4 - Friday, September 21, 2012
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
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TIMOTHY RABB
JOSEPH LICHTERMAN and ADRIENNE ROBERTS ANDREW WEINER
EDITOR IN CHIEF EDITORIAL PAGE EDITORS MANAGING EDITOR
Unsigned.editorials reflect the official position oftthe Daily's editorial board.
All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.
Checks and balances
Michigan should adopt a uniform ballot
T his week, a Michigan voting rights coalition filed a law-
suit against Michigan Secretary of State, Ruth Johnson
for her dictum regarding voting and registration. The new
ballots require voters to check a box in order to affirm that they
are U.S. citizens before they are granted voting registration. The
redundancy of this question has caused significant problems, so
much so that one Shelby Township man who didn't check the box
was barred from voting in August. Several organizations, includ-
ing the American Civil Liberties Union and Latin Americans for
Social and Economic Development, have filed lawsuits against
Johnson for violating the 14th Amendment. Michigan counties
are decisively split, some refusing to use the new ballots while
others have been implementing them. The state needs to create a
uniform system that eradicates any misleading paths as citizens
Don't get lost in the rush
t's that special time of year
again, when over 1,000 under-
graduate girls put on their
best game faces
and embark on -
a formal mis-
sion known as
fall recruitment
for Greek life.
Sorority hous-
es have been
preparing for
months and now SARAH
the long hours SKALUBA
of screaming,
singing, clap-
ping, yelling and perfecting every
single set have come down to this.
Enforced prerequisites include
an online registration process
(photo mandatory, of course), awk-
ward conversations with complete
strangers and the unnecessarily
stressful process of sprinting from
one house to another in a short
period of time without sweating
through your dress or ruining your
hair. So it's an eccentric process
to say the least, one that manages
to take up a ton of time during the
recruitment period, which covers
the first four weeks of class.
But it's not for nothing. After sur-
viving the first four weeks most girls
end up with a bid to a specific house
on campus. It's become a more com-
petitive process over the last few
years, not only at Michigan but at
universities across the country. And
now, the price girls are willing to pay
to end up in their "dream" house has
reached new heights.
We've all heard of college coaches
before, the paid mentors that help
high school seniors manage their
college applications, resumes and
essay responses. But the concept of
rush coaches may be a little foreign.
Recently, professional image consul-
tants, coupled with rush preparation
services, have been charging up to
$8,000 for coaching and guidance
regarding sorority recruitment.
This intensive prepping is not
only taking place in the South, where
recruitment is considered a more
rigorous process, but in the Mid-
west and on the East Coast as well.
Women have been paying excessive
amounts of money for the advice
of professional image consultants,
such as Samantha Von Sperling. She
charges a whopping $300 per hour
for her personal coaching, during
which she advises young women on
exactly whatto wear, what to say and
how to act during the rush process.
If a couple hours of private prepping
don't meet your needs though, don't
fret, because she also offers week-
long boot camps for the seriously
anxious rushees at the meager price
of $8,000.
I'm sorry, but this "rush coaching"
concept seems absolutely absurd -
and mind you, these words are com-
ing from the mouth of a "sorority
girl" herself. Recruitment as a whole
is alreadya stressful enough process,
one that feels a little bit like inter-
viewing and a whole lot like speed
dating. Girls are encouraged to try
and be themselves so that they can
find their best "fit" and end up in a
house that feels both welcoming and
inclusive. So, if rushees are feeling
pressured to drop tons of money on
expensive preparation courses and
pre-rush boot camps, then some-
thing isn't quite right.
Many University students hold
preconceived notions regardingrush.
Whether they view recruitment
as the willingness to "pay for one's
friends" or a fierce process based on
an individual's outward appearance
and beauty, the negative stereotypes
surrounding rush are numerous. But
if girls are in fact willingto pay hun-
dreds, even thousands, of dollars in
order to get a bid into their top soror-
ity then these stereotypes are in a
sense being validated.
Let me be blatantly honest: If a
house doesn't like you because of
how you dress, how you apply your
makeup or the way you talk, then
do you actually want to be a sister
there? The fact that so many girls are
willing to pay 'professionals' to tell
them how they need to do their hair,
what exactly they should be wear-
ing to each set, what conversations
they need to be having, and-how to
come off as sociable and confident, is
extremely alarming.
Don't put on a
false persona for
recruitment.
Going through rush should not
be a long, drawn-out stage perfor-
mance. In fact, no acting should
be involved at all. Companies like
Rushbiddies that pride themselves
on fully preparing each "chick"
for sorority recruitment should be
ashamed. Rush already has the neg-
ative stigma of being fake and catty,
so there's really no need to add to the
stereotype and further strengthen
its validity.
These rush-prep services are
teaching young women that profes-
sional training and primping is nec-
essary in order to be successful and
end up in a "top" house come bid day.
This is detrimental to rushees who
should be staying true to their self
throughout the hectic process, rath-
er than putting on a false persona to
impress a certain sorority's sisters.
I've been through rush once, and
managed to slide by just fine on my
own. Was I dropped from houses I
originally liked? Yes. Was it a long,
relatively painful experience that
took up way too much time? Yes. But
I would never in a million years pre-
tend to be someone I'm not, or urge
another rushee to do the same.
So as I'm sure you've heard
countless times, good luck with
recruitment, and remember come
Sunday, may the odds be ever in
your favor.
- Sarah Skaluba can be
reached at sskaluba@umich.edu.
Follow her on Twitter @SSkaluba.
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make their way to the polls.
The ACLU asserts that the erratic use of
the checkboxes violates the 14th Amendment,
which calls for uniformity in a state's voting
process. Because some counties are refusing
to implement the question on their ballots,
the system doesn't reach all Michigan vot-
ers. Glenn Rehahn, a plaintiff in the case, was
refused the chance to vote because he did not
check the citizenship box, though he claims
a county clerk told him that answering was
optional.
Aside from legal repercussions, the U.S.
citizenship checkbox has spurred debate as
to whether or not it's even necessary. John-
son stated that she wished to give non-citi-
zens one final chance to refrain from voting
and elude repercussions stemming from vot-
ing illegally. It's common knowledge that in
order to register to vote a person must pro-
vide proof of their U.S. citizenship. So while
the checkbox question is valid, including it
on the ballot seems unnecessary, redundant
and confusing. There's no reason to require a
person who has already proved their citizen-
ship in voter registration to affirm it again
on the ballot. A recent study conducted by
an investigative news team discovered that
cases of voting fraud are miniscule. The orga-
nization, News21, analyzed more than 2,000
cases of reported fraud since 2000, finding
that a mere 10 were actual incidents of "voter
impersonation."
Nov.6 is fast approaching, yet the Michigan
voting system is still divided. Due to this bal-
lot mishap, some citizens may be deprived of
their right to vote. The Michigan government
needs to ensure that the difference in ballots
doesn't reflect a variance in statewide vot-
ing policy: Whether or not the citizen check-
boxes are optional -and whether or not they
remain on the ballot at all - should not be an
issue this close to the election. It's unthink-
able to deny even one registered U.S. citizen
the right to vote, and inexcusable to do so on a
technicality. Johnson's ballot has many faults
- it's misleading, affects Michigan citizens'
ability to vote and may be unconstitutional.
Voting is a system created for citizens to voice
their opinions and no one should have to fight
to do so.
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Happyo is Mit
4
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS:
Kaan Avdan, Eli Cahan, Nirbhay Jain, Jesse Klein, Melanie Kruvelis,
Patrick Maillet, Harsha Nahata, Timothy Rabb, Adrienne Roberts,
Vanessa Rychlinski, Sarah Skaluba, Michael Spaeth, Gus Turner
SEND LETTERS TO: TOTHEDAILY@MICHIGANDAILY.COM
College Republicans lack
clearfiscal outlook
TO THE DAILY:
Thursday's article about young Republi-
cans' thoughts as we approach the Novem-
ber election illustrates just how poorly the
Republican Party platform correlates with
the issues that matter to many college stu-
dents. While it is promising that Republicans
at the University of Michigan support LGBT
rights, we must not forget that the official
GOP platform, endorsed by Mitt Romney,
includes a constitutional amendment ban-
ning same-sex marriage. The party platform
also seeks to prohibit abortion in all cases,
including when a woman's life is at risk. The
Republican Party, the so-called champions
of "small government," is by no means small
when it decides to legislate a woman's right
to her body. Missouri Senate candidate Todd
Akin's comments last month are a striking
example of just how out of touch the Republi-
can Party is on social issues.
While College Republicans' realization
that their party is out of touch on social issues
may be promising, their misguided support
of the GOP's economic plans is cause for
concern. Regarding Thursday's article, the
interviewees' lack of clear plans for economic
recovery is just another case of the party's
use of rhetoric instead of clear planning. His
plans to revamp the tax code strongly favor
the extremely wealthy, who will see great
tax cuts while middle-class Americans watch
their taxes increase. To compensate for the
decrease in government revenue, Romney
will likely decrease government spend-
ing. Where will these 'spending cuts occur?
As with most of his economic plans, it's not
entirely clear.
President Obama has proven himself capa-
ble of creating jobs and growing the economy
during his term in office. Over the past 27
months, private sector jobs have grown by
4.5 million, a greater growth than seen dur-
ing the term of any other U.S. President. He
spent much of his speech at the Democratic
National Convention earlier this month dis-
cussing his support for the middle class, con-
crete plans for future job growth, and his
optimism for the future. President Obama
tried to get the American Jobs Act passed, a
piece of legislation that would be a critical
boon to our jobs sector. The Republican-con-
trolled House never even voted on the Jobs
Act, likely because they were too busy com-
plaining about the Affordable Care Act. For
the past four years, President Obama and the
Democratic Party have been the leaders in
economic reform and creating a favorable job
climate for college students.
As I read Thursday's article, I was
intrigued by the College Republicans' inabil-
ity to cite policies that would help our econ-
omy recover. The College Republicans must
be following in the example of the national
party. On both social and economic issues,
the Democratic Party has proven itself to
be the superior party of progress. This elec-
tion, we have a clear choice between two
ideologies: one with backward social poli-
cies and a lack of fiscal clarity, and one that
promises to move our country forward.
Jacob Light
Representative of College Democrats
There are moments every
once in a while when it
seems as if everything
comes together
perfectly -
when personal,
political and
global issues of -
our era all enter
into a strange
harmony.
This week YONAH
was one of those LIEBERMAN
moments.
This week I
observed Rosh
Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.
Politically, Mitt Romney's "47 per-
cent" comments went viral this
week. Globally, this week marked
the one-year anniversary of the
Occupy Wall Street movement.
There are 10 days between Rosh
Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the
Day of Atonement. Those days are
meant to give each person time to
reflect on sins of the past year and
then repent. We blow the shofar, or
ram's horn, multiple times through-
out the services. It's an interesting
sound, but has never meant much to
me. But this year, I felt it penetrate
my innermost thoughts. I could feel
the sound reverberate in my head,
shaking something loose.
By now, I'm sure you all have
heard of the deeply revealing com-
ments Governor Romney made at a
$50,000-a-plate fundraiser he held.
in May. If not, I'll let the Governor
speak for himself: "There are 47
percent [of Americans] who will
[vote for Obama], who are depen-
dent upon government, who believe
that they are victims ... my job is
not to worry about those people. I'll
never convince them they should
take personal responsibility and
care for their lives." Seriously, I
can't make this shit up.
On Monday, thousands of people
in New York City and around the
world marched in the streets to
honor Occupy's one-year anniver-
sary. My Twitter feed started blow-
ing up with live updates and ironic
hashtags. I'll admit to being glued to
my computer for most of last Octo-
ber as marches, direct actions and
violent police crackdowns were live=
streamed directly to my computer.
The Occupy movement may not have
succeeded in forging a brand new
society, but it did shift the national
conversation dramatically.
This shift is where these three
separate events of the week come
together. For once, people were
talking about the massive income
inequality in this country and
demanding that the rich pay their
fair share.
On the eve of Rosh Hashanah
(and the Occupy anniversary), more
than 2,000 people gathered in Zuc-
cotti Park in New York City in a
service organized by a group call-
ing itself Occupy Judaism. During
the sermon, the rabbi highlighted
the common theme that runs across
the three events of this week: "The
Torah reminds us again and again
- you didn't earn what's yours by
your hands alone. You earned it with
the blessing of the creator, who also
blessed you with the good fortune to
be able to share with those in need."
Mitt Romney was never going
to be the poster child of the right
wing. In his heart, he's simply a pol-
itician who believes what he thinks
people want him to believe. Just go
online and check out some of his
statements when he ran for the U.S.
Senate in Massachusetts. Ironi-
cally, he has become a poster child
for all that the Occupy Movement
stands against. He hides his money
in offshore accounts to avoid pay-
ing taxes. He refuses to release his
tax returns because they embarrass
him. He openly called corporations
"people" and supports the Supreme
Court decision on Citizens United.
He labels those who were not given
the same opportunities as he as
"dependent on government" and
self-appointed "victims."
Rosh Hashanah,
the 47 percent
and OWS.
During Rosh Hashanah, my
grandfather told me that he had
never known a time of greater parti-
sanship and division in this country.
There is an undeniable drama that
exists in this moment that we live in.
I think it's that drama that moved
me during the shofar blasts this
week. It forced me to wake up and
smell the goddamn roses. Action
needs tobe taken.
This election is far too close for
comfort. Romney's "47 percent"
comments reveal the extent to
which he will go to pander to his
far-right-wing donor base. Once
elected, he'll be forced to bend to
their interests - at least until he
wins a second term - I shudder just
writing that. Students were instru-
mental in the election of Barack
Obama four years ago - let's do it
again this time. Get registered and
go vote.
So let me take this opportunity
to wish a happy, healthy new year
to Barack Obama, to Occupy Wall
Street and to all of you - even you,
Mitt. May it be a year to take advan-
tage of this exciting moment in his-
tory we all live in. May it be a year
when together, we secure a second
term for President Obama.
- Yonah Lieberman can be
reached at yonahl@umich.edu.
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