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4 - Friday, October 28, 2011
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
C C4MIiigan atil
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the University of Michigan since 1890.
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Ann Arbor, MI 48109
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MICHELLE DEWITT
STEPHANIE STEINBERG and EMILY ORLEY NICK SPAR
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.
Imran Syed is the public editor. He can be reached at publiceditor@michigandaily.com.
A virtual problem
State funding should be given to public schools
W hile cyber schools were once an idea of science fiction,
online learning has recently become more widely accept-
ed. Cyber schools - which allow students to take classes
on the Internet - are a beneficial alternative for students who don't
learn at the same speed as their peers. Though cyber schools are a
new resource that should be explored, public schools are struggling
and should be the government's first priority. The money in the gov-
ernment's educational budget should first fund public schools rather
than help develop cyber schools.
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Another case for sustainability
State Senate Bill 619 lifts enrollment
restrictions on cyber schools in Michigan.
The bill will allot the same amount of per-
student funding as public schools and help
develop cyber schools substantially. How-
ever, cyber schools do not perform as well
academically. K-12 Inc. is the largest online
education group and partners with many
public schools. The group had only 25 percent
of its 24 schools meet the Adequate Yearly
Progress measurement - which determines
academic success based on standardized
tests under the No Child Left Behind stan-
dard - according to the National Education
Policy Center's 2009-2010 annual report.
Innovation in the education system is cru-
cial to increase the effectiveness of all Michi-
gan schools. However, more research needs
to be conducted before placing students in
front of a screen every day. Pennsylvania and
Ohio have thousands of students enrolled in
online schools, but their success is limited.
Though there are obvious problems in the
current public school system, these can be
remedied through additional education fund-
ing. Overfilled classrooms and program cuts
are hurtingschools throughoutthe state, and
government officials need to address these
immediate problems before investing money
in cyber schools. Integrating online learning
into traditional classrooms is a better use for
the money than giving it directly to cyber
schools. This could encourage true innova-
tion and help a larger number of students
than the few that benefit from cyber schools.
If there is money immediately available,
it should first go toward the state's pub-
lic school system. However, cyber schools
should not be completely ignored. In the
future, they may become a viable alternative
to traditional schooling. For certain students,
online courses- can be more effective than
traditional classrooms.
The current education system has many
issues that are worsened by the elimination
of programs and increased class sizes. It is
important for the nation to explore innova-
tive schooling options, but not at the expense
of traditional public schools. If there is avail-
able educational funding, it should primarily
be distributed to the public schools that edu-
cate the majority of Michigan's students.
L6 inish your food - there
are starving kids in Afri-
ca." I know I've been
told this numer-
ous times. I also
know that more
often than not,
I've retorted,
"Yeah, well it's
not like I can
send it to them
anyway." And, M HA
I'm sure many NAHATA
of you have also.
But cliche rep-
rimands aside,
the unequal distribution of Earth's
scarce resources is becoming an
increasingly serious issue - an issue
that will be even more pressing in
the upcoming years based on the
recently released United Nations
statistics regarding population
growth.
According to a recent U.N. popu-
lation report, the world population
will hit 7 billion on Monday. In 1998,
there were 6 billion people in the
world, meaning that this last billion
was added in just 12 years. What's
more, by the end of the century the
population is expected to cross 10
billion. Needless to say, this is a lot
of people being added at a fast pace.
With so many people, sustain-
ability is an obvious problem. The
question becomes: Does the Earth
have enough resources to provide
for such a rapidly growing popula-
tion? As an Oct. 23 Guardian article
puts it, "Every additional person
needs food, water and energy, and
produces more waste and pollution."
Moreover, in a world dependent on
industrialization, our ability to
manufacture and produce adequate
amounts of food is directly related to
our access to fossil fuels - a resource
we all know is quickly depleting.
However, there is good news. In
an Oct. 23 New York Times op-ed,
mathematical biologist Joel Cohen
reassures that we will indeed be
fine in the short term. The Earth
is capable of feeding, housing and
providing for many more than 7 bil-
lion people, at least in the foresee-
able future. This is largely thanks
to advances in technology, which
allow us to make more with less.
But that isn't to say there aren't sig-
nificant long-term problems associ-
ated with large population growth,
namely in regard to management
and distribution of the Earth's
resources.
The mainproblemisthatalthough
there are enough resources - food,
water, a place to live - to support
every individual on the planet,
most of these resources aren't used
to provide basic necessities. Cohen
reports that each year the Earth
produces enough grain to support
upwards of 9 to 11 billion individu-
als. And, yet, almost 1 billion people
still go hungry. This is because only
46 percent of the grain produced is
used to feed people - the rest goes
to feeding livestock. At the rate the
world population is growing, this
mismanagement of resources will
make it more and more difficult to
provide for everyone.
Another issue is that resources
are disproportionately concentrat-
ed in relation to population. It is
no secret that access to resources
is highly concentrated in the West.
Underdeveloped countries, on the
other hand, tend to have extremely
dense populations and little to no
access to resources. Cohen reit-
erates that in the future, water
shortages will be prominent in
Northern Africa, India and China.
Coincidentally, these regions are
also undergoing the fastest popula-
tion growth. Eventually, this trend
presents a situation where the areas
with the most people to take care
of will be forced to do so with the
least resources. Needless to say,
this poses future geopolitical and
national security threats.
But, again, what does this have
to do with us in the West? We have
the resources. We're not surviving
on $2 a day or going hungry. So, why
should we worry? Well, if ever there
was a case for sustainability - for
conserving resources, for reducing
wasteful consumption, for recycling
- it is now. And, if ever there was a
place where wasteful consumption
needed to be reigned in, it is here.
Regardless of whether or not you
believe in climate change, there has
never been a larger need for envi-
ronmentally friendly initiatives - if
for no other reason than the fact that
the demand for resources will con-
tinue to increase, while Earth's lim-
ited supply inevitably runs out.
Can the Earth
handle 7 billion
people Monday?
There are enough resources out
there to provide for everyone - all
7 billion of us - as long as they are
used efficiently. It's not necessarily
that there are starving kids in Africa
that would like to eat your half-eaten
dinner; it's that what went into feed-
ing you, could also have been used
to feed them. Go green, not because
it's trendy or because global warm-
ing will wipe out Los Angeles if you
don't (though that might very well
happen), but because it's the only
way to sustain humanity in light of
how fast it is growing.
- Harsha Nahata is an assistant
editorial page editor. She can be
reached at hnahata@umich.edu.
I
I
SCOTT BOERMAI
Life's too short
The passing of our Michigan Marching
Band member and friend, Patrick Fleming, on
Monday, Sep. 26, 2011, was a shock to all of us.
A second-year member of the trumpetsection,
Fleming died in a car accident while driving
to classes at the University's Flint campus. He
was an intensely dedicated Michigan March-
ing Band member, who worked late at night at
a senior center, drove to classes in Flint and
rushed back to Ann Arbor each day for our
rehearsals. Also an extremely likeable person,
Fleming always wore a gleaming smile.
Of course, nothing prepares you for some-
thing like this. Upon hearing the news of his
passing, we immediately informed the admin-
istration of the School of Music, Theatre &
Dance as well as the University Dean of Stu-
dents. The Division of Student Affairs imme-
diately assembled a team to speak with our
band members, informing them of the vari-
ous counseling options available. I will never
forget how our band members held onto each
other and took care of each other in the days
and weeks that followed. It was one of the sad-
dest experiences imaginable, but it was also so
very inspirational.
Within a day of learning of the news,
longtime marching band supporter Donald
Shepherd established a new scholarship in
Fleming's name, to be awarded to a deserv-
ing student each year, beginning in the fall of
2012. On the day of the accident, both Univer-
sity Athletic Director Dave Brandon and head
football coach Brady Hoke called us to express
their condolences. Hoke also attended Flem-
ing's visitation service the following week.
Before we could even ask, Brandon suggested
that we have a moment of silence before the
National Anthem at that weekend's football
game. Fleming's spot in the marching drill was
left vacant during our performances that day.
Two days following Fleming's accident,
several members of the Michigan State Uni-
versity, the Ohio State University and the
Eastern Michigan University Marching
Bands appeared at our rehearsal with signed
cards of support. The Spartan Marching
Band had assembled 'the previous day and
produced a DVD of them performing Amaz-
ing Grace for us. The Ohio State band mem-
bers, who made an eight-hour round trip to
be with us that day, presented us with a drum
major baton specially engraved with a dedi-
cation to Fleming. These students had also
reached out to the other Big Ten marching
bands, collected flowers and cards of sympa-
thy, and gave them to us at our rehearsal that
afternoon. I'll never forget the looks in our
students' faces as this unbelievable show of
support was taking place.
During the week that followed, e-mails,
phone calls and cards appeared from all of the
Big Ten bands, other Michigan universities
and university bands from across the country,
including the Universities in Georgia, Texas
and Florida, to name just a few. A moment of
silence for Fleming was given duringthe Skull
Session at OSU that Saturday and also at the
University of Michigan v. Northwestern game
the following weekend. The Northwestern
University Marching Band had wristbands
made that were inscribed with "We Are With
You." These wristbands combined their pur-
ple with our maize-and-blue and were worn
by their band duringtheir game against Mich-
igan. Michigan Marching Band members who
traveled to Evanston that day were presented
with wristbands to bring home for every mem-
ber of our band.
This outpouring of support from our broth-
ers and sisters throughout the band world has
left us all in awe of the activity in which we're
involved. At a time when poor sportsmanship
and over-the-top competitiveness can domi-
nate in football rivalries, we were reminded
this season that human kindness and compas-
sion exist and thrive in our band community.
None of us will ever look at another univer-
sity marching band through the same lens as
before, and hopefully we'll all cheer just a little
bit louder when given the opportunity.
So, Michigan fans, perhaps this might
inspire more of us to reconsider our approach
to game days in the Big House. Maybe booing
our student visitors from other schools is con-
tradictory to what we call the "Michigan Dif-
ference." Maybe chanting "You Suck" during
and at the end of the Michigan Band's tradi-
tional "Temptation" is notthe class act that we
claim to uphold in Ann Arbor. Maybe "killing
our visitors with kindness" would be a better
plan of attack than demonstrating the kind of
poor sportsmanship witnessed too often in
athletic arenas these days. Life is too fragile
and too short to waste with negativity and ill
intentions. Go Blue!
Scott Boerma is the director of the Michigan
Marching and Athletic Bands and a Donald R.
Shepherd associate professor of conducting.
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS:
Aida Ali, Michelle DeWitt, Ashley Griesshammer, Nirbhay Jain, Patrick Maillet,
Erika Mayer, Harsha Nahata, Emily Orley, Teddy Papes, Timothy Rabb,
Vanessa Rychlinski, Caroline Sims, Seth Soderborg, Andrew Weiner
Freting au thefutur
a
Two years ago, I wrote a
column entitled "Major-
ly Undecided," in which
I expressed my confusion about
choosing a major
and my appre-
hension in doing
so. Jump for-
ward to this year,
and I now face
the same strug-
gle, only this
time in relation LEAH
to career paths. POTKIN
I have, thank-
fully, made some
progress since my 2009 column: I
declared myself as an English major
and applied for graduation. How-
ever, in applying for graduation, I
couldn't help but be reminded of the
question looming overhead: What
will I do when I graduate?
In the same way I saw declar-
ing a major as a struggle, I now see
"declaring" a profession as one.
More and more often I hear stu-
dents say they have no idea what
they want to do, yet more and more
often the question is asked. Howev-
er, struggling students should not be
discouraged by their lack of direc-
tion, but rather should be excited
about all the opportunities they
have waiting for them in that "real"
world once game days and nights at
the UGLi are things of the past. It's
certainly not easy to think this way,
especially in this highly competi-
tive academic environment, but it's
essential in order to keep our heads
above water inthis brutal hunt - the
career hunt, that is.
I am well aware that there are the
lucky few students in majors such as
business and engineering who are
less affected by this struggle, and,
in many cases, already know where
they'll be working next year and
their likely career paths. However,
the majority ofstudents in social sci-
ences and the like share in the strug-
gle, and many in the latter group are
envious of students in the former
group - not because they have jobs,
but because they know what career
they would like to pursue.
Recently, however, I realized
that my current inability to answer
the daunting "what do you want to
do" question is not as terrible as it
seems. The chances are slim that my
first job will be in the same field I
end up working in, and it's vital that
I stop thinking of my first job out of
college as determining the rest of my
life. I didn't realize the unnecessary
stress I've caused myself by thinking
this way until recently, when I lis-
tened to a graduation speech given
by late Apple CEO Steve Jobs at
Stanford University. He spoke about
how hard it is to connect the dots
when you're in college, as it's nearly
impossible to comprehend how, and
if, things will ever line up. I, for one,
am guilty of trying to preemptively
connect the dots. Jobs's speech
reminded me - not to be clich6 -
how funny it is the way things work
out and how sometimes it is best to
allow things to happen rather than
fret about making them happen.
So for those of us about to jump
into the fray, it's essential to adopt
and maintain an optimistic and
open-minded attitude, despite the
setbacks and uncertainty that will
inevitably accompany our initial
employment quests. Remember,
thankfully, how young we gradu-
ates-to-be still are and that time is
on our side. I often hear people (my
parents) say that 60 is the new 50,
and frankly, I'm not one to argue.
My dad runs marathons, my mom
has more energy than I do and both
have yet to show signs of hearing
loss or memory lapse. But despite
being part of a generation in which
life expectancy is over age 80, it's
easy to feel old when life shifts from
a structured four-year path to a
windy and unpaved road. In reality,
we've lived hardly a quarter of our
lives, which leaves us plenty of time
to secure a career and connect those
scattered dots.
The dots might
not all connect
in college.
I'm not sayingstudents shouldn't
strive to achieve their best and
pursue their dream jobs as soon as
possible, but I am saying they don't
have to stress so much about it hap-
pening on day one. And while many
of us know that, I think the hard-
est part is accepting it as truth.
Because, really, who wouldn't
want to know what's in store for
the future? For now, however, it's
important to hold our heads high
and shamelessly embody inde-
cisiveness. It worked for me two
years ago, so I can only assume it
will work once again.
- Leah Potkin can be reached
at Ipotkin@umich.edu.
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