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4 - Friday, February 25, 2011
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
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MICHELLE DEWITT
STEPHANIE STEINBERG and EMILY ORLEY KYLE SWANSON
EDITOR IN CHIEF EDITORIAL PAGE EDITORS 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.
FROM THE DAILY
Wisconsin s woes
Governor's actions have set a scary precedent
Workers have the right to bargain with their employees
over wages, working conditions and benefits, but newly
elected Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is trying to take
that right away from state employees. Budget cuts are needed in Wis-
consin, which, like many states, is facing a major budget shortfall. But
instead of negotiating with public-sector unions, Walker is trying to
eliminate them altogether. His actions have paralyzed Wisconsin as
protesters have gathered at the Capitol, and he has set a dangerous
precedent for the rest of the country. Governors facing deficits should
work with unions to produce sensible budgets, not use shortfalls to
attack public employees.
A New Age' thought process
n my last column, (Encourage
crazy ideas, (2/11/2011) I dis-
cussed the importance of non-
linear thought,
thinking outside
of the box and I
highlighted an'
upcoming forum.
called TEDx-
UofM that will
showcase some
of the Univer-
sity's leaders in TULIAN
this regard. I TOLES
now realize that
I may have left
some readers with one deeply burn-
ing question: How do I develop my
own "crazy" idea?
An often essential component of
crazinessiscreativity.Whathappens
when you unite creativity, multiple
disciplines, enthusiasm and spiritu-
ality? If you guessed "magic," you're
completely correct. Congratulations.
Welcome to Creative Process.
Officially titled UARTS 250, the
class unites a diverse group of stu-
dents from various stages in their
academic careers and offers the
perfect medium for collaboration.
Students spend two weeks each in a
unit on art, dance, architecture and
engineering. This provides them
the chance to forge relations with
faculty who they would likely never
interact with outside the confines of
a focused course load.
One of the University's most
intriguing courses, Creative Process
seeks to overturn the commonly
held belief that creativity is a natu-
ral essence, an x-factor-like attribute
passed down genetically that bene-
fits only the winners of the "ovarian
lottery," as investor Warren Buffet
calls it. The course aims to demystify
our notion of creativity.
We're provided random and
quirky prompts such as "butter," or
"things fall apart", atypical materi-
alsandunexpectedtasks.Thecourse
forces participants to step outside of
their coveted comfort zone.
It's a pioneering course with a
noble goal: To serve as a beacon to
"inform or inspire similar courses at
other Michigan institutions," as the
course description states. But as stu-
dents, we also gain inspiration from
one another. I've been in awe at each
and every project display day we've
had thus far, and was especially
amazed by a classmate who inter-
preted her "weightlessness" prompt
as a command to set her final project
ablaze - which she did.
Whereas most courses seek to
instill convergent thought, Creative
Process embraces the divergent.
There is no "one right answer" and
no "one way to get there," other
than commitment, of course. This
stipulation is where the latter half of
the namesake, the process - which
invites ingenuity and persistence -
comes into play.
And with an optional meditation
component, the class encourages
life skills far beyond the confines of
classroom walls. A weekly colloqui-
um on spirituality is one of the most
attractive and unexpected aspects
of the course. It embraces a "New
Age" thought process, which has
gained credence in the mainstream
with the likes of gurus Deepak Cho-
pra and, to a lesser extent, hip-hop
mogul Russell Simmons. Inspired
by the likes of philosopher and
mystic Meister Eckhart, students
explore the four paths to creativity
in a hands-off manner by embracing
mindfulness.
UARTS 250 helps
students develop
'crazy' ideas.
A refreshing air of calmness and
tranquility fills the interspaces of
the seminar during this portion of
class - two emotions that we typi-
cally don't associate with any type
of lecture during our college years.
I, for one, never dreamed of a class
with an emphasized spirituality
component.
In the end, it may not be as much
about unearthing one's creative
capacities as it is about cultivating
and reigniting them. As Pablo Picas-
so said, "Every child is an artist. The
problem is to remain an artist once
they grow up." If you're a student
looking for anenthralling and inspir-
ing course next winter, remember to
seek out Creative Process.
-Julian Toles can be reached
at jaytoles@umich.edu.
Wisconsin faces a $3.6 billion budget defi-
cit over the next three years. Among Walker's
proposals to cover that gap is a bill that would
require state employees to vote each year on
whether their union should exist and limit
public-sector employees' right to yearly col-
lective bargaining meetings with state offi-
cials. Since Walker announced his plan last
week, protesters have crowded the state Capi-
tol in Madison, jamming galleries and sleeping
among statues on the rotunda floor. Fourteen
Democratic senators have taken refuge in Illi-
nois, leaving the state Senate without enough
members to vote on the plan.
Union leaders in Wisconsin say they're will-
ing to accept all the cuts the governor has pro-
posed. The fact that Walker continues to push
for an end to collective bargaining proves that
he isn't interested in balancing the budget -
he wants to dismantle the unions. Through
misleading language of fiscal responsibil-
ity, Republicans in Wisconiifare working to
break state-employee unions.
Wisconsin Republicans - including Walker
- share agreat deal of the blame for the state's
current fiscal woes. The new state Legislature
irrationally passed $117 million in tax cuts as
soon as members took office, knowing that
the cuts would only increase the state's multi
billion-dollar deficit. Wisconsin Democrats
deserve credit for their decision to leave the
state. By preventing the state Senate from con-
vening, they may force Walker to tone down
his misguided proposal.
There are times when it may be necessary
for the government to limit union rights, but
there's a big difference between limiting
rights and takingthem away all together. State
employees hadn't yet come to the bargain-
ing table when the governor announced his
plan to take away their right to bargain. They
went on strike only after he refused to meet
with union leaders. Walker's effort to defeat
public-sector unions is the latest assault in an
unprecedented Republican offensive against
working-class Americans.
Wisconsin's careless governor has set a
terrible precedent that other states under
Republican leadership are beginning to fol-
low. Republicans in Indiana and Ohio have
proposed similar bills to limit both public- and
private-sector labor unions. Michigan Repub-
lican Gov. Rick Snyder has, admirably, stated
his intention to work with state employees'
unions through the budget process. This is the
model that other states should follow as they
face fiscal crises of their own. Wisconsin's
governor - and other Republicans - should
foster a spirit of cooperation, rather than all-
or-nothing policies.
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
Forget Hollywood stereotypes
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS:
Aida Ali, Will Butler, Elli Chessen, Michelle:DeWitt, Ashley Griesshammer,
Melanie Kruvelis, Patrick Maillet, Erika Mayer, Harsha Nahata, Emily Orley,
Harsha Panduranga, Teddy Papes, Asa Smith, Seth Soderborg, Andrew Weiner
MATTHEW SHUTLER I
Harry Potter and 'U'
As a self-proclaimed member of the "Harry
Potter" Generation, I've spent the past 15
years fighting alongside Harry,' Hermione
and Ron as they grew from little children
to powerful adults. In a way, their journey
mirrored my own - only without a wand
or those annoying life-or-death encounters.
The "Harry Potter" series helped usher me -
and millions of others - into adulthood, giv-
ing us an intricate and extraordinary world
to lose ourselves in. Filled with supremely
real characters, there was never a lack of role
models or situations that I could relate to.
Whether it was dating, dealing with loss or
just being happy, Harry Potter has been there
and shown me that these feelings are univer-
sal. No one is alone.
HarryPotter has certainlyhad an impacton
my generation, and I don't think it's an over-
statement to call it one of the biggest cultural
phenomenons of all time. I still remember
practicing the "swish and flick" and "dueling"
with friends at recess with sticks we found
(yeah, we were just that cool). It's stemmed
numerous incarnations - literary and non -
to create a little bit of magic in our world. You
can even visit Hogsmeade and Hogwarts now
if you happen to be in Orlando. But the truer
test of its power and impact comes on a much
more personal scale. Rowling's masterpiece
has helped guide me to where I am now, and I
know I'm not the only one who feels that way.
As Harry made friends, enemies, fell in love,
out of love and back into love, I was, and still
am, doing the same. The true mark of Harry
Potter is that in a world filled with magic,
brooms, dragons and someone who'goes by the
name Lord Voldemort, it's the characters and
life events that truly color the pages.
As I walk through campus - especially the
Law Quad - I feel as though one could easily
transport themselves to this world. The Uni-
versity is our own personal Hogwarts. A place
to live, learn and love. This school is definitely
full of magic - anyone who's eaten in the caf-
eteria during one of the Thanksgiving dinners
knows that's pretty much as close as one can
get to a feast in the Great Hall. It's here, just
walking with friends, that I feel most con-
nected, or maybe it's just that college has been
the best comparison to the wizarding world
of Harry Potter (bonus points for those who
know what that was a reference to). While I've
never had a class as fun as flying or a teacher
quite like Hagrid, the realness of the books
and characters makes getting into the Uni-
versity feel like I received my own personal
Hogwart's letter. I treasure my time here,
and I think I appreciate its magic all the more
because of reading these books.
As Harry's journey reaches its conclusion
with his final cinematic romp taking place this
summer, I feel as though I'm finally graduat-
ing as well. I'll be starting my final year at the
University and preparing for life outside its
walls and comfort. While my career choices
sadly don't include being an Auror or dragon
trainer, the possibilities are still endless. I
plan to tackle the unknown of the next couple
years with the same determination and excite-
ment that I've used waiting for and reading
these books. The series has helped countless
people find a love for books and reading, but
what I think is even more important, is that
it's helped people find their voices. So go take a
break fromstudying, lose yourselfinthe magi-
cal world and catch up with some old friends.
You'll be doing yourself a favor.
Matthew Shutler is an LSA junior.
C ongratulations! If you're
reading this, it means you've
survived the most challeng-
ing week of the
semester thus
far. You've stud-
ied for three
exams, knocked
out a 10-page
paper and tried
not to slap your
classmates while SARAH
preparing for yet .
another group SMITH
project. You had
to sacrifice pre-
cious hours of sleep and sell your
soul to Starbucks to find the energy
to keep going, but it's all over now -
and if you're lucky, you're packing
your bags to travel somewhere far,
far away from Ann Arbor for Spring
Break.
While it may seem obvious,
our collective pursuit of academic
achievement is what we all have in
common as students. But as a mem-
ber of a sorority, I'm often bothered
by the lack of attention given to
the scholastic achievements of our
Greek community. One of the most
prominent stereotypes about fra-
ternities and sororities is that their
members are stupid - caring more
about an upcoming party or going
shopping than their homework or
that exam next week. (See: John
"Bluto" Blutarsky and Elle Woods.)
I won't dispute that among the
University's 5,000 Greeks, there
are probably some who fit that ste-
reotype. But as a community, we
certainly don't. At the University of
Michigan, the All-Greek GPA is con-
sistently higher than the All-Univer-
sity GPA, suggesting that fraternity
and sorority members aren't only
matching their non-Greek counter-
parts in the classroom, but actually
outperforming them.
Certainly, every student at a uni-
versity as prestigious as ours is intel-
ligent,-and there are lots of men and
women here who are doing well in
their studies without being affiliated
with a Greek organization. But it's
clear that Greeks enjoy an academic
edge. So the question becomes, why?
In my experience as a leader both in
my sorority and in the greater Greek
community, I've identified several
factors that, in my opinion, make
fraternity and sorority members
more likely to succeed.
The first thing to consider is the
sheer foundation of our organiza-
tions. The earliest fraternities and
sororities began as scholastic groups
and literary societies - places for
men and women to meet outside the
classroom and discuss what they
were learning. Over the years, Greek
organizations have incorporated
social and philanthropic elements,
but the original emphasis on scholar-
ship hasn't been forgotten. Today's
Greek organizations have high
expectations for their members, and
most chapters have minimum GPA
requirements that are enforced for
current brothers and sisters and for
the men and women who are inter-
ested in joining their organization.
While GPA requirements may
seem trivial, I think they have a
major impact. In my two years of
recruiting women for my sorority,
I've seen that scholarship can make
a big difference - there have been
potential new members who we've
removed from our consideration
because they didn't meet our aca-
demic standards. On the contrary, if
I learn that a woman going through
recruitment had graduated at the
top of her class in high school, Iwill
want her to join my organization
because I know that she has high
personal standards and prioritizes
academic success. Additionally, a
GPA requirement forces current
fraternity and sorority members to
continue to prioritize their studies
throughout college because fall-
ing below it could result in expul-
sion from the organization. Thus,
if members prioritize their Greek
involvement, they must also priori-
tize their grades to remain a brother
or sister of their organization.
Fraternities and sororities also
develop scholarship programs to
help their members succeed academ-
ically. These programs vary widely
from chapter to chapter, but they
often include providing places to
study and recognizinghigh achieve-
ment. My chapter, for example, has
two rooms in the house reserved
for quiet study and holds a scholar-
ship dinner every semester to honor
the women who have succeeded the
most in their studies.
Greek members
are definitely
making the grade.
Other chapters do things like
reserving rooms at University librar-
ies for their members or raffling off
gift cards to sisters who have aced
a test recently. Furthermore, the
Panhellenic Association encour-
ages chapters to publicly announce
their members' accomplishments
at weekly Panhel meetings. Most
importantly, fraternities and sorori-
ties can assist members who are
struggling by finding a brother or
sister to tutor them or developing
individualized study plans for each
member who needs help.
Regardless of the reason, frater-
nity and sorority members at the
University are definitely making the
grade, perhaps even more so than
non-Greek students. So let's leave
Hollywood stereotypes behind and
recognize that Greeks aren't stupid
- they're actually pretty darn smart.
Sarah Smith can be reached
at smisarah@umich.edu.