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July 07, 2008 - Image 4

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Publication:
Michigan Daily Summer Weekly, 2008-07-07

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41

Monday, July 7, 2008
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

FROM THE DAIL

EJbe1Midhigan aig
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 editorialsreflect the official position of the Daily's editorial board. Allother
signed articles and illustrations represent solely the viewsof their authors.
IF ROM T HE DA ILY
FoloW Vermont
'U' needs to tell off 'don't ask, don't tell'
Big things are happening in Vermont, and they have
nothing to do with maple syrup. The Vermont
Law School moved to the forefront of the fight for
equality recently when it decided to forgo federal fund-
ing in order to be able to keep armed service recruiters off
campus. The reason for the ban is the fact that the military
still follows its discriminatory "don't ask, don't tell" policy.
Pragmatically, the University of Michigan can't follow suit
- but it should use this opportunity to assess how it could
do more to voice its opposition to this antiquated policy.

A recycled solution
Deposit plan for water bottles good for environment, conscience

4

Plastic water bottles have
become an omnipresent acces-
sory in a day and age where
it's all about hydration. But
those clear, conspicuous cul-
prits wreak havoc on landfills.
A new plan supported by the
Michigan United Conservation
Clubs looks to change all that,
and that change should be wel-
comed with open arms.
Michigan's current beverage
bottle recycling program began
in 1976, placing a10-cent deposit
on soda and beer cans, as well as
some glass and plastic contain-
ers. Since that time, the program
has been incredibly effective -
containers with deposits see at
97-percent return rate, while 80
percent of those without depos-
its are thrown away.
Considering the wild success
SUMMER TO-DO L
DO LAUNDRY
READ THE MICHIGAN D
REGISTER TO VOTE

of the program, it only makes
sense to follow suit with plastic
water and sports drink bottles.
But the seemingly perfect
plan is not without critics. Gro-
cery stores, largely responsible
for the storage of returned bot-
tles and the paying out of depos-
it money, don't like the existing
plan, let alone an extenuation of
it. But the benefits of the deposit
program are too great and out-
weigh the inconvenience caused
as a consequence.
Critics also worry that mak-
ing Michigan a deposit state for
bottles that aren't returnable
in other states might cause an
influx in returns that were pur-
chased out-of-state and snuck
across the border.
But this concern seems over-
stated. If the existing program

has suffered no significant
impediment from this factor
in 32 years of use, adding new
containers wouldn't change
anything.
And there are reasonable
compromises on the table to
address these concerns; for
instance, grocers have pro-
posed adding special mark-
ers that could identify bottles
bought out-of-state.
Between the current and pro-
posed program, Michigan stands
to have one of the most compre-
hensive programs in the nation.
If Michigan really wants to fos-
ter the kind of "green economy"
and - more importantly - repu-
tation it claims to want, it needs
to be on the forefront of recy-
cling efforts. And the MUCC's
plan fits the bill.

I
I

"Don't ask, don't tell," enact-
ed in 1993, was a mistake from
the get-go. It prohibits people
who are open about their lesbi-
an, gay, bisexual or transgender
orientation from serving in the
military, effectively encourag-
ing secrecy while sanctifying
and fostering prejudice based
on sexual orientation.
which is why it's impor-
tant to take a stand against the
policy. Not that that stand will
necessarily come cheaply for
colleges - according to a 2006
Supreme Court ruling, the gov-
ernment may withhold some
federal research money from
institutions that don't allow
military recruiters on cam-
pus. As a result, the Vermont
Law School's loud-and-clear
statement didn't come cheaply
- forgoing federal aid cost the
school an estimated $300,000
to $500,000 per year.
But for a small independent
institution - which, unlike
other state law schools like the
University of Michigan's, isn't
connectedtotheflagshipuniver-

sity - this sacrifice might make.
things tight, but not unbearable.
That's not the case here at the
University of Michigan, where
federal funding is essential to
keeping the school afloat.
But that doesn't mean the
University should sit on its
hands. It should find a way~
around the Supreme Court's
ruling and actively try to break
ties with organizations or
companies related to military
activities. It could, for example,
break development contracts
with Halliburton and Ray-
theon, and refuse to let these
companies recruit on campus.
It may also try to emulate the
Vermont Law School's decision-
to send students to Washing-
ton, D.C. each year for a day of
lobbying to protest "don't ask,
don't tell."
Such a policy is baseless prej-
udice at its worst. The Universi-
ty should applaud the Vermont
Law School's efforts and get
creative to find ways that it, too,
can help bring this discrimina-
tion to an end.

ELISE BAUN cIVIEWPOINT
Rectifyig Rogers's law

when it came time for Mich-
igan's citizens to decide if they
wanted Gov. Jennifer Granholm
to be re-elected, I wanted to be a
part of that decision. I was actu-
ally grateful when a Michigan
Student Assembly student walked
up to me and asked if I wanted to
register to vote. She said the forms
were highly confusing, but she
could help. She also told me that
I would have to use my Ann Arbor
address since I wouldn't be able to
vote absentee my first time.
I asked twice if anything bad
would happen if I used my West
Quad address, because I knew
that there could be unfortunate
consequences if I changed my
permanent address. After being
assured that no problems would
occur, I took my chances and.

filled out the form.
She was wrong. My address
changed, and it took three weeks
to figure the whole thing out. Not
only was I confused about voter
registration, but so was my help-
ful MSA student. And so are many
other students,thanks inlarge part
to the voting laws in this state.
one of the most notorious
of these is Rogers's law, which
requires that a voter's permanent
address match his or her voter
registration card. That means that
a first-time student voter in Ann
Arbor might not be able to take
part in that election, especially
since no one is allowed to vote
absentee the first time. Students
are left with the choice of either
skippingclass and drivinghome (if
possible), changing their address

or not voting. This is simply unac-
ceptable. The problem is not just
the complete lack of accommoda-
tion, but also the sheer confusion
that results from it.
Rogers's Law was implement-
ed, presumably, to stop voter
fraud. The worry was that peo-
ple with two addresses would
be able to vote twice. Until these
laws are fixed or refined, though,
Michigan is disenfranchising a
lot of its students. Any law that
silences citizens' votes under
the guise of quelling voter fraud
is inherently wrong. These laws
need to not only be clearer, but
more user friendly as well.
Elise Baun is an LSA
senior and a member of the
Daily's editorial board.

a

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