O
ver the last decade, a
major issue in Detroit
politics has been rapid
population loss that has plagued
the city. While it can be easy to
look at the decreasing numbers
as a sign of despair, I look at the
population numbers in a positive
light. According to the
2010 census, there are
more than 700,000
residents in Detroit,
making it the 18th largest city
in America, by population. But
the greater Detroit metropolitan
area,
which
includes
Detroit
and the surrounding suburbs,
has approximately 4,292,060
people, making it the 13th
largest metropolitan area in
America.
I’m not claiming that being the
13th largest metro area in America
entitles us to be treated the same
way as the greater New York City
is treated. However, metro Detroit
lacks
countless
features
that
allow other metropolitan areas to
operate smoothly. Detroit has the
worst public and regional transit
system in America, due largely
to the city and suburbs failing to
work together on transit goals.
Because
of
America’s
car-
centric culture, the transit systems
in any given American city lack the
funding and infrastructure needed
to compete with big European or
Asian cities. However, Detroit’s
transit system pales in comparison
to other American cities. In
Detroit, a trip from any given
home in the city to the suburbs,
where grocery stores, malls and
low-income jobs are located, can
take more than an hour in each
direction. Additionally, bus service
is unreliable, and many services
don’t run late at night, meaning
a trip to the store can leave one
stranded in another city after dark.
Keeping all of this in mind, I
decided to give the bus system a
try. What I found was more than
alarming. To get to my destination
on the east side of Detroit, I had to
take three buses, and the trip took
more than an hour. Additionally,
the buses were late,
leaving me stranded
in
a
neighborhood
I
didn’t
know.
If
students at the University of
Michigan had to ride Detroit
Department of Transportation
buses to class, they would
certainly protest until the blue
bus system returned.
The problems with Detroit’s
transit
system
aren’t
easily
categorized
into
one
specific
problem. The city’s layout itself,
spanning more than 140 square
miles, is a contributing factor. It
is so big that the combined land
mass of San Francisco, Boston
and Manhattan could fit into
Detroit, and there would still be
a sizeable amount of room left.
Additionally, metro Detroit area
transit providers are more than
fractured. For example, Suburban
Mobility Authority for Regional
Transportation buses — buses that
serve the suburbs of Detroit — are
prohibited from picking up riders
inside Detroit city limits, often
leaving riders stranded.
Regardless of the reason, one
thing is certain: Detroit’s transit
system is a mess. Only 3 percent
of jobs in the area can be reached
within 60 minutes on public
transit, and housing inequality
prevents many people from living
near their workplace. Bus service
is infrequent, unreliable and ends
too early in the night to service
workers of all jobs. However,
there is a solution: The Regional
Transit Authority of Southeast
Michigan
has
proposed
a
master plan that would overhaul
Detroit’s transit system.
The main initiatives of the
proposal include Bus Rapid Transit
systems on the major streets in
Detroit and an increase in 24-hour
routes to serve more people in
suburban
areas.
Additionally,
there will be a commuter train
service established between Ann
Arbor and Detroit, and a BRT bus
will run along Washtenaw Avenue
connecting downtown Ann Arbor
and downtown Ypsilanti.
The benefits of the proposal
are sweeping and will help many
people in metro Detroit have better
access to their jobs and services
across
southeastern
Michigan.
However, the proposal will not go
forward without an approval from
voters on Nov. 8. This proposal will
levy a tax of 1.2 mills — $1.20 per
$1000 of property value — on all
residents of Wayne, Washtenaw,
Oakland and Macomb counties
to finance the plan. This plan is
crucial to the development of
the region, and without it, the
economic growth of the region
will not happen.
Many University students are
registered to vote in Ann Arbor,
and many are also registered
to vote in their hometowns in
Wayne, Oakland and Macomb
counties. A small increase in
property taxes isn’t a huge
burden to many homeowners in
southeastern Michigan, but it
can have a world of a difference
for Detroit residents and any
of us visiting Detroit. Detroit’s
transit woes are great, but this
election, suburban voters need to
Opinion
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
4A — Friday, September 30, 2016
— Protest organizer and Social Work student Lawrielle West at
Tuesday night’s protest of the planned debate on the merit of Black
Lives Matter, which was sponsored by the Michigan Political Union.
“
”
You cannot trivialize my experience
as a Black person by debating it ... I
am not saying I’m better than you or
that only Black lives matter or that
my life matters more than yours, but
I’m saying that Black lives do matter.
Kevin Sweitzer can be reached at
ksweitz@umich.edu
Vote yes on the RTA plan
KEVIN SWEITZER | COLUMN
FROM THE DAILY
From the Daily: Don’t give up
I
n fall 2015, University President Mark Schlissel introduced plans to
create a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategic Plan for campus. This
initiative specifies that by Oct. 6, the University will release a campus-
wide plan, composed of plans from each unit within the University, on
localized strategies for improvement in diversity, equity and inclusion. Over
the past two weeks, the College of LSA hosted four forums, one of which
was advertised as being focused on undergraduates, to release its part of the
plan. All of the forums, including the one focused on undergraduates, had
very low attendance rates. Conversely, this week, more than 300 students
spoke out against racist posters that were posted in Angell and Mason Halls.
At these protests, students voiced concerns that the DEI initiatives weren’t
doing enough to help students now.
While
the
University
—
in the most tangible way it
has in years — attempts to
answer
students’
calls
for
greater diversity, equity and
inclusion on campus, students
are still left unsatisfied. For
the most part, undergraduates
aren’t attending University-
sponsored forums, and though
they may acknowledge the
changes the University has
initiated, they are disappointed
with any change to campus
climate. Though the DEI plan
urges colleges to implement
strategies to produce both
tangible initiatives and more
abstract future plans, most
changes will not make a major
impact right now on campus.
Some examples of potential
changes
can
be
seen
in
the LSA DEI draft, which
students can review online.
The
draft
outlines
plans
to expand the laptop loan
program, improve the Race
and
Ethnicity
requirement
within the LSA curriculum and
allocate funding for learning
communities
specifically
dedicated to creating a mixture
of
diverse
cultures.
While
some of these programs will
likely, in a small way, help to
make students in marginalized
groups
feel
more
included
now — namely the laptop loan
program — most are geared
toward change that will only
become noticeable over time.
Students want change now, not
in 2025.
We
acknowledge
the
difference
between
acting
directly in response to actions
like the posting of this week’s
posters,
which
threaten
student
safety
on
campus,
and advocating for a general
change in campus climate. We
acknowledge students do not
feel safe or comfortable even
speaking up at opportunties
like the LSA forums because
of the hostile environment on
our campus. We acknowledge
that this is problematic and
urge
adminstrators
to
act
immediately to attempt relieve
students of this pain.
But we also acknowledge
that change is a two-way
street. Students should not let
the University’s past inaction
surrounding diversity, equity
and inclusion stop them from
persevering
—
continuing
to voice their concerns now
and into the future. The onus
must be on both students and
University administrators and
faculty. If we are going to see a
cultural shift at the University,
students
need
to
take
advantage of opportunities the
University is providing, and
the University needs to listen
when students speak up, and
then continue implementing
progressive
policies
and
programs. While the LSA plan
states that students should not
be expected to solve campus
climate
problems,
it
also
emphasizes
the
importance
of student involvement in the
process. Not only does the
University need to listen to
the student voice, but students
must also make an effort to
attend events, like the LSA
forums. Students are tired of
feeling like they are not heard,
but staying silent is not an
option.
It is worth recognizing that
much of the work to be done
will be selfless work. Campus
climate shifts aren’t going to
happen overnight, and much of
the work that we, as students
and
administrators
and
faculty, need to put in now may
not be directly beneficial to
us, but will hopefully benefit a
freshman walking onto campus
in five or 10 years.
The University needs to
recognize the efforts students
are taking to both protect
themselves and their peers
today, as well as alter campus
climate for the future. Faculty
and
administrators
need
to listen to what students
say
when
they
speak
out
and then cultivate this kind
of
energy
in
University-
sponsored
events.
Forums
geared toward more specific
issues would help accomplish
this: Instead of focusing on
diversity very broadly, the
University could host forums
about Islamophobia, prejudice
against Latino students or
specific events on campus,
like the recent community
gathering hosted by LSA in
response to the recently posted
racist flyers.
Tangible changes that affect
our community both now and
years down the line start with
students bringing the same
energy they are bringing to
protests and student-organized
gatherings to the events that
administrators are creating.
Only
through
continuous
and sustained collaborating
with — not against — the
administration can we change
our campus, both now and in
the years into the future.
Engineers in solidarity
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING STUDENTS | OP-ED
A
s
students
from
the
College of Engineering,
we
would
like
to
express
our
solidarity
with
our fellow African-American
engineers and other engineers
of color during this time of
hate on Central Campus, which
affects
our
community
on
North Campus as well. While
we understand that this is an
election year and that activism
and
protest
are
important
aspects
of
the
democratic
process, there is no excuse for
patently
offensive
material
posted on the walls of this
University. We will encourage
dialogue, but demand civility.
We will challenge ideas, but not
slander our fellow human beings.
We will foster collaboration
to solve our problems and not
resort to the tactics of bigotry.
We stand as engineers who are
dedicated to defeating social
injustice, not just through words
but also through actions in our
daily lives. Today we stand
with our fellow engineers and
the University community as a
whole.
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
For a complete list of over 60 student
organization signees, visit michigandaily.
com.
KEVIN
SWEITZER
M
onday
morning
was met with racist
flyers spread around
campus endorsing principles of
white supremacy and blatant
hateful sentiment. As painful
and regrettable as this situation
is, it serves to highlight the
paradox underlying experiences
of Black (and other minority)
students on campus: On one
side, they are met with faculty
members and administrators
drafting and designing extensive
plans to address matters of
diversity, and on the other side,
down the halls of our buildings,
they are met with posters
attacking their very identity. We
become so caught up in elaborate
discourses regarding freedom
of speech that we lose sight of
the simple truth that human
dignity and respect for others
is not debatable.
As students are
drafting
statements
(just
like
this
one), creating safe spaces and
hosting teach-ins, quality and
justice cannot be empty words.
Quality and justice must be
fundamental,
inalienable
human
rights.
We
must
endeavor not to treat “diversity,
equity and inclusion” as a
flowery slogan, but rather we
need to foster an accepting
climate for all students. Though
we do not have the power to
control all prejudice and racial
discrimination, we can stand in
solidarity with those targeted
and in unwavering rejection of
those who disseminate hatred.
With solidarity,
LSA Student Government
Equality and justice are fundamental rights
LSA STUDENT GOVERNMENT DIVERSITY AFFAIRS COMMITTEE | OP-ED
IN CHAN LEE | CONTACT IN CHAN LEE AT TOKG@UMICH.EDU
CONTRIBUTE TO THE CONVERSATION
Readers are encouraged to submit letters to the editor and op-eds.
Letters should be fewer than 300 words while op-eds should be 550
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If any student organizations
have an interest in discussing
ways to improve campus climate
in collaboration with LSA Student
Government, please reach out to
Ibtihal Makki at iimakki@umich.edu.