Opinion
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
4 — Friday, January 26, 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
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
A
ccording
to
the
National
Center
for
Complementary
and
Integrative Health, 18 million
U.S. adults meditate. How do they
find the time?
I tried to take up meditation
during the second semester of
my freshman year. I had just
gone through a particularly nasty
breakup,
my
Undergraduate
Research Opportunity Program
project was not what I had
anticipated, and my coursework
was both overwhelming and
unengaging. I needed an out, a
way to regain the focus and drive
I had lost. So I began going to
mindfulness sessions offered in
the basement of the University of
Michigan’s Angell Hall.
That did not last very long.
Meditation is not an instant peace
of mind. It is also hard, especially
when your mind is racing with
a
thousand
things
(which,
ironically, is what causes you to
attempt meditation). Meditation
can
also
be
really
boring,
especially if you have grown used
to always having something to do
or think about.
I
first
became
interested
in meditation when I read
Hermann Hesse’s “Siddhartha”
in high school. Was I expecting a
cosmic experience my first time
meditating? No, but I did expect
to feel something.
The biggest factor that cut
my meditation adventure short
was time. Fitting mindfulness
sessions into my busy schedule
was always a challenge. I could
have tried to meditate solo;
however, I felt like I needed to
do it with other people to hold
myself accountable. Perhaps if
I had felt more “at peace” after
meditation I would have made
the effort to continue. Perhaps if
I had made the effort to continue
I would have started to feel more
“at peace.” The chicken or the
egg. I guess I will never know.
The
next
time
I
tried
mindfulness was in Behavioral
and Social Foundations for the
Health Professions, when one
day our professor walked us
through some forms of meditation
in his lecture on presence. One
of them, called loving-kindness
meditation actually did have an
impact on me. The meditation’s
ethos is to cultivate goodwill and
kindness by mentally sending it to
various people in your life. I would
recommend it to anyone wanting
to reconnect with their emotions
(the stress of college can make you
numb), but I warn you: it is intense.
I cried — no, weeped — in class
during the meditation. It felt great
afterward, like I was as light as a
feather, but it was also exhausting.
I have yet to try loving-kindness
again only because it requires
someone to facilitate.
I still am looking for a way to be
present and mindful because I feel
like I am misaligned with time. I
dwell on the past while worrying
about the future, all while largely
ignoring the present.
The past is immutable and
unchangeable. Mistakes I have
made, often due to nothing
more than not thinking before
I speak, are permanent scabs
that fester until I eventually
forget about them. Even in
the shadowy realm of my
mind where I store all the bad
memories — what psychiatrist
Carl
Jung
would
call
the
personal unconscious — the
memory of these mistakes are
just waiting to erupt back into
thought. Letting go, moving on:
These have never been things I
have been good at.
Then there is the future:
Something
I
both
plan
meticulously for and at the
same time know nothing about.
In
my
favorite
childhood
book series, “Percy Jackson
and
the
Olympians,”
each
hero had a fatal flaw. Mine
would be decision anxiety.
For every choice that I make,
I worry intensely about the
consequences
and
whether
I have made the “right call.”
Waiting to see if I made a
good decision or not can be
hell. I also feel like my time at
the University is flying by too
quickly, and there is so much I
want to do and experience.
The solution to my problems
with both the past and the
future would be to focus more
on the present. Then I would
consider my words and actions
more deeply and enjoy what time
I have left as an undergraduate.
Realizing
the
benefits
of
presence and mindfulness is
one thing, finding the right way
to put it in action is another.
I believe that many students
are in the same position I find
myself in; we need mindfulness
but have not found the right
path towards it. Meditation is
one path, but it cannot be the
only one.
One path I am trying now is
maintaining a planner. Now,
this may seem like it should
be second nature to most
students
at
the
University,
but I have always struggled in
maintaining one. Perhaps this
is because the planner hides
in my backpack or maybe it is
because I move through things
so mindlessly that I do not
stop to think to plan ahead.
For each student, the path to
mindfulness will look different.
So,
to
all
my
fellow
Wolverines that have struggled
with meditation and in finding
a way towards mindfulness: I
empathize with you. It is hard,
but the end result—a way to
stop dwelling on the past and
worrying about the future—is
worth it.
Presence, part and future
ALI SAFAWI | COLUMN
Ali Safawi can be reached at
asafawi@umich.edu
Meditation is not
an instant peace
of mind.
Over the past few weeks,
all eyes have been on Judge
Rosemarie Aquilina’s courtroom
as more than 160 survivors of
sexual abuse by disgraced Dr.
Larry Nassar have recounted
their stories at the Ingham
County
Circuit
Court.
Last
Wednesday, Dr. Nassar’s was
sentenced to 40-175 years in
prison. He has been accused of
countless criminal sexual acts
in his roles as a team doctor
and athletic trainer for the USA
Gymnastics team spanning over
the last three decades as well as
faces charges in Eaton County.
These heroic women have
showcased immense bravery in
the face of great trauma. However,
in spite of the heroism playing
out in open court, accountability
and justice seem to be missing.
Failures on all levels must have
occurred in order for Dr. Nassar
to abuse patients for decades. But
the pure lack of compassion and
accountability that led to this
serial abuse was evident on many
levels in the last few weeks — first
through the absence of Lou Anna
Simon, president of Michigan
State University, on the first day
of victims’ impact statements.
Yet, the failures by Simon go
beyond her lack of attendance in
court. According to the Detroit
News, Simon and up to 14 others
at MSU knew of Nassar’s abuse
at least as early as 2014. Even
more alarming than this was the
under-oath revelation that MSU
still billed survivors of Nassar’s
assaults. Since the testimony, a
Univeristy spokesman has said
patients with outsanding bills
will no longer be charged.
We find the failure to protect
these
victims
disturbing
and unacceptable, and while
President Simon announced her
resignation Wednesday night,
it is only the beginning of the
institutional
accountability
that needs to be taken. Yet, in
commenting on her decision
to resign Simon stated, “As
tragedies are politicized, blame is
inevitable. As president, it is only
natural that I am the focus of this
anger.” While her resignation is
a sign of needed change at MSU,
her rhetoric again avoids taking
true responsibility for the lack of
institutional oversight.
Simon hid behind the MSU
Board of Trustees, who also
seem driven to ignore the pain
caused by Nassar’s abuse, with
Trustee Joel Ferguson noting to
a local radio show, “There’s so
many more things going on at the
university than just this Nassar
thing.” This rhetoric devalues
the trauma countless survivors
endured, trauma which occurred
under the watch of people who
knew, yet did nothing.
This motivation to preserve
reputation shone through when
MSU
Basketball
coach
Tom
Izzo was asked for comment
on the Nassar case. He offered
this in reference to President
Simon: “That’s a woman who has
dedicated over 40 years — and
I’ve been here 33 with her, and
I think I know what she stands
for,” and when asked specifically
about the call for a change in
leadership, he answered with
“you have to understand there
is nothing I can say that is going
to be right right now, and there
is nothing that’s going to make
anybody right. I’ll just stick by
what I said.” Our own University
President Mark Schlissel also
declined to take a stance on the
role that MSU played in the
abuse, saying “I just can’t add to
the debate because I don’t have
any special information.”
Izzo’s response is indicative
of a greater problem. Defending
Simon may be the easier decision,
especially given her long tenure
at Michigan State. However,
institutional accountability must
come before their relationships
with Simon and the need to
maintain a reputation. If we allow
complicity from those in power,
there will not be any impactful
change, and systematic problems
and ignorance will perpetuate.
This time in society is important;
#MeToo has called great attention
to sexual abusers in high places.
However, abusers are not the only
problem. The institutions that
enable them deserve blame as well.
This is not only a problem with MSU
or USA Gymnastics. It is a societal ill
and could have impacted on our own
campus, or any other one. This case
draws many similarities to what
occurred at Penn State University in
2011. Assistant football coach Jerry
Sandusky was sexually abusing
young boys for decades after head
coach Joe Paterno was notified.
This pattern is unacceptable. Those
in positions of power at universities
must prioritize the safety of their
students, just as those in power in
other institutions must prioritize
the safety of their employees,
members or citizens.
While
this
criminal
case
surrounding Dr. Nassar has now
been closed in Ingham County,
the pain and trauma he caused
will remain for decades to come.
While it’s easy to punish Nassar
through his 60-year and 40 to
175-year prison sentences, it’s a
lot harder to face the fact that
those who were complicit in his
reign of assaults are also guilty.
The list of people who enabled Dr.
Nassar includes MSU President
Lou Anna Simon, but extends far
beyond just her. Michigan State
University,
USA
Gymnastics,
the
United
States
Olympic
Committee and more will share
the blame in civil court, but the
true evil that allowed for Dr.
Nassar to inflict so much harm
is in the culture of denial and
doubt that falls on sexual assault
and harassment on all levels
within institutions. It is the need
to maintain a good reputation
and avoid scandal that enables
abusers like Nassar to commit
these acts for years. Immediate
action once the first allegations
are made is not only needed,
but expected from universities,
institutions
and
individuals.
The time is up for this culture
of secrecy, coverups and sexual
assault, and in order for the
next Larry Nassar to be stopped
before he can hurt others, we all
have to hold ourselves and our
institutions accountable.
In solidarity with the survivors of Larry Nassar
FROM THE DAILY
O
ver the past week, more than 160 brave women and girls stood in a
courtroom in Lansing and valiantly faced their abuser, Larry Nassar,
a former USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University doctor. The
court and the country listened closely as the survivors told their victim impact
statements, each more powerful than the last, spelling out a disturbing pattern
of sexual abuse that spanned three decades. As the last day of the trial came to
a close Wednesday, Judge Rosemarie Aquilina sentenced Nassar to serve 40
to 175 years in state prison after he carries out his 60-year federal sentence for
child pornography. After 20 long years, Larry Nassar’s time is finally up.
We, The Michigan Daily Editorial Board, as the student voice of the
University of Michigan, stand in solidarity with the survivors of the horrific
abuse by Larry Nassar and admire their fierce strength and bravery. We
condemn the institutions that let them down. Michigan State University, USA
Gymnastics and the United States Olympic Committee all had a duty to protect
these young women, but their inaction allowed Nassar’s abuse to continue
far longer than it had to. We must hold these institutions — and all those who
enable abuse — accountable. By so bravely sharing their stories, the survivors
brought abusers to justice and have set a precedent that there is no tolerance for
sexual assault.
Sincerely,
The Michigan Daily Editorial Board
It is the need to
maintain a good
reputation and
avoid scandal that
enables abusers
like Nassar to
commit these acts
for years.
O
n
Jan.
13,
babe.net
published
an
article
revealing an experience
that a young woman (referred to
in the piece and throughout this
article as Grace) had on a date
with comedian Aziz Ansari in
September. The story describes
him making multiple aggressive
attempts to have sex with her,
despite her many verbal and
non-verbal cues that she was
not into it. This accusation has
been more divisive than any
others that have come out of the
#MeToo movement. Previously,
this movement to expose sexual
abusers has received enthusiastic
support from feminists and decent
people everywhere. The Ansari
allegations have caused a sharp
divide among many of those same
people. Some claim this story does
not describe an assault and is thus
undermining #MeToo as a whole,
while others argue that though
it may not be rape or workplace
sexual harassment, the movement
has room for all stories involving
sexual abuse or coercion. I
adamantly agree with the latter.
The allegations made against
Ansari clearly describe him as
continuously pressuring Grace
into sexual acts after she clearly
expressed she would rather not
engage in them on that night.
That is a clear example of sexual
coercion. I’ve been disturbed at
the number of people who have
doubted the malice of Ansari’s
actions; I’ve been even more
disturbed at how many have
suggested that this could decrease
the legitimacy of other stories or
#MeToo as a whole.
I expect that kind of opinion
from people like conservative
commentator Ben Shapiro, who
immediately capitalized on the
chance to ask “Is #MeToo Falling
Apart?” but it wasn’t only open
misogynists who were acting as
though the movement was being
threatened. Journalists Caitlin
Flanagan , Ashleigh Banfield and
Bari Weiss all had pretty strong
attacks for Ansari’s accuser and
the journalist who reported the
story. Flanagan had previously
written
a
piece
that
hailed
#MeToo, calling it a “long-overdue
revolution.” These are women that
I’d often think were on our side;
ready to smash the patriarchy.
Maybe they are, in their
minds. But that isn’t enough.
After meditating on this for a
week or so, it seems that the
writers who are attacking Grace
and the author of the piece, Katie
Way, for derailing the movement
were only ever fighting for
themselves. It is just another
example of exclusive feminism,
and I am quite exasperated with
it.
Grace’s story represents the
experiences of so many young
women who do not have voices as
prominent as those who brought
down
Harvey
Weinstein.
Though her story was still
aimed at a famous man, it made
#MeToo relatable and relevant
to many college-age women. It
confirmed that those creepy,
scary nights that made us cry —
but never felt “bad enough” to
call assault — are not OK and will
not be tolerated. But the older,
more powerful women said sit
down and shut up because this is
their movement.
That sentiment was clearly
displayed by Ashleigh Banfield.
On
Jan.
15
she
said
this
during her segment on HLN:
“You have chiseled away at a
movement that I, along with all
of my sisters in the workplace,
have been dreaming of for
decades, a movement that has
finally changed an oversexed
professional environment that
I, too, have struggled through
at times over the last 30 years.”
I suppose that means Grace isn’t
a sister, but a whiny young girl
who went on a “bad date” and
wants to ruin a man’s career for
it. Caitlin Flanagan expanded
this narrative by calling the piece
“revenge porn” by a girl who
“hoped to maybe even become
the famous man’s girlfriend.”
Well,
if
they
disapprove
of Grace’s inclusion in this
movement, they can leave it.
They can keep fighting for justice
in cases that fit their narrow
definition of abuse. But #MeToo
is much larger than that. It is
a movement intended to draw
attention to the magnitude of
the problem of sexual abuse,
something that cannot and will
not be done if survivors are
intimidated and silenced by
those controlling the messaging.
The rhetoric of these journalists,
and others, is victim blaming,
irresponsible, anti-feminist and
exclusionary.
I do not doubt that the
generations of women before
us have paved the way by
withstanding years of abuse and
harassment, and I understand
that the Ansari allegations may
seem far removed from the
traditional conceptions of sexual
abuse.
As
Flanagan
herself
wrote, “intimate accounts of
commonplace
sexual
events
of the young seem like science
fiction.” The culture and norms
are
changing.
Just
because
behavior has been historically
deemed as commonplace or
acceptable, does not mean that
we must continue to allow it, or
that it is not coercive or abusive
in nature.
Twenty-three
perent
of
female undergraduate students
experience some form of sexual
assault in college, according to
Rape, Abuse & Incest National
Network. This is the terrifying
and traumatic reality of modern-
day college women. We do not
need anyone to explain the
reality of sexual assault to us,
we understand. We understand
affirmative consent and expect
it. We understand that any
attempt at changing our minds
after we express we are not
OK with the sexual advances
is coercive. We understand our
trauma and our fear, and we want
to fight back. We understand the
importance of intersectionality
in
this
conversation;
varied
identities inevitably result in
varied experiences with sexual
abuse. Do not tell us to sit back
and carry out this movement
on anyone’s terms but our own.
Our understanding is correct,
valid, and will be the guiding
message of a movement to
expose and eradicate all forms of
sexual assault, harassment and
coercion and the culture that
allows them. Please join us, and
follow our lead.
#MeToo is our movement
MARGOT LIBERTINI | COLUMN
Margot Libertini can be reached at
mlibertini@umich.edu
Simon is only the beginning