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4A - Friday, December 7, 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 of the Daily's editorial board.
All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.
FROM THE DAILY
Sit down, Brandon
Athletic director must listen to advisory board
A ccording to the Board of Regents' bylaws, the Universi-
ty's Advisory Board on Intercollegiate Athletics exists as
"advisor to the director on the program in intercollegiate
athletics." The athletic director is to "seek and consider" the rec-
ommendations of the ABIA "on all major financial and policy deci-
sions" However, on Dec. 3, The Michigan Daily reported that the
ABIA wasn't told about the Big Ten Conference's expansion until
well after the decision had already been made. In the future, the
ABIA should be consulted regarding structural or policy changes
within the Athletic Department before decisive action is taken.
NOTABLE QUOTABLE
When (right-to-work legislation)
arrives on my desk, I plan -on si gn ing it!'
- Mich. Governor Rick Snyder said after a rowdy
day at the state capitol, according to The Detroit Free Press. The state senate's passage of
right-to-work legislation brought crowds of protestors to Lansing, and police made several arrests.
KATE HERTLER AND ANAND KUMAR I VEWPOINT
Consider D-SIP
q
The Athletic Department's decision to
allow the University of Maryland and Rutgers
University to join the Big Ten conference was
highly relevant to the purpose of the ABIA, and
Athletic Director David Brandon was bound
by the obligations of the board to consult its
members before moving forward. The board,
which is chaired by Brandon and comprised of
"faculty members, alumni, Michigan athletes
(and) an executive officer," would have been
especially interested in the expansion since it
will result in a greater burden of time and lon-
ger travel distances for the student-athletes,
among other considerations. But Political Sci-
ence Prof Edie Goldenberg, a member of ABIA,
said she didn't get word of the expansion until
she "heard it on the radio."
This practice of "shoot first, ask questions
later" is nothing new when it comes to Bran-
don's relationship with the ABIA. In May 2011,
mere weeks after Brandon was first instated
in the powerful position, he met with the
men's lacrosse club coach to discuss his plan
to promote the. club to a Division I varsity
team. Members of the ABIA said they didn't
hear about the change until the day before it
was publicly announced. When asked to com-
ment on his decision, Brandon "opted not to
comment,"instead sending David Ablauf, asso-
ciate athletic director for media relations.
In light heightened security at University
Board of Regents meetings and a widening
rift between University administrators and
the students they represent, this is simply one
more example of University officials presum-
ing themselves and their decisions beyond
reproach. If it wasn't troubling enough that
students feel slighted by the collusions of their
superiors, this recent offense to our institu-
tion's distinguished faculty should be seen as
an opportunitytodraw a line in the sand.
Considering that the entire purpose of the
ABIA is to oversee and advise the policies of
the Athletic Department, Brandon's attempts
to circumvent the faculty are inexcusable. Our
University and its academic mission supersede
Brandon's agenda, whether or not that agenda
fills the athletic program's coffers.
Get with our program!
As a Michigan student, your summer possibilities are
endless. You could.intern at a hedge fund, a marketing
firm, an engineering company or an arts organization.
You could travel or end up living with your parents for
four months and working in your hometown. Or you
could intern for the University of Michigan's award-
winning Development Summer Internship Program,
and in our opinion, that's what you should do.
Why development, you may ask? Development is
philanthropy. Look around you. If you've sat in the
UGLi and sipped a delicious drink from Bert's Cafe,
then you've experienced philanthropy. If you've stud-
ied at the Rackham or Ross buildings, designed in a
studio at Taubman or danced in the Power Center,
you've experienced philanthropy. Have you been to
a Michigan football game? visited the art museum?
Spun the cube? Then guess what, you've experienced
philanthropy. Michigan thrives off the philanthropic,
gifts from donors, and D-SIP is an incredible oppor-
tunity for students to witness this process firsthand
and learn critical skills for creating positive changes
in the world.
Interns are placed in a development office on cam-
pus in locations ranging from the Business Engage-
ment Center to the School of Nursing to Matthaei
Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum. Four
interns are also placed in local non-profits to gain
experience in development outside of the University.
Each intern is assigned his or her own project to work
on throughout the summer. These carefully designed
projects cover a multitude of areas, from benchmark-
iig to data analysis to developing social media strate-
gies. In addition to being meaningful, these projects
are impactful and highly valued by the community.
One of our projects created strategies for getting
grants of more than $25 million to support research.
Another focused on engaging international alumni on
five continents.
After working from Monday to Thursday, interns
come together for Friday class. The morning part of class
focuses on the role of philanthropy at the University and
teaches about the different roles one could explore in the
field of development. The best part of Friday mornings is
guest speakers.including University leaders and donors.
Professional development is the focus of the afternoon
class. We practiced networking, participated in mock
interviews, completed online portfolios and partook in
exercises that helped us grow as leaders and prepared us
to present our best selves in future interviews and pro-
fessional situations.
Our favorite part of the program was the non-profit
consulting. We helped the HIV/AIDS Resource Center
develop marketing strategies to increase participation
in one of their annual events, a process that not only
exposedustonon-profitconsultingbutalsobenefitedour
community. Theteamwith the winningstrategywenton
a tour of the entire Big House, locker room included.
This program not only builds your professional
character and gives you an amazing experience, but
also introduces you to some incredible students and
professionals in the University community. Our cohort
ate lunch together every Friday, tried to pack as many.
people as possible into the elevators of Wolverine
Tower, explored Ann Arbor on weekends and bonded
over a shared passion for the University and the power
of philanthropy.
Philanthropy changes lives, and D-SIP is a firsthand
look at the process and an introduction to the profes-
sion of development. So, consider a summer filled with
eye-opening, behind-the-scenes views of the Univer-
sity. Consider meeting donors and listening to their
incredible stories about how they've become positive
agents of change. Consider pushing yourself to discov-
er how you want to change the world, and leave know-
ing exactly how you can.
Consider D-SIP and checkus out on Facebook.
Kate Hertler is an LSA senior and
Anand Kumar is an Engineering senior.
I
U
I
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS
Kaan Avdan, Shanik Bashir, Barry Belmont, Eli Cahan, Nirbhay Jain,
Jesse Klein, Melanie Kruvelis, Patrick Maillet, Jasmine McNenny,
Harsha Nahata, Timothy Rabb, Adrienne Roberts, Vanessa Rychlinski,
Sarah Skaluba, Michael Spaeth, Gus Turner, Derek Wolfe
FROM THE DAILY
Don't talk and drive
Cell phone law not comprehensive enough
n Jan. 24, 2010, Michigan teen Kelsey Raffaele was killed
in a car accident caused by talking on her cell phone while
driving. To prevent further tragic fatalities, a law in her
name aims to ban young drivers from talking on their cell phones.
This week, supporters of Kelsey's Law gathered at the Michigan
State Capitol in Lansing to urge the House Transportation Com-
mittee to discuss the bill before the end of the month. Though this
law is a step in the right direction, it's not comprehensive enough.
Kelsey's Law should be expanded to not only include young drivers,
but also the rest of the population from distracted driving.
CONTRIBUTE TO THE CONVERSATION
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. Send
the writer's full name and University affiliation to tothedaily@michigandaily.com.
BERRY BELMONT IVIEWPOINT
Thoughts aren't property
I
The bill proposes that level one and two driv-
ers can be pulled over for a primary offense for
talking on their cell phone while driving. More
than 30 other states have similar laws that
ban cell phone usage while driving. Statisti-
cally speaking, using a cell phone to talk or text
while driving causes nearly 28 percent of all-
car accidents. Nationwide found in a January
2007 study that 73 percent of drivers admit to
talking on the phone while driving. All people
are distracted when they talk on a cell phone,
not just teens. Furthermore, of those who told
Nationwide they supported legislative restric-
tions on cell phone usage, 75 percent said they
felt the restrictions should apply to everyone,
rather than a specific demographic.
According to the Human Factors and Ergo-
nomics Society, drivers talking on cell phones
are 18 percent slower to react to brake lights.
They also take 17 percent longer to regain the
speed lost when they stopped. These statis-
tics are indicative of the importance Kelsey's
Law has and the necessity of its enforcement
to everyone on the road.
Opponents to the inclusion of the general
public in the law say that it's necessary to
use phones to multitask while commuting.
In recent years, however, car manufacturers
have introduced vehicles with built-in, hands-
free Bluetooth systems. The car communi-
cates with the phone wirelessly and the phone
call comes in through the car's speakers.
Automobile manufacturers should continue-
developing such technologies to make com-
munication safer en route. With Bluetooth
systems built into new cars and headsets
readily available for drivers who don't have a
built-in system, there are plenty of options for
drivers who want to follow the law and retain
their phone calls while driving.
Currently, only texting while driving is
outlawed in Michigan. While inexperienced
drivers lack familiarity with the roads and
are more likelyto be distracted in the car than.
experienced drivers, there are other ways to
target the teenage group specifically. Driver's
education programs and the literature they
teach should place a greater emphasis on the
severity of the risk taken when one chooses to
talk or text when driving. While this is cur-
rently a facet of Michigan's curriculum, it is
only mentioned in passing. Whether or not
a broader version of Kelsey's Law is imple-
mented, a concerted harm reduction effort
should take place before new drivers ever get
behind the wheel.
On May 5, 1998, a patent for
human gene BRCA1 was issued to
a company by the name of Myriad
Genetics, Inc. and the University of
Utah. Less than six months later,
Myriad Genetics was granted anoth-
er patent for a related gene, BRCA2.
These were neither the first nor
the last patents granted for human.
genetic material, but these instances
have been the source of constant
controversy for nearly a decade and
a half. One of the principle reasons
for this controversy stems from the
fact that women with BRCA - a
breast cancer susceptibility gene -
mutations are five times more likely
to contract breast cancer than the
general population and have a life-
time risk 10 to 30 times greater than
average to suffer from ovarian can-
cer. Because these genes are patent-
ed, anyone wishing to look for them
- be they researchers, doctors or
patients - has to pay Myriad Genet-
ics. And pay dearly.
In May 2009, the Association for
Molecular Pathology and several
other advocacy groups aided by the
American Civil Liberties Union
brought a case against Myriad, Uni-
versity of Utah officials and the U.S.
Patent and Trademark Office claim-
ing that BRCA genes are not patent-
able as parts of nature. The original
decision of the court in that case
was successfully appealed twice
and to this day, the BRCA genes
have remained patented. However,
on Nov. 30 the U.S. Supreme Court
agreed to hear the plaintiffs' argu-
ment on the patentability of human
genes during its current session
to decide once and for all whether
human genetic information is sub-
ject to a protective government
monopoly.
Proponents of gene patents con-
tend that they incentivize scientists,
inventors and engineers in bio-
technology to create novel devices,
develop new methodologies and
promote further innovation by not
keeping research or technology
secret. This is the classic argument
in favor of patents that views them
as a trade of public disclosure for a
guaranteed window of exclusivity to
recoup costs and increase potential
profits. Some see this as fair.
Others do not. Most opponents of
gene patents argue that they stifle
further research and limit patient
treatments by forcing others to- pay
exuberantly high premiums. Fur-
thermore, as an intrinsic part of
human beings, our genes shouldn't be
subject to any sort of patent. It would
be absurd, they reason, to live in a
world where the notion of patenting
someone's blue eyes was dismissed
but where patenting the genes used
to make those eyes was embraced.
The problem with all of this is
the uncertain nature of intellectual
property as a whole. Regular prop-
erty is simple and easy to under-
stand. To own regular property
means that one mixed some natural
resources with their labor or legiti-
mately traded with someone else
who did.
I plow my garden, the potatoes
are mine; I trade my potatoes with
someone for a new plow, the plow is
mine. Simple. Property of this sort
can also be protected. I can put a
fence around my garden and lock my
plow in a shed. If one can't potential-
ly exclude something from others,
then one can't really own something
after all, we don't steal the air we
breathe. But what of ideas?
Ideas do spring from a sort- of
combination between one's resourc-
es and one's effort, but they are not
as easily protected. Certainly one
could keep something secret, but
this only prevents the transmis-
sion of an idea and doesn't exclude
another mind from thinking it. And,
this case has to do with the fact
that information - the stuff of our
thoughts - isn't so much invented as
it is discovered. Our world is awash
in information, and all we tend to do
is collectively accumulate knowl-
edge and piece it together to do new
things for us. We merely take from
the marble of nature the statues our
limited time and present resources
allow us.
In crafting our knowledge we
don't deprive anyone of crafting
their knowledge, and vice versa:
If I teach you about genes, I don't
suddenly forget about them. That is
until some folks feel entitled to the
information they have happened
upon and wish for others should
they come across the same infor-
mation. Hence, patents. Patents
are ephemeral fences surrounding
thought-of gardens erected with
real force. Myriad Genetics found
a strip of'information in the human
genome and declared it theirs.
Unfortunately, it's no different than
anyone else claiming that any other
piece of information is exclusively
his or hers.
The solution to all of this is to have
tangible marketplaces; for ideas, for
products, for everything. We should
freely trade and exchange our limit-
ed time and resources with as many
people as we can so that everyone,
everywhere may benefit. Gene pat-
ents should be struck down. They
should be struck down for the very
same reason all patents should be
struck down: Intellectual property
is not property. The price we've paid
propagating the failed intellectual
property system has been far too
great thus far, and it's about time we
discount them entirely.
Berry Belmont is a Rackham
graduate student.
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not print anonymous letters. Send letters to tothedaily@michigandaily.com.