4A - Wednesday, February 19, 2014
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
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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.
A better balance
Universities should ensure researchers can effectively teach classes
obert Trivers, an evolutionary biologist, sociobiologist and professor
of anthropology and biological sciences at Rutgers University, was
suspended from the school for admitting to his students that he
was unfamiliar with the subject of their course. Trivers, whose expertise
is in social evolution, sexual selection and reciprocal altruism, was instead
assigned to teach a course on human aggression by the university. The case
has brought to light the controversial issue of teaching requirements for
research professors, who are often asked to instruct outside their specialty.
This also been noted to happen at the University of Michigan, at the expense
of the student experience. However, allowing students to access researchers
in their field of study is invaluable to their education. The University must
ensure that professors are comfortable with what they're asked to teach, and
must explore other instructing options when they aren't.
Is "girl talk" codefor man talk?
MFAN!\ ME N' _II
couple weeks ago, a close
friend and scholar of
anarchist history (read:
badass), sent
me an article
by a group of
materialist
feminists who
call themselves
"The Infinite
Venom Girl
Gang." This
article, along
with being
a critique of
EMILY
PITTINOS
Trivers explained to The Chronicle of
Higher Education that he told his "Human
Aggression" students in the first lecture he
knew little about the subject and would be
learning the material along with them. He also
recruited the help of the previous instructor
of the course, Professor Amy Jacobson, to give
a few lectures. Shortly thereafter, Rutgers
suspended Trivers with pay for refusing
to teach the course and "inappropriately
involving students in the dispute." Rutgers
is currently moving to suspend the esteemed
professor without pay.
While it's important that universities
support the research being done on their
campuses, the quality of education that the
students receive must be of equal concern.
It's indisputable that the University holds its
research faculty in high esteem. However, an
excellent researcher oftentimes doesn't make
an excellent instructor. The skills needed for
teaching are immensely different from those
needed forresearch. I
When a case such as Trivers' arises, hiring
an outside lecturer rather than forcing an
unwilling professor to provide mediocre
quality of instruction is a viable alternative. In
fact, that practice is becoming more common
with some studies supporting the notion
that students learn more when taught by an
outside instructor as opposed to a tenured
professor. specifically, the National Bureau of
Economic Research found that Northwestern
University students taught by untenured
professors were more likely to take a second
course in that subject and earn a higher grade
than students whose first course was taught
by a tenured professor. The University should
consider hiring outside instructors instead of
asking researchers to teach courses they aren't
comfortable with.
It's also important to consider what
support and training for new teachers
the University provides. The Center
for Research on Learning and Training
offers a teacher orientation program and
several teaching seminars for professors
who are not accustomed to classroom
instruction students. However, there are few
requirements regarding which programs
and how many programs an instructor
must participate in. The University - along
with being sensitive about which courses it
assigns to professors - should mandate that
professors attend some of these seminars.
While supporting researchers, the University
must also ensure that students are receiving
the best possible quality of instruction.
capitalism's inherent connection
to sexism, explores the theory that
our culture forces heterosexual
women into obsession with being
part of a couple.
The Gang, and the article's
primary writer Clemence X,
argues that, because men tend
to monopolize the intellectual,
political and artistic realms of
our patriarchal society, women
only gain access to those male-
centric spaces through romantic
relationships. Furthermore, our
culture promises women that we
will be more sexually, socially and
spiritually fulfilled if we glom onto
a man and the power he possesses.
This turns pairing off into a top
priority for heterosexual women,
making single ladies feel like "loose
dogs" - unfulfilled, unimpressive
and uncomfortable in environments
dominated by established couples
(i.e. beinga fifth wheel).
In this way women are slaves to
the Couple Form, and The Gang
argues that we need to free ourselves
in order to be recognized as the
individuals and leaders we truly are.
Admittedly, these ideas are
radical, and exclude the outlying
men and women who have worked
hard to become exceptions to these
rules. But their argument is also
painfully accurate in many respects.
At one point, the article says
women are so obsessed with their
love lives that "they interact not
to deepen their connection to each
other, but to gossip about boys, to
process their relationships with
men ..." When I read that, I was
filled with horror, embarrassment
and a heavy string of questions.
Now I offer these questions to you.
Ladies, when you are in a space
occupied solely by women - sipping
margaritas on girl's night, on a
hurried walk to class with your best
friend or at a party with women you
barely know - how long does it take
before the conversationturns to men?
An hour, half an hour, five minutes? It
seems like a reflex, a default topic for
straight women everywhere who are
trying to find common ground.
We too often resort to discussing
our love lives in varying degrees
of detail. If we see a friend for the
first time in a long while, it doesn't
feel like we've caught up until we
divulge our current relationship
statuses. And then, if one of us is
single, we are forced to say so in an
almost apologetic fashion.
"Um," we mutter, "I'm not seeing
anyone right now."
"oh, that's OK," responds the
other woman with a sympathetic
glance.
For one thing,
it is degrading to
get this reaction Ladies, hov
to our singleness it take b
because it makes
us feel like we conversati
are less valuable
for not having me
boyfriends.
Secondly,
leading with
this question belittles the other
events and struggles at work in
our lives. Why don't we instead ask
about family, friendships, jobs and
the accomplishments that we work
so hard to achieve?
We often go as far as to set
aside time with other women
to work through the confusion
and excitement surrounding our
romantic relationships. We get
together just to speculate about
what's going on in the heads of
men we're dating, and to validate
our actions and reactions toward
our own romances. Who among us
has not met up with her friends,
MEGGIE RAMM/ Daily
explained her situation with a guy
and sighed the words, "I'm not
crazy, right?"
Why do we need other people
- other women - to confirm that
our feelings, suspicions and actions
are reasonable?
When I've mentioned this subject
to my male friends, they've basically
scoffed. "Why don't you just ask the
guy what he thinks?" they say. Well,
to be honest, I'm not totally sure.
Perhaps we worry about confirming
the "emotional woman" stereotype,
so we hide our feelings and opinions.
Maybe we are afraid of being
burned by the "unemotional man"
stereotype, so we lose our confidence.
Even more importantly, this
reaction from my guy friends tells me
that they don't do this as much. They
talk to each other about their love
lives, but probably not as frequently
orwith as much vigor. So, whyus and
not them? How do they spend that
time in a way that we don't?
When women are attempting to
decipher the intentions of men we
are romantically
entangled with,
what are we not
w long does discussing?
efore the Of course,
I know that
on turns to commiserating
about our
,n? experiences
with men
is crucial to
raising feminist
consciousness. After all, we must
compare our disappointments and
fears in order to recognize and tackle
our oppression. And I know we do
talk about other things, like social
issues, .scientific discoveries and
politics; we use our brains as well
as our hearts. But we could do more
often. I can't help but think we would
be closer to gender equity - and to
each other - if we put discussions
about men on the back burner and
focused on our own passions, desires
and ambitions instead.
- Emily Pittinos can be reached
at pittinos@umich.edu.
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS
Barry Belmont, Nivedita Karki, Jacob Karafa, Jordyn Kay,
Kellie Halushka, Aarica Marsh, Megan McDonald,
Victoria Noble, Michael Schramm, Matthew Seligman,
Paul Sherman, Allison Raeck, Daniel Wang, Derek Wolfe
SIMON RIVERS V
Angered and intimidated
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JACOB LIGHT
Working out the renovations
Following the #BBUM (Being Black at the
University of Michigan) movement on Twitter,
the ideaofal10-percent enrollment rate of Black
students became prevalent. Many people of all
races had a lot to say about this.
Some folks said we brought this upon
ourselves by attending a Predominantly White
Institution, or PWI, rather than a Historically
Black College or University, or HBCU.
Some people asked us questions like, "Why
are you mad that you're the only Black person
in your class?"
I analyzed this question to myself several
times before forming an actual response. But
now I finally know the reason why. According
to the Lippi-Green folk theory of race, race is
biological, not a social construct. Therefore,
my discontent supposedly derives from my
desire to be around other Black people. That is
why I'm assumed to "sit with them in the lunch
room." However, that is not the case for me. I
highly value diversity.
The Lippi-Green critical theory of race
states that racism is actually a socially
constructed, collective system that was
created throughout history. And the
University of Michigan is a prime example of
institutionalized racism and discrimination.
During the #BBUM movement, both white
and Black people were saying that if we were
upset, we should just transfer to an HBCU.
While I have respect for all HBCUs and the
students who attend them, if I wanted to go
to such a university, I would have gone there
my freshman year. I appreciate diversity
very much. The problem is that we love being
Wolverines; we just want more diversity.
Finally, I will explain why I became upset
that there are not Black people in my class,
besides myself, by talking about this University.
The University of Michigan prides itself on
diversity. There are fliers, posters, websites
and social media that all show a diverse
group of people. However, while attending
Michigan, the truth comes out. Just take a look
at the enrollment numbers for undergraduate
students this past fall.
It's unusual to find not only Black people in
my classes but also any other people of color.
The #BBUM campaign demands 10-percent
enrollment because right now, Black students
makeuponly4.65 percentofallundergrads. This
number is unacceptable. Now, I understand the
backlash about affirmative action being illegal;
however, there is a huge difference between
"filling a quota" and doing a substantial amount
of recruiting - something that the University
does not do for people of color.
When I see that I am the only Black person
in my class, I see that the University does not
care about me. I feel intimidated. Why? There
is not a large amount of Black students, which
means that they do not desire to have Black
students (because if they did, they would make
sure that Black students were attending). And
if the University does not desire Black people,
this means that they do not think there are
enough Black people who are "the leaders and
thebest," whichtherefore meansthat Michigan
does not think that there are enough qualified
(intelligent) Black students to admit. Hence,
this states that Black people are not as smart
as other racial groups on campus. That is why I
feel intimidated, and that is why Iam mad.
Simon Rivers is an LSA junior.,
Above the entrance to the
Michigan Union stand two statues:
the Scholar and the Athlete. They are
said to represent two of the virtues
that go into the quintessential
Michigan Wolverine. By default, I
think I am more the scholar than
the athlete. My basketball career
ended prematurely in fifth grade,
and my high school tennis record
was never going to get me into
Wimbledon. Yet, during my time as
a student at the University, I have
become increasingly aware of the
importance of staying physically
active in maintaining my mental,
physical and emotional health.
My freshman year, I struggled to
stay active. With an erratic schedule
of classes, work and student orgs, I
needed to find a way to exercise on
my own time. Enter: the Intramural
Sports Building. The classic fagade,
reflecting that early 20th-century
style ubiquitous throughout the
University's campus, gave the
impression of grandeur and splendor.
Perhaps, 30 years ago, this impres-
sion would have held true. My first
visits to the IM Building, and later
the Central Campus Recreation
Building and the North Campus Rec-
reation Building, were categorized
by disappointment. Waiting to use
broken treadmills in the dungeon
of the CCRB, whose lack of natural
lighting will always instill in me the
slight fear that I will never escape,
became a regular and expected part
of my day. Learning to navigate the
confusing and convoluted buildings
felt like an extra three credits in my
schedule. Even today, Iam convinced
that some of the treadmills in the IM
Building are preparing to celebrate
their own bicentennial anniversary
in tandem with the University.
This week, we have an opportu-
nity to bring the Recreational Sports
facilities into the future.
Building a Better Michigan led
a student-driven initiative last year
to secure funding to renovate the
IM Building, CCRB, NCRB and the
Union. The University's Board of
Regents approved a proposal for
$173 million to fund these projects,
and the first of these renovations,
Mitchell Field, breaks ground next
week. Renovations to the Rec Sports
buildings, meanwhile, are on track to
begin in 2015.
The building architects will be
hosting two town hall meetings
this week, on Wednesday, Feb. 19
at 7 p.m. in the Pierpont Commons
Caf6, and on Thursday, Feb. 20 at 7
p.m. in Angell Hall Room G127. The
architects hope to hear from students
about the specific needs and goals
they want to see in the renovation
projects. If you believe that our
Recreational Sports facilities are
not living up to the standard of the
University, I hope that you will come
out and make your voice heard. The
input generated from these short
focus groups will be reflected in the
building updates.
We have heard students' calls for
the buildings to be updated, but they
will not renovate themselves. The
Office of Student Life, Recreational
Sports administrators and the
architects leading the renovations
need to hear student support to
determine the path for the updated
spaces. We want to hear from the
heavy gym users to determine the
equipment that is most needed, and
how space can be best allocated. We
want to hear from casual gym users
to learn about what you enjoy most
out of your trips to the gym. And
we want to hear from non-users
to help us figure out how to make
the buildings more accessible and
invitingthan they are now.
Last week, I had the opportunity
to visit the recently renovated recre-
ational facilities at the University of
Illinois and Purdue University with
Building a Better Michigan and the
Rec Sports architects. The facilities
were immaculate. Full of natural
lighting and modern equipment, the
buildings were everything that agym
needs to be. However, I was most
impressed by the community that
the buildings helped to build. It was
clear that students enjoyed their time
at the gym.
With upcoming renovations to
the IM Building, CCRB and NCRB,
I believe that future Michigan stu-
dents will have a greater opportu-
nity to fulfill the vision of a Michigan
Wolverine as a scholar and athlete.
As students, we must ensure that our
voices are represented in the renova-
tion process. The Rec Sports build-
ings have played an integral role in
my time as a Michigan student, and
I hope to leave a legacy so that future
Michigan students can have the same
experience in facilities that are only
fitting for the leaders and the best.
Jacob Light is an LSA junior.
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