions periodically during their first semester to review and evaluate them. A round of student evaluations two weeks into the semester could help detect struggling GSIs early enough for the department to intervene and prevent sections from falling behind. Sarah Squire is the Daily's co-managing design editor. 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, Julian Toles, Laura Veith, Andrew Weiner