Page 4A - Thursday, November 6, 2014 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com 0I Page 4A - Thursday, November 6, 2014 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom * 4C Mihigan 4 at,6J 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. Follow the yellow brick road om Bissell is a writer from the Upper Peninsula. He visited Ann Arbor last year. In the wake of Robin Williams' death and the talk of depression in the artistic mind, I evoke his thoughts. When I walked into the Hopwood Room to see Tom Bissell that Thurs- day at 2 o'clock in the afternoon, OMAR MAHMOOD Fall means a few things every year: foot- ball, changing leaves and job search- es. Recruiting season in the Business School officially started, and recently I turned down my return offer to work full time in finance. It wasn't an easy decision, nor a simple one. The decision required a lot - of self-reflection. In retro- spect, the factors I consid- ered are indeed important to ELI the broader decisions of life C in general, beyond just a first job after graduation. There were four main paradigms, four main pieces of advice that went into the decision. As a senior, I feel it my obligation to share those thoughts, such that you may too share some of the introspection as you think about life, love and the pursuit of happiness. Climb the mountain to see the world, not so the world can see you. There are numerous pressures on us as students throughout our schooling: financially, academically and socially. These pressures generally convey to us a sense of things we "should" do - whether grandma says you "should" be alawyer at Chanukkah, or whether your friend says you"should"breakup with that girl at the tailgate. Be wary of the "should." The essence of this nugget is in pushing you to do things that make you feel personally validated, not socially valorized. As a Ross student, I felt like I should do banking, and to have people see mylogoed-outswagwould be anice perk tothat. Intheend,the Tshirtyouwearinthegymmeans" very little to anyone else if it means very little to you. Do what you love and like, because nobody's going to care unless you're doing brain surgery. As a corollary, personal validation usually runs parallel to genuine enthusiasm. While I disagree with sotne ofwhat this quote alludes(4s; an aspiring doctor, I love and like brain surgery and people will care about it to boot...), the message is valuable. Understand what you like to do. Understand what makes you happy. Take astepback. Youwill not lastlong, norbe good at, a job (or a relationship, etc...) that is forced. Do you, in all that you do. Be authentic and genuine, inside and out. Idid not like the work I was doing, and I did not like the person Itwas becoming. Follow the Yellow Brick Road. Now, as you do you, know that there will be difficult choices along the way. You must take ownership of these choices. The greatest blessing of college is that we may choose our path - but knowthatsayingyestooneoptionoftenrequires saying no to another. As Dorothy traveled down the road, inevitably she faced a fork, turned left, and kept walking. She was forced to see that decision out to the end. Likewise, appreciate the importance of the decisions you make - and do not regret them, nor think twice. Just make sure you see them all the way through. I said no to my offer - a definitively left turn where others might have turned right - and I take ownership of it. Let's hope I get to Oz. To know your limits is to realize you have none. Finally, the amazing thing about carving out your own path is how many opportunities will comeupthatyouneverexpected. Opportunities are definitely a surprise - if you saw them coming, they would have just been "part of the plan." You would be shocked by how good of a position you are in as a University of Michigan student. So give yourself some credit, and perhaps more importantly, some time. Patience is not easy, but it is a virtue. Doors will swing open, but only when you walk far enough away from your comfort zone. And remember, you can only walk through one door at a time, so you'll have your pick of the litter. Embrace the uncertainty. Let it surprise you. Open your sails, and let the wind carry you. I certainly hope this one may be true for me as I apply to medical schools. So all of this is to say, if you love banking, do it. Just make sure you're making the decision because it's what you want, for who and how you want to be. You're allowed to be selfish on this one. A career is a long time, and constitutes a considerable part of your adult life. Work/life balance exists for those whose work is not a part of who they are. As such, I would encourage you to let work be a fundamental part of your life. Don't think of it as a balance - work on one side and life on the other. Think of it as game of Jenga - the entire substance of the shape, of your being, constructed from both, each supporting the other. But don't worry too much. The best thing about Jenga is that, though for a fleeting moment life may come toppling down, you can always build yourself back up. And, your friends will be with you as you do. - Eli Cahan can be reached at emcahan(@umich.edu. I expected a red carpet laid out and students from The Michigan Daily swarming him with burning ques- tions. I'd been in the room a couple times before, and each time I felt as if I were trespassing into a sacred kind of writers' realm, now more than ever. Instead I walked into an empty room, an old round table laden as always with perfectly arranged journals that were there for decor more than for reading. I saw a man in the far left corner sitting under a lamp and actually reading one of the humble writings that had been laid on the table. Remarkable, I figured - the first person that I'd seen reading something from that table was a writer. He sat with one leg atop the other, brows furrowed and the tips of his fingers on his cheeks. He wore spectacles of a scholarly sort that complemented his scruffy speckled facial hair. Wellbuilt, ruddy, aman of God's Country. He wasn't surrounded by agaggle ofnerds who had followed his work like comic books, and there wasn't a mike in sight. So I did what made sense. I walked up to him, shook hands and introduced myself, and in a second I was pouring out all my frustrations to him. How I'd been struggling with the same kind of drudge that he'd described in his younger years - the anxiety, depression, total lack of productivity. I'd read in his Grand Theft Auto article of how he didn't write anything for years due ,to his addiction to the video game, and how he'd spend each night "carpet Tom Bissell bombing the apartment," pacing around as he promised himself that tomorrow would be different. I'd been doing pretty much that since my junior year of high school,though my distractions were different. I'd read his profile of one Mr. Jim Harrison,therenownednovelistfrom the UP who was read far and wide, and whose literature was studied by French schoolchildren. Mr. Harrison lived a secluded life out in the wild of Colorado, where the wolves could be heard howling. He had lived for a long time with depression and was never really meant for school, having left Michigan State University after years of frustration with the bureaucracy of the English Department. I saw in these writers a charac- ter that I've always had as well - depression, an urge to go live in the wild (seriously) and a disdain for the system. Tom had left teaching some time ago. I explained to him the slumps I'd been going through. I told him that his writings spoke to me and told me that far from being a freak, I was quite a normal writer. And in the wake of Robin Williams' death, the matter is even more stark. Ask CNN medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta. We artists have always toiled ina dark part of the mind, and there is something universal in our demeanor that puts people off. It is hard to find those who genuinely like us. It is easy to believe the world is against us, and even easier to do nothing about it. "People out there just completely impulsive, breaking the rules,". Sanjay Gupta has said. In my time here, I've said things that I shouldn't have, things that to me are too true. I've been open about my disdain for the social justice movement, for contemporary art, for the utter lack of intellect involved in studying for letter grades. But that same depression, that same compulsion, is also the neurological font of our creativity - ask Gupta. Art comes from misery, and I know that even as it flows from my pen. "If I can even call myself a writer," I told Tom Bissell. He assured me I could. I've always suspected a conspiracy against talent, but Tom was empathetic. He talked about how as an aspiring writer he'd imagined that the guys that get an article in reputed journals have red carpets rolling out for them, before laughing at his youthful naivete and shaking his head. I smiled. I couldn't get enough of him. The next dayI went to theUMMA to hear him speak there again. In the Hop- wood Room, he had played down the writer's life so much that I was quite relieved that I was keeping my pre- med options open. Here was no dif- ferent. He voiced some more of my frustrations elegantly well, that art- ists were not appreciated, that writ- ing was alost art. That he had quit his job at a university because he could no longer guide writing students into miserable lives. Depressing, but cathartic. He spoke to me. I spoke to him again as I was buying one of his books, "God Lives in St. Petersburg," one that he had recommended to me. I told him about my spiritual journey the night before with the Hare Krishnas. Something had made me turn around to their music, probably a state inspired by Tom in the Hopwood Room earlier. I had ended up goingwiththemto their temple in Ypsilanti and partaking in all sorts of exotic rituals and chants, offering petals and rose water and fire to a statue of their founder. I met people looking for God, and in all seriousness I find that, as creepy as the event was for a Muslim, it was one now imprinted on my college psyche for some time to come. "You know why I went?" I asked him with a smile. "I asked myself ... 'What would Tom Bissell do?"' He looked at me, chuckled, and told me that he would've turned the hell around and walked away. As he signed my book, he crossed out his name and wrote this down for me in ballpoint black ink, and I think he meant it: To Omar, With my absolute best wishes to you. Good luck. - Omar Mahmood can be reached at syedom@umich.edu. .EDITORIAL BOARD rMEMBERS 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 A rude awakening In my naive freshman mind, my arrival on campus would mark the commencement of long-awaited independence. Nine hours away from home, I prepared myself for living in a bustling city away from overprotec- tive parents and - surpris- ingly - even more protective brothers. I expected freedom. I anticipated exploring every corridor of campus and roam- ing about Ann Arbor. I hoped MELISSA for adventurous nights. How- SCHOLKE ever, as a junior, I realize the extent of my naivetd. Instead ofcarefreeexploration, Ioften find myself ina world fraught with more restric- tions than I'd ever known in my past: Don't walk homefrom the library late at night! Stay in well-lit areas. Avoid walking alone! Don't go running at night! Don't get too drunk! Watch your drink at parties! Only drink the ones you've physically opened yourself! Call somebody when you're walking! Put your hood up! Pay attention to your surroundings! Walk in a manly fashion! If someone bothers you, keep walking and ignore them! Be careful in parking garages at night! Always carry your keys in your hand! Don't blare your iPod in the evening when you're jogging! Text us when you're back at your apartment! In addition to cautionary appeals, women soon introduced me to their personal methods of protection. My mother continually tries to convince me to carry pepper spray. One friend avidly practices self-defense. Likewise, another possesses aphone app designed to automatically notify the police if necessary. Another friend taught me to carry my keys between my fingers. The freshman version of me - out of a combination of naivete and perhaps stubborn pride - mistakenly assumed they were over- worrying, and I didn't need to follow their example. Receiving a barrage of catcalls within the last year, however, has shattered my foolish former pride. Now, whenever I'm alone and a random twinge of fear slithers up my spine, my keys are wedged between my fingers. Catcalling, or street harassment, plagues about 65 percent of women and roughly 25 percent of men - what mostly identified as LGBTQ - according to a survey conductedby an organization known as Stop Street Harassment. Although avideo depictingawomaninNewYork City receiving about 100 instances of catcalling within 10 hours was recently released, street harassment isn't restricted to metropolitan areas. I've been catcalled both in Ann Arbor and on the streets of my rural hometown. Every instance of vulgar commentary has incited extreme disgust and subsequent rants. Yet, the most recent incident enrages me the most. Several weeks ago, after dozing on the couch while attempting to do some late-night homework, my roommates insisted I go to bed. I stumbledup the stairs in a semi-conscious stupor, flicked on my bedroom light, placed my backpack next to the window and proceeded towards the bathroom. As I walked away, I heard someone outside yell, "Hey cutie!"I looked out my window to discern where the noise was coming from and in the parking lot below stood a group of guys. One in particular gestured to me to affirm the comment was meant for me and just stood there staring. Fuming, I shut my blinds and ran downstairs. Street harassment was an injustice I was beginningto stomach, but this time, I was livid! How dare some stranger bother me in the safety of my own apartment! Is there no longer a place where one can feel entirely secure? Harassment isn't confined to the streets. Threats are invading our homes and our online presences. Yet, those attempting to combat these threats and bring more awareness to the misogynistic ideologies responsible are often threatened themselves. The woman featured in the video capturing catcallers in New York reportedly received death and rape threats after her participation in the project. While the sexism and objectification within media can fuel the manifestation of these ideologies in real life, women speaking out against these societal problems are threatened, silenced, and sometimes, feel compelled to leave their homes. Rather than threatening women, we need to cultivate a culture where women can freely voice concerns about sexist attitudes. Likewise, more men need to seriously take these issues into account and alter their attitudes regarding objectification and sexism. Until this awareness is gained, some individuals will consistently question their safety in every space. - Melissa Scholke can be reached at melikaye@umich.edu. KATIE STENVIG ET AL | Mir The drop in minority enrollment on this campus is a national scandal. The numbers just released for 2014- 2015 show that enrollment of under- represented minority students is the lowest it has been since 1970; this year's freshman class is 3.7 percent black, 4.3 percent Latin@, and 1.4 percent Native American. For more than 40 years, the University has broken the promises it made to the Black Action Movement after the movement shut down the campus in a three-week student strike demanding 10 percent Black enrollment within two years. The percentage of Black students on this campus today is less than in1973. This is the new Jim Crow. The University's admissions poli- cies discriminate against minority students by ignoring the reality of segregation and inequality of our schools, racial biases in standard- ized tests and pretending racism doesn't exist. These policies have led to broader attacks on public educa- tion, integration and equal opportu- nity in K-12 schools, most starkly in the immediate and rapid degradation of education in Detroit following the ban on affirmative action. The struggle of the Black commu- nity of Ferguson against racism and police brutality is the much-needed antidote to these worsening condi- tions everywhere in the country. Students on this campus, inspired by the struggle in Ferguson are taking matters into their own hands, and asserting the leadership of the stu- dent movement over and against the inept, cynical dysfunctional leader- ship of the administration. We cannot afford to have any more illusions in this administration. Since 2006, the University has used Pro- posal 2 as an excuse for the drop in minority enrollment. But the steady decline began even before the ban on affirmative action. There's no good excuse for this drop. Prop 2 doesn't prevent the University from adopting admissions policies like the 10 per- cent plan implemented in Texas fol- lowing the ban on affirmative action there. The plan guarantees accep- liority enrollment tance to the flagship campus to the top 10 percent of every high school in the state, eliminating the most biased admissions criteria, stan- dardized tests, for a large portion of admissions. The policy has been very popular and successful. Compared -to the University of Texas at Austin, this University, despite its liberal reputation, is becoming a segregated backwater. Students admitted under the 10 percent plan perform as well or better than the students admit- ted based on their SAT scores. The 10 percent plan has also opened the University to poor, working-class and rural white students who had been excluded before. The only reason notto adopt such a plan is to maintain the elitism, and the University's prerogative to do whatever they want with no public accountability. As the University has become more privatized and focused on the interests of rich donors over the. interests of the students and the character of education, the administration has risen to a new level of arrogance, hypocrisy and utter disregard for the minority, women, immigrant and international students on this campus. This administration has a well- rehearsed routine of saying pious words about diversity, making false promises, creating distractions from the real issues and co-opting and threatening student leaders. The recent statements by University Pres- ident Mark Schlissel at the Board of Regents' meeting about the Univer- sity's diversity plan made clear that nothing has changed on the part of the administration. The Daily reported that Schlissel announced the administration had "formed a leadership committee to consider the changes recommended by the provost's faculty-led committee on diversity and inclusion ... and the committee released a report detailing several potential changes, including the creation of a strategic plan for diversity." Regarding the administration's ongoing meetings with the Black Student Union, Schlissel said "These ongoing discussions are resulting in very productive consultations." What?! Every year, the administration creates another committee to work on minority enrollment or campus climate or sexual assault awareness, and they are always the same: 'Diversity Blueprints,' 'Expect Respect,' and now'Change It Up' and the 'Inclusive Language Campaign,' the committee for 'student input' regarding renovations to the Trotter Multicultural Center and the decade- long search for a more central location for the building. It's time to cut the crap. WE DON'T WANT ANY MORE COM- MITTEES. As long as the number of minority students continues to drop, racism on campus will increase. As long as the administration covers up rape instead of punishing the rapists, the real message will be clear that rape goes unpunished on this campus, and incidents of rape, sexual assault and harassment will continue to be rampant on this cam- pus, no matter how many sexual assault-training programs students are forced to attend. ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS. If you are tired of the administration's worn-out lies, broken promises and endless failed committees; if you have been raped or been the victim of racist or sexist attacks or harassment on this campus, and want to fight for real justice, come speak out at our public tribunal on hostile campus climate this Friday at 7 p.m. in the Henderson room in the Michigan League. It's time to take matters into our own hands, to build the power of the student movement to win real justice, equality and dignity for everyone. Katie Stenvig is an Alum. Tala Taleb is an LSA freshman and a Defend Affirmative Action Candidate for CSG. Joseph Frailey is an LSA freshman. Sienna Yoo is an LSA freshman. Austin Hamling is an LSA junior. All the authors are members of BAMN. 0p