4A- Thursday, March 14, 2013
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
4A - Thursday, March 14, 2013 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom
4e Michinan l 3atim
Edited and managed by students at
the University of Michigan since 1890.
420 Maynatd Sc.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
tothedaily@michigandaily.com
MELANIE KRUVELIS
and ADRIENNE ROBERTS MATT SLOVIN
EDITORIAL PAGE EDITORS MANAGING EDITOR
I urge Congress and the president to
come up with an alternative to
across-the-board cuts in
the current sequestration."
- University President Mary Sue Coleman said Wednesday at an alumni breakfast in
Washington, D.C. about the upcoming massive federal spending cuts, The Detoit News reported.
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.
Aidingfinancial aid
The University should direct donations to combat tuition costs
Last week, the Zell Family Foundation made the largest single
donation in the history of LSA. The $50 million gifted - the
third largest donation in the history of the University - will
go toward continuing the school's prestigious Master of Fine Arts Pro-
gram in Creative Writing. While this massive investment will undoubt-
edly boost the program, the donation will also serve the University as a
whole. This money will allow the University to continue to attract the
best writers from around the world while cultivating liberal arts, an
area that has been the target of funding cuts across the country. But as
the University continues to receive large donations, it's critical that the
funds be directed towards not just programs and building renovations,
but also financial aid to students.
a
I
In the past two decades, the University has
been fortunate to see its massive endowment
grow by almost 20 percent, one of the fastest
rates for any university in the United States.
This growth is due to a plethora of substan-
tial donations allocated to various schools,
departments and programs at the University.
In 2004, Stephen M. Ross, a University alum
and real estate mogul, donated $100 million
to build the new Business School, while A.
Alfred Taubman, another alum and devel-
oper, has donated more than $140 million
in various ways, including a 2011 gift of $56
million for medical research. Considering
the history of large donations from wealthy
alumni, along with the potential for massive
gifts from others down the road, the Universi-
ty will likely continue to receive huge checks
for programs, departments and research.
Therisingcostoftuition atthe Universityhas
made financial aid more important in allowing
for the best and most diverse groups of students
on campus. The vast majority of large dona-
tions go to particular programs, funding the
construction of new buildings, research, schol-
arships and teaching, among other areas. These
donations are a great addition to the University.
However, without financial aid that keeps up
with tuition rate increases, fewer qualified and
diverse groups of students will have access to
these amazing facilities and instructors.
While campaigning for regent last fall, Uni-
versity Regent Mark Bernstein suggested cre-
ating a stipulation for all University donations,
where a small percentage is required to go
directly to financial aid. The University's Board
of Regents should work on moving this plan
forward. By requiring a small percentage of a
donation to go directly to aid - likely between
1 and 5 percent - the school would drastically
increase funds for students in need of assis-
tance. Expanding on Bernstein's idea, the Uni-
versity could also add an option for a higher
percentage of the donation to go to financial aid
if the donor chooses. Not only would the school
automatically increase its funds for deserv-
ing students, but donors who might not have
considered giving to student aid would now be
directing donations to an area that offers an
incalculable benefit to campus.
Last week, University President Mary Sue
Coleman said the University's next capital
campaign would redirect the school's financial
focus from renovations to providing financial
relief to students through an increase in aid.
This shift in attention is well-directed and
much needed. While the outpouring of finan-
cial contributions continues to improve specific
schools, programs and facilities that boost the
University's reputation, donors and the Univer-
sity should consider financial aid to be a priority
when directing the use of funds.
ast spring, I intervit
returning veteran f
for a narrative jourr
project, and my
task was to get
his story in his
own words. He
was a former
Marine who
took part in the
initial invasion
in Iraq. The H
story I heard lHAR.
from him was NAH
heart-rending
and eye-opening
in many ways. But most imi
tantly, it was my first introt
to the widely ignored issue
many returning veterans fa
coming back home, specific
erans from the state of Mic
not being officially recogni.
Michigan residents once th
returned from overseas ser
This initial account sho
It seemed as though there
some loophole in the syster
one caught. Or this was an
case. The fact that some
spend their entire life Ii
paying taxes in this state,
seas to serve the country
come back to find they'rer
a resident of their state
frankly, a little ridiculous.
And yet,that's exactly wh
uation is. Despite a lack of a
it's a huge injustice to thos
given so much for this count
Not only does this hurt
when it comes to reintegra
civilian life and gaining
careers, but it also provides
stress in a time when they re
need to have one. It's enougl
someone who has just retur
war to adjust to a new env
and lifestyle, while coping
realities of war they've just
A GI injustice
ewed a to ask them to figure out the techni- veterans
rom Iraq calities of their residency status is Michigat
nalism just too much. state Rep
The veteran I spoke to didn't resolutiot
even know he wouldn't be consid- duty, rest
ered a Michigan resident when he servicenm
returned. He had spent his entire at any M
life in the state and went through cited met
12 years of public schooling, only ment of v
to come back and realize he didn't Michigan
qualify for in-state tuition at the to benefit
SHlA public universities. ington D.
AHA And the sad truth is that this inevi- Needless
ATA tably affected his college decision. much nee
Inaccessibility to college is
already a growing problem in this
por- country. With rising tuition costs, Mii
duction there's an increasing number of stu-
that dents who simply can't afford to pur- In V
ce when sue a higher education. Add in the
ally vet- huge gap at many public institutions to b
higan: between what in-state and out-of-
zed as state students pay and you'll see the Chan
ey've extent of the problem. It's unfair to
vice. ask someone who, for all intents and
cked me. purposes, has been a Michigan resi- Some
was just dent his or her entire life, to pay the at the nt
m that no substantial differences, especially The Nav
isolated considering he or she was overseas was intr
eone can serving the country. Represet
ving and While many argue that the GI public c
go over- Bill is in place to help accommo- from bei
and then date returning veterans, a closer veterans
no longer look offers a different explanation. they char
is, quite Yes, the GI Bill offers added tuition and fees:
assistance to returning veterans they do f
at the sit- beyond just what the military pro- It's co
wareness vides. However, according to the has final
e who've new post-9/11 GI Bill, those who isn't eno
try. enroll at publicly owned colleges ensure tb
veterans and universities receive up to 100 are passe
ting into percent of "in-state" tuition cov- is never,
skills for ered, while those at a privately erans. T
an added operated college or out-of-state col- have give
ally don't leges receive only up to $17,500 on try - th
h to ask of tuition. Again, we see this disparity their tra
ned from that shouldn't exist. bit easier
ironment Thankfully, this issue has finally
with the come to light. There's an initiative
seen. But by lawmakers to see that returning ret
are given in-state status at
n universities. Proposed by
. David Knezek, these joint
ns would provide active
erve or honorary discharged
temberswithin-statetuition
ichigan university. Knezek
asures from the U.S. Depart-
Veterans Affairs, stating that
n ranks 53 inveteran's access
ts. Yes, we're behind Wash-
C., Puerto Rico and Guam.
to say these measures are
eded.
higan ranks 53
eterans' access
enefits. Clearly,
0
ges are needed.
a
progress is being made
ational level. According to
y Times, in January, a bill
oduced in the House of
ntatives that "would bar
olleges and universities
ng approved to receive any
education benefits unless
rge the same rate of tuition
for nonresident veterans as
or in-state students."
mmendable that this issue
ly come to light, but that
ugh. Now it's essential to
hat the necessary measures
ed so that residency status
a worry for returning vet-
hese are individuals who
en so much for the coun-
e least we can do is make
nsition back home a little
r.
- Harsha Nahata can be
ached at hnahata@umich.edu.
I
I
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:
Letters should be fewer than 300 words.
Send letters to tothedaily@michigandaily.com.
MARION BERGER, MARISSA SOLOMON AND SERGE FARINAS
Divest for the future
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS
Kaan Avdan, Sharik Bashir, Barry Belmont, 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
Note to sel (and others likeme)
This week, students at the University can
make a difference for our campus and the
world. On Thursday, hundreds of students
will gather for Dive in and hear from expert
speakers, such as prominent environmental
activist Bill McKibben. The event is hosted by
the Divest and Invest Campaign at the Uni-
versity, one of 256 fossil-fuel divestment cam-
paigns nationwide. Our coalition of students,
faculty and alumni aims to align the invest-
ment activities of the University with its sus-
tainability mission and ethical responsibility
as a public institution. We plan to work with
the University to remove all endowment
money invested in fossil-fuel-industry stocks,
bonds and other financial assets - invest-
ments that directly finance the acceleration
of climate change.
From Hurricane Sandy to Midwestern
droughts, people across the country have been
waking up to the realities of climate change.
Yet, companies keep finding and extracting
more fossil fuels that release greenhouse gases
into our atmosphere while simultaneously
blocking any federal or state action to address
the climate crisis.
On an international level, the Global
Humanitarian Forum estimates more than
300,000 deaths were linked to climate change
in 2009 and 99 percent of them were in devel-
oping countries thatccontributed only1 percent
to global emissions. If we don't take significant
action, this number will grow exponentially.
To avoid the worst-case climate-change
scenarios, the majority of scientists agree that
the global average temperature cannot rise
more than two degrees Celsius, relative to
pre-industrial temperatures. We've already
allowed a rise of 0.8 degrees, and without
immediate action, we will hit two degrees in
20 to 30 years.
Now is the time to ask, "How can I help?"
The truth is, although important, individual
action isn't enough when facing this threat to
our existence. Effectively combating climate
change means putting the brakes on fossil
fuel companies. To avoid drastically alter-
ing our climate, we must stop these compa-
nies from burning 80 percent of their energy
reserves. Such a feat can only happen through
legislative and regulatory action at federal
and state levels.
The University's massive endowment
funds facilitate the fossil fuel industry's grip
on an unsustainable system that is destroying
the climate. The University is a significant
contributor to the field of climate science, yet -
we have at least $900 million invested in the
fossil fuel industry. These investments repre-
sent more than 284-billion tons of fossil fuel
reserves, out of the only 495 tons left to burn
before reaching the two-degree warming
limit. This continued investment in the fossil
fuel industry is antithetical to the core mis-
sions of the University.
Our goals are trifold: We ask the Univer-
sity to disclose all current investments in the
fossil fuel industry, while immediately freez-
ing new ones; divest from ownership in fos-
sil fuel industry public and private financial
securities within five years; and finally, invest
a substantial portion of such funds in socially,
environmentally and economically respon-
sible companies.
The idea behind divestment is not to bank-
rupt fossil fuel companies - even if all uni-
versities divested, the industry would still
be one of the wealthiest worldwide. Rather,
divestment campaigns seek to generate a
national shift in attitude toward fossil fuels,
and we hope to do so by shining the spotlight
on the harmful business model and political
clout of the fossil fuel industry. If divestment
succeeds, politicians may stop accepting
money from fossil fuel companies and start
casting votes in favor of our planet.
As Bill McKibben states, "If your college's
endowment portfolio has fossil-fuel stock, then
your educations are being subsidized by invest-
ments that guarantee you won't have much of
a planet on which to make use of your degree."
Make sure to visit divestUM.org and sign
the petition, and come to the Dive In event
on Thursday, March 14 at 6 p.m. in 1040 Dana
Building. This is your chance to join the big-
gest student movement in decades - because
together, we're greater than fossil fuels.
Marion Berger and Marissa Solomon are LSA
sophomores. Serge Farinas is a Rackham student.
Unless you accept a full-time
position as the double-
jointed woman at the
circus, you'll
probably never
have fewer true
responsibilities
than you have
right now. Sure,
you need to fin-
ish that paper on
Plato's theory of EMILY
love, but when PITTINOS
you're faced
with the choice
between rewriting your outline and
watching Jupiter rise in the Arbore-
tum, put on a second pair of tights
and grab your coat. The field will be
thick with fog. The frogs will sing
their ghastly songs. The solar sys-
tem, romance and youth won't wait.
Always choose Jupiter.
If you consume a psychedelic
substance in Tennessee, avoid the
crawfish and beeline it for Memphis
where a white horse and bedazzled
carriage are itching to tour you
around the city.
Your intuition is both a blood-
hound and a bullshit detector. Don't
ignore its wisdom out of fear or
self-doubt. If you suspect your boy-
friend and close friend are steal-
ing caresses in a cedar swamp by
the old school, dump them. If the
guy from astronomy seems like he
wants to see you naked, feel free to
put your mouth on his.
When you're in high school and
your best friend comes to your house
with a cooler full of vodka and Min-
ute Maid popsicles and stares up at
you with eyes like bowls full of water
that will never empty and tells you
she had a vivid dream about touch-
ing you everywhere, forget that you
both have boyfriends away for the
summer and that your parents are
asleep downstairs. Lay her down on
your lilac bedspread. It's likely that
you're in love; you'll never get this
chance again.
It's all right to flee your loneli-
ness. Even in the midst of an Ann
Arbor August, after a tequila-
drenched evening on someone's
covered porch, your empty bed can
feel like the dimmest, most bone-
cold corner of the earth. It's all right
to want a warm body quietly snor-
ing on the other side of the mattress.
It's all right to daydream about wak-
ing a sleeping lover with pancakes
you cooked while smiling over the
skillet, groggily remembering the
night before - fallen bedside lamps,
gripped pillow cases. Craving close-
ness makes you vulnerable, but it
doesn't make you weak.
If you cannot squash your lone-
liness, harness it. Plenty of poems,
scripts, essays, stories and art have
been born in a lonely place. Spend
some quality time with the person
living in your brain. Knit a beer
koozie. Invent a new kind of sand-
wich. Learn to juggle ladles. A dose
of lonesomeness is healthy, but
wasting hours Facebook-prowling
for perspective sex partners is bad
for the soul.
Over your weekly brunch, a good
friend will tell you there's no point in
pining over someone who won't love
you back. Buy him a mimosa. Tattoo
his words on your forehead back-
wards so you can reread them while
brushing your teeth each morning.
Spend some more
quality time with
the person living in
your brain.
a
Write an apologia to your body.
You've probably wrung it out like
a wet rag more times than you can
count. Your body is more than a set of
hips you can swing on the streets of
Philadelphia to make men wet their
lips and whistle, tossing their hard-
hats in the air. Thank her for being
the impossibly intricate culmination
of your ancestry - Italian women
blowing glass in the basements of
Murano, Vikings whittling pipes in
the bellies of thrashing ships, Greek
bards reciting verses by rote in the
town square. Your tits may be noth-
ing special, but your body is a miracle
of science and ordinary magic.
When you have trouble fall-
ing asleep because you are hollow
or regretful or anxious about your
future, read Mary Oliver's "Wild
Geese" aloud over and over. Remem-
ber that even when you are lost inside
yourself, you are here. You are here.
You are here.
- Emily Pittinos can be reached
at pittinos@umich.edu.
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