T
he Saline School District
was recently dealt a blow
when racist incidents
within the community made local
and national headlines. The first
was the discovery of a student
Snapchat group that contained
racial slurs and epithets like
“White Power” and “The South
Will Rise Again.” Students of
color within that group chat
reportedly
felt
marginalized,
“unsafe”
and
“frustrated.”
The second occurred at the
community response to this
development:
At
a
district-
wide meeting regarding issues
of diversity and inclusion, a
Mexican parent was voicing
concerns about these race-based
incidents when another parent
coarsely asked why he didn’t just
“stay in Mexico.”
The
occurrence
of
these
incidents, to some community
members,
wasn’t
surprising.
But for many, it served as
a
community
awakening
to an underlying culture of
nonchalance regarding issues
of race, ethnicity and other
identities among both students
and parents. These incidents
speak
to
the
unfortunate
spreading of racist, unwelcoming
language that is unbecoming
of any community, especially
a
school
district.
Students
shouldn’t
need
to
worry
about surface threats or racist
messages. They shouldn’t feel
ostracized in an educational
environment
by
their
peers
or adults in the community.
Educational
institutions
and
teachers, the enactors of the
educational mission, should be
bound — by the nature of the
institution of education — to care
for students’ complaints, level of
comfort and overall well-being.
I’ll admit this is strange to
think about as I’ve always been
a believer that individuals should
take personal responsibility for
their actions. (My mantra, ever
since my stints with bullying
in middle school, has always
been: If you have a problem,
figure it out.) However, this idea
isn’t functional in educational
settings, even if it applies to life.
Educators have important roles
in the lives of their students as
teachers, leaders and caretakers:
They should take the personal
experiences of students seriously,
especially those dealing with
borderline
malicious
things
like what went on in Saline.
Otherwise,
the
mission
of
educating
students
becomes
seriously jeopardized. How can
some students be expected to
learn in an environment in which
they aren’t treated as equals?
I internalized this idea at
the New England Literature
Program (NELP). This was a
spring
semester
educational
program,
offered
by
the
University of Michigan, during
which participants study English
literature in the woods of New
Hampshire,
isolated
from
society and functioning as a
transcendental commune. Before
one of the trips we took outside
our cabin grounds, we had a
discussion about the politics
of New Hampshire residents
and the chance we’d see “Make
America Great Again” signs and
other things that are inconsistent
with our transcendental bubble.
At the time, I thought this was
a
conversation
appropriate
for sheltered individuals who
couldn’t fathom the existence of
a politwically diverse population,
or that someone might have
matured into their politics by
different and parallel means. I
wrote in my journal that I was
surprised that a “talk-around like
this even needs to be done.”
There were some other acerbic
bits of writing about this matter
that were passionate and which
I held true to my beliefs. But I’ve
changed my mind on the matter,
especially in light of these events
in Saline and discussions had
with fellow Daily members on the
Editorial Board. Conversations
like the one I had at NELP — like
the one Saline held in response
to the racist social media posts
— are a necessary response to
student experiences. They are
not indicative of some sort of
cultural deficiency or emotional
weakness, rather, they’re an
appropriate
product
to
the
cultural artifacts of this time.
Saline
recently
held
an
inclusion rally in solidarity
with the students who felt
marginalized
from
these
mean-spirited
messages.
I
commend the intention to make
a communal effort to right
these wrongs. To be clear, the
school district doesn’t need
to
adopt
politically
correct
language and get sucked into
a race to the bottom, driven
by identity politics. (I talk
about the negative influence of
identity politics on educational
institutions
like
universities
in my last column. Political
correctness stymies free speech
and debate because it invalidates
ideas
and
individuals
who
don’t agree with the accepted
dogma). This “inclusion rally”
probably falls into the category
of
meaningless
politically
correct
demonstrations,
but
it can serve as a step in the
right direction. The school
district needs to — rather
than re-educate — re-engage
students in the mission of
educational
community-
building by incorporating the
values that make a community
a virtue: trust, tolerance and
work. An incident like this
shouldn’t muzzle the victims,
but encourage them to create
useful change. I’m glad it is and
hope it continues to be the case
in Saline.
Neil Shah can be reached at
neilsh@umich.edu.
I
t’s no secret that Ann Arbor
is a bastion for pizza lovers.
Smaller places — like New
York Pizza Depot (NYPD) or Joe’s
Pizza — offer some great options for
paper-thin New York-style pizza,
while places like Pizza House and
Cottage Inn fulfill every other pizza
lover’s desire. Everyone has their
favorite place, memories of nights
with friends and delicious pizza
attached to each one. I was shocked
when I heard that my sacred pizza
place, South U Pizza, was being shut
down this past December.
I was waiting for my red-eye
flight back home for Christmas
when my boyfriend texted me the
bad news. My eyes welled up with
tears, not only due to the countless
memories I had made there but
for the loss of their buffalo chicken
pizza, which was lathered in a pool
of buffalo sauce and grease so thick
it soaked through their paper plates.
I mourned the death of the best pizza
I ever had.
It was only after the loss of this
great pizzeria that I realized how
nostalgic a pizza pie can be. Most
American childhoods are marked
by this universally beloved Italian
food, steaming on table tops at
birthday parties and sleepovers.
Even former President Barack
Obama isn’t immune to the greasy
goodness of a Little Ceasar’s Pizza,
albeit on a sterling silver plate
rather than a paper one.
It was way back in 2011 when
Obama made his way to Detroit,
a pizza mecca in its own right, for
a pizza party fundraiser. Hosted
by Denise Ilitch, the daughter of
Little Ceasar’s founders Mike and
Marion Ilitch, guests dished out
$10,000 for dinner and a photo
with the president. The cocktail
reception, and the chance to talk
to the president, set guests back
another $30,000. These numbers
are paltry compared to the
millions of dollars Ilitch, the local
philanthropist,
businesswoman
and
University
of
Michigan
Regent, spent to host it at her home
in Bingham Farms.
Obama
repaid
Ilitch’s
generosity in 2016, with an invite
not to a pizza party, but to his final
state dinner alongside celebrities
like Gwen Stefani, Rachel Ray,
Jerry Seinfeld and Chance the
Rapper. It was her third time in
the Obama White House after two
visits with her family’s Stanley
Cup-winning Detroit Red Wings.
While Ilitch’s political bona fides
and connections may seem hard to
beat, her position is hardly unique
among her fellow regents.
University
Regent
Mark
Bernstein (D) represents another
famous
Michigan
pedigree,
appearing on my television at least
three times during the Super Bowl
in his family’s famous Sam Bernstein
Law Firm commercials. University
Regents Paul Brown (D), Michael
Behm (D), Katherine White (D) and
Jordan Acker (D) are also prominent
Democratic lawyers with more
accolades and accomplishments to
count. But the political influence of
the University’s Board of Regents
isn’t limited to the Democratic party.
University Regent Ronald Weiser
(R), the sole Republican on the
board, served as ambassador to the
Slovak Republic under George W.
Bush and chairman of the Michigan
Republican Party from 2009-2011
and 2017-2019. In this position, he
oversaw the red wave that flipped
Michigan’s legislature and helped
them maintain their death grip on it
in the 2018 elections. After working
to raise $1 billion for President
Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign as
national finance chairman of the
RNC, he is now serving in the same
role for the re-election campaign
of Stephen King’s arch-nemesis,
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine. Even
Regent Shauna Ryder Diggs (D), a
Grosse Pointe dermatologist with
her own line of skin-care products,
holds great political power as
one of Michigan’s 17 Democratic
superdelegates.
Elected
by
millions
of
Michiganders to serve their eight-
year terms, the Board of Regents is
no ordinary school board. Besides
the power they hold as individuals,
regents manage the school’s roughly
$12 billion endowment, investing
in new programs, buildings and
the stock market. The school’s
Wall
Street
investments
have
proven controversial in the last few
years. Last year, the University’s
Central
Student
Government
passed a resolution to investigate
withdrawing
money
from
businesses that work with Israel,
citing their violations of international
law against Palestinians. The regents
denied it to maintain the strength
of the investment portfolio. This
isn’t the only time regents have
prioritized the wishes and futures of
donors over those of their students.
Written in chalk on buildings
and sidewalks around campus are
various mantras calling for the
regents to divest the more than $1
billion the University has invested
in gas and oil companies, reminders
of the Global Climate Strike this
past September. The University
and the Regents have ignored these
demands and had climate protesters
arrested at sit-ins, ensuring the
University maintains its spot near
the bottom of Big Ten schools when
it comes to reducing emissions. Their
staunch refusal has baffled teachers
and students who expect better from
what they thought was Michigan’s
most
elite
and
progressive
institution.
Long seen as a role model for the
state, the Regents’ refusal to act
sends a message that inaction on
this existential threat to humanity
is fine by them. Coming from a
group of people who have helped
elect presidents and countless
other government officials in
both major political parties, this
message is beyond worrisome
with implications reaching far
beyond Ann Arbor.
In an America where Citizens
United all but ensures elections go
to whoever has the biggest bank
account, the positive influence
of wealthy donors like Ilitch and
Weiser is going to be essential in
getting Michigan and the nation
back on track to keep our climate
liveable. If the Regents don’t vote
for this essential progress in their
official roles, then they are unlikely
to push other people, many who rely
on their financial support, to do the
same.
While the Regents recently
took a small step in the right
direction by voting down a $50
million investment in gas and
oil company Vendera Resources,
they still have a long way to go
before they prove themselves
to be leading us in the right
direction. With Earth’s climate
quickly
reaching
a
tipping
point, the Regents are shirking
their responsibilities to their
students
to
strengthen
the
money-making
machine
the
University has become. While
South U and their iconic buffalo
chicken pizza may be doomed,
our world doesn’t have to be.
S
tress is a commonality
that
underpins
the
experience of students.
Our lives are filled with a
multiplicity
of
influences,
whether we actively recognize
them or not. The most obvious
and
trendy-to-criticize
influence is social media. The
vast majority of students on
campus utilize some form of
social media, with YouTube,
Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter,
Facebook and Whatsapp being
some of the most popular
platforms for young people.
Our 24/7 access to social media
serves as a constant connection
to influences and an inherent
comparison to others.
But
the
pressure
goes
beyond
the
media.
“Flex
culture,” or the desire to show
off aspects of your identity
like your physique, belongings
or
social
connections,
is
apparent both on social media
and while crossing the Diag.
While
cultural
structures
add pressure to a student’s
role, this is only one factor of
high expectations. Mounting
assignments, essays and exams,
job and internship applications,
on-campus employment, degree
and
credit
requirements,
budgeting and student debt
are daily challenges many of
us face. There are explicit and
implicit expectations students
are pressured to meet; While
the
narrative
of
“leaders
and
best”
is
aspirational
and motivating, the looming
pressures of resume building
and
constant
productivity
almost certainly add anxiety to
student experiences.
Living in Ann Arbor poses
specific challenges as students
transition
from
on-campus
housing to living off-campus.
The housing market is lacking in
providing an adequate amount
of reasonably priced proper
living
spaces,
while
high-
rises multiply and the student
and
working
population
grow.
Renting
practices
are complicated by limited
space and a short time frame
of
contract
signing,
which
can
expose
vulnerabilities
landlords tend to exploit.
There is also a noticeable
lack of access to healthy food
close to Central Campus; While
you can get basic staples at
convenience stores, to get an
adequate amount of fresh fruit,
vegetables and protein, students
must travel far off-campus.
This task is straightforward
for students with cars or the
financial freedom to get their
groceries delivered to their
door, but those who don’t
have
those
resources
must
rely on public transportation.
The flaws in housing, access
to nutritious food and other
challenges stand in the way
of students relieving stress in
their daily lives.
Education burnout is an
experience shared by many
college
students
striving
for degrees. This manifests
when the stress of school and
time management becomes
unbearable, draining us of
any motivation to complete
daily
responsibilities,
at
times even bleeding into our
health and well-being. While
it may seem obvious, self-
care is crucial to avoid this.
Audre Lorde, an influential
activist and powerful orator,
said, “Caring for myself is
not
self-indulgence.
It
is
self-preservation, and that is
an act of political warfare.”
Focusing on personal well-
being is a challenge when
students are already dealing
with the stress of standards,
influences,
pressures
and
expectations.
Tales
of
downing
one’s
caffeinated
beverage
of
choice
and
pulling
all-nighters
before
exams
are
common.
The
caricature of undone laundry,
dirty
dishes
and
chaotic
living spaces are a reality for
many. Our well-being is often
put aside in order to prioritize
productivity — yet this very
act makes us less productive.
There are industries that
directly profit by advertising
to those who experience high
stress
without
pinpointing
the cause. Face masks and
essential oils can help the
symptoms,
but
we
must
address the disease itself.
This
commercialized
approach
to
self-care
is
certainly beneficial to some
but is impractical for students
who have little free time and
extra cash to spend. Because
of this quixotic presentation
of self-care in the media,
many do not take it seriously.
The luxury of taking time
out of packed schedules to
do menial tasks seems like
a joke. It is portrayed as an
expensive hobby rather than
a fundamental aspect of our
well-being — an unrealistic,
romanticized ideal that is
nonsensical to integrate into
our daily lives.
Educating ourselves on the
variety of forms of wellness
beyond eating healthy and
exercising shouldn’t be seen
as a luxury, but as a mandatory
element for our success. This
includes
practicing
good
hygiene for its positive effects
on mental health, developing
spirituality and maintaining
a clean living space. For those
who struggle with mental
illness, these tasks can be
daunting,
and
additional
resources
like
Counseling
and Psychological Services
(CAPS) may be helpful — it
has been beneficial for me.
Our success should not be
defined by how many hours we
study or how long our resumes
are. Instead, we must recognize
that self-care is fundamental
to not only maintain our well-
being and happiness but to
our academic and professional
pursuits as well. When we
invest in ourselves, we are
better able to be present and
productive
while
working.
Activist Maya Angelou said it
best: “My mission in life is not
merely to survive, but to thrive;
and to do so with some passion,
compassion, some humor and
some style.” Leaders and best,
it is time that we do not simply
survive
the
pressures
and
expectations of our lives. It is
time to thrive.
Opinion
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
4 — Tuesday, February 18, 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
NEIL SHAH | COLUMN
The role of the educator in light of Saline
RILEY DEHR | COLUMN
The Regents are taking your money and your future
Riley Dehr can be reached at
rdehr@umich.edu.
ELIZABETH COOK | COLUMN
Why you aren’t thriving
Elizabeth Cook can be reached at
elizcook@umich.edu.
Our well-being is
often put aside in
order to prioritize
productivity.
The Regents are
shirking their
responsibilities to
their students.
MADELYN VERVAECKE | CONTACT CARTOONIST AT MIVERVAE@UMICH.EDU