T

here has been a lot of 
talk lately surrounding 
the intolerance some 

have for those who differ 
from 
the 
societal 

majority. 
President 

Donald 
Trump’s 

recent executive order 
suspending the entry 
of immigrants from 
six Muslim-majority 
countries for 90 days 
and indefinitely from 
Syria 
has 
brought 

about both opposition 
and 
support 
from 

many people around 
the nation. This move created 
confusion during its execution 
and has caused many to believe 
our progress in the United 
States is coming to an end and 
is possibly even being reversed.

The day prior to the signing 

of 
the 
executive 
order, 
I 

attended a talk focusing on 
global citizenship and cultural 
competency. The talk was a 
part of the Martin Luther King 
Jr. Symposium event series 
and served to let audience 
members hear speakers from 
various backgrounds present 
their personal interpretations 
of what it means to be globally 
minded.

Every 
story 
shared 
was 

moving and provided insight 
into 
the 
sheer 
range 
of 

experiences one can have that 
contribute to shaping a global 
citizen. One speaker, Public 
Health student Abbas Alawieh, 
claimed cultural competency 
is having the cultural humility 
to set aside your own biases 
about another culture, which 
includes 
the 
continued 

refinement of this humility as 
more cultures are experienced 
in a deeper way.

Each day, our world becomes 

a little more connected and 
figuratively a little smaller. 
With the progress of the 
internet and technology, our 
world has drastically changed 
even within the last 50 years. 
Therefore, in a time when 
people of all backgrounds 
have the opportunity to travel 
this planet, it is critical to 
realize with this opportunity 
comes responsibility. 

Global 
citizenship 
and 

cultural 
competency 
are 

rising phenomena that have 
yet to be given exact roles in 

the broad sense of 
society. There has 
never been a need 
(before 
now) 
to 

culturally define the 
connection one has 
with all the people of 
the world; therefore, 
it is the job of this 
rising 
generation, 

our generation, to 
bring these ideas to 
the forefront. Our 

role as millennials in this 
newly connected world is to 
lead the way in developing 
our global identity, not only 
within ourselves but also 
within our own culture.

Such a responsibility cannot 

be taken lightly. It is more 
than a short spring break trip 
that is “equal parts cultural 
immersion and party” that 
claims to leave us with the 
right to say we are one with 
the world. Global citizenship, 
just as any other citizenship 
or heritage, is a part of an 
individual’s 
identity. 
And 

as with any other part of 
personal identity, it takes time 
to develop and will change as 
one goes through life. 

This 
involves 
creating 
a 

world where we all have rich 
intercultural experiences, one 
in which it is no longer a luxury 
to learn about another way of 
life. Already, more and more 
people are going abroad for their 
studies, and now there is need to 
create a cultural environment 
at home that allows these 
individuals 
to 
share 
their 

experiences with the rest of 
society once they return.

Many will ask what gives 

millennials the authority to 
lead society in this endeavor. 
Why do we think we can 
change the world? It is not 
because we have all been gifted 
with some vast wisdom that 
skipped all other generations.

Millennials are the ones 

who must take on this task 
because we are the generation 
being 
educated 
in 
this 

interconnected 
world. 
Our 

educations and careers are being 
foundationally shaped by a new 
way of thinking that carries on 
to how we make decisions.

A study conducted by Jane 

Whitney Gibson, a professor at 
Nova Southeastern University, 
asked participants belonging to 
the Baby Boomer, Generation 
X and Millennial generations 
to rank workplace values that 
are the most important to 
them. Gibson found that even 
though the top values were 
shared 
across 
generations, 

millennials 
prioritized 

broadmindedness higher than 
any other generation.

Millennials 
are 
currently 

the largest living generation in 
the United States, which means 
we have the power to lead 
the inevitable change that is 
coming. We must remember the 
stroke of a pen is not enough to 
erase the mindset and goals of 
an entire generation.

Roland 
Alexander 

Blackwood, 
University 
of 

Michigan 
Medical 
School 

faculty lead for Leaders and 
Learners Pathways, was the 
final speaker of the Martin 
Luther King Jr. Day talk and left 
us with this idea: “You are the 
future. I’m old, done with my 
time. If someone doesn’t want 
you, who cares? You go where 
you must go … Be confident and 
believe in yourself. Don’t let 
anyone take your joy, take your 
thunder or control you because 
you belong here.”

So with this, I challenge 

everybody to look at their 
current 
situation 
and 

search for ways to begin the 
journey to global citizenship. 
Broadmindedness 
starts 

by interacting with nearby 
communities, 
having 
open 

conversations with members of 
these communities and pushing 
yourself into experiences from 
which you can learn.

As you go through this, 

remember why you are doing 
it: We are the pioneers of global 
citizenship; we are the ones 
who must lead the change we 
want to see in the world.

M

ike Mansfield, who 
was 
the 
longest-

serving 
Senate 

Majority Leader in the history 
of the United States, once 
referred to the Senate as “the 
world’s greatest deliberative 
body.” Our Senate is meant 
to carefully vet each piece 
of governmental business it 
encounters and to take its time 
in the process. But now it is 
poised to bitterly fight over 
an unquestionably qualified 
Supreme Court nominee.

The Senate is a temple of 

reason. What Democrats are 
potentially doing to Judge Neil 
Gorsuch, the current Supreme 
Court nominee, is unreasonable.

After a rancorous election, 

virtually everyone expressed a 
longing for the days when our 
government and society were 
not so damaged and divided. 
As a student who identifies as 
center-right, I welcomed these 
calls for respectful discourse, 
especially being in such a liberal 
environment. However, it did not 
take long for me and many others 
to become disheartened.

Human nature is human 

nature; Republicans slighted 
Democrats 
by 
stonewalling 

Judge Merrick Garland, former 
President 
Barack 
Obama’s 

nominee, 
and 
a 
peaceful 

confirmation 
this 
time 

around 
would 
undoubtedly 

aid President Donald Trump, 
leaving many Democrats eager 
to stymie Gorsuch. However, 
these purely political concerns 
must not dictate the policy of 
loyal congressional opposition.

Slowly 
but 
surely, 
the 

Supreme 
Court 
nomination 

process has become another 
outlet for the left and right to 
vent their many incompatible 
differences. It used to be that a 
nominee need only be qualified 
for the job both professionally 
and personally. With a few 
exceptions, modern nominees 
have virtually sailed through 
the confirmation process. Fair 
consideration was granted to 
Justices 
Anthony 
Kennedy, 

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, John 

Roberts and Sonia Sotomayor. 
The man who nominated them 
wasn’t a primary issue for these 
nominees, and neither was the 
surrounding political climate.

The 
Republican 
stonewall 

of Garland can be remembered 
as a singular, horribly partisan 
handling of the independent 
judiciary. But by blocking the 
confirmation of an unblemished 
jurist, Democrats will firmly 
establish that as a precedent. 
They will force Senate Majority 
Leader Mitch McConnell (R–
Ky.) to end the ability to filibuster 
on Supreme Court nominations 
— invoking the “nuclear option” 
— just to maintain a full bench. 
Scrapping 
this 
important 

extra scrutiny for judges of 
our nation’s highest court will 
not only erode the fabric of the 
Supreme Court’s prestige, but 
it will send bellicose echoes 
through the halls of Congress.

It would be easy to say “an 

eye for an eye.” It would be 
simple to rally the liberal base 
by filibustering the nomination 
of Gorsuch. It would be a great 
political victory for Democrats 
to deny Trump his pick. But 
these 
short-term 
triumphs 

would come with tremendous 
long-term costs.

One way or another, the 

president will fill the vacant 
seat left by Justice Antonin 
Scalia, who died last February, 
with his choice of justice. 
It’s now up to Democrats to 
either accept reality or face the 
harrowing 
consequences 
of 

forcing the nuclear option upon 
the Senate and throwing our 
American polity into a new era 
of uncertainty.

Confirming 
Gorsuch 
will 

send multiple messages to an 
anxious 
population 
fraught 

with anger directed at those 
of differing political views. 
First, and to the benefit of their 
party, Democrats can show 
they are willing to sacrifice 
partisan animosity for the 
benefit of the nation. It would 
show the American people that 
our government is willing to 
come together, even if it means 

allowing the president to claim 
a political victory. Additionally, 
Congress would be able to 
declare they are committed to 
the orderly execution of the 
functions of a well-working 
government, no matter the 
ideological differences.

Eventually, citizens on both 

sides of the aisle need to realize 
a successful government action 
can be considered a win for the 
nation rather than a political 
party or one politician. Could 
one 
construe 
a 
Gorsuch 

confirmation as a victory for 
Trump? Yes, but that view is 
short-sighted. 
The 
peaceful 

confirmation of Gorsuch would 
be a victory for the integrity 
of the Senate, bipartisanship, 
the Supreme Court and the 
nation. This view, I’ll admit, 
is optimistic at worst and 
understated at best.

It is understandable to see 

the current political atmosphere 
using 
the 
former 
approach. 

Cynicism is abound in every 
corner of the nation, in liberal 
urban enclaves and Trumpian 
rural towns alike. Yet, if we 
change our attitudes toward 
one another, toward the way 
we discuss political differences, 
toward the way we conduct the 
business of government, I believe 
we can reach a more congenial 
form of politics.

It 
has 
been 
said 
that 

politicians look to the next 
election 
while 
statesmen 

look to the next generation. 
Republicans were politicians 
when they refused to perform 
their constitutional duties of 
advising and consenting to a 
new justice. Democrats can 
now either prove they are just 
as petty as their opposition 
by playing politics with our 
judiciary, or they could set an 
example and act like statesmen.

Michelle Obama once told 

Democrats, “When they go 
low, we go high.” Talk is cheap. 
Let’s see if Democrats can act 
on those words.

Opinion
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
4 — Tuesday, February 7, 2017

I

t was move-in day. I 
was 
a 
sweaty, 
naive 

freshman whose biggest 

concern was making sure my 
carpet matched my 
bedding. 
I 
looked 

forward to a fresh 
start in a new place 
with new faces to 
greet. On that sunny 
day in September, 
I had no idea how 
much 
I 
would 

grow, 
learn 
and 

discover in this first, 
transitional 
year 

from 
high 
school 

senior to college student.

As a freshman, I was sent 

off with a kiss on the cheek 
from my mom and a stern 
look from my dad that said 
“work 
your 
hardest.” 
As 

these constant reminders and 
support from the people you 
love start to fade after move-in 
day, it is only up to you to push 
yourself to make the most of 
your college experience.

At the beginning of this 

year, I started small. I set an 
achievable goal that I knew I 
could accomplish. I promised 
myself shortly after laying 
down my rug and organizing 
my shoe shelf that I would 
always take the stairs in an 
attempt to stay fit. I lived on 
the fourth floor, and I felt that 
this was a very achievable goal.

To this day, I have kept my 

word. I know that no matter 
how horrible of a day I’m 
having, I can walk up four 
flights of stairs and tell myself 
I have accomplished something 
productive that day. For me, 
making it to the top of the 
stairs gives me a feeling of 
accomplishment, 
like 
acing 

a test or landing a job. I push 

myself to do this simple task 
that leaves me feeling satisfied, 
knowing I at least worked for 
something that day.

The 
challenge 

of coming to such 
a large school is 
that, if you don’t 
know 
where 
your 

community lies or 
what your interests 
are, it can be a hard 
challenge to push 
yourself to learn a 
new hobby or meet 
new people. But I 
kept pushing myself 

to meet new people, join new 
clubs or try new restaurants 
that tested my taste buds.

In contrast, the benefit 

of coming to a school with 
over 44,000 students is that 
no matter how unique your 
interests may be, you can 
find someone who enjoys the 
same things you do. As an 
avid “Bachelor” fan, I found 
a place to express my love for 
the show by joining a fantasy 
league. I just had to push 
myself to find the right people 
who indulged in the same 
guilty pleasures as I did.

There have been moments 

when I have been scared to 
start a conversation, and many 
times I have had awkward 
experiences of trying to branch 
out and try something new. I 
have come to realize you need 
to know yourself and your 
limits. We are all different 
and 
will 
push 
ourselves 

differently. But I do not speak 
for everyone. I know myself: I 
am a hardworking, determined 
individual who is constantly 
pushing 
myself 
to 
be 
the 

best person I can be. But for 
many freshmen — and college 

students in general — our 
abilities to push ourselves get 
fogged with a misconception 
that we don’t know if we are 
pushing ourselves in the right 
direction.

As sophomore year looms 

overhead, I wonder if I have 
made my time as a freshman 
count. While I had an idea of 
the things I wanted to surround 
myself with, I don’t know if I 
have taken advantage of all the 
opportunities I have interest in, 
and I will try to continue to try 
new things in the years to come.

In a world of fear and 

fright, we need to take risks 
to pursue a new hobby or join 
a new club. College is the only 
time we are surrounded by a 
large majority of people our 
age, who are expanding their 
views of the world and have 
genuine interests in learning 
new things. It is through 
these experiences of pushing 
that we learn the most about 
ourselves and our interests. I 
have found that by challenging 
myself academically, socially 
and extracurricular-ly, I have 
surrounded 
myself 
with 
a 

community I feel comfortable 
in. And I think that we could 
all benefit from that.

College is a time to grow. It 

is a time to get away from your 
parents and expand on ideas and 
study topics that are interesting 
to you. Though choices can 
become 
overwhelming 
at 
a 

school 
that 
basically 
offers 

everything, as students we must 
take advantage of this, because 
these opportunities will be 
harder to find once we leave 
this campus.

REBECCA LERNER

Managing Editor

420 Maynard St. 

Ann Arbor, MI 48109

 tothedaily@michigandaily.com

Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890.

EMMA KINERY

Editor in Chief

ANNA POLUMBO-LEVY 

and REBECCA TARNOPOL 

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
Megan Burns

Samantha Goldstein

Caitlin Heenan
Jeremy Kaplan

Max Lubell

Alexis Megdanoff
Madeline Nowicki
Anna Polumbo-Levy 

Jason Rowland

Ali Safawi

Kevin Sweitzer

Rebecca Tarnopol

Ashley Tjhung

Stephanie Trierweiler

EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS

Don’t let pettiness reign Supreme

BENJAMIN KELLER | OP-ED

Millennials’ role in global citizenship

ALEXIS MEGDANOFF | COLUMN

Alexis Megdanoff can be reached at 

amegdano@umich.edu.

Push your limits to find community

Benjamin Keller is a Public 

Policy junior.

Michelle Phillips can be reached at 

mphi@umich.edu.

— Amnesty International spokesman Eric Ferrero on the decision 

to block President Donald Trump’s Muslim ban.

“

NOTABLE QUOTABLE

This decision is a short-

term relief for thousands of 
people whose lives have been 
upended… Trump’s Muslim 
ban is inhumane, unlawful, 
and discriminatory, which is 
why the courts and the public 

want it to be stopped. ”

MICHELLE PHILLIPS | COLUMN

MICHELLE 

PHILLIPS

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Letters should be fewer than 300 words while op-eds should be 550 
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ALEXIS 

MEGDANOFF

