4 - Tuesday, December 10, 2013 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com 4 - Tuesday, December10, 2013 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom l e Mic4igan 4:lat,6,ly Resistance comes in many shades 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. Ree valuatingevaluation~s Centralizing course information has benefits for professors and students s the fall semester comes to a close, it's open season for course evaluations. Feedback from students is an integral part of the Uni- versity's self-improvement, explaining the professorial exhorta- tions that go along with the evaluations. Unfortunately, few students are willing to fill out these evaluations. As much as students are responsible for filling them out, it is the role of professors to demonstrate the impact of these criticisms. Additionally, information regarding class structure, such as syllabi and evaluations, should be more centralized to allow stu- Anyone who's invested in social justice work - as loose and vague as the term is - knows that it isn't easy. On most days it feels defeating and depleting to the point where you may guiltily question what you are doing or ZEINAB why you're the one who has to take this on. It can push you to distrust the world, recoil into your couch and start a "Scandal" marathon when you should really be working on job applications or doing the statistics homework that was due yesterday. But as much as it may bother some people, the vagueness lent to "social justice" can be useful in pushing us to rethink what anti-oppressive work looks like in different contexts. Resisting oppression - or at least its normalization - comes in differ- ent forms and sometimes in ways that we don't highlight or value as much..While anti-oppressive work may evoke images of radical orga- nizing or perhaps images of more reformist approaches that seek to fight "within the system," maybe through negotiating with people in positions of influence, liberation comes in many more shadet. Resistance can play out in the everyday small steps we take, in the seemingly mundane things we do, that, if intentionally proactive and subversive, can be powerful ways to disrupt the status quo. Rethinking resistance starts by dropping any lofty fixed image in our mind of what anti-oppressive/' liberation work looks like. Falling into what we think "social justice" or "activism" ought to look like or what it requires limits our imagination, and subsequently, the impact of our work. Truly challenging the status quo around us won't happen by abid- ing by the script of the mainstream. Instead, we need to think of ways to define resistance work on our own terms; to make it fit the shift- ing needs and nuances of our every- day realities. If we want to survive in sys- tems where our numbers are few or where there are many external restraints against us, we need to imagine resistance thatc tion in spaces that aren't w or conducive of tradition of activism. This requires more proactive in what to invest our energy in, a ways to be subversive in where activism isn't deem priate. By doing so, we can ples of resistance that in us to hold back or, if we engage, we find spaces th and exhaust us. In rethinking resists can start by refusing re activism. While it is imp hold others accountable our voices heard when atic issues come up, we allow "call out culture" to ter of our activism. Doing us from ever coming up agenda. Instead, we pass out someone else's scril largely dictated by m sources that choose to issues based on their n prospects. These source and hope that we will re news they put out. We can resist reactio only in relation to po1 and media, but also in tings we're part of. Ofte class, at work or in meeti expected to react to thing of my views and identity. There are moments Disi when I can lit- erally feel gazes 1 Oi shifting toward me, waiting for "that girl" to respond 1 because she always seems to have something to critique in response to ing, to someone's commer on. I've had to ask mys do I gain or benefit by Why am I constantly plat defense in this space? V expected to always respot never signed up to playn or be a show for someon forward to watching? There's power in refus reactionary in such spa being silent when react the only way your voi comed. Instead, let's slt do things at our own pa can func- them on our own terms. Let's learn welcoming through imagining and cultivating nal forms instead of responding and calling s us to be out. As one activist, Mauro Sifuen- we want tes, put it, "If the dominant forces nd to find are providing us with the majority situations of our material to critique, they are ed appro- essentially formulating our resis- form rip- tance forus." ncentivize of course, it is okay and often nec- choose to essary to voice our disapproval for at exploit what's in front of us. In some cases, it's crucial to intervene and respond. ance, we While in other cases, refusing to actionary respond may be just as important. ortant to But sometimes, a mix of the two is and make most effective: responding - just not problem- in the ways expected of us. shouldn't In many spaces, it can be diffi- take cen- cult to directly intervene - maybe g so keeps becauseyoucan'tafford to do so (per- with the haps in certain professional settings) ively play or just that you don't feel like teach- pt - one ing today. Find ways to make resis- ainstream tance fit whatever situation you're in. highlight Sometimes that means walking out arketable altogether and refusing to dialogue es expect or entertain triggering and problem- act to the atic conversations and settings. If we can't afford to remove our- nism, not selves entirely, sometimes resistance p culture means disrupting the situation. It daily set- means making sure your discomfort ntimes in and disapproval are felt and known ngs, I am evenifyoudon'twanttoexplainwhy. ;s because Whether it's through repeatedly sighing heavily, loudly rummag- ruptive behavior ing through your bookbag, or com- ppressive settings pletely derailing conversations can be just as - do what you )actful as radical need to do to lit- erally disrupt, resistance. bend and desta- bilize oppressive frameworks. the read- While such subversive behav- nts and so for may seem passive aggressive or something that doesn't address the elf: what "root of the issue," remember that engaging? resistance comes in many forms. ed on the Fortunately, it comes in ways that Vhy am I allow us to preserve ourselves. It nd when I shouldn't always be on usto react in mock trial the name of anti-oppressive work. ne to look Disruptive and subversive behavior in oppressive settings can be just as sing to be impactful and can save us energy ces - in on days where we need it for some- ionism is thing else or just don't have it. e is wel- ow down, - Zeinab Khalil can be ce and set reached at zkha@umich.edu. dents to compare courses. As it stands, rates of completion for the course evaluations is low with only 56 per- cent of students participating at any course level during Fall 2012. This rate tends to stay consistent from year to year - increasing by only 1.66 percent from Fall 2011. An obvious disconnect exists between stu- dents and faculty about of the importance of these evaluations. Professors and graduate student instructors need to make it explic- itly clear how essential students' feedback is to improving the course. Professors should set aside time at the end of the final class to give students the opportunity to complete the evaluation, which would highlight the impor- tance of student opinions. Faculty should also ensure that stu- dents can ,see how their feedback may affect instruction changes in the future. For instance, professors should e-mail students after responses have been read, acknowledg- ing common criticisms and praises for the course, and describing planned improve- ments. Providing students with informa- tion about how their evaluations are utilized demonstrates that their opinion is actually considered. Obviously, an increase in stu- dent participation would be more useful to instructors;because they would have more., opinions and feedback to draw from. Evaluations also need to be documented in an online database that is easily accessible to students. A consolidated resource would allows students to consider the evaluation of their peers when they navigate classes on Wolverine Access. The average student per- spective offered in these evaluations would provide a more trustworthy opinion than websites like Rate My Professor, which lends itself to participation bias and creates unreli- able information. To assist students ih select- ing courses, professors should be required to upload past or tentative syllabi to one central website - allowing students to compare the workload and structure of different courses. The syllabus archive on the LSA's course guide site does notcontain all courses, leaving students without an adequate understanding of what their future class may look like. Providing better transparency in the course review system will ultimately demonstrate to students that it is in their best interest to con- tribute to the mutually beneficial program. In the meantime, providing students with time in class and feedback about changes based on their responses will increase participation - ultimately leadingto improved instructor per- formance and better courses. 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 L ETTER '10 1111 lE 0l SEND LETTERS TO: TOTHEDAILY@MICHIGANDAILY.COM I STUDENTS ALLIED FOR FREEDOM AND EQUALITY1 Dorm room demolitions Court dismisses citation with no policy action street - therev Arbor ordinance park a vehicle... portion of the hi TO THE DAILY: property lines an In October, a University of Michigan law urally, it seems ri student represented himself in court and a highway. Inter successfully argued that the judge should Michigan and th dismiss his $25 parking citation. The city of have different de Ann Arbor did not have the proper author- Two months la ity to ticket him. Unfortunately, you probably Judge Christoph did not hear about this epic victory because parking ticket b the media didn't cover it and the judge didn't nance justifying issue a written opinion. Despite a judge ruling vagueness as app that parking on lawns and lawn extensions is citizens should n: not illegal, Ann Arbor still issues these park- nances will be ap ing citations. Jason represente On August 18, 2013, Law School student cessfully dismiss Jason Zolle, received a $25 parking cita- Ann Arbor declin tion for parking his car on his "lawn exten- sion." Jason parked on the seven-foot strip Jeremy Keeney of grass next to the road on his side of the Law student was no sidewalk. The Ann states that "no person shall (1) on a sidewalk; or, on that ghway located between the d the curb or curb line." Nat- diculous that Jason's lawn is estingly enough, the state of e city of Ann Arbor actually finitions for a highway. ter Jason appeared in court. er Easthope dismissed the ecause the municipal ordi- the citation was "void for lied." The judge stated that ot need to guess at how ordi- plied. At the end of the day, d himself in court and suc- ed his $25 parking citation. ed to appeal-the decision. iheod The Feminine Critique: Do you agree that raising the minimum wage requires a change in culture as well as policy? Erin Kwederis analyzes how low wages contribute to the oppression of women. Go to michigandaily.com/blogs/ThePodium Ifyou do not vacate the premises by 13 DEC 6 PM, we reserve the right to demolish your premises without delay. We cannot be held responsible for property or persons remaining inside. Charges for demolition will be applied to your student account. This is the message thousands of University of Michigan students awoke to Tuesday morning. Fortu- nately, the eviction notice was a tool of political satire intended to recreate a situation thousands of Palestinians confront on a daily basis. Even while this parallel was created on our cam- pus, it's impossible to understand the violent trauma associated with the uprooting and displacement of fami- lies and homes. We can only begin to imagine the physical, emotional and psychological lossthathappens when homes and communities - embed- ded with memories, dignity and live- lihood - are reduced to rubble. Since 1967, the Israeli government has demolished more than 27,000 Palestinian homes. Last month, Israeli authorities posted eviction orders on 200 residentialbuildings in East Jerusalem that will leave more than 15,000 Palestinians homeless. No alternatives are left for these soon- to-be displaced populations. While University of Michigan students who received the mock eviction notices can rest assured knowing that they will not be forcibly uprooted from their cozy quarters, they also will not be subjected to the $19,400 fine Pal- estinian families are forced to pay if they refuse to demolish their homes themselves and leave the humiliating task to Israeli authorities. The discrimination against Pales- tinian and Israeli Arabs from their Jewish counterparts is disturbing. While Palestinian homes are unlaw- fully demolished, illegal settlements in East Jerusalem and the Westbank continue to be built. While Palestin- ians are forced to pay hefty fines if they do not demolish their own homes, Israelis are paid to live in ille- gal settlements. In fact, most Israe- lis move to settlements not because of religious, ideological or political reasons, but for the sake of economic convenience due to subsidies that make living in illegal settlements cheaper than in Israel. Of course, all of this is in gross violation of human rights. Under the Geneva Convention, any forcible population transfer is strictly forbid- den. But the Israeli government does not have to answer to international law or human rights. Its blatant dis- regard for human dignity and sur- vival is supported and made possible by us - the United States - who have vetoed a total of 41 Security Council resolutions that indict Israel over its numerous war crimes. So, what now? The so-called "peace process" has proven only as a way to buy time and protect the expansion of settlements that make a just resolution unlikely. Israeli settlements and their expansive network of checkpoints and segre- gated road systems fragment Pal- estinian land, break apart families and take huge tolls on the Pales- tinian economy. What Palestinian state can we speak of when 82 per- cent of the West Bank is under Israeli military rule and 61 percent of it is under full Israeli control? The miserable futility of the peace process is too. evident by recent developments: While U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry tries to renew "peace talks," the Israeli ministry announces the construction of 300 new settlement homes in East Jeru- salem. The U.S. State Department described the move as "counterpro- ductive." In view of Israel's legal and politi- cal impunity and the absence of real dialogue, it is time for us as students at the University of Michigan to take the stand that our government has yet to make. In 2005, Palestin- ian civil society called for a -global citizens' response to these injustices implementing boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel until it complies with international law. In doingso, Palestinian civil society has proposed a morally consistent, effec- tive and nonviolent method to resist the continued colonization and eth- nic cleansing of their lands. The Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement has been endorsed by prominent figures, such as South African liberation leaders Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela, and is beginning to devel- op into a truly global movement. Just last week, the American Stud- ies Association passed the academic boycott of Israeli institutions. Sev- eral American university student bodies, including University of Cal- ifornia, Berkeley, have passed reso- lutions asking their universities to divest from all companies profiting from the Israeli occupation. The time is now for us to do the same. At its core, BDS is about adherence to human rights. It asks nothing con- troversial - only that we uphold our moral standards and practice what we preach. Divesting from Israel would mean divesting from compa- nies that have explicit ties with the Israeli occupation - companies that engage in the likes of selling military technology that aids in the killing of civilians, managing racially segre- gated bus systems and providing ser- vices to illegal settlements. Our University has an established tradition of dissent and activism. This campus has historically been a space for students to raise their political and global consciousness and become harbingers of social change whether it was through pry- ing open the doors of higher educa- tion to minority students, protesting the war in Vietnam, or divesting from South African Apartheid in 1983. By remaining neutral on the "Israeli apartheid," we're complicit in a system of oppression. As Martin Luther King Jr. said, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." Our demand is that you recognize this injustice and divest from all companies that profit from the Israeli occupation. This article was written by members of Students Allied for Freedom and Equality. 4 Because they restrict the pay, there's exploitation. Players are worth more than the compensation they receive. That's the bottom line." - Professor of economics at California State University, San Marcos, Robert Brown said in his paper on the marginal revenue of NFL-caliber college football players from 2011. The Michigan Daily recently analyzed wthe direct revenues Devin Gardner made for the University at $5.5 million. I 1 4