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

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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. 

