”

M

ack 
Avenue 
is 
a 

14-mile-long street in 
Detroit and provides 

one of the most unique views of 
the city imaginable. Starting at 
Woodward Avenue in Midtown, 
this road cuts across the east side 
of Detroit. This street is one of the 
most 
controversial 

streets in the nation. 
For three miles on 
the city’s east side, Mack Avenue 
forms the eastern border of the 
city of Detroit. On the west side 
of the street is the predominantly 
Black city of Detroit, and on the 
east, the five municipalities that 
make up the wealthy suburb of 
Grosse Pointe.

While the conversation about 

life around such a marked division 
line is largely up for debate, many 
people have argued that being 
from one side or the other allows 
for a greater or lesser quality 
of life. In August, EdBuild — a 
nonprofit dedicated to school 
funding equity — rated the 
Grosse Pointe-Detroit border the 
“most segregating school district 
boundary” in America. It is an 
undeniable fact that being a child 
in Grosse Pointe allows for much 
more opportunity than that same 
child’s counterpart who lives on 
the other side of Mack Avenue. 

When I went to the border line 

on Mack Avenue, I was shocked. 
Less than a mile from Detroit, 
charming 
houses 
reeking 
of 

wealth lined the streets, and 
middle-aged white people were 
walking their dogs on every 
block. The premier high school, 

Grosse 
Pointe 
South, 
has 
a 

campus fit for an Ivy League prep 
school, with restaurants across 
the street advertising “house 
accounts” for the students, paid 
for by their parents. One resident I 
interviewed, Mr. Cornell Walker, 
has two children in the Grosse 

Pointe school district 
and 
admitted 
that 

children on the Grosse 

Pointe side have more opportunity 
than students in Detroit.

These 
differences 
aren’t 

simply chalked up to how each 
municipality divides up its money. 
On the Detroit side of Mack, the 
median income is just more than 
$26,000 per year. However, the 
Grosse Pointe side has a median 
household income of more than 
$90,000 per year. The differences 
don’t stop there, as the youth 
poverty rate is 49 percent on the 
Detroit side and only 7 percent 
on the other. Keep in mind that 
these two cities are neighbors, 
neighbors who share a common 
border and are in the same county.

So why care? It’s no secret 

that suburban schools have more 
money and can afford nicer things 
for their students than inner-city 
schools, isn’t it? The alarming 
fact here isn’t simply that there is 
a difference between one school 
and another; it’s the size of the 
difference. Many Detroit Public 
Schools 
are 
underperforming, 

and, for many families, there are 
no other options for their students 
short of risking placement of 
their child in a charter school. 
However, 
for 
Grosse 
Pointe 

residents, having the eighth-best 
high school in the state as the 
default option affords unlimited 
amounts of educational potential.

Additionally, 
Grosse 
Pointe 

schools play an active role in 
these 
segregationist 
policies. 

The school’s official policy bans 
students who do not live within the 
district, which is 93 percent white, 
from enrolling and says that any 
students “found to be ineligible 
to be enrolled shall be promptly 
removed.” It’s as simple as that. 
If you live on one side of the line 
but go to school on the other and 
the school finds out, you’re kicked 
out of school, back across Mack 
Avenue into Detroit. This isn’t a 
niche concern of residents either; 
Walker expressed concerns about 
“students from other districts 
(who) falsely use a Grosse Pointe 
address to go to the schools, and 
when you put it like that, it is not 
fair to the taxpayers (of Grosse 
Pointe).” Many residents feel this 
way and even feel as though the 
presence of students from Detroit 
is more of a problem than the 
students of Detroit having less 
opportunity and lower quality of 
education than in Grosse Pointe.

The days of “white only” 

schools may have been declared 
over by the famed Brown v. Board 
of Education decision of 1954, 
but segregation is far from over. 
East English Village Preparatory 
Academy, a DPS high school, 
is more than 99 percent Black, 
however, just two miles away, 
Grosse Pointe South High School 
is 84 percent white. Two miles. 

That’s the distance from the 
Hill neighborhood to Michigan 
Stadium. Anyone who claims 
that there is no segregation of 
the schools by this line is not 
grounded in reality.

It is unacceptable that Detroit’s 

urban schools have come to this 
point. Brown v. Board of Education 
may have been a good starting 
point for the desegregation of 
schools, but that mission has 
grossly failed. This problem isn’t 
simply limited to the Grosse Pointe 
and Detroit border either. Many 
University of Michigan students 
come from areas similar to this 
one that are equally as segregated. 
I strongly urge my readers to look 
back upon their own experiences 
in their own schools and think of 
times that school segregation has 
caused them an unfair chance 
at success. Furthermore, as the 
future generation of policymakers 
and parents, we need to find a way 
to genuinely desegregate schools.

How can students from these 

districts, 
known 
as 
“island 

districts,” take pride in their 
accomplishments knowing that 
the deck is stacked in their favor 
so grossly? The extreme levels of 
hypocrisy and racism that play out 
here every day is unacceptable in 
any society, nonetheless a society 
that frequently calls itself free of 
racism and segregation. We must 
do better than segregated schools, 
and we must face the reality of the 
problem that we have created.

4A — Monday, September 19, 2016
Opinion
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

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.

SHOHAM GEVA

Editor in Chief

CLAIRE BRYAN 

and REGAN DETWILER 

Editorial Page Editors

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.

Carolyn Ayaub
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

Kevin Sweitzer

Rebecca Tarnopol

Ashley Tjhung

Stephanie Trierweiler

EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS

FROM THE DAILY

Sexual misconduct education is key
S 

ince the U.S. Department of Education launched an investigation into 
the University of Michigan’s handling of sexual misconduct cases in 
2014, the University has made multiple efforts to protect students from 

sexual assault on campus. Last year, the University surveyed the student 
body in the Campus Climate Survey, and revised and released a new sexual 
misconduct policy — renaming it “The University of Michigan Policy and 
Procedures on Student Sexual and Gender-based Misconduct and other forms 
of Interpersonal Violence.” Changes to the policy included an expansion of the 
definitions of consent and intoxication, a restructuring of the appeals process 
within the reporting process and the promotion of a multitude of resources for 
survivors on campus. The one call behind all these efforts, by both students 
and administrators alike, has been and should continue to be increased 
education about sexual assault prevention and the reporting process. 

JOE IOVINO | CONTACT JOE IOVINO AT JIOVINO@UMICH.EDU

Brown v. Board is dead

L

ast year, as a poor college 
kid desperate for extra 
cash, I stupidly decided 

to start playing DraftKings — a 
daily fantasy sports site where 
you are able to win money by 
spending as little as three bucks 
to win much, much 
more 
than 
your 

buy-in. I played for 
weeks, not winning, 
and finally told my 
girlfriend to hold me 
accountable — that 
if I ever mentioned 
playing DraftKings 
again, she should say 
no or slap my wrist.

Don’t 
get 
me 

wrong 
— 
I 
love 

football. My fondest 
memories 
of 
childhood 
are 

watching games every Sunday 
on the couch with my father. In 
fact, I still played fantasy football 
in multiple leagues. I didn’t 
play for the money, though, but 
just for the thrill of beating my 
friends when my players — who 
are risking their lives every time 
they step on the gridiron — play 
better than the athletes (who are 
also risking their lives) on my 
opponent’s team.

That’s why I’m not playing 

this year. In my point of view, if 
you really think about it, those 
who play fantasy football are 
getting angry at players if they 
perform terribly, making money 
and jeering friends when a life-
threatening sport is involved. 
We’re capitalizing — earning 
money and bragging rights — 
off players essentially risking 
their lives.

The sport of football is not 

being taken as seriously as it 
should be. There are far more 
laughs and cheers when we should 
be wincing as men are engaging 
in one of the most dangerous 
sports. The reality of the sport 
should not be glossed over. 
Instead of throwing fits over poor 
performance, we should be more 
upset about the jarring concussion 
statistics that have become all too 
associated with the sport.

Concussions in the NFL and 

the impact they have on players 

during and after their careers are 
too haunting for me to participate 
in fantasy football for now. I 
simply cannot be invested in how 
someone performs for my virtual 
benefit when something could 
happen on Sunday that could 

change their life. Yes, 
I know they’re making 
millions of dollars. Yes, 
I’m aware that most 
players aren’t hurt in 
life-threatening ways 
in a typical game, but 
who knows what the 
health 
of 
today’s 

Aaron Rodgers and 
Cam Newton will be 
like decades down 
the road? And yes, 
concussion protocols 

are stricter in the NFL (leading 
to better player safety) and 
hits to the head are now being 
called 
as 
major 
penalties, 

but a study released in April 
by the American Academy 
of Neurology said that more 
than 40 percent of retired 
NFL players showed signs of 
traumatic brain injury.

Even some current players 

are choosing to leave the game 
early because of the reality that 
head injuries are very common. 
After one year in the NFL, star 
rookie Chris Borland decided 
to retire, citing a concern that 
he could sustain head injuries 
if he played any longer. One 
of the NFL’s all-time greatest 
linebackers, 
Junior 
Seau, 

committed suicide almost four 
years ago and it was found 
that he suffered from chronic 
traumatic 
encephalopathy, 

a 
progressive 
degenerative 

disease in the brain that 
results from large or repeated 
hits to the head.

So much of the focus is on 

that one big hit that knocked 
someone 
out 
cold, 
when 

arguably the same attention 
should be given to the lineman 
who might smash helmets 
every single play. Even non-
head injuries take a toll on 
players. The Lions’ beloved 
wide receiver Calvin Johnson 
retired this offseason when 

everyone thought he had many 
more 
spectacular 
seasons 

ahead of him. As much as I 
will miss him, I respect his 
decision and cannot criticize 
him 
for 
prioritizing 
self-

care. His actions, much like 
Borland’s, are commendable. 
We must put a player’s health 
over our affinity for them.

I realize I am faced with 

a 
conundrum 
because 
I’m 

still a fan of the sport and I 
still contribute to the sport 
by watching my Lions every 
Sunday as if it’s an extension 
of my religious activity after 
going to church. I’m not saying 
that we should stop watching 
football or stop playing fantasy 
football, but that we should 
examine and recognize that 
football is dangerous, first and 
foremost. The players know 
the risks and keep playing. The 
fans can know the risks the 
stars on the field are making 
and keep watching.

Football should be thought 

of as more than entertainment. 
Football has serious health 
implications. All I see on 
Saturdays and Sundays during, 
before and after games are 
questions such as whether 
Harbaugh ate a booger at the 
end of the UCF game (I think 
he was just biting a hangnail) 
or if Lions fans will be able to 
stop saying “At least there’s 
next year!” this season.

There must be more of open 

discussion on how the game is 
dangerous and what is being 
done to make it safer. We boo 
on targeting calls, but how 
often do we stop and think, 
“Geez, is the player that got hit 
going to be OK?” Will we value 
their health instead of their 
performance 
and 
presence 

needed to win a game?

So while I cheer when my 

favorite teams get to the end 
zone, I pray at the same time 
that they’ll be safe out there. 
Stay strong, but take care of 
yourselves, my brothers.

Football isn’t all fun and games

CHRIS 

CROWDER

Kevin Sweitzer can be reached at 

ksweitz@umich.edu

Last Monday, the most recent 

addition to educational efforts 
came in the form of an online 
portal 
that 
educates 
faculty 

of their role when reporting 
sexual 
misconduct. 
This 

online tool will streamline the 
reporting process for designated 
University-affiliated 
personnel 

and offer training for all faculty 
members on what is and is not 
inappropriate conduct, how to 
support students who share 
information about misconduct 
and how to notify the University 
of instances of misconduct.

While the portal is definitely 

a step in the right direction, 
it 
does 
not 
guarantee 
the 

education of all faculty because 
it is not mandatory for faculty to 
complete its training program. It 
is quite likely some faculty will 
not put the time aside to review 
the material. For students to reap 
the full benefits of this tool, all 
faculty members need to be on 
board with using the tool as a 
means for protecting the safety 

of their students. Since the tool’s 
success is contingent upon how 
many faculty actually use it, at 
a bare minimum the University 
should require all faculty and 
employees of the University to 
complete the training.

This 
step 
forward 
also 

illuminates 
more 
holes 
in 

sexual misconduct education on 
campus, specifically concerning 
how mandatory reporting applies 
to students when they decide to 
share information with a faculty 
member. 
Students 
need 
not 

only be aware of to whom and 
how best they can report a case 
of sexual misconduct — which 
the Sexual Assault Prevention 
and Awareness Center outlines 
on its website well — but 
when they are subject to being 
reported by faculty. The current 
policy requires most faculty 
and administrators and many 
employees to report a case of 
sexual misconduct to the Office 
for Institutional Equity if a 
student shares information with 

them. Yet there are individual 
positions that offer confidential 
services and are excluded from 
the reporting requirement, such 
as counselors at Counseling 
and Psychological Services and 
SAPAC.

These types of exceptions of 

mandatory reporting need to be 
made clear to students so they 
understand the appropriate place 
and person to turn to. There 
must be better education for 
students about the parameters of 
mandatory reporting. It is only 
just that students are aware of 
their rights when it comes to their 
privacy and options of reporting 
a case of sexual misconduct.

The 
University 
has 
a 

responsibility to mandate that 
all faculty and employees must 
complete the training via this 
online portal, as well as create 
similar 
educational 
efforts 

for students about mandatory 
reporting 
policies 
and 

procedures.

KEVIN SWEITZER | COLUMN

CHRIS CROWDER | COLUMN

— The University’s chapter of College Republicans’ formal endorsement of 

Donald Trump for president on Wednesday, Sept. 14
“

NOTABLE QUOTABLE

I know that some (of) you may not agree with all of Mr. 

Trump’s statements and policies, but the campaign is 
not about one person. Mr. Trump in the White House 
comes with an entire administration of conservatives... 

And any vote not for Trump is a vote for Clinton.

Chris Crowder can be reached at 

ccrowder@umich.edu

KEVIN 

SWEITZER

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