4 Thursday, July 25, 2013 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com 4C uc tdiian Bily Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@umich.edu Thursday, July 25, 2013 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com KATIE BURKE EDITOR IN CHIEF ERIC FERGUSON EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR ELLIOT ALPERN MANAGING 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. Representation required "U" presidential search committee needs student members Last Thursday the University Board of Regents announced the members of the presidential search advisory committee - a body responsible for choosing the next University president. However, this committee currently contains no student members. This is a notable and unwelcome change from the 2002 presidential search, where two students were on the advisory committee. The University's president rep- resents this campus - and one of the most important parts of this campus is the student body. It's therefore imperative that they are properly rep- resented in the search. The regents should appoint students to sit on the NILS-HENNES STEARI Democratic deficit Last Thursday, the University know - "democracy" perhaps? A Board of Regents selected the process falling short of this prin- members of the Presidential ciple is to that extent undemo- Search Advisory Committee. cratic. Of course, even autocracies Their task is to producea shortlist can be benign. And I don't doubt of candidates from which the the regents wish to do right by all. board will select the University's But the only way to even approach next president. Disappointingly, ensuring that all relevant people's they didn't select any students concerns are justly weighted is - a bizarre omission given that to represent those concerns as the committee set up for 2002's well as feasibility allows. Regents search included two students. should take this democratic prin- I have to agree with Michael ciple very seriously. For the con- Proppe and Bobby Dishell's sen- sequences of excluding students timent expressed in a recent let- - and interested parties more ter to the Regents that "students generally - go beyond inconve- are very important stakeholders nient seating policies. in the process" of selecting a new To see how, consider the current University president. Indeed, state of financing for higher edu- one would have to hold a pretty cation. Millions of U.S. students warped view of a university's must now opt for a life of debilitat- function to contest that modest ing debt to educate themselves in claim. One wonders then, why an economic structure that pun- the Regents deem it expedient to ishes those who don't. Student exclude students from the com- debt has just topped the $1 trillion mittee. Were the students in 2002 mark nationally, exceeding even disruptive in meetings? Did they consumer debt. This only stands to smell bad? Both facetious ques- worsen as states- includingMich- tions, but facetiousness comes igan - further reduce their higher naturally in the face of absurdity. education budgets and increase I applaud Regent Larry Deitch's real tuition, while the federal gov- intention to "reach out to the cam- ernment allows interest rates to pus community to solicit feedback rise on federal student loans. The on issues facing the University situation would be laughable if it and qualities to seek in a new wasn't so acutely tragic. president." But that this merits Returning to our central applause alreadysuggests a degree thread, it's hard to believe that of democratic deficit - conditions this sorry situation would have in which students operate at the arisen had legislators really heard mercy of distant administrative student concerns. This is why decisions, grateful when these are including students on the search made conscientiously. committee is important. The This deficit became manifest office of the president provides recently when the University's a significant, if modest, platform athletics department decided - to address issues such as higher with apparently no student input education funding - an issue - to overhaul football game seat- likely to be more important ing policy. Associate Athletics to students laboring under Director Dave Ablauf justified the debt than to relatively wealthy decision like so: "We ... decided faculty and administrators. I to change our policy to create a acknowledge that some regents culture of arriving early to pro- - e.g. Mark Bernstein and vide our football student-athletes Denise Ilitch - have expressed with a home field advantage prior concern about this issue. Still, to kickoff." Wonderful, Dave. students shouldn't have to rely Unfortunately, decisions handed on the benign possibility that down as edicts run the risk of some administrator shares alienating those for whom the their concerns - they should be decision is made. Student upset guaranteed a meaningful voice. following this decision suggests To deny students their legitimate the risk was realized in this case. role in the selection process is not It seems uncontroversial that, only unfair, but politically ceteris paribus, those a decision irresponsible. most impacts should be included in making that decision as much Nils-Hennes Stear as possible. We can even give that is a PhD student in the principle a name - oh, I don't ' ' ' Departrtient of Philoophy. SOMEWHERE IN AMERICA, MILEY CYRUS IS STILL TWERKING. SOMEWHERE IN ANN ARBOR - 420 Maynard to be exact - THE DAILY STILL NEEDS ARTS WRITERS! Request an application by emailing arts@michigandaily.com. VICKY LIU/Daily Wire Artist Jackie Crissman takes eat a handmade necklaces In show Kathe Helhig at the Ann Arher Art Fair. Reflecting onthe A2 Street Art Fair search advisory committee. Currently,thecommitteeismade Business senior Michael Proppe, up of the eight University regents Central Student Government and eight faculty members. Along president, has already expressed with the regents and the executive dissatisfaction at the decision to consulting firm Russell Reynolds exclude students from the commit- Associates, this committee tee - in a letter to the Regents, he will play a central role in the pointed out that students have the presidential selection process. This greatest stake in the presidential setup gives more than adequate appointment. Since CSG is made representation to University up of representatives elected by faculty and administration, but it the studentbody, it's in a good posi- entirely fails to represent students. tion to provide student input to the The committees and initiatives advisory committee. One way for the University president has the CSG to do this would be to form a power to create directly affect committee tasked with gathering the student body. Students - who student input on the presidential pay to attend the University and search. This committee would whose lives and livelihoods will then provide representatives to the be fundamentally shaped by their advisory committee. time there - deserve more than the Under the regents' current plan, chance to attend public meetings public meetings will be held in and participate in an online "open September and October in order nominating process." There is for the University community to no proper substitution for direct provide input relevant to the selec- representation on the committee. tion process. Should the regents persist in not allowing student representation on the committee itself, students and student organi- zations - including CSG - should take it upon themselves to voice their opinions regarding the selec- tion process at those meetings. Besides students, there are still many parts of the University community with a stake in the next president and the vision he or she will bring to the Univer- sity that have been left out of the selection process. Students, facil- ity staff, part time instructors and the entire Flint and Dearborn satellite campuses are all groups left out this time around. Those groups had at least some repre- sentation in the 2002 presidential search that resulted in President Coleman's appointment. Hope- fully, the regents will realize their mistake and appoint students to the advisory committee. Roads shut down in annual celebration of creativity By ELLIOT ALPERN ManagingEditor There are four days in Ann Arbor, four average July days sweltering or storming with the usual July weather, where the cozy college town becomes ... well, something else entirely. The signs are there if you look hard enough - the streets you walk every day suddenly up and close; the pace of foot traffic through the heart of town transforms into a slog, the sidewalks clogged thick with out- of-towners. The residents who've been here for past summers know that something's coming, something that will stop at noth- ing to swallow the better part of Ann Arbor for its four-day lifes- pan. Those residents likely also know that there are two choices: stay home for a few days, or give yourself up to the "original" Ann Arbor Street Fair. For what it's worth, the experi- ence can be a blast; especially for prospective artists or connois- seurs alike. For local business- es, the fair is an absolute boon, packing the streets with throngs of potential buyers despite the insufferable heat this year that topped off in the mid-90s. Even for the casual observer, the expe- rience of strolling down the cen- ter line of State Street at noon on a Saturday can be fun. But it's undeniable, especially for the multitudes who converge on this college town from else- where, that the Fair is something to behold. On East University, a small crowd gathered as silver- smiths hammered out fresh wares over a pit of glowing embers, while others sifted through cus- tom sets of silverware and jewel- ry. Further up State, generations of hippies trawled over a cabinet of hand-blown glass pipes, oppo- site clothes stands filled with upper-class, older women. As a student, attending the Fair with any kind of hope for a bounty of inexpensive treasures is, if not impossible, at least far- fetched. It's clear that the focus here is, deservedly, the patrons of art who have the cash to pump into the local economy. Did you enjoy that medium-sized oil painting of intertwining trees? That'll be $6,000 please, cash or check. I think we have some postcards on the other side that are closer to your ... "style." It is true that there are more man- ageable prices if you look hard enough, but going tent-to-tent for something to hang on the wall is a bit of a fantasy. No, that's the draw for out-of- towners with money to spend. But that's not to say that the Street Art Fair is worthless to students - far from it. Where the people flock to find art, students should flock to find people, and to experience what worthy art is firsthand. It's otherwise rare to find a family of sophisticated aficionados rubbing elbows with beatniks looking for some inspi- ration, all in front of a metal sculpture of a dog. That is to say, next time, definitely come to the Art Fair to peruse, to sample the state of artistic expression in Ann Arbor. But just don't bet on finding that perfect landscape to cover the dent in the wall. Instead, after you've had your fill, just relax and watch all of the people who've travelled, not just to enjoy the town you get to live in, but to watch what makes that town so special in the first place. --.5m FOLLOW DAILY OPINION ON TWITTER Keep up with columnists, read Daily editorials, go on our blogs and join in the debate. Check out @michdailyoped'to get'updates on Daily opinion content.