4A - Thursday, January 31, 2013
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MELANIE KRUVELIS
and ADRIENNE ROBERTS MATT SLOVIN
EDITORIAL PAGE EDITORS MANAGING EDITOR
ANDREW WEINER
EDITOR IN CHIEF
I think video games is a bigger
problem than guns because video
games affect people:"
- Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) said in an interview on gun control policy
with MSNBC on Wednesday.
Stay prestigious, Michigan
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.
Scout's hypocrisy
Boy Scouts should end anti-gay policies organization-wide
O n Monday, the Boy Scouts of America, one of the largest
youth groups in the United States, announced that it may
end its long-standing ban of homosexuals from its organi-
zation. The BSA's traditional position on denying membership to gay
people and atheists was supported by a 2000 U.S. Supreme Court
case that ruled in favor of the discretionary, discriminatory practic-
es. However, the policy being considered would allow local scouting
groups to determine their own policies regarding openly gay people.
A change in policy is overdue and should be organization-wide, not
left to individual prejudices.
First formed in 1910 to prepare young boys natory practices but this is counter to the val-
to become "ethical and moral" men by instill- ues we should instill in our youth.
ing virtues including trust, kindness and It should not be the business of an organi-
bravery, BSA can be thought of as exemplify- zation, let alone one whose duty it is to teach
ing what it means to work with others. Each children and teenagers "patriotism, courage,
scout must swear an oath that states they will self-reliance and kindred virtues," to pro-
"help other people at all times" as a duty to mote exclusion. As a Title 36 "patriotic" orga-
one's "God and country." An interpretation nization under federal law, BSA's position on
of this standard has typically been the used anti-gay discrimination has lagged behind
as reason for the exclusion of homosexuals, others. Big Brother, Big Sisters of America, for
atheists and agnostics. Several civil cases instance, has been actively supporting openly
have beenbrought against BSA in many states LGBTQ volunteers for over a decade. Similar
including California, Illinois, Kansas and organizations such as 4-H and the Girl Scouts
Michigan. Many teenage members, who have also openly support all members regardless of
come to terms with their sexuality during sexual orientation.
their tenure with the BSA, have found them- However, given the reluctance of much of
selves ineligible for honors, removed from the country to adopt homosexual-accepting
their troops and banned outright. Countless policies until recently, BSA isn't solely to
gay adults have also been barred from being blame. With each passing generation, with
troop leaders and in other capacities. each passing year, Americans are becoming
It tells the youth involved that there are more tolerant and accepting of others. We
numbers amongtheir ranks that are ethically can only hope to be morally righteous when
inferior and morally incapable of performing we are morally right. The Boy Scouts should
the duties of a scout. The'BSA has cited its push forward this progressive policy and bet-
religious affiliation as its reason for discrimi- ter their organization.
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS
Kaan Avdan, Sharik Bashir, Barry Belmont, James Brennan, Eli Cahan, Jesse Klein, Melanie
Kruvelis, Patrick Maillet, Aarica Marsh, Jasmine McNenny, Harsha Nahata, Sarah Skaluba,
Adrienne Roberts, Vanessa Rychlinski, Paul Sherman, Michael Spaeth, Derek Wolfe
EVAN OLEXAI
Rconiionot idolization
4
I
"April17, 2012, the Uni-
versity embarked on a
project that will have last-
ing effects on
the institution
and ensure its
competitiveness
for decades to
come. The Uni-
versity signed
a contract with
Coursera. The KEVIN
California- MERSOL-
based company BARG
partners with
universities
to provide massive open online
courses, in which a huge number
of students participate in an online
classroom via the Internet. For
example, about 90,000 students
participated in the first MOOC
offered by the University.
MOOCs provide an opportu-
nity to change the game of higher
education. They dare to provide
universal access to courses from
prestigious universities. In Thomas
Friedman's op-ed in The New York
Times, "Revolution Hits the Uni-
versities," he paints a picture of
the perfect world MOOCs will cre-
ate. However, like much else in the
world, online courses will not be
perfect in practice. And we need to
prepare for this reality.
This reality poses potential
problems. We can head them off
through deliberate discussion and
conscious efforts to address them.
For better or worse, Coursera will
change how students and educa-
tors interact with the University as
digital coursework is further inte-
grated into the classroom.
Before exploring the implica-
tions of this change, it's important
to understand why the University
is making it. Until recently, presti-
gious universities seemed content
with not offering online courses.
Sure, the University had already
augmented its courses with tech-
nologies such as projectors and
CTools. However, education pri-
marily took place in a physical
classroom. Even when for-profit
universities, such as the Univer-
sity of Phoenix, invested heavily
in online courses, the University
didn't budge.
Why budge now? Because pres-
tige and money are at stake.
Prestige attracts talent and tal-
ent builds prestige. The University
administration recognizes this and
seeks to spur a positive feedback
cycle between the two. Prestige dic-
tates the degree to which the Uni-
versity can compete with other top
schools. It's competing for high-cal-
iber students, distinguished instruc-
tors and a spot at the top of college
rankings. If not now, MOOCs, like
Coursera, will give the University
an edge over its competitors in the
near future. Of course, it depends
on how deeply and successfully the
University integrates online courses
into physical ones.
In terms of money, Michigan's
state legislature annually slashes
appropriations to the University,
and the Board of Regents passes
the cost onto students by increasing
tuition rates. The University needs
new sources of revenue to offset
losses elsewhere. To that end, mon-
etizing its online offerings through
Coursera will help.
The contract with Coursera pro-
vides insight into how to monetize
its online courses. The contract,
which was obtained by The Chron-
icle of Higher Education, suggests
- among other ideas - embed-
ding advertisements in the course
webpage, charging tuition fees per
course and allowing employers to
use courses to vet employees or
prospective employees. In addition,
the University, along with the other
participating institutions " ... will
get six to 15 percent of the revenue,
depending on how long they offer
the course."
The University stands to gain
substantially from its relationship
with Coursera. However, we must
consider what effect it will have
on the University experience in the
long run. The electronic nature of
online courses will change the Uni-
versity experience for students and
instructors.
MOOCs will give the
University an edge
over competitors.
For students, we must avoid
introducing elements that under-
mine the University's strengths.
In addressing this, we should con-
sider the following questions: Will
students have access to the same
support, services and opportuni-
ties regardless of how they access
the University? And what will the
effect of embedding advertise-
ments in courses and catering to
enterprise audiences have on the
college experience? .
We also must consider the effect
that integrating online technolo-
gies into the University will have
on instructors. Will instructors be
fairly compensated for the courses
they teach? Will teaching online
courses distract instructors' and
adversely affect the other demands
of their positions? And will this
drive 'the University to expect all
instr.uctors to teach online courses
in the long run?
Last week, the University
appointed its first special counsel
for digital education initiatives.
The University intends to continue
working with Coursera and under-
stands that the future depends on it.
Now that it's set on this course, the
University community must discuss
how to ensure that a Michigan edu-
cation doesn't lose its value.
- Kevis Mersol-Barg can be
reached at kmersolb@umich.edu.
6
One of the greatest detriments to American
society today is our culture. We've ceased to
draw a line in the sand between recognition
and idolization, and, as a result, we've set our-
selves up for failure and disappointment.
I still believe America is a land of opportu-
nity; but we're recreating a complex system
of social classes based not upon birthright,
which we strived to dissolve years ago, but on
accomplishment. There's nothing wrong with
striving for personal achievement. There's
nothing wrong with recognizing the accom-
plishments of others. In fact, it's in part this
recognition that encourages manyrin a free
nation to achieve. But, there's something
wrong with elevating people with certain tal-
ents above the rest of society. Role models are
beneficial. Idols are not.
In order to demonstrate the existence of
this "higher" social class, we need to look
no further than our athletes oncampus. The
treatment of these individuals and the atti-
tude toward them makes it obvious that we
see them as different from ourselves. "I saw
so-and-so walking across the Diag today!" or
"I talked to so-and-so in one of my lectures!"
The same attitude can be seen in our treat-
ment of celebrities such as actors, actresses,
musicians, models and the very wealthy. We
have gone far beyond acknowledging the won-
derful talents of these individuals and have
placed them on a pedestal, seeing ourselves
as somehow inferior to them. I learned at the
University that you're actually a superior per-
son if you're an excellent football player or if
you've had sex with one.
I don't blame the idolized, and I'm not bash-
ing them. On the contrary, I blame the idolizer,
which I, too, have been at times.
That said, I'm discussing all of this because I
want to point out the damage it does. In a class
society, it's onlynaturalforus alltowanttofind
our way to the top. Unfortunately, noteveryone
can be famous, and our talents, which may be
equal, are different in nature and some are not
recognized by society in the same way others
are. When one attempts to gain fame with a tal-
ent they don't possess - or is unsuccessful in
becoming famous - the results include insecu-
rity, disappointment and unhappiness.
As some seek their personal goals, others
are made pawns in their quest for recogni-
tion; the goal-seeker will view him or herself
as more important than those around, as his
mission is of the utmost importance - this
isn't conducive to a content society. A female
who is a talented poet might try to become a
singer and make her figure model-like, instead
of developing her own talents and beauty in
her own way. A male may occupy his time try-
ing to become an athlete when his true calling
is physics. Such societal pressure could result
in losing the next theory of relativity, but if we
recognize all talents and didn't idolize certain
people, our nation would flourish.
We set goals to become certain people, but
because we're all different and not gifted in
the same way, the results are devastating to
our nation. When we are inevitably unable
to accomplish what we so desired, or can't be
who *e wanted to be, we can't help but feel
we've failed in a certain sense. We must fill
the void that was the desire to be the best, to
be idolized, to rise to the highest class. Even if
we genuinely don't desire fame or idolization,
we're stuck comparing ourselves to celebrated
people in our culture. We may feel that we will
never be as good, but really we're no different.
They may be talented at a certain sport or have
a lot of money, but we have other abilities. This
equality isn't advertised in the United States
and we're often left to feel less than those we
idolize. Our insecurities then manifest them-
selves in ways as varied as eating disorders,
arrogance, the mistreatment of others and
endless pleasure seeking.
I'm writing this not to bash or degrade
anyone or any group, but only in hopes that a
few will recognize this class system and that
we can begin, as a culture, to see and treat
everyone as equal. We're not so different from
the guy asking for change outside the State
Theater, or the guy who makes $27 million a
year swinging a bat for the Yankees. We're all
human beings with hopes, dreams and emo-
tions. When we come to understand this and
our attitude reflects it, I believe we can build a
better culture and a better tomorrow.
Evan Olexa is an Engineering junior.
Pre-chewedfoodfor thought
n December, I was sitting at
the dinner table with extend-
ed family when my Nona, the
most elegant
Italian woman I
know, asked us,
"So, what do you
think about pre-
chewing your
kid's food?"1~
My cousin
nearly choked E
on his ham andEMILY
cheese hoagie. PITTINOS
"Is that a
-thing?" I asked
her, imagining a glob of chicken-
flavored cud dropped into a teething
mouth.
"They call it pre-mastication,"
she said. "It's big on the- West
Coast." My aunt and uncle appar-
ently knew a guy in San Francisco
who pre-chewed his daughter's
peas and carrots instead of buying
jarred baby mush.
"Haven't they heard of a blend-
er?" my cousin and I asked at once,
and high-fived.
"Probably, but it's supposed to
help wean a baby off breast milk."
The logistics of this lifestyle
were called into question. Does the
parent take a bite of turkey and then
baby-bird-it directly into the kid's
mouth? What if they host a dinner
party - would they store a wad
of roast beef in Tupperware and
then spoon feed it to the child with
guests at the table?
Of course, I found myself cringing
as we carried on the conversation,
partly because mouths gross me out
in general. I hate the sticky, juicy,
smacking noises they make, and a
few bad kissing experiences in high
school led me to fear excess saliva.
I can hardly imagine coyly slipping
a piece of gum intoemy bedfellow's
mouth, let alone sticking chewed
food into that of a tiny human.
My mouth hang-up aside - future
lovers take note: It's more of an
endearing quirk than a full-blown
phobia - why did I, and everyone
at the table, jump to "that's nasty"
when pre-mastication came up?
My family has historically sup-
ported breastfeeding because the
contact could create a bond between
mother and child, even in the 1960s
when the practice was out of style.
By that same logic, we should have
welcomed this other form of familial
intimacy, so why didn't we?
Maybe it was too intimate for our
tastes. It's possible that my progres-
sive family hasn't entirely escaped
our culture's Puritan roots, and the
idea of such close contact between
parent and child past the breastfeed-
ing stage made us feel icky. Or maybe
the little psychoanalyst in each of
us wondered if pre-chewing would
create dependency issues that could
lead to Norman Bates-like behavior.
I wanted to know what others
thought, so that night, while all the
other Pittinos family members were
tucked safely into bed, I did a little
reconnaissance. To my amusement,
I discovered that Alicia Silverstone
has become a super vegan since her
highly influential role as Cher in
"Clueless", and is the number-one
celebrity advocate for pre-mastica-
tion. She has her own blog dedicated
to living a "kind" lifestyle and not too
long ago she posted a video of her-
self feeding her son, Bear Blu, some
mochi straight from her mouth.
As to be expected, some of the
comments under the video were
negative. A few said this method of
feeding was just veiled domineering,
and one commenter even stooped
to compare the act to "licking up
her babies vomit." However, the
overwhelming majority of the com-
ments were positive and full of sto-
ries about mothers going through
this "beautiful" process with their
own children and how they became
the world's most perfect kids, etc.
While one person did accuse Silver-
stone of deleting most of the harsher
feedback, these glowing responses
made me wonder if there was some-
thing more to this methodology than
hippy superstition.
Pre-mastication
could develop
intimacy between0
infant and father.
Upon further research I found
that the antibody generators in
a parent's saliva can help a baby
build up its immune system. Also,
the digestive enzymes in that same
parental spit can ease the symp-
toms of colic by giving the baby a
head start on breaking down foods.
Plus, I'd argue that pre-mastication
could invite the co-parent to take
part in an intimacy that is typically
reserved for breastfeeding. Partici-
pating in early feeding could poten-
tially make not-mom feel closer to
the baby and more confident in a
parental role.
However, with all that good stuff
in mind, it's still likely that seeing
this baby-bird behavior take place
in the flesh might be too much for
passersby. If parents believe in the
benefits of the old chew-and-feed,
it'd probably be best to give the rest
of us some time to educate ourselves
before taking the show to a local
Starbucks or Chuck E. Cheese.
-.Emily Pittinos can be reached
at pittinos@umich.edu.
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