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The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
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Edited and managed by students at
the University of Michigan since 1890.
420 Maynard St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
tothedaily@michigandaily.com
You can't simultaneously fire teachers and
Tomahawk missiles:'
- "The Daily Show" host John Stewart said on America's budget deficit
and the onset of a military operation in Libya.
What's nextfor Japan?
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.
From New York to'U'
The New York Times will benefit students
The campus community may soon have daily access to one of
the most well-recognized newspapers in the world. A pro-
posal on the Michigan Student Assembly ballot will gauge
students' reactions to the University adopting The New York Times
College Readership Program, which will allow students to pick up a
copy of the newspaper around campus for just $4 per student each
semester. When voting today, students should support the program,
and give MSA the chance to push it through the administration.
a
The proposal coincides with The New
York Times website's introduction of an
online subscription fee. Starting March 28,
readers of the online edition will only be
able to read 20 articles each month for free.
People who wish to read more articles than
the limit allows will have to pay for an online
subscription for full digital access, which can
cost more than $450 each year. In contrast,
the College Readership Program will only
add $4 per student to each semester's tuition,
which is a small price to pay for this impor-
tant resource that students might not other-
wise seek out. This relatively minor expense
provides students with more extensive and
detailed information about national and
international issues.
Ifthe proposal passes, the program -which
has been successfully implemented at more
than 400 campuses nationwide including
Ohio State University and Pennsylvania State
University - will distribute 3,000 to 4,500
copies of the paper at different drop boxes
around campus Monday through Friday. Any
student will be able to pick upa paper just like
they pick up The Michigan Daily. By reading
The New York Times, students on campus can
stay informed about what's going on in the
world beyond State Street and engage in con-
versations with their peers and classmates.
Even professors can take advantage of the
new program by connecting concepts taught
in lecture to real-world events, encouraging
students to employ their knowledge outside of
the classroom.
In addition to the discounted price, The
Times offers several perks for schools that
commit to the readership program. Accord-
ing to a March 16 Daily article, participating
campuses can schedule speaking events with
Times journalists, as well as other services
uniquely available through the program. For
just a few dollars a year, students would have.
the opportunity to engage with some of the
most established writers in journalism today
and discuss some of the most pressing current
topics with leading political minds.
If this agreement is passed, students need
to take advantage of this opportunity. Stu-
dents should pick up copies of The Times and
learn about what is going on outside of campus
boundaries. If they don't, their small invest-
ment of $4 is wasted.
As college students, it's our responsibility to
engage in global events and to understand the
world that we're about to enter. By providing
students with low-cost access to The Times,
the University can ensure that we really do
know "all the news that's fit to print." At $4 a
semester, we can't afford not to.
Tectonic plates are responsi-
ble for the world as we know
it. Without this geologi-
cal movement
of the Earth's
crust, you could
kiss the Atlantic
Ocean goodbye,
and we would be
able to walk from
North America
to Africa. Tec-
tonic plate move- JOE
ments are also SUGIYAMA
responsible for
the tragedy that
struck Japan earlier this month. The
shifting of the Earth's crust is pre-
cisely what caused the 9.0-magni-
tude earthquake - and the ensuing
tsunami - to shake the world.
Death tolls in Japan continue to
rise, as the aftermath of one of the
worst natural disasters in modern
day history continues to escalate.
The most recent estimates place the
number of missing or dead at more
than 25,000 - with more than 9,500
confirmed dead and 16,000 people
still missing, according to a March
23 New York Times article. This car-
nage can't be summed up by a few
numbers, and the horror of earth-
quake is something that most of us
will never know.
I'm extremely grateful that my
family members in Japan were for-
tunate enough to escape the disaster
with minimal anxiety. But despite
their personal safety, their minds
can't be at ease yet. They're waiting
to hear news on friends and loved
ones who may have been in the
afflicted area.
The question of what's next for
Japan is ever present in the minds
of the Japanese and those who
have watched the story unfold in
the news and on the Internet. Cur-
rently, the afflicted nation is facing
contaminated food and water sup-
plies, nuclear power plant failures
and massive rubble clean ups that
threaten the health and safety of the
Japanese.
The food and water contamination
goes hand in hand with the nuclear
power plant failures. The failure of
the plants comes from the failure of
the water pumps that are used to cool
the nuclear reactors. Nuclear reac-
tors reach extremely high tempera-
tures during the fission process and
therefore need to be cooled constant-
ly to lower the risk of a meltdown
situation. However, once the reactors
reach critical temperatures, radioac-
tivity becomes a major health risk.
This radioactivity can cause harm to
people as well as contaminate food
and water supplies.
This is what the Japanese gov-
ernment is facing. Efforts are being
made right now to cool the reactors
to a manageable temperature, but if
thoseeffortsfail,buryingthe nuclear
power plants may be the only option.
Covering the plants with sand and
concrete would be the Band-Aid
approach to the problem, but it may
also be the only viable option. Even
after burying the plants, the radio-
activity could still contaminate local
groundwater supplies and would
most likely result in the relocation of
thousands of Japanese citizens who
live near the plants.
The disaster in Japan was com-
pletely unavoidable. There's no way
to stop an earthquake from com-
ing in the same way that there's no
way to stop the Earth from spin-
ning. And the cleanup - which is
estimated to cost $248 billion -
also comes with the territory. But
Japan's earthquake precautions
have made it "the best prepared
country in the world," according to
MIT geophysicist Stephane Ron-
denay. Japan's forewarning system
- which includes more than 1,000
seismographs around the country
- alerted the citizens of the earth-
quake 80 seconds before it actu-
ally hit. This warning system - in
combination with building designs
that are meant to withstand the
shock of earthquakes - gave many
the opportunity to seek safety and
minimized the impact of the quake.
If the quake had hit an under-
developed nation, the world would
be looking at a situation even more
devastating than the Haiti earth-
quake that killed hundreds of thou-
sands of Haitians. Bear in mind that
Haiti was hit by a 7.0-magnitude
earthquake, which - according to
the Richter Scale - has about 1,000
times less energy than the 9.0-mag-
nitude earthquake that hit Japan.
It's almost unimaginable to think of
how many lives were saved by the
preparations that were put in place
by the Japanese. This preparation
is something that should be com-
mended as well as duplicated.
Everyone
should donate
to relief efforts.
The United States has literally
built earthquake preparation into
its infrastructure. The addition of
rebar to concrete block structures
is just one example of how this is
done. Underdeveloped countries
in seismically active zones need
safer building designs and disaster
action plans, which are something
more-developed nations can help
with. Such movements have the
potential to save countless lives and
should be seriously looked into by
relief organizations.
All the preparation in the world
didn't change the fact that many
Japanese citizens lost their lives
during and after the earthquake.
Relief efforts are underway, and
even though you're probably apoor
college student like we all are, I
encourage everyone to donate to
those efforts. Even if you can only
spare a few bucks, you'll rack up
some serious karma points.
-Joe Sugiyama can be reached
at jmsugi@umich.edu.
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS:
Aida Ali, Will Butler. Ellie 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
L ETT ERS TO THE EDI R SEND LETTERS TO: TOTHEDAILY@MICHIGANDAILY.COM
The online edition of The
New York Times is enough
will be used to sur
There is someth
a physical newspal
ing. However, giv
distributes thous
TO THE DAILY: among which man
After being bombarded by the usual peti- we ethically sign-
tions, offers of free cake and request to sup- newspapers - es
port the GEO strike, I was finally able to grab much more paper
my copy of The Michigan Daily and a surprise The Times does a;
free copy of The New York Times. I love Will edition, so why wa
Shortz's crossword puzzles, the dining and print edition?
travel sections are amazing, and the restof the I don't think ot
paper is pretty great, so naturally I was pretty the Daily, so whyM
excited to practice my latte art and enjoy a a newspaper avails
good read. Yes, faculty and st
So what gives? I noticed that there was a Times, but why n
website where I could understand this new and I are already:
periodical pilot (msa.umich.edu/nyt) and be a financial was
learned that the Michigan Student Assembly waste of paper. WI
is soliciting student input through the cam- The Times puzzle
pus-wide vote today. In order to have daily Times? We would
copies of The Times, each student will have what we really wa
to pay an additional $4 per semester - that weeder class (read
will be automatically added to your student chem) lectures.
invoice - which will allow the University to
provide roughly 4,000 copies across campus. Avery Robinson
Today's vote is NOT the deciding factor, but LSA junior
vey student reactions.
hing about readinga paper,
per, that's such agreat feel-
'en that the Daily already
sands of print editions,
ny are left unread, how can
off to print out 4,000 more
pecially considering how
is involved in The Times.
great job with their online
aste money and paper for a
ne in 10 of my friends read
would it make sense to have
able for one in 10 students?
aff will be able to read The
ot read it online like you
doing? Not only would this
te, it would also be a huge
hat if the Daily were to use
s and not The Los Angeles
save money, paper and get
ant - a way to zone out of
: intro stats, bio, psych and
- the Science Savvy: Nick Clift explores the IMAGINE program that
seeks to bring information to Africa through Internet access.
o Go to michigandaily.com/blogs/The Podium
ALl MAREDIA AND TOM STUCKEY |
Support MVP
As members of the Michigan Vision Party at the Uni-
versity, we pride ourselves on our accomplishments in
student government over the past few years. We are
thrilled to have had the opportunity to work closely with
the student body and many prominent and promising
young student leaders on campus. Our party's members'
involvement in the Michigan Student Assembly con-
tinues to be robust, and we continue to be a key driving
force behind many MSA commissions and initiatives.
And while we have chosen not to run an executive slate
for president and vice president in this year's election,
we remain committed to providing the leadership, ideas,
vision and results that are required to help the student
body at the University reach its fullest potential.
Our candidates for representatives to MSA have all
demonstrated unique abilities and incredible diversity in
their backgrounds and in their involvement with various
student groups and organizations here on campus. All of
them have remarkable leadership experience and a track
record of achieving results in their endeavors. Our slate
for this year, which includes six candidates for MSA, an
LSA representative and a candidate for the College of
Engineering and School of Public Policy, is well versed in
campus issues and understands the concerns of all Uni-
versity students. And their vision for where they want to
take the University next is nothingshort of incredible.
The initiatives that our candidates are fighting for
range from tackling concrete issues like Saturday Night
Dining and increased bus service on weekends, to pro-
moting open housing policies and greater communica-
tion, transparency and student participation in student
government on campus. Several of our candidates have
been the driving force on MSA behind various student
leadership initiatives, increased funding for student
groups, more streamlined student government and great-
er cooperation between studentorganizations. They have
all pledged to listen to you, as students of the University,
to ensure that the issues important to you are addressed
in a forum that meets your needs.
If elected, we look forward to working closely with
various departments of the University administration,
from the Board of Regents to the Department of Public
Safety, all in an effort to make sure that the concerns of
all University students are heard. MSA should be your
forum, your portal to the rest of the University. In addi-
tion to some of the various projects outlined above, we
will work closely to facilitate interaction, cooperation
and communication between student groups, Univer-
sity departments and students themselves. Overhauling
the MSA website and providingnew, effective interfaces
through which students can find out about new events or
initiatives that may affect them or grab their interest are
some of our top priorities. We are hopeful that we will
have the support of the student body in implementing
these new changes in order to increase communication
and the effectiveness of MSA as a forum through which
ideas can be exchanged across campus, all the way from
the Michigan Union to North Campus.
We thank the students of the University for the trust
and confidence they've placed in us before. And we
pledge that we will continue our mission to serve the stu-
dent body and students' interests through student gov-
ernment on MSA. With your vote and your support, we
will make MSA the students' assembly, and a place where
all students can see their vision translated into real prog-
ress on campus.
Ali Maredia is an LSA sophomore. Tom Stuckey
is a Ross School of Business junior. They are both
party chairs of the Michigan Vision Party.
Support the Daily by voting
against NYTproposal
TO THE DAILY:
The Michigan Student Assembly recently
announced a pilot program of The New York
Times College Readership Program on cam-
pus (msa.umich.edu/nyt). While our student
assembly has yet to express any endorse-
ment to this program, they're seeking feed-
back on an initiative that would add a $4
fee to every student's tuition bill in order to
extend the provision into perpetuity. This
$4 fee would provide 3,000 to 4,500 cop-
ies of The New York Times daily, "free" to
students and distributed around campus at
various locations.
The Michigan Daily currently provides
18,000 copies each day to students and Ann
Arbor residents. Not only does this student-
run paper come at absolutely no cost to the
University community, but it includes exclu-
sive local coverage as well as syndicated
national coverage provided by The Associ-
ated Press.
It seems ridiculous that MSA is asking for
hundreds of thousands of dollars annually to
provide one-sixth of the service to students
that's already being provided - free - by the
Daily. I encourage you all to offer your con-
tinued support to the Daily by voting against
the MSA proposal to provide The Times to
students. I'm not suggesting that the $4 be
spent on the Daily instead, but rather saved
by the students or used to support other more
valuable programs
Kelley Robinson
Business manager of the Michiganensian
Yearbook, Ross School ofBusiness junior
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