4A - Wednesday, April 6, 2011 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com 4A - Wednesday, April 6, 2011 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@michigandaily.com STEPHANIE STEINBERG EDITOR IN CHIEF MICHELLE DEWITT and EMILY ORLEY EDITORIAL PAGE EDITORS KYLE SWANSON MANAGING EDITOR The desecration of any holy text, including the Koran, is an act of extreme intolerance and bigotry." - President Barack Obama said, referring to this weekend's deadly protests in Afghanistan in response to a Koran burning led by a Florida pastor, according to Time magazine. A diversified experience s 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. (More) open housing New gender-neutral policy is too exclusive or the University's LGTBQ students, gender-neutral hous- ing - also known as open housing - has been a goal they have strived to achieve at the University. Gender-neutral housing gives students the option to live with a roommate regard- less what gender the individual identifies with. While the majority of students have positive experiences with their roommates, recent tragedies among young people add cause for concern. In Septem- ber, for example, a Rutgers freshman committed suicide after his roommate videotaped him having a sexual encounter with another male and posted it online. While this obviously doesn't represent the norm, isolated incidents like these make a case for the benefits of gender-neutral options for students. The University, with the guidance of the Spectrum Center and the National Center for Transgender Equality, recently broadened its definition of transgender to include gen- der non-conforming and gender-questioning students. The school deserves recognition for the decision. For many students, college is a time of identity exploration, and forcing them to ascribe to strict gender identifica- tion to obtain gender-neutral housing could be counterproductive. Still, these definitions are too exclusive. A gender-neutral housing policy will take effect atthe Universitythis fall. But the Univer- sity Housing website specifies that only trans- gender and gender non-conforming students will qualify for the policy. The new policy will allow gender non-conforming and transgender students to live with other students who have the-same gender identification. While this policy is a positive start toward creating a more comfortable environment in University Housing, it does not go far enough in helping all students. All students should have the choice to obtain gender-neutral housing, not just those who ascribe to partic- ular gender identifications. University Hous- ing should be a safe and comfortable place for all students, and steps should be taken to ensure that gender-neutral housing contrib- utes to that goal. Gender-neutral housing has long been a pet project of former Michigan Student Assembly President Chris Armstrong. His support of the Open Housing Initiative aided the progress toward full open housing oppor- tunities for all students, not just the select few the University deems it appropriate for. While the University has a history of sup- porting the LGTBQ community, this policy prioritizes the needs of transgender and gen- der non-conforming students over other stu- dents. It is unacceptable to consider that one minority is more important than another. It is not only transgender students who face harassment or uncomfortable situations that open housing could potentially combat. Crit- ics of full open housing argue that students would abuse the policy in order to live with their significant others in residence halls. But the poor decisions of a few should not be a hindrance to the majority of students who would greatly benefit from a comprehensive gender-neutral housing policy. ot all of us have had the opportunity to truly expe- rience different cultures before coming to Ann Arbor. Sure, we have worked hard to prepare ourselves for col- lege, but when it comes to diversi- ty, many people's first time living with someone of JEFF a different faith WOJCIK or political ideol- ogy happens at the University. It is this embrace of diversity of thoughts and excellence, that makes it so great to be a part of such an amazing team of scholars, athletes and artists. Diversity is the most important part of our educa- tion, and the most important compo- nent of our pride in the Block 'M.' It's not the world-class profes- sors or amazing classmates who make the University great, but rather their coexistence and col- laboration that define the Michigan difference. To illustrate, look first at our curriculum. As students, all of us enjoy an extraordinary academic playground at the University. The LSA cur- riculum requirements are the per- fect example of the important role diversity plays in academic excel- lence. Many people bemoan the need to complete distribution require- ments and the need to experience all aspects of LSA. Yet, the breadth of our education is the real strength of our degrees. There are other liberal arts colleges in America, that have courses taught by similarly creden- tialed faculty to our own. However, there is no other College of Litera- ture, Science and the Arts. There is no other space at any institution, that motivates students to grapple with natural science, social science, humanities and other topics in an attempt to balance undergraduates' education quite the way the Univer- sity does. So get excited about taking that changing atmosphere class, and don't be scared by a poetry course. The variety is good for us. Yet the University is more than a diverse selection of seminars and lectures. It's not just the variety infused in our education, but the uniqueness of our experiences out- side the classroom that makes the University so special. Many of us bringdifferentbackgrounds and dif- ferent approaches to decision mak- ing to the table. This often causes conflict, and it can cause us to push each other in opposite directions. However, this conflict mimics the larger conversation of Michigan and the United States. Debating issues related to campus affairs, perform- ing research to prove generalizable theories and working through polit- ical disagreements prepares us for the real world, and will help us with problems we cannot even imagine at this stage in our lives. These disagreements most fre- quently manifest themselves in the student organizations. Whether working to increase the graduation rates of minorities, hosting events like the Latin@ Cultural Show or organizing volunteers for Greek Ser- vice Day, the reason for the strength of a group is the multitude of opin- ions about how to get the job done. More than the diversity of beliefs, opinions and views that matter to our 1,200 plus student organizations on campus, it's the summation of all our individual organizations working together that advances the mission of the University, and demonstrates the importance of a Michigan edu- cation. This means that individually we do not always need to place first in all we do to remain "the victors." Take the Athletic Department for example. Though national champi- onships are great signs of athletic excellence across the nation, it's the entire department that demonstrates our influence in collegiate athlet- ics. It's not just football, but softball, track and field and volleyball which powerfully represent the Block 'M.' Combine those with conference championships for the men's swim- ming and diving team and men's ice hockey team, in addition to the first Big Ten Championship for the men's soccer team, and it's clear we have an outstanding Athletic Department - especially outside revenue-gen- erating sports, even when Michigan doesn'twin the national title. In addition to the success of South Campus, this University has become a safe space for LGBT students. We have an award-winning daily news- paper, a men's glee club that will share its talent with Cuba this sum- mer and the Sexual Assault Preven- tion and Awareness Center that defends the rights of all students. All these aspects contribute to our edu- cation at Michigan. All are necessary for the creation of the next genera- tion Michigan men and women. Academic variety is a strength of the University. The diversity in our curriculum supports the dynamic nature of our understanding and our experiences away from our courses. Individually, our programs are good: We're top 20 or top 10 in almost everything. But what makes us the Leaders and the Best is the combination of all the aca- demic-departments, sports teams, arts groups, student governments, faculty, students and staff provid- ing an uncommon education for us common men and women. So go to a women's basketball game, learn from and appreciate ROTC students, fight back against famine and pov- erty in Africa, attend events puton by your hall's multicultural council and interact with the Muslim Students' Association or a community other than your own. Get involved and take pride in being a part of the team, the team, the team. -Jeff Wojcik is the LSA-SG academic relations officer. He can be reached at jawojcik@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, Timothy Rabb, Asa Smith, Seth Soderborg, Andrew Weiner YONAH LIEBERMAN AND DAFNA EISBRUCH | Invest in peace 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 CASSIE BASLER x Support Detroit Partnership Day Yesterday the Michigan Student Assembly reviewed a proposed resolution calling for the University to divest funds from, among other companies, Northrup Grumman - a compa- ny that supplies the radar equipment used in Israeli military aircrafts. While we recognize the concerns of those who seek to encourage more responsible investments by the Univer- sity, this is not a resolution we can support. We believe resolutions that cast Israel as solely responsible for the Middle East conflict only lead to greater polarization on campus. This resolution will inhibit - rather than fos- ter - the ability to build the broad coalition necessary for peace. While we oppose this resolution, we ear- nestly stand with the writers of the reso- lution in their desire for justice for the Palestinian people and we condemn the targeting of innocent civilians - Palestin- ian or Israeli - as immoral. However, in the long history of this conflict, both sides have' committed grave violence toward the other and both sides have experienced tremen- dous loss. This resolution incorrectly assigns blame only to Israeli military actions with- out acknowledging the context in which they occur. The devastation in Gaza that elicited condemnation from international human rights groups was a response to months of terrorist rocket attacks on Israeli cities. Targeting Northrup Grumman for supply- ing Israel with weapons and technology that have contributed to Palestinian civilian casu- alties dismisses the necessity of these same supplies inthe work of ensuring Israel's legiti- mate defense. Creating an environment where peace can be achieved will require partner- ships based on recognition of the legitimate claims of both sides and real loss suffered by both peoples. At other campuses that have reviewed resolutions such as these, the result was only greater polarization. At the University of Cali- fornia, Berkeley, for example, the student gov- ernment sessions ran for hours as protesters and counter-protesters chanted insensitive and ignorant slogans. Tears were shed, rela- tionships were lost and, in the end, the out- come did not bring peace any closer. While we do not support this resolution and fear its effect - as this debate unfolds - we reject rhetorical arguments that polarize campuses further. We do not believe that sup- port for divestment from Israel is inherently anti-Semitic, and we know that opposition to divestment is not equivalent to support for the occupation. We aim to model an engaged dialogue, free from simplistic rhetorical slo- gans and derivative attacks on opponents, in the hope that all sides will recognize our collective responsibility to civil discourse on campus. . We believe rather than pursuingthese divi- sive resolutions, we can find ways of work- ing together on campus to achieve peace. We can support Palestinian businesses through microfinance and encourage Palestinian- Israeli economic cooperation through invest- ment in the Trade Unions United for Israel and Palestine. In addition, we can and must exert political pressure on all parties to nego- tiate for peace. The peace that we all want to see can come about only by consensus, and consensus is built through cooperation. Even amid the most difficult arguments, we hope to contin- ue to seek platforms for cooperation with all groups on campus working toward peace and justice in the region in the coming weeks. This viewpoint was written on behalf of the J Street UMich Board by LSA sophomore Yonah Lieberman, chair of J Street UMich, and LSAajunior Dafna Eisbruch, Coffee Talk Committee Chair of J Street UMich. Despite a fearful forecast of freezing rain on this past Saturday's Detroit Partnership Day, the sun shined on Detroit as 1,100 University volunteers worked alongside hundreds of community members at 29 sites. Partici- pants fought blight by demolishing abandoned homes, beautifying neighborhoods with urban gardens, creat- ing friendlier spaces for children by cleaning up parks and schools and changing the landscape of neighbor- hoods by painting murals. The goal: To perform service, and form bonds with Detroiters. DP volunteers did more than just make a difference in the city. They formed a connection to the city, to its people, its organizations and its neighborhoods. DP Day is about more than community service; it's about service learning. Volunteers met residents, learned about community nonprofits and engaged in mean- ingful conversations with neighbors and volunteers from across the city. This is part of the true value of DP Day. DP Day is not about "saving" the city, and the DP doesn't view Detroit as merely a backdrop for service. The purpose of DP Day is to open volunteers' hearts and minds to the city of Detroit, to engage with com- munity members, to reflect about what it means to do service, to explore ways to become more involved in the larger community and to show why we should be interested in the city. This Thursday, DP Day volunteers are invited to dis- cuss their experience at a pizza chat at 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in3463 Mason Hall. Volunteers can come to reflect on their service work and tell the DP how they would like to see the volunteer experience improved for next year. Even those who did not participate may come to learn more about ways to stay involved in Detroit. For students who missed DP Day, the DP will provide infor- mation on an upcoming service opportunity in Bright- moor, a neighborhood on Detroit's northwest side where more than 700 DP Day volunteers worked. In addition to offering weekly volunteer programs in schools, church- es and community centers, The Detroit Partnership is working with The Ginsberg Center to create Sociology 389 - athree-credit Project Community course that will further foster the learning aspect of the DP weekly vol- unteer service-learning experience. Attendees can also hear about a weeklong DP Day experience: A Detroit Partnership alternative spring break trip. Students interested in getting more involved in The Detroit Partnership, who have passion for raising awareness about social justice issues, breaking stereo- types about people and the city of Detroit and actively creating a movement for social change by engaging in service learning, should apply to the planningteam and become DP leaders. The DP Planning Team is an enthusiastic group of 50 people with a common goal: Spread love for the city of Detroit through service learning. In addition to plan- ning major events such as the One Stop Shop food and clothing drive and DP Day, team members organize edu- cational events, publicity, finance and weekly volunteer programs throughout the school year. Applicants don't have to be "Detroit experts" to be on the team, they just have to be willing to open their eyes, minds and hearts to Detroit. In the process, The DP hopes members will learn just as much about themselves as they will learn about Detroit - and that they'll have fun with DP plan- ning teammates along the way. So volunteer for a weekly program next fall, visit an education event or apply to the planning team at www. thedp.org. Planning Team Applications are now avail- able on the website. Please submitthem by Sunday, April 10 at 5 p.m. Cassie Basler is the Detroit Partnership external director. 01 0I