4 - Friday, March 23, 2012 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com 4 - Friday, March 23, 2012 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom C 1 4e fflchiaan4:)at*(v l g The cost of doing business Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@michigandaily.com ASHLEY GRIESSHAMMER and ANDREW WEINER JOSH HEALY EDITORIAL PAGE EDITORS MANAGING EDITOR JOSEPH LICHTERMAN EDITOR IN CHIEF 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. Efficient justice Prioritize reducing rape test kit backlogs There's no way to reverse the physical and psychological trau- ma of rape. Though the pain can't be undone, rape kit testing provides an avenue for survivors to seek justice by potential- ly identifying a perpetrator. Rape kits contain DNA evidence, details of the examination and costly technology to possibly link a perpetra- tor to the case. According to estimate by the Department of Justice, there's a backlog of 180,000, though advocacy groups place the num- ber significantly higher. The justice system, along with state and local officials, should further prioritize cases of sexual assault and secure greater resources to process rape test kits. As the University builds new ties with for-profit busi- ness, who's calling the shots? That's the biggest ques- tion raised by the University's recent start-up investments and6 corporate "part- nerships." And, it's not an easy JOEL one to answer. BATTERMAN There's a signifi- cant difference between providing office space to an alumni-run tech company and collaboration with a multinational corporation to fund research on issues that the corporation has a major stake in. But for now, let's consider the second case, because an instructive case study is hot off the press. On Mar. 12, University President Mary Sue Coleman announced a $10 million gift to the University from the Dow Chemical Company. The gift will fund a sustainability fel- lowship program for a total of 300 University graduate students over a period of six years. This is a big sum of money for the Graham Envi- ronmental Sustainability Institute, whose office currently sits off-cam- pus over the Starbucks at South State Street and East Liberty Street. To date, the Institute has funded only six fellowships each year. It's not a large amount for Dow, which posted profits of $2.3 billion in 2010, but the company evidently believes it's a good investment. To get a sense of Dow's interest in the program, it's helpful to know that Dow is one of the world's larg- est chemical companies - though its headquarters in sleepy Mid- land, Mich. belies its global reach. Dow also has a checkered record when it comes to sustainability, at least by most definitions. What "sustainability" means is wickedly hard to pin down, but most people can probably agree that it doesn't extend to mass poisoning, suffo- cation and incineration of various life forms. Unfortunately, a number of Dow's products over the years, such as napalm and Agent Orange, have been designed specifically for those purposes. Dow also faces continued challenges over various production-related mishaps, such as the contamination of Midland with cancer-causing dioxin and the deaths of roughly 3,000 people in Bhopal, India after a gas leak at a factory owned by Dow subsidiary Union Carbide. There is nothing cynical in sug- gesting that Dow's investments in the University's sustainability programs are related to its historic challenges in that field. By law, for- profit corporations exist to gener- ate profits for shareholders. Indeed, many would argue that for them to do anything otherwise would be a serious disservice. For better or worse, this is how free enterprise works, and we should know better than to assume otherwise. From the above examples, however, it seems that a certain degree of cau- tion from the University might be necessary in any partnership with the company in order to advance a broader public interest. To return to our opening ques- tion, we should ensure that the University is calling the shots with regard to its own activities. Yet that's a question we can't answer, because the agreement between the University and Dow over the terms of the $10 million gift isn't public information. Ann Arbor's Ecology Center has filed a Freedom of Infor- mation Act request to disclose the terms of the transaction. "Companies have a particular perspective," says Ecology Cen- EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS: ter environmental health director Tracey Easthope, who has conduct- ed research and advocacy on Dow- related issues for 15 years. "And that's legitimate." (Full disclosure: I've previously worked as an intern for the Center, though not on any- thing to do with Dow.) But Dow's interests may not match the public research interests of the Univer- sity. "Where it's most concerning is where the company might be able to have some influence over and challenge the independence of the institution," Easthope says. Until we know the terms of Dow's gift, we can't know whether or not that's happening. Dow's interest in the 'U' is for-profit. And in the end, whatever the spe- cific language of such agreements, I wonder if relationships between universities and large for-profit corporations can truly be free of embedded power imbalances. The ability to act lies with the money, so it's no surprise that the Univer- sity and other schools are courting for-profit industry as government support declines. If we're serious about putting the University on an equal footing with for-profits in any future dealings, we'll need to do more than disclose their terms, as pleasing as that would be to see in a student government platform. We'll also need to work on the broader challenge of returning public fund- ing to the public university. - Joel Batterman can be reached at jobma@umich.edu. *I Two years ago, the Michigan State Police collected more than 10,000 untested rape kits from the Detroit Police Department, accord- ing to The Associated Press. About 2,000 of these kits were collected from a closed Michi- gan crime lab. Only about 1,400 will be pro- cessed by the end of the year through funding from the Justice Department's National Insti- tute for Justice. Testing rape kits is costly and time- consuming. Each test can cost from $1,200 to $1,500 and take three to six months for results to come back from the lab. For cases in which private companies are contracted to do the testing, crime labs must verify their results - sometimes taking another three to six months. This means that even a test that is run immediately - which appears to be hap- pening infrequently - victims may wait up to a year to receive the results. DNA testing is performed quickly after violent crimes like homicide, but less priority is placed on test kits of sexual assault survi- vors. This extended time frame means serial offenders may be able to victimize other individuals. Besides assisting in identifying perpetrators, DNA testing can also exoner- ate wrongly convicted criminals. If testing doesn't occur within a particular time period after the assault, cases may be ineligible for prosecution, silencing survivors' voices with undelivered justice. After the pain survivors have gone through, an inefficient justice sys- tem wrongs these individuals again. A September 2010 Department of Justice study estimated that 25 percent of college women will be victims of sexual assault or attempted sexual assault before they gradu- ate. Given these statistics, and the mass num- ber of rape kit tests on backlog, the data is disheartening. While more efficient testing doesn'tguarantee justice for the victim, it cre- ates an environment where more perpetrators are held responsible. Programs and funding for rape kit testing, such as the National Institute for Justice and the Michigan State Police's Backlog Reduction, are increasingin cities like Houston, Los Ange- les and Detroit. Still, the massive backlogneeds immediate attention. The process of testing must be seriously expedited. The state and fed- eral government need to recognize the signifi- cance of prioritizing rape kit testing to ensure justice is secured for the victims. Aida Ali, Kaan Avdan, Ashley Griesshammer, Jesse Klein, Patrick Maillet, Erika Mayer, Harsha Nahata, Harsha Panduranga, Timothy Rabb, Adrienne Roberts, Vanessa Rychlinski, Sarah Skaluba, Seth Soderborg, Caroline Syms, Andrew Weiner Eat more chICken JACE MORGANSTEIN Transforming transit A typical student's week almost undoubtedly con- sists of some or all of the following - If you're between the ages of 18 and 34, chances are you care about the transit system in the area you live in. According to a recent study done bythe U.S. Bureau of Transporta- tion statistics, 80.5 percent of people in this age group cite local transit as an important feature of the community they live in or would like to live in. Young people want to live in places where they can easily travel to their jobs and visit friends and cosmopolitan areas without having to worry about park- ing or dealing with traffic congestion. Public transit offers a cheap and efficient alterna- tive to the inconveniences that go along with owning a carin an urban area. Young people have good reason to be con- cerned about transit in their area. Transit systems are important for reasons that go beyond convenience. Transit projects not only provide efficientnways to get from place to place, they also provide significant economic benefits to the communities they are a part of. Transit in the United States is currently funded at $26 billion annually, but according to the Center for Transportation Excellence, public transit provides a benefit of $34 billion annually by stimulating community growth and reducing expenses caused from traffic congestion and auto emissions. On top of the financial benefit, Americans living in transportation intensive metropoli- tan areas save $22 billion annually in trans- portation-related personal expenses, such as buying gas or car insurance. As the nation- wide economic recovery continues, more jobs are being created, and employees need con- venient ways to commute to work. The CTE reported that without public transit systems, 10 million Americans would be without their primary method of transportation in getting to work. The social justice benefits of public transit are also well-documented. According to the CTE, 93 percent of white households own at least one car and therefore don't rely on pub- lic transit to get to and from work. However, only 83 percent of Hispanic households and 76 percent of African-American households own at least one car. Those who are less likely to own a car are more reliant on public transit for their daily commute. Not having a viable public transit system has a dispro- portionately negative effect on minorities including Hispanics and African Americans, as their employment is more heavily depen- dent on access to public transit. On top of that, according to the CTE, 94 percent of Americans on welfare attempting to enter the workforce don't own a car. To get to their jobs, these Americans would also rely on pub- lic transit, making public transit essential for bringing former welfare recipients back into the workforce. Most young people know that good tran- sit systems have environmental benefits, but many are unaware of the magnitude of these benefits. As public transit systems are alter- natives to car ownership, they play a large role in reducing carbon dioxide emissions created by the burning of fossil fuels. In fact, the CTE reported that public transit systems avoid the emission of 126 million pounds of hydrocarbons each year. For a generation that cares greatly about its environmental impact, public transit offers a sensible, clean- er alternative to cars. Americans can also reduce the amount of gasoline they purchase and consume byusing public transportation. Public transportation cuts the amount of gasoline purchased in the United States by 1.5 billion gallons annually, mitigating America's dependence on oil and reducing the amount of hydrocarbons that are released by burning fossil fuels. Public transit is an essential aspect of creating a desirable community to live in. Expanding public transit systems provides extraordinary benefits to the people in these communities. Considering the enormous economic, social justice and environmental benefits that viable public transit systems provide, it's easy to see why young people are passionate about the transit systems in their communities. This weekend the University's chapter of College Democrats Committee on Environ- mental Issues, along with TruMich and the University of Michigan branch of the Roos- evelt Institute, will be hosting a conference focusing on transit issues in southeast Michi- gan. The conference will bring together local politicians, activists, intellectuals and com- munity members to discuss the current state of transit in southeast Michigan, the barriers to its expansion and the role young people can play in shaping the future of public transit. Jace Morganstein is an LSA senior. He is co-chair of EnvironDems within the University's chapter of College Democrats. burgers, beer, sleepless nights, coffee, caffeine shots, (you fill in the blank) shots and hangovers. While many students might think that caf- feine and alco- LEAH POTKIN hol are the only items on the list posing potential health risks, recently more and more studies are showing the nega- tive effects of eating red meat - which puts a burger in the mix to harm college students. It's no surprise that the col- lege student often leads a less than healthy lifestyle, but the downfalls associated typically come in the form of foamy alcoholic beverages or other mind-altering substitutes, and not in the form of succulent steaks. But a recent study released by the Harvard University School of Public Health shows that red meat consumption is associated with a higher risk of early death, and should be eaten in moderation - or not at all. Considering consumption of red meat also leads to imbalances in the body's pH levels, students should consider their carnivorous habits in order to balance their lives and bodies, and should at least understand the risks associated with eating red meat before sinking their teeth into their next steak din- ner or fast food burger. Looking more into the conse- quences of eating red meat, the study found that regular consump- tion of red meat is associated with certain cancers, type-2 diabetes, coronary heart disease and stroke, with increased risks associatedwith consumption of processed meats. To combat these risks, the study suggests replacing fatty red meats with healthier protein sources such as fish, poultry, nuts or legumes. Most notably, the study found that an estimated "9.3 percent of deaths in men and 7.6 percent in women could have been prevented at the end of the follow-up if all the par- ticipants had consumed less than 0.5 servings per day of red meat" - that's one Bar Louie dollar burger- less Tuesday. Despite college students' busy schedules limiting their food choic- es, it's vital that they realize how what they put into their bodies now will help or hurt them in the future. Though it might be easy for students to order red meat at a vari- ety of cheap and fast food campus restaurants, making minor dietary adjustments such as ordering a veg- gie slice instead of a sausage slice at NYPD, or subbing chicken for beef in a BTB burrito, would be benefi- cial for health in the long run. The same goes for making healthier choices in the dining halls, where, if students know where to look, there are actually many alternatives to the potentially harmful (though delicious) bacon and burgers. Not to mention, the lower fat alternatives to red meat typically come with the added bonus of lower costs - always a plus for the tightly budgeted col- lege student. While it is, of course, essential that students take into account the physical repercussions asso- ciated with regularly eating red meat, there are also negative envi- ronmental impacts. On a campus as eco-aware as Michigan's, it seems almost oxymoronic that many stu- dents promote sustainability, but don't even give a second thoughtto their weekly visit to Blimpie Burger. So, if red meat isn't already looking a bit less appetizing, students should remember the negative environ- mental impacts, such as increased waste production and pollution, that go hand-in-hand with the pro- cessing of red meat. Studies show the health risks of red meat. Ultimately, it's a student's own decision whether he or she decides to eat red meat, but it's vital any decisions are educated ones, as not everyone thinks about how their dietary choices in college could affect them later in life. And even looking beyond the beef, the idea of acknowledging potential health consequences is something that should be considered in correlation with sleep habits, drinking habits, and the like, as it is the compilation of choices such as these that, while unbeknownst to them now, could greatly and adversely impact stu- dent's lives in the future. So, while I don't expect everyone to change their favorite McDonald's order or run to the farmer's market, I do hope that students will think twice before ordering the beer and the burger. - Leah Potkin can be reached at lpot- kin@umich.edu. Follow her on Twitter at @LeahPotkin. 0. "This is going to be a hard case for the government to prove." - Lawyer John Henry Browne said about his client, Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, being charged with 17 counts of murder, as reported by The New York Times. A A p A