4
4A - Wednesday, November 30, 2011
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
4A - Wednesday, November 30, 2011 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom
Edited and managed by students at
the University of Michigan since 1890.
420 Maynard St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
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 isthe public editor. He can be reached at publiceditor@michigandaily.com.
FROM TEDAILY
Attend to attendance
DPS must address underlying causes of truancy
R oy Roberts, Detroit Public Schools emergency manager,
recently announced that the district's deficit is less than
$100 million, a decrease of $43 million in the last fiscal year.
But for every step DPS takes, it is forced to take two more back. The
positive news for Michigan's largest school district comes at the
same time as a threat of a $25.9 million fine due to attendance below
state standards. Detroit schools should be given the opportunity to
address the underlying causes of truancy instead of being fined - a
practice that could exacerbate financial problems and hinder the
HANNAH DOW
E-MAIL HANNAH AT HDOW@UMICH.EDU
educational system.
According to The Detroit News, DPS atten-
dance was below the state-mandated 75 per-
cent of the school's student body on 46 days
last school year. In contrast, Utica Community
Schools and Dearborn Public Schools - Michi-
gan's second and third largest school districts
respectively- neverreached attendancebelow
75 percent last school year. A total of $680,000
in truancy fines was paid by DPS for the 2009-
2010 school year, and officials expect to pay
only a fraction of the $25.9 million estimate
this year.
The Michigan Department of Education
deducts fines from districts' state aid based
on how far attendance is below the 75 percent
mark. Last year, average school attendance at
DPS on Fridays was 71.2 percent. Though aver-
age attendance was above 75 percent Monday
through Thursday, it was always below 80 per-
cent. Veterans Day.was a half-school day for
the district, and DPS only recorded 50.7 per-
cent student attendance - one of many half-
days cited for excessive absences.
While the attendance fines are problem-
atic, the actual truancy is a larger concern.
Attendance percentages in the mid-70s can-
not sustain an educational system. According
to the National Center for School Engagement,
experts have linked truancy with delinquency
and dropping out of school. Students need to
regularly attend classes in order to benefit from
their education and prepare for their futures.
There are better ways to address truancy
problems than limiting schools' financial
IT'S ABOUT TIME OHIo STATE'S
BUCKEYE SHED SOME TEARS
Uglier than Washington
In the very early hours of the of Congress are sent to do in Wash- son." Notice that most fans don't
morning last Saturday, the ington. When citizens elect a Con- care about what the deal looks like
NBA finally reached a tentative gressman, they do so because they - the same cannot be said about the
collective bar- believe that person best represents country's budget. Of course, as is
gaining agree- their interests. Presumably, con- old news now, the players and own-
ment with its stituents want their representative ers squabbled this summer, and the
players to end a to speak for those interests and, if arguments dragged on because they
149-day lockout n necessary, fight hard for them. In a didn't think about how everyone
and salvage most country as large and diverse as the else would be affected by the lockout
of what looked United States, politicians represent (fans, local businesses, restaurants,
like a lost season a myriad of populations and ideas, team employees, etc.). They were too
just a few weeks DAR-WEI which leads to inevitable discord busy thinking about themselves.
ago. This lockout CHEN when those politicians have to work
was caused by together. And their constituencies
disagreements often don't help with this problem. The NB
in basketball- If people were asked what they AS
related income (BRI) sharing and want from their representatives, l1
salary cap structure, among other they would probably say something iockout forgot
issues. NFL players and team own- about the representative standingup a-
ers also tussled this summer in a for his or her beliefs and expressing
lockout of their own, but managed to the views of the constituency. Even
avoid losing regular season games by when potential consequences are
compromising on revenue-sharing dire, people nowadays usually want Some people might defend the
financial issues similar to BRI. their representatives to stand firm. players and owners with arguments
As dysfunctional as these sports For example, during the budget about how the players' union has the
leagues seemed during both lock- debates earlier this year, an NBC right to collectively bargain with
outs, they managed to solve their and Wall Street Journal poll found the owners, which is certainly true.
problems reasonably by having that 56 percent of self-identified However, the intransigence dis-
players and owners compromise Republicans wanted GOP leaders to played by both sides during the lock-
on issues. Predictably, the general stick to their positions, regardless of outshows that the NBA's players and
public started to look at Washington what would be needed for an agree- owners forgot the people who enable
politicians and think: "If the sports ment with Democrats. People gen- them to talk about splitting $4 bil-
people can get deals done, why erally aren't looking for politicians lion (from 2010) in the first place -
can't Congress get its act together?" that compromise (well, 68 percent of the fans. Without fan interest and
Washington dysfunction has long Democrats wanted to compromise love for the game of basketball, the
been a clich, especially regarding during the budget debates, which league cannot survive. With fan
partisan bickering, but the past few could indicate that GOP intransi- interest, team owners and star play-
years have taken the dysfunction to gence is what blocked progress in ers receive more fame and fortune
another level. The fact that politi- those discussions... never mind, than most of us will ever have.
cal work in Washington is gener- that's another story) and that atti- In Washington, politicians usu-
ally more important and urgent than tude leads directly to dysfunction in ally don't forget the people: that
anything sports leagues do only fur- Washington when politicians carry elected them to their esteemed posi-
ther indicts politicians when they out the wishes of their people. In tions, which is exactly why gridlock
are unable to pass useful legisla- some ways, Americans are getting exists in the halls of Congress. If you
tion. Being furious at Washington is what they ask for in Washington. are mad at Congress and the NBA -
indeed fashionable right now. How- Now compare the situation in which describes many Americans
ever, at least in a populist sense, the Washington with the NBA's. Ask - be madder at the NBA. Its players
fightingbetween players and owners almost any NBA fan about what he and owners forgot about you.
in the NBA and NFL is worse than or she hoped for during the lock-
the bickering in Washington. out, and you'll hear some variation -Dar-Wei Chen can be reached
Let's think about what members of "I just want basketball this sea- at chendw@umich.edu.
Environmental economics
4
4
resources. It's difficult to rationalize allocation
of funds for absent students. However, cut-
ting funding puts schools at a disadvantage
to educate students. The fines also become
punishments to students who are consistently
attending school, since they suffer from fund-
ingcuts.
With class sizes increasing, few of Detroit's
teachers have the resources or time to follow
up on absent students. The most important way
DPS can address low attendance is to promote
parent involvement. Parents should ensure
that their children get to school each day and
should notify teachers regarding absences and
DPS should continue to increase communica-
tion with parents.
Schools can incentivize attendance through
programs like Count Me In! - a before-school
club that offers prizes to students with perfect
attendance - and establish consequences for
poor attendance. DPS should set achievable
goals and encourage good record-keeping and
continual evaluation to foster teacher involve-
ment.
Already this year, DPS has seen improve-
ment through enhanced parent communica-
tion programs. The attendance rate for the
fifth day of school was 85 percent, compared
to 69 percent in 2010, according to a report
released by DPS. Attendance must remain
a primary focus to ensure a better future for
Detroit's students, but the district needs the
opportunity to work on these issues before its
funding is cut.
4
4
0
4
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
SEND LETTERS TO: TOTHEDAILY@MICHIGANDAILY.COM
'U' should re-evaluate the
efficiency of solar panels
fact, I'm an ad
when a decisio
or system thati
bound to have
versity, Electric
TO THE DAILY: ing Prof. Steph
For months there has been speculation and the profound ef
closed door talk of a new construction proj- increasing Solar
ect on North Campus. On Sept. 27, Univer- even attractedt
sity President Mary Sue Coleman formally ment of Defens
announced that a solar panel field would be we spent the m
constructed in partnership with DTE Ener- pus solar proje
gy. The solar panels will be located on North more ground-br
Campus, and it's been said that the project Rand's? The Un
could begin to materialize in as little as six research institu
months. In my years as an environmental the frontrunner
studies student, I've read many an article energy? There a
discussing the pros and cons of solar panel The Unive
arrays. At this point in time, some PV (photo intersection, ac
voltaic; the blackish blue panels) run at an the paths of p
incredibly low efficiency. Some of the best presence, Uni
panels max out around the 20 percent range. reputation cross
With the large costs associated with a project making sure al
like this, I can'thelp but wonder if the Univer- accurately consi
sity's money could be better spent elsewhere.
Don't get me wrong - I am all for clean, Holly Deremo
sustainable, enduring energy solutions. In LSA junior
dvocate for them. However,
n is made to use a product
isn't an efficient choice, I'm
some questions. At the Uni-
al and Computer Engineer-
en Rand has been studying
ffects of magnetic waves on
x Panel Efficiency. Rand has
the attention of the Depart-
e in Washington DC. What if
illions that the North Cam-
ct will require by funding
reaking research efforts like
iversity is already a leading
tion, but what if we became
s of developing efficient solar
re endless possibilities.
rsity has reached an
crossroads if you will, when
ublic relations, community
versity development and
S- it can be a slippery slope
1 aspects are balanced and
Jdered.
F or years, th
the environ
locked in a b
can support, and
it seems that the
environment
scored a minor
victory recently
in Congress.
The Environ-
mental Protec-
tion Agency and
the National
Highway Traffic
Safety Admin-
istration have
finalized their plan
fuel-efficiency stan
the United States t
gallon by 2025. Thi
has been in the mak
and comes on the h
Barack Obama's pla
county's dependenc
while increasing eff
on carbon emission
now considered to 1
the EPA.
The policy come
global warming is b
cult topic to ignore.
tute of Technologyr
areport warningthe
could be underwat
study shows that sh:
arctica and Greenl
faster than previot
and sea levels could
es in the next 40 ye
Isabella Velicogna,
report, this seeming
will be disproport
uted to low-lying ar
that an average se
of six inches across
amount to several f
like Bangladesh.
An increase in
perature may also
increase in extrem
we've experienced o
ple years. The clim
e economy and like a Red Bull for hurricanes and
ment have been droughts, whose intensities have
battle for Ameri- increased dramatically in recent
years. Though the research linking
extreme weather events and global
warming is still ongoing, the trend is
undeniable in the eyes of many envi-
ronmentalists. With an expected
annual cost of $200 billion to repair
the damages done by these disas-
ters, it's clear that any effort made
JOE to alleviate the global warming issue
has the potential to not only save
SUGIYAMA the planet, but actually be a fiscally
responsible undertaking.
A clear-cut wayto keep our planet
to increase the cool is to decrease our carbon foot-
dards for cars in print, and a large contribution to
o 54.5 miles per that footprint is the exhaust from
s announcement our tailpipes. If the 54.5 mpg goal
ing for some time is achieved, it has the potential to
eels of President decrease oil consumption by 2.2
n to decrease the million gallons of oil and 43 million
ce on foreign oil pounds of carbon emissions per day.
forts to cut down Though vehicle emissions are only a
ns - which are small part of a larger problem, you
be a pollutant by have to start somewhere.
This legislation seems like a slam
s at a time when dunk by the EPA - right? Not if you
becoming a diffi- ask auto industry representatives.
California Insti- This policy would force companies
recently released that don't want to face fines from the
at coastal regions EPA into making cars that may be
er by 2050. The above their means. The policy would
eets of ice in Ant- force companies to convert much of
and are melting their fleet into hybrid vehicles that
usly anticipated, - according to a Nov. 28 Wall Street
rise by six inch- Journal article - have seen a recent
ars. According to decline in sales. Hybrid vehicles
co-author of the account for a lowly 3 percent of the
ly small increase market, but if auto companies wish
ionately distrib- to meet the new EPA standards,
reas. This means about 25 percent of their fleet must
a-level increase be converted.
the globe could This could spell disaster for auto
eet for countries companies on two fronts. The first
being that it's expensive to make
the global tem- hybrid vehicles compared to the
account for the standard vehicles of today. In case
ne weather that you haven't noticed, the American
ver the pastcou auto makers aren't exactly flush
hate change acts with capital at the moment. The
second problem is that consumers
aren't chomping at the bit to drive
these expensive, fuel-efficient cars,
and trying to sell 25 percent of your
merchandise to a consumer base of
3 percent isn't exactly good for busi-
ness. Not to say that these numbers
won't change over time - as con-
sumers' options may become more
limited due to an inevitable influx
of hybrids on the market - but right
now it seems like a big blow to car
makers.
EPA mandate
could hurt
automakers.
4
Despite rivalry, 'U' fans
must remain respectful
TO THE DAILY:
As a graduate student and avid Michigan
fan, I feel saddened but compelled to write
about the behavior of some University stu-
dents at last Saturday's football game. Uni-
versity's students were heckling, screaming
profanities incessantly and cheering when
the Ohio State University players were
injured on the field. Furthermore, I brought
my wife-to-be (an OSU graduate) to the game
and witnessed her getting pushed by one
University student fan after the game with-
out any provocation.
I understand that this is a huge rivalry,
but it is also unacceptable and extremely
disrespectful. If any of us experienced this
treatment in Columbus, we would imme-
diately castigate the entire OSU commu-
nity. We should hold ourselves to a higher
standard, and let our academic and athletic
achievements speak for themselves. We are,
after all, Michigan.
Srinivas Parinandi
Ph.D. student
This policy won't just hurt the 4
auto industry, it will affect consum-
ers as well. The price of a new car
will increase by an estimated $3,100
- making it much harder for low-
income households to afford.
So, once again, the line in the sand
has been drawn between the envi-
ronment and the economy with no
clear way to please both sides. The
key factor in this debate will come
down to the consumer. American
consumers have the power to ease
the worries of auto companies by
stepping up and buying hybrids. A
boost in sales could help to ensure
the 54.5 mpg goal is met on schedule
without jeopardizing the American
auto industry's future. If consumers
remain content with their less effi-4
cient vehicles, auto makers will be
stuck with a surplus of cars no one
wants and will have to struggle to
stay out of the red. The culmination
of this argument is simple: Uncle
Sam wants YOU to drive a hybrid.
- Joe Sugiyama can be
reached at jmsugi@umich.edu.
0
A