12 Orientation Edition 2008 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com (The iidigan 0aiM, Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@umich.edu EMMARIE HUETTEMAN GARY GRACA KATE TRUESDELL EDITOR IN CHIEF MANAGING EDITOR EDITORIAL PAGE 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 T HE DAILY Setti ngfor less Minor stadium victory after failures Better late than never. That's about the best that can be said about the University's set- tlement with the Michigan Paralyzed Vet- erans of America Monday. This settlement hardly negates the University's 11 months of unconscio- nable resistance to making the stadium wheelchair accessible. At least this ineptitude has resulted in one good thing: raising awareness about disabil- ity issues. The University must capitalize on this newfound consciousness. Neutralizing a problem 'U' should adopt gender-neutral housing, not fall behind I Beginning this year, sev- eral of the nation's top schools have started offering gender-neutral hous- ing options. But while schools like Dartmouth College and Stanford University are leading the way, the University of Mich- igan has remained passive on this issue so far, attributing its inactivity to a lack of demand. But the University must be pro- active in creating a welcoming, progressive environment for transgender students. The main goal of instituting gender-neutral housing poli- cies has been to foster a more comfortable environment for students who do not strongly identify with any gender. In traditional residence hall set- tings, situations many of us take for granted like choosing which bathroom to use become difficult. The University cur- rently has options in place upon request for transgender stu- dents, demonstrating its initial commitment to the cause. But nine schools across the coun- try have decided that being welcoming requires more than minimal accommodations and are now offering gender-neutral housing. The University's justification for holding out is that thereis not enough student demand for gender-neutral housingto merit a change in its policies. But it is likely that incoming fresh- men are not even aware that there could be such an option, and older students often opt to move out of the dorms instead of trying to change the system. To break out of this cycle, the University must actively pro- mote gender-neutral housing to give incoming students more - and better - options. The Uni- versity already gives students options with learning commu- nities like the Lloyd Hall Schol- ars Program, and this would be a change in that spirit. The potential benefits extend to the rest of the studentbody as well. In addition to giving fresh- men the same housing freedom afforded to upperclassmen out- side the dorms, gender-neutral housing is a valuable learning experience for students. Gender-neutral housing may concern some people who worry about allowing unmarried stu- dents of opposite genders to cohabitate, threatening tradi- tional sexual morality. But the University has no obligation to enforce antiquated norms and shouldn't be afraid to challenge an already changing social tra- dition. The University should be one of the first universities to offer gender-neutral housing. Hold- ing back on facilitating a more progressive, hospitable envi- ronment for its students until it's pushed to do otherwise is not the University of Michigan way. And it's not a good example to set. -April14, 2008 4 4 After MCRJ Proposal 2 passes, but debate not over In April 2007, the Michigan Paralyzed Veterans of America sued the University for failing to meet the r6quirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 in their plans for the upcoming construction on the stadium bowl. That could have forced the University to make 1 percent of the more than 100,000 seats in the stadium wheelchair accessible. While the University didn't _mit any wrongdoing, the tvo-,ides reached a settlement Monday. The deal requires the University to have 329 wheel- chair-accessible seats by 2010, as well as improve accessibility to bathrooms, concession stands and ticket offices. Adding the seats will cause the Big House to relinquish its title as the largest stadium in the country for at least two years - and maybe forever. If the University had been forthcoming about the com- plaints from the Department of Education's office of Civil Rights when construction plans were being considered, this prolonged negative attention could -have been avoided. Still, some good may yet come of this fiasco. The University's failures have brought critical attention to disability issues. It's time to capitalize on this atten- tion, educating students about the needs of people with disabili- ties and creating a campus cul- ture that demands that everyone be treated with respect. Students should become proactive too and share the responsibility for fos- tering an better-educated and accommodating culture as well. It's embarrassing to hear that some on campus blame the Micli- igan Paralyzed Veterans of Amer- ica for causing the Big House to lose its spot atop the utterly meaningless list of the country's largest stadiums. If they want to direct their frustration some- where, they should aim upward - above the crowd, above the press box - to the seating area for the University's leaders who thought the Michigan Athletic Department was above the law. -=Mar.12, 2008 few hopeful souls may be waiting for a deus ex machina to uncover the missing half-million ballots opposing Proposal 2, but with 94 percent of precincts report- ing at press time, it's clear that the Michigan Civil Rights Initia- tive has passed. Despite years of effort, first to keep the proposal off the ballot and later to educate voters about what the proposal actually means, Michigan resi- dents have spoken - and come out overwhelmingly against affirmative action. There's always more that opponents could have done, but with the proposal passing in all but a handful of counties, it's unlikely a few more flyers and radio ads would have made much difference. But the battle isn't over. Some changes are cer- tain: The University will revamp its admissions process, tweak some programs and probably eliminate others. But Proposal 2 hasn't put an end to the affirma- tive action debate - it's begun a chain of court battles to sort out what "preferential treatment" actually means. If the deluge of lawsuits filed in California after a similar initiative passed in 1996 is any indication, the debate in the courts could go on for years. Bothsupporters and opponents of Proposal 2 can agree that the status quo was unacceptable. For being born to the wrong family, thousands ofchildrenreceived an inferior education from the first day of kindergarten. For being born the wrong gender, women across the state face the legacy of male privilege that persists today in employment and contracting. The passage of Proposal 2 has done nothing to remedy these inequalities that demand our immediate attention. The University now has a lot of decisions to make. But the Uni- versity also stands in a unique position. It remains committed to maintaining diversity on campus despite yet another obstacle. And it has the influence to allay the negative effects Proposal 2 will surely bring. So far, the admin- istration has been unwilling or unable to disclose much about its strategy to respond to Proposal 2. As last night's results made clear, that will have to change. It likely will, beginning with University President Mary Sue Coleman's speech at noon today on the Diag. The morning after is hard, but the real challenge lies in the com- ing months and years. The Uni- versity has fought battles in the U.S. Supreme Court to defend its commitmenttodiversity;wehope it doesn't abandon that commit- ment now. Some may be willing to accept Proposal 2's passage as the end of affirmative action, but we have a feeling the University won't give up that easily. If there is one university that can find a way to achieve diversity after a setback as dire as this one,-it's the University of Michigan. --Nov. 8,2006 4