M

y most anxious times
used to be weekend
nights.

I
remember
spending

countless
Saturday

nights staring out
my window at the
frozen landscape of
campus — imagining
that all of the lights
from dorm rooms,
apartments
and

houses were filled
with
students

laughing,
partying

and
just
enjoying

the few hours of
downtime that college life grants.

And ignorantly, I deluded

myself into believing that I was
the only student whose first
winter of college was dominated
by this anxiety induced from
the social obligation that seems
to accompany dark hours —
that my case was unique; I was
the screwed up anomaly who
was missing out on the college
experience I had been led to
believe existed.

While everyone else was

out
interacting,
building

friendships and relationships, I
had locked myself in my fourth
floor dorm room with a stack of
paperbacks and a Netflix app
that constantly asked if I was
still watching “Mad Men.”

There is nothing wrong with

being alone, but that first year
I fell into an unhealthy cycle
of self-hatred that I believe
thousands of kids experience,
started by the pressure to
adjust from home to college
life, constantly measuring their
social success against others.

Because
what
is
never

conveyed to young kids arriving
to college is just how profoundly
difficult it is to make that
transition at this point in their
lives and, more importantly,
how it is not instantaneous.

From the outside, I was

always looking at the lives of
kids who so easily adapted and
integrated. Yet that blatantly

selfish
viewpoint
prevented

me from seeing the others
experiencing the same shit I
was going through every day.

And instead of taking
a breath, asking for
help or breaking out
of my reserved social
self, I did the worst
thing I could’ve done.

I
wished
that

the
next
years
of

college would fly by.
I proceeded to spend
too
many
nights

angry
at
myself

for
not
instantly

jumping into the ideal life I
had imagined existed during
those “four greatest years of
your life.”

How much I regret that now.
Because
as
my
college

experience now comes to a
close, one of the most important
lessons I’ve learned is how
precious your time is. That is
a lesson that is unbelievably
difficult to convey to young
people, because in our minds it
feels like we’ll be kids forever.
It feels like the present day
life will never end, that the
passage of time has selfishly
stopped for us.

But
it
doesn’t,
and
the

opportunity
and
privilege

we have here as students is
something not to be wasted.
Time is precious and wasting it
stressing over your social image
or how you have not yet fit in —
all of that eats away at literally
some of the most invaluable

moments of our lives.

This adjustment varies in

degrees of difficulty from person
to person, but upon arriving
here,
understand
that
your

home and high school image of
yourself are unknown, that you
have to break out of that comfort
zone completely, and that you’re
never going back to that life.

So, actually taking the time

to meet new people, to knock
on new doors, to try things you
never thought you would —
all add up and begin to shape
the actual character of who
you really are. Find a radically
diverse number of social groups
and see what makes sense. Try
everything, instead of being
upset over nothing.

As someone who has been

in nearly every social setting
this city offers, from punk rock
concerts to political debate
clubs, sorority formals to drag
shows, I can say that every
single one of those experiences
has helped me understand a
little bit more about who the hell
I really am.

And as college will end for

me in the next few months, the
time I do look back on happily
are the times I branched out —
when I decided to leave that
comfort zone, to try these new
things, and most importantly
incorporate
them
into
life

going forward.

Because eventually, at some

point, you’ll run into something
or someone that clicks, as a few
things did for me. When that
happens, it is incredible how
that pressure and stress literally
evaporate, how suddenly you
feel like you belong. This campus
is full of students feeling the
exact same nervous way, I can
guarantee that.

Relax. Enjoy your college

experience. It will be over
before you know it.

I

f you have ever set foot in
Ann Arbor, you know why it’s
called “tree city.” And we are

not talking about the fall foliage —
we are referring to weed.

Ever since Ann Arbor first

decriminalized
marijuana

consumption
in
the
1970s,

the city has been associated
nationally with relatively open
attitudes for the plant that
persist to this day. The Michigan
Daily has previously reported
on current student attitudes
regarding cannabis and found
that the student body is generally
receptive.
Several
medical

marijuana
dispensaries
are

located on the periphery of the
University of Michigan campus,
but do students really know the
ins and outs on the implications
of cannabis?

This is why Students for

Sensible Drug Policy and Green
Wolverine (affiliated with the Ross
School of Business) seek to educate
students on the nature of cannabis
and all of its consequences for
public health, policy and business.
On Dec. 3, we are hosting the
first annual Michigan Cannabis
Leaders Summit in order to fulfill
this goal.

While
the
legalization

of
recreational
marijuana

in
Michigan
is
potentially

imminent, our state is in need
of deep reckoning. As students
at the University of Michigan,
we find that the time is right
to get other students involved
in the countless facets of the
recreational marijuana industry.

The
joint
effort
between

members of the University’s
chapter of SSDP and Green
Wolverine is one of shared
outlooks regarding how students
can become acquainted with
cannabis.
This
familiarity

should
not
just
be
limited

to getting high; there is an
entire cannabis industry in its
infancy which needs future
lawyers, policymakers, doctors,
researchers,
business
leaders

and many other professionals to
carry out the industry’s vitality
and legitimacy.

However, we recognize that

students may not have positive
beliefs regarding cannabis or,
for that matter, may not know
much at all regarding its usage.
These student concerns need to
be addressed. This is why SSDP
and Green Wolverine both wish to
educate the University community
on the implications of cannabis
under new legal circumstances.

Firstly, what is marijuana

from a medical perspective?
Marijuana can be used for a
variety of ailments, including
chronic pain, dementia and
HIV/AIDS. Marijuana, for its
medical application, need not
be limited in use to the most
severe of ailments; in its varying
methods
of
consumption,

marijuana may also be used as
a prophylactic. While marijuana
was popularized as a means to
get high, cannabis consumption
in general does not always lead
to a psychoactive response.
For
example,
cannabidiol,

commonly
known
as
CBD,

contains
no
psychoactive

elements and has a multitude of
medical benefits.

As
mentioned
before,
the

campaign to put recreational
marijuana on the ballot in 2018
looks promising. If passed by the
majority of Michigan voters next
year, our state would look more
or less like the states in which
marijuana is legalized, such as
Colorado and the seven other
states excluding the District
of Columbia that have already
passed
legalization
measures.

The ballot initiative up for
consideration in Michigan, for
example, would set up a system for
taxation on marijuana purchases,
give local governments the ability
to govern how marijuana is sold
in their communities and allow
individuals to grow up to 12
marijuana plants at home, among
other provisions.

However, the exact rollout —

which is contingent upon whether
or not the legalization proposal
will be on the ballot — remains
to be seen. Though the initiative
received many more signatures
than is required by state law, the
secretary of state must decide

whether or not to respect the
wishes of the 360,000 Michigan
voters who signed the proposal.

For
students
looking
to

achieve a career in the cannabis
industry, the time is ripe. New
businesses will need to facilitate
the
production,
distribution

and
sales
of
recreational

marijuana once Michigan votes
for legalization. Other business
models are also needed: ancillary
businesses (who do not “touch
the plant”) must also be taken
into account. These businesses
include
those
dealing
in

scientific testing, technology and
even private equity. According
to the Detroit Free Press, full
legalization would bring about
$1 billion in sales annually in
Michigan. This is an opportunity
that must be seized.

The event, which includes

a panel of experts in science,
medicine, policy, activism and
business, will be a worthwhile
experience
where
students

should expect to walk away with
a clear picture of the still inchoate
cannabis industry in Michigan.
Aside
from
the
educational

component of the event, there
will be networking opportunities
with the panelists in addition
to prize giveaways from our
sponsors.

We hope this event will be a

way for students to understand
both
the
complexities
and

accessibility of the cannabis
environment in Michigan. There
could not be a more fitting time
for this to occur.

The
Michigan
Cannabis

Leaders Summit will be held
in
the
Robertson
Auditorium

located within the Ross School of
Business on Dec. 3 from 3:00 p.m.
to 6:00 p.m. Confirmed attendees
include state Rep. Yousef Rabhi
(D-Ann Arbor), former state Rep.
Jeff Irwin and Stephen Goldner,
an adviser to the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration. Additional
attendees will come from various
professions in law, science and
business. The event will include
a
combination
of
interactive

lectures, discussions, live music
and networking.

Opinion
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
4A — Wednesday, November 29, 2017

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.

EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS

What’s up with marijuana in Michigan?

MEMBERS OF STUDENTS FOR SENSIBLE DRUG POLICY AND GREEN WOLVERINE | OP-ED

Departing lessons

Carolyn Ayaub
Megan Burns

Samantha Goldstein

Emily Huhman
Jeremy Kaplan

Sarah Khan

Max Lubell

Lucas Maiman

Madeline Nowicki
Anna Polumbo-Levy

Jason Rowland

Anu Roy-Chaudhury

Ali Safawi

Sarah Salman
Kevin Sweitzer

Rebecca Tarnopol

Stephanie Trierweiler

Ashley Zhang

The stretch

STEPHANIE MULLINGS | COLUMN

J

ust a few weeks ago,
when the IFC announced
it
would
temporarily

suspend all social events, I
remember saying to myself,
“That’s a stretch.” However,
not for the reasons you may
think. I didn’t think it was a
stretch because the decision
was harsh or uncalled for. I
thought this because social
media
and
campus
news

outlets blew up immediately
following the release of this
decision. On Twitter people
made statements like, “ALL
of umich Greek life got shut
down until further notice,”
and published overdramatic
analyses on why the world
could
potentially
implode

because of the lack of date
parties this season.

The stretch to me is that

such a dense population of
the student body believes the
fraternities
that
encompass

the IFC social organizations
represent
the
entirety
of

University of Michigan Greek
life. This couldn’t be further
from the truth.

I have no ties to Greek life, nor

do I intend to in the near future.
I do not want this to be viewed
as me being a “hater” or “anti-
Greek.” I offer this as a reasonably
fair assessment of what I have
observed in the Greek scene for
the last three years.

Did you know all nine of

the historically Black Greek
fraternities
and
sororities

have
been
represented
on

campus throughout University
history and that they form a
Panhellenic
council?
What

about
historically
Latino

fraternities
and
Latina

sororities? I have also seen
dedication
to
community

service
represented
in

Michigan Greek life and in pre-
professional organizations.

So why is it that now the IFC

has been suspended, “ALL of
umich Greek life got shut down!”

I am not sure about you,

but I felt personally offended
for those who were indirectly
excluded
from
Michigan

Greek life in the wake of

the IFC suspension. It’s like
getting invited to a party,
going and having a great
time, only to find out later
that it wasn’t actually a good
party because the “cool” kids
didn’t show up. Even before
this, when first arriving to
campus, I could notice the
very large divide between IFC
Greek life and the remainder,
which includes multicultural,
pre-professional and service
fraternities and sororities.

I can say with 100 percent

confidence
that
in
three

years I have never been to an
IFC social event, including
tailgates,
parties,
date

parties… all of these sorts of

things. I can also say that the
majority of my closest friends
on campus have not either. Yet
we have all attended Michigan
Greek life events. That being
said — and this is just a hunch
here — I highly doubt that
Michigan Greek life is “resting
in peace.”

I am sure that students on

campus know there is more to
Greek life at the University than
the IFC and its social functions.
However, that knowledge was
not reflected in the general
commentary
regarding
the

news of the IFC suspension.
Thus,
the
implication
that

the IFC is what “makes” the
University’s Greek life is a
dangerous one.

Sure, a vast majority of

students may love tailgates
and date parties sponsored
by IFC fraternities, but is this
social aspect of the University
too much of a vacuum? What
I mean to say is, is the student

body getting so sucked into
the social ongoings of the
fraternities
encompassed
in

the IFC that they are blind to
other diverse portions of the
University’s Greek life?

It is extremely important we

make campus a truly inclusive
environment. Though it may
be seemingly minor to let this
extend to Greek life on campus,
it is still relevant to maintain the
ideals of a holistic and welcoming
environment for all, despite what
is considered “popular.”

As a campus tour guide

— I know, I am one of those
annoying people who blocks
major entrances and exits to
buildings with groups of parents
— I tell visitors that about 20
percent of the undergraduate
student body is involved in
Greek life. I always follow this
up by saying, “This includes
pre-professional
and
service

fraternities as well.” I became
so
pressed
with
questions

about things like “bidding”
and “rushing” by incoming
freshmen, and I had absolutely
no idea what this meant.

Accustomed to the inner

workings of historically Black
Greek life, which encompasses
an entirely different “rushing”
process, I went home and
searched “rushing,” “bidding”
and things of this nature for
other forms of Greek life on
the Internet. This means that,
though it was outside of the
bubble I know of Greek life,
I was willing to respect and
acknowledge its other forms
and
variations,
ultimately

educating myself.

In one simple statement, I

am able to include all, so that
there are no misrepresented
groups. I say this because
I think it would have been
simple enough for news outlets
or students speaking out on
Twitter to be conscious enough
to do the same.

MICHAEL MORDARSKI | COLUMN

Michael Mordarski can be reached

at mmordars@umich.edu.

Stephanie Mullings can be reached

at srmulli@umich.edu.

NIA LEE | CONTACT NIA AT LEENIA@UMICH.EDU

It feels like... the
passage of time

has selfishly
stopped for us

MICHAEL

MORDARKSI

There is more to
Greek Life at the
University than

the IFC