4A - Thursday, January 23, 2014 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com 4A - Thursday, January 23, 2014 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom 4C {idligan Eat*1 Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@michigandaily.com MEGAN MCDONALD and PETER SHAHIN 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 solelythe views of their authors. Yale blues(book) Universities should create student friendly course databases ast week, Yale University students trying to access "Yale Bluebook +" received a message the website had been blocked and deemed "malicious" by administrators. Many users claimed that the site - created to aid students in course planning -was a better resource than similar sites constructed by the university. According to the Yale IT department, YBB+ was forced to shut down due to the design of the site which encouraged a rating system and already existing digital resources to help students design their schedules. Furthermore, Yale College Dean Mary Miller stated, "Yale's policy on free expression and free speech entitles no one to appropriate a Yale resource and use it as their own." Instead of shutting down a website that only enhances the academic experience, Yale should work to develop sites that better resemble the user-friendly system students preferred. Using YBB+ as an example, the University of Michigan should be working with students to create a website that provides more comprehensive information on courses and instructor evaluations. Escaping social stigma hough not yet legally equal to heterosexuals, recent LGBTQ community action is moving gays closer to politi- cal equality. Seventeen states allow gay mar- riage, seven of which passed legisla- tion in 2013. The MICHAEL Supreme Court SCHRAM1VM also overturned the Defense of Marriage Act, allowing married couples social security benefits, shared health insurance and retire- ment savings. These changes dem- onstrate genuine strides towards civic equality. But they mean absolutely nothing without social equality. By social equality, I mean the gen- eral population treating LGBTQ com- munity members equally. Whether someone knows, assumes or believes that anotheris gay shouldn't differen- tiate a conversation from one they'd have with a heterosexual. (The one exception being a romantic-based conversation, which falls under the domain of differences between het- erosexual and LGBT individuals.) Though this shouldn't be the case, I'm treated differently in situations where people don't assume I'mgay. Let's use the gym as an example. I enter the Central Campus Rec- reational Building and see the guy swiping people in. I give him my MCard and he swipes it as he says, "Sup, dude." We're on a "dude" basis as he sees me pretty frequently. I head down a flight of stairs to the weight room. Upon entering, I see one of the regulars. We make eye contact, and I give him a head nod to acknowledge his presence. He does the same. Having a shared existence in the gym has given us a mutual respect for each other. I head to the bench press and begin exercising when a guy signals that he wants my attention. "Hey man, can you spot me?" "For sure, dude," I respond. I help him with his set, and on his ninth rep, I give him a little help pushing the bar up. After finishing, he responds with a "Thanks man," and I respond with a "No problem." At the gym, these guys talk to me the same way that they'd talk to the rest of their buddies. They treat me with the same respect, and they don't go into a conversation assuming that I'm any different than they are. However, in many other situa- tions, I'm not treated as guys would treat each other. For instance, I was talking to a guy on the first day of a class. We were having a good conver- sation, and I thought that we couldbe pretty good friends. Then, we got on the topic of music. He asked who my favorite musician was and, in giving an honest answer, I responded with Lady Gaga. Liking Lady Gaga shouldn't be used to assume a guy is gay. Music preferences - like clothing choices, hairstyle and personality traits - aren't indicators of homosexuality; an attraction to the same sex is. However, I can't deny that our soci- ety contains (incorrect) gay stereo- types, and liking Lady Gaga is one of them. So when I gave that response - even though it wasn't a fair assump- tion - I could tell that he thought I was gay. And it shifted our interac- tions. Of course he was never out- right mean to me, but he treated me differently than when he didn't believe I was gay. This shouldn't happen. Sure, some of my traits are more feminine than a stereotypi- cal guy, and I am gay. But when it comes down to it, I'm still a guy. Being gay means having a dif- ferent sexual orientation. It doesn't dictate my interests. I like Lady Gaga because I like Lady Gaga. I wear orange jackets because I like wearing orange jackets. I enjoy real- ity television because I enjoy real- ity television. They may differ from male stereotypes, but I don't enjoy them because I'm gay. My interests also shouldn't make others feel that I'm any more different than any of their friends. One friend may love rap and the other loves rock, but this doesn't influence their friendship. Therefore, although my enjoyment of pop deviates more strikingly from the norm, it shouldn't cause any dif- ferences compared to guys who like rap or rock. And havingsome stereo- typically feminine interests doesn't indicate that all my interests are ste- reotypically gay. I like lifting weights and video games just as much as the next guy, and Kendrick Lamar is one of my favorite artists. Like everyone else, I'm a unique individual with a variety of interests. Not only does sexuality bear no influence on my hobbies, it bears no influence on my personality. I have some stereotypically gay traits. I use "like" frequently and I can quote "Mean Girls" in its entirety - although many straight guys do both of these surprisingly frequently. However, these choices don't define who I am as a person. They're just traits and quotes that I enjoy. Having these doesn't imply that all my man- nerisms are feminine. Boys aren't solely responsible for homosexual stereotyping. Though in my experiences, I generally see guys stereotyping a little more than girls, girls can stereotype as well. And to say that every guy treats me prejudicially wouldn't be accurate. I've met a lot of guys who get to know me for who I am as a person, not letting my sexuality influence their perception of me. But I've also met enough people - too many actually - that instantaneously ste- reotype me. Though I'm not a lesbi- an, transgender or bisexual, I know both men and women stereotype each of these subgroups. I can't know whether every LGBT member would confirm this with certainty, but at least for me, no U.S. legisla- tion aimed at making me feel like a political insider can offset feeling like a social outsider. - Michael Schramm can be reached at mschramm@umich.edu. Created by brothers Peter Xu and Harry Yu, YBB+ was intended to ease the process of course selection by offering average class and professor evaluations all in one place. The site was created to unify the scattered infor- mation on Yale's internal system that's more difficult for students to access and navigate. Prior to the shutdown, more than 2,000 of Yale's 5,000 undergraduates were using the site to plan their class schedules. After the database was effectively blocked, Xu and Yu were threatened with disciplinary action for the unauthorized use of the Yale logos. Ulti- mately, the university deleted the site, forcing thousands of students to revert back to less efficient systems of course planning. Yale's original site - which Yu and Xu set out to improve - was itself a student- created product, eventually bought out by the university. However, facing difficulty finding and comparing courses upon their arrival at Yale, Xu and Yu decided to create a new site - actions that match Yale's cur- riculum to promote innovation and academic freedom. Information this vital should be readily available to students in a way that's easily accessible. Given YBB+'s success, the university should seek student input in designing a new website, instead of stifling student innovation. TheUniversityofMichiganmustlearnfrom the success of YBB+ and create a centralized website for students to easily access informa- tion about courses. Providing evaluations of professors while scheduling classes would be incredibly beneficial to the student body. The University should utilize the resources avail- able to create such a website and encourage student input in its creation. If Yale truly is the great place for innova- tion it prides itself on being, then sites like YBB+ - which are clearly in the best interest of its students - shouldn't be forced to shut down. Instead of impeding on student inno- vation, Yale should work towards offering students the most efficient resources. Fur- thermore, the University of Michigan must also work toward creating a centralized web- site to give students as much information on courses as they can when scheduling. Living with an invisible illness EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS Kaan Avdan, Sharik Bashir, Barry Belmont, James Brennan, Rima Fadlallah, Eric Ferguson, Nivedita Karki, Jordyn Kay, Jesse Klein, Kellie Halushka, Aarica Marsh, Megan McDonald, Victoria Noble, Michael Schramm, Matthew Seligman, Daniel Wang, Derek Wolfe KARA ARGUE E-MAIL KAiA AT KARGUE UMICH.EDU \-. ook U p 4 - SEND LETTERS TO: TOTHEDAILY@MICHIGANDAILY.COM At 18 years school gra their soo careers as a blur of caffeine induced all- nighters, nearly impossible exams, subsequent celebratory bar crawls, partying until 3 a.m. and sleeping in until 3 p.m. Though I was diagnosed with an autoimmune diseas I had an idealized in which I was p disease free and ded schoolwork and soci Unfortunately, m the perfect college4 to a screeching halt high school as my c so exacerbated that begin administerir injections to contro And so it began: with my insurance lar blood work, U Service providers w iar with the medics effects and endless nating the shipmen with the mailing of dorm building. I'm one of many s what is often termec ness" - a condition immediately appare dents who don't apl cally ill, and thus, ot we're just as capab student. But we're n As fiercely indep two-and-a-half yea lege career, I have that I need just a help - but is that he to me? I'm constant office, whether fo itself, the repercus effects, or to compl ensure I'm healthy tinue to receive th chronically fatigue medication itself o: ache that is insur, and all the while e pete on the same pl old, most high- able-bodied peers. aduates imagine I'm now familiar with the Ser- n-to-be college vice for Students with Disabilities office, but I had no idea that the office even existed until my sopho- more year - much less what services they provided. As I tried to explain to my professors what was affect- ing my performance freshman year, not one mentioned that there was an office through which I could "regis- ter" my chronic illness. Now having LAUREN done so, I am still unconvinced of its MCCARTHY efficacy. Is it sufficient information just to hand my teachers a note at the beginning of each semester? Will my professors understand that the e at 12 years old, occasional empty look in my eyes and vision of college obvious exhaustion are not because erfectly healthy, I was at Rick's until final call the icated only to my night before? Or have they become ial life. accustomed to the saturation and y utopian take on prevalence of these letters so that experience came they're no longer able to value them my senior year of on a case-by-case basis? Additionally, ondition became what young adult will readily iden- tI was forced to tify him or herself as "disabled?" ng weekly self- Undoubtedly there's a popula- ii my symptoms. tion of students who would rather monthly battles forgo the label and subsequent company, regu- stigma than offer themselves up as niversity Health a disabled individual. While I do ho were unfamil- not believe that's well advised, it's ation and its side understandable. I refused to sub- trouble coordi- ject myself to even the thought, not t of the syringes because I view "disabled" so nega- ffice hours in my tively, but because I did not want to issue myself a crutch. tudents who have In 2013, the American College d an "invisible ill- Health Association reported that that may not be a combined 24.3 percent of college nt. We are stu- students reported having a chronic pear to be physi- illness or condition ranging from hers assume that ADHD, diabetes, epilepsy, arthri- le as the average tis and autoimmune disorders, to ot. learning disabilities or psychiatric endent as I am, conditions. Comprising almost a ars into my col- quarter of college students, we are finally conceded a collection of those with "invisible little additional illnesses" who are vastly more prev- lp trulysavailable alent than one might have imagined ly in the doctor's and arguably deserving of more r the treatment defined support. sions of the side Acknowledging this need, DePaul ete blood tests to University launched the Chronic Ill- enough to con- ness Initiative at the School of New e injections. I'm Learninginthe fall of 2003. The pur- d either from the pose of the initiative is the belief that r from the head- students with chronic illness - who ance companies, number in millions - often find their xpected to com- needs neglected. University-based aying field as my offices for students with disabilities tend to focus on more easily identi- fiable disabilities that can be helped by technological aids and existing programs, while the ever-changing needs of those with chronic illness are often misunderstood or over- looked. The initiative addresses these issues, designed to accommodate those with "invisible illnesses" and their waxing and waningasymptoms. The University should take a close look at this program, and adapt similar core values and im- tiatives. While students are able to register their chronic illness with the University, there is more to be done. Students could benefit from having a space to simply meet each other, share their concerns and frustrations and proactively seek modification of the existing system. The University's Counseling and Psychological Services offer sup- port groups for grief, eating disor- ders and social anxiety - but not chronic illness. More often than not, health-care professionals at UHS are unfa- miliar with the biologic drug that I'm taking and have prescribed medications that exacerbate my existing symptoms. Though the Services for Students with Dis- abilities office provides academic accommodations, they should expand to provide adequate health- care accommodations as well. Perhaps UHS should identify for students particular physicians who are most knowledgeable about chronic illnesses, and funnel those of us suffering from them through a separate scheduling process. Too often, due to UHS's lack of under- standing, I have been forced to out- source my care to other physicians and pay for their care as well as the University's mandatory, nonre- fundable "Healthcare Service Fee" - $349.80 included annually in and indistinguishable from my tuition. Navigating my chronic illness with little support from the Uni- versity is 18 credit hours on its own; however, with a few administra- tive changes, increased awareness and student advocacy, those with "invisible illnesses" may finally be able to find some relief. - Lauren McCarthy can be reached at laurmc@umich.edu. MLive article criminalizes the battle for equality TO THE DAILY: After a day of many wonderful symposiums and panels commemorating Martin Luther King Jr. for his activism in leading the Civil Rights Movement, I was very upset when I came home and saw an MLive article titled "Being Black at University of Michigan orga- nizers threaten 'physical action' if demands aren't met." The article's title gives the first impression that those organizing the #BBUM campaign are "the bad guys" intendingto harm others, emphasizing "physical action" in a way where people who are unfamiliar with activist terms would misinterpret it to mean "violence." This is not the case. "Physical action" most commonly means marches, singing, chanting, human blockades, etc. The article's emphasis on "threatening 'physical action'" is playing into the stereotype that Blacks are aggressive and irrational. Of all days, MLive chose MLK Day to criminalize a minority group assertively standing up for its rights. I have overheard people calling the pro- test organizers "extortionists" and comparing them to terrorists for their assertive efforts in fighting for social justice. People are asking why they won't "ask nicely," and the answer is simple - asking nicely has never worked for the Black community. The Black community has been oppressed for decades and is still very much oppressed to this day. Take a look at Detroit: it is dominantly Black for a reason. Corrupt, racist planning and policy has physically trapped thousands of people in a cycle of poverty. Restrictive covenants, anyone? Redlining? What about the Fair Housing Act never being enforced, thanks to former President Richard Nixon? Job discrimination? Asking nicely is exactly what people of power and privilege want! They want the Black community to be quiet and ask nicely so that they can continue to ignore them. They want to keep them in a political cage. Everyone needs to face the facts - racism is still very alive today. Crimi- nalizing this group of Black activists shows that everyone, especially the University of Michigan, has a lot of work to do in the social justice department. I congratulate the #BBUM campaign for standing up for human rights, and I hope to see many more people - Black, white, green or blue - join this ongo- ing battle of fighting for true equality. Kaleah Mabin Vice President ofDiversity at the Inter-Cooperative Council and a 2013 alum 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 anonymous letters. Send letters to tothedaily@michigandaily.com. t