4A - Thursday, January 31, 2013 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com C 1. he Michinan t 4:3at,6,lv Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@michigandaily.com 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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