4A - Friday, April 5, 2013 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com 4A -Fridy, pril5, 013 he ichian Dily- mihigndaiyco C l e firichigan 3ailm Restore our confidence 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. FROM THE DAILY Enabling the disabled The University needs to make a clear effort to accommodate all students Students can pick from countless extracurricular activities at the University. With intramural sports, student organizations and Greek Life, there are plenty of ways to stay active outside of the classroom. However, things aren't as easy for students with disabilities. They may find themselves barred from the IM sports teams or unable to access some lecture halls across campus. While Services for Students with Disabilities has made great strides in pro- viding students with disabilities the proper academic help, Univer- sity leaders can't ignore these issues and must continue to strive to build a community that's accepting and accessible to all students. W hen Benjamin Franklin and the other founding fathers left Indepen- dence Hall after the Constitu- tional Conven- tion of 1787, anxious citizens waited outside the hall for news. A woman asked Frank- PATRICK lin what they MAILLET had created, to which Franklin responded, "A Republic, if you can keep it." The United States is one of the world's longest ongoing republics, withstanding tests from a civil war to economic collapse. Unfortunate- ly, the integrity that has secured this epic republic's success is in dire jeopardy. The 2010 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, more commonly known as Citizens Unit- ed, threatens this great nation, and unless we tirelessly work to reverse its all-reaching power, it'll erode the very core of this country. The Citizens United decision was a 5-4 vote that opened the floodgates for limitless campaign contributions by individuals, cor- porations and unions to political "super PACs." Although the exact details of the decision are compli- cated and could take up multiple novels - let alone a single column - the important factor of the Citizens United decision is that it reversed much of the McCain-Feingold Act, a 2002 campaign finance bill. The 2012 electionwas the United States' first true glimpse of the ter- rifying power that Citizens United had unleashed. The Federal Elec- tion Commission estimates that $7 billion was spent on the 2012 elec- tion cycle. Furthermore, according to The Wall Street Journal, super PACs spent $567,498,628 on the 2012 elections, $98 million in the final week of October. Of this mas- sive amount of super PAC money, 58.9 percent of donations were $1 million or higher and were given by a total of 159 individuals. Most ter- rifying of all, because super PACs can accept funds from nonprofit organizations, which are legally allowed to conceal the identities of their donors, roughly 31 percent of outside spending in 2012 was given anonymously and cannot be traced to its original donor. These numbers are truly stagger- ing and have given us a preview of what a post-Citizens United Amer- ica will look like. Individuals such as the Koch Brothers or Sheldon Adelson can fund entire campaigns and can single-handedly install elected officials who best protect their personal interests. Take, for example, Adelson, who famously bragged about donating $100 mil- lion in the 2012 election. If anyone truly believes that limitless cam- paign contributions don't threaten our very democracy, let's look at the role that Adelson and his multi-bil- lion-dollar wealth played in 2012. In early 2011, Adelson madeA it known that he was willing to do whatever it took to ensure Presi- dent Barack Obama's defeat in 2012. He originally supported Newt Gin- grich as the Republican candidate and donated more than $20 million to the former speaker of the house's campaign. Adelson wasn't a fan of Romney, but once Gingrich fell out of the race, Adelson was forced to accept the GOP candidate. The bil- lionaire's support didn't come easily, though. Looking back, it was solidi- fied only after Romney attended a fundraiser in Israel at Adelson's side. Perhaps desperate to appease Adelson's famously hawkish views on Israel, Romney blamed "cultural differences" for the economic dis- parities between Israel and Palestine and admitted that peace was most likelyunattainable. Romney's desperate appease- ment of Adelson didn't stop at just foreign policy. Within four days of being named Romney's running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) flew out to Las Vegas for a personal, closed-door meeting with Adel- son. Because candidates are pro- hibited from explicitly asking for super PAC donations, the Romney campaign was quick to reassure the media that this was a "finance event, nota fundraiser." In the end, Adelson donated more $30 million to Restore Our Future, the super PAC that sup- ported Romney. This may seem like a lot of money to you and me, but to a man worth more than $21 billion, it isn't much. Had Romney been elected and had he implemented his tax plan filled with tax cuts for cor- porations and the wealthy, Adelson would have saved approximately $2 billion. For a man who made his fortune in casinos, this was a bet that could've paid out big returns for him. Our democratic system is being auctioned off to the I I The Services for Students with Disabilities office serves the 4 percent of students who have some sort of disability. They assist students by providing note-taking services and various electronic services that can aid in academics. While these measures are certainly helpful, they don't guarantee the inclusive environment within lecture halls and classrooms that leads to an effective learning experience. Some newer buildings such as the Ross School of Business may prove accessible for students with physical handicaps; however, all University lecture halls and buildings should be equally accessible. And in those that are accessible, students with disabilities are often forced to sit in the back of the room - away from the rest of the students. Furthermore, the jam-packed lecture halls of the Chemistry Building and Natural Science Building aren't only poorly accessible, but overcrowded and congested as well. These issues do not only affectstudents with disabilities, but the class- ro0m experience as well. Students with disabilities should have more opportunities to get involved on campus. For example, the University's Department of Rec- reational Sports needs to work to include these students on their IM sports teams by creating leagues in which everyone can get involved - much like a co-ed league. Also, there could be leagues devoted to students with disabilities. The University of Illinois and Ohio State Uni- versity, among other colleges, already have competitive wheelchair sports teams of their own. The University needs to be an active part- ner to disabled Wolverines and implement a similar league here. More often than not, disability awareness goes unnoticed on campus. Students and fac- ulty aren't aware of the issues students with disabilities face on a daily basis and the stig- mas often associated with such identities. As a University that stands to promote diver- sity, acceptance and open-mindedness, the administration needs to play a larger role in ensuring that all students are able to engage in the extracurricular activities offered through our University, as well as create an accessible and accepting environment for the entire student body. highest bidder. So what now? The court has ruled and now we must live with it, right? Wrong! On Wednesday, Con- gressman John Dingell (D-Mich.) spoke at the Ford School of Public Policy explaining his new legisla- tion that, if passed, could reinstate some vital elements of campaign fundraising laws. Appropriately cited as the Restoring Confidence in Our Democracy Act, this bill would prohibit corporations and unions from buying advertising supporting campaign causes and would force super PACs to abide by the same $5,000 donation limit as regular PACs. As Dingell made clear at the event, this bill certainly isn't going to solve every problem within our campaign system, but it's definitely agood start. Our democratic system is slowly but surely being auctioned off to the highest bidder. We need to reinstate some sort of order to a system that has become popularly known as the "wild, wild west." I highly doubt Franklin envi- sioned Citizens United when he ominously answered that woman's question on the steps of Indepen- dence Hall. Regardless of what he meant with that statement, the United States now faces a colossal threat. Whether or not our republic survives, only time will tell. EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS Kaan Avdan, Sharik Bashir, Barry Belmont, Eli Cahan, Eric Ferguson, Jesse Klein, Melanie Kruvelis, Maura Levine, Patrick Maillet, Aarica Marsh, Megan McDonald, Jasmine McNenny, Harsha Nahata, Adrienne Roberts, Paul Sherman, Sarah Skaluba, Michael Spaeth, Daniel Wang, Luchen Wang, Derek Wolfe ANKUR SHAH VIEWPOINT Misinterpreted benefits - Patrick Maillet can be reached at maillet@umich.edu. a 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. JASMINE MCNENNY W No rush for Mr. Right a Should the policies at the Ross School of Business be changed? Are they unfair to other students? Shouldtheybe extendedtotheentire University? According to the reasons present- ed in a recent editorial in The Michigan Daily, ("Bad Business", 3/14/13) the Business Schools' policies are overwhelmingly negative. The article criticizes its grade inflation and lack of Friday classes. However, understanding why the Business School holds these policies proves the beliefthat it's essential that the administra- tion change the inequities that exist between colleges is misguided. Grade Inflation at Ross Grade inflation at Ross is no secret. The average Ross student's grade point average is about 3.6 while the University's average rests at about 3.3. There's a large discrepancy, but this entire argument is moot as GPAs are mostly compared relative to which school a student is enrolled in. Every program at this University has . completely different grade distributions, so comparing GPAs in absolu- tion is known to be impractical. Insisting that inflated grades will fool employers is insult- ing to those employers' intelligences. But this begs the question, what good comes from Ross inflating its grades? Ross believes its program will be strong if it devalues the importance of GPA. Basically, Ross wants its students to prove themselves outside the class- room. This, in turn, causes students to focus on achieving more in other extracurricular activities. As for the matter thatgrade inflation ill-prepares Ross students for the real world, recruiters ranked Ross students fifth overall in Business Week's 2012 Bachelor's of Business Administration rankings, and they continue to come to Ross every year. The grade inflation at Ross does work well, as students continue to land top jobs year in and year out - the main goal for business schools. Other top business schools might not have the same grade inflation, but that is their own concern. Ross should not change its grading policy because it's not the same as others - it should have policies that align with its goal of preparing its students for the business world. In the end, the quality of Ross is not dictated by nominal GPAs, but by the quality of students the program creates. 'No Friday Class' Policy The article then moves on to the Ross policy that no business classes are scheduled on Fri- days. The author does an excellent job explain- ing why the Business School has Fridays off, only missing the point that second-round interviews are usually held on Fridays. Ross also has a number of unique policies outside of grading that contribute to the Bach- elor in Business Administration program's high rankings in publications like U.S. News and World's. For example, Businessjuniors and seniors have an extra week added to their win- ter break in order to seek out internships and job offers. In addition, Ross avoids scheduling Friday classes so their students can compete in case competitions, attendspecial events at Ross and work on group projects. It's not that Busi- ness students don't deserve these perks, but if they're offered to them, they should be offered to undergraduates across the University. However, the author fails to mention why offering this to the rest of the school is a good idea. So should these policies be extended to the rest ofthe University? These policies should not be extended just because of the sole fact that Ross has them. If the author believes Fridays should be off for all students, he or she should prove how cramming a five-day school week into four days for 24,000 undergraduates is beneficial. This would make for a much stronger argu- ment than, "others have this perk that helps their program, so I want it also." If I want Ross to lower its tuition by $900 per semes- ter to match LSA, I would need to prove how this is beneficial to the program. The burden of proof is on me. In the end, every college here has unique goals, so these "entitlements" will always exist. Therefore, it makes no sense to force superfi- cial equality on our diverse programs. It would be disadvantageous for everyone if the actions taken by one college to improve itself were misapplied to others with different priorities or diluted ina misguided effort to share every- thing. This isn't about equality - it's about doing what is best for each program. Each col- lege should adopt policies that provide its stu- dents with the best curriculum. By taking this approach, rather than forcing each college to have the same policies, students at the Univer- sity will receive atop-notch education tailored to the ideals of each program. Ankur Shah is a Business senior. "Find a husband on campus before you graduate." What once seemed tobe the out- dated motto of a lost generation of housewives has resurfaced thanks to Princeton University alum Susan Patton. In a letter to The Daily Princetonian, Patton explains that these intelligent girls aren't going to be satisfied marrying someone less intelligent than they are and that in general society, men pre- fer women who are younger and dumber. Therefore, the girls' most suitable matches are at Princeton. "Look around you," she said when discussing her letter. "These are the best guys." These comments have sparked considerable controversy. Patton's overgeneralizations are as inaccurate as they are harmful. They illustrate close-mindedness and blatant arrogance. To say that Princeton men are the best: that no one else in the world is good enough - anywhere - is just ridic- ulous. Her comments are encourag- ing Princeton girls to turn up their noses at the rest of the world, to believe there is nothing better for them in society than what they can get at Princeton. It's a great school, but it's not the be-all-end-all of edu- cation. There are only about 7,500 students at Princeton, undergradu- ates and graduates combined. That makes for a very small pool of suit- ors and doesn't even begin to cover the diversity of 7-billion people on the planet. If we really want to find that special someone, being pre- tentious enough to whittle down this number to a few thousand is impractical. I've seen some of this same arrogance at our own university. We're at a good school and like to tell people that. It's not that we should think any less of ourselves or the University, but there's a dif- ference between thinking you're awesome and thinking everyone else is beneath you. Even with our 40,000 students, I have my reserva- tions in believing that one of those is my future husband. We need to be open-minded about life in gen- eral, so thinking that you're above 99.99 percent of the global popula- tion just because of the school you go to is plain ignorance. But, of course, this exhibition of arrogance was not all that I found distasteful. If I were a man, I sup- pose I would be angered by her assumptions that men prefer dumb girls with pretty faces. But being a woman, I found her suggestion of using college like eHarmony offen- sive. Though Patton's reasoning is supported by her opinion that Princeton girls are so superior in intelligence and skill that they will have trouble findinga partner good enough, the mere suggestion that college should be a place to find a husband is an injustice. College is a time to embrace curiosity, exploration and selfish- ness. It's about self-discovery and self-actualization, not about fit- ting our lives into the perfect little 1950s family. Haven't we, as women, expanded our motivations beyond just finding a husband? How has it become so crucial to find a "good man" that women are told to snag one as soon as they can in order to avoid ... what? Those terrible, long, lonely years of being independent and doing something for themselves by them- selves? I'm not against marriage, even early marriage. But it's barbar- ic to think that college is aplace that women should be running around like ravenous lionesses, constantly searching for an antelope to dig their claws into. It's people like Patton who won't let women move beyond these deep- rooted stereotypes. Itdoesn't matter that society sees women as strong and capable individuals, there's still an invisible string pulling back to those traditional roles. Men aren't told to marry in college. They're encouraged to explore their options, find a stable career and maybe settle down with a family when they're good and ready. But for women, time is still considered our biggest enemy, and it's not just people like Patton that remind us. We do it to ourselves. But whether or not mar- riage is in our futures, the impor- tance of gaining an education and exploring this crazy, liberal world of college shouldn't be marred with talk of marriage and the constant race to find "Mr. Right." These four years are aboutus.We can't afford to waste our time. Jasmine McNenny is an LSA freshman. 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.