Opinion
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
4 — Friday, January 31, 2020

Alanna Berger
Brittany Bowman
Zack Blumberg
Emily Considine
Cheryn Hong

Krystal Hur
Ethan Kessler
Mary Rolfes
Michael Russo

Timothy Spurlin
Miles Stephenson
Joel Weiner
Erin White
Lola Yang

ERIN WHITE
Managing Editor

Stanford Lipsey Student Publications Building
420 Maynard St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
tothedaily@michigandaily.com

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

ELIZABETH LAWRENCE
Editor in Chief
EMILY CONSIDINE AND
MILES STEPHENSON
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

RILEY DEHR | COLUMN

Your Canada Goose is uglier than it looks

I

love
Nicholas
Cage.
From
his
melodramatic
performance alongside Cher
in “Moonstruck” to his laughable
screaming of “not the bees!” in
“The Wicker Man,” his movies are
iconic. While I am excited to see his
new film, based on H.P. Lovecraft’s
“Colours Out of Space,” at the State
Theatre, I highly doubt it will surpass
the brilliance of 2004’s “National
Treasure.” Like “The Da Vinci Code”
for fifth graders, it’s two hours of
dumb fun that begin with Sean Bean
and Cage, in all his mouthbreathing
glory, riding across a sea of snow.
As I watched the movie over
Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend
for the first time in a decade, I was
surprised to see Cage and Bean
(who somehow survives the movie)
wearing bright red Canada Goose
parkas. Founded in 1957 as a jacket
for Northern Canadians, Canada
Goose’s parkas are designed to keep
a person alive in temperatures as low
as -30 degrees Celsius. In the 1980s, it
became the iconic jacket of Antarctic
researchers and the first Canadian to
reach the summit of Mount Everest.
Now, it’s the jacket of the rich and
famous.
The blue and red logo has been
seen on dozens of celebrities, ranging
from Kevin Bacon and Aubrey Plaza
to a topless Kate Upton, who donned
one of their parkas on a cover of
Sports Illustrated magazine to the
delight of teenage boys everywhere.
Their parkas not only look like
sleeping bags, but are described as
“like wearing a sleeping bag” on
elite fashion blogs. Even so, the lack
of style hasn’t hindered them from
becoming the new status symbol
among America’s upper class. Most
versions are priced at over $1,000
if you get it from a certified seller,
the only way to ensure it isn’t a fake
stuffed with German Shepard hair.
Their increasing popularity has
been to the financial gain of past
presidential candidate Sen. Mitt
Romney, R-Ut., whose former private
equity firm, Bain Capital, owns a
majority of stock in the company.
While I could go on endlessly about
these implications alone, the jackets
are most infamous for their coyote
fur hoods.
Predictably, people unabashedly
wearing fur has brought the ire

of PETA, who released a video
of distressed coyotes in traps,
protesting the company’s fur use.
Canada Goose has fired back by
saying their trapping of coyotes
is in accordance with Canada’s
misleadingly named Agreement on
International Humane Trapping
Standards (AIHTS). This agreement
allows coyotes to be captured using
Duke No. 3 Rubber Jaws, which
are banned in the EU for clamping
down on the legs of animals, usually
breaking them in the process. In
the western United States, coyotes
are then either shot in the head or
bludgeoned to death, usually with a
hammer, in accordance with state
laws that vary greatly in what they
consider humane. Most require
a coyote to be trapped and killed
within 24 hours, but states like
Wyoming only require traps to be
checked once every three days. “It’s
horrible, to put it mildly,” says wildlife
expert Stanley Gehrt in a Newsweek
article regarding the controversy
around the jackets. The coyotes
often experience a mix of muscle
damage and dehydration until their
eventual death due to exposure to
the elements or blood loss.
Coyotes,
which
may
form
monogamous mating pairs like
people, are also not subject to a
hunting season in most western
states, where Canada Goose gets
their fur. This is done in most other
fur-bearing species to reduce pup
deaths, but this courtesy hasn’t been
extended to these highly intelligent
and social animals. Mother coyotes
have even been known to chew their
legs off in desperation to get back to
their pups. With no way of knowing
where the fur comes from, it can only
be left to speculation how each jacket
hood met its final moments.
Some environmentalists have
thrown their weight behind Canada
Goose, citing the Western Coyote’s
status as an overpopulated, native
invader, thriving in new ranges
where humans have extirpated
wolves. This is posing an ecological
threat to many North American
biomes, as coyotes inhabit every
single contiguous state in America.
Even so, studies have found that
areas with two-year coyote removal
programs are back at pre-removal
numbers within only eight months,

indicating that hunting may be
nothing more than a nonsense
solution with unknown ecological
implications.
This isn’t the only thing that puts
the company’s claims of “ethical
sourcing” in question. The reason
their jackets can sustain such low
temperatures is due to the fine
Canadian Hutterite goose down in
the jackets. According to Canada
Goose, “Each ounce of down has
approximately two million fluffy
filaments that interlock and overlap
to create insulating pockets of air,
which is what keeps you warm.”
PETA
released
another
video,
showing one of their supplier farms
crushing and suffocating its geese as
they sent them to a slaughterhouse.
Canada Goose says there is no other
way to make a jacket that endures
arctic temperatures without making
synthetic furs and feathers.
While cruel, animal fur and
feathers
are
relatively
carbon-
neutral compared to manufacturing
synthetic alternatives. In order to
keep people warm in the coldest
places on Earth, the company’s use of
animal products may be acceptable.
This argument, however, merely
justifies the use of animal products
in the jackets for Arctic explorers
and researchers, not Hollywood
celebrities. Sure, researchers and
Nicholas Cage need them on their
Antarctic expeditions, but do the
students that populate the streets
outside South University Avenue’s
luxury condos?
While
Michigan
winters
are known for their harshness,
they don’t compare to the places
where the jackets are necessary.
At the University of Michigan,
they are status symbols that
happen to keep you warm. With
ample ethical ways to stay warm
in Michigan, there is no excuse
to have a fur hood dangling
over your face in 2020. At best,
wearing Canada Goose supports
Mitt Romney and the needless
killing of coyotes and geese, and at
worst, it supports unspeakable and
inexcusable cruelty, making you
look less like Kate Upton and more
like Cruella De Vil.

Riley Dehr can be reached at

rdehr@umich.edu.

VARNA KODOTH | COLUMN

Serving the underserved

“

No matter where you’re from,
you belong here.” This is
the powerful message with
which University of
Michigan students are
welcomed upon arrival
to the Center for the
Education of Women
(CEW+) website, or the
respective building.
The first time I heard
of CEW+ was at the end
of the winter semester
of my junior year, and
while
unknown
to
many, CEW+ is an
incredible resource available to
provide the space and support for
advocacy initiatives to grow at the
University. After learning more
about the program, I took steps to
involve myself with other strong and
progressive women. This led me to
conduct a focus group on women
and
marginalized
communities
in STEM departments at U-M
with the support and guidance of
CEW+. The results of this study
will ultimately be incorporated into
the COUNTS Toolkit for student
success. COUNTS, the Council
for Nontraditional Students, is
responsible
for
addressing
the
importance of a strong community
for nontraditional and underserved
students at the University which
includes, and is not limited to,
student parents and caregivers.
COUNTS is an online Canvas
module dedicated to increasing
awareness about social identities
in the classroom and educating
University
students
about
the
nontraditional student population.
CEW+’s upcoming initiative is a
Toolkit meant to teach members
of the U-M community how to
navigate different student identities.
By engaging with this Toolkit,
University staff are eligible to
receive funding in support of any
new endeavors or attempts to better
support and include nontraditional
students in their courses and
programs.
CEW+
passionately
supports
student-led efforts with the goal
of improving the campus climate
for all identities. The center even
offers students the opportunity
to apply for funding to implement
programs or events geared toward

increasing equity for nontraditional
student populations. An example
of this is the opportunity for U-M
undergraduate student
organizations to apply
for $5,000 in funding
through the Frances
and
Sydney
Lewis
Visiting Leaders Fund.
Through the Frances
and Sydney Lewis Fund,
CEW+ partners with
student organizations to
bring women leaders to
campus.
From my work as
a research assistant to Dr. Tiffany
Marra, the director of CEW+, it is
clear that CEW+ is committed to
creating inclusive, accessible and safe
educational spaces for undergraduate
women
and
marginalized
community
members.
Engaging
in the classroom and attaining a
productive learning experience is
crucial to degree completion and
student success. CEW+ is a resource
that undergraduate students should
be well-acquainted with, and the
work that is accomplished here is
of high impact in the U-M campus
community.
CEW+ works to empower women
and underserved students at U-M by
serving as an advocate and providing
resources to help them reach their
academic, financial and professional
potential. During my junior year, a
close friend of mine informed me that
she had received emergency financial
assistance from CEW+. Through
the CEW+ counseling program,
we are able to award Emergency
Funds to assist with “unexpected
financial emergencies that threaten
to derail degree progress.” The intent
here is to enable individuals to act
independently and take control of
their path. By way of workshops and
events oriented around promoting
leadership, career and personal
development, CEW+ generates a
safe and uplifting atmosphere for
accomplishing goals and solving
problems. Dr. Marra recommends
that students attend a Midweek
Mindfulness sit if they don’t feel
comfortable pausing and reflecting
on their experiences. Mindfulness
meditations are 30 minute events
designed to help people practice
recentering
themselves
in
the

present. CEW+ also leads events
and workshops to address the needs
of students, including a workshop
coming up on Feb. 5 titled, “‘Am
I Good Enough?’ Yes, You Are!”,
which will focus on self-doubt and
impostor syndrome. These are
the types of workshops that exist
to uplift and motivate students to
chase after their ambitions. CEW+ is
committed to ensuring that student
identities are a positive influence in
the path to success at U-M rather
than a hindrance or burden.
Dr. Marra has discussed her
passion for working and learning
from the U-M community of
women and nontraditional students.
“Whether it be a student working
full-time while taking 15 credits or
a student caring for a loved one or
a student fighting for the rights of
DACA students knowing it may not
lead to better results for himself, I am
continually amazed by the grit and
determination of students as they
trail blaze their path through U-M,”
said Marra. CEW+ redefines what
it is that professional development
means to U-M students. Professional
development
events
at
CEW+
involve stepping outside of your
comfort zone as a component of
growth. Taking a risk to be slightly
uncomfortable can lead to a greater
understanding
of
something
that students may have felt to be
unknown or intimidating initially.
CEW+ is a resource that exists to
serve U-M undergraduate students
in the form of events, professional
development and guidance — and
it’s right at the disposal of your
fingertips! To the U-M student
population
identifying
with
marginalized communities: CEW+ is
here to foster that sense of belonging
at Michigan and to support you in
your educational endeavors. To
student allies: take the challenge
to
diversify
your
perspectives
and better your understanding of
social identities on campus during
Winter 2020 through CEW+ events
and
opportunities.
Embody
what CEW+ represents and ask
yourself, what can I do better to
support, include and celebrate the
diversity of my peers?

Varna Kodoth can be reached at

vkodoth@umich.edu.

P O L I C Y T A L K S @ T H E F O R D S C H O O L

MICHAEL COPPS

Former FCC Commissioner

Photo by Steve Rhodes

S T PP LEC T URE SERIE S
Media, big tech, and
democracy: What happened?

Free and open to the public.
Reception to follow.

Information: 734-615-7545 or
fspp-events@umich.edu

@fordschool #policytalks

Wednesday, February 5, 2020
4:00 - 5:20 pm

Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy
Annenberg Auditorium, 1120 Weill Hall
735 S. State Street

FROM THE DAILY

Our Provost and sexual misconduct

I

n a sudden and surprising email sent to University of Michigan students on Jan. 22,

President Mark Schlissel announced that Provost Martin Philbert had been placed

on administrative leave after multiple allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced

against him. This news came just a day after state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, D-Royal Oak,

filed a sexual misconduct complaint against state Sen. Peter Lucido, R-Shelby Twp., for

an encounter in November 2018 where Lucido inappropriately touched her very low on

her back and made suggestive remarks.
T

hat filing came in the wake
of Lucido’s inappropriate
comments
toward
a
young
reporter,
22-year-old
Allison Donahue, on Jan. 14. In
this interaction Lucidio said a
group of high school boys “could
have a lot of fun” with Donahue.
These stories serve as a glaring
reminder of the pervasive issue
of sexual harassment by men in
positions of power against the
women around them.
The Michigan Daily Editorial
Board stands in solidarity with
those who have come forward
over the past two weeks, and
continue to encourage others
to speak out when necessary.
Coming
from
a
newsroom
comprised mostly of young,
female,
aspiring
journalists,
we support Donahue for her
bravery in deciding to speak up
about the incident. Too often,
young women remain silent for
fear of backlash or professional
repercussions. Even McMorrow,
an elected state official, felt at
risk of losing her constituents’
support by coming forward, but
was moved to speak out after
hearing Donahue’s story.
Unfortunately,
we
at
the
University are not immune to
this systemic problem. In 2018,
ABC 7 disclosed that reported
cases of sexual assault and
sexual harassment were up 61
and 37 percent respectively on
the U-M campus. The details
of the claims against Philbert
have not been made public,
but from Schlissel’s email, we
know that an investigation was
immediately opened after the
allegations were made, bringing
in outside legal counsel. Three

days later, Philbert was placed on
paid leave. The Editorial Board
commends
Schlissel
for
the
swift response and hopes this
sets a new precedent, while also
reiterating the importance of
transparency in the proceedings.
Since activist Tarana Burke
began the #MeToo movement in
2006 and it later saturated the
mainstream with Alyssa Milano
and
the
Harvey
Weinstein
scandal, more women have been
empowered to speak out. Equally
as important is the need for
unbiased tribunals to evaluate
evidence in these cases, weighing
this against personal claims. But
beyond judicial bodies, this is
an issue of culture. How do we
instill the treatment of women
into the minds of our young
men? How does this treatment
undermine our universal values
or prop up our definitions of
masculinity? Where is the line
between friendly socialization
and
workplace
harassment?
It is our job as a community
to continuously ask ourselves
these questions. To change our
culture, we will need empathetic
thinkers who set their sights on
communal well-being, even at
the cost of social convenience.
We will need courageous men
and women who are ready
to
self-analyze
the
social
constructions they have built
around themselves. We will need
leaders and the best.
Though instances of sexual
harassment
predominantly
impact women, these behaviors
and institutions exist at men’s
expense as well. According to a
2018 report from the Institute
of Women’s Policy Research,

men were the victims in 20
percent of all sexual harassment
charges. To change the culture
we must encourage those who
face sexual misconduct to speak
up and reassure them that they
will be heard and given the
opportunity to support their
case. Another imperative step is
promoting female representation
in positions of power to disrupt
traditionally male dominated
hierarchies. If a woman —
instead of Harvey Weinstein —
chaired one of the largest film
studios in America, it’s likely
many of these industry workers
would have not fallen prey to
Weinstein’s persecution.
We’d like to highlight the
resources available to our readers
in the event they are needed.
The Sexual Assault Prevention
and Awareness Center (SAPAC)
provides free and confidential
crisis intervention, advocacy and
support for University students,
faculty and staff survivors of
sexual assault, intimate partner
violence, stalking and sexual
harassment.
SAPAC
can
be
found on the fourth floor of
the newly renovated Michigan
Union. In addition, Counseling
and
Psychological
Services
(CAPS) offers free counseling
services to all University of
Michigan-Ann Arbor students.
Finally, we’d like to remind
our readers that the The Daily
has a tip line for these types of
stories: tipline@michigandaily.
com. This is a private tip line
viewable
by
a
small
team
of
reporters
committed
to
responsible reporting on sexual
misconduct and its allegations.
The Michigan Daily is listening.

VARNA
KODOTH