4A - Friday, October 18, 2013 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom ly idhiian 4 a130AW19 Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. One cryptic nerd 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 T HE D A ILY Ignoring research, wasting time Studies show same-sex marriages aren't harmful to children n Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman said a rul- ing on Michigan's ban on gay marriage would not be decided until February - a loss for those in the state anxiously awaiting equal rights. Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette previously filed a brief to the court that stated, "The understanding of marriage as a union of man and woman ... is age-old, universal, and enduring. As illustrated by a plethora of research, social scientists have consistently recognized the essential connection between marriage and responsible procreation and childrearing." Lawyers for the state - charged with spending taxpayers money to defend the ban - have claimed that same-sex relationships are harmful to society. This offensive and marginalizing view contradicts the numerous social-science studies that disprove any notion that same-sex marriages are harmful to children and families. From campaign slogans to Twitter handles. From tele- vision ads to governing phi- losophy. Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder has carefully culti- vated an image as "One Tough Nerd" - the rational politi- cian above parti- sanship who uses ALEXANDER data, facts and HERMANN colorful charts to push his state- wide agenda. But who knew nerds could be so secretive? Snyder's NERD Fund is being broadly criticized again this week following his testimony under oath claiming that he did not know who donated to the fund. The deposi- tion was part of the City of Detroit's ongoing bankruptcy proceedings. The New Energy to Reinvent and Diversify Fund, a nonprofit estab- lished shortly after the governor took office, has been controversial since its inception. Critics claim the organization could function as a sin- ister mechanism to accept untold "campaign donations" under a cloud of secrecy. Funds like NERD are common across the state and nation. Its stat- ed goal, to defer some cost of gov- ernance to willing private-sector participants, is broadly appealing in an era of increasing budget con- straints and cost-cutting measures. Currently, for example, NERD pays Detroit Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr's $4,200 monthly con- dominium bill as well as some travel expenses - money otherwise owed to him by the city under Public Act 436, Michigan's new emergency manager law. So what's so controversial about NERD then, really? For starters, unlike most non- profits controlled by public offi- cials, NERD funders can donate anonymously - a clear violation of governmental integrity, transpar- ency and accountability. Special interests, major corporations and wealthy private donors are free to give unlimited sums to a nonprofit controlled by the top-elected offi- cial in the state of Michigan with- out any public disclosure. Generating the greatest skep- ticism, for example, is Richard Baird's six-figure salary paid for by NERD. Baird is one of Snyder's top aides, with the almost playfully antagonistic job title "Transfor- mation Manager," but where the money really comes from is not pub- lic knowledge. And the governor's office isn't telling. Compounding matters, trans- parency and accountability have already been a primary critique of Snyder in his first term. In fact, Mark Schauer, gubernatorial can- didate and frontrunner for the Democratic nomination in 2014, has already lambasted the "secretive NERD Fund" as a medium through which "special interests" can oper- ate outside the public gaze. Frustratingly, the solution to Sny- der's public-relations problem is as rational, fact-driven, and nerd-like as it is manifest. Like similar nonprofits, embed- ded in NERD's mission should be a voluntary commitment to sunshine on par with public-sector regula- tions. Instead of vague IRS filings, like the $522,866 2011 expenditure for "the promotion of civic action and social welfare by promoting the common good and general welfare of the residents of, and visitors to, the state of Michigan," let's spell out detailed contributions and impact. Instead of anonymous donations, let's foster an environment promot- ing public inclusion. If Snyder is reluctant to reveal funders that have already made donations under the assumption of anonymity, then fine. But, as a gesture of good faith, he should revamp NERD immediately, which would simultaneously foster an environment of transparency and cut off allegations of cronyism, wrongdoing and secrecy heading into an election year. At the same time, unabashed criticisms of the efficacy of NERD, despite the obvious shortcomings in implementation, are unfounded. When used correctly, nonprofits like NERD can be an effective, cost- saving and cutting-edge tool of gov- ernance as part of a broader trend in local and state government toward public-private partnerships. Such partnerships seemingly defray tax- payer costs and unburden unwieldy government bureaucracies. Locally, for example, the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation is a private nonprofit organization whose board is appointed by the mayor of Detroit and confirmed by Detroit City Council. DEGC executes con- tracts for the city and shares staff with public development agencies such as the Downtown Develop- ment Authority. But the benefits of public-private partnerships, with NERD serving as an example, are only meaningful given that proper mechanisms of compliance, transparency and pub- lit accountability remain intact. Given the clear outcomes of bet- ter governance, healthier political discourse and improved reelection chances, "One Tough Nerd" should be more concerned with being "One Transparent Governor." - Alexander Hermann can be reached at aherm@umich.edu. I I Originally, this case was brought to the courts challenging the ban in Michigan against same-sex couples adopting chil- dren, but the women who brought the case expanded it to challenge the ban on same-sex marriages in the state brought on by a voter- approved amendment to the state constitu- tion. A decision was expected on Wednesday, and many people were hopeful that the ban on gay marriage would be overturned. How- ever, a decision was not made, and it was del- egated instead to a trial that will be held in February of next year, leaving gay couples who want to get married in limbo. According to state attorney Kristin Heyse, the concept of the "optimal home environ- ment" is one that involves a marriage between a man and woman. Beside insulting the numer- ous families headed by parents of the same sex, there is substantial evidence that doesn't sup- port this claim. There is evidence that proves there is no difference in the well-being of chil- dren when it comes to whether they are raised by same sex couples or by a heterosexual couple. The American Sociological Association says that "greater stability in a relationship, whether same-sex or opposite-sex, does improve child well-being." If marriage helps to improve the rela- tionships of same-sex couples, children of same-sex couples could benefit from the legalization of same-sex marriage in Michi- gan. According to an article in Lawyers Jour- nal in response to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling the Defense of Marriage Act uncon- stitutional, "the invalidation of DOMA will have a primary beneficial effect on the chil- dren born to or adopted by a same-sex cou- ple." Allowing same-sex marriage also allows for children of same-sex couples to be treated the same as children born to or adopted by heterosexual couples. If Friedman is wait- ing for social science to show that gay family dynamics can be negative for children, he is waiting for proof that isn't going to surface. Findings on gay family dynamics clearly indi- cate that gay family dynamics are just as good for children as heterosexual couple families. - The judge has decided to wait until Febru- ary to make a decision that could change many people's lives for the better and make the state more appealing to the LGBTQ community. Waiting for more evidence in regard to social science is simply not a reasonto have to wait for a decision that could, and should, grant same- sex couples the right to marriage in Michigan. .. Rape culture is real EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS Kaan Avdan, Sharik Bashir, Barry Belmont, James Brennan, Eli Cahan, Eric Ferguson, Jordyn Kay, Jesse Klein, Melanie Kruvelis, Maura Levine, Aarica Marsh, Megan McDonald, Adrienne Roberts, Paul Sherman, Daniel Wang, Derek Wolfe JESSE KLaEIN ld|sa Asexual ouble standar dbd Over the summer The New York Times printed a lead story relevant to many stu- dents, "Sex on Campus: She Can Play That Game, Too"." This article makes the same argument that almost every newspaper arti- cle and psychologist has made in the past three years when tackling this subject. The article states that women as well as men are engaging in the increasingly popular type of relationships known as hookup buddies. And in an even more typical 21st-century thought, the women in the article say they don't want relationships because they are too busy with school and extracurricular activities to put in the time. Hookup buddies give women a sex- ual outlet without the effort of a relationship. I, however, see a different view of hook- ing up. Articles and psychologists continue to insist that these relationships benefit men more than women. The article cites the sta- tistic that men were more likely to receive oral sex than give it to their female hookup partner. Psychologists agreed, stating that hookups were more about benefiting the male partner than the female. This, however, could be due to the fact that blow jobs for men are much more socially acceptable, and it's pos- sibly less stressful for a girl to give oral sex than to receive it. I see hookup buddies as allowing women to have casual sex with the same person, instead of a continual string of one-night stands. Men may be seen as enjoying one-night stands more than women because there's no emo- tional attachment. While this article states truthfully that women want a singular physi- cal relationship as much as men, it's harder for women to only want that and ignore the societal influences that say they can't have a solely physical relationship. The double standard of how many people one sleeps with means a women cannot have a string of casual one-night stands without being labeled a slut and thus not "girlfriend material." Hookup buddies allow a women to have casual sex withoutincreasing her number every night. One of the Pennsylvania State University students interviewed for the magazine said of her hookup buddy, "We don't really like each other in person, sober." While this may be true of some relationships, I would guess there are other factors at play, like "We like each other but not enough to actually work at a relationship." It's possible that hookup buddy has deal-breaking features that make a relationship not worthwhile or even out of the question. Maybe he is too much of a pot- head or drinks too much and studies too little. Maybe it's all in the timing. It's not worth get- ting heartbroken because a guy is leaving for study-abroad next semester or lives in a dif- ferent state during the summer and wants to be single duringthose periods. I also think this switch from relationships to hookups demonstrates the significance this generation puts on relationships. I know people who will hook up for months, clas- sify their relationship as exclusive and still not call each other boyfriend and girlfriend. Many students have grown up with divorced parents. Out of my group of friends in high school, only myself and one other have par- ents still together after their first marriage. Being in a relationship means more than just being exclusive. It's a combination of assets and feelings that is harder to break off when things go wrong. Students just aren't willing to make that commitment until they know the output is worth the input. And let's face it, every time but once, it won't be. Jesse Klein is an LSA junior. t's almost impossible not to think of Steubenville, Ohio when hearing about the recent case in Maryville, Mis- souri. For those who haven't yet heard of the Maryville case - or the Steu- benville case, for that matter KATIE - both involve ST N the alleged rape of an intoxicated teenaged girl by hot-shot football players, and both involve the community rising to the defense of the alleged rapists. The Maryville story is a long, horrifying ordeal that's been, for the most part, buried from the eyes of the public until recently. To sum- marize: In January 2012, 14-year- old cheerleader Daisy Coleman sneaked out with a friend to meet up with 17-year-old football player Matthew Barnett. She was encour- aged to drink excessively out of the "bitch cup," and was allegedly raped by Barnett while his buddy filmed it with an iPhone. Her friend, Paige Parkhurst, just 13 at the time - under the age of consent in Mis- souri, by the way - was also alleg- edly sexually assaulted by another football player. After all of this, Coleman was left on a front lawn in below freezing weather for her mother to find in the morning. This was more than a year ago, and most people are just hearing about it now. I encourage you to read more on it if you're interested in educating your- self further and ruining your day. But today, those football bud- dies are off at college, free from all charges of sexual assault - or any- thing, for that matter. Even with all of the evidence against the alleged rapists - even after Sheriff Darren White reportedly stated that this would "absolutely" result in a con- viction - the boys still were able to walk free. Sheriff White's advice to the Colemans? "I guess they're just going to have to get over it." Rape cases are already hugely underreported, so when something as heinous as the Maryville case gets utterly brushed to the side, what kind of message does that send? It sends a message that says Maryville supports its football players, supports masculinity and "boys will be boys" - but ladies who get mixed up with these boys are "skanks" and "crazy bitch- es." In short, Maryville supports rape culture. So who were the victims of the Maryville incident? Well, there were of course the boys, whose rep- utations and football careers were at stake. A parent of one of the teens at Barnett's house is actually reported as saying, "Our boys deserve an apology, and they haven't gotten it yet." There were the poor cowork- ers at Mrs. Coleman's old work- place, who had to deal with her "stress." There was even Barnett's daddy, a GOP politician in Missouri who decided to stay out of the case because it "would have been bad for me." As far as the girls who were allegedly raped? "F--- yea. That's what you get for bein a skank : )," reads ose tweet in response to the dismissed charges. Victim-blaming is nothing new; we've heard it all before. She drank too much; she was asking for it; she should have known better; she shouldn't have worn that outfit; she shouldn't have been hanging around boys that age; she was out too late at night; why didn't she take a cab? Why did she take a cab? She should have called the police sooner - it goes on and on and on. There's the flip side of victim- blaming, and that's rape apology, but I'm thinking even more specifically of a bizarre form of rape sympathy that I've been noticing. The focus, in the case of rape sympathy, is taken off the victim, and placed on the repercussions that the rapist will or would have to potentially face. I'm thinking of those photographs in The New York Times - of those poor Steubenville boys who could have had it all, dressed in neat but- ton-downs, rendered weeping into their palms in the courtroom because of some stupidgirl who ruined every- thing for them. I'm thinking of CNN anchor Candy Crowley's response to the Steubenville rapists' sentencing - "I cannot imagine how emotional the sentencing must have been." I'm thinking of endless hateful tweets aimed at "sluts" and "skanks" of all ages all over the world. I'm thinking of the incident in Torrington, Con- necticut - another rape case involv- ing football players. This case involved two 18-year-old football players, Edgar Gonzalez and Joan Toribio, who were convicted of rape after they had sex with two 13-year-old girls, with the age of con- sent in Connecticut being 16. What happened next was a slew of online harassment targeted toward, of course, these girls - these girls who were still in middle school. "What was a 13 year old girl doing hang- ing around with 18 year old guys..." one girl posted on Twitter. I'd ask the question in response, what were 18-year-old boys doing have sex with girls who weren't even out of middle school? "You destroyed two people's lives" another tweet reads, refer- ring, of course, to the boys' lives. This is past the point of rape apology - it's sympathy. One of the football players, Gon- zalez, won the title of MVP for his team, and in response to the charges, Torrington High School's Athletic Director Mike McKenna stated, "If you think there's some wild band of athletes that are wan- dering around then I think you're mistaken ... These things happen everywhere and we're not any dif- ferent than any other community." And he's right. I think it's worth stopping and considering how this all-American, sports-centric model that exists in so many high schools - and colleges - affects how people view masculin- ity and sexual assault. I'm not say- ing football is to blame for rape, just like too many shots at a party, a short skirt, not having a boyfriend, letting him pay for you at the bar ... is not to blame for rape. Rapists are to blame for rape. It's been said so many times and yet it still hasn't quite seem to have gotten through to everyone. So what happens when the Uni- versity has its very own sexual assault scandal involving a football player? We sweep it under the rug, pretend it never happened, and head to the game to lose our voices cheer- ing on our beloved Wolverines. In 2009, current University senior and placekicker on the University football team Brendan Gibbons was arrested for allegedly raping an 18-year-old woman at a fraternity party. Washtenaw Watchdogs has a detailed synopsis of the allegations, and Daily blogger Emma Maniere wrote about Gibbons fairly recent- ly, but for the most part, it's been willfully ignored by the University. Many University students and Wol- verine fans still don't know about the allegations, and even after they do find out about them - well, the thought of there being a potential rapist on the field while we sing the fight song is kind of uncomfortable, so we dismiss those thoughts. In the Gibbons police reports, it's written, "(Gibbons) stated his whole life will probablyget ruined, and that the girl always wins." Let's make one thing clear: The girl does not always win. According to RAINN, as many as 97 percent of rapists are not charged. The girl very rarely "wins." And anyway,. sex should not have a "winner." A woman you want to take to bed is not your opponent. Sex is not just another sport - another way to reaffirm your masculinity- and machismo. Rape culture is real, and it's important to be mindful of how we're participating, even if it's just as spectators. - Katie Steen can be reached at katheliz@umich.edu. 9 0 CONTRIBUTE TO THE CONVERSATION Readers are encouraged to submit letters to the editor and viewpoints. Letters should be fewer than 300 words while viewpoints should be 550-850 words. Send the writer's full name and University affiliation to tmdepe20l3@michigandaily.com.