Opinion JENNIFER CALFAS EDITOR IN CHIEF AARICA MARSH and DEREK WOLFE EDITORIAL PAGE EDITORS LEV FACHER MANAGING EDITOR 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@michigandaily.com Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 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. The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com 4A — Wednesday, January 21, 2015 W ith all the focus regarding diversity around campus, little attention has been paid to what peo- ple actually mean when they say they want “increased diversity.” For the most part, the focus of the debate has been on get- ting more people of color enrolled at the University. Unfortunately, this narrow defini- tion leaves out many other diversity options, ones that are necessary for today’s modern education. As a 35-year-old undergrad, I am no stranger to discrimination via lack of diversity on campus. It’s mostly benign things, like students sitting next to the professor before they’ll sit next to the “creepy old guy.” Some- times, it’s that cute girl at Bert’s giving me a weird look when I assure her, yes, I am a student (or maybe it’s the creepy old guy thing). Usually I just shrug it off and continue, but occasionally I recall that while we’re peers, I have more in common with my professors than I do other students. I’m not the only student experi- encing this. Before long, your parents won’t just be your ride to school, but your lab partners, too. With the con- tinued shift from a labor economy to a service economy, the average age of a college undergrad should continue to go up for the foreseeable future. With the increased age comes increased responsibilities, and the University is not adequately equipped to handle them. Older-student support at the Uni- versity is commendable in spirit and condemnable in practice. In all fair- ness, the University has traditionally served a very young demographic. As older students, we have responsibili- ties far surpassing those of normal undergrads — spouses, children, houses and businesses, to name a few. This is reflected in the wait list at campus daycare facilities and the lack of affordable married housing options. This isn’t mere discomfort, either. Housing scams are rampant in the area (just call any realtor and ask about local scams), and young parents are being forced to choose between putting their children or themselves through school. It’s past time for the University to act. They should look no further than our local community colleges for ideas to help increase the range of services available for older students. Instead of focusing on finding “America’s Next Top Football Coach,” the school should have been looking into funding for additional childcare services on campus, increased flexibility in class scheduling (including more evening and online classes) and more married housing options. Unless we do something soon, we are going to miss out on the unique life knowledge that older students bring with them. They will be forced to go to campuses that recognize the changing times and are quicker to adjust servic- es. Indeed, one could make the argument that the reason for- profit colleges are reeling in huge numbers of students is pre- cisely because they cater their services toward non- traditional students. Campus diversity needs expansion in more traditional areas. Another example of this is the lack of inclusion of “none” in discussions about reli- gious diversity. According to a Pew Research Cen- ter poll from May 2014, more people would be less likely to cast a presiden- tial ballot for an atheist (53 percent) than an adulterer (35 percent), a sep- tuagenarian (36 percent) or someone who has never held public office (52 percent). Worldwide, there are record amounts of people who identify as “non-theist” or “atheist.” In places that used to be dominated by reli- gion, old icons are being pushed away and a wave of secularism is coursing through the general public. As many as 40 percent of the French do not believe there is “any sort of spirit, God or life force.” On campus, the numbers tell a much different story. A search on Maize Pages for the word “atheist” in a club returns exact- ly one group, the Secular Student Alliance. A similar search for “Mus- lim” returns 10 clubs while a search for “Christian” returns 26. You know who else only has one club on cam- pus? Pokemon aficionados (Pokemon Maize and Blue). Then again, I would hate to cast Pokemon lovers in the same light as atheists, because they probably get enough flack as it is with- out that additional baggage. Besides, they probably poll better among future presidential candidates. All jokes aside, there’s no rational explanation for this lack of non- religious students. Atheists and agnostics bring a uniquely humanist approach to the table, free from the obligations of religion. Humanists are a diverse group, with people of virtually all nationalities and sexual orientations comprising their ranks. I would love to see more free-thought and secular activities on campus. It could be something as simple as a food drive for the homeless, or as complex as a support system for helping people overcome substance abuse without invoking the name of God. The key is taking the meaning of diversity away from the narrow definition groups like BAMN get us to focus on. Diversity on campus isn’t an issue going away anytime soon. The quicker we go for true diversity of thought and away from the notion of diversity as skin color, the better off we all are. The University has a responsibility to its students outside of the classroom to provide access to cultures and ideas not found at our local high schools. Increased diversity, beyond just geography and skin color, is one way to help accomplish this. Until we focus on a more broad definition of diversity, we are forever going to be living in the shadows of our own past. — Eric Kukielka can be reached at ekuk@umich.edu. A more expansive diversity Edvinas Berzanskis, Claire Bryan, Regan Detwiler, Devin Eggert, David Harris, Rachel John, Jordyn Kay, Aarica Marsh, Victoria Noble, Michael Paul, Allison Raeck, Melissa Scholke, Michael Schramm, Matthew Seligman, Linh Vu, Mary Kate Winn, Jenny Wang, Derek Wolfe EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS O n my way home to Florida this past summer, while stopped in Atlanta, I tried to get ahold of Mrs. B. I had Mrs. B for social studies in eighth grade, and I somehow got her to be my friend during high school and college. She was petite, and she kept her gray hair short. She had light blue eyes, which is where her smile started. She was always very crisp: bright but modest solids, cool flo- ral patterns — a very classic sort of South Florida prep that we’ll never see again. Her voice was soft and carried with it the slightest and most dignified Southern drawl. In conversation, she was curious, gen- uinely. Nobody was more interest- ed than Mrs. B. I thought of her as my own personal Terry Gross. But better dressed. (No offense to Ms. Gross, who I love and who I’m sure dresses quite wonderfully.) I’d heard that maybe Mrs. B wasn’t doing so well. I’ve visited her while she was dealing with some sort of cancer. She hadn’t said a word beforehand, when we made plans over the phone. But once during one of our usu- ally long summer talks, she casually dropped it. (We of course covered the basics first: “How are your grades?” “How is your family?” “Don’t you just love Jon Stewart?”) Then eventually, “I’ve got cancer.” And, “But Willie, I’m doing fine.” Of course I believed her. Because it was true. She licked it. But after a while of being in the clear, some blood came back and announced a second round with something more vicious. In the airport, I folded up in a corner near the outpost of The Varsity, an Atlanta standby: the “world’s largest drive-in” where a No. 2 combo gets you a chili cheese dog and a chili cheese burger, fries or onion rings and a regular sized drink for $9.44. They greet you at the counter with a loud, “What’ll ya have?” I called Mrs. B to let her know I’d be in town. WHADDAYAHAVE? “Oh, hello Willie,” Mr. B answers. WHADDAYAHAVE? “Is Mrs. B Around?” WHADDAYAHAVE? “I wanted to let her know I’m headed home today.” WHADDAYAHAVE? “I’d love to see her.” WHADDAYAHAVE? “Well, Willie. She can’t come to the phone right now.” WHADDAYAHAVE? “But I’ll let her know you called.” WHADDAYAHAVE? “Thanks. See you soon.” Mrs. B helped civilize me. In middle school I was a monster. I had my ear pierced with a little silver ball. I wore an Andy Warhol messenger bag, so I knew a thing or two about art. (But I had no idea who the Velvet Underground was.) Sometimes I would turn the lights off in my room and listen to The Postal Service and cry. I think I called a girl fat on the Internet once. I got C’s and D’s and F’s. Because of this, on the night of my best friend Jack’s bar mitzvah, I brought my dress pants to my mother and asked her to iron them. But she had just logged on to ParentLink to check my grades and told me there was no way in hell I was going to Jack’s bar mitz- vah. I cried, I screamed, I cried more: a wide-mouth weeping, running-out- of-breath, chub- by-cheeked-me pale and reddish with baby fat and a bad attitude, a screaming, sob- bing heap of ugly. One day Mrs. B started class by handing out information about a new school policy. Because of severe budget cuts, students now had to pay for printing. The piece of paper that Mrs. B handed out stated that from now on, copies would cost each of us 10 cents per page. This fee applied to handouts, exercises and even quizzes and tests. Because we all sat in groups at tables, it took a minute for it to catch on. But someone finally asked, “We have to pay you to take tests?!” Mrs. B. told us, “I’m sorry, there’s nothing I can do. I don’t think it’s fair either.” “But Mrs. Broughton, what about students who might not be able to afford this?” A very mature question asked by my friend Jack — someone who was already a man by this time. And then I had a quiet realization: We’re about to learn about the Boston Tea Party. She’s taxing us without representation! I gasped and put my hand straight up in the air — ready to ruin the whole lesson. But when she looked over at me, she grinned and then she winked, acknowledging that I knew what she knew. Back then I was even more of a shit-ass know-it-all than I am now. But that smile, that wink. Mrs. B silently kept my stupid, big mouth closed — and she let me feel so grown-up about it. In that moment, I learned that you don’t always have to know loudly. Sometimes you can know quietly, and you might even be doing all of us a favor. So I smiled back. I put my hand down and decided, instead, to help my class incite a revolution. Over the summer I got to see Mrs. B just before she died. She was there and her blue eyes were there and her family was there. We cov- ered the bases (grades are fine; family is fine; I still love Jon Stewart). And I re-told the sto- ries like the Bos- ton Tea Party, and the History Fair (my friend Madison and I wrote a play: we were John Lennon and Yoko Ono in a hotel bed. We went all the way to Tallahassee in bathrobes, carrying an inflatable mattress and a tam- bourine), and we sort of smiled. And then Mrs. B got tired and wanted to rest. So I let go of her hand and gave her a kiss on the cheek. And she said, “Willie, I am just so tickled for you.” And, “You keep me posted.” — Willie Filkowski can be reached at willjose@umich.edu. A memorial for Mrs. B R epublican Gov. Rick Snyder gave his State of the State address Tuesday evening, emphasizing state and local growth over the past four years, community-based reforms and the “river of opportunity.” While Snyder’s speech was commendable in its recognition of previous achievements and idealistic goals, he neglected to expand on the substantial steps needed to create a better future for the state of Michigan. During the past four years, the state has made significant improvements as outlined by Snyder. Housing values have increased by 25 percent compared to the national average of 16 percent; out-of-state tourism has increased by over $2 million in the past four years; the agricultural industry has hit an unprecedented benchmark of more than $100 billion in economic activity; unemployment has decreased to 6.7 percent; and over 300,000 private-sector jobs have been created in the last four years. Snyder similarly praised efforts to improve transportation with a special focus on Michigan’s roads, pointing out that many create conditions that are hazardous for driving. Of course, improvements to Michigan’s roads are severely needed according to Snyder, with one in nine bridges in the state being structurally deficient. However, Snyder made no mention of how the legislature would go about actually making these improvements. Furthermore, the governor neglected to address the controversial M-1 rail, currently under construction in Detroit, with an estimated cost of $137 million. In his speech, Snyder also highlighted that since 2010, there has been a 48 percent increase in automotive production. While the state is currently enjoying the benefits of the revived industry, it is important to note that it’s unreasonable to rely on the automotive industry for economic prosperity. Michigan saw the consequences of such dependence in the 2008 automotive industry crisis. To pivot itself for an economically successful future, the state should look to invest in other industries, such as science and technology fields. Snyder’s State of the State included, in a large part, the presentation of his “river of opportunity” plan, intended to increase the ability of Michigan residents to achieve multi-faceted opportunities, including educational attainment and economic stability. While laying out this plan for the state, Snyder harped on increasing the efficiency of government and its respective programs, many of which he deemed to be unnecessary, ineffective and not focusing on the “real people” that they are targeting. In addition to this critique of inefficiency, Snyder stated that communities play a much larger role in aiding the issues within communities, forming a “village of support” with the government fading into the background. Snyder stated that the creation of 145 new programs since the 1940s has not targeted “real people” and has simply created inefficiencies within the government that aren’t helping the citizens they intended to serve. It’s improbable that the majority of people would disagree with the statement that the government is currently bloated, with bureaucratic red tape serving as an impediment to progress, but the government can do things that a community simply cannot. While governmental involvement is an issue that should be dealt with, the government can’t stick to the sidelines when dealing with issues such as food availability and access to education, especially in regions and communities where resources are scarce. Detroit, for example, is a food desert, with access to quality food just now making its way into parts of the city with the construction of new grocery stores. Public subsidies and tax breaks were used to make these stores, such as Whole Foods, viable, bringing down the cost to build locations in Detroit. Creating a “village of support” in a community such as urban Detroit, one stricken with poverty and violence, and expecting government to fade into the background while that community fixes its own food availability crisis is a completely untenable plan. Increasing government efficiency should not reduce the ability of citizens to get the kind of assistance and aid they so badly need in order to make it to the “mainstream” of the “river of opportunity.” Snyder’s only mention of higher education was in his discussion on middle colleges — a high-school program that allows for students to affordably attain a high-school diploma and community college degree from the same school. His failure to discuss college affordability as a whole is neglectful to a significant issue facing the state of Michigan and country. According to a study by youth advocacy group Young Invincibles, Michigan ranks as the third-worst state nationwide in higher education investment. While Snyder’s administration has slowly increased higher education funding after it was cut by 15 percent in 2011, this ranking reveals deep concerns regarding his commitment to fostering an educated citizenry. His no-comment during the State of the State perpetuates this perception. Similarly, Snyder’s discussion of energy issues lacked the direction it required. Snyder mentioned he wanted to eliminate energy waste, exploit the state’s natural gas resources and focus on renewable energy solutions. To do this, he intends to create a state energy agency in order to consolidate the effort on creating viable energy policy for the future. However, he failed to answer key questions such as what his plans are for natural gas. Whether the plan is to export natural gas or invest the resources within the state, it’s disappointing Snyder did not outline the groundwork for Michigan’s energy future appropriately. The lack of details in the State of the State address only serve to heighten the expectations for Snyder’s special message on energy in March. FROM THE DAILY WILLIE FILKOWSKI ERIC KUKIELKA State of the State Snyder addresses improvements and plans for Michigan’s future The first time I saw my birth certificate it said, “Statistically Insignificant,” When I asked the doctor why, he said it was because I had a high likelihood of ending up in a place like the hood, wearing a hoodie, fac- ing a silver cocked barrel, That is my burial, He says my mind reacts to irrationality and that I act explosively given a brain incapable of flight They call that a “land mine,” Reasons to step over me, Yes I was born a domestic terrorist, given a knife instead of a brain that is sharp enough to cut into society’s veins, Yes I am that black sludge bloodshed that shares the complexion of HIV, Since you do not understand me, you label me a disease, So you are right Lil Wayne, You are sick, ill, Another one of this nation’s many illegiti- mate children, Taught young to shoot for the stars only to reach Jim Crow ceilings, But I guess on the other side of town they taught just to shoot, Shoot for security, Shoot for protection, But now I hear ice cracking ‘cause ice tea doesn’t seem so threatening, But fuck it, If we’re going to shoot let’s shoot for skit- tles too because everyone knows… The color black will never exist in the rain- bow… No black ain’t beautiful until it’s red, Bloody, Rename CNN, “Red is the new Black” My 15 minutes of fame always seems to end, Too soon Michigan in Color is the Daily’s opinion section designated as a space for and by students of color at the University of Michigan. To contribute your voice or find out more about MiC, e-mail michiganincolor@umich.edu. WILLIAM ROYSTER | MICHIGAN IN COLOR Black Hoodies Sometimes you can know quietly, and you might even be doing all of us a favor. We are going to miss out on the unique life knowledge older students bring with them.