4A- Wednesday, February 2, 2011 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com 4A - Wednesday, February 2, 2011 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom 0 4C Ic i att a30lo Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@michigandaily.com -the Blogging Blue: Will Butler says Republicans are guilty by association with President Barack Obama. p . im Go to michigandaily.com/blogs/The Podium Develop your department STEPHANIE STEINBERG EDITOR IN CHIEF MICHELLE DEWITT and EMILY ORLEY EDITORIAL PAGE EDITORS kYLE SWANSON 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. A plan in motion AATA should consider 'U' transportation needs ublic transportation around Ann Arbor and the Detroit area could potentially get a much-needed face-lift in the coming years. The Ann Arbor Transit Authority has released three options for new mass transit plans, which include adjustments to public transportation options throughout Ann Arbor and a "smart growth" plan that would incorporate travel between Ann Arbor, Detroit and the surrounding areas. When discussing the proposals, the AATA should aim to improve public transportation and infra- structure around campus and the Ann Arbor area. Members of the community should also utilize the environmentally-friendly transit options once they become available. Though my College of Engi- neering housemates might disagree, LSA rocks. Every day I enjoy a an interdisci- plinary study through a lib- , eral arts lens, and I never haveae to take a bus to get to a class on North Campus. JEFF And with all WOJCIK respect to the No. 7 under- graduate engineering program in the country, I am glad I am a stu- dent in the College of Literature, Science and the Arts. U.S. News and World Report stated that for 2010, 67 LSA depart- ments are in the top 10 in the coun- try, and nine departments ranked No. 1 in the country. All around us is academic excellence, and we will reap the benefits years from now when we are curing diseases, end- ing world famine and producing award-winning films. But while our faculty is top-notch and our academic playground is engaging, sometimes our departments inter- act with us students in ways that leave us scratching our heads. Some departments give their concentrators weekly newsletters with summaries, helpful resources and important reminders. Yet oth- ers contact their concentrators at random, with little productive use of their undergraduate listserv. Many departments have student clubs and peer advisers, which pro- vide a sense of community to stu- dents who share a major or minor. But other departments don't pro- vide these venues and connections for undergraduates. As students, we need to help develop our depart- ments to better cater to our needs. We need to partner with schools to improve our top-ranked programs and make the best departments even better. The idea is to find the leading practices in LSA departments and help apply those ideas to depart- ments that are struggling to pro- vide all they can to students. We want to find the best things that our nationally-recognized depart-, ments are doing and convince other departments to follow their lead. We need your help to do this. Last semester, LSA Student Gov- ernment started the Concentration Council - a group of students who serve as liaisons and representa- tives between their department and the student body. One or two stu- dents from each department join other representatives to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of their concentrations and determine which departments are the mostsuccessful. Using a variety of metrics like advis- ing, course offerings, community building and resource creation, the organization evaluates the good and bad aspects of every corner of LSA and works to find solutions to the concerns in each department. The representatives then return to their departments to discuss ideas and solutions to improve the experience of undergraduates in their major and in LSA. We are doing this because students are the ones who know what areas need improvement and which ones are working well. LSA is incredibly supportive of our efforts, and many in the dean's office are also lookingto find the best practices in LSA. But it's the undergraduates who should be making the changes in the college. In just the last two months of the fall 2010 semester, LSA under- graduate students came together and reworked the way departments communicate with their concentra- tors. This semester, several depart- ments have started a newsletter for their concentrators. Additionally, a new department tool was created through work with the Newnan Academic Advising Center to help departments learn how their con- centrators engage and perceive the department's work. In the com- ing weeks we will be developing a peer mentorship program that all departments can use to better interact with concentrators and streamline the way students con- nect with tutoring resources. We'll also be pushing for all LSA units to use the Online Advising Report system to help students travel from adviser to adviser and keep track of their relationship with the advising system. Students should help to make changes in LSA. We are currently seeking inter- ested students to help advance the mission of the council and improve the academic resources provided by LSA departments. To apply, please go to sitemaker.umich.edu/lsas- gconcentrationcouncil and tell us about your interest in improving your department and LSA. You will work with other like-minded stu- dents to find the solutions to prob- lems in your departments. Let's make this place even better. By the way, engineers, if you'd like to help us out, please let us know. -Jeff Wojcik is the LSA Academic Relations Officer. He can be reached at jawojcik@umich.edu. 0 According to a Jan. 27 AnnArbor.com arti- cle, the plans currently being reviewed aim to improve public transportation not only within Ann Arbor, but also between surrounding cit- ies. Each of the 30-year plans - which will be voted on in March - include a shuttle service from Detroit Metro Airport to cities in Washt- enaw County. Smart Growth - the most com- prehensive of the three mass transit proposals - willfurther increase the availability of pub- lic transportation between Ann Arbor and cities in the metro Detroit area. The AATA released estimates this week that state that the cost of the new services range from $120 million to $566 million, according to a Jan. 31 AnnArbor.com article. Last night, AATA project coordinators met with community members at the Ann Arbor District Library to discuss the proposed changes. In the Smart Growth proposal, the AATA laid out plans to build a high-capacity tran- sit system,!create "high frequency" services within the most active areas in the county and listed street cars, trams and rapid bus transit as possible options. These services would cut wait times for passengers and increase avail- able transportation within cities. It's current- ly an expensive struggle for people without a car, or those who are trying to avoid using their car to get to the Detroit Metro Airport, and these updates could hugely expedite that process. While also keeping cost in mind, the AATA should consider a plan that will help connect Ann Arbor with surrounding cities. The selected plan also needs to explicitly address the needs of University students and provide on-going transportation between campus and the Ann Arbor area. It's not very easy to get around Ann Arbor without a car - which many students don't have - and the AATA needs to approve a plan that addresses that concern. By providing students ample travel options, the AATA can make getting around campus easier, while also reducing the environmental impact of people on campus. Once a plan is finalized, students and Ann Arbor residents need to take advantage of the comprehensive transit system. According to AATA Project Coordinator Michael Benham, the current transit mode share - the percent- age of public transportation used compared to other vehicles in Ann Arbor - is at a mere 6.2 percent. With the increase in available pub- lic transit, along with proposed expansion of carpool programs and bike paths,Washtenaw County commuters, including University students, need to reduce their dependency on cars and utilize more eco-friendly travel options. With an end to the county-wide debate over the ideal transit plan in sight, the AATA should consider the transportation needs of students. In turn, students must also take advantage of the 'green' transit options avail- able and restrict use of gas-guzzling cars in favor of public transportation. EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS: Aida Ali, Will Butler, Michelle DeWitt, Ashley Griesshammer, Erika Mayer, Harsha Nahata, Emily Orley; Harsha Panduranga, Teddy Papes, Roger Sauerhaft, Seth Soderborg, Andrew Weiner Crumbling infrastructurne 0 LEtIL ST SEND LETTERS TO: TOTHEDAILY@MICHIGANDAILY.COM Emphasize ownership over location offirearms tracking the sale and ownership of each fire- arm which finds its way into the citizenry. Danny Fries LSA senior TO THE DAILY: The Michigan Daily's editorial on Tuesday (Rethink Gun Legislation, 02/01/2011) was onT r e rssus than target with some points, but missed others." Neither "side" in our strident American the campus smoking ban political climate is justified in rushing to a regulate or deregulate extreme. This argu- TO THE DAILY: ment is echoed by moderates from both sides I am a conservative, and I oppose most ini- of the aisle, aswell as independents. There can tiatives that require significant discretion- be no doubt that the immediate rush of pro- ary spending and impose greater government posed deregulation laws observed in Michi- interference in the lives of Americans. This gan and elsewhere (Arizona Senate Bill 1201, includes the campus smoking ban set to take South Dakota House Bill No. 1237) are a bit of effect in July. I found Timothy Hall's piece (A pre-emptive politicking by staunch conserva- burdensome ban, 1/31/2011), however, to be a tives who fear a wave of attempted regulation. little over the top. Indeed, there seems to be intrinsic merit Setting aside the flawed intimation that Presi- to the argument "certain environments are dent Mary Sue Coleman decided to pursue this ill-suited for the concealed carry of firearms." initiative for personal economic gain, it was But to use blanket statements like "large Martin Luther King, Jr.'s quest to gain the most crowds" and "places where people are drink- basic civil rights for African Americans along- ing" tends to ignore specific instances where side that of the mild inconvenience smokers on deregulation would be ok. As an example, let's campus will face beginning this summer that use one of the proposed deregulation spots: struck me as objectionable. I know Hall didn't residence halls. Many students drink in the equate these two things directly, but even an dorms, but there are many who don't. How indirect association is overly dramatic, not to do we choose who can legally carry a firearm? mention disrespectful to those who actually The answer may be a combination of carefully endured maltreatment in decades past. nuanced legislation which addresses our abil- The time has come to put the smoking ban ity to maintain and track the sale of firearms, into perspective. Not to give up on pursuing a without a heavy focus on actual locations stop to it if that's the goal, but to at least con- where carrying a concealed weapon is legal. sider how valuable our time spent on this issue I disagree with the article's claim that really is. On so many days in this paper's opin- allowing faculty and staff to carry concealed ion section, I have read two or three thought- weapons (CCW) could have "horrible conse- provoking, well-reasoned pieces - and then quences." Banning CCW from public offices, yet another piece about the smoking ban that public spaces, or public schools will not solve essentially repeats what has already been said. the problem; it didn't stop a massacre from Whether or not smoking is allowed on campus, occurring at Virginia Tech, and it wouldn't the University offers an incredibly wide vari- have stopped Jared Loughner. Gun regula- ety of viewpoints and opportunities. It would tion has historically limited only those who be foolish to allow the space consumed by an responsibly use firearms. issue like this to prevent us from taking advan- To reiterate, gun control legislation - or tage of them. de-regulation legislation - shouldn't be so concerned with where and when it's appropri- Nicole Miller ate to carry weapons, but rather meticulously LSA sophmore 1t 4 was once told that C's get degrees. It's a common adage that fills any student who receives a less- than-satisfac- tory grade with a glimmer of hope. It reminds students that life as we know it doesn't begin' and end with a grade point aver- JOE age, and it grants SUGIYAMA some humor to an extraordinary not funny situation. Getting a D is another story. A story that usually ends by retaking a class that you've already learned to hate. There aren't many words of compassion for someone who's come to the conclu- sion that summer term is the only plausible way to graduate on time. I guess taking a summer course isn't the end of the world - just the end of some of your parent's hard-earned money - and it forces unlucky students to count their blessings as they get a second chance. Colleges have built this re-do system into their infrastructure to keep the checks coming in and allow students to accomplish their ultimate goal of getting a degree. The infrastructure of the United States may needa simi- lar get-out-of-jail-free card - minus the "free" part. In President Barack Obama's State of the Union address last week, he informed America that our infrastructure is crumbling - literally. Roads, bridges, trans- portation systems, drinking water systems and our methods of deliv- ering energy have been scrutinized by the American Society of Civil Engineers in its annual infrastruc- ture report card. The ASCE is the authority on infrastructure in the U.S. and has given us an overall grade of a D. But what exactly does that grade mean? It means that given the current state of our infrastructure, our sys- tems will begin to fail in the very near future. It means that the esti- mated lifetime of structures, like dams and bridges, are coming to an end. It means that America will need a facelift for the ages on pretty much everything we have come to rely on. Through research and studies, the ASCE has decided that in order to prevent our country from falling apart around us, an estimated $2.2 trillion investment is needed over the next five years. Though this egregious sum isn't quite equitable to a semester's tuition, infrastruc- ture is a required course in just about every country. I'll admit that majoring in civil engineering has made me a bit biased - if Obama wanted to give your pro- fession $2.2 trillion you'd be jump- ing for joy as well - but that doesn't mean that my vision is clouded by job prospects. This problem is about as serious as they come and letting this information pass by is simply not an option for a variety of reasons. Drinking water systems - receiv- ing a D-, the lowest grade in the study - are becoming obsolete. The life expectancy of many water plants is shortening and leaking pipes are losing about 7 billion gallons of clean drinking water a day. Soon, the cost of cleaning and transporting drink- ing water will be more than the allot- ted funding needed to keep systems running. Roads received a D-, based on quality and traffic congestion, and there aren't many residents in Michi- gan who would argue with that grade. The ASCE estimates that one- third of our roads need repair, and traffic congestion costs Americans about 4.2 billion hours a year of sit- ting mindlessly in traffic. I don't know about you, but that's about 4.2 billion more hours of radio-broad- casted Ke$ha than Americans want to listen to. D grades aren't acceptable for America. I could go on with this list for another 700 words. The statistics are equally alarming for each of the 15 categories that the ASCE investi- gated, and each grade raises the same question of how these problems are going to be fixed. The ASCE has determined that addressing these issues will require America to increase federal leader- ship, promote sustainable systems that can stand the test of time, devel- op plans to implement these new systems, figure out what it will take to stop the crumbling process and - of course - find a way to come up with the $2.2 trillion needed. It will be an arduous journey, but without a well-engineered plan for our infra- structural future, we could be in for a bumpy ride - literally. Joe Sugiyama can be reached at jmsugi@umich.edu. S 0 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Readers are encouraged to submit letters to the editor. Letters should be fewer than 300 words and must include the writer's full name and University affiliation. We do not print anonymous letters. Send letters to tothedaily@michigandaily.com