4A - Thursday, April 3, 2014 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com 4A - Thursday, April 3, 2014 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109' tothedaily@michigandaily.com MEGAN MCDONALD PETER SHAHIN and DANIEL WANG KATIE BURKE EDITOR IN CHIEF EDITORIAL PAGE EDITORS MANAGING EDITOR 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. Keep the lakes reat Michigan needs to enact stricter legislation on oil transportation n March 24, the BP Whiting Refinery in Whiting, Ind. experienced a malfunction causing crude oil to spill into Lake Michigan. BP initially estimated that nine to 18 barrels - about 377 to 755 gallons - were spilled. Later, those estimates were doubled. Lake Michigan, along with the other Great Lakes, is a significant element of the state's identity and play a large role in Michigan's tourism industry. To protect the lakes, Gov. Rick Snyder and other state legislators should exhaust all options to implement stricter regulations when oil is processed or transferred near the Great Lakes. Another petty election F or a minute there, I actually that our work in college is pointless, Can we stop this charade? thought we'd be better off but we shouldn't take it to the point I've become so annoyed with without astudentgovernment of suing people and running a these ridiculous elections, I actually entirely, campaign like the U.S. Senate. Rarely argued to my roommates that CSG Yet another can we make the wide-ranging doesn't need to exist. It serves no year has gone by impacts we hope for, and those who purpose, I told them - student with a group of do are typically not members of organizations can do better alone. self-important, student government. According to But before we plunge into anarchy pretentious can- Make Michigan - our new student (sorry, YAL) let's remember didates taking government executives - they're that CSG actually does have themselves and "changing campus culture." real responsibility. They control the shoddy insti-JAMES No, no you are not. hundreds of thousands of dollars tution of Central BRENNAN CSG and political parties don't in student organization funding, Student Govern- change campus culture. The Coali- are supposedly our unified voice on ment far too seri- tion for Tuition Equality changes campus and have the ability to create ously. I'm just campus culture. The Black Student dialogues on important causes. The thankful I became too cool for Face- Union changes campus culture. Even point I'm making is that elections book so my exposure to wannabe groups that I typically disagree with, - even when they only garner a politicians and their platitudes was such as Students Allied for Free- small sliver of student attention left to unwarranted retweets and dom and Equality, Hillel and Young - are so pathetic they can make a e-mails. Americans for Liberty, change cam- reasonable person want to toss out Here's something to think about: pus culture. CSG serves as a platform an occasionally useful system. for every year I've been at the for self-important, goal-driven kids It's inconceivable how stupid University, student government to pretend they matter. They occa- cheating to win an election to be elections have ended with lawsuits. sionally go speak to the University's student body president is. It's even Let me repeat that with emphasis Board of Regents, get nods of approv- more inconceivable that a person to make sure that we all understand alfor dressingup in a suitandtalking would sue their way into office over how ridiculous itsounds: like a bigboy, and infractions Student government elections then sit down as pointless have ended with lawsuits. while grownups . as showing Really, guys? discuss real mat- Let me give you friends how to A glorified resume builder is ters. Sometimes s advice: e' vote or failing worth "suing" people in student they jump on to report small court over? Like alot of people, I was board and pass Voung and most expenses. Maybe shocked to find out we even have a resolution (or * I'm just being a student election commission, let don't) in support of what we do is pessimistic, but I alone the sheer number of election of a real student i sa find it incredibly rules. Aren't we better than this? group's goals inconsequential. petty, immature Aren't we mature, reasonable adults while approving and selfish who realize how insignificant CSG their funding, to go to such elections are? Don't we realize how but the idea that they "change cam- lengths all so you can call yourself sad it is that we need to have such pus culture" is comical. "President." There are easier ways a cadre to fight cheating? This is a Everyyear, Iwatchthese elections to back up your self-importance, like student government election, not the and I shake my head and laugh. I see getting a college newspaper column U.S. Congress. The one talking point kids my own age or younger get overly and calling yourself a "journalist." for your law school interview isn't worked up over aglorified popularity Most students probably wouldn't worth the grief to cheat, and neither contest, taking to the pages of The be familiar with what the BSU, are your plans for some bus system Michigan Daily in an attempt to SAFE or YAL have legitimately that I'm sure would be enacted distinguish themselves from the accomplished - fair enough. But I anyways. And please, stop acting like equally homogenous party they're bet even fewer could point out who you do this because you care. You do running against. They all "believe our new President is and what his it for the same reasons college kids do in student government," speak in position actually entails. almost anything: ambition. the politically correct euphemisms Everyone who just got elected, Let me give you some advice that we hear from U.S. presidential please remember that. mymentorsinlife continuallyremind candidates, and tweet about how me of: we're young and most of what "It was great meeting with (insert - James Brennan can be we do is inconsequential. It's not group)! #MichiganDifference." reached at jmbthree@umich.edu. Thank you, Obama Last Thursday, BP representatives revised their estimates for the amount spilled to between 630 and 1,638 gallons. One week after the spill, an assessment team - comprised of the Coast Guard, BP and the Environmental Protection Agency - reported there was no more oil visible on the shore or in the water. Phillip Willink, senior biologist at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium, said Lake Michigan wildlife shouldn't suffer any long-term harm. Despite the relatively small size of the spill, the failure of existing facilities and regulation to safeguard the lakes is concerning. The Great Lakes are an incredibly important ecosystem for fish, agriculture, various animals and even humans. Currently, 37 million people live in the Great Lakes Basin, more than 26 million of whom rely on the lakes for drinking water. The people in the surrounding area rely on this important ecosystem. About 67,000 of the 201,000 square miles in the Basin are used for growing crops such as wheat, corn, soybeans, barley and oats. The area surrounding Lake Michigan contains the most farmland of all the Great Lakes and is a leading producer of fruits and vegetables. With a history of oil spills, BP's conduct merits heightened attention from both the state and federal government. Just last month, a ban on federal contracts with BP was lifted. The sanction was initially put in place in response to the disastrous Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. This recent spill - along with previous oil spills in Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico - raises questions about whether BP needs to be placed back under a federal ban. Considering BP's questionable track record, it's imperative that the company be transparent with the spill and the resulting cleanup. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel called for full transparency from BP regarding the events leading up to the spill. U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) elaborated on Emanuel's speech, calling for a full investigation to prevent the possibility of future oil spills in the Great Lakes. According to The Chicago Tribune, representatives from Michigan are also calling on BP to tighten regulations. Given that the Great Lakes are equally important - if not more so - to Michigan, it's time for Snyder and Michigan senators to voice their concerns as well. EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS Barry Belmont, Edvinas Berzanskis, Rachel John, Nivedita Karki, Jacob Karafa, Jordyn Kay, Aarica Marsh, Megan McDonald, Victoria Noble, Melissa Scholke, Michael Schramm, Matthew Seligman, Paul Sherman, Allison Raeck, Linh Vu, Daniel Wang, Derek Wolfe EDVINAS BERZANSKIS Understanding HJVAIDS The 12 of us were making the last leg of our long and exhausting drive to Fort Worth, Texas, as part of Alternative Spring Break. We were going to spend our time at Samaritan House, a nonprofit organization that provides housing and care to individuals and families living with HIV/AIDS and other special needs. I did not save anyone. I didn't expect to. We entered the community with anticipation and anxiety, ready to experience a new envi- ronment, hear new stories and do some good old-fashioned manual labor. And we did. But I would like to think that there is a reason why year after year, they continue to invite students from the University back. To be honest, yes - our five days of physical work most likely didn't have any grand effect on Samaritan House or the community. To them we may have been a passing kiss, a short, sweet presence com- monplace in an environment that attracts so much service and assistance from the commu- nity. But to us, or at least me, the people at the Samaritan House offered a window into a stig- matized group of society who is often margin- alized, ignored and even avoided. They're those who are living with HIV/AIDS. Phrasing was the first lesson. He or she is not an "HIV-positive person" or "a person infected by HIV." They are living with HIV/AIDS. First and foremost, despite what society miscon- strues, this community of people do, in fact, have lives that are often quite fulfilling and are comprised of employment, families and close relationships. But even more importantly, an individual living with HIV/AIDS doesn't allow it to envelop or define their entire lives. Hearing the stories of the residents of Samari- tan House, their illness was merely one of the many hardships faced, and like all the other hardships, they were merely facts to live with, not be defined by. This is becoming more and more a reality as changes in medical technol- ogy have transformed HIV/AIDS from a death sentence to a manageable chronic illness. I remember coming home and hearing one of my friends make a seemingly "harmless" joke regarding contracting HIV by sharing a spoon. I went off. To be fair, my verbal back- lash was unnecessarily mean. I know there was no malicious intent, and it very well could have been a joke I would have made a few months prior. There was the second lesson: stigma. Most don't consciously recognize the perpetuated stigma over HIV/AIDS via non- chalant comments or "harmless" jokes. As it is with many stereotypes, the root of this one is a lack of accurate information. According to aids.gov, HIV can only be transmitted through sexual contact, pregnancy/childbirth, drug injection, occupational exposure or organ transplant. It cannot be contracted through physical contact like hugging, a handshake or a kiss. Neither I nor anyone else in my group ever felt like our safety was at risk at any point. On the contrary, we felt welcomed and very comfortable in their community. Their homes and communal spaces were open to us and we truly had the opportunity to witness the very human faces behind the illness that social stigma unjustly distorts. It's peculiar to think that I had to travel 1,160 miles into the heart of Texas to gain insight into a global issue that affects us in our very own backyard. But sometimes it takes a new environment for people to see an issue in a fresh, eye-opening context. Edvinas Berzanskis is an LSA sophomore. on't boo. Organize." How profound. And only three words. For all of the hours President Barack Obama and his writers likely spend writ- ' ing, editing and perfecting his speeches, it was d an off-the-cuff DEREK remark that shed WOLFE the most light on where the priorities of the American people are and where they should be. And it only strengthened his argument. Speaking to a crowd yesterday mixed with students, donors and alumni who were all thrilled to be at the musty, dimly lit Intramural Sports Building, Obama empha- sized the importance of raising the national minimum wage to $10.10 from the current $7.25 - $7.40 in Michigan. I've never seen a more engaging speaker. And he obviously knows his audience. He began with a resounding "Go Blue!" He ate lunch at Zingerman's and had something to say about it: "One of the reasons I went was because the sandwiches are outstanding. The second reason, though, is Zingerman's is a business that treats its workers well, and rewards honest work with honest wages ... and that's what I'm here to talk about today." And if you haven't heard by now, he ordered a Reuben. He gave a shoutout to Nik Stauskas, Glenn Robinson III, Jordan Morgan and Devin Gardner - specifically saying that Stauskas shouldn't worry because he has a contract coming up and that Morgan was the definition of a true student-athlete. He definitely covered the bases, including his obligatory shot at Republican incompetence. Obama claimed that the Republican's tactics - includingan origi: the Affordable Care terproductive to An The crowd agreed a resentment.And Ob "Don'tboo. Organ Obama can oni: with the minimum Smooth talking w rolled up button-do only go so far. He to pass a bill, whii seems more unlik with midterm elect in November. So he roots as a communit And that's wher There arehundreds on campus, so really the problem. Rathe to organize. We ca with booing. With an obnoxious sound breath. The statusc wage, specifically,i directly affects our to care. Because it m citizens of ours arev jobs and are still n ends meet. "Don't boo. Organize. That's what you need to do, because they may not hear the boos, but they can read a petition and they can see votes." It seems like nal idea to repeal houses was rewarding, it was even Act - are coun- more amazingto hear about how the merica's success. local community came together and nd expressed its began making the surrounding area ama responded. a safer place, so people, especially iize." children, don't have to live in fear y do so much and can enjoy life. They wantto build -wage initiative. a park. They want to resuscitate the hile wearing a damaged houses and turn them into :wn and tie can small businesses that students will needs Congress work and learn in. Truly inspiring. ch at this point But, of course, this all takes effort. ely than likely Thinking is a lot easier than doing. ions coming up That being said, I'm not calling went back to his for a "Students for Higher Minimum y organizer. Wage" group to start tomorrow. e we come in. Quite frankly, I've never been a ofstudentgroups part of a movement advocating for organizing isn't political, economic or social change r, it's the desire myself. And I admit that what Obama nnot be content said today probably won't have me out action, it's jumping out of bed tomorrow to join I and a waste of one. I think that's also OK. of the minimum Nonetheless, I want to start by is an issue that asking the right questions. futures. We have Why don't companies, big or atters that fellow small, pay their employees more? working multiple What would have to change to make ot able to make that happen? Is it purely profit- motivated? Why do some companies pay If you truly want their employees above minimum something, you wage? And with cannot sit idly. those answers in hand, action can follow - or not. Weighing priorities is a common sense issue. Evidently, it's not. And actually, we don't even have to wait for Congress - or the government, in general - to make something happen. Effective organization is possible. I saw it firsthand last weekend. As a participant ofDetroit Partner- ship Day, my site was at Denby High School. Directly across the street from the school were several blocks filled with abandoned and blighted houses. While helping clean up these important as well. However, the future of the minimum wage debate among other things is unclear right now. And that's why it's crucial to understand the gravitas of Obama's remark. "Don't boo. Organize." If you truly want something, you cannot sit idly. And your friends, family and community can't either. - Derek Wolfe can be reached dewolfe@umich.edu. INTERESTED IN CAMPUS ISSUES? POLITICS? SEX, DRUGS AND ROCK 'N' ROLL? Check out The Michigan Daily's editorial board meetings. Every Monday and Thursday at 6 pm, the Daily's opinion staff meets to discuss both University and national affairs and write editorials. E-mail opinioneditors@michigandaily.com to join in the debate. Don't boo. Organize." - U.S. President Barack Obama during his speech on raising minimum wage at the University of Michigan on Wednesday afternoon.