Opinion
SHOHAM GEVA
EDITOR IN CHIEF
CLAIRE BRYAN
AND REGAN DETWILER
EDITORIAL PAGE EDITORS
LAURA SCHINAGLE
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 —Thursday, March 31, 2016
C
HARLIEEEE! That’s why
you ain’t got no teeth; your
teeth ran away cause you
talk
so
dang
on much.” The
room
erupts
with
laughter
and
snickers
from
a
group
of 20 men, one
woman and one
child.
Charlie
is
a
frequent
visitor
to
the
Capuchin
Soup
Kitchen
in
Detroit;
the
staff
and
other Capuchin guests know his
charismatic personality well. The
checkered floor was worn with
scuff marks, and the air smelled
of the stir-fry served for lunch
that day. As the laughter gently
subsided, more visitors trickled
into the doorway, awaiting the
meal provided for them.
11 a.m.: The volunteers of
Capuchin
Soup
Kitchen
are
diverse in gender, race and age.
I went to volunteer with Circle
K on its annual day of service.
I was the only native Detroiter
and the only Black person of the
group. Before we began serving
food, we were escorted to a room
where we met one of the founders
of the soup kitchen. He showed
us a video about the history of
Capuchin and its purpose — the
soup kitchen has been in Detroit
since 1929, at the beginning
of the Great Depression when
national poverty cloaked the
United States.
Detroit was not immune to the
social ills of the Great Depression.
The friars of Capuchin Province
of St. Joseph used their ministry
on Mt. Elliott Street to feed those
who needed a meal. Since its
creation, Capuchin has expanded
its programs to include substance
abuse
counseling,
employment
opportunities
for
people
who
were formerly incarcerated and
an organic farm to redevelop
Detroit’s food system. I chose to
work with Capuchin this service
day because I was familiar with
Earthworks and the On the Rise
Bakery, which are also Capuchin
programs, but I wanted to learn
more about the soup kitchen.
11:30 a.m.: At least a dozen
guests have come through the
lunch line since lunch began,
some with faint smiles, others
not making eye contact and a few
with large grins. I ask each of
them how they are, which seems
like both the politest question to
ask, but also the most trivial. For
the brief 20-second interaction,
how could I gauge their sense
of well-being? Why would they
care to share that information
with
me?
The
impersonal
engagement of serving lunch
made the physical lunch line
that divided us more defined. I
had hoped our commonalities
as Black Detroiters would dilute
the physical barrier of the lunch
line that divided the privileged
and the marginalized, but the
systemic implications of classism
were impossible to ignore.
The video that the volunteers
and I watched before our shift
described how the need for
soup
kitchen
in
Mt.
Elliott
community arose. I had to think
about
insufficient
access
to
food, poverty and homelessness
that has plagued the Mt. Elliott
community for decades, and how
Capuchin is meeting a need that
public policy has neglected. That
video complicated my presence
at Capuchin. I was able to insert
myself into this space for a mere
three hours and then resume my
life. And the guests of Capuchin?
Well, who knows? The soup
kitchen and the volunteers for
that meal are a small fraction of
their day. We were supposed to
be there to help, and yet I felt so
helpless, because I knew I didn’t
solve anything.
Of all the service learning
organizations on campus, how
many provoke a discussion about
the roots of the systemic issues
community-service acts as a Band-
Aid for? Or a reflection about how
identity impacts the service we
engage in and communities we
seek to serve? What message does
it send when one of the University’s
premier
service
organizations,
the Detroit Partnership, does not
have one member from the city
of Detroit on its executive board
and the majority of its service
opportunities
are
in
Detroit?
Without
having
a
personal
connection with a community,
how can a person work with
community
members
in
an
authentic manner that actually
benefits the community?
If a person does not know the
landscape of a community —
familiarity with the work that
is being done or the specific
institutional barriers that allow
for community service to exist —
and a person’s privileges working
with a community go unchecked,
how
can
someone
avoid
participating
in
imperialistic
charity work? How can you build
sustainable models of service that
foster a maintainable partnership
with student and community-
led organizations? None of these
things
can
happen
without
consistent, intentional reflection
before and after the community-
service activity takes place.
A
space
for
reflection
is
critical, especially when so many
community service organizations
at the University concentrate the
majority of their work in Detroit.
Engaging in service work in Detroit
can be a learning experience for
University of Michigan students,
if done correctly. But even the
thought of service being a learning
experience privileges education
on the plight of people who have
been systematically franchised.
Who is community service really
benefiting then?
A
number
of
community-
service organizations and social-
service agencies exist in the city
of Detroit. University students
can support the organizations
that
Detroiters
have
initiated
themselves,
rather
than
overlapping services. More often
than not, service organizations at
the University receive conflated
attention
in
their
efforts
to
“restore”
Detroit,
without
acknowledging or uplifting the
organizations
already
present
in the Detroit community who
sustain the work that community
organizations involve themselves
in for brief periods of time.
As Mama Hanifa Adjuman from
the Detroit Black Community
Food Security Network stated
during a recent panel on food
and racial justice, “What we
welcome (are) allies; we (don’t)
need
white
missionaries.”
Students need to address their
biases, privileges, perceptions
and motivations before working
with communities.
Presently at the University,
it is far too easy for community
service
to
become
charity
work, perpetuating systems of
inequality instead of addressing
or
even
acknowledging
the
roots
of
the
problems.
The
Ginsberg Center is an example
of an underutilized University
resource that could alleviate
problematic
participation
in
service.
My
favorite
aspect
of
Ginsberg
is
its
monthly
reflection sessions on engaging
in service, and how that service
intersects with social justice,
social change and identity.
I
would
be
in
favor
of
mandating members of campus
service
organizations
attend
at least one of these sessions.
The Ginsberg Center is the
only
space
on
campus
that
challenges students to reflect
on their personal engagement
with service, a great example
of
this
being
the
center’s
Check
Yourself
Community
Engagement Checklist provides a
fantastic framework for student
organizations
to
structure
service reflections.
Both communities in need
and those providing a service
can
gain
from
community
service
in
tangible
ways
if
earnest reflection and genuine
interaction
are
fostered.
As
active
citizens
and
aspiring
public servants, it is imperative
that
students
interact
with
communities
intentionally
to
gain civic mindfulness. When I
return to work with Capuchin,
I hope the volunteers and I can
interact with Charlie and the
other visitors of the soup kitchen
in a way in which we equally
contribute to and benefit from a
meaningful service experience.
— Alexis Farmer can be reached
at akfarmer@umich.edu.
The
Michigan
House
and Senate have drafted
two separate packages of
bills to deal with the long-
term prospects of Detroit
schools.
Both
bills
split
the current district into
two entities, DPS and the
Detroit Community School
District. But only the Senate
bill
reorganizes
Detroit
schools in a way that returns
significant
autonomy
to
the people of Detroit while
still being cost effective.
Voters should put pressure
on their representatives to
pass the Senate package
because
it
has
gained
bipartisan
support
and
provides
DPS
with
a
financially viable route to
recovery
that
prioritizes
needs of students. Under
both packages, DPS would
exist only as a fiscal agent
dedicated
to
paying
off
debt. DCSD would be a new
entity funded with federal,
state and local money that
assumes the same role that
DPS has currently, only
with a whole new structural
organization.
Under the Senate plan
elections for a new school
board
would
take
place
as soon as 2021. Until the
election,
though,
there
would be a seven-member
school board of officials
elected by Gov. Rick Snyder
(R) and Mayor Mike Duggan
(D). The current Financial
Review Commission would
oversee the debt of DPS,
like the House bill proposes.
In
addition,
a
Detroit
Education
Commission
would be created to appoint
a chief education officer,
both
officials
would
coordinate
community
involvement in DCSD.
The
Senate
package
not only offers the most
benefit for the community
of Detroit, including the
schools, teachers, students
and citizens, but also has
bipartisan support as well
as support from Snyder,
Duggan and a number of
organizations
dedicated
to
education
such
as
StudentsFirst MI, Coalition
for the Future of Detroit
Schoolchildren,
Excellent
Schools Detroit and AFT
Michigan.
The House package, on
the other hand, pushes
too hard against educators
and leaves the new school
district in the hands of
government-appointed
personnel for too long to
be considered beneficial to
the Detroit school system.
The bill would additionally
end
teachers’
rights
to
collective bargaining for
anything other than pay
and benefits. A financial
review commission would
oversee the paying off of
debt from the old DPS and
a new school board would
be phased in, taking full
control after eight years
to
oversee
the
actions
of DCSD. In addition to
curtailing teachers’ rights
and
keeping
democracy
from the citizens of Detroit,
the House bill has not
gained bipartisan support.
The
House
bill
also
attempts to reform teacher
and school evaluations in
a manner that could be
detrimental to the district.
Teachers would be evaluated
based on student test scores,
giving
each
school
an
overall grade that would be
available to parents. While
the full details of such a
rating plan have not been
worked out as of yet, any
method that significantly
relies on student test scores
as a means for evaluation
does not do the students
of Detroit justice. It is
important that any plan
measures
a
student’s
success
using
a
holistic
perspective and not simply
their test scores. Such a
rating system would also
not directly account for
physical conditions, which
were ignored in the previous
mechanics
of
evaluating
Detroit schools.
Though some people may
believe
that
DPS
should
simply declare bankruptcy,
doing so would place the
burden of DPS’ debt on the
state, which is already in a
less than excellent financial
state, and is therefore not a
financially viable option. In
addition to these challenges,
the bankruptcy of DPS would
likely not allow DCSD to
enter into existence with a
clean slate dedicated to the
betterment of the education
of Detroit students.
Among all the debate, it is
also important to remember
that swift action is necessary.
It is likely that even with
emergency funding DPS will
run out of money by early
the end of this school year,
leaving
47,000
students
without schools. The Senate
plan is the right choice for
now. But even if all plans run
smoothly and DCSD comes
to fruition in time to aid the
students of Detroit, efforts
will need to continue in order
to ensure Detroit’s school
system not only remains
intact,
but
also
delivers
to students the education
they’re entitled to.
The real beneficiaries of service
ALEXIS
FARMER
W
hat comes to mind
when you hear “social
innovation?”
Is
it
entrepreneurship? Technology?
Big ideas? When I hear “social
innovation,” I think optiMize.
I think unity, trust, family and
community — the real things
that
will
inspire
people
to
change the world.
I had one of the hardest days of
my life this year. Fortunately, it
was a Sunday: the day we always
have our optiMize Core Team
meetings. I almost suggested
cancelling the meeting, unsure if
I would be able to avoid crying
while
reading
through
the
weekly updates. The meeting
went on anyway, and, of course,
I cried while reading through
the weekly updates. The meeting
ended, but nobody left. They sat
with me; they wanted to know
more, learn more and do more.
When I did go home, I received
an influx of texts, e-mails,
Google invites for coffee dates,
offers to just sit with me quietly
— all from my optiMize family.
You don’t find that in many
places — that selflessness. It’s
difficult to find a community
of people who are determined
to make a difference, no matter
how simple or seemingly small
that difference may be. The
optiMize community shares one
collective purpose: to make the
world a better place. It doesn’t
matter
if
you’re
supporting
someone in their time of need
or
doing
groundbreaking
entrepreneurship
work.
Everything optiMize stands for
can be seen in the daily actions
of our community members. The
love, understanding, empathy
and support that was shown to
me on that day may have seemed
amplified at that moment, but
this was not a singular moment.
This
was
optiMize.
Those
intangible,
positive
elements
that resonate from the actions
of everyone in the community
are what will drive change in
this world.
The
central
mission
of
optiMize is to create positive
action by replacing the phrase,
“Somebody should do something
about that,” with “Why not me?”
The
teams
in
our
Social
Innovation
Challenge
have
fused their intangible, positive
elements
with
optiMize’s
mission to inspire the impact
we want to see. We have a team
combatting
Islamophobia
by
creating
thought-provoking
artwork,
while
another
is
creating virtual reality games
for children with disabilities
and another is working with
Kenyan farmers to create a
sustainable fish feed. And that’s
just the beginning. Members
of the optiMize community are
building their ideas from the
ground up, and from the ground
up they are aiding in making
this
world
more
just,
more
sustainable and just plain better.
For me, optiMize has served
as an active reminder to seek out
change wherever change may
be necessary. It’s a contagious
environment — you discover
optiMize, you meet inspiring
people who embrace the ability
to question and transform, and
then, without hesitation, you
begin. That’s all it takes — just
ask yourself, “Why not me?”
The
optiMize
Social
Innovation
Challenge
Final
Showcase is on April 13 from
6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Lydia
Mendelssohn
Theatre
at
the
Michigan League. This event
will
feature
10
teams
from
optiMize’s 2016 Challenge, a
seven-month-long
program
that comprises workshops and
mentorship
opportunities,
allowing hundreds of students to
turn their ideas for social change
into reality. optiMize awards
more than $150,000 in funding
and
summer
fellowships,
which allows teams to continue
working on their startups all
summer long.
Claire Bryan, Regan Detwiler, Caitlin Heenan,
Jeremy Kaplan, Ben Keller, Minsoo Kim, Payton Luokkala,
Kit Maher, Madeline Nowicki, Anna Polumbo-Levy,
Jason Rowland, Lauren Schandevel, Melissa Scholke,
Kevin Sweitzer, Rebecca Tarnopol, Ashley Tjhung,
Stephanie Trierweiler, Hunter Zhao
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS
E-mail Dan at Dancp@umich.EDu
DAN PARK
FROM THE DAILY
A new start for Detroit schools
O
ver the years of Detroit’s economic decline, the Detroit Public
School system has suffered immensely. Since 2003-2004,
enrollment in DPS has declined by 200,000 students. In addition,
the district has accumulated $1.5 billion in debt that has hindered its
ability to remain a safe and functional learning environment. Over the
past couple of months, teachers in DPS have successfully gained increased
media attention for their “sick-outs” in protest of the horrible conditions
in many Detroit schools, which has prompted political officials to take
notice as well. DPS was on schedule to run out of money by April of this
year when the legislature passed emergency funding to keep the schools
open through the end of the school year.
ERIN JOHNSON | OP-ED
Why not you?
— Erin Johnson is the
president of optiMize.
.