R

ecently, my friend told me
about an encounter with
a classmate of hers. Her

classmate had shared that they*
felt irked that a girl wanted to join
an organization they were a part
of because she was white, and they
wanted the club to be diverse. They
then proceeded to say to my friend,
who is half-Mexican, “you know,
like you.” My friend recounted the
incident to me with a disgruntled
expression on her face, and then
sarcastically told me that she
was glad that she could be their
“Latina friend.”

This got me thinking: Am I too,

as an Asian woman, only sought
out for friendships because I am
part of marginalized groups? I’ve
certainly had worries about people
not wanting to associate with me
because I’m not white, and there
also have been times when people
have attempted to “get to know
me” by asking me uncomfortable
questions (What are you? What
language do you speak at home?).
However, I had never considered
that people may want to be friends
with me because I’m a person
of color, as some sort of twisted
method of becoming “woke” or
validation that they already are.

When I pondered the incident,

however, I realized what her
friend had said to her shouldn’t
have been so surprising to me:
There are plenty of people who
argue that they cannot be racist
because they have a Black friend
or believe they are automatically
not sexist because they have a
female
co-worker.
I’ve
heard

people excitedly say they’d love
to have a “gay best friend” to give
them fashion advice and be their
love gurus as if stereotyping all
gay people into one, flamboyant
personality type isn’t wrong. And
while this kind of thinking is less
harmful than hurling hateful slurs
at others, believing that any sort
of association with a person of a
marginalized identity as proof of
being accepting is problematic.

This way of thinking treats anyone
who is a part of a marginalized
group, whether it is because of
their sexual orientation, race or
any other part of their identity, as a
cheap accessory.

It’s one thing to want to have

a diverse group of peers, but it’s
another to actively seek out people
of marginalized groups, or in the
case of my friend’s classmate,
dismiss those who are privileged
as ignorant. And as someone who
is part of a couple of different
marginalized groups, the idea that
someone would want to associate
with me simply because of my race
or gender is demeaning. I don’t
owe it to anyone, with or without
privilege, to act as their obligatory
Asian female friend. And while
purposely surrounding yourself
with people who’ve gone through
hardships sounds like a great idea
in theory, it’s not by any means an
effective way to become educated
about the inequality rampant in
the nation. This is not the way to
become “woke,” and it is not the
way to fight injustice.

In contrast, being “woke” means

listening to those who speak
about their experiences facing
inequalities. It means supporting
Black Lives Matter and other equal
rights movements, believing that
terrorism has no religion, that
love is love and that gender is a
spectrum. But this is by no means
an exhaustive list, and it’s okay to
not be aware of every facet of the
struggle for social justice — what is
most important is a desire to learn
in a way that doesn’t diminish
the very people you are trying to
support. I myself struggle with
not
knowing
everything
and

accidentally stepping on the toes
of others, but over time, I’ve found
that learning about and fighting for
social justice is a journey.

While this journey may seem

arduous and painful, it’s anything
but, and the options for learning
are endless — reads such as
Roxane Gay’s “Bad Feminist” and

articles by Gloria Steinem are great
resources for unpacking feminism.
Hasan
Minhaj’s
Netflix
show

“Homecoming King” and Ralph
Ellison’s novel “Invisible Man”
are wonderful sources that expose
the effects of racism. Engaging in
conversation with those who want
to discuss relevant topics, whether
it’s over a cup of coffee or on Twitter,
is a surefire way to learn about
different perspectives. Joining an
activism organization can also be
helpful. Some organizations at the
University of Michigan include
HeForShe, the Autism Society of
Michigan and the Black Student
Union. I am a member of HeForShe
and enjoy group discussions on
topics ranging from gender roles to
intersectionality. I find that when
I include myself in these types
of conversations, I can better
relate to my peers in a way that
is invaluable and enlightening.
And while I may not be creating
widespread change, I’m taking
steps in the right direction.

I am by no means an expert on

all things social justice, and I am
certainly not trying to preach to a
crowd or slam others for not being
liberal enough. Instead, what I am
trying to do is inform others that
there are infinite ways to become
“woke” that are far better than
being nitpicky about friends or
asking invasive questions. This
distinction is important because
miscommunication
is
perhaps

one of the biggest culprits behind
the
polarization
of
society

today, and effective methods of
communication could potentially
act as a huge catalyst for spawning
change. While wanting to learn
and understand the people calling
for action is great, it must be done
with respect. It is only then that
we can truly begin to understand
each other.

* “they” refers to her friend, who

uses they/them/theirs pronouns.

W

hen
I
first
heard

about the proposed
tax
increase
on

graduate students, I thought, “why
would anyone make it harder
for motivated, capable people
to pursue higher education?” I
work in a lab with many graduate
students, and I am considering
graduate school myself. This tax
would have hurt people I know,
and although it would not affect
me immediately, it could certainly
impact my future. I sent emails to
both Michigan senators as well
as my district’s congresswoman
urging them to fight against the
provision
increasing
graduate

students
taxes.
This
was
a

national effort supported by many
universities and groups of graduate
students across the country.

Even with support for these

students, over the next week, I was
still reading article after article
about how it could be left in the
final bill. The tax would have been
harmful to not only individual
students but the entire United
States graduate school system. I
wanted to show other students
how harmful this could be, so I
decided to speak with someone
who would actually be affected.

Through talking with people

I
knew
within
the
physics

department here at the University
of Michigan, I was able to set up
an interview on Dec. 4 with Shruti
Paranjape, a Rackham student
studying
theoretical
physics.

She received her bachelor’s and
master’s degrees from the Indian
Institute of Science Education and
Research in Pune, India.

I first wanted to get some

background on Paranjape and
why she chose to come to the
University. After all, there are
many institutions all over the
world that have great graduate
programs. Paranjape mentioned
that she knew she wanted to come
to the U.S for graduate school
because
American
programs

offer the most comprehensive
instruction. She ultimately decided
on the University of Michigan
because she had heard about the
great reputation of the school.

“There were very few places

in India that measure up to the
quality of the universities I was
considering in the United States,”
Paranjape said on why she decided
to come to the U.S. to pursue her

Ph.D. instead of India.

The U.S. is known for having

great graduate schools. According
to US News and World Report, eight
of the top 10 global universities for
graduate studies are American
universities. The rankings are
based on factors such as research
publications, academic conferences
and reputation surveys. If the U.S.
wants to keep its universities at
the top, it must continue to attract
the best students. It is hard to do
that when students think that they
will not have the support or money
needed to live their lives.

As
I
continued
with
the

interview, I started to become
aware of some of the things
that
graduate
students
have

to
sacrifice.
While
Paranjape

can live comfortably on what
graduate students are currently
supplied with, she still has to
make sacrifices. This past winter
break was the first time that she
had been home to visit her family.
International flights are expensive,
and graduate students save up
for months to be able to afford to
visit their home communities.
This is a common situation for
international students.

“You barely get to see your

friends, your family, that entire
community you built up for years,”
Paranjape said.

We eventually came to the

topic of the proposed tax. I asked
Paranjape if she thought that it
would force her to sacrifice more
things or force her out of school,
and she said she would have to cut
down on some hobbies, but she
would find a way to remain at the
University. She was more worried
about how it would have potentially
affected others who might not be
in the same position as her and that
the` tax would make United States
graduate school no longer a viable
option for many students.

These changes the tax bill

would have brought would have
been devastating for international
students especially. It would have
left them with few options and
no money for the start-up costs of
moving to a new country let alone
dealing with general living expenses.

At Rackham Graduate school,

just over 35 percent of the graduate
students enrolled are international
students. This is a large group
of people, and if this kind of tax
provision passed, we would most

likely see that number drop.

At the end of our conversation, I

proposed the idea of giving a greater
amount of support to graduate
students rather than taxing them
more. I asked Paranjape if this
hypothetical change could bring
more diversity to universities. She
thought it would.

“Just
from
a
pragmatic

standpoint, say all you want is for
your department to do amazing
research, the more diversity in the
kind of people that are thinking will
lead to more diversity in the kind of
ideas they are thinking about. It
would mean better research and
make for a better department. The
more diversity, the better, period,”
Paranjape said.

Diversity
is
important
in

bringing new perspectives to any
field and helps make any project
more innovative and well-rounded.
If graduate education had become
more expensive through this tax
increase, there is a good chance
that many universities and their
departments would have lost out
on applicants who would no longer
see graduate school as affordable.
As Paranjape said, this would
have narrowed the type of people
that would be able to afford
graduate school, leading to a
shrinking of ideas.

Graduate students have a lot

on their plate, including research,
classes and just trying to live a
comfortable life. They are always
busy and this tax bill would have
been another burden for them
to bear. Graduate students are
the people who are pushing our
understandings and developing
new ideas. It is already a stressful
time and many, like Paranjape, are
away from family and friends. I do
not believe that they should have
to worry about not having enough
money to support themselves.

Although the proposed tax

on graduate students was not
included in the final bill that was
passed, there is a good chance
that it will be brought up again.
As students, as educators, as U.S.
citizens, we must continually
support graduate students. Not just
to fend off attacks that would make
it harder for them, but to give more
aid whenever possible.

Opinion
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
4 — Tuesday, January 9, 2018

DAYTON HARE

Managing Editor

420 Maynard St.

Ann Arbor, MI 48109

tothedaily@michigandaily.com

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

ALEXA ST. JOHN

Editor in Chief
ANU ROY-CHAUDHURY AND

ASHLEY ZHANG
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

ROBERT DALKA | COLUMN

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

Why (good) foreign language education is important

MAGDALENA MIHAYLOVA | COLUMN

Graduate students need our support

KRYSTAL HUR | COLUMN

When becoming ‘woke’ turns toxic

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L

ike all true romances,
ours was long and slow,
but when it came, it was

everything. Yes, I didn’t fall
in love with Spanish until my
senior year of high school, but
now, I am planning to major in
it and already looking forward
to studying abroad in Buenos
Aires. But why did it take so
long for me to discover this
passion, and why do I feel like
I am the only one?

In
the
United
States

education system, there is
no national foreign language
requirement.
Most
kids

don’t start learning a foreign
language until middle school,
when they are forced to pick
between
limited
options,

usually
opting
for
either

Spanish or French. Their first
experience with the language
is often through a tired, bored
teacher who is usually neither
a native speaker nor qualified
to teach the language in true
depth; the result of this is
unmotivated
and
resentful

students.
“My
Spanish

education turned me off to
(learning Spanish) as learning
Spanish began to seem more
like work than a useful skill,”
Jessica Baker, LSA freshman,
said. However, they trudge
on
through
rudimentary

vocabulary
games,
English

movies with French subtitles
and unhelpful grammar games
until they have fulfilled their
school’s
requirements.
For

example, Ann Arbor Public
Schools
only
requires
two

years of a high school foreign
language, after which most
students pause their learning
until college, where they feel
lost and unprepared.

The majority of high school

and college students finish
their
language
requirement

with no desire to actually
employ their new skills. This
is due to the poor quality and
tardiness of their language
education.
First,
starting

language education in sixth
grade is too late; this is past
what psychologists call the
critical period, the period after
which learning a language
natively
is
thought
to
be

impossible. It is still possible to
speak and understand fluently,
but with much more difficulty,
and never as naturally. Because
of this critical period, schools
should
employ
mandatory

language education starting
in kindergarten. Certain Ann
Arbor schools do this, however,
it is often optional and not
offered at all schools; Spanish
is the only language offered
at all Ann Arbor elementary
schools. If these programs are

integrated at the beginning of
school, children will be more
likely to become proficient,
well-spoken and interested in
their second language.

I am lucky — I grew up

speaking Bulgarian, so it was
easier for me to learn Spanish,
despite my late start. If all
children grow up bilingual, they
will gain stronger and more
refined cognitive skills. This
will have a butterfly effect and
impact schools, the workforce
and the world positively.

Another
issue
with

secondary language education
is the poor quality of teaching.
World language teachers are
usually not native speakers or
qualified to teach, but rather
someone
who
studied
the

language years ago in school.
For example, my middle school
had two Spanish teachers;
both were Americans. This
meant that they had a good
comprehension of the language
on paper, but not in speech,
culture or dialect; these are
arguably the most important
features to know. In turn, most
class activities are on paper.

“I think I learned how

to read, write and answer
multiple choice tests in Spanish
very
well,
but
I
thought

there
was
very
minimal

practice with speaking the
language in an unstructured
conversation,” LSA freshman
Lindsay Hasson said of her
Spanish schooling. “We had a
few tests in which we recorded
our voices, but even with these
assessments we had time to
write out what we would say. I
felt that I lacked the ability to
have a casual conversation in
Spanish, so if I could change
one thing it would be to make
time practicing speaking in
situations that would occur in
real life.”

It is atrocious that students

who spend so much time
“learning”
a
language
can

barely apply it. I also felt this
hopelessness after my six years
of Spanish education. I wanted
to communicate with my aunt,
who is Spanish, but the only
way I could show my skills was

over email, where I could take
my time and edit profusely.
Even then, the Spanish was
forced and formal, not casual
and realistic.

The
third
reason
why

foreign language education is
so inferior in the U.S. is the
low standards for proficiency.
The Michigan Department of
Education has a functions-
content-accuracy
model
for

proficiency that is vague and
basic. A large majority of
students who feel dissatisfied
with their fluency report also
having passed those classes,
and additionally passing the
University’s college placement
exam. This causes confusion
among students.

“I ended up testing out of

Spanish at the college level, so
what I learned in high school
is all I will probably get,”
Baker said. “I’m advised not
to take a Spanish class as I’m
not planning on minoring or
majoring in it, so it’s like taking
Spanish would be a ‘waste’. I
guess I’m surprised that I’m
considered to have a sufficient
amount of Spanish experience
for college.”

It is true that universities

often disregard the need for a
second language comprehension
altogether, as seen in the College
of Engineering or the Ross
School of Business. Even in LSA,
it is easy to test out of a language,
despite feeling unprepared to
utilize it.

I will always remember how

lucky I was to be in a situation
where I could fall for Spanish.
Senior year of high school I
elected to take a University class
through a program my school
offered. So, every day from 3 p.m.
to 4 p.m., I headed over to the
Modern Languages Building to
take Spanish 232. It was here that
I finally uncovered the secrets
to loving learning a language:
quality
teaching,
curriculum

and participation. My professor
was passionate (and a native
Argentinian), the class was small
and involved and our curriculum
was stimulating. Taking this class
made me realize the importance
of good foreign language teachers
and interesting coursework. If
these standards are implemented
from an early age, the benefits
will
be
countless.
Quality

foreign language education is
critical, and it cannot be half-
assed. If we take this necessary
skill seriously, it will have
wonderful effects on students
and, eventually, our society.

Magdalena Mihaylova can be

reached at mmihaylo@umich.edu.

It is atrocious

that students who

spend so much
time ‘learning’
a language can
barely apply it.

Robert Dalka can be reached at

rpdalka@umich.edu.

Krystal Hur can be reached at

kryshur@umich.edu.

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