4A -- Friday, Novemrber 8, 2013
I~diii d ad ictn-zuaged-by students at
All; Ak :' 1h Univritiy ofJMichiganz since 1890.
Thle Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com*
420 May naid St.'
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
tc11 ladrryt« r ichiyandad~iy.cnt
M4ELANIE KRIUVELIS
and ADRIENNE ROBERT.Z"S MATT SLOVIN
LI Dii1 Al I s-'(L D I S IVIANAGING EDIJOR
ANDREW WEINER
11[)111INI Cl-III
Uiisigned editoriaisseflectihe official piositionl oflie tDily's editotrial board.
All oilier sigiied aricnles andililiistratioins repireseitisolely the views of their authors.
Com-municatting responsibilities
Tenants will now he ticketed directlyfo any accrued fines
T he responsibility of cleaning up Anti Arbor lawns littered with
red solo cups from football Saturdays may soon shift from land-
lords to tenants. Recently delibert aed aimenadments to sections 72
and 132 to the "Hou~rsiing Law of, Michiganl" would directly ticket tenants
for any fines accrued froni violating ordinances regarding conimunity
standards of cleanliniess and public welfar e. Although .the amendments
may seem like an attack oii student poecetbookIs, these potential chaniges
would create an iinptoved level of.iiotificatioin for tenants. Students will
now be made aware of what behaviors caii result in fities, and they will
now kcnow the triagntude of the cotsaequences. This new chantiel of com-
municatioti betweeni the city, teniants and the landlords displaces some of
the uneasiness students caii feel as thecy move off campus.
Biefore these amiendmiieits wetre suggescted,
the responsibiility of painlgatoy finies issued
by Aim AthoarfItlito the liidlord, and the city
wasn't requiiied to tiotify tie occupas of the
building. Noiw, the rvised cases iif, the lill
state that its the duty oifithe occupnts of a
dwelling to keep the tatelmise "lice fromtithe
accumoulationa of dirt, filth, rubbish, garbage
or other mailer ina the yards, couitis, passages,
areas or alleys conntected or bielonigt thia
dwelling." If thle teniants of ain atartmeniitir
house fail to do so, the city ._ini tiaticular lie
Cotmmtuntity Stanadc isot ot Ain Atiiiri-
will issue a,;"' writeninotice of violaiitin to
the occupant. The ldcloof thle buildinii
will receive tite 11s well.
Inithe past, whieiiailaindlotrd ieceived a
notification of a ine, lie could iiiforiiithic
tenants at his discrction. lane to iiifecctive
comnhticationa, a tenant coutld totentilly
commit the same offeiisc'iver aiiil over and
unconsciously accitie a nitiiibir of ines.
Dependigtipoit the laiidloi c, the paymtieiit
could caone oit if the oiviiris tiocket iii taos
sibly the secuirity detiosit of his teniaiits; and,
there are myriad citations capabileiii niaik
lng secentity deposit cdisatipear. tHowever, the
landlord piossesses the optioin to tuirii the Ie
over hifs tenaiits. Accoiding toi the city, teli'
ants can tie ined for iiifenses raiigin fom ilii
overgrowvn grass, 0tdvii accuiiiulai, artkl-
DEREK MAGILLI
hng in tihe y aird to eveni "abanldonaed refrig-
craor. xIni p ~ articilar, tenaniscan be haeavily
fiued Icir placing aiiicithostered couchl upon
th oc ftheir cdwelling oii the grociids
thiti is 5aIipotential fire hazard.
'11111 Koetsier, a meniher of the Reiital
Propelrty ownoers of Michigant, uses this
examipie to illustrate his support for the hill.
tHe claimls that "laiidlords doi't pot couch-
es o porches, tetnants doi, and if they (tie
mnicipality)uanlt it iceiovccl thaey soold
cite the cenant for thatit
In the iteesis of proteccitig students and
their seemrily depositsiliceiUnivcrsity irecent-
iy held 111ninrmatilonlscssioniregaiditag the
iegall deticils ptoent~li linats should kiaow
befoi esligiig a lease. Couplcd with the pro-
posal1 of ihis aiiieidcd billthec University aiid
11115 e li s 15in Lmiiiiiii ar doiiig a mlore effec-
live job of priividing stucdcnts with iformla-
luoau t th111 e duties thalt coiie uith relting.
I tolievet, these tio enitities shloulcdn't have to
continueliccmlipenlsatiilg for thae lack of coin-
miunlicatliionllictweenldllllorcds aiid stcudeiits.
Stuicits also iieed to lie adults atad accept
lie ic spoiisiiilitiis that coime with living off-
camiipus --cceii if iliactimeans paying for occai-
siiiin aiiiiuts if lzinless. However, studeiats
are: capabdilile of fclfilliiig these obligaltionls
if 1landlordd contine to provide tlheii with
Iitsufllicitilt iiifiirmiatioii.
Intersection of Greek Life and LGBTQ
Jwaited patieitly outside of take bung to see that le was't keep- it appear so honophobic?
wrhat t thought sas the side lng oiie rather, lie was concealig It's worth coisidering, however,
doior of the hicuse. oii the glass his sexual orientatitin froia a key that iiaye the issue isn't that the
door was a white eleiieit ini his life: his fraterniaty Greek commlunity is homophoic,
decal if three ----- aid the broader Greek-life cultuiie. rather hyper-heterosexual. As a
Gieekc frateriity "So it's really not a secret that Greek life nenuer, I can attest that
letters that, to you're keepinig. Crrct iae if 'iiiwheiaI lived in a sorority house,
aia isider, rep- , wrong, ht it's noe so that you conversations at the dinner table
resent a variety doi't want to sake thiiig p?" I were largely driveii y heterosex-
of experienices askedlhiln. aity - "That guy you met at Alpha
froii brother- "Yes. It's not that inteestingIm leta Chal last night ... are you taking
hood, ' oi- ._ a normial person." hitm to formal?" It isn't homopho-
radeship atid SARA Jackie Simtpson, director of the ic, it just isn't inclusive language.
coimiounity to MOROSI Spectroto Ceter, explained that But the sate can e said for the
football tail- ovr the yeas, acceptanlce of the wider campus culture, not to men-
gates, Ilatitus LGBiTQ commuity in Greek life tioti all across society. When viewed
Special Light, dronkeit hookups, has been a topic of conversaioit. h's broadly, we wonder how it can ps-
cleavage, itfatuatioti, regiet atid routitnely brought up y studeitts to sily change, ut that doesn't mean
tile occasiottal smell of sount. the Spectruma Advicacy Board as we shouldn't do our part in mak-
I ad rarely come to the frater- an issue they would like to pursue. ing all corners of our University
nity house on a weekday nighnt.The Accorditig to Simnpson, about six an acceptitg place for the LGBTQ
feel was very diffeieint. Thee was years ago, the Spectruiai Center, im comiaunity. Ote way is to continue
no music blaritig aiad iiy oots were 'colaoratioia with Geek life, led a cotsciously elitinating micro-
not stickintg to spilled alcohol ott the survey that explored the erceived aggressiots, like usitg "gay" or
tile as I walked dowit tiemiii hall- level of acceptatmce of LGiTQs "faggot" in a negative connotation.
way. The same three Geek letters withinth le Greekllomon iy. There is itucha to e cone before
were painted in white onthle wall. I "I found the _________ the Greek com-
taoticed a hal-full otle of off-bratad results to e very imunity, as an
Sprite onth ie floor, ptobably a leftover fascitatitig," Greek Life entity, can tote
bottle of chaser fronthtie vweekentd.- Simtpsoil said. *f acceptance of
Todd Needle, a senior photo edi- What the str- . isnt necessariiy LGBTQ mem-
tor at The Michigata Oaily, sat across vey fountd was hom o u ti es utI
frotmi tme o00is edrooma floor, lie sat that the perceived honpho ibuf t1 believe were
witha his legs crossed - a position we level of accep- hme~ eeoe u l noving for-
referred io itteettettary schtool as tance of LGBTQ .yVe -eeosx a ward. Person-
"Indian style." it mtade his body ook membuers varies ally, I have
cratmped, ht the iifortaaity of his across cotitimuti- seet a change
posture made him appear relaxed at ty, chapter ad the itdividual. itt acceptance withint Greek life
the samie titme. onu the wall above his Sinpsont recounted that whena over the past four years that I've
bed was a posier that read "Forward students were asked, "hDo you feel beet part of it.
with Obama." said level is suportive of LGiTQ Last February, Needle told me,
For years, Needle has struggled maembahers?" te vast mlajority of stu- "We're just not there yet, as a Geek
to coute to termas with his sexual dents claitmed that as a communtity, culture. It's disappointing. Ito not
orientation. Beinlg a studenti at the Greek life is not accepting, and that even there yet as a person, to e rn-
University, a fairly liberal shool their chapter is somewhat accept- ning around taking guys to formal.'
at that, has bothicm ipicatedhatd ing, atd, as an idividual, tey are With a snie he added: "Although
cleated his path to self-discovery. accepting. we'd totallyhave matchi nghowties."
Needle is a nember of Greek life on Simpson explained that judging Since then, Needle has become
campuus. Htowever, it hasn't ahays by the needs of siudenas consult- moe and mmre open abot his sex-
baen ati environimuent itt whichi he tgat the Spectrumut Ceter, shie has uah preferetce. This fal, le posed
felt coimfortable expessiuglhis sex- ot noticed a catge ini the level of for pictures ext to ii boyfriend
ual orientation. accepatce itt LGB'Qtmeners i at his fraternity's Gatbyitspired
Greek cultue stignmatizes gays. Greek life sincethesurvey was ctin- date party.
"It's not auueuviuomunaet conducive to duced oe thata half a decade ago. And yes, uhey wore bow ties.
homosexuality, to openahomoseual- "I would say that students exp- "I've beeti very impressed by
ity," Needle told tme. Because of this, rietnce it ie saue. They continue to eeryone who knows me person-
iin tihe pst le has consciousy filtered bring this cp as somoethitg they feel ally - especially nmy brothers. They
himselthie with his brothes. He needs to e worked on. What that haven't atted an eyelash." Needle
has spoken in a mtoe masculine tone. says to me is that it has't changed." told te ita ate October. "But when
lie has joiedlitt convesations aboiut Simtpsonm added, "For tme persotn- I ear people say fag' or 'itat's
hmot sorority girls, ally, as director of the Spectrumi Cen- so gay,' h want to tell themm that it
Last- semtester, I tottk a course ter, I viewv ty colleagues ini Greek life doesn't nake you ound cool; it
ini narrative journaismt. I chose to and sudemnts I've worked witha iiiFC miakes you soutd like an assoe."
write muy marrative about Needle's -and anhel as very supportive." "It retminds me that we still have
extperienmce withnthe ittersectioum So what's goitg ou? If the major- a ways to go."
of hotmosexuality anld Grek life. ity of surveyed Greek miembuers are -________- -
I originally set out to tell a story allegedly acceptlig of the LGBTIQ - Sara Moosi can e reached
about keepitug a secret, hut it didn't conuntity, why, as an entity, does a sunuisi,uiched.
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
No excuse for slut shaming
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A party of their own
'The hibe'rtatrianiPtty didl rit cost tile
RepubliucantlParty the VtrginlialgovetroI lice,
they did thuat oumtiheir own.
'There ar~etmvouways ithue tcc-tblicllll hParry
can view its narrowtlos11s tilirlillciais illth
Virginmiaugubierniatoriahlh race: Eithier tile party
needs further reforimtaout social polic ies or
those peskey Liber tatiahut 1lieu s 'cosi LuS tile
electionu." 'lie formler would be warmilly wv']
copted hay a ppuclace thalt's demiandcilt;-- wimli
an everm itmreasitig fervorit-sociaill ibetrties.
Thl~m atter wtuuldi ha savage hmypocrisy. Whiai
khm itofmessauge cdoes it sendc whenut a hiltty
that allegedly suppoimts cuimimpeitininilmar-
kets wants tut e-njvoy It lmonopotiliy ilmhe ticc
tiusmlprodess? Whtilohe par 111ties alie * uiltiy of
doing everythitng itt their tiuwer to tmlalgiiil
ice third patrtic's, tile iepulicanl treatment of
the LibartarianPtaiy is 1par1ticulatrly galling
with is cheaguttips. "a svote fur a Liei
tariani is a vote for a Decmocralt." A }par1ty thati
as to smaumue tiole inmto votimig fur it is niii a
party wor t votig ftutu . iids, hase eubah-
licans ever tutghit 110w silly thalt soudcs?
Atid, as imuchi as Repuicanllus wotiul hiy'
to lay claium totm thembetartianim o uvementll,
there are clearl y enoughil ilsertrian~ voters
who tiimkusiconismm- Libertrianls "mar~try-
ing" Rtepubllic-ans-- is an illegit imtacte lceans
toward a motre liettrianlsuociety. Insteivdof,
placiig lalmetd'oilpeuiplewhvoted forcm h e
LibertariantFarty canidcate Robe'rtiSarki.,,
Republicanus iced to as5k themtselvs: l~"u iy
didn't these peouple vote RepcublicanE AWhy did
the Democrats still wsina wietchtie majority of
voters mm Virginial, if youucomblaie til epaulb-
licanmanatdiLibertarianutsc, viated for freei
nmarketis? Whit is thec disconniect bietwseli
Lietrtaills aild1tle hte-pubsicanita1yR'
Whuiluthelm ss I vious Ireasontlis 111111iii-
emrtrianteli'acltulii;lyii40c1' free lual~c'I .,il's
social liertices tha~t meouill have had the milti
imnediate imipauct odilleilic' ltuftit lecdi-c
litn. If thu Reubiican11 Party canldildatelienl
has no role whaatsoever ini the marial amnd sc-
ual relationtships of Virgimiia citizents, I dcan say
with counfideclie lilactil'wsldd avelce ivdl
nore Libertarianm votes despite thie fact that
we would have still had disagreements.
hibler~tains atremit time rigid ideologues
that1 the .Reiubiliicant patty hats paimnted us to
be. We 1recognize that mm politics, as mm any
lite of imfhue, you 1can'lt always ave your cake
anid ea~t it lul. I louver, we litu accept the
plhilosopicallyi;illiteralte antchmoatlly hank-
Irtupt shlutdhmlelt that social liberties aren't as
importantlull as econmommic liberties. Cemntral to
lilert 111. 11 phtilosopihy is time ecognuitionm thalt
suiiuuuitiuy, peaceful associationus hetweena
ipiee 1'etile focundationm for free imarkets.
Fuir LibeaiIuhatns, Cuecitacii's stances out
Iariage, the citrcg var, sex andc immuigration
wevt-tlollfar iniviolatimng this tarinciple.
lv iiredllhy .a hlardhprincipsle t accept that peoi-
plie shld lcble fice to do whalt they wish in their
plivile hlides, stoun115sit's peaucefuoh? Republi-
calls 1ha1e1'ld ibc hertatrianis thteyre "stubbornm,"
bsut sttubornnetss ia defetnse of liberty cannot
seriuly;bfe coiisidiered a vice. Iftwe locuk at time
diretiondurl llctultcmre is mtovinhgin,uwmo is really
bingitugodbblorni: those whmo would lilt social
.rcstr ictiions, or those whmo would immpose themn
.again~st lie veishes of mtost individuals? Thme
result (tul"lie electilun speakis for itself.
D~oes this tmeanu Libaertamrianms wanted time
Dhemoucratic cauldidiie 'ferry McAuliffe to
lie electedi'Far fruomm it. It simpltay man th at
Repubihlians have not yet cuome far enoughaout
socdilibier ties io uterit time early 150,00 Lib-
ertaianIl voles thalt they cli~mRIobert Sarvis
'Siiihiiledi' awaly 11111 thtemm. While I have mo
doiubhtt he Rei ~publicanstvwoucld halve tlakeni
the elct1101 if tile Libsertarianm party had not
fieldied iaumadidate, I have eqoally ito doubt
ihiat the Repuictanlts would iaave wonm if they
hadrildheselves of soume of their more
meieiivall sic ill policies - some of whaichm,
,)rnt icthy shutre with ODumocrats.
Apparnl ity, thoutghI, that was wishmfumi
hiri. Redpubilicanms ha~ve already taken
toi sociailimedlia to blame Libertarians for
evslti" itieiiithe electionm of 1a "tree mmarket
I aiicdidtiitha a siimpe relaxautiona of social
pliieds mlighlthlved wonm. I woinder whuether
thely have ever hueard that tinmeless hit of wis-
domth: "Inlsanuity is cdoing time sante tiing over
n~di v-slidc tin~gcdifferemnt results?"
Derek Magill iv an LSA sophomore.
Halliuweena is time onme
night a yeahr whena
girls canm dress ike
a total shut amid
no oter girls
canm say anythinug
about it," said
Cady Hcrmonminm
"Meam Girls,"
whichl is becomm-
tug a generationu-
al culi classic. As MA R
commedic as this
statementtaugust LEVINE
sounmd, it could --_. -
not he truer in
time cuillege memtaity. With Hal-
loween 2013 in our rear-view mir-
roes, we are left withnbluhrry i~imoume
pictures of ouor triemads dressed in
outfits thmat would he considered
"shutty" ottany other day of the year
sinmply because they canm get away
with it tutu"H~allo-weekenhd." hBut just.
beeause this hotliday has becohmle time
one day a year in which it is cultural-
ly acceptable to dress in a less-than-
traditional mmanner does not make it
OK for wotnenm to he "shut shanmed"
or for menm to harass wutomen slot-
ply hecacuse of whmat thmey are wear-
ing. thme Michuiganmlawvs ona sexual
huarassmmenut still apply evenm when a
woman is wearing a sexy schoolgirl
costunme tin Halloweema.
Accordinag to a self-proclaimed
femnmist blog, "Filnally a Femmi-
nistn 101 Blog," "slut shaming"
occurs when a womaan is attaeked
or shamed for beimag sexual tar act-
ing on sexual feeliings. It is also, "..
the implication that ifsa woman has
sex that traditional society disap-
proves of, she should feel guilty anmd
inferior." Slut shaming can ead to
women having low self-esteem and
to mnieatinikinag that womena are
nmere sexual objects and are able to
he tharownm arounid with little cont-
sequemnce. Just because a wonuma is
dressed a certaimi way on Hallow-
een - or ammy other day of the year -
does not mean that site is "easy" to
get into bed, that she can be treated
withaout respect tue that she can bae
touched simmply because youu wanmt to
toucih lier.
iUfortunately,umuanmy cllege nmen
overstep their houdaries - "Hallo-.
weekenad" or not. Maybe they are shut
shuamimgammd thinuk that itheycanmuouch
a woman inappropriately because
of time way she
is dressed, or
umaybe they wvere M~len she
mever tauighit
manr.It; is beforei
imuportanut tim
realize, however, advance!
that unless you schoolgi:
know a womanuu
personually and
you know that
she consents to physical contact, you
shouldn't touch lier. Regardless of
whether or not youm thimnk it is fumnny
or hiarmlmess to grab lier tout closely
while takimng a group pictdure or thu sip
your artm aroutud lier wvaist durinig a
preganme, thieve actions maay mmake her
uncomofortable.
More than making her uncom-
fortable, these actionms are actually
proluibited by law. Accordinig to thme
Rape, Abuse and Incest National
Network, sexual assault is any,
"umnwanted sexual conmtact that
stops short of rape or attempted
rape. This includes sexual touch-
ing and fondling." So while mere
touchinug at a bale may seem harm-
less, even this eould pursue into a
form of sexual assault punishable
by law. In Michigan, there are four
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degrees of Criminal Sexual Con-
duct. These degrees differ in both
definitionus and guidelines for pun-
ishment, depemding on the type of
inappropriate contact sustained.
Furthermore, resistamace by the
victim is not mnecessary to establish
CSC has oceurred; therefore, if a
womana is too scared or ashanmed to
speak out, renmove herself fronm an
unucomfortable situation or tell her
assailamnt to stop, the perpetrator.
canm still he crimnally prosecuted.
It would be wrronmg to assumoe that
just because a womman did tot com-
plain of discom-
fort, she was not
)uld ask affected. Fear of
shanme or rid-
naking cule may pro-
hibit her from
s - sexy resisting at that
ri or not. timie~ ha
beciome desensi-
tized to women
being called "shuts," to women
beling touched inappropriatehy or
feeling uncomfortable. Pop cul-
tore makes it seena OR for a man
to touch a woman when he finds
her sexy; it supports the idea that
nmen can take what they want when
they want it. But neither a womnan
wearing a playboy bunny costume
nor a woman wearing a turtleneck
sweater is juistifiably "asking for it."
Men should always ask before mask-'
ing advances on a woman - regard-
less of what she is wearing. If not,
they could find their slut shaming,
selves in a courtroom, whether or
not it was a harmless joke nr a mis-
taken gesture taken "too far."
- Maura Levine can he reached
at mtoval@umich.edu.
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