Opinion
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
4A — Wednesday, February 20, 2019

Emma Chang
Joel Danilewitz

Samantha Goldstein

Elena Hubbell
Emily Huhman
Tara Jayaram

Jeremy Kaplan

Sarah Khan

Lucas Maiman

Magdalena Mihaylova

Ellery Rosenzweig

Jason Rowland

Anu Roy-Chaudhury

Alex Satola
Ali Safawi

 Ashley Zhang
Sam Weinberger

Erin White

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EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS

I 

came to the University of 
Michigan understanding 
what 
it 
means 
“to 

grind.” 
Stuyvesant 

High 
School, 
my 

high school in New 
York 
City, 
was 
a 

notorious 
pressure 

cooker where, per 
The 
New 
York 

Times, “The social 
currency is academic 
achievement.” 
Students 
would 

brag about pulling 
all-nighters, 
there 

was 
constant 
analysis 
of 

everyone’s GPA and a joke 
among 
teachers 
was 
that 

the Stuyvesant cheer was, 
“What’d 
ya 
get?” 
after 

receiving exam results. In a 
poll by the school newspaper, 
over 80 percent of students 
reported 
having 
cheated 

at 
some 
point. 
However, 

students were explicit about 
their motivations for working.

Students 
worked 
hard 

so they could get the best 
grades, which would take 
them to the best colleges and 
subsequently to the best jobs. 
Though the culture induced by 
this mentality was toxic and 
dehumanizing, it was a logical 
mindset — especially for the 
43 
percent 
of 
Stuyvesant 

High 
School 
students 

classified as “economically 
disadvantaged.”

I was excited to leave the 

rat race. When I started at 
the University, I was amazed 
by how little my friends and I 
discussed grades — even when 
we were in the same class. I 
still do not know any of my 
friends’ GPAs. But that relief 
was short-lived. After almost 
two years here, I have noticed 
a closely related — but less 
logical — work ethic among 
many of my peers and myself 
similar to that which plagued 
my high school.

In 
this 
work 
ethic, 

instead of using academic 
achievement as social capital, 
we view effort as a value 
measure in and of itself. On 
the surface, it is good that 
we are placing value in the 
process, not the results; how 
we use our time says a lot 
about who we are. However, 
working just to show our 
peers and ourselves that we 
are working is emotionally 
self-serving — not logical.

It is worthwhile to think 

about why we are beholden to 
this illogical work ethic. I can 

think of a couple of reasons. 
The first is the increasing 
ubiquity of a college degree. 

According 
to 

government 
census 
data, 
for 

the first time, more 
than one-third of 
adult 
Americans 

have a bachelor’s 
degree. 
While 

going to college is 
more 
important 

than ever, going to 
simply go means 
less than it used 

to. Another factor is that 
college attendance is largely 
determined by family wealth. 
For wealthier students, there 
was never any doubt they 
would 
attend 
college, 
so 

they need ways to show they 
deserve this experience.

The second factor behind 

this work ethic is that, once in 
college, graduation is not seen 
as an achievement for most 
students. In the 2015-2016 
academic year, the University 
had a 91 percent six-year 
graduation 
rate. 
When 

almost everyone graduates, 
whether or not a student 
graduates does not say much 
about how hard they worked 
in college, because it is a 
uniform goal that most attain. 
Consequently, 
graduation 

does little to differentiate 
students within college.

Third, even within college, 

particularly in LSA, grades 
seem to mean less than we 
think they do. Elite law and 
medical schools require strong 
college grades but, for most 
such schools, standardized 
test 
scores 
are 
more 

important. 
For 
individuals 

hoping to find work right out 
of college, finding data on 
how employers value college 
grades 
was 
difficult, 
but 

my understanding from my 
and my peers’ experiences 
is that employers care more 
about experience and skills. 
Furthermore, 
a 
literature 

review found that college 
grades aren’t a good predictor 
of college success. None of 
this takes into account how 
grade inflation is hurting 
the legitimacy of grades as 
a good measurement. The 
consequence is that within 
elite colleges and universities, 
students need new ways of 
differentiating 
themselves 

and attaining social currency 
because traditional academic 
metrics are not as valuable as 
they used to be. Without these 
more objective measures of 
success, we have turned to hard 
work as an end, not a mean.

The 
last 
key 
reason 

we 
have 
this 
mindset 
is 

guilt. We feel the guilt and 
privilege of going to an elite 
college 
because 
we 
know 

that such a small proportion 
of Americans get to have 
this remarkable experience. 
The college experience is 
expensive and open-ended, 
leading us to feel as though 
we need to maximize every 
second of our time here by 
filling it up with activities, 
meetings or classes.

We can see this mindset 

all 
around 
us. 
We 
burn 

ourselves out by overloading 
our schedules, we add double 
majors and minors so we can 
mention them in an icebreaker, 
and we brag to our friends 
about how late we were up 
at the UGLi. Working hard is 
important and essential, but 
working hard for the sake of 
working hard is toxic.

Our 
competitive, 
hard-

working culture is difficult 
to fix because the factors that 
contribute to it are so positive. 
We don’t want to go back to a 
time when college was a club 
of wealthy white boys where 
admittance alone determines 
outcomes, because we know 
how much influence wealth 
has over college acceptances. 
We also don’t want to make 
it more difficult to graduate, 
because the students that 
graduate deserve to do so. And 
if grades had more meaning, it 
would be as if we were back 
in high school. But we need 
to examine the motivation 
behind our hard work, and 
ensure that it does not become 
our social currency, because 
hard work and busyness are 
not everything.

Solomon Medintz can be reached at 

smedintz@umich.edu.

SAM KOLE | OP-ED

Vote for Boring in 2020

W

ith 
Democratic 

primary 
hopefuls 

not 
so 
quietly 

taking trips to Iowa and 
New Hampshire, the field 
is wide open to challenge 
President Donald Trump in 
his re-election bid to “Keep 
America Great.” Let us turn 
to our nation’s past elections 
and leaders for insight into 
our 
upcoming 
historical 

presidential election.

The 
recent 
passing 
of 

former President George H.W. 
Bush has provided us the 
opportunity to reflect on his 
legacy as the most effective 
one-term president in modern 
history. His administration’s 
efficacy 
can 
be 
largely 

attributed to his years of hard 
work and experience. Having 
taken office as, arguably, the 
most qualified person to ever 
become commander-in-chief, 
Bush came to the Oval Office 
with more than 20 years of 
experience 
as 
the 
former 

vice president, director of 
the CIA, Republican National 
Committee chairman, United 
Nations 
ambassador, 
U.S. 

representative 
from 
Texas 

and World War II hero. By all 
accounts, Bush was certainly 
a “D.C. insider” and this 
was a good thing. In 2020, 
we need an insider with the 
institutional 
knowledge 

necessary to effectively lead 
the 
government. 
Someone 

who has quietly been doing the 
work of our nation for decades. 
Not 
another 
billionaire 

outsider or ambitious career 
politician eager to make a 
name for themselves.

We 
must 
ask: 
What 

regulatory, 
executive 
and 

discretionary 
actions 
does 

the next president plan to 
issue in order to begin to 
heal our nation, reeling from 
arguably the most turbulent 
administration 
since 
1974? 

Right now, our country needs 
a 
competent, 
humble 
and 

level-headed leader to govern. 
We ought to look to our 
history and take stock of how 
we as a nation navigated rocky 
waters in the past. Michigan 
native 
President 
Gerald 

Ford rose to the occasion, 
becoming president with no 
ambition for power but out of 
service to the nation. Ford’s 
personal humility and years 
of 
experience 
representing 

Michigan in the House of 
Representatives are exactly 
what the country needed on 
the heels of President Richard 
Nixon’s resignation disaster. 
By all accounts, Ford could be 
considered a boring politician. 
As 
the 
first 
non-elected 

president, Ford took office 
at a time when confidence in 
the government was at an all-
time low, but still managed to 
steady the ship and keep the 
trains running.

The Democrats ought to 

choose a candidate who is 
experienced, who has a vision 
and who some may even 
consider a little “boring,” as 
were Truman, Ford and Bush, 
all of whom were seasoned D.C. 
operators and well qualified 
for the job of president.

Sen. 
Kamala 
Harris, 

D-Calif., has taken center stage 
in the gaggle of progressives 
gnawing at the bit for the 
opportunity 
to 
challenge 

Trump, who currently has 
the lowest overall approval 
rating 
compared 
to 
other 

presidents since he’s taken 
office. 
However, 
Harris’ 

recent admission that she 
hopes to rid the American 
health care system of private 
insurance 
companies 
is 

demonstrative of the out-of-
touch sensationalist policies 
of the progressive arm of the 
Democratic party, though she 
retracted the statement.

Democrats rebranded in 

2018 in a desperate attempt 

to differentiate themselves 
from 
former 
Secretary 
of 

State 
Hillary 
Clinton 
and 

the corporate arm of the 
Democratic Party. Candidates 
such as Harris, Sen. Elizabeth 
Warren, D-N.J. and Sen. Cory 
Booker, D-Mass., have used 
Senate hearings as a launching 
pad 
for 
their 
campaigns 

instead 
of 
working 
with 

their Republican colleagues 
on doing the business of the 
American people.

2020 candidate Sen. Bernie 

Sanders, 
I-Vt., 
has 
spent 

the past two years taking 
aim at Trump and his more 
eccentric statements instead 
of proposing legislation or 
using his Senate seat for more 
than a springboard to run 
for president again. Sanders 
has shelved his enthusiasm 
and bully pulpit for the past 
two years with the intention 
of 
preserving 
himself 
for 

another grueling presidential 
campaign.

What are the Democratic 

Party’s policy initiatives for 
2020? What actions will they 
take to unravel the Trump 
administration’s conservative 
directives 
and 
policies? 

Which Democratic candidate 
will 
bring 
the 
humility 

of 
Ford, 
the 
technocratic 

expertise of Bush and the 
steady handedness of former 
President Barack Obama?

As 
students, 
we 
ought 

to look to the soft-spoken, 
“boring” candidate who can 
humble themselves within the 
most powerful office in the 
world to enact change. Not 
“change that we can believe 
in,” but rather “change we 
can 
achieve.” 
With 
news 

outlets already covering the 
still far-off 2020 presidential 
election, let us be intentional 
in our vote. We must look for 
leaders who have meaningful 
track records and impressive 
resumes. And be open to 
candidates 
who, 
yes, 
may 

appear a little bit boring.

SOLOMON MEDINTZ | COLUMN

Why we glorify “the grind”

H

ouse 
Bill 
4205, 

signed 
during 
the 

lame duck session 

by former Gov. Rick Snyder 
on Dec. 28, 2018, prohibits 
state agencies from enacting 
or adopting policy that is 
stricter 
than 
the 
federal 

standards. This will impact 
environmental 
regulations 

across the state of Michigan 
insofar that it will put an end 
to intelligent policy that fits 
Michigan’s unique situation 
as a state benefitting hugely 
from industries relying on a 
clean, well-kept environment.

The 
economic 
benefits 

from stricter than federal 
environmental 
regulations 

that 
ensure 
our 
state 

remains in pristine condition 
are 
plentiful: 
Tourism 
in 

Michigan 
generated 
$22 

billion in 2014 in revenue 
for 
the 
state 
and 
local 

businesses, forestry products 
and 
recreation 
in 
forests 

generated $12 billion in 2012 
and 
hunting 
and 
fishing 

generated 
more 
than 
$2 

billion in 2018. All these 
sectors 
of 
the 
Michigan 

economy require policy that 
is mindful of the common 
denominator 
all 
of 
these 

money-makers 
share: 
a 

pristine environment. This 
is 
not 
including 
indirect 

beneficiaries of beauty like golf 
courses, of which Michigan 
has more than most states.

HB 4205 takes control of 

reasonable 
environmental 

management 
and 
policy 

and 
takes 
regulation 
out 

of the hands of Michigan 
agencies at a time when 
outdoor 
recreation 
is 
the 

fastest 
growing 
sector 
of 

Midwestern 
economies. 

Andy Northrop, a Michigan 
State University Extension 

faculty member who works 
in tourism, leadership and 
civic 
engagement, 
while 

writing a commentary over 
this report, notes that “. . 
.tourism activity in Michigan 
generates 
approximately 

$2.4 billion in state and 
local taxes. In the absence of 
these taxes, each household 
in Michigan would have to 
pay $640 to fill the gap.” 
This sum will only increase 
if Michigan agencies can’t 
enact the policies necessary 
to 
safeguard 
against 

environmental 
degradation, 

the likes of which will have 
a negative impact on tourism 

and thus tourism revenue, 
and, ultimately, increase that 
$640.

Now you might be thinking, 

“It’s not like I have to pay 
that” or “I don’t see tourism 
filling my pockets with cash,” 
but I implore you to consider 
that while you might not 
benefit directly in the form 
of some sort of payout, your 
city, county and ultimately 
state do benefit, and when 
they benefit from increased 
revenue, they are less inclined 
to raise taxes, which does 
directly benefit you. But this 
is all related to Michigan’s 
ability to control and manage 
its own land, our own land, 
and it is for these reasons we 
need to repeal and replace 
HB 4205 with something 
that reflects our heritage and 
economic characteristics as a 
state. The federal government 
is 
not 
Michigan; 
we, 
as 

citizens 
of 
this 
beautiful 

state, 
know 
better 
than 

those in Washington what 
environmental 
policies 
we 

need to safeguard and promote 
both our environment and 
our economy. Thus, let our 
direction 
not 
be 
stricter 

rather 
than 
federal, 
but 

simply better.

CODY LADD | OP-ED

Repeal and replace House Bill 4205

Cody Ladd is a senior studying 

ecology, evolution, and biodiversity 

and can be reached at cody.t.ladd@

gmail.com.

Sam Kole is a student in LSA and can 

be reached at samkole@umich.edu.

We need to repeal 

and replace 

HB 4205 with 
something that 

reflects our 

heritage

It is worthwhile to 
think about why 
we are beholden 
to this illogical 

work ethic

SOFIA ZERTUCHE | CONTACT SOFIA AT SOFZER@UMICH.EDU

CONTRIBUTE TO THE CONVERSATION

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op-eds. Letters should be fewer than 300 words while op-eds 
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University affiliation to tothedaily@michigandaily.com.

In 2020, we need 

an insider with 

the institutional 

knowledge necessary 

to effectively lead the 

government

SOLOMON
MEDINTZ

