4 -Friday, Decernber 6, 2013 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com 4 -Friday, December 6, 2013 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com 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. Cutting the ties It's time for the dissolution of the EAA and EMU's involvement protesters and professors marched outside of Eastern Michigan University's Welch Hall on Tuesday, calling for the school to end its partnership with the Education Achievement Authority- a program that forcibly takes control of the worst performing public schools in Michigan. Since its inception, the EAA has been hugely controversial, with opponents pointing out the undemocratic nature of taking over pub- lic schools and placing them under the jurisdiction of an unelected body. Some Michigan schools have refused to accept student teachers from EMU out of discontent with the university's affiliation with the EAA. It's time for the dissolution of the EAA, or at the very least, the termination of EMU's involvement with it. NOT ABL E QUO TA BLE He was embraced even by white wardens, his own jailers, because he demonstrated that through the power of dialogue... peo- ple on different sides, former enemies can come together." - Former South African Minister of Human Settlements Tokyo Sexwale said of Nelson Mandela to CNN. Sexwale was incarcerated with Mandela on Robben Island for 27 years. he liberty to voice your belefs 0 Established in 2011, the EAA identifies the lowest performing 5 percent of schools in the state and appropriates control of the school to Detroit Public School Emergency Man- ager Roy Roberts and a 11-member governing board appointed by Governor Rick Snyder, EMU and DPS. The EAA began its project by taking over 15 schools in the DPS district. Countless debates surrounding the EAA's "educational program, accountability and governance of the authority" led to a coalition of parents and university professors to write a letter to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and President Barack Obama voicing their concerns in December of 2012. Being the only public university partnered with the EAA, public schools in Michigan are angered by EMU's unique relationship with the controversial program. Led by chairman Tim Hein, the Washtenaw County chapter of the Michigan Education Association is boy- cotting EMU student teachers in an effort to coerce the school to abandon the partner- ship. Hein explains that the EAA's primary approach to improving schools to fire teach- ers deemed inadequate through an evaluation by their district. This is an overly simplistic and unsustainable approach to improving Michigan schools. Furthermore, the constant staff turnover creates a tumultuous environ- ment for students whose academic struggles may be exacerbated by an unstable classroom. Money spent on the EAA would be bet- ter spent on long-term solutions like more training for teachers and better resources for students. The programs detract from local control over schools, and in turn, the schools have lost community support. Enrollment in the schools has plummeted almost 25 percent. Regardless of the progress the EAA says it's making with students, if they are choosing not to be educated through the system, these gains are irrelevant. A significant amount of these teachers are replaced with volunteers from the Teach for America program. This places young, inex- perienced college graduates in difficult and increasingly unstable situations. These new teachers are asked to teach students in low- income neighborhoods with higher-than- average crime rates while simultaneously dealing with the political controversy sur- roundingthe EAA. The WCEA's boycott against EMU and the controversy surrounding the EAA directly harms EMU and its students. Many professors and department professionals are displeased with EAA tactics and the fact that their input is neither utilized nor valued. The growing tension culminated in the protest organized EMU's chapter of the American Association of Teachers on Tuesday, Dec. 3. Despite faculty ire, EMU spokesman.Geoff Larcom said in a statement that the university intends to con- tinue its partnership with the EAA. The EAA takes a simplistic and detrimental approach to fixingthe schools it commandeers. Students at EMU and at EAA-run schools are victims of this mismanagement. The program should be ended. If state politics prevent the EAA's dissolution, EMU should dissolve its partnership. arlier this week classic Amer- ican rock-and-roll icon Bob Dylan was charged with criminal "pub- lic insult and inciting hate" by French authori- ties for comments he made in an article published Rolling Stone MAURA magazine in LEVINE September 2012. Dylan's com- ments, which offended not only French authorities but also a Croa- tian community group in France were, "If you got a slave master or Klan in your blood, Blacks can sense that. That stuff lingers to this day. Just like Jews can sense Nazi blood and the Serbs can sense Croatian blood." While these statements may have been inflammatory, they were made on American soil during an interview conducted by an American magazine. Dylan is protected under the First Amendment to say what he pleases. He can't possibly be subject to criminal charges in another coun- tryunder these circumstances. In legal terms, jurisdiction is the territory over which legal author- ity-extends in any given area. In the United States, there is both federal criminal jurisdiction and state crimi- nal jurisdiction depending on the situation, the crime and the circum- stances. For example, if someone crosses state boarders with narcot- ics, the federal government can file charges against the carrier due to federal interstate jurisdiction. The person is then subject to different and often greater penalties due to the fact that the federal government is involved, not just the state. International jurisdiction has a long historical background. Interna- tionallaw only addresses questionsof criminal issues and leaves civil issues up to national jurisdiction. Accord- ing to the Encyclopedia Britannica, "the territorial principle" establishes that, "states have exclusive author- ity to deal with criminal issues aris- ing in their territories." This means that if the United States had deemed Dylan's actions a criminal or civil infraction, it would be under home- land jurisdiction to charge him. Interestingly enough, another policy, called "universal jurisdiction, is also in place, which grants states or international organizations criminal jurisdiction over an accused per- son, regardless of where the person is from or where the alleged crime was committed. Based on this defini- tion one may assume that Bob Dylan could be subject to criminal jurisdic- tion in France. The catch, however, is that the only crimes that fall under the category of universal jurisdiction are "crimes against all," like interna- tional terrorism or genocide. These offenses are obviously much graver than a few sentences in Rolling Stone. Furthermore, in Article 689 of the French penal code, France has specifically outlined certain crimes which fall under their jurisdiction even when they were committed out- side of French territory. These crimes include: P torture, terror- ism, nuclear the righ smuggling, naval piracy and air- offensiv( plane hijacking. other than that, and als France does not claim to have them if th jurisdiction over_ people that are not their citizens or over crimes that were not committed on their terri- tory. Unless Dylan was simultane- ously hijacking a plane when these statements were made, France has already lost the battle here. They simply do nothave the right to charge him under the penal code. The offended Croatian commu- nity group in France has also filed a lawsuit against Dylan, yet their law- yer has reported that they are not seeking monetary damages, just an apology. Their lawyer commented that he did not know why Croatians in the United States have not filed similar suits, based on the nature of Dylan's comments. But being a U.S. citizen and presumably. being on American soil when he gave his interview, Dylan is protected under the First Amendment of the Consti- tution, which guarantees his right to free speech. While others may argue that his words are not pro- tected under the First Amendment because they "incite an immedi- ate breach of the peace" - which is an accepted exception to the First Amendment - this would be inaccu- rate. While Dylan's words may have offended some people, there is not enough damage to sue him. This is a grey area where people could pos- sibly argue that his "personal attack" on different ethnicities and minority groups warrants a civil reprimand, but this would be a stretch to say the least. It is important to recognize that Bob Dylan's comments are disre- spectfulto many people inthe French nation, which is home to about 30,000 Croa- tians who feel .e have the very real and recent effects ht to say of the Serbian- Croat conflict. e things, But the beauty of living in the o ignore United States is that freedom of ley choose speech is pro- tected. People have the right to say offensive things or prosely- tize on a street corner because other people have the right to ignore them if they so choose. Bob Dylan was making these crass statements to an American magazine as a U.S. citizen and therefore cannot be subject to the jurisdiction of France's criminal code. As George Orwell once said, "If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not wantto hear." - Maura Levine can be reached at mtoval@umich.edu. EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS Kaan Avdan, Sharik Bashir, Barry Belmont, James Brennan, Rima Fadlallah, Eric Ferguson, Jordyn Kay, Jesse Klein, Kellie Halushka, Melanie Kruvelis, Aarica Marsh, Megan McDonald, Victoria Noble, Adrienne Roberts, Matthew Seligman, Daniel Wang, Derek Wolfe JESSE KLEIN Progress beyond death CHECK US OUT ONLINE Keep up with columnists, read Daily editorials, view cartoons and join in the debate. Check out @michdailyoped and Facebook.com/MichiganDaily to get updates on Daily opinion content throughout the day. MAJA TOSK I In every town in the United States you will probably find at least one street called Washington and possibly one public park or school named after our 16th president, Abra- ham Lincoln. But I have never seen anything like South Africa's passion for their first Black president, Nelson Mandela. You can't drive more than five minutes without passing a mall or shopping center named for him, and you probably drove on at least two Mandela Streets to get to those centers. And this isn't in one city or even just his hometown, but it's in every city over the entire country. During my time in South Africa, Mandela was hovering somewhere between life and death. As the country absorbed itself in prayer and reflected on his legacy, his family - the South African version of the Kardashians - squabbled over his money and burial site. I have never experienced the death of a public political figure. I wasn't alive for the assassinations of Martin Luther King or John F. Kennedy. Yes, Ted Kennedy died in 2009, but I wasn't aware of his prestige. The clos- est were the deaths of Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson, but these celebrity deaths were unexpected and sudden. There was no time for prayer or debate over property until after the fact. Camera crews weren't set out- side their houses like they were at Mandela's. In South Africa, people came to pray or leave gifts and well wishes outside his home and they did the same later at the hospital. There were days when people were sure he was going to die and reporters flocked to his house, unenthusiastically hopingto break the story. During my lifetime, this waiting game has never been played in the United States. Mandela is seen as the heart and savior of their country, despite being president just over a decade ago. Since his presidency, there have been very few politicians that South Africa has to be proud-of. As one of the most corrupt countries in the world, according to Forbes Magazine, their political system is more of a burden than a highlight. The end of Mandela's presidency turned quickly into police bribes and millions spent to pamper the current president's cattle faster than any- one could have predicted. It has taken more than 100 years for the Republican Party in the United States to adopt values different from those held during the Civil War. South Africa's African National Con- gress has turned from freedom fighters into a corrupt political party in fewer than 30 years. The South African people still hold on to Mandela because he is a reminder of what South Africa was supposed to be after the end of Apartheid. His death is not only a tragic loss of a beloved and inspirational leader, but end of the hope that Mandela could see a South Africa free of its apartheid past. Yes, segregation has ended in South Africa, but Mandela died without seeing equality between the Black and White populations in all aspects of life. Jesse Klein is an LSA junior. "I'm sorry.' If you liste: phrase is co by half of t on our camp chairs scree( echoed as th closing rema mentionedc people are to simple yet d become seco women. I often ca low women, that shouldr As our mout answers, opi word "sorry" thing else. As and interact manages to "Sorry" has p our actions, b never be apol The intrica The edge to The sharpn The push tt The shove voices. The need t The tears from our bein This simpl er implicatior You are not an apology gizing for our actions. Words have ten to women critique other women. n carefully, this simple an impact on our self-image and Messages and stereotypes have the ntinuously whispered aspirations. Every time "sorry" is power to socialize people into believ- he students bustling stated, a denial and suppression ingthese lies. us. It's spoken when occurs. In that moment, we become our shields can only resist a ch on the floor. It's labeled as wrong. Our bodies, opin- certain amount of bullets. After he starting point and ions, reactions and needs become a while, they all come rushing in. ark of sentences. It's inappropriate and incorrect. This Perhaps, the messages of women's even when multiple inherent and often unnoticed apol- inferiority have broken our shields blame. Uttering this ogy tells us and those around us and have burrowed deep within angerous phrase has that we are not worthy. us. From within comes the need nd nature for some If you listen closely, stating, "I'm to apologize. We have adopted sorry," has become a widespread unnecessary insecurities. We have itch myself, and fel- phenomenon. Such occurrences do become subjected to the power of apologizing for things not merely happen by chance. Our socialization and dangerous ideas not be apologized for. apologies are connected. Your sorry that have poisoned our minds and hs open to state our is linked to mine. They are born from actions. We, women, are silencing nions and truths, the the same source. As women, we are ourselves as we apologize for who creeps in before any- consistentlytold by our surrounding we are and what we think. But we we form relationships institutions, media and even those are notweak forlettingthese beliefs with others, "sorry" close to us that we are to approach seep past our shields. We may have cause a disturbance. the world with caution and one step fallen victim to these simple words, )oured into so many of below our male counterparts. but we hold immense strength. ut some things should These messages can be subtle We have the power to change our ogized for: and indirect or a slap in the face, but vocabulary. We have the power to te folds of our bodies. regardless of how they are present- radiate new messages. our tone. ed, they still make the same point. We are strong and filled with ess of our opinions. Women are seen as weak and passive inspiring ideas. Our minds hold o lean in. sex objects. The size of a woman's beautiful knowledge. Our worth to make space for our body is more noticeable thanthe size comes from fulfilling our own ide- of her mind. A woman's worth stems als and passions. o be real and honest. from her ability to adopt a limiting "Sorry" is not necessary. Be cou- and laughter seeping notion of beauty. I'm bombarded by rageous enough to be yourself. You gs. these messages every time I open are not an apology. 0 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Readers are encouraged to submit letters to the editor. Letters should be fewer than 300 words and must include the writer's full name and University affiliation. We do not print anony- mous letters. Send letters to tothedaily@michigandaily.com. e phrase has far great- ns than merely apolo- a magazine, turn on the TV, hear men's howls and whistles, and lis- Maja Tosic is an LSA senior.