4 -Friday, January 11, 2013 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com MIle iiian tB:atlU Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. Rewriting homesickness r 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. F ROM T HE DAILY COmmunity first Make renewable energy an inclusive process 's widely acknowledged that renewable energy has tangible environmental and economic benefits. Always progressive, Ann Arbor is making steps toward a clean-energy future with the recent installation of solar panels on University of Michigan property on Plymouth Road and the planned installation of two wind turbines in partnership with Ann Arbor Public Schools. How- ever, community members feel as though they were not consulted and are understandably upset. While it's indisputable that renew- able energy is beneficial in the long-term for the Ann Arbor commu- nity, these projects don't send the right message to the people who will be directly affected by their presence. n May 13, 2012, I left JFK International Airport and embarked on my three- month jour- ney to China. My first month would be spent teaching Eng- lish, in the southern city of Hangzhou, considered to be - one of China's PATRICK "smaller" cities MAILLET - with a met- ropolitan popu- lation of a mere 14 million people. While I was there, I was able to travel around Zhejiang Province. I met middle school and high school students and taught them about what my life is like in America. Naturally, like any truetblue fan, I took this opportunity to give a 20-minute presentation about Michigan football and why there's truly no place like Ann Arbor. I can- not even begin to express how ful- filling it is to hear a chorus of 300 young Chinese students practicing their English by chanting in unison, "Go Blue!" and "Oh how I hate Ohio State." There are now approximately 3,000 students roaming Southern China who, for some inexplicable reason, hate everything about Ohio. Perhaps I abused my privileges, but I digress. I was never worried about my month in Hangzhou because I knew that meeting new students eager to learn about my culture would never get old, and, quite frankly, it never did. However, I was afraid of June 15, the day I would move to Beijing and start my intensive two-month Chinese learning program through China Educational Tours. CET Beijing is a well-respected language program that has been known to produce stellar results for those seeking to learn Chinese. I'm a Chinese minor and have been study- ing Chinese at the University for the past two years. My Chinese was dreadful and desperately needed the help. Part of me hoped that perhaps they would just connect a wire to the back of my brain and somehow inject the language into me without actually having to work too hard. Instead, I was forced to=adjust to the infamous "language pledge." This pledge, part of what . makes CET so renowned, is a signed docu- ment prohibiting any student from speaking English in. or outside of the classroom for the entirety of the two-month program. If caught three times breaking the pledge, the stu- dent is sent home without a refund and with an unavoidable "Fail" on their transcript. Quite intimidating to say the very least. I knew the pledge would be diffi- cult, but I had no idea what was in store for me. As someone who seri- ously enjoys expressing himself - perhaps too much - I felt constantly suffocated once the pledge started.. This pledge, combined with a daily five hours of class and five to six hours of homework per night, cre- ated quite a taIl mountain for me to climb. I found myself going crazy and instead of embracing the lan- guage and culture, I just entered a terribly depressed and lonely state. Days seemed like entire weeks, and the concept of surviving for two months seemed entirely implausible. After desperately trying to tackle this problem on my own, as I always had before, I began to realize that this obstacle would not be overcome alone - I needed help. I needed to reach out to my friends and family for the support. Luckily for me, my sister Kait lived abroad in Thailand fortwo years and understood the challenges associ- ated with living away from home. I sought her advice and asked how to overcome this feeling of being alone in a country of 1.3 billion people. She gave ne the best advice that anyone could have. ever given me: Go for a walk with no destination. At first I didn't really understand this concept and waved it off as an irrational fix to a bigger problem. But one day, I tried it. I put on some sneakers, left my map of Beijing in my room and packed a couple bot- tles of water. After all, it was about 100 degrees outside and, combined with a particularly high pollution rating that day, walking was cer- tainly going to be.difficult. Soon after I started my walk, I started to immerse myself in the language. I began soaking in more of the minor details of Chinese cul- ture and learning more about nor- mal everyday life in China. This truly was a turning point in my trip. 3,000 southern Chinese students hate Ohio State because of me. 0 At a Jan. 7 City Council meeting, a nearly $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Ann Arbor community was approved for the construction of two wind turbines. The turbines will be constructed on Ann Arbor Public School property. According to Annar- bor.com Brian Steglitz, a senior utilities engi- neer for the city, says, "... this is going tobe an educational tool for the school system, their kids." He goes on to say it will provide Ann Arbor Public Schools a hands-on tool to teach students about wind energy. While the goal of giving students' tan- gible means to learn about renewable ener- gy is admirable, these wind turbines are not viable options for renewable energy. Wind farms consist of many wind turbines, two will not provide sufficient energy to power a school. Council Member Sabra Briere (D-1) also noted that Ann Arbor wind speeds are slightly lower that the 13 mph winds turbines traditionally require. This sends the message that the city of Ann Arbor is willing to spend on forms of energy that aren't suited to the city. Hundreds of solar panels have been installed recently on the North Campus Research Complex on Plymouth Road, with DTE Energy paying the University for using the land. Ann Arbor City Council member Jane Lumm said in a memo to the Michigan director of community relations that there was a lack of notice or community engage- ment prior to the solar panels. The University should continue tobe on the forefront of new green technology, but it shouldn't come at the expense of community members. Though these environmentally conscious projects may be well-intentioned, the lack of community engagement and forethought in both the turbine and solar array construction is problematic. When considering changes to the ways communities are powered, project leaders and officials must seek the interest and acceptance of the public. Surveys, forums and-town hall meetings should be utilized to gauge public interest before such operations are implemented. After that first walk with no des- tination, I began going on personal adventures every day after class. Considering that a ride on Beijing's incredibly convenient subway is a mere 30 cents, I took advantage of this asset as much I could. Every day, I made it a goal to go to a differ- ent subway stop; pretty soon, I had a decent understanding of Beijing's geography. Some stops were boring, some were eye-opening, but every experience helped me become a stronger person. Within the coming months, many students will be embarking on their own study abroad experi- ence. Don't be afraid to reach out for help. Realize that you are not the only one who has had a bad day because of missing friends, family, school or maybe just a slice of pizza. When you take off the armor, embrace your vulnerability, and allow yourself to soak in a foreign culture, you will learn more about yourself than you ever thought possible. When I went to China, I learned a lot about the language, the people and the culture, but the thing I learned most was about myself and how I handled a par- ticularly challenging obstacle. I can only hope that others will take my sister's advice and discover more about themselves as I discovered more about myself. - Patrick Maillet can be reached at maillet@umich.edu. EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS Kaan Avdan, Sharik Bashir, Barry Belmont, Eli Cahan, Jesse Klein, Melanie Kruvelis, Patrick Maillet, Jasmine McNenny, Harsha Nahata, Adrienne Roberts, Vanessa Rychlinski, Paul Sherman, Sarah Skaluba, Michael Spaeth, Gus Turner, Derek Wolfe LAUREN PERRY AND ALEXANDRA MALMBERG | Invest in social, work. INTERESTED IN CAMPUS ISSUES? POLITICS? SEX, DRUGS AND ROCK'N'ROLL? Check out The Michigan Daily's editorial board meetings. Every Monday and Thursday at 6pm, the Daily's opinion staff meets to discuss both University and national affairs and write editorials. E-mail opinioneditors@michigandaily.com to join in the debate. 0 Have you ever known someone with a mental health disorder or are you one of the one-fourth of adult Americans that have been diagnosed with one? According to the National Association of Social Workers, "the primary mission of the social work profes- sion is to enhance human well-being and help meet the basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty." The profession of social work impacts indi- viduals, families and communities not only through clinical services, but also through ,advocacy. Social workers address issues of post-traumatic stress disorder, drug and alcohol addiction, depression and suicid- al tendencies in the veteran population of 22,658,000 individuals, which is continuous- ly increasing. In addition, social workers pro- vide services to other vulnerable populations including the homeless, mentally ill, abused children and the elderly. To enhance services provided and to better serve clients, we must reinvest back into the profession. The Dorothy I. Height and Whit- ney M. Young, Jr. Social Work Reinvestment Act is a piece of legislation whose a main goal is to "ensure access to a range of critical social work services provided in hospitals, schools, clinics, agencies, the military, and in private businesses." The bill was introduced to the U.S. House of Representatives by Rep. Edol- phus Towns (D - Md) and to the Senate by Senator Barbara Mikulski (D - N.Y.)w. This piece of legislation, if passed, will reinvest in the profession of social work by focusing on the areas of research, retention and recruit- ment. A commission, working in conjunction with Congress, will be established and will collaborate with universities, researchbodies and various social workers to analyze their services and programs to develop strategies for improvement. The Social Work Reinvest- ment Act will also allocate grants to various programs to address workplace improve- ments, research, education and training. Although social -workers play such an inportant'role in the well-being of society, the profession faces the issue of burnout. It is in dire need of trained professionals with an expected 130,000 empty social worker positions in 2016. Social workers earn among the lowest salaries for master's level gradu- ates and for professionals in general. Profes- sionals with lower-paying salaries are more likely to work in difficult agencies, serve the most vulnerable clients and leave the social work profession early. Social workers face high burnout rates including emotional exhaustion, depersonalization or cynicism and diminished personal accomplishment. The Social Work Reinvestment Act would reduce the turnover rate in the profession and increase the quality, consistency and stability of social work services. The United States is ranked 10th in G.D.P. spending in the health care and social services category. Its spending on social services is especially low. It spends 90 cents on social services for every dollar spent on health care. Contrast this to many of our peer countries who spend two dollars on social services for every dollar spent on health care. Allocating more funds to social services has proven to reduce emer- gency room visits due to poor nutrition, poor hygiene, infections, muggings, beatings and rape in homeless populations. Rep. Towns once stated, "Not everyone will need a social worker, but when life presents serious obstacles to one's well-being, a social worker can be an invaluable ally. We want to make sure that when people do need a social worker, professional help will be available." The Social Work Reinvestment Act not only affects those currently employed in the field of social work and students in social work programs, but individuals, families and com- munities who may one day need the assis- tance of a social worker. Help us advocate for the future of society and its well-being by spreading the word to family, friends and peers, and by letting your congressional rep- resentative know this bill is important to you. Lauren Perry and Alexandra Malmberg are masters students at the University of Southern California. MAURA LEVINE ' It's a rarity for me to cot random acts of kindness, e on a college campus. Its though most people are, their cell phones or plug their iPods. Once in a blu people will look up and glimpse of another humar ingful and positive interact strangers appear to be un News sources report daily: latest gun horror, a local or another murderer who loose. We have become s up in the drama and negati ing in around us that we fc thing that can make our liv paying it forward. , Several weeks ago, I watch. When I retracedn I knew that I must have d: on the floor of an auditoriu Modern Language Buildin remembered, with a sink ing in my stomach, that the physics exam immediatel: ing my lecture. I was sure my watch was good. I e-mailed my teache as the physics professor, ho somehow, miraculously, had picked it up and turned such luck. The physics professorI me that he would post an a; Paying it forward me across ment about my watch on the bottom ference," specially of his slides in hopes that someone true. My seems as would turn it in. The days came and about los glued to went. No watch was turned in. After ing it retu ged into two more physics classes passed, nothing f ue moon, still nothing. Then I got an e-mail and gavei catch a from a student who had picked up It's goo n. Mean- my watch after the exam. He had all human ions with finally gotten my e-mail address each othe common. from the professor's slides and went anything about the out of his way to return the watch. murders, robbery Needless to say, I was elated that it ments an' 's on the was returned in perfect condition. continue, o caught While stories like this may seem to make1 vity clos- mundane or simple, they show that through orget one random acts of kindness still exist in ness. Pay es better: our society. Not only did it take kind- anythingj ness on the student's part to return a fellows lost my my watch, but it also took the com- ies out to: my steps, passion and effort of the professor Not only ropped it to post the information on his lec- else's day am in the ture slides. Both parties easily could get a little ig. I also have written me off and ignored my Accord ing feel- requests, but these individuals went ance com ere was a further than just answering my performa y follow- questions - they proactively helped sense bf me find alost possession. ria" whit gone for If one of them had been indif- sense ofv er as well ferent to my situation, I would still "lead toa ping that be without my watch. But the pro- with othe someone fessor and the student both chose to help a lit in. No to go the extra mile for a stranger. only hav I would love to claim that this So spread promised humane gesture is exclusive to our nnounce- campus due to "The Michigan Dif- MauraI but that simply can't be mom has a similar story ing her wallet and hav- urned by a man who took rom it. He just called her it back. d to remember that we're n - we're all here to help r out even if we don't owe to anyone. While mass cutthroat political argu- d vengeful arsons will all each of us can choose the world a better place small gestures of kind- ing it forward can mean from holding the door for tudent to carrying grocer- an old lady's car at Kroger. will you make someone better, but you, too, may e joy out of being kind. ing to the health insur- pany Cigna, when people acts of kindness they get a "exhilaration and eupho- h "may add a heightened well-being." This can also a sense of connectedness rs." Going out of your way nother human being can e positive repercussions. the positivity. Levine is an LSA sophomore. 0 EIOR SEND LETTERS TO: TOTHEDAILY@MICHIGANDAILY.COM U.S. government should halt sanctions on Iran TO THE DAILY: Sanctions on Iraq may have killed as many as 576,000 children, according to a 1995 report by two scientists.who surveyed the coun- try for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. They also found sharply rising malnutrition among the young, suggesting that more children will be at risk in the coming years. Today, with an epidemic of birth. defects appearing in many Iraqi cities, the country is still grappling with the aftermath of war-related and sanctions-related public health issues. Iran is a country of 80 million people. Over 19 million Iranians are under 14 years of age and most vul- nerable to the effects of sanctions. Have we learned anything from the death of half a million Iraqi children? If we have, then the Uni- versity of Michigan should raise its voice, as it has for other issues, to demand that the U.S. govern- ment halt all sanctions on Iran. Mozhgan Savableasfahani and Azadeh Shahshahani 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. 0 i