4A - Wednesday, September 5, 2012 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com 4A - Wednesday, September 5, 2012 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. _f Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@michigandaily.com ASHLEY GRIESSHAMMER 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. RO) Ii DAIL Present-day prejudice Recent'severe incidents act as sobering reminders Z achary Tennen, a sophomore at Michigan State Univer- sity, was brutally attacked at an off-campus party on Saturday. According to Tennen, two men approached him and asked if he was Jewish. He answered that he was, and then was brutally beaten. It's discouraging that in 2012, Ten- nen may have been targeted because of his religious beliefs or cultural background. Our communities - especially universi- ties - need to take steps to ensure the accuracy of Tennen's claims and prevent similar hate crimes. Cynicism isn't the answer Its only a matter of time before the frenzy of classes, clubs and extracurriculars picks up. How- ever, no mat- ter how hectic college life is, it's essential to remember that this fall is also a crucial time for the political and economic future of our HARSHA. country. NAHATA This year, we are return- ing to campus in the midst of a much-heated presidential cam- paign, and a closely contested election that will have huge impli- cations on everything from health care to education. A quick glance at the news makes it hard to ignore the fast-approach- ing election between President Barack Obama and Republican Presidential nominee Mitt Rom- ney. News channels, papers and radio stations are covering the campaigns incessantly. whether it's debates on policy issues, can- didates' speeches or nominating conventions, the election will be the big news story until November. We have access to overwhelming amounts of information - aboutthe candidates, their positions, their personal lives and their records. This knowledge is indispensable. It's necessary that we have all the facts to make well-informed deci- sions at the voting booths. But with the nonstop news cycle we're also getting a lot of political rhetoric. As the election becomes closer, campaigns are stepping it up. We're seeing an increase in negative attack ads and campaign rhetoric. For those inbattleground states, The Washington Post warned in a Sept. 2 article, "the worst is yet to come." Candidates and other interested parties are set to unravel upwards of $3 billion in advertising over the next three weeks alone. Endless rhetoric is taking its toll. With special interests pulling out all the stops to sway the media cycle and candidates in different directions, it's hard to discern facts from campaign chatter. It's even harder to determine what the can- didates actually stand for, and who their influences are. It's difficult to know what information to trust and where to look for true assess- ments of policies and issues. In turn, this is leading more and more people to become disil- lusioned with America's political process. According to recent Gal- lup- polls, Congressional approval reached an all-time low in August. Only 10 percent of Americans approved, the lowest percentage in 38 years. In fact, more Americans approve of the IRS and Paris Hilton than of Congress. Why wouldn't people be cyni- cal? There's a lot wrong now and a lot that's frustrating - from a slow economy to a deteriorating public education system to a grow- ing income gap. People's patience is waning and it's only natural to become frustrated. Everywhere we look, it seems as though there is an overflow of problems and not enough solutions. The fluffed up campaign talk coming from both sides doesn't help. Political Action Commit- tees, super PACS, corporations and interest groups are pouring more money into this election than ever before, making it difficult to trust what candidates are saying. The inefficiencies of Congress com- bined with the back-and-forth attacks add to citizens' frustration. In the past week alone, I've heard many people comment on how upsetting it is to follow the election and how the widespread partisan- ship disillusions them from the Pessimism won't be the path to change. I I entire process. But, in atime like this - where so much is at stake - it's more impor- tant than ever not to become cyni- cal. Yesterday, -I was sitting in a public policy class when Professor Yazier Henry said something that really struck a chord. "Cynicism is a privilege in my opinion. It allows us to shirk our responsibilities as leaders." It's easy to be cynical, to complain about problems or to sim- ply live with them. Pessimism won't change any- thing and doesn't stand in for action. And if there is a time for action, it is now. It's during times that things seem exceptionally bad or frustrating that it's most neces- sary to be engaged. So even though it's going to be a frustrating election season, and even though some of the rhetoric will make you want to pull your hair out, cynicism and apathy are stopgaps. Because now more than ever, it's necessary that we - espe- cially as college students - are engaged and active. - Harsha Nahata can.be reached at hnahata@umich.edu. Tennen claims that the two male students raised an arm in a "Heil Hitler" salute before attacking him. He was knocked unconscious, left with a broken jaw and a stapled-shut mouth. While there were several witness- es, no one called for help at the time. After Tennen regained consciousness, he called himself a taxi to take him to the hospital. Currently police are not investigating the act as a hate crime. Though the University touts its diversity, it would be naive to think societal tensions don't still exist. An attack such as the one at MSU could happen in Ann Arbor. This kind of sweeping declaration is easy to say, but much harder to enact. Such an implementa- tion involves a strong administrative influ- ence and openness from the student body. Honest, open dialogue is the only way to address xenophobia. Prejudice does not only exist in action, but also in a lack of action. It is a lazy tendency to push responsibilities onto others, like the bystanders at MSU. In a group situation, many people assume teat someone else will help or be the person to call 911. But, unfortunately in Tennen's case, someone else didn't take responsibility. Interfering when someone is in need is a basic objective of communities. When the police remove the "hate crime" label, they challenge the definition of hate crimes in this country. Recent events such as the deathly attack on a Sikh temple in Wiscon- sin or the burning of a mosque in Tennessee are only a sobering reminder of when preju- dice turns to extremism. The actions against Tennen are obviously aggressive and targeted at a subset of the American population that shares a common religion or culture. Any such action should be labeled as a hate crime. Though it is difficult to admit,,hate crimes and racism still exist in our nation. It's despi- cable that a crime against a Jewish student could occur at a major university, and col- leges across the nation should step up their tolerance programs and awareness. If stu- dents are encouraged to accept those differ- ent from themselves as young adults, they will carrythese values with them for the rest of their lives. CONTRIBUTE TO THE COVERSATION Readers are encouraged to submit letters to the editor and viewpoints. Letters should be fewer than 300 words while viewpoints should be 550-850 words. Both must include the writer's full name and University affiliation. Send submissions to tothedaily@michigandaily.com EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS: Kaan Avdan, Eli Cahan, Ashley GriesshamMer, Nirbhay Jain, Jesse Klein, Patrick Maillet, Harsha Nahata, Timothy Rabb, Adrienne Roberts, Vanessa Rychlinski, Sarah Skaluba, Caroline Syms, Andrew Weiner ERIN PAVACIKV The student housing gap a TAYLOR PORTELA I Coming out feminist a "Expect Respect" and "Allyhood" are mot- tos of social justice often spoken of at the University. Our haven of Ann Arbor is far from the malevolence of selfish, small-town suburbia (five minutes away) or the sprawl- ing urban cityscape of Detroit (45 minutes to the east). We indoctrinate our newly arrived freshmen with orientation leaders enrobed with slogans, our faculty with trainings, and returning students with free t-shirts and endless chalk. There are programs like Inter- group Relations that teach about privilege and oppression. There is the Growing Allies retreat. And there are people like me. Free resources are everywhere. They're better than the free pizza during Welcome Week and mass meetings, but they are unde- rutilized and oftentimes ignored. And it's obvious. People are not sly about hiding their ignorance. "Dude, but you're gay. Do you even like women that much?" "You're a man, just go with it." Their comments shocked me. Our haven is infiltrated, or rather populated, by some who just go through the motions of college. These two statements were made by "friends" when I came out to them - as a feminist. Though not much of a closeted affair, as I tend to wear my feelings on my sleeve - oftentimes liter- ally. I'll admit two things: I am gay, and I love women. Perhaps I don't want to sleep with them, but I do support them. One evening while at nightly activities with incoming freshmen at orientation, a few of the students proclaimed quite loudly,- "What SLUTS," to a group of students that walked by on a Wednesday night. That's a problem. Before we come to college, we're well versed in our high school culture, which- is mixed with our family and community lives. People who show more skin, people who enjoy more sex, people who party on a Wednesday night are stigmatized. What we sometimes forget is that we, at some point in our lives, will either be that person or know that person. However, our connection to the subject in question shouldn't dictate what we say about others. I talked to the students to not only discuss why they said those things but also to start educating them on how life is different on campus. Saying something is always the first step. I also identify as a cisgendered man - someone whose gender identity matches the sex they were born with. After growing up and watching movies about men that can be anything they want - professor, astronaut, assassin - my ambitions skyrocketed (we're the leaders and best, right?). After having many opportunities come my way, I am well accustomed to succeeding in most things I do. However, I don't want to be the only one who can get job offers, be paid reasonably,'or be able to walk confidently around by myself at night. So why would I just go along when this patriarchal system works? Sure, I ben- efit, but I want all genders to benefit, too. I want them to be able to wear what they want, act how they want and say what they want. Walking around campus, going to a club or working in a classroom with women will con- vince the men reading this that society does think it's too hard of a request. I'd hate to be yelled at from cars, grabbed in a room full of strangers, or thought to be less intelligent just because of my identity. Once I realized there was a problem, I started to act. As a feminist, I don't want to destroy soci- ety. It doesn't mean I yell at every assumed man on the street. It doesn't mean not shav- ing. Or it does. Feminists come in every shape, size and identity. For me it's more than the fact that I know women. They account for half of our student population. It's when I realize that there are. people who denythe fact that a white woman makes seventy-seven cents to every dollar a white man makes, that one in four college- aged women are sexually assaulted, and that women make up about seventeen percent of the House of Representatives. Iam a feminist to educate, to liberate and to enact change. Taylor Portela is an LSA junior. I spent the entirety of my summer in a veritable pig- sty. After four months of living in an apartment with a roach problem, an ant infestation and a general lack of cleanliness, I'm nearing the end of my patience with student housing. As new Zaragon copycat apartments appear, the state of living options for-those without the $1,200-plus-a-month allowance seems to disappear. It's almost as if landlords have given up - why pre- tend your crappy building is a four-star, amenity-rich opportunity when you can just throw up a dilapidated sign offering "$600 a month!"? I'm not expecting luxury here - we're college kids. We're supposed to live off of mac and cheese, take cold showers and learn how to avoid that creaky stair when we're sneaking a "friend" in at 3 a.m. I can even live with a basement laundry room that recalls bad child- hood nightmares of "The Shining." I can't, however, justify an entire complex without locks on windows that lead straight into bedrooms from fire escapes. I can't explain away broken glass, shattered lights or trash scattered in hallways. With only days left on my lease, I can't imagine living here one day longer. The question I've been struggling with all summer is simple: where is the in-between? Why is there such a large disparity between decent living and housingthat may rival the nicest hotel I've ever stayed in? I don't need my apartment furnished by Three Chairs Co., with a rooftop grill and hot tub or granite counter tops - all of which are boasted by Landmark. I'm simply asking for a clean living space with reasonable pricing and responsible landlords. The entirp process of finding housing would benefit from renovation. Right now, finding housing is a mat- ter of knowing the right people, namely, those with the nicest houses and locations and hoping they'll set you up with the landlord. It's 5 a.m. lease signings after nights spent in line, hoping that you'll be the first to glide your pen across the paper that will prob- ably still only entitle you to coin laundry and leaky ceilings. I spoke with a rental manager at what would be considered a more sought out apartment complex in town - though mainly inhabited by grad students - and she expressed a similar frustration. The apart- ments she manages failed inspection the first time for all requirements. Things like "pin locks installed on double hung windows that are readily accessible" and "...light fixtures function properly and free of damage" are listed on the Ann Arbor "Rental Hous- ing Pre-Inspection Checklist" she had to pass. Yet my building is in clear violation of six, by my last count. Hers? Failed. Even dorms are restricting access to their rooms - as the University accepts a larger pool of incoming freshman and closes dormitories for renovation, so shrinks the availability of University sponsored hous- ing to current students. Capped off by the new student housing. policy that states that students with fewer total credit hours have first access to dorms, many have been left to scour Craigslist advertising, "41 y-o male looking for two female roommates, must be under 24 to inquire." This year, I'll be moving into the Courtyards. Yes, ,on North Campus. No, I'm not an engineering student, nor of the art or architecture schools/I'm just unlucky in leases and late to the signing game. Yet, the closer I get to my move-in date, the more accepting-I become of my exile. There, I'll have neat, tidy rooms and hall- ways alike, backed by modest pricing and a full-time staff to aid in the case of a broken faucet or faulty dryer. I'm far-removed but well kept, a trade-off that I'm willing to make after four months of questionable filth and safety. I'll chalk these past weeks up to a learning experi- ence - see what happens when you live with three college age boys in a shady apartment complex? See how you become indifferent to leaky ceilings, crack- ing linoleum and mildew stains? I'll appreciate my new bedroom, rather than resenting its distance from campus. I'll begin searching for apartments now for a school year that is still more than 13 months away. I've learned much, but I still would rather have been taught a lesson from the comfort of a room without ants on the floor. I think we all, even those of us without an extra grand to throw around, deserve that. Erin Pavacik is an LSA'junior. a i FOLLOW DAILY OPINION ON TWITTER Keep up with columnists, read Daily editorials, view cartoons and join in the debate. 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