I
n the aftermath of the 2016
presidential election, I, like
many others, experienced
an
amalgam
of
emotions:
frustration, anger, fear, guilt,
shame. In particular, in a way
more than ever before, I have
felt the overwhelming presence
of my privilege as a white man
in the United States. As CNN
reporter Van Jones put it,
“This was a whitelash against a
changing country.”
In my own processing of the
result, one overarching theme
was guilt and shame. I felt I should
be apologizing without end to
the people I love on this campus
who witnessed, many without
shock, hate — hate directed at
them and their loved ones — win
the most powerful seat in the
world. I asked myself, “What
can I do? Is there anything I can
or should do?” In conversations
about the election, I felt more
than ever the weight behind my
own voice. I felt my words, from
the mouth of a white man, fill up
the conversation space, newly
empowered and looming ever
more forcefully.
I quickly came to two key
realizations. First, no one should
ever be told how to feel. The flood
of tone policing I witnessed in
the aftermath of the election
astonished me, as if there was
nothing to grieve, as if there was
nothing to fear. And the voice this
came from most frequently was
again from the mouths of white
men. Astonishingly, this came
frequently from liberal white
men, calling on minorities to not
give up hope and rally together
to fight back while showing
complete blindness to what a
position of privilege it is to be able
to feel better so quickly about
what has just happened.
I would, with as much patience
and kindness as I can express,
implore my white male friends
to please allow people to feel
what they are going to feel and
to validate those feelings. Allow
the women in your life to feel
what they feel in response to a
self-described sexual predator
living in the White House. Allow
the LGBTQ people in your life to
feel what they feel about Trump’s
vice
presidential
candidate
Mike Pence, who wrote on his
campaign website, “Resources
should be directed toward those
institutions
which
provide
assistance to those seeking to
change their sexual behavior,”
a euphemistic description of
gay conversion therapy. Allow
the people of color, Muslims
and immigrants in your life to
feel what they feel about a man
who empowers and emboldens,
through his words and actions,
racism and xenophobia in a way
not otherwise possible.
The second realization I had
in the aftermath of this election:
I am not doing enough. As I
felt in the most tangible sense
imaginable the weight of privilege
surrounding me, I wondered why
I had not used this strength for
something positive. I have power
as a white man. Undeserved
power, but power nonetheless.
I have felt complacent in simply
ensuring that I mitigate the
harmful effects it could have on
those without it. A “do no harm”
approach is no longer going to cut
it for me. It is not enough for me
to voice shock and outrage and
wonder, “How could anyone vote
for that man?” They did. And I
feel it’s my responsibility to find
out why. Why did they decide that
their desires were great enough
to justify that man’s rhetoric
and the words and actions of his
supporters? Why did they decide
they had so much to fear that they
would support this decision?
Finally, I know that I must
also proceed with caution. Being
an ally is a position that requires
tremendous humility and care.
I recognize that I am not a
champion. I am not a hero. I do
not deserve and in fact reject any
credit whatsoever for any change
I may contribute to bringing
about. I am reminded of the
words and attitude of Frederick
Douglass when he was invited to
speak on the women’s suffrage
movement two decades before the
passage of the 19th Amendment.
I know that an ally’s role is to
first and foremost “to take back
benches and wrap themselves in
silence.” It is not my role to preach
to the choir when there are so
many other members of that group
more eloquent, intelligent and
moving than myself who could
speak instead.
However, I can contribute to
the difficult work of showing
those who refuse to listen the
beauty of those voices. I can
validate
and
recognize
fear
and pain and seek solutions to
overcoming them in due time.
And I can continue to recognize
the weight of my own white words
and continue to desperately seek
ways to use their power to shape
a better future.
A
n open letter to the faculty
of
the
University
of
Michigan:
Over 40 percent of students
at the University of Michigan
reported having felt so depressed
that it was difficult to function
at least once during the school
year. Additionally, approximately
11 percent said they seriously
considered
attempting
suicide
at least once in the last school
year. There are now more mental
health and well-being student
organizations on campus than ever.
Clearly, mental health awareness
and resource availability are topics
that resonate with many students
at the University. It is for this
reason that we, CAPS In Action, a
new student organization within
the University’s Counseling and
Psychological Services that “puts
the CAPS initiatives in action,”
would like to inform you of some of
the biggest mental health concerns
that students face on this campus
and what role you can play to
combat these statistics.
The faculty at the University play
one of the biggest roles in students’
lives. Mental health is shaped by
a community, so it is important
that students are able to turn to
their professors and Graduate
Student Intructors for support and
understanding. The key to helping
fellow students is accessibility
and communication. Professors’
voices are important, and we will
respect what you have to say. We
know that you want your students
to succeed, and we want to suggest
ways to support our academics
and health. School can be hard,
and mental health often takes the
back seat to final grades. In a highly
competitive environment and with
the pressures of multiple exams
and papers bearing down over
short periods of time, it becomes
a challenge to balance studies
with mental wellness. Without
enough time to relax, some
students develop a toxic mental
health lifestyle.
Therefore, we seek campus
resources. However, fear takes over
as our issues remain unaddressed.
The most common of these
fears is that of authority. We are
reluctant to open a dialogue with
our professors about our mental
health issues because campus
is a professional environment
and showing weakness is not a
professional trait. When we work
up the courage to seek advice
and help from instructors, we are
sometimes met with disbelief and
requests for medical proof. Our
mental illnesses and health are
real, and CIA’s hope is to encourage
faculty to not only become more
aware of the prevalence of mental
health issues on campus, but also
to take part in addressing them.
When professors offer support
and
understanding,
students
notice. CIA member Aaron Brown
recounts such an instance: “My
professor continually highlighted
the importance of mental health
issues, (and put) mental health
ahead of grades and assignments.
Her office hours were always open
to students to discuss any problems
they faced, especially in light of the
campus climate after the election.
It was comforting to know I had
someone to talk to.”
As an easy first step, we would
like to encourage you to incorporate
new mental health language in
your syllabi, like that which has
been proposed by Central Student
Government. Incorporating this
statement in your syllabi will
demonstrate your support for
students’ well-being.
Secondly, we would appreciate
promoting an inviting environment
in your courses. Actions such as
friendly emails before and after
stressful exam periods, asking
how we are doing and letting us
know that we can come to you with
mental health concerns would
go a long way. We ask that you
emphasize the value of self-care,
especially during times like the
upcoming finals week. With that in
mind, remind us that we are valued
and perhaps recommend ways for
staying relaxed. We would also
appreciate you to continue your
guidance a few weeks prior to final
exam week on how best to prepare.
These reminders are very helpful
in keeping us studying long-term
and not cramming last-minute all-
nighters in.
Finally, we ask that you treat
mental illness the same way you
treat other illnesses. Though we as
students are doing our best to fight
the shame associated with mental
health topics, the stigma can still,
at times, be debilitating. Your
leadership and central role in our
lives can play a critical part in our
fight to break down mental health
barriers, and we look forward to
the achievements we can make
together at the University of
Michigan.
Sincerely,
The Students of CAPS In Action.
I
went to Counseling and
Psychological Services two
times this past month to sign
up for counseling again. I saw a
counselor last year, and talking
to someone about my feelings
helped tremendously
with
my
anxiety.
In
that
semester,
I was able to love
myself
even
more
and understand how
to better take care
of myself mentally.
This
semester,
I
thought I could get
by without seeing
someone but came to
the conclusion that I
needed to return.
Each time I went into CAPS, I
realized that there were at least
five people signing up to receive
their first session of counseling,
which was mind-boggling to me
because I was there for just 10
minutes each day. How many
more new people walk in each
day coming for help, too?
After
receiving
my
initial
consultation
appointment,
I
was told there wouldn’t be any
open appointments until at least
January.
I
wasn’t
frustrated
with the staff because they
couldn’t do anything about it,
but I immediately realized the
problem here: It’s not that CAPS
has too few staff members, it’s
that the rigor of the University
of Michigan itself is not healthy
for students. Yes, college is not
a walk in the park and gives
virtually every student extreme
difficulty, but the culture of work
and competition is particularly
burdensome at this school. CAPS
conducted a study that shows
one-fourth of the University
population reported they’ve had
thoughts of suicidal ideation.
That number could be higher
today, which is something that
we cannot simply accept and not
make changes.
CAPS does have a 24/7 hotline
that students can reach out to
for emergencies, but admittedly,
the hotline can only do so much.
Mental health can be a battle
every day, especially with the
consistent demands the culture of
the University puts on its students.
Students must act autonomously
toward
their
mental
health,
though I recognize this is easier
said than done. This would mean
going to see a doctor to provide
medication if you need it, seeing a
therapist (they can be expensive,
but insurance can help if you
have it) or talking to a friend or
family member. I had
a hard time making
this choice. I pushed
it
off
further
and
further, but eventually
my girlfriend helped
me
to
contact
an
in-town
counselor
to talk about how to
deal with my anxiety
again. Students can
tell a friend that they
need help contacting
someone
or
have
conversations with someone they
can trust. I recommend seeing
a professional, but any sort of
counseling that isn’t putting any
pressure on an individual is better
than not being able to talk through
your feelings at all.
With CAPS not having enough
time or people to take care of
everyone in the way they need,
those who need help cannot
continue to wait. The pressures
of meeting school deadlines,
maintaining relationships and
competing with the rest of your
class are issues that do not go to
rest. Those who have reached out
for help have already taken a big
step in attempting to get help and
cannot get discouraged if they
have to wait.
Mental health continues to
carry a stigma — it’s important
to recognize that seeking aid
does not mean the individual is
weak, but rather that they are
strong. So many people keep this
as a secret, but the odds are many
have multiple friends who share
this experience. I have felt alone
at times in my anxiety, but have
found care and felt understood
in finding and talking to friends
who have gone through the same
anxieties as me.
I’ve
had
anxiety
at
this
University
over
multiple
things, including not feeling
as competent in my studies
compared to my peers. I’ve lost
sleep planning my responsibilities
and feeling stupid after I bombed
an exam. These feelings are
normal,
and
competition
is
bound to happen at one of the
top institutions in the world. But
the University can do to better
address this culture and help
those who are struggling to find
support for their mental health.
It is not the University’s job to
babysit its students, but it should
emphasize caring for them as a
top priority because it is an overall
life priority. I have a professor
who allows excused absences
for mental health days. It meant
the world to me. I felt cared for
and understood. This is the type
of culture that I hope the rest of
the University, both students and
staff, will embody. Mental health
struggles are real and should not
be swept under the rug.
There is a large need for
mental
health
services
at
Michigan.
We
are
students
fighting hard to stay afloat in
our
classes,
extracurriculars
and postgraduate opportunities.
There are so many of us with
anxiety and depression, among
other things, which can be
triggered by the culture here,
traumatic experiences or by a
preexisting condition. Don’t wait
for help. Keep fighting for it. Your
mental health is yours to own,
and you cannot shy away from it.
You may not need a therapist, but
at least talk to someone you trust
to talk about how you feel, because
you are not alone in your fight.
It’s
on
the
University
community
to
change
this
culture of competitiveness and to
move closer to promoting a better
mental
health
environment.
Without so many pressures, many
students may not be struggling
with
feelings
of
inadequacy
and stress. The University is
responsible
for
making
the
campus accepting of those who
need help and to continue making
the campus a more mentally
stable
environment.
But
the
key to improving mental health
lies within the individual. The
student must attempt to take care
of themselves because nobody
can make the decision for them.
They should ask for help if they
can’t get to that point, but it’s
imperative that they do, because
the mental health problems will
continue to mount if they’re not
treated once they’re out in the
real world.
Opinion
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
4A — Monday, November 28, 2016
My own white words
A solution for the refugee crisis
DAVID DONNANTUONO | OP-ED
L
aw Prof. James Hathaway,
founder and director of
the University of Michigan
Law School’s Program in Refugee
and Asylum Law, spoke earnestly
to a group of Michigan students
at a lecture on Nov. 9 about a
situation whose urgency should be
ubiquitous even in the wake of this
month’s contentious election. The
state of the global refugee system
is in many ways egregious, marked
with an unequal assumption of
responsibilities by states, horrible
conditions for asylum-seekers and
specious incentives for a number
of actors. The refugee crisis of
the past five years has made this
already dire problem far more
salient in the Western world, and
Hathaway insists sticking with the
status quo is not an option.
The most prominent flaw in
the current refugee system is
the astoundingly asymmetrical
distribution
of
displaced
populations.
According
to
Hathaway, given the lack of
international
cooperation
and
growing
reluctance
by
many
developed states to take in refugees,
approximately 85 percent of global
refugees reside in poorer countries,
many of them contiguous to the
conflicts from which refugees are
fleeing.
Consequently,
Turkey,
Jordan, Iran, Pakistan and others
have been forced to shoulder a
tremendous burden with Western
support being more superficial
than palpable at times. Hathaway
pointed
to
one
eye-opening
statistic that is illustrative of this
reality: Western nations spend
more in processing the claims of
the 15 percent of world refugees
entering Western countries than in
assisting the 85 percent of refugees
living elsewhere.
Perhaps the greatest barrier to
the West’s collective engagement
with the world’s refugee problem
is our effort to circumvent the
issue itself. Between the European
Union’s deal with Turkey to deflect
refugees back to the Middle
East and growing anti-refugee
rhetoric from elected officials,
many developed nations have not
yet acknowledged that the global
refugee crisis is a problem that we
all have a responsibility to help
solve. As it stands, the majority
of the world’s refugees live in
harsh conditions, uncertain of
what the future holds, faced with
ever-growing contempt from the
countries with the greatest means
to support them.
Hathaway
did
recognize
a
silver lining amid the disarray: A
solution already exists; we simply
need to operationalize it. The UN
Refugee Convention of 1951 —
signed by the United States and
146 other countries — insisted
upon a collective system in which
all participating countries take
on a level of responsibility for the
inevitable and dynamic surges of
refugees. It declared that refugees
are entitled to arrive to a country
without permission, granted rights
to empowerment such as work and
mobility and called for measures
to facilitate refugees’ eventual
return home. Instead, the system
that exists today is characterized
by “10 countries doing 60 percent
of the world’s refugee work simply
due to geographic coincidence,”
Hathaway said.
Instead, Western nations seem
more concerned with the crime
of smuggling and the dilemmas of
cultural and economic integration
than with the well-being of the
world’s most vulnerable population.
The now-commonplace political
mantra
of
the
“dangerous
refugee” justifying a ban on
their entry is suspect, as there
is no indication that refugees
are any more dangerous than
American
citizens
or
other
migrants. Even then, our vetting
process could hardly be more
thorough. The West’s concerns
are certainly legitimate but
should not entirely supersede
the responsibility we have
assumed through our signing
of the Refugee Convention,
our continuous intervention
abroad and our tremendous
economic prosperity.
Hathaway
proposes
an
“insurance-like”
model
to
implement the framework laid out
by this convention. Each country
would take on certain financial
and
human
responsibilities
based on various characteristics
(GDP, amount of arable land,
demographics,
etc.).
These
quotas would be agreed upon and
distributed fairly in order to assuage
the ongoing movement of refugees.
In this model, refugees’ countries
of arrival would not necessarily
be their final destination, but
rather their point of access to the
international system. If states don’t
believe that each and every new
arrival becomes 100 percent their
responsibility, they will be less
inclined to unnecessarily lengthen
their vetting process and hamper
their transportation, which would
simultaneously diminish the power
of the refugee smuggling industry.
Hathaway estimates that such an
approach could lead to a third of
refugees returning home within
six years, another third remaining
in contiguous countries and the
final third finding a permanent
home elsewhere.
Today, the Western world is
yet to truly undertake a collective,
systemic solution to the plight of the
global refugee population. Instead,
our discourse has centered around
whether the refugee crisis should
be our concern, rather than how we
can ultimately resolve it. As a result,
we have more or less perpetuated
the state of limbo in which many
refugees find themselves, while
leaving a massive burden on less
prosperous nations simply because
of their geographical coincidence.
A model like Professor Hathaway’s,
which distributes this tremendous
burden both sensibly and equitably,
would lead to a more cooperative
international
community
that
lives
up
to
its
decades-old
promises of bringing justice to
the world’s most vulnerable and
underrepresented population.
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
Brett Graham
Caitlin Heenan
Jeremy Kaplan
Ben Keller
Minsoo Kim
Madeline Nowicki
Anna Polumbo-Levy
Jason Rowland
Ali Safawi
Kevin Sweitzer
Rebecca Tarnopol
Ashley Tjhung
Stephanie Trierweiler
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS
David Donnantuono is an LSA
junior.
Chris Crowder can be reached at
ccrowd@umich.edu
Fighting for your mental health
CHRIS CROWDER | COLUMN
CHRIS
CROWDER
STEPHEN MITCHELL | OP-ED
Faculty must address mental health
STUDENTS OF CAPS IN ACTION | OP-ED
Students of CAPS in Action is a new
student group at CAPS.
Stephen Mitchell is an LSA junior.