4A - Wednesday, April 1, 2013

The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

4A - Wednesday, April 10, 2013 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

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CONOR ANDERSON

E-MAIL CONORAT CTCA@UMICH.EDU

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.
Artificially intelligent writing
Essay grading systems shouldn't replace human judgment
ccording to a recent New York Times article, computerized
essay grading systems have the potential to replace human
graders for standardized essays. In a 2012 study from the
University of Akron, systems were able to grade hundreds of thou-
sands of short essays written by middle- and high-school students
in less than a minute, assigning grades that mirrored those assigned
by human graders. Now, edX, the massive online, open-course
enterprise, intends to make similar software available online for
free. While the potential to quickly grade assignments may entice
educators, caution should be exercised before schools replace cur-
rent grading systems with software. Language and style are com-
plex and difficult to measure, and universities should ensure that
English instruction prepares students for the academic and profes-
sional writing required for success.

Georgia Dome, Atlanta
4:00am Tuesday Those who stay
will be champions.
Why are you still here? a e -
Shared CO 8ee, shared humantyf

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Anant Agarwal,edX's president, claimsthat
the edX essay grading software gives feed-
back similar to that given by class instructors.
Other systems, such as e-rater, have claimed
similar results when grading short essays on
middle- and high-school level standardized
tests. However, some of these systems grade
only on "grammar, usage, mechanics, style
and organization, and development," and thus
can be duped. Les Perelman, a researcher at
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
demonstrated this by submitting a grammati-
cal, well-structured, but factually incoherent
response for the short essay question to the
e-rater system. c-rater assigned Perelman's
response the highest score possible. Current
gaps in the software system suggest too many
flaws for professors to move forward with
this technology.
The edX software is based on machine learn-
ing, where it takes in about 100 scored exams
from human graders and uses that as a basis on
which to grade other exams. When evaluating
essays, graders should not consider only gram-
mar and organization, but also factual accura-
cy, argument and reasoning. Human Readers,

a group opposed to the use of essay grading
software in situations where students' futures
are at stake, has gained signatures from more
than 3,000 college professors, instructors and
teachers in support of its goals. According to
the group's website, multiple studies show the
limitations inherent in computerized grading
systems and how they incentivize superficial
aspects of writing.
In college, students should have the oppor-
tunity to develop their writing skills so that
they're prepared for a whole range of writing
tasks upon graduation. Writing and commu-
nication skills are increasingly listed among
weaknesses of students applying for jobs and
to graduate programs, and both graders and
professors must take this into account. Cur-
rently, the University requires undergradu-
ates to take two classes explicitly focused
around writing during their tenure, a First-
Year Writing Requirement class and one
fulfilling the Upper-Level Writing Require-
ment. The University should continue to
work toward securing high-quality writing
instruction that acknowledges the complexi-
ties of the English language.

saw it first on Facebook, so it
must be true.
From the old Italian tradi-
tion of "caffe
sospeso" comes
the practice of
ordering "sus-
pended" coffees
at coffee shops.
These coffees
are paid for
but not drunk. JOSEPH
Rather, they are
"suspended" or HORTON
held on reserve
for less fortu-
nate members of the community to
order later and drink for free.
After a bit of investigation
beyond Facebook, I'm satisfied that
the practice exists at least on some
level, and however wide or narrow-
ly spread, I'm convinced the spirit
of suspended coffees is good for
Ann Arbor.
First, I know that well-meaning
intentions do exist. When I ask my
students to write personal nar-
ratives, a number of essays every
semester - written by students
from hometowns large and small
- detail encounters with panhan-
dling and homelessness in Ann
Arbor as raw and unsettling. Who
am I, goes the common question, as
a fortunate student studying at this
esteemed University, to pass on by?
And if I stop, if I engage, how much
interaction or change is enough?
How much charity is enough? Can
I ever do enough?
Second, suspended coffees,
despite the odd name and European
birthplace, aren't a particularly for-
eign concept. We've been asked to
donate money for good causes when
we check out of stores before, and
we've seen restaurant walls filled
with stickers and signs noting past
donations. This coffee thought-
fulness, however, begins with the
customer. We, coffee-drinkers of
the city, decide when we are feeling
generous; we decide when we want

to give a little back. I like the idea of
taking ownership of our pleasures
and our vices, and I like appreciat-
ing that our daily routines, down
to their smallest moments, can
have meaning.
What's more, though I'd like to
think that the coffee shops in town
would be happy to lend their sup-
port - particularly, say, Espresso
Royale, headquartered here in Ann
Arbor - this charity comes with
bill in hand. We, not the companies
we frequent, are the driving force
of change. We, with money in hand
and without prompting, are capable
of thinking not just of ourselves.
The customer isn't always right,
but maybe the charitable custom-
er, eyeing a small and imminently
attainable goal, is.
Now, I know I'm talking about
coffee, and not about so many of the
necessities that many members of
our community go without: food,
clothing and shelter, and for that
matter, medical care, legal represen-
tation and political voice. There are
plenty ofnaysayers who say suspend-
ed coffees either won't work or aren't
a good way of helping the needy. I
freely admit the ideais imperfect and
small-scale. But the smallness and
easiness of suspended coffees is what
interests me most. Too often in a
college town - in an educated, well-
meaning, but transient town - the
will exists, but the- follow-through
and the logistical perseverance falls
short. I believe that every graduating
class (and for that matter, every indi-
vidual student) does have the capac-
ity to change the world, but I fear
that too often world-changing is seen
as an all-or-nothing proposition: If
you can't fix everything, why even
try? On a big, problematic planet, I
worry we've outsourced solutions -
and even attempts at solutions - to
saints and diehards. Instead, I want
to believe that charity, thoughtful-
ness and decency are common skills,
and like sports or music or writing,
these skills, however inborn, must be

practiced to be kept sharp.
Lastly, and perhaps most crucially,
we're reminded that the needy drink
coffee too. Of course, not everyone
drinks coffee. Of course, coffee is not
a meal, and even during finals week,
it's notlife-sustaining. But, as anyone
who's been on a first date knows, as
anyone who's crossed from one cof-
fee shop to another directly across
the street can attest, coffee might be
as close as we get to the universal. To
talk only of providing necessities, of
deliveringfirst (and often, only)basic 4
sustenance, is also to distance us
from our fellow travelers. The more
our conversation is framed solely
as "what we take for granted" and
"what they need," the easier it is to
see the less fortunate as an entirely
different species. Coffee is an imper-
fect touchstone, but it's a valuable
reminder of what binds us together.
Coffee might be as
close as we get to
the universal.
Suspended coffees don't come
close to solving the world's problems.
They aren't a one-stop+shop.forrsup-
porting those in need. But they are
practice for greater generosity. They 4
are easy decency that brings tougher,
longer, more resonant decency clos-
er. They are, in one of our more privi-
leged spaces, a reminder of lack, and
they are, in our early-morning mind-
lessness, a reminder of possibility.
They encourage a routine of charity 4
and admit the accessibility of shared
humanity.
And if you're like me, any practice
of humanity at 8 a.m. is a good start
tothe day.
- Joseph Horton can be reached
at jbhorton@umich.edu.

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
JANIE VALENCIA AND MUNMUN KHAN
Hands down for stereotypes

In his Viewpoint ("Hand Up, hands on,"
4/3/13), LSA freshman Drake Baglietto makes a
futile attempt to "explore the cycle of poverty"
in his promotion of the student initiative Hands
Up. This initiative provides two weeks of voca-
tionaltrainingto individuals inhopesoflinking
unemployed Michiganders with jobs. Drake's
oversimplification of Michigan's unemployed
as "those that weren't able to receive the educa-
tion necessary to become an active member of
the working community" or "those that aren't
willing to put in the effort necessary to find
and maintain gainful employment" is not only
wrong, but also foolish.
Drake's have and have-not simplification is
a form of victim blaming. He ignores the insti-
tutional factors that have prevented Michigan
residents from accessing education and train-
ing. Drake also fails to account for the poor eco-
nomic decisions that have cut jobs across the
state, the housingslump that has left thousands
of people homeless and the government bailout
that further hurt Michigan's crumbling econo-
my. It wouldn't be a stretch to say his argument
blames people of lower income for Michigan's
lowunemployment rate.
Taking this "blame the poor" perspective
feeds into class stereotypes, which only fur-
ther perpetuates poverty and discrimination
while simultaneously reinforcing systems of
power and privilege. It's obvious that a lack
of motivation or unwillingness to work is
evident in all socioeconomic classes, not just
the poor. Similarly, here at the University, we
see very privileged students with high-social
capital who don't need to work hard to find
employment or economic gains. Yet laziness
in the poor manifests differently in the eyes of
society than laziness in the rich.
Moreover, attempting to depoliticize some-
thing that's inherently political fails to hold
institutions accountable and shifts the blame to
individuals. Misdiagnosing the problem as the
"unmotivated poor" ultimately fails to both fix
the problem and address the underlying causes
of unemployment.

At a panel on poverty and inequality last Fri-
day, Eve Garrow, assistant professor of social
work, discussed how it's crucial to challenge
the framework of our understanding of social
issues since they're a product of the collective
bias of our time. Garrow explained how "we
tend to fall into a cycle of feeling like we're good
people who are enlightened, but we cannot
trust our own perceptions because they come
from the knowledge production of our era." It's
crucial to constantly challenge what we think is
the truth and the role we play in iL.
As an institution that's supposed to generate
the "Leaders and Best," we need to challenge
ourselves as well as the dominant narratives
that further reinforce systems of power and
privilege. With an increasing diversity problem
on this campus and agrowing decline in minor-
ity enrollment, promoting these ideas doesn't
help to create a safe space for students who
come from less-privileged backgrounds, nor
does it reflect a comprehensive understanding
of social justice.
As students who hope to leave this institu-
tion enlightened and equipped to challenge
inequality and change the world, it's crucial
we develop a greater degree of understanding
of the opportunities we're afforded and the
responsibility we have to put forth.
We highly encourage students to make the
most of their education here at the University
and explore diversity in an effort to build a com-
prehensive understanding of the world. Take
advantage of opportunities such as the Pro-
gram on InterGroup Relations, which engages
students in meaningful dialogue on the com-
plexities of social identities while exploring
privilege, power and social justice.
Hands up for working with communities and
understanding the complexities of unemploy-
ment and poverty. Hands down for creating a
false dichotomy of poverty and reinforcing ste-
reotypes that further marginalize the poor.
Janie Valencia and Munmun
Khan are LSA seniors.

CHECK US OUT ONLINE
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Check out @michdailyoped and Facebook.com/MichiganDaily
to get updates on Daily opinion content throughout the day.
SCOTT CHRISTOPHER |
There's still progress to be made

4

I would like to start off by saying
thank you to everyone who showed
support to Ethan Michaeli and me
throughout the CSG presidential
election process. It has been hum-
bling to see how many students have
connected to our platform and rallied
behind Counseling and Psychologi-
cal Services reform as well as many
other points of our platform.
' I've learned so much as I traversed
this campus, meeting students and
gatheringinputregardingyour issues
and concerns. I learned that the Uni-
versity isn't as connected and diverse
as we would like to think we are.And
even though we have 1,400 student
organizations for students to connect
to, there are still many students that
feel lost in the shuffle.
Even though Ethan and I weren't
successful, there is still much work to
be done. I promised from the begin-
ning that, no matter what, I would

still continue to work to tackle big
issues on this campus. I still believe
in and will pursue keyissues - espe-
cially CAPS reform - from our cam-
paign platform with the support of
students. In fact, I was especially
gratified that The Michigan Daily
took note of the overburdened CAPS
program and service shortcomings
in an editorial, "Funding mental
health," on April 2.
However, there are still plenty of
issues that need to be addressed. I
still plan to move forward with gain-
ing approvals and developing a Blue
Light Button for the Michigan App
to help make Michigan the safest
campus. To that end, I have already
scheduled a meeting with admin-
istrators to present our platform
issues, share the concerns we heard
from you and craft a plan to accom-
plish our goals.
Finally, I would like say thank you

to all our supporters for your input 4
throughout the process and for
your votes. Although we didn't pre-
vail in the final results of a tightly
contested election, I believe your
voices have been heard not only on
key issues, but also on the values
you place on integrity. I'm grateful
and humbled by the positive feed-
back I've received. I would love to
continue talking to students and
invite anyone interested in helping
with the initiatives to reach out.
Congratulations to all who have
secured a position in CSG. And
"Hail to the Victors," you the elec-
torate, for exercising your right to
vote and having your voice heard.
Now, it's time to join one another
and roll up our sleeves. There's
work to get done.
Scott Christopher is an
LSA and Businessljunior.

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Send letters to tothedaily@michigandaily.com.

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