4A - Thursday, December 8, 2011

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The Michigan Daily -michigandaily.com

4A - Thursday, December 8, 2011 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom

c fiiioan Bath
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 is the public editor. He can be reached at publiceditor@michigandaily.com.
State takeover oversteps
Emergency managers are given too much power
fter being appointed by Republican Gov. Rick Snyder last
week, Flint's new emergency manager Michael Brown
didn't waste any time making changes to the city. By last
Friday, his second day on the job, Brown had fired seven city hall
officials and docked the pay of several others, including the mayor
of Flint and City Council members. Flint is the fourth city in Michi-
gan to fall under state takeover, and the policy seems to be expand-
ing to more cities. Elected city officials should be the individuals
who represent citizens, not appointed state officials. The state take-
over law needs to have greater restrictions and should not give sole
power to a state-appointed official.


I have nobody to blame but myself for my
stupidity and actions, words, things that I
did, that I thought I could do:'
- Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich on his sentencing of
14 years for 18 felony corruption convictions, as reported yesterday by The New York Times.
Expressing outrage in Troy

As of Dec. 1, the state took over Flint's
finances. The city has been in bad shape since
General Motors left the area, taking factory
and assembly jobs along with it. This isn't the
first time Flint was declared to be in an eco-
nomic state of emergency, as a financial man-
ager was put into place from 2002 to 2006.
The emergency manager position was
established under the state takeover law
20 years ago. Public Act 4 allows the gov-
ernor to appoint a manager to assist cit-
ies in which finances have become overly
burdensome. The holder of the position can
circumvent city charters, fire current city
officials and even interfere with collective
bargaining rights.
The state takeover law jeopardizes democ-
racy. Appointed officials are not able to speak
for the citizens they represent. The purpose
ofhavingelected officials is for local residents
to choose someone to represent them. But in
the event of a state takeover, an appointed
emergency manager calls the shots. State
takeovers are negative for the state. They
signify that Michigan cities are unable to
succeed economically and instead must rely
on state funds. Frequent state takeovers also

set a bad precedent. Cities may choose to fall
into state takeover - hoping the government
will bail them out rather than try to fix their
financial problems on their own.
Cities that are struggling to manage their
finances should be helped by the state, but
not in this manner. Giving one outside per-
son the power to overhaul an entire city is
not an effective management strategy. After
the emergency manager is gone, the city can
easily fall back to its previous status. Instead
of having one state-appointed individual
make unilateral decisions, there should be a
consultation process, in which someone like
an emergency manager works with city offi-
cials, instead of ruling over them.
While many cities need the help of the
state government, complete state takeovers
are not a viable solution. When the elected
officials in a city can no longer represent
their constituents, residents are left feeling
a lack of control in their own governance.
Rather than appoint one state official to have
all the power, state takeovers should use a
consultation process, in which qualified indi-
viduals come in and help a city, not take it
over entirely.

Troy, Mich. isn't the kind of
place that usually makes
headlines. A suburb of
80,000 people
five miles up
Interstate 75
from Detroit, it
claims the title
of Michigan's
safest city. Troy « -=
has major malls
and corporate JOEL
headquarters, HATTERMAN
and the city's
government
tends to be pret-
ty low-key. When your residents are
solidly upper middle class, after all,
there's not that much more to do
other than make sure the schools
and other services run smoothly.
Within the city itself, at least, there
isn't the same vexing questions of
inequality and distributive justice
that plague the nation as a whole.
Well, so much for low-key gov-
ernance. After declining prop-
erty values nearly shuttered the
Troy Public Library, and residents
passed a new property tax mill-
age to keep it open this summer, a
slate of three Tea Party candidates
rode the backlash to victory in last
month's City Council election. One
of them was Mayor Janice Daniels.
A week ago today, a local blogger
noted that Daniels had written a
Facebook post in June stating, "I
think I am going to throw away my
I Love New York carrying bag now
that queers can get married there."
As you'd expect, that slur rico-
cheted around the Internet. Pub-
lic comment about the post at the
Troy City Council meeting Mon-
day, what someone called "the most
monumental meeting in Troy his-
tory," lasted more than four hours.

Watching a live streaming of the
meeting over Troy Patch (originally
to see what became of a proposed
new train station opposed by Dan-
iels), I found myself glued to the
proceedings as citizen after citizen
advanced to the microphone - most
to condemn her words and request
an apology. A number of them were
Troy high school students. In more
than a few ways, the group repre-
sented American democracy at its
finest.
Yes, there were a few people say-
ing, "We need to get off this politi-
cal correctness nonsense right
away!" But lecturing the mayor
on respect, there were also Asian
20-somethings recounting how
tough it had been for them to come
out, Muslims identifying anti-gay
hate speech with their own expe-
rience of being called terrorists,
Catholics talking about how find-
ing out friends were gay had made
them reconsider previous prejudic-
es and Italians quoting Holocaust
survivor Elie Wiesel on how "we
must always take sides."
The scene made for a kind of
liberal pluralist fantasy: a commu-
nity made up of all sorts of people,
of diverse heritages and beliefs,
all transcending their differences
to come together, mostly, behind a
shared moral vision for respect and
love. This is what we're supposed to
be able to do: acknowledge but also
get beyond our particular herds
and tribes to forge a broader com-
munity, in what sociologist Michael
Eric Dyson, in his lecture here last
Friday, called:"metastatic multicul-
turalism."
Beyond the fact of who was
talking, though, it felt good to see
an affluent American community
expressing sincere moral outrage

about something, given all the cru-
elty that goes down these days and
the scarcity of meaningful open
discussion about our responsibili-
ties. Some University community
members may feel there's all too
much talk, and not nearly enough
meaningful action, but I'd say that
reflects how these discussions have
been relegated from an increas-
ingly segmented public sphere into
more sanitized realms like the col-
lege classroom. The kind of society
we live in doesn't usually ask us
to believe in much, other than the
virtues of consumption and the cer-
tainty of continued opportunities
for self-enrichment.
Acknowledge our
differences, but

01

move past them.
Of course, moral outrage at anti-
gay bigotry can often come relative-
ly cheap. It's a lot harder for those
of us in the upper brackets to start
talking about injustice when the
stakes include our own current and
potential wealth, not just whether
someone else can get married. But
our country's sense of common pur-
pose and civic virtue is so depleted,
especially in local governance, that
you have to hope this can lead to
greater and more enduring change.
The Troy of legend fell. With a new
commitment to our own communi-
ties, maybe we can avoid that fate.
-Joel Batterman can be
reached at jomba@umich.edu.

MATT BOUSE AND MATT WOELFEL I
Intern in philanthropy

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
STEPHEN RAIMAN |
Not all GSRAs want unionization

Internships often introduce students to
new careers, provide valuable experiences
and offer contacts for future employment.
When looking for internships, many students
search in big cities, but did you know there is
a paid opportunity open to all undergraduate
students right here in Ann Arbor? The Uni-
versity's Development Summer Internship
Program, or D-SIP, is a 12-week program
that introduces students to careers in philan-
thropy and primes students for professional
success. So why should you consider D-SIP?
D-SIP interns are placed in University
development offices and select non-profit
organizations in Ann Arbor. Past intern-
ship sites range from the Office of University
Development and the College of Engineering,
to Food Gatherers and the Ann Arbor Sum-
mer Festival. These offices apply to host an
intern and create meaningful projects that
allow interns to take responsibility and con-
tribute to the success of their office. Projects
challenge interns and strengthen their pro-
fessional skills, making D-SIP alumni strong
applicants in the competitive job market.
Individual assignments are diverse, and past
projects have included producing resources
on the best ways to thank donors, coordinat-
ing major fundraising events and communi-
cating giving opportunities to corporations
and foundations.
In addition to the Monday through Thurs-
day paid work component, interns attend a
Friday session that focuses on the academic
research behind philanthropy (class credit
is available). We learned about the history
behind philanthropy, donor motivations
and the many career options available in the
development profession. The class also pro-
vided an opportunity to engage with Uni-
versity leadership and major donors. As we
considered our future throughout the sum-
mer, it was powerful to hear about the profes-
sional journeys of the leaders and financial
supporters who have made the University
what it is today. Overall, D-SIP interns leave
the summer with a greater understanding
and appreciation for what it means to be a
Michigan Wolverine.
The Friday class also includes afternoon

lessons in professional development. With
one-on-one coaching by University staff,
reflective writing and mock interviews,
interns learn how to build a strong network,
create a personal brand and present them-
selves professionally. This training not only
helps interns think about what their dream
career might look like, it provides advice on
how to achieve those goals.
And we can't forget to mention that D-SIP
is fun. Getting to know each other through
teambuilding activities, our summer retreat
and social activities our class planned, we
left D-SIP with a group of new friends. We
bonded as an intern group - planning out-
ings like seeing a Tigers game at Comerica
Park and meeting up at many fun, sponta-
neous gatherings after a busy day of work.
As co-interns, we were able to support each
other as a collaborative unit.
D-SIP is focused on providing a complete
internship experience from the work com-
ponent through the educational opportuni-
ty. Interns learn skills that are not found in
college courses but are necessary to begin a
career. If you are unsure about your career
options, or if you are having trouble deciding
what you want to do, D-SIP is an excellent
way to explore your strengths, aspirations
and the careers available to you. As alumni of
the program, we encourage you to learn more
about non-profit fundraising and expand
your career prospects through the Develop-
ment Summer Internship Program.
Each of us came into the program from
diverse backgrounds, but by the end of the
summer we were more prepared to enter the
professional world, and we left D-SIP with
an increased understanding of the impact of
philanthropy on our lives and the legacy of
the University.
That's why you should apply to D-SIP.
For more information on how to apply,
visit: http://www.giving.umich.edu/intern-
ship/. And for more alumni tips, fan us on
Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/
UMDSIP.
Matt Bouse is an alum. Matt Woelfel is a
senior in the Ford School of Public Policy.

In a recent resolution pushed through the Michi-
gan Student Assembly, and in a recent press release,
the Graduate Employees' Organization has called for
an election "free of outside interference" to determine
whether graduate student research assistants will
become unionized. Most of my fellow GSRAs would
find this idea a little hypocritical, as GEO has hired paid
American Federation of Teachers employees to visit the
homes and offices of every GSRA on campus to deliver a
sales pitch. It seems GEO's definition of "outside inter-
ference" only includes those who disagree with them.
This political double-speak, sadly, has been a con-
stant theme during GEO's campaign to push compulsory
unionization on GSRAs. During GEO's most recent con-
tract negotiation, it simply tried to absorb GSRAs into its
bargaining unit with no election at all. This fact should
be remembered when GEO claims it seeks only to hold a
fair and democratic election.
Having failed to strong-arm the University into
including GSRAs in its union, GEO set out to pull an
"election" fast one. During GEO's negotiations with the
University, GEO lawyers pushed to hold an election as
soon as possible during the summer term. It's clear that
GEO felt it had an advantage by holding the election
while many GSRAs-were away from school, and before
their opposition could properly mount a campaign.
Again denied by the University, GEO took to politi-
cal means to get what it wanted. Recent hearings before
the Michigan Employment Relations Commission
regarding an election have laughably seen GEO argu-
ing its case with no opposition, after successfully using
legal and political maneuvers to silence the University
administration, and my group, Students Against GSRA
Unionization. The recent involvement of the Attorney
General's office will finally provide a voice opposing
GEO, though it may already be too late. Using the courts
to silence its opposition does not seem very democratic.
Why is GEO trying to silence its critics? Why are
members not telling the whole truth? Because compul-
sory unionization does not make sense for GSRAs. GEO
has not proposed any benefits that aren't already offered

to GSRAs by the University. GEO has argued that it has
been the driving force behind raises in graduate student
pay and benefits over the years, expecting us to believe
that the University would simply let GSRA pay fall
behind other comparable universities, with whom we
compete forthe most talented graduate students.
GEO has used fear as motivation, spinning tales of
oppressive advisers who mistreat their graduate stu-
dents at-will and never let them leave their labs, even
when family members pass away. We've all heard these
tales, but the fact is that Rackham Graduate School
already provides resources for students who feel that
their advisers or departments are treating them unfair-
ly. Rackham has a long record of successfully advocating
for students who feel they have been mistreated, and the
school does it without reaching into our pockets. GEO
has been trying to scare us into handing them over $400
per year for their "protection," but it is clear to all of us
that their protection is not needed or wanted.
A fair election seems like a noble cause, but what GEO
seeks is hardly fair. With the University prohibited from
campaigning against the union, the only opposition to
GEO would come from student groups like mine, which
is a volunteer group with no budget or staff. GEO, on the
other hand, is free to spread campaign promises (true or
untrue) with its vast financial and promotional resourc-
es, including full-time paid campaign staff.
GEO's motivation is primarily financial. By absorbing
GSRAs, GEO stands to collect nearly $1 million annu-
ally in additional dues. This will nearly triple its annual
income. The $400 annual fee will be mandatory for all
GSRAs - whether they want the union's services or not.
GEO's claims of "freedom" and "choice" fall flat with the
realization that all GSRAs would be forced to submit to
GEO's employment agreement, and all would have to
submit to their mandatory service fee for the privilege
of being included in a contract with which they may or
may not agree.
Stephen Raiman is a GSRA and Ph.D. student. He is
the founder of Students Against GSRA Unionization.

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