Page 4 - Tuesday, September 23, 2014

The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

Page 4-Tuesday, September 23, 2014 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom

{it
Edited and managed by students at
the University of Michigan since 1890.
420 Maynard St.
Ann Arbor, MI48109
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 oftthe Daily's editorial board.
All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views oftheir authors.
H li
It's on all of us
The sexual assault epidemic has persisted for far too long
Last week President Barack Obama launched his "It's On
Us" initiative to combat collegiate sexual assault, thus
reminding the general public of the shameful epidemic
flourishing in the dark corners of college campuses across the
country. In recent years, reports of sexual offenses reported at
colleges have risen; and in some schools this rise has been stun-
ning. For example, between 2010 and 2012, the number of alleged
forcible sex offenses has more than doubled at the University of
Michigan's Ann Arbor campus - from 16 to 34.
In fact, among all four-year colleges and additional complaint has been filed with the
universities with at least 1,000 enrolled students Office of Civil Rights in which a residential
in 2012, the University of Michigan was second advisor alleges he was threatened with rape
in total number of alleged forcible sex offenses, by another student. Instead of protecting the
it ranked only behind the outlying Penn State RA, he says the University fired him. Though
University, whose total was affected by the most schools purport to have a comprehensive
horrifying actions of Jerry Sandusky. Sexual plan that has the survivor's best interests at
assault at colleges has been a chronic problem heart, when presented with an opportunity to
that is finally receiving significant attention. demonstrate this concern for student safety,
Given its complexity, no single institution or many colleges fail. As frustrating as it is to have
organization will be able to end all sexual such low reporting numbers of sexual assaults, it
offense, but it is high time for something to be is easyto see why this is the case. As aresult, lack
done. Hoping to discover pieces of an eventual of reporting or mishandling of these allegations
solution, The Michigan Daily Editorial Board means no investigation, no consequences and no
will be devoting a series of editorials exploring end to the assaults. Colleges are not prepared.
the web of factors that allow for sexual assaultnto Despite a clear inability to appropriately aid
occur at college. The purpose of this editorial is survivors, university officials still promote a
to provide an overview of the current situation. damaging culture of victim-blaming. Campus
In 2012, the National Center for Injury culture is a serious contributor in the sexual
Preventionand Controlreportedthat18.3percent assault epidemic at colleges. Harvard University
of women and 1.4 percent of men say that they is one of the schools under federal investigation
were raped at some point in their lives. In April for violating Title IX and has the third-highest
2014,the White House'ssexual assaulttask force numberofallegedforciblesexoffenses.Thisisthe
foundthatoneinfivewomenissexuallyassaulted schoolthahasproducedanecdotessuchas"Dear
at college. This number has been widely debated, Harvard: You Win," where a survivor describes
but even one sexual assault is too many. one of the inaction of university administrators in
the reasons the actual number of sexual assaults student-run newspaper, The Harvard Crimson.
is unknown is because so many sexual assaults With questions of the school's competence, a
are notf e'F ted. In a haperapublsed in 2091 reasonable survivor might decide that Harvard
(tlie na i ly of mor eaa atadies onthis, administrators cannot be trusted to handle a
topic suggest an apathy toward sexual violence), sexual assault allegation appropriately. It should
the National Institute of Justice found that less be painfully obvious to the objective viewer why
than 5 percent of college women report sexual a survivor would not want to report a sexual
assaults. There are manyunderstandable reasons offense. And yet, Harvard Spokesman Jeff Neal
why a survivor would notreport a sexual assault, was happy to shift the burden of responsibility
one being the frustrating mishandling of sexual to survivors when he said, "We firmly believe
assault allegations at numerousuniversities. that more robust reporting of sexual assaults
In part, college sexual. assault has become by victims is an important component of our
so widespread because universities are not effortstopreventthesecrimesandtoensurethat
prepared to deal with allegations. Not only does those affected get the support that they need."
this create opportunities for sexual crimes to Victim-blaming isajust one aspect of many when
go unpunished, but it is a serious deterrent to discussing campus culture on sexual assault:
reporting offenses. To gain the trust of their general ignorance, consent definitions, gender
students, colleges need to exhibit the ability to norms, etc. are all contributing factors that must
thoroughly investigate allegations and fairly be addressed.
discipline those found guilty while undeniably The culture surrounding sexual assault on
protecting the desired confidentiality of college campuses is a complicated issue that has
survivors. So far, few schools have been able deeply rooted ties to a general culture of male
to demonstrate this level of competence. hegemony in a patriarchal society, but there are
According to a report in the Huffington Post, as ways to address it by educating students and
of Aug13, the Department of Education has been faculty. Currently, university policies across
investigating 76 colleges that may have violated the nation are a mess, but they can be improved
Title IX of the Educational Amendments of by prioritizing survivors and implementing a
1972 in their handling of alleged sexual assault clearly defined procedure that investigates all

cases on campus - up from the May 1 number potential allegations. As President Obama begins
of 55 schools. The University of Michigan is one to combat sexual assault from a national level, it
of the schools under investigation in part for its is important to remember that everyone can and
management of the allegations against former should help. This is a crisis that has persisted for
football kicker Brendan Gibbons. Recently, an too long, and it's on all of us.
KATHERINE PAK I
Committing to a belief in change

A house divided

eeting new roommates
for the first time is
incredibly intimidating.
At the University
of Michigan the
rules specify that
if you're "going in
blind" you don't fill
out a questionnaire.
This was done
to "increase '
diversity" and
make sure that MAURA
people live with LEVINE
others who aren't
like them. This
also means you
may end up with someone totally
opposite from you. In other words,
your anxiety is warranted. In
D.C., however, the Michigan in
Washington program allows us to
either pick roommates or fill out a
questionnaire about living habits
to make sure our roommates have
similar routines as us. This took
a lot of the guesswork out as we
moved in and were relieved to find
that our roommates had similar
living customs and bedtimes. After
all, living with three other people,
one bathroom and a brand new
city carries enough anxiety with it
as it is, so this knowledge added a
cushion and made us feel better.
What we quickly came to realize,
however, was that our room was
extraordinarily diverse.: All four
of us are of different religions and
come from different backgrounds.
Layan is from Lebanon, Brie is from
downtown Detroit, my family is
Russian-Jewish and Katie is Cath-
olic. At first we tenderly danced
around these obvious differences,
finding out everything we had in
common and bonding over similar
shopping habits and our collective
obsession with fro-yo. But after
we became more comfortable, we
started willingly talking about our
differences, opening up a dialogue
about diversity that I have never
been able to have on campus in Ann
Arbor. The truth is, MIW is much
more diverse than the rest of our
Ann Arbor campus, and this pro-
gram truly fulfills the Michigan
promise of diversity. Ironically, we
are off campus and finally having
a positive dialogue about cultural
and race issues. While we may be

uniquely positioned, it is apparent
to us that on-campus students are
more polarized, often hanging out
only withtheir own cultural groups
and therefore stifling a positive cul-
tural exchange like the one we have
in D.C. The difference about MIW
is that we are placed here, all alone,
without our other friends from sim-
ilar religions and backgrounds. We
fend for ourselves here and find that
we have grown together despite our
differences, opening our minds to
new ideas and issues.
On campus I participate in Hillel,
the Jewish student organization
that provides a home away from
home for Jewish students. We have
a place to go for Shabbat each Friday
night, have Jewish extracurricular
activities and community service
groups to participate in and social
events, too. I am appreciative for
this community because there I feel
like people understand me. Most
on-campus cultures/religions/
ethnicities have a similar haven,
a place where they can find others
just like them and feel the comfort
of the community they know.
Granted, there are many other
opportunities on campus that are
diversified, where people of all
races and religions can join, but I
find that often, minorities tend to
stick together.
When the on-campus divestment
debate came up last spring, campus
felt more polarized than ever to me.
From students shouting at each other
atarallytoallegedwritingonpeople's
dorm doors, tensions were high. Pro-
Israel students and pro-Palestinian
students alike came out to a heated
rally, and even some professors
expressed a stake in the debate's
outcome. This polarization scared
me, making me feel uncomfortable
and sad. While I too had opinions, it
was hard to seea campus divided.
I have never had pro-Palestinian
friends. At Michigan and even
before I was in college, the Arab-
Israeli conflict prohibited me from
the possibility of open dialogue
about these issues. But when I met
Layan in D.C., we were already
friends on a different basis. Our
family backgrounds and views on
the debate were secondary to our
growing friendship, and eventually
we started talking about the

elephant in the room: the Arab-
Israeli conflict. We vowed to each
other that we would always be open
to answering questions the other
person had about our respective
religions and viewpoints, and we
wished for a better world for our
children where this debate will be
null and void and replaced with
peace. Hearing her perspective
after becoming good friends with
her changed not only my whole
view on the conflict, but also
the* importance of diversity on
campus. Layan has shared with me
her cultural norms by cooking a
traditional Lebanese breakfast and
letting me watch her pray. I've told
her about the Jewish high holidays
that are coming up and explained
what keeping Kosher is like. We're
learning so much not only about
each other's religions but also about
each other as people.
It is unclear how this kind of
positive dialogue could be fostered
on campus. Here in D.C., Layan and
I have left our respective cultural
groups that foster the homogenous
thoughts and encourage a sense of
group dynamic that make you part
of one side or the other. Here we
are just people, interested in politi-
cal science and living together.
Here we are roommates and fore-
most friends, which is what makes
it possible for us to talk so frankly
about such heavy issues. This puts
us in a unique situation that Michi-
gan strives for but is only achieving
minimally on campus. It is rare to
find friends from -polar opposite
groups like those with opposing
stakes in the Arab-Israeli conflict.
While Michigan can't prohibit
people from finding and supporting
groups of their choice on campus,
something should be done about
the polarization between different
groups that has obviously cropped
up. The first step to recovery is
realizing there is a problem. If
we keep allowing ourselves to
join groups that foster a cohesive
group dynamic and we don't meet
other people on the opposite side,
issues like the Arab-Israeli conflict
will never be solved because
polarization will continue to thrive.
Maura Levine can be reached
at mtoval@umich.edu.

EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS
Barry Belmont, David Harris, 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,
Meher Walia, Mary Kate Winn, Daniel Wang, Derek Wolfe
it's our problem too

Our generation has much to care about.
Climate change, rising tuition costs, the
protection of our rights and those of others and
the kind ofeconomywewillfaceupongraduation
are just a few issues that have been handed down
to us by older generations who now face different
- yet equally important - political problems of
their own. Millennials make up 25 percent of
the voting population. And yet, our voices are
strangely absent from the policy-making table.
It's true the Millennial generation is perhaps
the most disillusioned with our government
than any other demographic, but if we want to
create actual change and address the problems
important to us, the solution is not to protest
by abstaining, but rather the opposite - it's as
simple as casting a ballot this November.
Voting is important. It is a privilege to live in a
countrywherecertainrights areheldinalienable;
where each citizen has a legitimate voice in
how things affect them and how their interests
are represented in all levels of government.
Additionally, a nation of voters fosters a nation of
politically informed citizens, which encourages
the democratic process even more.
The problem is that Millennials aren't
even engaging in this process. A national poll
conducted by Harvard's Institute of Politics in
early2024 revealed that only23 percent of adults
aged 18 to 24 plan to vote in the 2014 midterm
elections. That's only just more than 8 percent of
the population - a far cry from the 25 percent-

strong we could be.-According to Trey Grayson,
former director of the Harvard Institute of
Politics, "The Institute's spring poll shows 18
to 29 year olds' trust in public institutions at a
five-year low - and their cynicism toward the
political process has never been higher."
Why are Millennials so cynical? It is a
commonly held belief that those who have the
most say in policy-making are "old, rich, white
people." However, this is not a reflection of a
broken system, but one that is actually working
exactly the way it is supposed to. According to
exit polls conducted by the Roper Center Public
Opinion Archives, the highest percentage of
voters in the 2008 Presidential election were
white (74 percent), aged 45 and over (53 percent)
and listing an income $100,000 and above (26
percent). It's no wonder, then, that decisions
being made in Washington reflect the interests
of this demographic at the expense of others -
most people voting are old, rich, white people.
. The easiest and perhaps most meaningful
way to fight for generational equity - having our
voices equally represented with the other demo-
graphics at the policy-making table - is by exer-
cisingourcivil rights andvoting.This November,
all 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives
as well as 36 of the 100 seats in the U.S. Senate
will be contested - and local races are taking
place at alllevels across the country.
Katherine Pak is an LSA junior.

lot is being written about
gender inequality. Articles,
tweets and ad campaigns
are cast into
the public light
every day, all cir-
cling the same _
general theme:
Women .in our
society are
being neglected.
Sexism is alive TYLER
and well.
They've SCOTT
certainly had
an impact, but
not necessarily the intended one.
Like everything else, the social
media machine has taken hold of
this most recent wave of feminism
and changed how the issue is
presented to society. And it's made
the message stronger.
Thousands of stories flood the'
internet, and when something
like Buzzfeed's "What Men Are
Really Saying When Catcalling.
Women" pops up on my Facebook
timeline, I usually don't recognize
the creator or author. In the digital
age, it's hard to become the face of a
social movement.
Except when the faces are
familiar.
On Facebook and Twitter, it's
the women I know that have the
impact. When close friends do the
"sharing," it's different. That's
when feminism becomes separate
from the media agenda, and part of
real life. There's no point in hoping
for the Betty Friedan of the 21st
century to gain celebrity when the
faces of feminism today share our
classrooms and our families and

our beds.
It's depressing to hear the story
of a friend who changed her mind
about what she planned to wear on
a night out just so being catcalled
wouldn't be an issue. Yet when a
conversation about the byproducts
of misogynistic culture begins.
and some men immediately get
defensive, it's hard not to empathize
with that either.
After all, I've never catcalled
anyone, and many men can honestly
say the same. For a lot of guys, being
labeled as a member of a club that
harasses and demeans our sisters,
friends and girlfriends is hard to
accept, because truthfully it's not
our fault.
However, "it's not our fault"
doesn't mean it's not our problem.
It's a women's issue exclusively
shaped by men's behavior, and until
we can change that, it reflects poorly
on us all. Anger at being labeled as a
cog within the great evil patriarchy
is justified; however, it should be
directed at those who propagate
inequality, not their casualties.
There are many subtle nuances
with the gender inequality discus-
sion, with a whole lot of opinions
thrown around with the facts. This
often changes the narrative from a
push for common good to a heated
personal debate. But catcalling and
slut-shaming are stupidities prac-
ticed all too often on campus, and
they're problems remarkably easy
to solve. Even if decency isn't a
good enough reason to put an end to
them, plenty of incentive exists for
men outside of altruism.
Catcalling a girl does nobody
any good. Any efforts put forth

in attempts to create a positive
outward image are shattered once
the first wolf-whistle lets loose.
Those Sperrys and Nike crew socks
sure look good with that new floral-
patterned pocket-T and vintage
sports team snapback, but it's all
for naught.
, Not to judge ,anyone} on how
they dress or look, but this ironic
interplay happens everydaybecause
enough men act like idiots for it to
overshadow us all. Seeing it happen
should elicit a groan of frustration
and a facepalm from any guy within
earshot, because not only does it
make all of us look bad, but these
poor guys are literally working
against their own self-interest.
However, none of this is new
information. The difference needs
to become in how men's behavior is
perceived by other men. Raise the
standard. Decorum, whether in a
grad school interview or on the way
home from Rick's, should be upheld.
In a way, a lot of the pressures
facing women today don't have
anything to do with women at all.
At the core of the problem, these are
men's issues to address.
Basically, don't be "that guy."
Don't be the guy to allow himself
to be stereotyped in the same way
that he stereotypes and objectifies
others. Don't be that guy who turns
a good thing bad, and embarrasses
everyone around him. Don't be
that guy who acts differently on
a Saturday night than he does
anywhere else, and don't let a friend
be that guy either.
Tyler Scott can be reached
at tylscott@umich.edu.

CONTRIBUTE TO THE CONVERSATION
Readers are encouraged to submit letters to the editor and viewpoints.
Letters should be fewer than 300 words while viewpoints should be 550-850 words.
Send the writer's full name and University affiliation to tothedaily@michigandaily.com.

A

I'

A

I

I