4 Monday, July 23, 2012
4 u N The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Monday, July 23,2012
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
The creative brain
Edited and managed by students at
the University of Michigan since 1890.
420 Maynard St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
tothedaily@umich.edu
JACOB AXELRAD
EDITOR IN CHIEF
GIACOMO BOLOGNA
MANAGING EDITOR
ADRIENNE ROBERTS
EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR
Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily's editorialboard.
All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views ofttheir authors.
F RO0M THE D AILY
Save the pres
Academic presses aren't just business investments
The backbone of any distinguished university is its strong aca-
demics and gifted professors. Research journals and literature
published by a university not only strengthen its reputation as a
leading research institution, but also allow professors and graduate stu-
dents to display their work to the scholarly world. These published works
help professors gain tenure and worldwide recognition for their research
and teachings. Academic presses shouldn't be viewed as short-term busi-
ness investments by universities; instead, they should be seen as long-
term investments in the future of education and academic achievement.
wIn the mid-1970s, 20-somethings
were still applying to work for
the Big Three in droves. They had
good jobs, with
the promise
of workman's
security as
well as a retire-
ment check
with benefits
at the end of 30
years. Though
Michigan no VANESSA
longer has an R
abundance of RYCHLINSKI
industrial jobs,
the automo-
tive industry is still providing the
younger generation with options,
albeit more specialized.
A group of talented young peo-
ple is entering the automotive
industry in new ways. News and
media publications aren't the only
domains turning to technology for
newer ways of doing things. Desk-
top publishing was developed 30
years ago, and since the early '90s,
Adobe programs have been used
for everything from web layout to
billboard advertisements.
The College for Creative Stud-
ies - located in downtown Detroit
- trains students in the field of
graphic designowith great success.
Luke Mack is a 20-year-old student
who's in the school's automotive
design program. Michaela Allen, in
her third year at the college, studies
graphic design. Both of these stu-
dents are talented artists who chose
to enter the field of design due to,
its practicality. Both are currently
working at design internships.
Luke works on both personal and
freelance projects and is also an
intern for General Motors this sum-
mer. "(Graphic design) is practical.
I'm making a product for people to
consume eventually, and it's kind of
about status and culture," he admit-
ted. "Cars are cultural icons. So it's
good because I like to fuse the artis-
tic side with the logical side. It's a
good mix."
Both Michaela and Luke have
created paintings that people want
to buy - Luke has a 15-foot-high
piece that J. Dilla's camp wanted
to buy for a party celebrating the
rapper's posthumously released
album. But such sales are few and
far between.
"It's hard to make it as an art-
ist," Michaela said. "Graphic design
is a much more specific skill, and'
it's more practical to learn. I didn't
realize that it would be so technical
when I first started out."-
Graphic design is a field that is
steadily gaining velocity. According
to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of
the U.S. Department of Labor, the
median pay in 2010 for a design-
er just out of college was around
$43,500 a year. That number is
higher than the average humanities
degree recipient just gettingttheir
start. It also doesn't account for
those professionals with specializa-
tions in product or car design, who
often have substantially higher pay-
checks. The BLS also reports that
the demand for graphics in com-
puter system interfaces and the like
will hit a 61 percent hike by 2020,
while the demand for specialized
graphics services'demand will rise
by a significantl27 percent.
Creative minds
can benefit the
auto industry.
That being said, the race for
jobs among young designers is
still fairly competitive. There are
a limited number in metro Detroit,
even though the needs for automo-
tive-related graphic services are
varied, running from body design
to interior coloration.
Certainly, it's a boon to Detroit
- and Michigan overall - that cre-
ative young people like Michaela
and Luke are working here. How-
ever, despite the fact that around
80 percent of students who intern
in an area end up in that same area,
it remains that around 50 percent
of students leave Michigan after
graduation.
One young automotive designer,
who wished to remain anony-
mous, wants to get out of the area.
The young professional discov-
ered his knack for the field while
still in high school and finds that
though Detroit has been essential
to his startrfor practical reasons,
he does wish to head west. "(Cali-
fornia) is where a lot of the auto-
motive trends happen that we see
here in the Midwest," he said.
When asked what Michigan
could offer him if he stayed, he
pointed out that if he ever wanted
to start his own business, Detroit
has the infrastructure to do so, and
cheaply. Indeed, a friend of Luke's
is currently working on a project
painting around 50 buildings, while
a well-known street artist from Cal-
ifornia named Revok recently com-
pleted a mural in Eastern Market.
"From listening to the talk of
the area, it seems that Detroit is
coming back," Luke said. In the
absence of traditional options, the
city and the rest of Michigan need
the power of the creative brain to
combat the drain.
Vanessa Rychlinski can be
reached at vanrych@umich.edu.
LONDON
From Page 1A
Between the two roommates,
they have racked up a lengthy'list
of accolades to their names. Caesar
was a member of the 2010 Michigan
men's gymnastics NCAA Champi-
ons squad and won the 2011 Big Ten
title on parallel bars, while Mikulak
snagged the 2011 NCAA All-Around
Champion title. And in 2012, just
points away from a repeat, a slight
slip on the pommel horse cost him
the win.
High-profile competition isn't
a stranger for the two Wolverines,
but that isn't to say the Olympics
isn't out of their mind - it is only
when they're in the gym.
"As of late, I've been trying to
keep gymnastics-wise in the gym,"
Caesar said. "The Olymipcs are
very stressful to think about, and
even talking about it doesn't relieve
much tension."
His roommate agrees.
"If we do talk about (the Olym-
pics), it's about ppsitive stuff,"
Mikulak said. "We're trying to stay
away from any scares we could
have. Right now I feel like we both
don't even feel like it's not happen-
ing."
Both of their journeys to Lon-
don have prepared them for the
toughest, most mentally challeng-
ing competition of their lives, as the
opening ceremonies of the Olym-
pics commence on Friday.
Syque was ready to be a Gator.
He had accepted a full academic
scholarship to Florida and was plan-
ning to compete for a local club gym
in his spare time in college after an
ACL tear ended all chances of being
recruited for athletic scholarships.
Syque's junior year gymnastics
season was cut short by his injury,
and he couldn't quite recover to 100
percent during his senior year. He
struggled, and was finally accept-
ing that his competitive gymnas-
tics career would be over after high
school.
But the summer after his senior
year changed everything.
"(Michigan 'gymnastics coach)
Kurt (Golder) contacted me the
summer after my senior year,"
Syque said. "We said some words,
exchanged some e-mails ... (and) he
asked for videos."
Since
Syque wasn't
recruited,
he had no
recruiting r
videos made,
so he sent
Golder some
old YouTube
videos from
his early high
school days,
not sure of
how well
Golder would
take them.
Sam inher-
ited the genes
to be a gym- .
nast.
His parents, Stephen and Tina,
were both gymnasts at the Univer-
sity of California, Berkeley, and Sam
began gymnastics at the age of two.
But as a child, the Corona del
Mar, Calif. native played baseball,
soccer, hockey and basketball in
addition to gymnastics.
As he got older and grew (as
much as he could), hockey and bas-
ketball were out of the question.
And soccer was too much of a time
commitment.
"My dad really wanted me to do
baseball, but I have so much more
fun competing for myself and mak-
ing sure everything's on my shoul-
ders," Sam said. "I liked controlling
all the factors, and that was the dif-
ference between gymnastics and
baseball for me."
"I can honestly say if I hadn't
come to Michigan, I wouldn't be
doing gymnastics still," Syque
said. "Looking back, I don't think
(doing club gymnastics in Florida)
would've worked out."
But it didn't have to come to that.
the risk," he said.
"Best choice I ever made."
Since age 2, Sam has dreamed of
competing at the Olympics, and his
parents were his support system, no
matter what sport he chose.
But since he chose gymnastics,
Sam could look to his parents for
words of wisdom.
"They were always just encour-
aging," he said. "They never really
gave me advice - they knew gym-
nastics is a mental sport, (and) I had
the right head
for it. I'm just
really com-
petitive."
He knew
his parents
would want
him to fol-
low in their
footsteps
at Berkeley
as another
Mikulak
gymnast.
But that
wasn't what
Sam envi-
sioned when
he visited
PATRICK BARRON/Daily the Berkeley
campus.
"Once I went there, I wanted to
get away from that," Sam said.
So why choose Michigan?
"The team, the coach, academics,
campus. Everything was so perfect
when I came here. It was so easy to
picture myself here for four years."
In December, Syque stood on
top of the world, or at least atop the
podium at the South Central Asian
Artistic Gymnastic Championships.c
He had just won the first gold
medal in international competition
for Bangladesh, taking first place on
parallel bars - what he considers
his strongest event.
And even before bearing the
international gold medal, Syque t
was a Big Ten champion in that
same event.
But he doesn't think any medal
or Big Ten title can prepare him for.
the biggest meet of his life, espe-
cially after he sustained an injury in
January.
Syque has had only a few months
to recover from a right bicep tendon
tear, but his training has already
brought him up to speed, and he's
not concerned about his physical
shape in London.
"It's more mental than it is physi-
cal," he said. "If I just stick to the
plan I've been training on ... work
until I'm tired, that's when I know
I'm ready. I'm basically at that point
right now.
"(But) it's all focusingonthe little
details now."
Syque reads the list posted on
the wall, made by former Olympian
Paul Hamm.
He's focusing on the little details:
"Do transition elements on floor, go
in front of the mirror and do all your
routines in the mirror - move your
body around mentally and envision
yourself."
To read the full story, visit
MichiganDaily.com
Syque had been in contact with
Wolverines head coach Kurt Golder
for the summer before his freshman
year in college, and that was enough
time for Syque to change his mind.
He was giving up a full academic
scholarship at Florida to come to
Ann Arbor - out-of-state tuition
and all - to compete for Michi-
gan. Golder didn't need any official
recruiting videos to have faith in
the Florida native's natural talent.
And it didn't take much for Syque
to change his mind, either.
"That opportunity (was) worth
News that the University of
Missouri will be shutting down
its printing press in 2013 has out-
raged professors and students
alike. The $400,000 subsidy that
funds the press every school year
has been pulled by the university's
administration. Ten employees
will lose their jobs as a result of
this decision, and university pro-
fessors will have a more difficult
time publishing their work in
print. The switch to digital pub-
lishing will likely diminish public
access to certain books, as it may
be more difficult to read online
books without a subscription.
Sadly, this is a growing trend in
America - half a dozen presses
have shut their doors in the past
three years, according to a recent
New York Times article.
Academic presses play an
essential role at any university.
They allow professors to publish
their work and share their knowl-
edge with the academic world.
Without these presses, professors
won't have the same opportunity
to publish their research, and they
may have greater difficulty get-
ting tenure as a result. In addition,
the switch to digital publishing
will not only affect the profes-
sors, but also the students. Many
graduate students need to publish
their research to earn a doctorate,
and by shutting down presses and
cuttingstaff, this processbecomes
much more challenging. This
changes the course of academics
and discourages many potential
graduate students from attending
universities without presses.
Another challenge associated
with the switch to digital publish-
ing is diminished public access to
academic research and literature.
If published works aren't being
printed in hard copy, it becomes
more difficult for outside uni-
versities and scholars to get a
hold of this research without a
subscription. Not all universities
have access to scholarly journals
online, so ordering a hard copy
from popular websites like Ama-
zon.com may be the only way to
obtain published literature.
The growing trend of shutting
down academic presses is a seri-
ous problem that colleges across
the nation are facing. University
leaders need to realize that these
presses are not solely a business
investment, but rather an invest-
ment in scholarly research and the
future of higher education.
At the core of prestigious uni-
versities lies the scholarly work
and research that professors
publish to share with the world.
These articles connect universi-
ties and help us to move forward
as an educated society. We need
academic presses on college cam-
puses so professors and students
can display their works and help
strengthen the reputation of their
university. Presses are necessary
to create hard copies of literature
that the public can more easily
access. We need university leaders
and administrators to step up to
the plate and accept that academic
presses are essential to a thriving
academic community.
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