E 4 - The Michigan Daily - Monday, May 8, 2006 FROM THE DAILY 'She inspired me' Amanpour excellent, selection process still imperfect JEREMY DAVIDSON Editor in Chief IMRAN SYED Editorial Page Editor JEFFREY BLOOMER Managing Editor EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN SINCE 1890 420 MAYNARD STREET ANN ARBOR, MI 48109 tothedaily@michigandaily.com Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily's editorial board. All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their author. Editorial Board Members:-Emily Beam, Jared Goldberg, Theresa Kennelly, Mark Kuehn, Rajiv Prabhakar, David Russell, Gavin Stern, Ben Taylor, Christopher Zbrozek. FROM THE DAILY Melting the pot Roots of immigration debate lie in America's identity Who? Christina who? So rang the scoffing chorus of dissent from the discontented graduating seniors this past March when University President Mary Sue Coleman announced CNN's chief international correspondent and world-renowned journalist Christiane Amanpour as this year's commencement speaker. Lauded and revered as Amanpour is within the world of journalism, detractors didn't buy her as the big-name star a uni- versity of such formidable size and prestige should be able to ensnare. But whatever reservations the class of 2006 may have had about their speaker - and whatever statement their ignorance of international news' most recognizable face might have made on behalf of their intel- lectual preparedness to enter the world - the shiver of enthusiasm rippling through Amanpour's riveted audience last week proved her critics wrong. From her opening joke likening the semi-demolished stadium to a war zone, to the compelling urgency with which she implored students to find their passion and take action in the world for a positive change, Amanpour was uniformly impres- sive and inspiring. Her story was one of character triumph- ing over adversity. Growing up in a com- fortable existence in Iran only to flee during the revolution, Amanpour spoke of the way she transformed her early struggles into the power to demand accountability from the powerful, and shake the complacency VIEWPOINT of a worldwide audience grown apathetic in its ignorance. The enormousness of her life's success and the unrelenting passion with which she imbued her words produced an effect on even the most jaded and disinterested stu- dents. "Self-absorbed is so yesterday; it's out," she declared with characteristic con- viction." 'Cool' is now to be a citizen of our world, not just an inhabitant." The University is to be congratulated for its choice of a speaker possessed of such dignity and poise, imparting a timely mes- sage of international compassion to students now embarking into a global world. But the success of the commencement address was more a credit to Amanpour than to the Uni- versity, which, thanks to its now-character- istically late announcement, only secured a phenomenal speaker by chance. In recent years, graduates have become accustomed to disappointment when they show up decked out in their caps and gowns - a trend perhaps best exemplified by chants of "spell check" from last year's graduates in reference to the befuddling choice of a Xerox scientist. True, some speakers have, like Amanpour, proven sur- prisingly eloquent and effective before the graduates, but often they have not. The school's name commands too much respect to leave the commencement speaker in the air long after comparable institutions have booked big stars, and the graduates of this fine university are far too used to four years of the best to be satisfied with anything less. America has long been considered a nation of immigrants, but it seems we have grown weary of that dis- tinction. As Congress considers legislation to toughen the country's stance on illegal immi- grants, hundreds of thousands of such people - already living and working in this country - took to the streets in protest last week. The need to reform U.S. immigration policy is evident, but at the heart of this immigration debate lies more than politics or economics. Emotion - the worries of some citizens that immigrants will undermine American culture and the strong pride in America's immigrant past and present that others feel - is what drives politicians and activists in this cause. There is a push for assimilation, a push for inclusion and a push to get rid of anyone who speaks accented English, but the roots of this immigration debate lie in culture and in the question of what makes an American. Last week's rallies across the country showed the growing political power of a long- silent demographic. Immigrants - mainly from Latin America - and their supporters took to the streets to demand not only legal reform, but also to show the magnitude of their social and economic contributions to the country. The reaction from those wary of the growing immigrant population tended to dwell on the symbolic, mostly with great indignation - how dare protestors wave Mexican flags alongside American ones? A well-timed CD release of a Spanish-lan- guage version of "The Star-Spangled Ban- ner" the week before drew the attention of even President Bush, who let eager media outlets know that he believed the anthem should be sung only in English. Here in Michigan, state Rep. Jack Hoogendyk (R- Portage) pushed for a bill to make English LIVE ON YOUR FEET the state's official language following in the path of 27 o Certainly the ability to speal important skill, and English a guage programs for children a are important ways to ensure a speak the language. But the sy taken by overzealous Congres to teach anyone English, an marginalize immigrants who the process of learning the lan; President Bush countered tI tests and boycotts with a syml own - the annual proclama as "Loyalty Day" a national official by Congress in 1958, w fever engulfed even the simple actions. Loyalty Day was info in the 1920s as "Americaniz response to the socialist mobili Day. Ironically, the message o our allegiance to our nation" this year, was carried out in th rallies by those who are denie Regardless of country of origi or native language, the hundred of people who took to the stre protest are already Americans, for public and governmental re A united nation is one thi enous one is another - yet to mobilization among imn cate that many Americans sti two. Diversity of cultures, la flags is one of America's grea Rather than trying to exclu defining a mold into which and citizens must fit, it is the of Americans to embrace imi force that has built its past, a will continue to shape its futu in February, her states. k English is an s a second lan- nd adults alike dl residents can mbolic stances ssmen do little d only further may still be in guage. he day of pro- bolic act of his tion of May 1 holiday made vhen Cold War st of America's rmally started 'ation Day' a zations of May )f "reaffirming as Bush said iP im a tin A thrust in the right direction BY JACK Li ef mmgeetrwlraonra iet ad legal status. Next fall semester will be a great time to n, legal status, ride the bus. s of thousands Imagine knowing precisely when the next st ds in peaceful bus will be at a certain stop - you may never etsimplyeaskin have to wait for a bus again. For the past two s years, Engineering prof. Chris Ruf has led a cognition. directed study class that will change the way ng, a homog- you get from point A to B. The Magic Bus the reactions Project, funded by the University's transpor- aigrants indi- tation service, uses a GPS tracking system to ll confuse the track busses and will soon be deployed in Ann nguages, even Arbor, much to the delight of students traveling test strengths. across campus, along with transportation offi- de groups by cials studying data related to traffic flow and all residents engine diagnostics. responsibility With its precise tracking capabilities, the migration as a Magic Bus system will be able to determine nd one which the locations of buses and the estimated time ire, of arrival at each of the bus stops around cam- pus. It will also provide engine diagnostic data JON OQUISr to help troubleshoot mechanical problems, instantly defraying the downtime that would otherwise accompany repairs. For students, this TillAS ,^A60 . will mean a drastic improvement in the conve- nience of riding a University bus. A webpage that displays all buses running at a given time will be available atllocations inside the Union and Pierpont Commons. Text messages can also be sent to find out the exact time the next bus will arrive at aparticular stop. For transportation officials, the ability to track busses and record data could mean increased safety for passengers and a way to optimize routes for efficiency. The project was born from a desire to learn how students can best utilize learning spaces at the University. For the past two years, the senior design experience classes, a requirement for graduation from the College of Engineering, have worked to design and implement Magic Bus. By integrating a learning experience for engineering students with an improvement the campus community needs, Ruf embod- ies part of what the University stands for: an eye for improvement and finding innovative ways to bring it about by using its greatest resource - students. The shift away from textbook-based knowledge into a practical, result-oriented sphere helps students bridge the often-abstract education they receive at the University - a considerable advantage as they move on to the real world. The University should continue to look for such integrative opportunities. While the Magic Bus Project represents a success story in the administration listening to students, more active efforts should be made to address con- cerns from the community. While the ideal of a university fully accountable to student feed- back may be a distant reality, the small steps taken by Ruf and the Magic Bus team are cer- tainly a thrust in the right direction. Li is a class of 2006 alum of the College of Engi- neering. He was aformer team leaderfor the electrical subsystem on the Magic Bus project. sriTHE nrows TAt AYSrr w , awass A Mow TAtOFA A"NIO IN DISARM'tA AlGt O UT TriS gyml, TiltMW ill 94 #t Q, trsilA"ilar AAOTSIIAEtSON A( 1 OUtMY FAITH.ltLi? ANi iWs cauMts's ONe APOANiiD IT' atMttliSAA~itl F m.