4 - Friday, October 12, 2012 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com 4 - Friday, October12, 2012 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom C Midtiganai Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@michigandaily.com TIMOTHY RABB JOSEPH LICHTERMAN and ADRIENNE ROBERTS ANDREW WEINER 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. Public crossing Town should take down religous symbol in park The United States has long held separation of church and state as a fundamental principle. In order to prevent religion from holding too much sway over the functions of govern- ment that affect people of all faiths, the two are kept apart. Prob- lems arise when strict secularism infringes on the religious rights of a few. In Frankenmuth, Mich., a privately funded cross was recently erected in a public park. Americans United for Separation of Church and State filed a complaint in July and may file a lawsuit since the city has not removed the 55-foot tall structure. Riding dirty As fall descends and Mother Nature exerts an even great- er effort to make Michigan commuters mis- erable, some of us will stop cycling to class. For oth- ers, though, rid- ing is the best option even in fall showers and light snows. MICHAEL Those bikers will SMALLEGAN face a difficult choice between what's good for them and what's good for their bike. This shouldn't be the case. The University is a leader in numerous areas, but it lags behind in the area of sustainable bike infra- structure. Last year, the League of American Bicyclists awarded a bronze-level Bike Friendly Univer- sity designation to Michigan State University. Almost a year behind them, the University received that same designation. Bronze is by no means the top though, and admin- istrators clearly see this as a growth area. In January, high-ranking cam- pus officials held a forum to discuss bike transportation on campus, and it wasn't an idle talk. This fall, the announcement of the Blue Bikes rental program through Outdoor Adventures signaled that supporting sustainable transportation is an area of focus and action. There are many directions the improvement of campus bike infra- structure could take, including the expansionofbikelanes andbike path- ways, implementing a bike-sharing program, increasing the availability of bike education and constructing enclosed, secured bike parking. All of these are fantastic solutions, and all may need tobe explored if we aim to match Stanford University's level of bike friendliness, the only school with a BFU platinum ranking. How- ever, the most pressing and immedi- ately helpful measure costs a lot less: providingsheltered bike parking. In Michigan, we all know that if one minute it's cloudy and raining, in the next five it could be pleasantly sunny. The opposite is also true, and without covered bike parking, con- scientious bike owners's days are disrupted facing these concerns. Physics Prof. Gus Evrard, a com- mitted bike commuter, has often had to leave meetings to retrieve his bike from sudden inclement weather. Unlike cars, bikes have all of their most important compo- nents exposed to the elements, and, if left uncovered, can deteriorate very quickly. The bicycle graveyard that we witness every spring is an unfortu- nate side effect of winter exposure. Biking is considered sustainable, and yet snowmelt uncovers rusty frames, missing wheels and broken spokes all over campus. Not only is this a waste, but the Department of Public Safety has to incur the cost of impounding and disposing of the bikes. Certainly, increasing educational programs that teach the basics of bike mainte- nance can help minimize this, but if bikes are covered, this simple protec- tion may keep them usable enough to discourage student abandonment. Covered parking does exist on campus, notably on the east side of North Quad Residence Hall and underneath the backside of Hatcher Gradate Library. It's clear from the crowding of the North Quad bike racks that the introduction of the shelter was not only valuable, but also popular. However, additional bike shelters don't need to be as costly as the one installed at North Quad. A lightweight model made from sustainable materials could easily be adapted to enhance the University's current bike parking layout. Evrard, who has given the issue considerable thought, envi- sions a bike shelter project that unites campus under a shared goal. 'U' should install sheltered bike parking. "We have all the resources right here for the whole process," said Evrard, elaborating on his vision of a design competitionto choose the best innovation to install across campus. Parking and Transportation Ser- vices released a70-page reportonthe future of University bike infrastruc- ture in 2009. Three years later, very littleofthat"BikeBlueprint"hasbeen implemented. Fostering bike trans- portation is a priority for the Univer- sity, and it's important that planners know the direction that the com- munity needs most. In this case, it's easy to have your voice heard - the University is listening. Make a bike parking request on the PTS website. It's time for action before our bikes suffer another Michigan winter. - Michael Smallegan can be reached at smallmic@umich.edu. 40 The separation between organized religion and state property has been a part of Ameri- can discourse since the late 19th century. Other democratic nations have similar principles in. place. In France, laicite controversially pre- vents Muslim women from wearing the hijab, or burka, in government-sponsored public schools. Alex Luchenitser, associate legal direc- tor at Americans United, stated that the cross "sends a message that the city holds Christian- ity above all other religions and a message that non-Christians are not welcome." According to the U.S. Court of Appeals decision ACLU v. Mercer County in 2005, religious displays on public property are allowed when the display's purpose is secu- lar. The city of Frankenmuth has stated that its cross celebrates the 200th birthday of the U.S. in 1976 and the history and culture of the city itself. The three-pronged Lemon test established in Lemon v. Kurtzman in 1971 establishes that. any government legislation "must have a secu- lar legislative purpose; must not have the pri- mary effect of either advancing or inhibiting religion," and "must not result in an 'exces- sive government entanglement' with religion." A violation of any one of these results in the unconstitutionality of the law. The cross was assembled by a private organi- zation, not the city of Frankenmuth. However, since the property is public rather than private - and though the park is named "Cross" - it should be removed. Americans have the right to express their religion, but not in such a fashion. The cross is a permanent fixture and should be taken down, if not for the logical reason of its potential to offend the populace or even Fran- kenmuth tourists, then for the principle behind the separation of church and state. 6 ZEINAB KHALllt ON Complex idendities beyond a label EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS Kaan Avdan, Sharik Bashir, Eli Cahan, Nirbhay Jain, Jesse Klein, Melanie Kruvelis, Patrick Maillet, Harsha Nahata, Timothy Rabb, Adrienne Roberts, Vanessa Rychlinski, Sarah Skaluba, Michael Spaeth, Gus Turner CAROLYN M. SENGER | A cure for health care Health care reform status: Dire. Prognosis: Pending November results. As a physician, Iam highly concerned. Health care reformhas come too far for its progress to be erased. No one gets to choose when he or she gets sick. Illness afflicts everyone at some point in their lives, often without warning. Before the passage of the Affordable Care Act, the status quo of health care was one of great uncertainty. Like pulling out a trusty umbrella to shield yourself from a sudden downpour only to find it broken, many patients found their insurance did not cover them when they needed it most. Since being passed, the ACA has made great strides toward the goal of affordable, effective and fair health care. The ACA is already having a huge impact in Michigan. As of April, 1,263 previously uninsured Michigan residents are covered underthe ACA's new Pre-Existing Con- dition Insurance Plan. These residents need not worry about a change in employment or loss of job leavingthem withouthealth insurance. For those currently healthy, prevention is the best medicine. Nationwide, the ACA cov- ers preventive services for 54-million privately insured Americans, including almost 2 million in Michigan. The famed Medicare donut hole will be closed by 2020, but Michigan seniors have already saved more than $90 million on the cost of prescription drugs. Young adults under the age of 26 are eligible to stay on their family insurance plan, which has helped pro- vide coverage to 3.1-million people nationwide and more than 94,000 people in Michigan as of December 2011. Soon patients will be able to choose their insurance policies in state-run affordable insurance exchanges. Insurance plans will be presented in a standardized format that allows people to compare them head to head. This rep- resents a true step forward for patient freedom of choice. As for employers, a new study by the Urban Institute found that "the ACA benefits, rather than burdens small employers who wantto pro- vide health insurance, leaves the overall costs of employer-sponsored health insurance large- ly unchanged, and offers the potential, through cost containment, of slowing the growth in health care costs, benefiting private along with public purchasers of health insurance." Thus, the ACA is already helping patients get much-needed care and health coverage, reigning in the abuses of the most egregious health insurance policy practices and actively addressing the cost of health care in general. As a physician, I support the ACA and I'm not alone. Nearly all major medical associations and patient advocacy groups support the ACA as well. It's not political, it's essential - for the health, well-being and care of all Ameri- can citizens. If you're sick of politics getting in the way of patient care, I have a prescription for you: take two friends to the voting booth and call me in the morning. Carolyn M. Senger is a University alum. I thought I could ignore it. But it's hard to when it's screamed at me from six television screens at the CCRB. It's hard to avoid something that fills my inbox, demanding inter- view requests and providingunsolic- ited advice and commentary. And it's almost impossible to ignore when it's subversively brought up in class by the student sitting across from me - "I mean just look at what's happen- ing in the Muslim world!" What's happening in the Muslim world? What is the Muslim world? What do Muslims have to say about this madness? It's not that I want- ed to ignore these questions, but at some point, the painful images symbolizing what critics from all political spectrums have claimed as the epitome of the clash of civiliza- tions have affected my social real- ity. All around me there have been conversations normalizing racism and vilifying Muslims. There's a lot to say. I could spend hours talking about the complex his- tory and consequences of coloniza- tion in Muslim-majority countries. I could talk about the perception of U.S. hegemony in other countries as a resultof years of systematic imperi- alistic foreign policies. I could spend a long time writing about who my compassionate Prophet Muhammad was, or how my faith encourages me to "repel (evil) with what is better" (Qur'an 41:34). I could write pages about the dangers of demonizing the Other - but this isn't meant to be a classroom lecture. Rather, I will share my personal narrative, focus- ing on how these global events affect my daily life as a University of Michi- gan student. Since the start of the school year, our lively board - made up of vary- ing committee heads - has been working tirelessly with dedicated community members to organize a diverse range of activities, events and discussions. We hope this pro- gramming will improve and enhance the life of students on campus - for Muslim students and the greater campus community alike. Like many students at the Uni- versity, balancing school and work while leading a large and active campus organization takes a toll on my inbox (thank God for Gmail filters). It's constantly replenished with e-mails regarding event logis- tics, outreach with other student organizations and random requests on MSA listservs for textbooks, sewing kits and anything else you can imagine. Recently, the e-mails have continued, but with a new ring to them: "Are you guys going to post a condemnation of the terrorist kill- ing of a U.S. Ambassador? Might be a good idea." "Dear sir, You can see why Islam is a false religion and Mohammed is a false prophet by looking at what is going on in the Middle East. Muslims have raped, tortured, and killed our U.S. ambassador." "I'm doing a story localizing the controversial anti-Islam film "Inno- cence of Muslims" to Michigan, speaking to representatives of the Islamic community here. YouTube is refusing to remove the video from their website, and I hope to talk to someone who can offer an opinion on the behalf of your organization on this issue." "Hi there. I am writing to ask for a brief over-the-phone interview from you. This is in light of the YouTube video and the events that have taken place in the Middle East as a result. I simply wish to ask your opinions regarding the video, the reaction to it and any future course of action you guys would like to see taken." Aside from the e-mails, I've been approached by a number of people who've asked me to provide them with MSA's official state- ment regarding the recent protests around the world. I'd like to hope that most of these requests are well-intentioned, or an attempt to put a local spin on an international story. I appreciate those individuals who want to pro- vide Muslim students at Michigan the opportunity to share their opin- ions on this issue. But the fact that some media outlets and individuals reach out to us only in times of neg- ative and unfortunate events makes me skeptical of their motives. The idea that the very diverse Universi- ty Muslim community is expected to have a single "reaction" and be seeking a unified "course of action" is precisely the image of reaction- ary, threatening Muslims on which the media thrives. It's understand- able that some will want to hurry to condemn these senseless acts and defend our faith from prevalent prejudiced rhetoric, but it's impor- tant to remember that this reac- tionist narrative is being pushed by racist, alarmist media that can't be trusted to report honestly on Mus- lim Americans' experiences and opinions. There's very little evi- dence that this "film controversy" or these protests hold a priority in Muslims's daily lives. I'm tired of defending ignorant and reactionary people who do not represent me. I am also tired of being told to publicly condemn extremism or become apologetic for people I've never met. For when I do, my voice seems to not be loud enough - my voice becomes ventriloquized and the spotlight stubbornly remains on fringe extremists anyway. Pushing us to consume our time and efforts with these issues is not only burden- some, it also poses a serious social justice issue for our community. When we are expected to spend our time focusing on responding to international events or reacting to incidents instead of being proactive and engaged activists within our communities, this causes a margin- alized community to stay within the margins. Instead of focusing on the many incredible initiatives and proactive projects that our commu- nity puts together - things like the Civic Engagement Forum or Fast-a- thon or the Islam & Hip Hop Panel - we are pushed instead to narrow our focus on a defined set of issues and to let that consume our time and minds, limiting the scope and strength of our community. I refuse to play by these pre- conditioned terms. I refuse to let anyone dictate the agenda for how our relationship with the greater community ought to be or how we should focus our energy on explaining ourselves instead of working on initiatives to create a more inclusive Muslim and cam- pus community. I refuse to follow the script and act out the scenario that certain individuals want to see played out - these individuals benefit from perpetuating this nar- rative of a looming clash of civiliza- tions and these individuals believe that as a Muslim, my voice is only valuable when condemning or reacting to a distant event. To ask me, an American citizen, howI feel about the killing of an American ambassador is a scathing insult. To ask me why Muslims are so angry and savage presumes that you've already made up your mind and are simply looking for a few words to affirm your preconceived notions. I am all for dialogue and effectively engaging different communities, but not when dialogical efforts fur- ther pigeonhole oppressed groups. Until we come to see everybody as multidimensional individuals with complex identities, stories and histories; until we reach a point where we are able to appreciate the nuanced and diverse narratives we carry; until we reject absurd attempts to tokenize, homogenize and essentialize one another using ridiculous phrases like, "What is your reaction as a Muslim?" and "Muslim Rage" and false binaries like "Why do they hate us?" - until then, we cannot learn to shift para- digms and reclaim our voices. Zeinab Khalil is an LSA junior. L ETT E R SEND LETTERS TO: TOTHEDAILY@MICHIGANDAILY.COM Princes and equality will win a woman's heart. TO THE DAILY: In his response to Bethany Biron's article about trends in women sexual culture, Jef- frey McMahon completely reframes and mis- represents the issue as black and white. He looks down at those living a promiscuous life- style, calling it immature, underclassman-like behavior and he says that the guys on campus need to man up and treat women like the prin-. cesses that they are. But in denouncing the sexual objecti- fication of women, McMahon becomes a proponent of a whole different kind of objectification: viewing women as spineless creatures dependent on men. His outlook is entirely based on the assumption that women are incapable of being socially and sexually independent and that they need a man to make them feel good about themselves. Undoubtedly, some women would like to be treated as princesses, but I think just as many, if not more, would rather be treated as equals. A real man can care about a woman and "cher- ish her heart" by treating her with respect, not putting her on a pedestal. Nathan Chesterman LSA junior CONTRIBUTE TO THE CONVERSATION Readers are encouraged to submit letters to the editor and Viewpoints. Letters should be fewer than 400 words, Viewpoints 650 to750 words. Include the writer's full name and University affiliation. We do not print anonymous letters. Send to tothedaily@michigandaily.com