4A - Wedesday, February 5, 2014
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.corn
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the University of Michigan since 1890.
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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.
Readdressing life sentences
The state legislature should approve resentencing hearings for juveniles
n June 25, 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court banned life sentencing
without parole for juvenile offenders, considering it a form of
cruel and unusual punishment. The highest national court did not
specify whether this decision would be limited to future convicts, those
still on direct appeal, or whether it would apply retroactively to juveniles
already behind bars, leaving that decision up to state courts and lawmakers.
Tuesday, the Michigan House of Representatives approved Senate Bill
319, updating Michigan law to comply with the Supreme Court ruling
only in future cases and those on direct appeal. However, cases regarding
past juvenile offenders were addressed by merely adding a "trigger" that
would allow rehearings for juvenile lifers if the Michigan Supreme Court
or U.S. Supreme Court were to rule again in favor of retroactivity. While
the proposed bill complies with the U.S. Supreme Court ruling for future
cases, the state legislature should approve resentencing hearings for all
Michigan juveniles facing life without parole.
Loneliness in the winter
Last November, a U.S. District Court
judge ruled that the state had to immediately
comply with Miller v. Alabama and make all
juvenile lifers eligible for parole if they had
served at least 10 years in prison. The judge's
ruling was stayed when Michigan Attorney
General Bill Schuette appealed the decision,
arguing that the parole hearings weren't
warranted under existing U.S. Supreme
Court precedent. Schuette currently awaits
a hearing before the U.S. Court of Appeals.
Similarly, the Michigan Supreme Court is
scheduled to hear oral arguments in three
juvenile lifer cases in early March, during
which it is expected to review the ambiguity
surrounding retroactivity.
The "retroactivity trigger" was added to
the bill in the Michigan House seemingly
due to these pending court cases. With more
than 350 juvenile lifers, Michigan is host to
the second-highest population affected by
the bill's future. By relying on court rulings
to settle the matter of retroactivity, the state
legislature is acting in cowardice. It costs the
state $2 billion per year to run the Michigan
Department of Corrections. The state
government should act now, rather than wait,
in order to relieve the burden on taxpayers
and give juvenile convicts a second chance.
In the 2012 Supreme Court ruling, one
of the major arguments against juvenile
sentencing for life without parole was that
"children are constitutionally different from
adults for sentencing purposes." Their "lack
of maturity" and "underdeveloped sense of
responsibility" leads to "recklessness, impul-
sivity and heedless risk-taking." Sentencing
juveniles to life ignores the fact that they lack
the ability to fully comprehend the nature of
crimes they might commit. Furthermore, in
that critical age of development, there are
several factors - such as socioeconomic and
family background - that can contribute to
the motives behind an individual's crime.
Juveniles should be given a second chance
and the opportunity to be rehabilitated. Put-
ting these potentially constructive members
of society behind bars will not help them on
an individual level, and will punish crimes for
which they may not be fully accountable.
utside, the wind chill is
minus 30 degrees. Gusts
push loose flakes across the
sidewalk like
tumbleweeds.
Frost crawls up
the kitchen win-
dow; a sponge on
the sill stiffens
with ice crys-
tals. Somewhere
inside our house
of unwashed EMILY
20-sonethings, PITTINOS
a boy sings - a
little sharp, a bit
too earnest. Listening closely, I notice
his voice crack like a glass nicked by
someone coming home drunk, alone
and thirsty for more.
In my bed, I isulate myself by
lying naked under a pile of down
and fleece, trapping my own human
heat. My feet find each other and
rub together for warmth. From
other corners of my house, I hear the
giddy sounds of couples in love. They
nestle under an afghan crocheted
by someone's grandmother; they
snuggle on our stained loveseat,
bickering about where to order the
next pizza from. Their laughter
pours into the hallway and under nay
bedroom door like acold draft.
Recently, a good friend sent me a
Louis CK clip about sadness. CK says
we have to let our sadness "hitus like
a truck" so that we can bathe in the
happiness that follows. I've grown to
feel the same way about loneliness.
When I first felt it settling in, I
was resistant. My loneliness was a
beast that I distracted with scraps
of pleasure. I fed it casual lovers
- people I'd invite into my life
because they were decent, but also
because they were there. I fed it
films about passion gone awry; I fed
it poetms about sisterhood and joy.
But a persistent yearning -
for romance - still buzz.
of me, like a drunkenness
about to take hold.
A week into the polar v(
siock of cold that would
anyone's will -- I turned o
ended my current fling an
my paltas to my lonelitnes
consume me.
For lack of a better
wallowed - for days, I
pathetically arotund the lou
length pajamas, preoccup
my owtromantic doom.
this is it, I thought.I1'llbe
tae I'll die.
But then I was loung
my housemates in our livi
enjoying a beer, shooting
and I realized little had cl
still laughed, I still wrote, I
cared for by my friends an
Admitting and accepting t
loely wasn't
as insufferable
as it seemed. IfV
It may even be
good for the alo
soul.
Now I wear nev
ltay loneliness
like a second we
skii. It's nearly
comfortable;
I nearly enjoy
it. I don't feel
empty, or even lost. instea
up alone knowing I hav
and I am later lulled to slee
same knowledge. I do s
connection. That buzz of
often returns, but I wona
merely my libido reiindin
I am alive; I hope it never gi
When I think about e
loneliness has done for t
I am oddly grateful. it's a
personal growth,- if we w
CONORANDERSON/Daily
- an ache alone, we would never realize who
ed inside we are and what we want. Plus, our
that was desperate desire to touch and be
touched by others, despite the end-
ortex - a less distance between us, encourages
challenge our creative expression. Art of all
ff my TV, kinds often exists to prove that we
d opened are not alone in our experiences. I
s. I let it doubt artists would make anything if
they weren'tburstingwithlthis desire
word, I to conquer our human distance.
shuffled And, perhaps most importantly,
se im full- I think that if we don't experience
ied with loneliness, we're less likely to
recognize and appreciate love. We
alone aad must grow familiar with our solitude
it order to identify the kinds of
ing with people and relationships that will, at
tg room, last, satisfy our longing.
the shit, From my bedroom window, I
hanged. I watchcarsskidonstreetsglazedwith
I was still ice. My neighbor, an elderly woman
td family. who now lives on her own, applies
hat I was lotion to her elbows in her kitchen.
Through toy
ceiling, I can hear
We were never my housemate
move around
me, we would our attic singing.
"What does it take
er realize who to be lonesome?
Nothingat all."
are and what I raise the
windowpane and
we want. let the icy breeze
touch my face. It
burns my skita,
d, I wake but invigorates my mind. It's nearly
e myself, comfortable; I nearly enjoy it. Most
ep by that importantly, I know it won't last.
till crave Soon I will lock my window, peel
yearning away my clothes and dive into
der if it's my bed where I will be alone - or
g me that not alone - but always ready to
oes away. recognize love through this close
verything and humble darkness.
humanity,
crucial to - Enily Pittinos can be reached
ere never at pittinotusaich.edu.
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS
Barry Belmont, Rima Fadlallah, Nivedita Karki, Jordyn Kay,
Kellie Halushka, Aarica Marsh, Megan McDonald,
Victoria Noble, Michael Schramm, Matthew Seligman,
Paul Sherman, Allison Raeck, Daniel Wang, Derek Wolfe
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THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Retraction of "Treating
mental illness like a wound"
STUDENTS ALLIED FOR FREEDOM AND EQUALITY I
Opening a discussion platform
The Michigan Daily apologizes to the
family and friends of Madison Holleran.
Earlier this week, we published a
Viewpoint article about Madison Holleran
titled "Treating mental illness like a wound."
The Viewpoint contained a variety of errors
and inaccurate statements. In response, we
are retracting the Viewpoint and modifying
the way we evaluate our community-
submitted pieces in the future.
The Viewpoint had numerous mistakes
regarding Holleran's case. Linh Vu, the
Viewpoint's writer, relied on a PennLive
article with multiple accounts other than
those of the family of Madison Holleran.
The Viewpoint misattributed a quotation,
claiming that Madison Holleran's mother
had stated, "It's not the kind of thing that
you want shared in the halls of your high
school, in fact, the fear was that it would be
whisperedbehind herback ifeveryone knew."
This quotation was not from Mrs. Holleran,
but from another mother of an athlete who
had also struggled with depression. Mrs.
Holleran has not made any statements to the
press since her daughter's passing.
Additionally, the Viewpoint claimed that
Madison Holleran had struggled with the dis-
order since high school. This was also inac-
curate. This information related to another
student-athlete. The viewpoint claimed that
"Her mother, recounting Madison's tumultu-
ous journey, expressed that she once felt an
odd notion that her daughter didn't fit the
mold of a psychiatric patient." We could not
find evidence of this statement.
Viewpoints can be written by anyone in
the campus community. Vu wrote the piece
as a response to her own friend's death.
She incorporated the news regarding the
passing of Madison Holleran, a University of
Pennsylvania athlete who committed suicide
on Jan. 17, to urge the University of Michigan
to refocus on mental health services.
The Michigan Daily expresses its sincerest
apologies for this mistake. We regret any
pain or anger that we have caused to Madison
Holleran's family and friends.
Madison Holleran's passing deserved to
be treated with the utmost respect and care,
and The Michigan Daily failed to provide an
accurate account of her life, struggle with
depression and the due diligence that our
community deserves. Going forward, our
community Viewpoints will be subject to
stronger scrutiny during the editing process.
"If we have learned the msost
important lessonpromulgated by Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. -- that jus-
tice is always indivisible - it should
be clear that a mnass maovement in
solidarity with Palestinian fieedomi
is long overdue" -Angela Y. Davis,
Distinguished Professor Emaerita,
University of California, Santa Cruz.
In early December, the Academic
Studies Association - the largest
academic organization devoted
to the interdisciplinary study of
American culture and history
- decided to heed Palestiniaa
civil society's call for "Boycott,
Divestment and Sanctions," and
voted overwheltmitngly to boycott
Israeli academic institUtioas. The
decision made headline news,
appearing on the front page of The
New York Times, and sparked much
heated debate and conversation
on academic freedom, collective
solidarity and the silencing of those
who critique the Israeli military
occupation. Numerous influential
academics and public intellectuals
have voiced support of the ASA's
resolution including Angela Davis,
Judith Butler and Carolyn Karcher,
among many others.
As conscientious students who
strive for social justice, we, the
Students Allied for Freedom and
Equality, stand in full support of
the ASA's resolution. We applaud
the organization for its courageous
stance as well as the remarkably
transparent and democratic process
it took to reach its decision. We are
also pleased with the general prog-
ress in the public's attitude toward
Israeli settler colonialism and the
BDS movement, recognizing that
such a resolution would have been
unthinkable in previous years. We
advocate and affirm the Palestinian
activists who have worked tireless-
ly to amplify their global calls for
BDS, even amid a colonial regime
that works tirelessly to systeanati-
cally silence their existence.
The resolution is not without
its opponents though, and some,
including our own University
President Mary Sue Coleman and
Provost Martha Pollack, publicly
opposed the resolution in a
reactionarystatement. Itdisturbs us
that our University administration
does not stand against harsh
settler colonial policies rooted in
racism and segregation that limit
people's basic right to education.
It's just as startling to us that the
administration canspeak onbehalf
of the entire University community
without consulting the numerous
faculty, staff and students who do
support the boycott.
Our University is complicit in
Israel's human rights violations
not only through its investments
in companies that facilitate Israeli
militarism and Palestinian dis-
placement -- what 4 UMMockEvic-
tion sought to highlight - but also
through its ties to several Israeli
universities that haven't denounced
said violations, including The
Technion Israel Institute of Tech-
nology, Ben Gurion University and
Tel Aviv University. These univer-
sities participate in hindering the
academic freedoms of Palestinians
and non-Jewish Israelis through
preferential treatment of reserve
soldiers and Jewish Israelis overall,
through public acquiescence with
the occupation and through close
collaboration with Israeli military
and intelligence agencies.
This discussion on violation of
academic freedom by Coleman is
contradictory when Palestinians'
very access to education is
literally obstructed through daily
interferences of checkpoints,
arbitrary and systematic stop-and-
search policies by Israeli soldiers,
Israeli-only roads and the ever-
expanding apartheid wall.
Additionally, African asylum-
seekers in Israel are subjected
to living indefinitely in open-air
detention centers -- in desert
temperatures in the Negevknown to
exceed 120 degrees - limiting their
access to educational resources. An
amendment to the Prevention of
Infiltration Law of 1954 was madeto
grant Israeli authorities the power
to detain migrants and asylum
seekers up to three years without
trial or deportation, while "anyone
helping migrants or providing
them with shelter could face prison
sentences of between five and 15
years." This "anti-infiltration law,"
as it is known, is not only immoral
and in violation of international
convention, but also goes against
the stated nature of a democratic
state. Targeted by anti-Black racist
policies, they are kept in detention
facilities isolated from civil life
to prevent them from infiltrating
Israel's nature of a Jewish-Israeli-
only state.
Palestinians and African asylum--
seekers are unable to produce and
share knowledge without undue
constraint, which Coleman claims
is an academic freedom. They are
excluded from fully exercising their
right to academic freedom. How
can our University boast "exciting
and productive collaborations" with
Israeli institutions when the Preven-
tion of Infiltration Law and other
racist policies are meant to exclude
from civil society anyone who
threatens the religious and/or racial
composition of the Israeli state?
Opening a platform for discus-
sion on the boycott while some are
held in detention facilities or are
prevented access to schools because
of their non-Jewish identity would
normalize these people's mar-
ginalization in society. Dialogue
would center on privileged voices
that have unrestricted access to
academic resources, detracting
from the narratives of those being
stripped of their right to academic
freedom. Thus, it's important to
focus on those narratives by boycot-
tinginstitutions and companies that
contribute to their marginalization.
Ihis article was written by
mem bers of Students Allied
for Freedom and Equality.
Feminine Critique: Ever wonder how your
privilege affects you? Emma Maniere analyzes
podium howwe can challenge the system and change
the status quo.
Go to michigandaily.com/blogs/The Podium
i