41 Monday, June 6, 2011 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com C .hi W C1ta t .at-I The ivory bubble Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@umich.edu BETHANY BIRON EDITOR IN CHIEF MARK BURNS MANAGING EDITOR TEDDY PAPES EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily's editorial board. All othersigned articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors. Learning from Dr. Death Parsing Kevorkian's message from his ego ack Kevorkian, widely known for his support for eutha- nasia, died painlessly from a thrombosis on June 3. In the early '90s,. Kevorkian, a graduate from the University's Medical School, thrust the right-to-die issue into the American mainstream, and in the following years there were legislative attempts both to block and legalize euthanasia. The complex moral and legal intricacies of this issue were somewhat lost with Kevorkian's theatrics, but that should not damage the merit of his position - an autonomous individual, if they so choose, should be allowed to end their suffering through death. The Ivory Tower of the Univer- sity canfeel like a dungeon at times. It's only when you notice that all of your friends are within five years of your age, professors are the only people outside of that bracket you've interacted with recently, and ANNA you don't even CLEMENTS remember how to start a conver- sation with someone who doesn't know what a blue book is, that it becomes clear you've become fully socialized as a college student. We're living in a microcosm, where tragedies iiiclude parties getting booted before 2 am., and stress exists on a schedule. This might be fun for now, but what happens when we graduate and try to reen- ter the "real world" only to realize that it has become alien? One of the nice things about the University is that it's integrated with the Ann Arbor community. This makes it possible - easy even - to get involved. We have classes here such as Project Outreach and Project Community, which place students in'volunteer positions in schools, prisons, hospitals, commu- nity centers and more. Language programs also offer opportunities to connect with the "real world." Through Proyecto Avance, Latino Mentoring Association, students are paired with adults and kids from Spanish-speaking backgrounds to work on English language skills and help with homework, respectively., These all can become lasting con- nections, and because of the rela- tionships I developed in my Project Community class, after the semes- ter ended I returned to volunteer in my placement location. Besides coursework and volun- teering, employment both on and off-campus connects students with the city. Students who do outreach for University programs have the opportunitytoconnectwith alumni and prospective students through phone calls, tours and hosting events. For instance, Teaching and Inspiring Environmental Steward- ship brings visiting groups to the Dana Building, incorporating tours of the award-winning sustainabili- ty center with other environmental education activities. Off-campus jobs can also connect students with people they wouldn't otherwise come into contact with. Especially in smaller businesses with more of a regular clientele, students can get to know individuals outside of stu- 4 dent groups. Why are interactions like this important? Social theorists and professionals can tell you: Know- ing people means getting ahead. Your volunteer coordinator might recommend you for a job or your client may drop information on off- campus opportunities. Learning the proper etiquette for conversing with different people is important. After attending an institution as diverse as the University, it should be expected that one would know how to interact with people from a wide range of social identities, not just one's own. That sort of flex- ibility is crucial to expanding per- sonal opportunities. Knowing people means getting ahead. 0 At the outset of Kevorkian's radical pursuits, there were no parameters to guide a physician or regulate the death of a ter- minal patient. Michigan had no laws against physician-assisted suicide, so when he was charged with the murder of Janet Adkins, he was found innocent, as there was no specific law that he vio- lated. He provided the termi- nally ill Alzheimer's patient with a machine that would deliver a lethal dose of potassium chloride if she desired it, and this was the way she ended her life. It wasn't until the enfant terrible killed a patient himself that he was final- ly sent to prison for murder. The morality, medical appro- priateness and legality of these issues got lost in the wake of Kevorkian's histrionics. Rath- er than focusing on the issues surrounding assisted suicide, euthanasia became intimately associated with "Dr. Death" and its legitimacy waned. Rather than seeking a forum to deter- mine euthanasia's regulation, Kevorkian continued to assist suicides solely based on his and his patients' views. Intuitively, this may seem sufficient, but these are precarious evaluations especially when 50 percent of the decision is coming from a terminally ill patient. Part of legalizing physician- assisted suicide must include a comprehensive and rigor- ous review process that both the patient and doctor must go through before the treatment is provided. Oregon, where eutha- nasia is legal, requires the per- mission of two doctors and a terminal diagnosis predicting death in fewer than six months, yet these regulations are insuf- ficient. At a minimum, there should be a panel of medical pro- fessionals that review euthanasia requests. The patient should also undergo a psychiatric evaluation to determine his or her mental health. If the patient is termi- nally ill and mentally stable, a medical professional trained for euthanasia should provide the means to perform such a task. This issue has massive impli- cations and asks humanity to challenge very fundamental con- cepts of life. But euthanasia's vol- atile nature should not prevent it from being explored and evalu- ated. The fear of discussing a macabre topic as well as the inev- itable public backlash should not prevent physicians from provid- ing individuals a peaceful alter- native to an agonizing death. The complex nature of physi- cian-assisted suicide requires transparent and thorough over- sight for death requests made by patients. Kevorkian was brave to foray into this area, but his myopia damaged both his legiti- macy and more importantly, the legitimacy of his cause. His actions show how this practice needs more oversight, but also how the medical paradigm must be expanded for those unable to meet an end as peaceful as his. The ivory tower analogy for col- lege makes methink about Rapun- zel, trapped in a tower with no escape besides her freakishly long hair. The story has one of those not- very-politically-correct endings where she waits helplessly until she is rescued by a prince. I don't really know how he fits into this whole metaphor, but my hunch is this: If in college I surround myself with only people like me, then I will build up a sort of helplessness that will separate me from accessing oppor- tunities. And there is no hope of a social-capital-superman to rescue me by introducing me to everyone I'll need to know post-grad. Getting acquainted with people outside of your own group can pro- vide an avenue for learning about life, but it can also make post-col- lege culture shock less dramatic. Between jobs, volunteering and just varying venues for hanging out, there are a plethora of places to meet people who don't look like you, talk like you or share your lifestyle. It might not be comfortable at first, but going to the University without getting to know Ann Arbor is like getting a sandwich with only the lettuce - it serves its function, but it's far from reaching its full poten- tial in flavor and variety. Anna Clements can be reached at asiobhan@umich.edu.