4 - Friday, February 15, 2013 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com 4 - Friday, February 15, 2013 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom }C mihigan ikilg Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. What really entails a crime alert? 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 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. Quality over quantity CSG should focus on broad, progressive goals in the future As Business senior Manish Parikh's term as president of Cen- tral Student Government enters its concluding months, he visited the Michigan Daily's editorial board on Thursday to have a candid conversation about CSG's progress and what's yet to come. Over the past year, Parikh has fulfilled many of his campaign promises and made some changes designed by the student body. CSG's most important accomplishment may be legitimizing the role of student government here at the University. Last March's election had a historic voter turnout - a trend we hope to see continue. But CSG leaders - current and future - need to continue the proactive trend set by Parikh by striving to be the connection between students and administrators, as well as advocating for socially progressive ini- tiatives like the Coalition for Tuition Equality. By now, most aware of th reported on involved a cab driver raping a 21-year-old Uni- versity student in an off-cam- pus parking lot. University stu- dents received the now notorious UM Police Depart- ment e-mail - "CRIME ALERT"- with onl rudimentary detail listed. I received th frantic phone call f later that day, tellin Always be aware of ings, and We should pepper spray. Then I got that: about a week later came as a surpris about a cab assault about another incid ently this is the thi under a month," m the phone. Three i ing sexual assault cabs in less than a only received a cri of them? I did some res information out t and vague - so wo first assault occur and involved the inappropriate adv a 19-year-old Uni which included; remove her clothes man and managed second event was tb we received the cri 3. The third inc Feb. 10, and involv bing a woman's t ing her before she the cab. According gan Daily, that su been arraigned. So, there's the of cab assaults in the last month. I u of us are more about them online if you use e sexual assault cabs, or even if you don't. Why the [Feb. 3, which lack of crime alerts for all three? According to the Daily, University Police spokeswoman Diane Brown explained that the lack of a crime report for the Feb. 10 incident was because "the crime did not occur on campus and does not involve sexu- al assault in its legal definition." A reason for the failure to post a crime alert for the Jan. 23 assault KATIE was not offered. STEEN Let's take this apart in small bites, so as to avoid projectile rage-vomiting. ly the most Firstly: "The crime did not occur of the incident on campus." True, but we receive e standard crime alerts regarding off-campus rom my mother crimes all the time. Simple enough, ag me the same: but I'll go on. The thing with these your surround- assaultive cab drivers is that they get you some can, you know, drive. They can drive off-campus to pick up and phone call again grope women, and they can drive , but this time it on-campus to pick up and grope e. The call was women. So the fact that this one , except this was incident didn't happen on campus ent. "And appar- doesn't mean that it can't happen rd cab assault in again on campus. Because, let's be y mom said over honest - if it's the weekend and nstances involv- someone's hailing a cab, he or she is in Ann Arbor probably not going to be doing it on * month, and we the Diag. me alert for one Secondly: According to the Uni- versity Police, it's not legally sexual earch, and the assault. But it was aggressive enough there is sparse that we should at least be made rk with me. The aware of the incident. red on Jan. 23 Let's look at some other crime cabbie "making alerts. "Attempted home invasion." vances" toward "Attempted armed robbery." If versity student, someone attempts to mug another an attempt to person, there's a crime alert regard- . She kicked the less of if the mugging is successful 1 to escape. The or not. So why is this different for e rape for which attempted rape? It's possible that if me alert on Feb. the Jan. 23 woman did not kick the ident occurred driver and escape, she could have 'ed a man grab- been raped, but the lack of a crime high and kiss- alert sends a message that attempt- was able to exit ed rape doesn't warrant a crime g to The Michi- alert so much as attempted home spect has since invasion or robbery. That's pretty disturbing considering that rape is basic overview a crime that, compared to a robbery, Ann Arbor in likely affects people on a much srge you to read more personal and potentially trau- matizing level - that involves not the taking of an object but of basic human rights. Just because it's not legally sexual assault doesn't mean it's not a threat to students. But you know what? A fur- ther scroll down past crime alerts reveals, July 6, 2012: "Attempted Sexual Assault off-campus." That was off-campus and an "unsuccess- ful" rape, and we still got a crime alert. So, why the inconsistency? I want togo back to the University Police's claim that the Feb. 10 inci- dent "does not involve sexual assault in its legal definition." According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women's Health, sexual assault includes "rape or attempted rape" and "touch- ing your body or making you touch someone else's." So I would like to know why exactly thigh grop- ing, kissing and attempted removal of clothing don't qualify as sexual assault, because, to my knowledge, all of the above actions certainly fall under the category of sexual assault. And anyway, I don't really give a shit about their legal definition of sexual assault. I want to know if I shouldn't take a cab because there's someone - potentially multiple people - in Ann Arbor molesting women in cabs. Isn't that the duty of the police department: to inform and protect its citizens? I'm not going to scan the news every day for reports on sexual assault or any crime for that matter; that's what the crime alerts are for. The University Police Department needs to stop getting caughtinthe inconsistentlyenforced legal stipulations of sexual assault, and inform us when crimes occur that pose a threat tothe studentbody. - Katie Steen can be reached at katheliz@umich.edu. 0 Academic reform has been a major focus for Parikh. Some of his main accomplish- ments under this platform include a "flipped semester," where students can work on an independent project without having to drop out of school, in addition to an active entre- preneurship program that gives students the resources to start their own business. These changes, however, only affect a small portion of the student body. While aspiring entrepre- neurs may appreciate this opportunity, CSG should advocate bringing entrepreneurship into every classroom. Another huge accomplishment for CSG this year is the international student initia- tive. CSG created the International Students Society, an organization that helps acclimate international students to life in America - the first of its kind for foreign students at Michi- gan. They've done a fantastic job actively sup- porting the Coalition for Tuition Equality, an organization that lobbies the University to give undocumented Michigan residents in- state tuition rates. But true change requires more than Facebook likes. Groups like CTE and ISS have the potential to tangibly change the lives of many students, and they will ben- efit from the continued support and leader- ship of future CSG leaders. While all these initiatives prove helpful for a select group of students entrepreneurs and international students make up only a small percentage of Michigan's student body. The student body of Michigan is large, complex and spread out; CSG should think of ways to bring students together beyond the handful of Foot- ball Saturdays, perhapsthroughconcerts.Addi- tionally, while 'luxuries' like a 24-hour caf6 are nice, CSG should expand their focus beyond the occasionally inconsequential aspects of student life. What could CSG accomplish if it put all it's effort toward improving minority retention or student socio-economic diversity? Parikh and this year's CSG members have shown that the organization has the potential to live up to its promises. It's up to next year's leaders to make this a reality. Hopefully, poten- tial candidates forthe CSG presidential election realize the wide-reaching effects this role has on students. 0 EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS Kaan Avdan, Sharik Bashir, Barry Belmont, James Brennan, Eli Cahan, Jesse Klein, Melanie Kruvelis, Maura Levine, Patrick Maillet, Aarica Marsh, Megan McDonald, Jasmine McNenny, Harsha Nahata, Adrienne Roberts, Paul Sherman, Sarah Skaluba, Michael Spaeth, Luchen Wang, Derek Wolfe AARICA MARSH I Blaming the wrong villain - the Campus Corner: Do you know where to find 35-cent wings on Tuesday nights? .di umll To find out, check out Kat Cartwright's blog, "Deals to drink to." Go to michigandaily.com/blogs It's the knowledge economy. stupid 0 0 The 47th annual Super Bowl took place in New Orleans, La., on Feb. 3 between the Bal- timore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers. During the fourth quarter, nearly 108 mil- lion people tuned into CBS to watch as the Ravens claimed a slim victory over the 49ers with a final score of 34-31. Baltimore was announced the winners as players flooded the field in celebration. CBS cameras followed Ravens quarterback and game MVP Joe Flac- co as he rejoiced with his teammates. "This is fucking awesome," shouted Flacco. CBS, not expecting the foul language, failed to censor the "f-bomb" in time. Almost as soon as CBS let Flacco's swear word slip through to view- ers, the Parents Television Council filed a complaint against the network to the Federal Communications Commission. In 2004, the PTC's complaint against Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction dur- ing the half time show led the FCC to fine CBS $550,000. Though the penalty was later appealed, some small damage to the network had occurred. The PTC's newest complaint calls forth issues regarding levels of appro- priateness on prime-time television. Why are Americans so harshly criticizing a network and potentially an MVP football player for one simple word that slipped out ina moment of excitement? How is one explicit expression so horrifying for children to hear compared with the overly sexualized and stereotypical idea portrayed in Super Bowl commercials? The PTC and FCC need to reorganize their priorities. Americans' acceptance of Beyonce's scant outfit during the half time show highlights a growing problem. Imag- es of sexuality and violence are far more impactful than an overzealous expression of joy. It's quite likely that many viewers didn't even notice Flacco's mishap, tuning out as the game ended. Even if a viewer was lucky enough to remain entranced by the television to catch the horrid "f-bomb," the audio clip lasted mere seconds. Meanwhile, children and adults alike were bombarded throughout the football game by worse in advertisements. GoDaddy's 2013 Super Bowl commercial exemplifies American's double conscious- ness in regards to the media. For 50 seconds, GoDaddy plays on customary American roles to reinforce gender stereotypes. The compa- ny portrays themselves as having a sexy side - represented by super model Bar Refaeli - and a smart side that "creates a killer website for your small business," represented by the nerdy actor Jesse Heiman. "Together, they're perfect," claims GoDaddy. Refaeli and Hei- man then proceed to make-out as the camera zooms in on their mouths for an excruciating 30 seconds. This advertisement perpetuates the stereotypical notions that women must be sexualized trophies and that only men can be smart and create a "killer website for your small business." The ideas insinuated by the GoDaddy com- mercial, and other sexualized Super Bowl advertisements, are more harmful to the minds of children than hearing the word "fuck." And yet, the PTC hasn't filed a com- plaint to the FCC concerning any of the pro- vocative commercials. America's obsession with vulgar language has blinded the Parents Television Council from the actual villain - harmful portrayals of stereotypical gender norms. Media regulators need to pay more attention to harmful programs and com- mercials rather than obsessing over every single explicative that slips out of an athlete's mouth. By attacking overly sexualized con- tent and stereotypically prejudiced program- ming, the FCC and other organizations can begin on the right track to actually bettering American media. Aarica Marsh is an LSA sophomore. et's be honest: The job mar- ket can be a scary place for college students these days. Right now, we're living in a bubble, mostly shielded from the harsh reali- ties of life after Y graduation. But as soon as we take off our caps MICHAEL and gowns, we'll be faced with SPAETH an economy still recovering from recession and unsettling anecdotes of college graduates living in their parents' basements for years trying to pay off student loan debt. That's the conventional wisdom, anyway. Luckily, reality isn't as depress- ing as the conventional wisdom suggests. There's no question that we will face many challenges after graduation, but we should feel opti- mistic for two reasons. First, numerous studies have shown that college graduates make more money and have a lower unemployment rate than people without a college degree. The lat- est job numbers reflect this trend; The U.S. Department of Labor found that college graduates faced a 3.7 percent unemployment rate in January. About half the number of unemployed people had no more than a high school diploma. Second, our university is teach- ing us many of the skills we will need to be successful in the modern economy. Right now, we're living in a "knowledge economy," in which a "global focus, the skills of critical thinking and problem solving, com- munication skills, teamwork skills (and) technology skills" are impor- tant, according to Constance Cook, executive director of the Universi- ty's Center for Research on Learn- ing and Teaching. Cook said that LSA is doing a good job of teaching the skills that are necessary to succeed in the knowledge economy. For example, the college is "helping students learn to do critical thinking and problem solving," which are par- ticularly important components of a liberal arts education. Also, there is "an increasing focus on active learning and engaged, immersive experiences for students" such as study abroad and internship oppor- tunities as well as undergraduate research opportunities through UROP. LSA has many learning communities to help students develop "teamwork and collabora- tion skills," and some LSA faculty members are trying to "build tech- nology into their classes so that students are using technology for their learning." Unfortunately, the liberal arts have been pushed to the sidelines in recent years as politicians and policymakers have pushed for a greater emphasis on science, tech- nology, engineering and math skills and careers, often called STEM. For example, in his State of the Union address last week, President Barack Obama announced that "we'll reward schools that... create classes that focus on science, technology, engineering and math, the skills today's employers are looking for to fill the jobs that are there right now and will be there in the future." It's true that there is a large role for STEM jobs to play in the modern economy and for teaching the skills to be qualified for those jobs. How- ever, while STEM jobs are highly sought after right now in the wake of the recession, we need to think beyond the present moment. Unlike skills taught in humanities classes, for example, STEN skills may be "easily computerized and tradable" in the future, Daniel Jelski, a chem- istry professor at State University of New York at New, wrote in an article for New Geography. "I'm really sad about the lack of public understanding of the value of a liberal arts education, including the humanities and social sciences," Cook said. "This incredible consum- er focus and recession-related job focus of students and their parents I think is skewing our education sys- tem away from the humanities and social sciences, and that's at a time when countries like China are mov- ing toward the liberal arts because they see that innovation and creativ- ity are very important." There's still value to be found in a liberal arts education. LSA is not the only college at Michigan that is helping to prepare students for the knowledge econo- my. The School of Engineering, for example, is working on teaching "teamwork" and "communication skills" in its courses, and is "put- ting a lot of effort into study-abroad opportunities and entrepreneur- ial opportunities for students," according to Cook. Additionally, the School of Art and Design website states that all of its students must complete some kind of "internation- al travel and study" experience. The bottom line is that if we take advantage of the opportunities at our university that relate most closely to our interests and career goals, we will be prepared to suc- ceed in the knowledge economy. We also should make sure that everyone understands the value of a liberal arts education in preparing us for our participation in the knowledge economy, especially at a time when the status quo says otherwise. Yes, the economy is still strug- gling, but life after graduation isn't quite as ominous as it sometimes seems. - Michael Spaeth can be reached at micspa@umich.edu. 0 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Readers are encouraged to submit letters to the editor. Letters should be fewer than 300 words and must include the writer's full name and University affiliation. We do not print anonymous letters. Send letters to tothedaily@michigandaily.com.