4A - Wednesday, September 28, 2011

The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

4A - Wednesday, September 28, 2011 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom

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HANNAH DOW

E-MAIL, HANNAH AT HDOW@UMICHXDU 01

STEPHANIE STEINBERG
EDITOR IN CHIEF

MICHELLE DEWITT
and EMILY ORLEY
EDITORIAL PAGE EDITORS

NICK SPAR
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.
Maize +Blue Green
Coleman's plan will help create a sustainable 'U'
uStainability has been a buzzword thrown around by campus
officials about eco-friendly practices at the University. But
yesterday, University President Mary Sue Coleman presented
a plan of action for campus to increase its overall sustainability, both
in the coming months and years. It's easy to speak abstractly about
green practices and sustainability, but it's much more difficult to put
these ideas into practice. University officials should be commended
for making a commitment to reduce the University's environmental
impact, and students should get behind these changes and work to
reduce their own carbon footprints.

University of Michigan: 4-0
V
A path to mediocrity?
n Nov. 8 2006, the day after students and 23.4 percent students to-day basis. When I look at people
Michigan voters approved of color - this time the student pop- in positions of power in academia,
a proposal to eradicate ulation was only5 percent black. The government, business and medicine,
affirmative black student population was the I see people of my race.
action from the only demographic to significantly The other day in a discussion sec-
state, Univer- drop over the past decade. tion, a piece of art by a black artist
sity President A look at these numbers brings was broughtup, and several students
Mary Sue Cole- a few items to mind. First, I fit the immediately looked at the single
man proclaimed, criteria of an average University black man in the class to hear his
"I am standing student: I am white, and my parents perspective. When speakinginclass,
here today to tell have a combined income of more I'm not expected to speak on the
you that I will NORA than $200,000. And although we behalf of my whole race. When art
not allow this STEPHENS shouldn't limit ourselves to view including white people is shown, no
university to go people in terms of their wealth and one looks around the class at all 20
down the path race, I do think it's important for us white students to hear their opinion
of mediocrity. That is not Michi- to contemplate the implication of of the piece. It's necessary to notice
gan. Diversity makes us strong, studying at a school where a major- these moments because they clearly
and it is too critical to our mission, ity of students are white and upper show the effects of being on a cam-
too critical to our excellence and middle class. How do you think this pus where three out of four students
too critical to our future to simply has an effect on your education? are white.
abandon." Nearly five years later, Are we prevented an opportunity
have we stood by this mission to to learn about a world outside of our
keep diversity a priority? Let's take own? A world that is different than T ,
a look at the numbers. how we perceive it? Would we be U sdemographic
Obviously, income and race are challenged more if our campus was * .
not the only indicators of diversity, not so homogeneous? isn t as divers as
but they are important identifiers Besides the decreased opportu- i should be.
when considering society's usual nity to learn from those who are dif- it
definition of diverse. According to ferent from ourselves, what about
a 2004 study, the University fresh- the experiences of the quarter of
man class that year had more stu- the campus population that is not So, have we gone down the path
dents whose parents' household white? How are the lives of students of mediocrity? We have if we con-
income was more than $200,000, of color shaped by the fact that they tinue to be blind to the privileges
compared to students whose family are constantly in the minority? As a of the majority of students on this
income was at the national median white person who thinks about the campus. The "Michigan Differ-
of about $50,000. The University's implications of her race everyday, I ence" will be achieved through
demographic reports indicate in am relentlessly aware of my white having more constructive conver-
1998 the University's entering class privilege. I can go anywhere on this sations about how our social identi-
was 66.2 percent white and 25.4 per- campus and never be a minority and ties affect our daily lives.
cent students of color - including8.7 never need to consider my race. But
percent black. In addition, the 2009 that is why it's a privilege - I do not - Nora Stephens can be
entering class was 74 percent white have to think about my race on a day- reached at norals@umich.edu.
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS:
Aida Ali, Michelle DeWitt, Ashley Griesshammer, Patrick Maillet,
Erika Mayer, Harsha Nahata, Emily Orley,
Teddy Papes, Timothy Rabb, Seth Soderborg, Andrew Weiner
JEFF SORENSEN E N
React to capital punishments

Coleman - who spoke yesterday at the
Hatcher Graduate Library - pledged a serious
financial commitment by the University of $14
millionthatwillgotoward avarietyofprojects.
The plan, which is outlined on the University's
sustainability website, highlights the effort to
combine education, research and operations at
the University in order to reach sustainability
goals. The city of Ann Arbor has been a nation-
al leader in green initiatives for years now, and
it's good thatthe University is finally following
in the city's footsteps.
one of the goals is increasing the number of
hybrid buses on campus - making one in six
University buses a hybrid by December. This
is a positive change that makes transportation
around campus more sustainable. The Univer-
sity will also purchase other hybrid automo-
biles, which will reduce the amount of fossil
fuels as well as the quantity ofgreenhouse gases
produced by University operations.
Anotherlarge-scalemodificationthatwillgo
into effect in the coming year is a commitment
to implementing alternative energy resources
throughout campus. From solar panels on
North Campus facilities and the Weisfeld Fam-
ily Golf Center, which will be heated entirely by
geothermal energy, campus will slowly reduce
its reliance on expendable energy sources.
The plan also outlines general goals to
reduce the University's environmental impact
by decreasing greenhouse gases, waste sent
to landfills and pollution of the Huron River.

While these changes will not be visible on a
day-to-day basis, they represent a crucial com-
mitment to sustainability that will make the
University a leader in eco-friendly practices
among other universities and colleges.
Coleman emphasized in her speech that the
initiative was a collaborative effort between
University officials, faculty and students. With
that in mind, the proposal has many opportu-
nities for students to make sustainability a part
of their education. LSA will begin offering a
minor in sustainability, as well as organizing
the course guide so students can search spe-
cifically for classes pertaining to sustainability.
Students should explore the available options
and consider taking a course to educate them-
selves on the importance of creating a more
sustainable world.
Students, however, shouldn't rely on the
University to pioneer all the changes. They
should take advantage of the resources at their
disposal and initiate changes of their own.
Coleman pledged funding specifically for stu-
dent projects dedicated to reducing environ-
mental impact and waste. There are dozens of
student groups on campus focused on the mis-
sion of sustainability, some that include large-
scale University projects and others that focus
on reducing personal environmental impact.
The options are abundant, and all students, fac-
ulty members, administrators and University
employees should explore how to incorporate
these practices into their own lives on campus.

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0

01

SARAH SQUIRE I
The New York Stereotype'

After working for The Michigan Daily for
two years, I finally accepted media as a signifi-
cant force in my life. Or maybe it was the more
than 30 hours of television I was watching per
week last year. Whatever it was, I registered
for my first class in Communications Studies
this semester. My friends reacted with a mix
of amusement, pity and horror. Apparently, I
was screwed because history has proven these
classes are filled with New Yorkers.
Wait, what? I'm from New York.
Since stepping into East Quad Residence
Hall for orientation in 2008, I have found
myself both a victim of and witness to what
I am calling "The New York Stereotype."
According to some students at the University,
students from Long Island, New York City and
Westchester (and they're likely unknowingly
including New Jersey as well) have certain
indefinable characteristics the rest of you sim-
ply can't stand. For whatever reason, we trig-
ger an impulsive eye roll.
Over the summer, a friend's sister said I'm
the only New Yorker she has met and subse-
quently liked. New acquaintances are often
shocked to find out I hail from the Big Apple
and are quick to disclose the reason: I don't fit
into "The New York Stereotype." Many other
native NYC folk don't fit "The Stereotype"
either. But since this subsection of the city's
population in Ann Arbor aren't identifiable at
a glance, they appear to be considerably out-
numbered by the rest.
I don't want to argue the definition of
"The New York Stereotype" or even deny its
accuracy. I'm not even certain I can accu-
rately describe the stereotype, but I do know
it isn't good. While I'm proud at times to be
an exception, I can't let another year go by
without extending a hand to my oppressed
neighbors. True New Yorkers, the ones who
are forced to constantly repeat "No, I'm actu-
ally from Manhattan" (or another acceptable
borough), are really not that bad. In fact, we
are pretty awesome.

Growing up in New York City offers unique
opportunities to experience different cultures
and interact with people from all types of back-
grounds. Those of us who attended schools in
Manhattan or near our homes never drove to
school, so any prissy tendencies (for both guys
and girls) were expelled when we dealt with
the weather and whatever public transporta-
tion threw at us before 8 a.m. We experienced
9/11 firsthand, and it changed us. We tasted
alcohol before college and learned how to
deal with it responsibly. We know when to pay
attention to the crosswalk signal and when to
ignore it. We know how to look and sound like
we knowwhatwe are doingevenwhen - espe-
cially when - we don't.
If you're still not convinced, you have no
choice but to separate a true city person from
the pack and find out for yourself. Luckily,
there are even slight differences in his or her
appearance if you are attune to the variations.
Look for the guy or girl outfitted in a pea coat
or a jacket with toggles instead of a North Face.
Uggs aren't an automatic once the temperature
dips below 40. When they get dressed to go
out they're also dressed for the walk home or,
at the very last, the line outside Skeeps. And
if you hear a New York accent in more than a
couple words then rest assured the speaker
was not raised in Manhattan.
So please, hold your judgment until you've
done some research - isn't that why we have
Facebook? And maybe go a step further and
stop judging people on their appearances and
10-second interactions in the first place. But,
in case that's too much, I'll give you a simple
mantra to repeat every now and then: New
York City is better. As for the stereotype,
maybe I'll rename it "The Long Island and
Westchester (and sometimes New Jersey)
Stereotype" to avoid any confusion in the
future.
Sarah Squire is an LSA senior. She is
the Daily's web development manager.
A

Last Thursday morning, about12hours after our coun-
try executed a man amid overwhelming public opposi-
tion and apparent reasonable doubt, life went on. For me
and most people who didn't know Troy Davis, nothing
is immediately different. Buses are running. Classes are
in session. Everything is comfortable. In a sense, this is
reassuring - we are resilient enough to continue our
lives in the wake of tragedy. But this reassurance is eas-
ily misplaced. Our current comfort is not a testament to
our resilience; it's a sign of our collective apathy.
Rather than feeling reassured, we as a nation should
feel poignant anxiety. Why are we, as Americans, so
comfortable with an act that most of the Western world
has long considered to be barbaric and unfair? It's darkly
ironic that our nation, the one that proudly sings "the
land of the free and the home of the brave" at various
sporting events every day, remains legislatively silent -
and in the eyes of the world, cowardly - on this topic.
A young generation of our European counterparts
watched in disbelief last Wednesday night as an inter-
national media storm opened their eyes, maybe for the
first time, to how different our country's perception of
justice really is.
As an American, I find myself ashamed that it took
an international media storm to get my attention.
Young people in France have an excuse for not previ-
ously worrying about the status of capital punishment
in America - they have their own national problems to
worry about. But what's my excuse? Why have I been so
comfortable with the thousands of executions that have
occurred in the United States during my lifetime? I can't
justify my comfort.
The Troy Davis case illuminated the awful practice
of allowing a man to anticipate the final moments of his
life, all while being kept in isolation. This alone appar-
ently didn't satisfy our sadistic cravings enough. We had
to, not once, but twice allowhim to literally approach his
final moments before granting him a temporary stay of
execution. Even defendants of the death penalty surely
don't support this kind of psychological cruelty. But our
nation, which is necessarily more than just the sum of
its parts, does.

There's one way to ensure that national policy lines up
with the individual intuitions of those who care to pay
attention: We must demand change. In order to get to a
place where this kind of demand is influential though, a
significant number of us have to focus our efforts on the
things that actually matter. Here at the University, we
proclaim ourselves to be "the Leaders and Best." Yet, in
a moment when protests were forming in France, Chile,
Hong Kong, Great Britain, Peru, Norway and other
countries, the most common topic on students' Facebook
pages was... Facebook. People were mad! There was fury
over a Facebook redesign, and people demanded justice
from the system. Things had to change.
In a twisted way, this showsthat young Americans are
certainly capable of making their voices heard. I must
highlight the "twisted" aspect, though. In this case,
people were mad mostly because Facebook implemented
changes that required adjustment and made it more dif-
ficult to mindlessly browse. (Because of this, there's an
uproar after every redesign). We were mad that we had
to think - a little - in order to use Facebook. Capital
punishment is a different situation. In order to become
upset at all, people have to think about why they believe
what they believe.
Signs of reaction are present. Protests have occurred
in the past few days at the center of campus in Ann
Arbor. Surely, similar protests have occurred on cam-
puses across the country. In order to have a significant
impact, however, the masses of youth must get involved.
I'm not entirely cynical about our long-term chances.
I thoroughly believe if every young American took 20
minutes to open their eyes to the reality of capital pun-
ishment and form a personal (not inherited) belief, we
possess the ambition and the ability to create significant
change. I'm confident that, like younggenerations before
us, we will be the ones to enact change in America. I'm
confident that it's not a question of if but of when. The
question, however, still remains: When will we shake
ourselves from our nearly sedated state of comfort and 0
actually think?
Jeff Sorensen is an LSA senior.

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