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4 - Tuesday, November 29, 2011
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
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tothedaily@michigandaily.com
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.
Consolidating safety
Merging police departments can be successful
T hough city safety departments have not been safe from
statewide budget cuts, there may be a way to save money
without cutting these crucial services. In line with Gov.
Rick Snyder's plan to cut down on Michigan's spending, the Pontiac
Police Department was absorbed by the Oakland County Sheriff's
Office last August. The overall positive results of the consolidation
indicate that the change, especially in areas with a high crime rate
may increase departmental efficiency while also reducing Michi-
gan's heavy financial burden.
JEFF ZUSCHLAG
E-MAIL JEFF AT JEFFDZ@UMICH.EDU
Beat it, kid.
You must b
Is see
Santa
Focus on what you believe
i
t
Though the decision to close the Pon-
tiac Police Department may have shifted the
department's .workforce, the move has saved
an estimated $2.2 million in state money. By
combining the expenses into one department,
the Oakland County Sheriff's Office was able
to hire 73 additional officers, many of whom
worked for or were previously laid off by the
former Pontiac Police Department.
The consolidation was initially planned as
a cost-saving measure, but the decision has
resulted in more action that targets crime.
Pontiac has seen a 400-percent increase in
arrests in the first four months following the
decision, according to a Detroit Free Press
article, which shows that the change has not
affected the ability of safety officials to do
their jobs.
While property crime has decreased in Pon-
tiac over the past several years, violent crime
is still on the rise. The city's violent crime rate
is drastically higher than the national average.
The hiring of the additional officers was only
possible because of the money saved through
the consolidation and was an important factor
in the 400-percent increase in arrests. Though
this method may not work in every jurisdic-
tion, the numbers show that the change has
been particularly effective in Pontiac.
Ann Arbor has recently suffered cuts to the
fire and police department budgets that have
resulted in a reduction of the number of per-
sonnel the departments can employ. Looking
into a potential consolidation of the two orga-
nizations could prove cost-effective and ben-
eficial for the city.
Snyder has long favored consolidations
like the one seen in Pontiac. The proven suc-
cess of the consolidation has stirred debates
in other areas of Michigan as to whether ser-
vices traditionally offered by cities should be
expanded into countywide jurisdictions. The
push for countywide consolidation of ser-
vices allows for greater oversight and stan-
dardization of worker compensation that the
current system lacks.
Regions in other states have discussed the
combination of police and fire departments
into a larger department that would cross-
train employees to respond to both fire and
public safety emergencies. Still others have
suggested combining non-safety depart-
ments such as parks and recreation and
water and sewage.
Opponents of these measures are concerned
that this would result in a public workforce
that has many skills, but fails to be experts in
one specific task. Regardless of whether these
policies are implemented, discussing different
options is crucial for arriving at a decision that
would be beneficial to Michigan's economy
and the safety of residents.
While more research is necessary to deter-
mine which services and regions would gain
the greatest benefit from consolidations like
the Pontiac-Oakland move, the increase
in arrests and the money saved by Pontiac
shows that these measures are a viable option
to save the state money without compromis-
ing public safety.
hen I told my grandfa-
ther this summer that
I wanted to become a
rabbi, I expected
he'd be excited
about it. I won-
dered which
of my relatives
he'd call first to
kvell about how
proud he was
that I wanted to MATTHEW
devote my life GREEN
to the continu- _
ity of our people.
But right when
I said the words, he turned to me
cantankerously and said, "What are
you? Nuts?" Hardly the delightI was
expecting. He's since come around,
but just last week at Thanksgiving
dinner, my aunt earnestly asked me,
"Why don't you want to do some-
thing more...fun? Like law, maybe,
or real estate?" I guess that's what
passes for fun in some circles.
In the past few months since I've
made the decision to pursue rabbini-
cal school, I've heard a wide range
of responses to it. Though most of
my relatives, friends and acquain-
tances are for the idea, a substantial
number are not. Some people seem
to think it's a joke or a waste of my
potential, as if the rabbinate were
some frivolous pursuit. Others sug-
gest that I'm limiting myself exclu-
sively to a small group of people orto
the study of ancient, irrelevant texts.
Many more don't know how to
respond at all. Religion can be a
tremendously uncomfortable sub-
ject, particularly between two indi-
viduals of different faiths. For those
steeped in the language of tolerance
and multiculturalism, it's sometimes
awkward to discuss religion with-
out stepping on anyone's toes. And a
huge proportion of people, particu-
larly in our generation, don't have
any use for spirituality whatsoev-
er- or they can't find meaning in an
organized faith. For what it's worth,
I'm noteven sure of how Ipersonally
connect to God or if I connect at all.
That's at least part of why I'm going
to rabbinical school.
In high school, many of my friends
weren't religious, but the few who
were felt that people judged them
for being devout Christians. They
said most of our friends excused my
interest in religion since being Jew-
ish carried with it a sort of mystique,
but looked at them as if they were
crazy and retrograde. In some ways,
I'm beginning to understand how
they must have felt. Religion often
feels like something of the past. Not
many people talk about becoming
clergymen and women in the 21st
century, and indeed it can sound a
little crazy. Even the word "clergy"
sounds old fashioned. And "rabbi"
sounds old country.
But the judgment I've perceived is
not just because I plan on becoming
a man of the cloth.
The reality is, if I said I was plan-
ning to go to law school that would
carry its own set of baggage and
stereotypes. From certain people I
could expect rolling eyes, comments
about slim job prospects or maybe
some snide remark about lawyers.
Take the business school senior
who, when asked about her plans
for next year, says: "Well, I got a job
with Goldman, but I'm only gonna
stay for a few years before I do my
own thing." Or the education major
who feels compelled to constantly
joke about how he's not in it for the
money. Or more poignant still, take
the unnamed University senior who
hasn't the foggiest idea of what he
intends to do next year and says he
plans to travel or take time off.
It's a common chorus, particu-
larly for those of us in our last year
at the University. Judgment abounds
as we publicly ponder our futures,
and from time to time, the voices
around us become voices inside our
heads. This job won't be lucrative
enough. That career might seem too
self-serving. This choice won't get
me where I should be in 10 years. It
sounds a lot like choosing a college.
And just like college, our careerswill
only be exciting or meaningful if we
make them that way. Fortunately, as
future University alumni, we have
that luxury.
Do we live to
work or work
to live?
1
While the judgment I face may be
about my faith as much as it's about
my career choice, fundamentally,
both forms are judgments on my
beliefs and ideals. As we try to figure
out what steps to take next, it would
probably behoove us all to figure
out what we actually believe before
we take the leap. We need to block
out all the other voices and ask our-
selves: Do we live to work or work to
live? And what is the point of living,
anyway?
Maybe you'll never answer those
questions, or at least not right now.
But it's worth taking a study break to
ask them.
- Matthew Green can be
reached at greenmat@umich.edu.
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS:
Aida Ali, Michelle DeWitt, Ashley Griesshammer, Nirbhay Jain, Jesse Klein,
Patrick Maillet, Erika Mayer, Harsha Nahata, Emily Orley, Teddy Papes, Timothy Rabb,
Vanessa Rychlinski, Caroline Syms, Seth Soderborg, Andrew Weiner
JESSE KLEIN
Keep student protests safe
SEND LETTERS TO: T
Students should reduce and reuse purchase and the t
means they need ti
in addition to recycle where students can
They can make sure
functioning so that
TO THE DAILY: bottles. They shoulc
I recently visited the Materials Recycling Facility, trash bins and recyc
where the tons of recyclables that we accumulate at the of both receptacles.I
University are sent after collection. I'll start by saying it tional tools to be kn
wasn't pretty. After all of our cardboard boxes, plastic However, there i
water bottles and glass pasta sauce jars get picked up by can do before indi
the city, they get dumped into a pile in the MRF ware- action. I'm not askin
house. Subsequently, the large pile is crudely sorted by waste. I'm just aski:
machine and by hand in more uniform piles. These uni- one more time. May
form piles turn into bundles of material to be sent off for change that will di
reuse. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but what I saw or recycling plant.Z
definitely was not a picturesque scene of a healthy envi- reusable water bott
ronment. Sure, recycling is better than sending trash to be buying some ofy
a landfill, but maybe we should be focusing on "reduce" simple as purchasii
and "reuse" in addition to "recycle". provided us with m
To fulfill the University's sustainability efforts, it will them go to waste.
take collaboration between the administration, staff
and students to make changes. This means University Bridget Callahan
officials need to be more cognizant of the things they Public Policy junior
'OTHEDAILY@MICHIGANDAILY.COM
hings they throw away. This also
o provide a more effective system
do their part in waste reduction.
water fountains are accessible and
we can fill up our reusable water
Id realize that physically separating
ling bins can prevent contamination
And they can provide us with educa-
iowledgeable about waste diversion.
s only so much that the University
viduals become obligated to take
ng you to completely stop producing
ng that you think about your waste
ybe there is one thing that you can
ivert some waste from the landfill
This could mean carrying around a
le, coffee mug or tote bag. It could
your food in bulk. Or it could be as
ng less "stuff." The University has
any resources, so we shouldn't let
Watching the videos of the University of
California, Davis police brutality gave me
the shivers. More than that, it made me want
to cry, scream with rage and yell for change
to anyone who would listen, no matter if they
had any power to change what was happen-
ing or not. Iam from Palo Alto, Calif. and have
43 friends and classmates at UC-Davis. I was
planning to visit them over the absurdly long
summer. Now I am not so sure. Do I want to
go visit a place that sprays its students with
pepper spray as they scream and cry?
The videos are disturbing to say the least.
The screams and choked cries of the 17 to
23-year-old students make y hands shake
as I type this. My heart rate kicked up, and
my breathing became shallow. How could a
police officer, probably with children or at
least nieces and nephews, do this to a group
of young people? In the video, the students
watching the scene yell through pepper spray
induced coughs, and shout their support for
protests and disbelief of the police. Camera
phones are pulled out of pockets to capture
irrefutable proof of these outrageously cruel
acts. Students look out for each other. The
spectators warn protesters of the incoming
pepper spray. And after students are dragged
from their peaceful circle, knelt on, hand-
cuffed and driven away, chants of "shame on
you" and "this is our university" reverberate
around the quad.
As police officers at a public university,
the officers involved in the UC-Davis inci-
dent have likely been around young adults
each day of work. Their job description is to
protect students as they make the difficult
transition from adolescence to adulthood.
College can be a confusing time in which
experimentation and boundary pushing can
go wrong and in some cases cause extreme
harm. Campus police are supposed to pre-
vent these problems, not cause them.
At the University of Michigan, the Univer-
sity's Department of Public Safety has made
it clear that the students are the number one
priority. The blue light emergency buttons
on campus and safe walk programs are clear
indicators that they take student safety seri-
ously. During orientation a DPS officer came
to speak to incoming freshmen, which, in a
day full of boring speeches and PowerPoints,
was the one thing that really stood out. The
officer told the group that he would rather
get a call and have it be nothing, than not
get a call and have it be something. Even
though DPS can be a pain - busting parties
and searching dorm rooms - I know that if
I was feeling uncomfortable I could call and
they would be there. But it's possible that
UC-Davis officers put the same emphasis on
safety to their freshman, and instead of abid-
ing by the policy, they turned on their own
students.
Protests and demonstrations have long
been a part of university life. College stu-
dents are outspoken people, and their schools
give them the freedom to express their opin-
ions. Most universities value that in their stu-
dents. The University of Michigan has shown
respect for peaceful student protests, which
can be interpreted as their commitment to
the Leaders and Best among their student
body. Universities are supposed to encourage
peaceful protests, but instead, UC-Davis, or
at least some of its police, decided that elimi-
nating an annoyance was more important
than encouraging students to act as leaders.
Jesse Klein is an LSA freshman.
0
I
There are easy ways for students ronmental consciousness. In the end it will benefit our
posterity, our Earth and, most obviously, our pockets.
to adopt an eco-friendly lifestyle With all of the enthusiasm surrounding Kill-A-Watt - a
student competition focused on reducing energy use in
residence halls - I find it appropriate to show you how
TO THE DAILY: being conscious of your energy consumption, although
As a student studying environmental sciences, I am knowingly beneficial for the Earth, directly profitsyou.
constantly exposed to information about recycling, By turning off your lights, you have the potential to
waste reduction and energy consumption. Yet after talk- save 10 to 20 percent of a total household electricity bill.
ing to my non-environmental studies friends, I realized Cutting back your daily shower by five minutes for a year
that this information, although seemingly omnipresent, saves you almost $10 (imagine if all your roommates
never fully permeates the brains of University students. did this) and more than 4,562 gallons of water. Here are
You see signage on light switches about turning offlights some other creative solutions for college students: Turn
or advertisements asking you to "Go Green." University on energy-saving settings for your laptop and turn your
President Mary Sue Coleman even addressed the student laptop off at night, use a power strip and turn it off when
body saying, "Sustainability defines the University of not in use, replace incandescent light bulbs with energy-
Michigan. Combine maize and blue, and you get green." saving fluorescent lights, use the microwave instead of
We know everyone wants us tobe 'green,' but how do we the stovetop whenever possible, wash clothes with cold
achieve a sustainable lifestyle? More importantly, why water and use natural lighting during the daytime. These
do we want to be sustainable? What's so wrong with de- are just a few pertinent energy-saving suggestions, but
stressing with a 30-minute shower or having the TV on most importantly, spread the word. Let's make it trendy
as background noise when studying? to care.
Noticeably, the atmosphere we inhabit directly limits
the decisions of college students, but there are very easy Lauren Beriont
choices we can all make to start this culture shift to envi- LSA junior