4A - Wednesday, September 25, 2013 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com }C Mihigan 4 1r Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. The curious case ofAlice Walker 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 RO0M 11* D A IL Y Bdpolic,, B bad logic Michigan's defense of ban on adoption by same sex couples is baseless In October, Jayne Rowse and April DeBoer, a gay couple who have three adopted children, will challenge Michigan's ban on same-sex joint adoption before the U.S. District Court in Detroit. Basing their case on the precedents established by United States v. Windsor, which found the Federal Defense of Marriage Act's restriction of the definition of marriage to "one man, one woman" unconstitutional, Rowse and DeBoer hope to convince the court that Michigan's ban on adoption by homosex- ual couples is in violation of the right to due process. With the gay-rights movement gaining momentum across Michigan and the rest of the United States, overturning the ban is a logical decision for the state's future. n August, the esteemed Ameri- can novelist, activist and Pulit- zer Prize winner Alice Walker was disinvited from giving the keynote address for the Univer- sity's Center for the Education of Women's 50th anniver- sary event in ZEINAB March. On herZ blog, Walker KHALIL expressed her disappointment in the University's decision. Just a few days later, this news made national headlines, and the Univer- sity wasn't looking too hot for disin- viting a world-renowned writer and peace activist committed to trans- formative change. The University then announced a few weeks later that it had extended a different invitation to Walker, this time for the Zora Neale Hurston Lec- ture co-hosted by the CEW and the Department of Afroamerican and African Studies next fall. Walker has accepted the new invitation and will speak on campus in November 2014. while I'm thrilled that Walker will come to campus - though it's a bummer that I will have graduated by then - the "ending" to this highly embarrassing and murky situation is far from peachy. Walker's reinvita- tion doesn't excuse the University from answering some serious ques- tions that have come to light through this incident. What symbolic message does the University send when it appears to silence and monitor a prominent Black, female activist? What does this incident tell us about the voices of figures who hold critical, counter- hegemonic perspectives - in this case about Palestine and Israel? And finally, what does the case say about donor transparency and accountabil- ity at the University? Too often, Black women are policed for how they behave and what they say. This marginalizing is perhaps even more severe for women activists who promote alternative models of framing and understand- ing of social and political issues. The revoking of Walker's initial invite must be read against the back- drop of a campus that has a lot of work to do in fostering an inclusive college climate: underrepresented minority enrollment - including Blacks, Hispanics and Native Ameri- cans - is worse now than it was 10 years ago, falling from 13.6 percent in 2002 to 10.2 percent in 2012. Just as troublingis the 6.6-percentrepresen- tation of women of color from under- represented groups in 2011 and the 7-percent representation of women of color faculty in 2008 - only 3 percent for full professors. Campus climate certainly goes beyond statis- tics, but these numbers nevertheless point to something telling and dis- tressing that can't be detached from campus happenings such as this one. Walker's racial liberation activ- ism stretches back to the Civil Rights Movement, where she mobi- lized Black voters in the south dur- ing the 1960s and demonstrated alongside Dr. Martin Luther King in the 1963 March on Washington. How can w She continues her activism such decisi through more don't know recent events: in March the decisior 2003, on International Women's Day, just 11 days before the United States dropped its first bombs on Iraq, Walker was arrest- ed in front of the White House with a number of other anti-war woman activists. Walker demonstrated because she believed the lives of Iraqi women and children to be just as precious as American lives, but the petty charges waged against her made clear that her anti-racist, anti-imperialist message posed a threat to the mainstream warmon- gering narrative. But perhaps even more unsettling to the status quo - and her stated reason for being disinvited from the University in the first place - are Walker's views on the Israeli gov- ernment's military occupation of Palestine. Walker joined the Free- dom Flotilla in 2011 to challenge the Israeli blockade of Gaza, and prior to that, in 2009, she travelled to Gaza with the anti-war feminist organization, Code Pink, in wake of Operation Cast Lead, a three-week assault launched by Israeli military forces that resulted in the deaths of 1,416 Palestinians and 13 Israelis. Ina show of extremely disproportionate force, Israeli-armed forces repeat- edly violated international law and exercised collective punishment by dropping white phosphorous on densely-populated communities. On her trip, Walker spoke out against this assault and implored Israel and Egypt to open their borders and end the ongoing siege of Gaza, a territory roughly the size of Detroit inhabited by nearly two million people. Most pressingly, the Walker case begs a question of transparency: Who's calling the shots? While the University insists that Walker's dis- invitation had nothing to do with her political positions or the con- tent of her speech, her agent noted that the disinvitation happened at the request of an unnamed donor's "interpretation" of her "comments regarding Israel" How can we e challenge challenge such decisions - or ions if we similar future who affects ones - and hold their actors n-making? accountable if we don't know who affects the deci- sion-making? It's unfair and shallow to point to'those who are the face of the University --that is, CEW and its administration, as bearing the brunt of responsibility in answering these questions. Rather, those who play a more behind-the-scenes role in the decision-making must also respond. Obviously, donors to the Univer- sity are crucial for the role they play in sustaining campus life. But where is that role ever clearly defined? At what point do the perspectives of alumni and donors - many of whom are no longer on campus and may not realize the changing climate - encroach on what voices are wel- comed on campus and what views students are exposed to? The Uni- versity community must openly and urgently confront issues of academic integrity and financial pressure to ensure that such insidious behavior has no place on our campus. - Zeinab Khalil can be reached at zkha@umich.edu 0 0 Attorneys representing Michigan, led by Republican Attorney General Bill Schuette, are disputing Rowse and DeBoer's motion to challenge the law in court. However, their argument can only be described as inap- propriate. In a brief filed earlier this month, Schuette claimed that Michigan has a legiti- mate interest in restricting child adoption to heterosexual couples in order to encour- age "the unique procreative capacity of such relationships." He goes on to say, "...social scientists have consistently recognized the essential connection between marriage and responsible procreation and childrearing." Essentially, the state must exclusively sponsor opposite-sex marriages to promote popula- tion growth. This explanation is preposterous and doesn't represent the state of Michigan. Practically speaking, fighting this case continues the growing waste of the state's resources and keeps vulnerable children from families. Most times, there are about 3,000 foster children in Michigan in need of a home. Continuing to fund these kids when there are families willing to care for them is careless spending and simply cold-hearted. Snyder should not allow his personal or his administration's beliefs interfere with letting a child live in a positive environment. Baseless claims, like this one, are the cause of pointless arguing within Michigan's government that takes upa great deal of time. According to the Michigan Department of Human Resources, "Michigan has been recognized as a leader for our innovative approach to adoption and our high adoptive placement rates." However, allowing this pol- icy to continue is the contrary. Withdrawing Michigan's legal defense of the ban on same- sex joint child adoption and instituting a fair procedure to allow these adoptions to occur needs to be the state's course of action. Like- wise, Schuette and his associates should be publicly censured for their abuse of science in the brief challenging the motion from Rowse and DeBoer. 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, Harsha Nahata, Adrienne Roberts, Paul Sherman, Sarah Skaluba, Daniel Wang, Derek Wolfe ALEXIS NOWICKI Pedestrian paradise INTERESTED IN CAMPUS ISSUES? POLITICS? SEX, DRUGS AND ROCK'N'ROLL? Check out The Michigan Daily's editorial board meetings. Every Monday and Wednesday at 6 p.m., 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. a a On Sept. 20, an event called PARK(ing) Day came to Ann Arbor for the first time in three years. In promotion of a pedestrian- centered city, two University graduate stu- dents - Rackham student Jenny Cooper and Rackham and Public Health student Arielle Fleisher - took over a parking spot on State Street and converted it into a mini-park - a place for relaxing, lunching and socializing, open to any Ann Arbor resident who hap- pened to be walking by between 11:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. A public place of this sort seems almost necessary for a well-planned city, but if you think about it, downtown Ann Arbor seems to be lacking these open-space environments. There are currently four designated "city parks" downtown, but there are problems. First is Liberty Plaza - great for Sonic Lunch, but otherwise a popular gathering place for the homeless. Next is the Kempf House Museum, which is a museum, not a park. Sculpture Plaza is a charming brick area surrounded by restau- rants. And lastly, the Farmers Market is a pavil- ion-covered area usually inhabited by people only during the brief times when it is open. While all these places are beneficial in their own ways to the character of downtown, they aren't exactly the image that comes to mind when most people hear the words "city park." Ann Arbor residents want to be able to spend time downtown without being in a store, at a restaurant or walking through areas that seem to be more automobile-friendly than person-friendly. PARK(ing) Day makes a much-needed statement for the necessity of more green spaces and open areas downtown and brings forth the unfortunate truth that Ann Arbor, like the majority of cities, is made for cars. While cars provide the "easiest" mode of transportation for most people - especially families - they aren't the most city-friendly, and they are definitely not the most environmental- ly friendly. People often get out of the suburbs and head downtown for a car-free experience that you can't find elsewhere, but many down- town experiences have come to mirror those in the suburbs: driving, parking, buying and then going back home to the "burbs." From an urban planning standpoint, there are many things that could be addressed to fix the city's car-plagued atmosphere. Ease for walkers and bikers seem to be at the foreground of these potential solutions, with proposals for more defined bike lanes and more bike parking in and out of parking garages. Most often, citizens complain that they can't find locations downtown where they can spend more than a few minutes without being expected to make a purchase. Hanging out at Starbucks is great, but not without first purchasing an overpriced beverage. One main problem here is that it's most cost-beneficial for the city to dedicate space to businesses that will pay to use it. Naturally, less profit is being made if the area is desig- nated for the recreation that doesn't involve spending money. Part of the solution to this problem comes from the way that public areas are set up. If they're open to events that will end up making the city money, they become more economi- cally practical in the eyes of officials, as well as more welcoming in the eyes of the community. Another more significant part of the solu- tion is in the community mindset. This is what PARK(ing) Day is trying to get across - the point that urban spaces weren't created to be made up of cars and concrete, but to foster a walkable, bikeable environment that allows a city of students and workers to clear their heads during every bit of the short hours they're able to spend outdoors. Ann Arbor might not have the capacity for a Central Park, but the interspersingof urban and green environments is the ideal equiva- lent for a pedestrian's peace of mind. Alexis Nowicki is an LSA freshman. LET T E RS T O T HE E D IT OIR Give full refunds on basketball tickets TO THE DAILY: I'm not entirely opposed to the idea that fans have to "claim" their tickets for basketball games next sea- son, but the Athletic Department's plans to resell unclaimed tickets without providing compensation to students is pure thievery. If the Ath- letic Department is so confident in the non-student demand for tickets, then give all 4,500 students their guaranteed seats, provide a window two or three weeks prior to basket- ball games for students to sell their tickets back to the Athletic Depart- ment, and then go resell them them- selves. Did they think that students enjoy eatingthe cost of notbeing able to resell unused tickets? By offering season ticket refunds, the Athletic Department is tacitly acknowledging that they broke the rules when they materially changed Academics a priority over basketball TO THE DAILY: Last year, I purchased Michigan basketball season tickets. Going to Michigan basketball games was a great break from my studies as a first-year law student. I was excited to purchase season tickets again this year. But I confess - I didn't make it to every game last season. I was there for the big games. But I missed a few, mostly in the non-conference season. I missed games because I had to focus on school. After all, I'm a student. Given the amount of tuition I pay to the University of Michigan, I couldn't afford to skip studying to go to a basketball game during finals week. SEND LETTERS TO: TOTHEDAILY@MICHIGANDAILY.COM the ticketholder agreement after simply buy individual game tickets the time of sale. But refunding my this year, and I requested a refund $200 does not put me back where of my seasdn tickets from the Ath- I started six months ago. I paid a letic Department, with interest and $15 "application fee" for season application fees. They replied, "We tickets (as, I assume, did everyone will only be able to offer you the else). What exactly did this appli- $200 refund. Our policy is that any cation fee cover? Dave Brandon's refund we issue is cost of ticket only." $800,000 salary? I asked them to elaborate on the The Athletic Department also "policy" that was in place at the time owes me interest on my $200. While I bought my tickets. They replied, this is only a few dollars, had Iknown in relevant part, "REFUNDS: If you about the forthcoming change in apply for a season ticket and later policy, I would have chosen to keep decide not to enroll for the Fall 2013 my $200 tucked away in my bank term, you may receive a full refund account or elsewhere, earning some provided you send a written request sort of return, however small. From to the Ticket Office prior to Nov. 1, season-ticket sales, the Athletic 2013 ... Please consider this matter Department collected approximately closed." I replied by pointing out the $90,000 in fees and retained interest, obvious fact that the quoted refund not to mention $900,000 in sales rev- policy has nothing to do with the enue. While the Athletic Department circumstances surrounding my can bully individual season-ticket refund request. I'm still waiting on holders into forfeiting $20, the aggre- an answer. gate amount at stake may be enough to justify a class-action lawsuit. Zachary Robock This weekend, I decided that I will Law Student 4 I often hear rhetoric about col- student good-will translates into legiate amateurism and educa- future financial support). But attend- tion of student athletes. Student ing Michigan basketball games is not non-athletes also need to focus on my priority. Academic success is my school. I don't enjoy the prospect priority. Forced to choose between of a National Basketball Associa- attending games zealously - or los- tion contract. Instead, I enjoy the ing my money and my ability to prospect of working hard in school attend games - and flexibility to and finding a job to pay back my pursue my studies appropriately, I loans. Michigan's new student sea- choose to focus on academics. Please son ticket policy encourages students refund my season ticket purchase. to neglect our academic obligations I'm disappointed by this policy. so that we don't lose the chance to The University of Michigan is a attend future games and our (soon- wonderful academic institution. to-be nonrefundable) investment The fact that it is also a great bas- in season tickets. This policy is ill- ketball school shouldn't threaten advised and disappointing. the University's academic focus. I enjoy going to Michigan basket- The Athletic Department should ball games. Michigan's basketball not bully students into attending team has boosted my allegiance to games at the expense of academics. the school (and given that this seems to be a revenue-driven move, the Eli Temkin University should remember that Law Student i Building Blocks: Have you heard of Elon Musk the and his plans for travel on and outside of gm earth? Abhishek Cauligi talks about his impact, du I urn and how it affects the future. Go to michigandoily.com/blogs/The Podium 4 1 A i