4 - Friday, February 22, 2013 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com C 1 4e Michinan l 3 A not-so-sexy solution 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 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. FIR OM T HE D A ILY Prevent Pell Grant fraud Colleges and universities must create policies to stop abuse The Federal Pell Grant Program - which distributes need- based grants to college students - is crucial to college afford- ability. In the 2011-2012 academic year, the program helped over nine million students attend college. Some students, however, are registering for classes in order to obtain a Pell Grant and then imme- diately dropping out - pocketing the leftover money. Last school year, this kind of fraud cost taxpayers $1.2 billion. Colleges and universities in Michigan and across the country must ensure that they have policies in place that enable them to prevent Pell Grant fraud and to track down students who have abused money that is vital to a strong workforce. To start things off on a rather bleak note, yester- day, an independent review team officially declared the city of Detroit to be in a state of financial emergency. And, unfortunately,, it's not all that surprising. SARAH Our economy SKALUBA remains stag- nant, the job market dreary and unemployment continues to plague millions of Americans. It's clear there's no miracle solu- tion to this never-ending dilemma. If there were, President Barack Obama would have our coun- try back on its feet and leading the global economy with a snap of his fingers. However, Detroit City Council hopeful Attie Pollard believes he knows otherwise. The magic fix to all our fiscal problems is not economic reform or higher taxes, but prostitution. Yup, Pollard believes a practice banned in every state besides Nevada - and Lord knows what they're doing over there - will be the cure to the city's crumbling economy. In a radio interview last week, Pollard explained this novel solu- tion: "For instance, starting off with a strip club district ... Once the time goes on, we can see if brothels or other means of sexual entertainment are needed." How lovely, right? I can already picture the con- versations this project would spark on campus: "Guys, let's go to Detroit this weekend!" "Why would we visit that dump? The Tigers haven't won a game all season." "No, man, to visit the new red- light district, duh." And to be honest, the young men and college students that would inev- itably be attracted by the change of venues would be the least of the city's worries. HasDetroitreallybecomeso desperate that City Council leaders are throwing around ideas involving brothels and a possible red-light dis- trict toget the economy back on track and increase tourism? Maybe it's just me, but a project like this won't be attracting your everyday, family- friendly tourists looking to spend a casual weekend in one of America's favorite rust-belt cities. Nope, I'm thinking it will instead attract a dan- gerous mix of individuals involved in serious crime including sex traffick- ing, drugtrade and the like. Maybe Pollard was just desper- ate for a new idea to garner sup- port for his campaign. Regardless of his intentions, prostitution is an extremely dangerous practice. It has ruined thousands of lives across the United States and is often con- nected to illegal drug use, rape, assault and sex trafficking. So why would anyone in their right mind want to use prostitution as a means of tourism and economic incentive? In the United States, prostitution is the most dangerous job a person can come by, with 204 murders per every 100,000 individuals work- ing in the field. Moreover the aver- age American sex worker begins at the extremely young age of 13 years. Not only would a proposal like Pollard's prove detrimental to poor women and children liv- ing in Detroit and the surrounding neighborhoods, but it would pro- vide strong economic incentives to adopt a destructive lifestyle that otherwise wouldn't prove practical. By making the naive assumption that all women involved in sex work "know what the risk is, and ... what the hazards are," Pollard manages to ignore the fact that many of these women are brought to America via transnational sex trafficking. Sex trafficking, a major human rights violation, uses coercion and threats to force women into exploitative situations like prostitution. Not only do these women have no safe way out, but they are often brought thousands of miles away from their homes and families as well. The destructive costs of human rights violations, intense violence and widespread rape will never out- weigh the profits of a select few. 204 prostitutes are killed for every 100,00 working. Sure, prostitution brings in mas- sive amounts of money for certain individuals involved - a.k.a. the pimps, sex traffickers and drug dealers - but in no way is it a seri- ous solution to the greater issue at hand. Rather than encouraging sex trafficking in an already violent, economically wounded city, Detroit leaders and state officials should be looking for viable answers that will create jobs and bring in much need- ed funding. As for Pollock's propo- sition, it's just not sexy. - Sarah Skaluba can be reached at sskaluba@umich.edu. I 0 Pell Grant funds, which range from $500 to $5,500, are distributed through a two-step process. First, higher education institutions distribute the grants by putting them towards tuition. Then, they send recipients a check for the rest of the grant. It's at this second stage that fraud occurs, with some students taking that check andnever attendingclass. Only some colleges and universities have policies aimed at curbing this behavior, such as requiring Pell recipients to provide a bank account or credit- card number in case of fraud, or having profes- sors take attendance for the first few weeks of class and delaying grant payments. Schools making an effort to stop fraud, how- ever, should keep in mind that Pell Grants are designed to help students - not to embroil them in bureaucracy or to make it harder to earn a degree. Community college students are especially at risk for this, since the fraud is worst at that level. Since some Michigan com- munity colleges have tuition as low as $700 for a full-time course load, a Pell Grant can often cover the cost of tuition with ample money to spare. (Whatever form anti-fraud efforts take, they must include some leeway for students who can't make it to every class or who need ALEX EDWARDS VIE ON Come out f The campus climate for LGBTQ individuals is anything but great. This may be surprising given that the University prides itself in offer- ing a welcoming environment for everyone. After all, Michigan houses the first-of-its-kind LGBTQ community center, recently imple- mented gender-inclusive housing options and supported its student body president when faced with nefarious bigotry. Yet LGBTQ indi- viduals are far less welcomed on campus today than our formal institutions, traditions and anecdotes suggest. I returned to AnnArbor onlyweeks ago after spending three years in London and Wash- ington, D.C. Since returning, I've encountered more men who have sex with men but outward- ly rejectcbeing labeled "gay" than in all my pre- vious 36 months spent elsewhere. It is the same for the number of times I've heard "fag" hurled as a pejorative. On two occasions - admitted- ly, both at bars after 1 a.m. - I've been on the receiving end of hate speech. Rather than a prevalence of prejudice and negative stereotyping among just a few stu- dents, these experiences taken together under- score an active culture of discrimination. Often masked, and varyingly resonate, it's a real and perverse reality. Not convinced? Look no further than a recent Daily article in which an anonymous male senior detailed the "secret" hook-up culture among closeted men on campus. Con- tinue to laugh when your friends use negative epithets, the author suggests. Endure the anti- quated, intolerant views of your politics, reli- gion and parents. Coming out is hard, so don't bother. Just look online for sex. It's precisely these elements - overt preju- dice, internalization of guilt and acceptance of the status quo - that fashion LGBTQ infe- riority on campus. Oppression, acquiescence and more oppression. It's a dynamic culture that we - gay and straight alike - continue to reproduce. And, more importantly, one that we can change. The gay struggle is unique in its individual effect - the intrinsic power of LGBTQ people to change perceptions and thereby create change. Among historical struggles for equality, this powerful role of the individual is the exception, rather than the rule. Just try to imagine the Civil Rights Movement if African Americans fought oppression by convincing whites of their individual merit,nrather than through a collec- tive struggle against racism. Not so with gays. Poll after poll shows the close link between increasing acceptance for LGBTQ rights with the percent of individuals who know someone who identifies as gay. It's the extra money immediately in order to make ends meet.) Continued fraud in the Pell Grant pro- gram would not just be a waste of money, it would also make it even more difficult for students to obtain the grants and a college education. The program has already faced cuts; the number of semesters that a student can receive the grants was reduced last year from 18 to 12, and the maximum income level for receiving a full grant dropped signifi- cantly as well. A college education translates to between $250,000 and $350,000 more in earnings over a person's lifetime, and the knowledge obtained at college enables stu- dents to engage more deeply with the world. There are too many people dependent on Pell Grants to cut the program because of a few instances of fraud. Policy changes would work just as well. In a time of constantly rising tuition rates and growing income inequality, the cost of college is an ever more salient issue. Ensur- ing that Pell Grants are used for their intend- ed purpose is vital for the program's integrity and effectiveness, as well as the promoting of higher education. or equality surprisingly simple. Coming out diminishes prejudice and advances equality. It breaks the circle of intolerance. Focusing on the incredible power of LGBTQ individuals to effect change is just that. It nei- ther places them at greater fault for continued injustice, nor minimalizes the complexity sur- rounding the coming out process. Is it hard? Of course. You must be prepared for some to think less of them, but you must also have the strength to realize that these people don't matter. I'm the first to admit that fear of "being outed" pervaded many of my formative years. Is coming out personally liberating? Abso- lutely. In fact, there are few things greater than the euphoria of finally being free with yourself, your family and your friends. More importantly, is it transformational? Incredibly so. When I came out to my closest group of high school friends, whom can only be described as bro-er than bro, not only did our relationships strengthen, but they themselves also changed. They invested in my experience as a gay man, paying particular interest to the struggles I faced. They consciously made efforts to rid anti-gay slurs from their rhetoric. They called out prejudice where it manifested in their circles. Two even joined me in canvass- ingfor equal marriage. Not all transformations will be of this type. Few may change their views on equal rights; even fewer will hit the pavement for equality. But, in the words of Harvey Milk, once people realize "that (gay and lesbians) are indeed their children, that we are indeed everywhere - every lie, every myth, every innuendo will be destroyed once and for all." So, to every openly homophobic bigot, for whom no amount of knowledge or familiarity will lessen his or her prejudice: an unapologetic fuck you. To the frat star, who after hooking up last weekend called me a goddamn queer, the face- less Grindr torso, the guilt-ridden bisexual, the closeted B-school student, biology major and aspiring engineer, who in their silence legiti- mize the notion that being gay is shame-wor- thy: please, please come out. Turn inward and accept yourself; you will not outgrow it or evolve in any other direc- tion. Talk to a friend; talk to anyone. Take your time; do it on your own terms. But make sure to do it. Our rights - and your happiness - depend on it. And for those that still refuse, well, then, fuck you too. Alex Edwards is an LSA senior. 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 Dependent on Wikapedia. 40 0 h, you're from Michi- gan? Which Great Lake do you live closest to: Erie, Huron, Michi- gan, Ontario or Superior?" Alex asked me. Normally, this question wouldn't be especially odd if PATRICK it were asked by a Midwesterner MAILLET or perhaps a par- ticularly inquisi- tive American. Instead, I was asked this question by an 8-year-old boy who had never left the city of Hang- zhou, China. I spent a month of this past sum- mer teaching English in Hang- zhou, a city about an hour away from Shanghai. Part of my job was hosting "English hours" in local libraries, where I would help locals practice their English. It was during one of these "Eng- lish hours" that I met Alex - which isn't actually his given name; it was the English name he chose at the beginning of his studies. After Alex asked me the Great Lakes question, I felt two equal- ly powerful emotions. The first one was sheer amazement at how impressive it was that this boy knew where Michigan was in the United States, let alone the fact that he could name all of the Great Lakes. The second emotion was embarrassment. I'm from New Jer- sey and, unfortunately, I never paid attention to the Great Lakes and I certainly don't know which one Ann Arbor is closest too. (Admit- tedly, I had to double-check the names of the Great Lakes when I wrote this column). I asked Alex if he was the smart- est kid in his class. He informed me - in perfect English, mind you - that in his class of 100 children, he fell somewhere in the middle - not much more than an average student at his local elementary school. Just an aver- age 8-year-old Chinese boy - with a better understanding of U.S. geogra- phythan a21-year-old American. China, like many other countries, is currently investing huge amounts of resources toward improving their primary and secondary edu- cation systems. Although China certainly has some catching up to do with developed Western coun- tries, its test scores, literacy rates and the number of students gaining a secondary education are all rap- idly growing at a rate that may soon match the best. While China realizes that invest- ing in education is a great way to ensure future economic and societal growth, America continues to slash funding for schools and fire teach- ers. Not surprisingly, our test scores have begun to show it. According to a recent study by Harvard Univer- sity, "... students in Shanghai who recently took international exams for the first time outscored every other school system in the world. In the same test, American students ranked 25th in math, 17th in science and 14th in reading." America once dominated the global student test score ratings. Unfortunately, we now have things that our government finds more vital than education. For example, an NPR study found that, up until the end of 2011, the United States was paying an annual $20.2 billion for costs associated with providing air conditioning to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Let China worry about tomorrow's problems, we need to focus on keeping cool. For the record, I'm not advocating that U.S. soldiers should be forced to suf- fer in 125-degree heat. Instead, I'm just shedding light on what some of the money spent on our multi-tril- lion dollar wars may ha'e done if it were used more effectively. Also, I use the phrase "multi-trillion dol- lar wars" because no one really knows how much our conflicts in the Middle East will end up cost- ing this country, though estimates range anywhere between $1.2 and $3.6 trillion. The earlier a child attends school, the better prepared he or she is for college. So what can America do to reig- nite its education system other than going back in time and invest- ing money spent on war on schools and teachers instead? Among many things, we have to expand our education system to include pre-kindergarten schooling for all American children. As President Barack Obama pointed out in his State of the Union address, study after study shows that the earlier a child begins school, the better pre- pared he or she is for either gaining a higher education or learning a tech- nical skillset suitable for a career. As deficit reduction talks con- tinue and the financial sequester looms, funding for education is likely to continue to stagnate, if not decline. If America does not repair its education system soon, we may be in for a dark future. Yes, invest- ing in our education system will be expensive. Yes, we are at a point when fiscal responsibility is cru- cial. But remember, an investment toward a child's education is one that never stops paying dividends not only to that child, but to society as a whole. We need to invest in our future and revamp the American educa- tion system. After all, our society can't depend on a generation that needs to seek advice from Wiki- pedia to find out the names of the Great Lakes. - Patrick Maillet can be reached at maillet@umich.edu. 0 6 6 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.