4A -Wednesday, Novembier 6, 2013
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
tieCktiigan :ail
Edited and managed by students at
the University of Michigan since 1890.
420 Maynard St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
tothedailyiemttichigandaily.com
MELANIE KRUVELIS
ANDREW WEINER zind ADRIENNE ROBERTS MATT SLOVIN
ETO 0 l IN 01E] E[)IEfORI L I TRlil I MANAGING EDITOK
Unsigned editorils reflect tl e ofcial position of the Daily's editorial board.
Ah other siged articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.
Kepyour head- in the game
Neurologists sholtId be on st iiWby for all NCAA football games
s more studies reveal the devastating effects of concussions, the
pressure on football teams to provide effective healthcare for
head injuries has increased significantly. With the University
football team facing off against Michigan State University this past week-
end, The New York Times highlighted the efforts of both schools' extra
safety precautions for its players. Unlike (ather Big 10 conference schools,
both schools have neurologists on the sidelines for both home and away
games. Because of the frequency of concussions and other head injuries
that occur during football games, both universities deserve praise for
The rise of the non-apology
e live in an age of non-
apologies, where celeb-
rities, politicians and
community lead-
ers screw up
regularly and
then craft clever
"apologies" that
actually aren't
apologies at all
and aren't all that
clever. Recent
examples of such
non-apologies
include the man
ZEINAB
KHALIL
pened, so take accountability for your
behavior and apologize for your role
in making someone feel offended,
angry, marginalized, etc.
Apologizefor whatyou did - notfor
getting caught. Saying something like
"I'm sorry I said this - it was insen-
sitive to our diverse staff members,"
implies that what you did was wrong
not because it was actually wrong,
but because the person you wronged
was there to witness it. This sort of
apology suggests that in a different
context, where said person wasn't
there or said "diverse" identities
were absent, your words and behav-
ior would have been OK. This is not
an apology. This is you saying you're
sorry you got caught and will try
harder to get away with it next time
- perhaps by being more "politically
correct" or making sure that some of
the comments you make are "off the
radar."
Apologize to all those affected
explicitly or indirectly. If your mis-
take affected certain individuals spe-
ing in your intentions. An apology
should be able to stand on its own
without prefaces, explanations, or
qualifiers. One common way apolo-
gies are spoiled into non-apologies is
through justifying your mistakes by
pointingto your non-malicious inten-
tions. It's OK to give some motiva-
tional context to your mistake, saying
somethinglike, "I meant tobe funny,
but I clearly failed and hurt you. I
apologize for my poor judgment,"
but explaining your motivations
should in no way attempt to change
how your comments or behavior are
interpreted by others. It doesn't mat-
ter if you had good or bad intentions
- the impact you caused remains the
same, and that's ultimately whatyou
have to answer to.
Don't suggest your mistake is sim-
ply the result of a slip in word choice
or poor framing. Non-apologizers
will often try to lessen the weight of
their mistake by framing it asa mere
problem of diction, saying things
like, "I need to be much more tact-
their leadership osl the issue.
the University's resident neurologist, Dr.
Jeff Kutcher, has attended every home and
away ;ate' since 2011. Kutcher is responsilble
for ' ltching the gns closely and evaluating
players that the athllett itrainer thinks could
have suffered a head injury. According to an
article trom M ichigan Radio, Kutcher also
stups l practices to check on injured players
and help monitor their progress.
The University's decision to have a neurolo-
gist ot tthe sidelines shows its commitment to
player s .ety. Accord ing to the NCA A, "Dur.
ing the 2011 foot ball season, 2.5 Cotsessions
were reported for eery 1.000 gaie-related
explttes i the periods of athletics-rclat-
ed actv ity It, , injuries can oceUr." Antd
acCerhditto tt:ti article froctt Al tazeer-a Attet-
iCa, there litre eett2en re'orted tcneeUssions
across college football as o f Nov. 4 t owever,
since there's no requirement for a concussion
report, there could be more ltft tttreported.
Given the number of concussions being so
high and the constant risk of their occur-
rence, there's clearly a demonstrated need for
lead-injury-specialized health professionals,
and having a neurologist on the sideline is a
an investment in student-athlete health.
However, this policy shouldn't just be the
e'eeption within college football. The NFL
has a protocol that requires teams to have
neurologists on the sidelines, according to a
video from ESPN about concussions in col-
lege football. It's time for the NCAA to adopt
a similar policy.
The University has taken the lead to ensure
effeetive player safety. Kutcher has been a
necessary addition to the sidelines and is an
<s'et to the team. While other universities
tay te hesitant to institute a similar policy
because of the cost or what a doctor may
uncover, these schools - and the NCAA -
mttust recognize the importance of protecting
against head injuries and work to implement
the samte policy regardless of the financials.
whom I asked
to hold the elevator but said "sorry"
and allowed it to close anyway even
though there was plenty of time to
intervene. Other non-apologies have
much more serious implications,
like the complete lack of account-
ability for a government shutdown
that, among many things, halted
thousands of children from going to
preschool because of cuts in Head
Start and kept tens of thousands of
low-income mothers from feeding
their babies due to the slashing of
wIC budgets. And finally, fresh and
familiar on our own campus, the
highly embarrassing "response"
from Theta Xi for organizing a rac-
ist frat party is a classic example of
a sorry-I'm-not-sorry non-apology.
Why is it so difficult for us to apol-
ogize - and mean it? Apologizing is
tough. Our egos often get in the way
and make the worst of us. Some of us
may truly feel remorseful for some-
thing we said or did, but don't know
howto properlyexpress it. Onthe flip
side, some of us may verbally admit
our mistake but not really show that
we care to rectify it. The good news
about non-apologies is that we can
unlearn them - with practice, we
can cultivate a culture that cherish-
es sincere apologies. Here are some
ways to examine how we apologize:
Apologize for what you did-notfor
how others feel. Never under any cir-
cumstance apologize for someone's
emotions by making some terribly
trite comment like, "I'm sorry you
feel angryby this" or the typical "I'm
sorry you feel offended." These state-
ments expel you from the picture and
suggest that the person's emotions
exist in a vacuum, unrelated to your
words or actions. If you're offer-
ing any sort of apology, it's because
you had some role in whatever hap-
cifically but also
others more gen-
erally, you should
issue both a pri-
vate and a public
apology that align
in what they say.
Thatis, if you issue
a private apol-
ogy, follow it with
a similar public
T
aboi
u
apology - not a public non
that attempts to save face
don't, don't be surprised if th
ents of the private apology
out publicly.
Take full ownership of yo
ogy. Avoid apologizing in the
voice. Saying things like "I
my commentswere misconst
"I'm sorry my words were p
as such" suggest that the pr
with the person on the recei
of the non-apology. Again,i
apologizing at all, it's bec
problem is you, so you need
ter your damaging behavior
apology. Also, avoid maski
position in the mistake b
vague statements like "Pt
this happened." Things dt
happen, and you certainly s
apologize for something t
"happened" unless you play.
in making it happen.
Don'tjustify your apology1
ful in choos-
ing my words
he good newsnext time" or
"Please know
it non-apologies it was my lack
of decorum
s that we can and not bigotry
that informed
nlearn them. my comments."
If you owe
an apology
-apology because of something you said or did,
If you only apologizing for how you said or
te recipi- did it only derails the conversation
call you from the crux of the problem.
Don't dictate how your apology
'ur apol- ought tobe received. Finally, if you've
e passive provided a sincere, meaningful apol-
'm sorry ogy, know that this is all you can
rued" or do. Don't move beyond what you're
resented accounting for by telling others how
oblem is they should respond to your apology,
ving end by saying things like, "I really hope
if you're you will accept this apology so that
ause the we can move forward," or "I'm sorry
I to cen- and I hope we can put this behind
'in your us." It isn't up to you how the person
ng your you have wronged should deal with
'y using your apology. Of course, you hope
in sorry that they will receive it, but it's not
on't just your role to pressure them to do so or
houldn't suggest that they owe you acceptance
hat just or forgiveness.
RAINA SHETH I
A call for Millenial activism
ed a role
by bring-
- Zeinab Khalil can be
reached at zkha@umich.edu.
Our gleneration has been silent for too long
when it cotes to the critical debates of our
nation's future. We are the Millenmials -
bornbetween the'1980s and 2000s --wsltt'vc
Coe ofi age amidst September 11th and the
Great liecession .A]hmost halff us think we'll
be worse offthan our parents, with good rea-
son. Eice year, ttuition rates rise and the aver-
lge c)lleg, stetlcnt gradLute's with $26,00 in
delet. o titke matters worse, at their current
rates, Social Security and Medicare will be
unable to pay ou tifull benefits before any of us
ret ire att ie 1,.
Not hequestion becomes how til-
leniI Cat cel both make their voices heard
atld impact eovernance. By virtue of beijig
yoeung we l tackc money and connections. If we
Cate orelnize and empower young people to
engage ill the political process, we can have
nurbers, particularly on college camnpuses
like the University. With numbers, we can
build megaphones that catapult Us into the
national conversation.
Common sense Action is a conversation
starter. Our generation has the largest stakie
ill our nation's future. iy craf ting the Agenda
for Generational Equity, CSA is convening
Wolverines from across the political spec-
trum to discuss piSotsy slutio S Oilissu's so
pressing to our generation that they tran-
scend party lines. If we succeed i widening
the gateways of economic opportunity and
investingl l the fut sire, W e Iilleni iaIs will
eiperiencs the 21st Century as anotheri' Amer
ic ssi ce iur. But i f we fail, we will be the first
generation to experience Americt decline.
CsA fights for generational equity -the
guaractee that the gateways of Ati ericc n
opportuity should be opei as wide for us as
they were for our parents and our grandpar-
ents. OUr fetUeCe is ic the haldS ofl a Ciong-ess
that remains pi ra c ed ice parti's gridlocL
If our elected officials cannot evet comt pro-
mise to write a national budget, we must take
it upon ourselves to work on bipartisan solu-
tions to ensure a promising future for our
generation.
tere at the University, CSA is drafting pol-
icy that acknowledges that our tuition rates
are rising and our social security trust is
dimuiishing. We're joining campuses across
the nation to build a policy framework that
will be advocated in the halls of Congress,
our comumunities and wherever our message
needs to be heard. As a generation, we no lon-
ger have time for partisan gridlock.
How will our policy impact governance?
Our policy will focus on finding solutions to
issues we, as Wolverines, have decided are
the most pressing. We have addressed Social
Security, tax reform and higher education
and continue to examine issues that dispro-
portionately affect our generation, including
incarceration. On Nov. 23, CSA will host a
caimipus congress, where'we will convene stu-
dent groups across campus to debate, amend
and discuss policy proposals. In January,
CSA chapter leaders will gather in Wash-
ington, D.C. to finalize a national Agenda for
Generational Equity platform, a product of
eccampus'respective proposals.
We our peers, friends, siblings and fellow
Wolverines - will be the ones who take the
brunt of lawmakers' inability to provide solu-
tions to the grave challenges we face. We will
not sit on the sidelines while our future hangs
in the balance. We need you, fellow Wolver-
ine, and your insights, ideas and innovations.
We need your passion and voice. What we are
not open to is inaction. What we are not open
to is failure to make nation-building compro-
mnises. What we are not open to is expanding
gcnerational inequities - the closing of the
gateways of opportunity.
Raina Sheth is an LSA senior.
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS
Kaan Avdan, Sharik Bashir, Barry Belmont, James Brennan,
Eric Ferguson, Jordyn Kay, Jesse Klein, Melanie Kruvelis,
Maura Levine, Aarica Marsh, Megan McDonald, Victoria Noble, *
Adrienne Roberts, Paul Sherman, Daniel Wang, Derek Wolfe
More*U: than two sides
t's official: Fall is here, and
winter is coming. The leaves
have changed color and are
falling from
trees. Hallow-
een has passed
and Thanksgiv-
ing is on its way, 4
and soon, we can
expect to see the
first snowflakes
dusting the -
ground. KATE
For many LARAMIE
Michiganders,
the coming of
fall also marks the beginning of
a long-standing tradition passed
down through family and friends:
hunting season.
I grew up in a family of hunters. I
spent my childhood waking up and
wondering if my dad had bagged
the big buck that morning. I used
to wait on the front porch to see if I
could catch a glimpse of that bright
hunters' orange coming down the
lane behind toy house. If Dad got a
deer, that meant venison, and veni-
son meant burgers, sausage, tender-
loin and liver - the whole works
for the entire winter. No more beef
from the grocery store for us.
However, hunting can be a con-
troversial subject, particularly in
Michigan. Recently, pro-hunting
groups have been facing off against
animal rights organizations over
the law passed by Michigan's leg-
islature naming wolves as a game
species - opening the door for a
possible wolf hunt in the Upper
Peninsula. Animal rights organiza-
tions, such as The Humane Soci-
ety of the United States and Keep
Michigan Wolves Protected have
rallied in an attempt to stop a Mich-
igan wolf hunt - one that will begin
with the rest of the hunting season
on Nov. 15 - eliciting the attention
of hunting advocates determined
to assert their rights as hu
trappers.
I recently read several
published in the Michiga
Doors magazine and wa
by the pervasive rhetoric,
out many of the opinion
assertingthat the campaig
a wolf-hunting season is
attack on the rights of
everywhere. In an article p
in the magazine's Nt
December 2013 edition titl
port House Bill 4993," th
discusses the very real
ity that "anti-hunters" co
hunters of their rights, o
certain hunting practicesc
ing a campaign
against all hunt-
ers and trappers The
across America.
There is a pro
clear line being
drawn in the pr
sand when it
comes to the
Michigan wolf
debate and a
nters and and thrill - hunters don't eat wolves.
They might skin them or stuff them
articles or mount their heads, but they're
n Out of not a game species.
s struck Do these assertions mean that I
through- am an anti-hunting advocate? That
articles, I believe the practice of hunting is
n against wrong? No. Hunting is the most
a direct natural and sustainable way to con-
hunters sume meat in our hyper-industrial-
ublished ized society, and by hunting, we're
ivember/ supporting the timeless cycle of
led "Sup- predator and prey that has defined
.e author our species as long as we've been
possibil- able to stand on two feet. In our
uld strip modern society, the sales and profit
utlawing of hunting licenses provide a steady
and wag- stream of revenue for the funding
of local conser-
vation projects,
division between habitat and spe-
cies restoration
and anti-hunting and protection.
Hunters are
oponents is not some of the best
conservationist
so clean Cut. and environ-
mental -activ-
Yes, I have smoked crack cocaine ...
Probably, in one of my drunken
stupors, probably approximately
about a year ago."
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford said during an impromptu news conference on Nov. 5> The
New York Times reported. Ford previously denied smoking crack cocaine.
clear message being sent to Michi-
ganders: Pick a side - either you're
pro-hunting rights or against them.
But such a division between pro-
and anti-hunting proponents is not
so clean cut. Standing in opposition
to a seasonal Michigan wolf hunt
doesn't indicate an opposition to all
hunting, nor does it mean that anti-
wolf hunting campaigns are geared
towards the destruction of hunters'
rights.
I learned as a kid that respecting
the animal is the most important
thing you can do as a hunter. You
never take a shot unless it's a clean
kill, and you never let anything go
to waste - never should you kill for
simple pleasure and never should a
life be taken without purpose.
But wolf hunting is a practice
done for little more than trophies
ists out there
because hunters, for the most part,
spend a good deal of time actually
interacting with the natural world.
So why has the issue become so
polarized? Why are those against
the wolf hunt seen as so radically
"environmental" to pro-hunting
groups, and why, in many cases,
are hunters seen as cruel killers to
those who have never been exposed
to hunting? These questions are
important to answer as we, as a
state, strive to lay down a legacy
of conservation while at the same
time carrying on a long hunting tra-
dition. It's important to remember
that there are not only two sides of 0
this debate, but a large gray area in
between - I myself can testify.
.- Kate Laramie can be reached
at laramiek@umich.edu.
I
4'
6