The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.cam

Thursday, October 23, 2014 - 3A

The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Thursday, October 23, 2014- 3A

Edited and managed by students at
the University of Michigan since 1890.
420 Maynard St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
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 of the Daily's editorial board.
All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.
FROM THE DAILY
UHS health survey, part 2
Survey reveals a decline in contraceptive use
n Oct. 15, University Health Service published its
results from the National Health Assessment Survey,
a study that looks at general health indicators of the
student body. The results of this survey provide a useful tool for
identifying positive and negative health trends among University
students. The Michigan Daily Editorial Board has isolated three
main topics for analysis: Alcohol and drug abuse, mental health
and sexual health and relationships. This editorial focuses on the
sexual health of the student population.
According to the last University NCHA to students. At the session, SAPAC provides a
survey, conducted in 2010, 61 percent of basket of free condoms available for students
students reported having had a sexual partner to take. The basket, however, is often located
in the previous 12 months. Inthis year's survey, at the back of the room, away from the group,
63 percent of undergraduates and 77 percent forcing students to detach from the crowd in
of graduate students and professors reported order to pick up a condom. This could easily
having had at least one sexual partner in the draw unwanted attention to students trying
last 12 months. And while more respondents to access contraception. For many students,
at the University have been having sex, fewer taking contraceptives in front of a group of
have been using contraception. In 2010, 91 their peers is uncomfortable.
percent of those surveyed used any method If students don't want to take condoms from
of contraception during their last instance of the basket at Relationship Remix, the session
vaginal intercourse, while in 2014, only 86.7 leaders inform them to go to University Health
percent of undergraduates and 83.2 percent Services, where male condoms are available
of graduate students and professors reported for free in the Wolverine Wellness room.
using contraception. While the session leaders have good intentions
Raising greater cause for concern, however, in informing students of the resources
is that the national Healthy Campus 2020 available at UHS, this piece of advice still
goal set by the American College Health requires students to travel out of their way for
Association is to have 62.3 percent of those condoms. Furthermore, UHS is only open five
surveyed use contraception. In 2010, only days a week during the hours many students
56.6 percent of the nation's students reported are in class. Students are more likely to use
using contraception during their last instance a condom when it's easier to access. While
of vaginal intercourse. The drastic difference it's good that UHS offers free condoms to
between usage rates calls into question the students, requiring them to travel to a special
dissemination of information and methods of location during busy hours decreases the
contraception at other colleges. likelihood that students will actually utilize
While University students' use of these services.
contraception is muchhigherthanthe national In order to help increase condom use,
average, the decrease in contraception use at the University should provide condom
the University brings up questions about its distribution methods that are less public
availability. Relationship Remix, a program than traveling to the back of the room to the
required for freshmen, is hosted by the Sexual basket of condoms or going to UHS. One such
Assault Prevention and Awareness Center method has already taken hold in some dorm
and is aimed at informing new students buildings: Resident Advisors have begun
about healthy relationships, consent, sexual attaching baskets of free condoms to the
assault, methods of contraception and ways to outside of their doors. This method is less
access contraception. stigmatized because it allows students to
While Relationship Remix can be a useful pick up condoms on their way to or from their
resource, it may not be effective in making dorms, or when they're alone in the hallway,
contraception - namely condoms - available away from the judgment of peers.
Sickening state of student loans

to college and to obtain a degree.
Their persistence and struggle will
supposedly guarantee success and
a better life, but in reality, they risk
becoming ensnared in debt with
poor health and little motivation.

The purpose of student loans is to
provide aid to determined individu-
als seeking education, but unless
there's a major tuition reform or the
creation of more options to guar-
antee aid, loans will more often

offer stagnation and further hard-
ship instead of opportunity for
underprivileged students.
- Melissa Scholke can be
reached at melikaye@umich.edu.


dentity is an amorphous con-
cept. I mentioned Bruni and
Brooks of The New York Times
in my last piece,
and identity is a
topic they both
address. Both
agree that college
is supposed to
develop "identity"
in some sense,
though neither ELI
know exactly ELI
what that means.
Nor do they know
how that mani-
fests itself. I suppose, in some ways,
that's the point - were it specific,
discrete, concrete, then we probably
would have already had to memorize
it in said aforementioned Psych class.
Nonetheless, it seems our mandate,
for the duration of time we spend at
school, is to develop (our) identity.
It's a nice thought. However, itcan
also be incredibly painful.
This pain has materialized itself
across the country in malicious
ways, through campus shootings,
sexual assault and suicide. These
aren't the actions of confident, self-
aware students. They are the out-
ward demonstrations of internalized
pain - whether towards girls (ref-
erence the University of California,
Santa Barbara shooting), boys (the
relationship between sexual inad-
equacy, chauvinism and rape have
proven perilous at Columbia Uni-
versity) or schoolwork (a suicide at
my high school was directly caused
by a Latin class). It has also come
to fore in the forms of increasing
usage rates of alcohol, drugs and
psychotropic medication.
I came across a 2013 study
recently that showed the negative
correlations between "identity devel-
opment" and anxiety/depression in
10,000 undergraduates across the
country. The same study showed that
identity development contributed
to such beneficial long-term quali-
ties as "internal meaning" and "self-
esteem." So it does seem that there is

hinking CAl
natural tension between the short-
term challenges and long-term devel-
opment. But clearly, this tension has
amplified in recent years - undoubt-
edly caused in part by ever growing
application volumes (and by proxy,
competition) into secondary educa-
tion programs (medical schools, for
example, received the most applica-
tions in their history last cycle).
The study states that nation-
ally, 15.4 percent of undergradu-
ates reported being diagnosed with
depression. This is not a surpris-
ingly high figure. University Health
Service released a report recently
that surveyed 3,351 Michigan stu-
dents in February 2014 demonstrat-
ing similar numbers. The report
further shows that 26.2 percent of
students reported that stress was an
"impediment" to academic perfor-
mance, and 19 percent reported that
"anxiety" was similarly disruptive.
So, the psychological impact of iden-
tity development through school hits
close to home. Frequent emergency
alerts regarding campus violence,
Sumana Palle's account (published in
the Daily two weeks ago) and former
Michigan kicker Brendan Gibbons'
case all parallel national crises.
Thus, these issues clearly abound
our hallways. Undoubtedly we've
all faced our own personal bouts
with anxiety and stress, inside and
outside of the classroom. These are
challenges I've confronted numer-
ous times, through varied feelings
of incessant inadequacy, debilitat-
ing insecurity and unrelenting sad-
ness. I've feltthesethe moment I was
rejected from a fraternity freshman
year. I've felt these the moment I got
my MCAT back. I've felt these, most
recently, the moment a relationship
with someone I care about tremen-
dously took a turn for the worse.
Loneliness and helplessness in the
age of social media can be deadly,
traumatizing pathogens. In these
moments, itcan seem that all you can
do is turn to yourself and ask: "How
do I, how can I, keep going?" These
moments are the most devastating,

the most isolating, the most danger-
ous. Butcthey shouldn't have to be.
Psychological care on campus
ought to help students persevere
through those moments. As identity
is deemed the fundamental outcome
of the educational institution, these
moments of anguish are (statisti-
cally) inevitable. Luckily, in my time
of need, I had friends, family and
a therapist I felt comfortable turn-
ing to. Not all may be so lucky in the
moment they need it most.
This is where the University's
Counseling and Psychological Ser-
vicescomesin. CAPShasdonewellto
recognize the campus mental health
epidemic(s), raise awareness of such
looming issues, and revamp some of
their protocols. The one thing that
CAPS cannot control is the undeni-
able,untraceable stigmasurrounding
making use of its services. And for
that, I implore you to take yourself
seriously enough to see them when
you need support. Just as you would
(and undoubtedly have) trudged over
to UHS when you had the flu, feel
compelled to do the same when you
feel emotionally helpless. Emotions
have been proven extremely pow-
erful things (for positive and nega-
tive) over and over - whether it be
through the aforementioned crises,
or inthe simple factthatsymptomsof
chronic diabetes improved15 percent
innon-depressed patients (analogous
results have been shown with many
other conditions). As such, do not
take yours lightly.
Care enough about your ownwell-
being to take the time to find relief
when you are in pain. If you feel bro-
ken, let someone help you find the
pieces to put yourself together again
- whatever you do, don't give up on
your personal puzzle. Don't try to
avoid the inevitable - try to prepare
for it. So be smart. Put on your think-
ing caps. The future you, whoever
they are, however they end up, when-
ever they appear, will thank you.
- Eii Cahan can be reached
at emcahan@umich.edu.

EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS
Devin Eggert, David Harris, Rachel John, Jacob Karafa, Jordyn Kay, Aarica Marsh, Megan
McDonald, Victoria Noble, Allison Raeck, Melissa Scholke, Michael Schramm, Matthew
Seligman, Paul Sherman, Linh Vu, Meher Walia, Mary Kate Winn, Daniel Wang, Derek Wolfe
Iam Urdu

In our younger years, my older brother and
I enjoyed drastically different pursuits. I
loved school, but my brother detested it.
While my predilection for
books led me to bury my
head within pages and con-
coct story ideas, my broth-
er's entrepreneurial mind
devised business plans and
ways to diversify his sav-
ings (which usually meant
hiding money in numerous
crannies I couldn't reach). MELISSA
While I pranced about his SCHLOKE
room shoving my report
cards in his face, he'd sit
there fanning himself
with the cash he earned from his paychecks.
We - like many other siblings - thrived upon
light-hearted antagonism. Therefore, "nerd,"
"loser" and "bookworm" soon became his pre-
ferred names for me. Likewise, I'd continually
flap my arms in his presence, chanting that
"all the little birdies flying over his shoulder
chirped 'cheap, cheap, cheap.' "
Over time as we both matured and when
he finished college, I realized my brother's
concern about money wasn't a sign of greed.
Especially after I grasped the fact my desire
to continue in academia would require sub-
mergence in a sea of student-loan debt, I
realized why my brother spent years storing
money away in various caches he referred to
as "funds." I understood why he spent so many
summers working all day, only to come home
exhausted and to tell me to leave him alone
and let him sleep. Just as Iviewed good grades,
books and extracurriculars as an avenue to a
life I would enjoy, he saw money as a way to
ensure financial security and a better life. As
I utilize some of his old tactics to figure out
my loan totals each year, I begin to think he
just wanted to avoid the nauseating apprehen-
sion I feel swirling in my gut each time I newly
* calculate the obscene amount of debt I'll owe
after graduation. I could see why he'd try so
hard to avoid that anxiety.
I had absolutely no clue about social mobil-
ity as a child. I wouldn't have understood mov-

ing up in socio-economic class was what my
brother intended to do with his savings and his
degree. Sadly, as I make progress towards grad-
uation, the concept of social mobility seems
more and more like atwisted fairy tale. Costs of
college tuition have increased by approximate-
ly 1,122 percent since 1978. Medical costs have
only increased by roughly 600 percent in that
same time period. Currently, student-loan debt
at the national level has reached roughly $1.2
trillion. For college students from lower socio-
economic backgrounds, student loans - as well
as the accompanying debt - aren't merely an
option, they're an absolute necessity. Pelligrants
- which were specifically intended to assist
students from low-income backgrounds - are
now covering the smallest fragment of college
tuition costs since they were first implemented.
Student loans pose an obvious impediment
to social mobility for poorer students. How-
ever, the drawbacks of this particular debt
are not solely financial. In a Gallup poll, it was
found that individuals who accrue more than
$50,000 in debt after graduation tend to expe-
rience difficulty in other aspects of their lives
as well. Individuals embarking on post-grad
life burdenedby debt often experience a lack of
purpose and a lack of community in their lives.
They don't feel motivated to achieve goals. They
don't enjoy their work or where they live, and
they don't feel safe in the communities where
they reside.
Loan debt creates anxiety-inducing situa-
tions, but there are other ways in which debt
weakens the health of college grads. In the
Gallup poll, the individuals surveyed reported
experiencing declines in physical health. High
levels of debt are correlated with the likelihood
of experiencing anxiety, depression and sui-
cidal thoughts. Likewise, owing overwhelm-
ing amounts of debt is correlated to high blood
pressure, which can lead to the development
of other ailments such as stroke or hyperten-
sion. Considering many graduates who take out
loans are from poorer backgrounds, the inabil-
ity to afford proper medical care is yet another
factor placing their health at risk.
Individuals from poorer backgrounds are
consistently told to work hard in order to go
I

T he yoke of arms is
shaken off more readily
by subject peoples
than the yoke
of language." -
Lorenzo Valla
Four years ago,
when my grandfa-
ther was hospital- Y
ized in the days
leading up to his
passing, he under-
went surgery. Part MAHMOOD
of the procedure
involved having
a tube put down
his throat. When he woke up, two of
my older cousins, both of whom had
grown up in Pakistan and both of
whom were doctors, asked him how
he was doing. He opened his mouth
but pain forced it to close, and he
resorted to the pen and paper he was
handed. His trembling, bony fingers,
stained with the liver spots of old age,
spelled out as elegant a note as he
could and handed it to his grandchil-
dren. "My throat hurts." My cousins
looked twice at the Urdu letters, sud-
denly so foreign, and shrugged. They
asked my grandpa to write down his
message again in English. It might
really have been the last thing he
ever wrote.
Once upon a time, if you hailed a
rickshaw in Lucknow, India, your
driver would welcome you with a
couplet in Urdu, a gem for you to
behold on your ride. But no more.
I have always been unable, for
some reason, to behold my language
without mourning inside. I feel Urdu
is dying. I'm part of the Linguistics
Club here at the University. In Feb-
ruary, I came across a link posted on
the group's Facebook page around
St. Patrick's Day. A man named Man-
chan Magan had created a TV series
out of a social experiment in which
he refused to speak anything but
Irish in Ireland. For me, this was
confirmation that I was not the only
crazy person yelling about the death
of his native language.
The most poignant scene for me
was one of desperation. Manchan
decided to stand up in the center of a

town square, surrounded by throngs
of busy shoppers in open sunshine,
and literally beg the people of Dub-
lin to produce a single person who
could speak Irish with him. A crowd
of about 20 people gathered loosely
around, keeping a safe distance.
They considered him from afar with
disapproving looks, as if he were
crazy for speaking Irish in Ireland.
There were the tourists who had no
idea that there was even a language
called Irish, and Irish to them had
always been a drunken kind of Brit-
ish accent. Indeed, not a single per-
son among all the hundreds could
come forward even when Manchan
begged anyone for even a single
word in Irish, even when he pulled
out money, a fistful of notes for a
word of Irish in the heart of Dublin.
No one. Not a word. Manchan bowed
his head in defeat and walked away.
In a comment beneath the video
of this first episode, someone had
voiced this almost unique judgment
of mine:
I don't consider people who don't
speak Irish to be Irish. They are vic-
tims ofcolonialism and nothing else.
The same way, I have said for the
longest time that 'Urdu-speakers'
who speak only English are nothing
but English. In this way, the ques-
tion of why I am so attached to Urdu
is answered with a more perplexing
question. I see language as identity.
I am Urdu. -
And I am, neurologically. As we
grow up in a language, it is hardly
too poetic to imagine that as our
brains grow and neurons form new
connections, that these connections
develop along the grammar and logic
of our native tongues. What if every
native Urdu speaker has an indelible
fingerprintof sorts of neural connec-
tions that he shares with other Urdu
speakers? This fingerprint cannot
be taught. It must come from being
a true part of a community, a legacy
that is its native language.
Here in America, we no longer
hear the tongues that once echoed
in the.Appalachians and the Rockies,
which rippled across the waters of
Michigan. I once met with the Ojib-

wa teacher here, an aged gentleman
named Alphonse Pitawanakwat. I
asked him to say something in his
language for me, and he obliged. I
reveled in the words I heard. Those
words belonged here, and I feltI was
privy to an ancient secret. I wonder
how many more will ever know it.
Our Spirits Don't Speak English is
a 2008 documentary that shares the
story of those whose native tongues
were metaphorically ripped out
of their mouths. One elderly man
with silver pigtails and a hardened,
proud face gives his name as Andrew
Windyboy. When he was younger,
he was sent to two boarding schools
where he was punished for speaking
his native language.
"It was my first language. I didn't
know any other language. So when-
ever I talked, it came out. Cree would
come out, and whenever I talked I'd
get hit. I got hit so much ... I lost my
tongue ... I lost my native tongue."
He twists his neck in the suffer-
ing that he could not escape, his soul
torn, his words falling from his lips.
His words hate themselves, touched
so cruelly by the accent of his fore-
fathers. I watch a proud Chippewa
Cree break down in tears before me,
and I have to fight back my own.
"The only thing I remember is
my Indian name. It means Old Man
Eagle. It's the only CreeI know."
My grandpa was Urdu. He was
the true inheritor of a vast treasure.
A language that has its roots in the
mother of all Europe's languages,
Sanskrit. A language that carried
on the shoulders of great caravans
the stories of so many pilgrims and
empires. It carries yet the Vedic tra-
dition, the Hebrew tradition, the
Persian tradition. It's an orchard
whose pomegranates and guavas
ripened over thousands of years, a
winery whose stores were as aged as
the Himalayas.
I write this essay in English. But
my spirit will never speak English.
My grandpa was Urdu. My father is
Urdu. I will be Urdu.
- Omar Mahmood can be
reached at syedom@umich.edu.

I

I