Page 4 - Tuesday, September 30, 2014 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Page 4 - Tuesday, September 30, 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@michigandailycom The true price of a MEGAN MCDONALD PETER SHAHIN and DANIEL WANG EDITOR IN CHIEF EDITORIAL PAGE EDITORS KATIE BURKE 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. The F word' he older I get, the more I realize that it's not labels that make me uncomfort- ablebut ratherthe weightcthey hold, the expectations they carry and the connotations that come with them. Still, there are plenty of labels I identify with, labels I carry proudly and unapologetically. Labels that don't define me, but rather encompass little parts of my existence. I'm a woman. I'm an Arab. I'm a Muslim. These are parts of my identity that fit in little boxes. And while HAYA ALFARRAN I'm comfortable identifying with them, I know that those little boxes don't look the same to everyone. The way I define my gender, ethnicity and religion isvery specificto me. Feminist is a label I go back and forth on every day. I used to think I've been flirting with feminism since I was 10, but I now realize we've been courting since birth. I learned her name when I was 15 and we've been slowly getting acquainted ever since. Still, I sometimes don't feel comfortable associating with her. So let's talk about feminism. When a woman identifies as a feminist, I've found that the reactions include everything from "so you're a man-hater" to "YAAAS." Over the past year, there has been a popularization of feminism. Countless celebrities and notable figures have come out and stated their support of it. Still, among all the diverse feminist discourse on equal pay, reproductive rights and respectability, there seems to be a different, ever- present, unofficial debate. A debate on who gets to identify as a feminist. When Beyonce proclaimed her feminist status last year, the world went wild. The mainstream couldn't figure out what to do with her proclamation. The public tried to figure out whether she was a "true feminist" and proceeded 1to scrutinize her life-to disprove it. People picked apart her album, her wardrobe and her choice to take on her husband's last name. The mainstream seems preoccupied with the notion that there can only be one true form of feminism. When I decided to call myself a feminist, I was metwith questions. Can you be a Muslim and a feminist? Can an Arab woman be a feminist? Yes. Hell, yes. People assume my identity mustbe in conflict with my feminist status, because there couldn't possibly be a way to reconcile the two. My little box of feminism looks a lot different than Beyonce's, Emma Watson's, Malala Yousafzai's and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's, but it's just as valid. Policing which women get to identify with feminism has a multitude of repercussions. It's just as harmful as the concept of feminism being associated with anger and man-hating. It propagates the idea that women must validate their brand of feminism. It belittles the efforts different women have contributed to the movement for equality. When you propagate the idea of true feminism, you're stripping women, often those who belong to marginalized identities, of the power to own their choices. I'm tired, and I imagine that many other women are too. I'm tired of having to justify my opinions because I don't look like the "ideal" feminist. I'm tired of being asked to present my credentials at the door. I don't understand why the world thinks that the only way Muslim women can call themselves feminists is if they run down the street nude while renouncing their faith. I don't understand why I have to constantly reassure people that I'm not oppressed. Why I need them to validate my choices. When I made the decision to study abroad, my parents got a lot of backlash for it. Different family members and friends couldn't fathom how my parents could let their 17-year-old daughter move across an ocean unsupervised. Issues of my safety and corruptibility were brought up. People opposed their choice, because I was a girl. Still, no one brought up the fact that I was pursuing a better education. No one cared about that. The day my parents got behind my decision was the daymyparentsbecame feminists. (Sorrytobreak it toyou Mom and Dad)When Idecided to put my education ahead of my society's judgment, I too became afeminist. MyfeminismisintegraltothewayIlive.It'sthe way in which I sustain and control my presence in the world. My feminism comes from my lived experience. That'sthe only credential I need. - HayaAlfarhan can be reached at hsf@umich.edu. wasn't going to write a column about Michigan football. In fact, I had half an article on educa- tion reformtyped up and ready to go. But, I suppose my journalist senses were tell- ing me to strike while the iron was hot - or in this case not - DEVIN and talk about some long needed EGGERT reforms in Mich- igan football. Since I'm in an educational mindset, I'll spell it out. M stands for Marketing. From the big block 'M' to "THE TEAM, THE TEAM, THE TEAM" plastered on jumbotrons, our T-shirts and our hearts. We are the "Leaders and Best" at outreach. I really do believe that - and it's not necessarily a bad thing. Recently though, it hurts when I see those messages flashed on the bigscreen. I question whether or not our program reflects our val- ues. At times, I feel like I'm playing dress-up in the stadium with my bright maize and blue. When I was walkingback to North Campus from the Utah game, drenched, I won- dered whether I was a team member or a spot to fill on ESPN's shot of the student section. I'm tired of the artificial feel. I stands for In 1969. I sympathize with the alumni who will absolutely not take any criticisms of our team. Back then, it was not all glory days. Major challenges were overcome. However, the atmosphere is much different than what I was promised entering the University. I want it to be about football, friends and fami- lies rooting for underdogs, topdogs and such. Yet, promises remain hol- low as the University's marketing pocketbooks remain wholesome. It's wrong to still be banking so much off of Bo Schembechler's honorable legacy. I'm starting to see tactics instead of respect, a son that relies on dad's legacyto stay relevant. I, and perhaps many recent alumni, don't feel the personal connection that older alumni feel. C stands for Challenges. If I can figure out how to fully finance my room and board at the University, work two jobs and get good grades while balancing my other commit- ments like' so many of my friends - you all can do the one job you're getting paid multimillions of dollars to do. There are so many excuses, it's ridiculous. "He needs five years." "We lost this guy or that guy."If you're not going to give me a free ticket for my troubles, I'm not going to give you a free by-pass to sit on your millions of dollars, because not every statistic is right. I'm not asking that we win - I'm asking that if we lose it's not for embarrassing reasons under our control. Step up to challenges. H stands for Honor. "The Team, The Team, The Team." Tell me how I should feel as a collegiate woman in the stands shouting, "The Team," knowing that former kicker Brendan Gibbons was put on the field. Gib- bons was given the privilege to play beside men who truly upheld the val- ues of the University on and off the field. Scoring points was chosen over principles that directly affect me. In the Minnesota game we witnessed sophomore quarterback Shane Mor- ris, with a potential concussion, put in for a play that resulted in virtually nothing anyway. A collegiate man's safety was chosen over the use of a timeout or a third- or fourth-string player with a full scholarship. An honorable game is not only told by the scoreboard. I stands for I SHOULD be able to afford to pay for my siblings to go to a freaking football game. Even with everything going on, I STILL want to take my little brothers and sisters to a football game. I feel GUILTY that I can't afford to purchase my familytickets. If this is a program so geared toward the legacy of family at football games, it would make sense for there to be some MAJOR discount available for at least one family game/family ticket package. This is about the University community. At least that's what Marketing tells me. ticket We're not all rich here. G stands for Game Day. Sorry Scrooge, Tiny Tim is making a ruck- us in the stadium. You're raising ticket prices, not allowing us to buy tickets with friends, switching idiot- ic seating regulations constantly and not giving us a community and fam- ily feel. When seat-filling times get desperate on your end due to your own terrible management skills, do you think we're going to grant you any favors? "Miscommunication caused the 'two Cokes for two tickets' national embarrassment." The '100,000 sta- dium attendance' mark is in jeopardy. Scrooge, Tiny Tim isn't an idiot. A stands for Attitude. Our mascot is a freaking Wolverine - the most badass, terrorizing, little badger of our animal kingdom - known for attackingcariboumanytimesitssize. You're chanting you're a Wolverine? A real Michigan Wolverine? Then fight. Watch a full YouTube video of a wolverine attacking a large animal. Tell me when you stop watching. Do you leave when the small animal gets hit? No, you would leave when you don't see the fight in the wolverine anymore. That's just sad to watch. Think of that next time the audience leaves. We're with you, Wolverines. We're paying absurd prices to stay. We want to 'root for you. N stands for Not the NFL. My high school history teacher told our class that he never watches NFL. He only watches college football, because that's where he sees the passion. Real kids who have having something on the line -not someone on a contract. "Those Who Stay Will Be Champions." Deserve to Stay. Ifyou can sell me that next game or next year, I'll gladly pay. So, there are my two-cents about the true price of a Michigan football ticket in 2014. Its answer lies in what we're selling. You can take it or leave it. Unfortunately, you can't trade it in for a Coke. -Devin Eggert can be reached at deeggert@umich.edu. MBERS , Nivedita Karki, legan McDonald, ael Schramm, i Raeck, Linh Vu, Ing, Derek Wolfe EDITORIAL BOARD ME Barry Belmont, David Harris, Rachel John Jacob Karafa, Jordyn Kay, Aarica Marsh, M Victoria Noble, Melissa Scholke, Mich Matthew Seligman, Paul Sherman, Allison Meher Walia, Mary Kate Winn, Daniel Wa The common interest t takes a spectacular amou to claim that a single, narro characteristicsareintrinsic eration. Interests, however, are a different story. Thanks to the forces of history, the idea that those born between 1980 and 2000 - us much- maligned Millennials - have a specific set of interests that distinguish us from previous generations has more than a grain of truth to it. Our great- est and most common chal- lenges - a weak job market, student loan debt and climate change come to mind - imply that we are united in our need them. After all, who would gain than us? Private entrepreneurship, p and representative government avenues through which we can p tions. These are not all equall and the payoffs from each differ quantity and scope. The entrepr tions and risks taken to develop, new technologies can lead to ma the individuals involved and are of the American economy. Put including social media campaig canvassing and letters to the ed once-obscure issues squarely spotlight and generate ideas for And campaigning for candidate lions and communicating with from the local to national level - of representative government - est potential for change in all th shaled, the combined power th presidency and state and local g bring to bear on these issues thr executive orders, law enforcer and policy implementation is u: scope unmatched. My generatio solving the challenges it faces ar who it elects. Bear with me here - thisi youthful optimism and reality ism. I'm fully aware of the prev this country about our leaders- recently noted in its typical man rassed U.S. populace ... confided1 for a moment there they had fo actively seeking meaningful ac unt of arrogance elected representatives." I feel those concerns. w set of personal When according to a poll by Real Clear Politics toanentiregen- only about 14 percent of the American people believe Congress is doing its job well, it truly is foolish to expect them to think their representa- tives are addressingthe issues importantto them. But while The Onion is a quality publication with a solid argument here, it passed over another key point regarding our representatives: in order for themto represent your interestsas a constituency,. you haveto present yourself as such. Our generation isn't very good at that. For ERIC starters, only -the brightest (and luckiest) of us FERGUSON students and young professionals are indepen- dently wealthy, can raise large sums of money or are close to the heads of those organizations that wield so much power in the public sphere. You for solutions to don't see corporate lobbies, super-PACs or even more from those the Republican and Democratic Parties priori- tizing issues for young people, and you certainly public advocacy don't see any young people at their respective are all essential helms. The power and money they have there- ursue these solu- fore isn't used to advocate for our generation's y easy, however, interests. Even more disappointing in light of this r greatly in their fact is how young Americans have had the lowest eneurial innova- voter turnout rate of any segment of the popula- produce and sell tion in recent years - in 2010, only 19.6 percent assive payoffs for of the 18 to24 year old population turned out to an integral part vote. In short, our generation is reluctant to use blic advocacy - the ballot box to advocate for its interests even ns, door-to-door as the next powerful avenue to effecting change itor - can move through representative government - spending into the public money and working through existing institutions their resolution. that are powerful in the public sphere - is many s, voting in elec- times more difficult toutilize. representatives How this can change is an open and immensely - the core actions complicated questionthat I cannotmyselfanswer. - has the great- I can suggest several reasons for Millennials' dis- ree. When mar- mal participation in electoral politics from my at Congress, the personal experience: severe and understandable overnments can disillusionment in the political system, a lack of ough legislation, awareness regarding how to effectively lobby nent, regulation elected representatives to act on a certain issue nrivaled, and its (notto mention not knowing who those represen- n's best hope for tatives are inthe firstplace), nevergettingaround e therefore those to voting on Election Day and, in some cases, pure carelessness. One thing is clear, though: whether isn't a study on representatives will represent and prioritize the -oblivious ideal- Millennials' collective interests depends not on ailing opinion in overcoming some generational character trait, - as The Onion but on each individual making a commitment to ner, "the embar- those interests. CHARLES ZHOU I To Dave Brandon (and President Schlissel) Dear Athletic Director Brandon, You have no idea who I am, and you probably don't care. Why do I know that? Because you clearly don't care about the opinions of the generations of loyal Michigan fans that have come before me, nor the generation of lifelong fans that you should be tryingto create right now. With the team's poor performance in recent games, many people are calling for Coach Brady Hoke to be fired. Iam not one of those people, and those losses are in no way your fault. However, there needs to be a fundamental change in the University Athletic Department, and that begins with you. Your job is safe for now because University President Mark Schlissel, while a capable administrator, cannot claim to come from a tradition of athletics, regardless of what anybody says. That's perfectly fine - he went to Princeton and Johns Hopkins and a tradition of athletics doesn't exactly run through the veins of every student at those institutions. However, a president who studied at Michigan or another perennial athletics powerhouse such as Oklahoma, Alabama or Michigan State would have fired you a long time ago. What I don't understand is your utter disregard for Michigan's traditions. You and I are more alike than you realize - we were both part of the game day experience, you as a football player and I as a member of the band. However, Michigan fans who had watched you play in Bo's early years would sense a definite difference in the atmosphere had they attended a recent game. The blame for that, I believe, falls squarely on your shoulders. Surely you remember what it was like to play under Bo, how the Big House was a sacred place on Saturdays. Without piped-in music. Without inexplicably long media time outs. Without advertising galore. One of your great predecessors, former University Athletic Director Fielding Yost (who originally was responsible for obtaining the Little Brown Jug that Michigan lost this Saturday), would be rolling in his grave right now. You may have heard the story in which he called up Dr. Revelli, then director of the Marching Band, and chastised him for using the band to advertise Buick on the field. I'll put it bluntly. You're out of touch. You don't have a clue about what your fans, alumni and students want. If you do, you clearly don't care. We couldn't care less whether we get cell phone reception in the Big House or not. However, students do wantto be rewarded for their loyalty to Michigan Football. Raising prices and instituting a first-come-first-served seating system last year was not the way to do that, and it wasn't a good way to get them to show up on time, either. You lost roughly a third of your student season ticket holders just to make a bit more money. You do deserve credit for one thing: for turning the Athletics Department into a very fat cash cow. While the two-dozen plus varsityteams are almost completely supported by football revenue, they were doing fine before you came along and turned Michigan Athletics into a business. The men's gymnastics team probably would've still won its back-to-back national championships if the Athletic department pulled in $100 million instead of $150 million. It's as if you make excuses to justify bad decisions. At the end of the day, they're still bad decisions, and you'll see consequences that can't be covered up. If the attendance streak of more than 100,000 that stretches back to 1975 ends this season, how will you explain that? When there is no longer a waitlist for non-student season tickets because the price is so prohibitive and because you alienated several years of current students, how will you explain that? You seem to forget the basics of investing - that today's students are tomorrow's season ticket holders. I want you to think about a very serious question. Is selling the soul of a 135-year-old tradition worth any amount of money in the world? We want football games to not last four hours. We want to listen to the band, not canned pop music. We want to pay a reasonable price for student season tickets. And we don't want to hear about tickets sold under face value to get more than 100,000 people to go to a game - even if the promotion wasn't approved, what a slap in the face to loyal fans. We want to impatiently count down to football season in January. We want to be quivering with excitement because we have tickets to Saturday's game. We want to be ecstatic after attending a game at the Big House, even when we lose. We want to inherit a tradition that we can be proud of. I love the University of Michigan. If I didn't, I wouldn't have come back for graduate school (and there were four others who were happy to take me). I will bleed maize and blue until I die, and support the football program through thick and thin, but I cannot support you as Athletic Director. Forever Go Blue. Charles Zhou is a is a second- year master's student at the School of Public Health. to reporters that ound themselves tion from their - Eric Ferguson can be reached at ericff@umich.edu. A I I p 4 a.