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 i