10 - The Michigan Daily - Orientation Edition 2006
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Under the microscope
Stem-cell initiative will put 'U' on biotech map
JEREMY DAVIDSON
Editor in Chief
IMRAN SYED
Editorial Page Editor
JEFFREY BLOOMER
Managing Editor
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FROM THE DAILY
The moraity of tMCRI
Opponents must consider more than side effects
will appear on November's ballot.
T he Michigan Civil Rights Initiative
Now that the state Supreme Court
has decided not to hear allegations
that MCRI petition circulators deceived
voters into signing petitions, it is clear that
the strategy of trying to keep MCRI off the
ballot with charges of fraud failed. Those
who believe MCRI is bad public policy
- a broad group that includes both Gov.
Jennifer Granholm and her likely Repub-
lican challenger, Dick DeVos - will need
to convince the public to vote it down. As
groups like Students Supporting Affirma-
tive Action and One United Michigan cam-
paign against the proposal, appeals to the
broad range of uncontroversial programs
the proposal could potentially endanger
have become a common approach. These
arguments may be politically expedient, but
MCRI opponents also must not neglect the
core of the issue - the moral arguments
supporting affirmative action.
The list of programs MCRI could affect is
long, and reminding residents that the debate
has an impact beyond college admissions
is important. Concerns about its threat to
everything from shelters for battered women
to prostate cancer screening programs can
help residents understand its potential impact
in more direct ways. But these efforts to
broaden the debate to encompass less con-
troversial issues risk drowning out the more
crucial principles and circumstances that
make affirmative action necessary.
Despite sweeping progress since the
Civil Rights Era, the fact remains that
race has a drastic and morally unjustifi-
able impact on one's prospects in Ameri-
ca. In addition to de facto segregation and
income gaps, racism remains a very real
factor in American life. Studies using pairs
of resum6s differing only in their use of
stereotypically white or black names have
shown that discrimination against black
job applicants remains pervasive.
The effects of past and present racial dis-
crimination carry on to affect the opportu-
nities children receive. Black, Latino and
Native American students are dispropor-
tionately likely to receive inadequate edu-
cations in struggling, underfunded school
systems. Even those in more affluent
districts often receive fewer advantages
than white peers, they are less likely to be
tracked into "gifted" programs, and factors
ranging from stereotype threat to cultural
bias affect their academic performance.
Affirmative action is only one aspect of
broader efforts to promote a more demo-
cratic and equal society, and it is not per-
fect. But while legislators remain content
with the status quo and hesitate to pursue
policies that address some of the root causes
of these inequalities, universities and other
public institutions would be remiss in their
moral duty to promote equal opportunity
throughout society if voters forced them
to stand idly by.
If MCRI passes, its impact would be felt
on numerous levels, including the Univer-
sity's admissions policies. But its passage
would also signal complacency with per-
sisting inequalities - a turn away from
the egalitarian ideals that have guided our
nation toward a more just society. MCRI
opponents must strive to educate the public
about what the proposal actually means,
and that includes moral arguments.
- Apr. 6, 2006
A lthough the debate surrounding stem-
cell research is still ragingnationwide,
state governments and universities are
finally waking up to the promise these cells
hold. Stem cells, both embryonic and adult,
have tremendous potential for researchers
hoping to understand and treat diseases from
Parkinson'sto cancer. Inthis spirit,the Univer-
sity announced the development of a Center
for Stem Cell Biology earlier this month. The
new center will open with an annual budget of
more than $10 million and is an encouraging
step for the University and the state. However,
this center alone will not be enough.
As states like California and New Jer-
sey undertake initiatives to fund stem-cell
research, Michigan holds on to some of the
strictest restrictions in the country. Without
state support, the center will not be able to
reverse the research-level brain drain plaguing
Michigan. Gov. Jennifer Granholm claims to
be intent on making Michigan a leader in bio-
technology, but legal restrictions and a lack of
state financial support will cost the state vital
jobs, and the University will continue strug-
gling to compete in this budding field.
The University should be applauded for its
work to promote scientific research and the
economic well being of the state. Stem-cell
research is an important component of the
fast-growing biotechnology sector and can
bring high-tech jobs to the state. Biotechnol-
ogy will play a key role in diversifying and
revitalizing Michigan's sluggish economy.
The full potential of stem cells, however, will
not be realized so long as the state refuses to
A ludicro
MSA could have bough
This month's Ludacris show was belat-
edly planned, inadequately publicized
and ended up selling short, costing
the Michigan Student Assembly $20,000
- $5,000 more than initially anticipated.
Still, MSA President Jesse Levine called the
production an "unqualified success" Why?
According to Levine, the show promoted
diversity, bringing students of all shades
together under one roof. But diversity is more
than a room full of colorful people, and bill-
ing the concert as such is a feeble attempt to
defend a slipshod production.
Despite his big-name appeal, by the time
Ludacris took the stage Nov. 3, 400 seats
in Hill Auditorium remained vacant. What
should have been a sell-out had become a
financial bombshell, and the poor planning
by MSA and the University Activities Cen-
ter - the show's other main sponsor - is
to blame. For its last minute publicity effort,
MSA chose some of the more common cam-
pus mediums for promotion: cheap paper
fliers, unprofessional e-mails and sidewalk
chalking - never recognizing (or at least
never advertising) the true significance of
having a headliner like Ludacris on campus.
Instead of a lottery, which would have virtu-
ally guaranteed a sell-out, MSA chose to sub-
ject students to the agonizingly long lines of
the Michigan Union Ticket Office, lines that
gave many students the false impression the
concert had sold out early.
Proponents claim the concert advanced
a broader purpose by bringing together
students of different backgrounds. And
had the production been a more low-key
reform its restrictions on stem-cell research,
which prohibit the use of embryos leftover
from in-vitro fertilization that would other-
wise be discarded.
With the state struggling to retain top
minds and create high-tech jobs, it is vital
that this new center be the start of a larg-
er movement to make Michigan a leader
in stem-cell research. The center will be
important in attracting and holding on to top
researchers and keeping the issue of stem
cells in the public eye. Other states are begin-
ning to support stem-cell research, and it is
in Michigan's best interest to follow suit by
immediately relaxing its restrictions that
inhibit biotechnological innovation.
The center represents the University's
commitment to staying on the cutting edge
of scientific research even in the face of strict
state restrictions and may slow the rate of
brain drain from the state. But given the
enormous potential of stem-cell research,
the center's $10-million budget is hardly
enough, especially compared with the $3-
billion bond initiative Californians passed
last year to fund stem-cell research. While
Granholm and the state Legislatures stall
on reforming the state's obstructive stem-
cell laws, Michigan will not be able to take
advantage of the economic and scientific
benefits that this area of research can bring.
For now, the center will be welcomed to the
University with open arms, carrying with it
the expectations that support will continue to
grow here and throughout the state.
- Sept. 29, 2005
us failure
t a yacht with $115,000
performance at the Blind Pig, where the
audience can circulate and socialize, this
argument would be more persuasive. But
the Ludacris concert, held in a large, dark
auditorium, had the same passive effect
on campus integration that Michigan foot-
ball games do every Saturday. Aside from
facilitating incidental, unplanned and brief
interactions between students of different
backgrounds, the event did little to promote
inter-group communication.
That Levine expressed disappointment
because Ludacris chose not to stay and
discuss diversity after his concert displays
a profound naivet6 on his part. It turns out
that Ludracris - who proudly declared "U
of M girls give me U of M head" - may
not be the inclusive, inspiring and progres-
sive thinker Levine imagined. Considering
that Ludacris is one of the more misogynis-
tic hip-hop artists of his era; Levine's argu-
ment begs the question: Did MSA intend
this concert to promote diversity, or was the
diversity argument an afterthought added I
to legitimize the financial shortfall?
If MSA is truly interested in cultivating
a cohesive campus community, there are
plenty of cheaper, more effective alterna-
tives. For starters, MSA can bring in artists
with a relevant message, most of who will
cost less than six figures. The University,
through classes and various student orga-
nizations, offers myriad avenues for dia-
logue between students of different races; if
diversity is MSA's objective, it will dedicate
more resources to promoting them.
-Nov. 22, 2005
JOY E[RM RUSSEL.L- Apr 6, 2006
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