D
rinking,
Greek
life
and one-night stands
— when you think of
college social life, these are
probably the first things to
come to mind. What you might
not think about is how these
quintessential undergraduate
experiences work to exclude
minority students. The fact
is
that
college
campuses
create an environment that
is inherently unhealthy for
LGBTQ+ students.
It’s
no
secret
college
students drink — a lot. Four
out of five students consume
alcohol, and about half binge
drink. With such a presence,
it
is
difficult
for
at-risk
students to avoid developing
a
dependency
on
alcohol.
Many groups of people are at
increased risk, of course, but
perhaps the most predisposed
group
is
the
LGBTQ+
community. An estimated 25
percent of LGBTQ+ people
suffer
from
alcoholism,
compared to 5 to 10 percent of
the general population. While
it’s no secret minorities are
at higher risk for substance
abuse, queer people have a
unique social position that
makes it harder for us to
both avoid alcohol in the
first place and to get treated
for alcoholism after the fact.
Before the mainstream gay
rights movement, gay bars
were the only place LGBTQ+
people could meet and be
themselves, and to this day
they
are
practically
the
only
social
establishments
catering specifically to queer
folks. Alcohol is central to
the community’s social life.
After dependency forms, it is
harder for LGBTQ+ people to
get help for their addictions
as
many
lack
supportive
families.
Furthermore,
faith-based rehab programs
are
hardly
a
welcoming
environment, whether they
scare people away by their
religious nature inherently or
prevent LGBTQ+ attendance
outright.
It is also nothing new that
colleges have a problem with
sexual misconduct. Anyone
can be the victim of sexual
assault
and
harassment,
though we often see women as
being most affected. However,
this is another issue that
profoundly impacts LGBTQ+
people, not just heterosexual
women.
Three
in
four
LGBTQ+
college
students
reported experiencing sexual
harassment, and trans and
genderqueer
students
had
the highest rates of rape
(it is worth noting that one
of the campuses surveyed
for this data was Michigan
State
University,
just
an
hour away from us). While
this victimization is a result
of bigotry not exclusive to
campus life, colleges have
become a vessel for this
sexual mistreatment. Even
consensual sexual behavior
on campus is often harmful
to
LGBTQ+
students;
college hookup culture is
incredibly
heteronormative
and reliant on gender roles,
making it difficult for people
to
participate
without
replicating
these
roles
in
what is essentially a form
of censorship of queerness
mandated by college society.
Greek life is perhaps the
epitome of gender conformity
on
campus.
Fraternities
enforce
hypermasculinity
upon
their
members,
creating
an
environment
of, among other unsavory
elements, misogyny, sexual
assault,
alcohol
abuse
and homophobia. Each of
these facts either directly
victimizes
queer
people,
through
aspects
like
misogyny and homophobia,
or indirectly targets them
because of disproportionate
risks
they
face,
such
as
through sexual assault or
alcohol
abuse.
Sororities,
while
less
notorious,
are
fundamentally
linked
to
their male counterparts in
upholding this standard by
promoting hyper-femininity
and
placing
it
opposite
masculinity.
Both
sides
of the Greek life coin are
predisposed to discriminate
against
gender
non-
conforming people, whether
gay, trans or simply presenting
in a non-conforming manner.
Once again, LGBTQ+ people
are
both
implicitly
and
explicitly kept out of these
institutions:
implicitly
by
knowing that Greek life has
no space for non-conforming
individuals, and explicitly by
nondiscrimination
policies
that ignore or ban gay and
trans people.
All of this adds up to a hostile
environment
for
LGBTQ+
people, and it has tangible
effects
on
our
education.
One-fifth of all anti-LGBTQ+
harassment
and
violence
occurs on college campuses,
and
the
fear
of
physical
safety this violence creates
often leads to absenteeism,
falling grades and increased
chances of dropping out. In
one survey, 33 percent of
LGB and 38 percent of trans
students seriously considered
leaving their college because
of how poor the campus
climate was. LGBTQ+ high
school students are less likely
to intend to go to college the
more harassment they face.
As of 2015, the odds of a
queer woman completing her
bachelor’s degree were only
one in four (the odds were
double that for queer men,
however). LGBTQ+ centers
and inclusion orientations can
only do so much for us when
campus society is built in a
way that inherently others
LGBTQ+ students. Though it
will be hard to dismantle such
baked-in biases, I believe it is
worth it, as success in college
will pose us for success in
making LGBTQ+ lives safer in
the rest of the world.
I
n
1848,
Karl
Marx
—
influential German political
theorist — published the
Communist
Manifesto
with
co-author
Friedrich
Engels
in the face of groundbreaking
class struggle. The Manifesto,
which outlined the system of
communism in order to save
the growing and increasingly
impoverished
working
class,
sought to close the dramatic gap
between everyday proletarians
and the exploitative bourgeoisie
and make society work for all.
Almost two centuries later,
Democratic
presidential
candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders,
I-Vt.,
a
self-proclaimed
“democratic socialist,” is quickly
building a revolution resting on
those same principles. In a once-
crowded field of candidates that
has
considerably
narrowed,
Sanders has emerged as the
front-runner for the nomination,
drawing considerable support
from young people across the
country who want a “tax on
extreme wealth,” a Green New
Deal, Medicare for All, student
loan debt forgiveness and more.
Places like Ann Arbor with
large
student
populations
are ground zero for Sanders
supporters. Young Democrats
adore this political movement
and might just propel the senator
to
become
the
Democratic
standard-bearer.
But there’s something really
concerning
happening
with
those who are “feeling the Bern.”
Sanders
supporters
across
this country might be strong
in numbers and proud to cast
their vote for the democratic
socialist, but a politician with
such radical ideas shouldn’t be
polling at even half of where he
stands right now.
After spending months on
one of the most politically active
college campuses in the country,
it’s become clear that Sanders’s rise
to prominence is being fueled
by young people’s growing
disconnect to the true reality of
American life. Millennials and
Gen Zers desperately need to
stop feeling the Bern and take
the time to understand what
has made America — a place
where
anybody
can
work
their way up to success — the
most respected country in the
world.
Although Sanders and his
supporters are determined to
unite “around an agenda that
works for all of us, and not
just the billionaire class,” as
the senator said at the recent
Nevada Democratic debate, the
problem is that the Sanders
revolution
is
completely
missing the point. America is
already prospering, and not
just for the billionaire class.
People of all walks of life are
thriving, whether Sanders’s
most
passionate
supporters
want to recognize that fact or
not.
While
Marx’s
Manifesto
resonated in a time when
the
proletariat
faced
unprecedented struggles, the
Sanders movement really has
no struggles to talk about,
other
than
ones
that
are
ultimately baseless. A recent
Gallup poll released in the
midst of Sanders’s surprising
ascent found that 89 percent of
Republicans feel they’re better
off than they were three years
ago. When aggregated with 29
percent of Democrats, that’s 60
percent of all Americans that
feel they’re better off now. And
this isn’t all. Gallup mentioned
in another poll that 63 percent
of Americans consider our
economy
to
be
“excellent”
or “good,” while the pollster
also indicated that 61 percent
say the American economy is
improving.
Do
these
figures
seem
to indicate a system where
everybody but the billionaire
class is suffering, as Sanders
tells us? I don’t think so. In
fact,
ordinary
people
are
going to work in near-record
numbers and our economy is
expanding at full speed. And
this expansion has nothing to
do with a stock market that has
repeatedly hit record highs.
It’s all about the major strides
that everyday Americans are
making all of the time.
Last September, the Bureau
of Labor Statistics found that
the unemployment rate of 3.5
percent was at its lowest point
since 1969 — 50 years ago at the
time of the report. The Bureau
recorded the rate to be close
by, at 3.6 percent, as of early
February.
Beyond
this,
figures
reveal that the working class
in
particular
(especially
historically
disadvantaged
groups) has prospered beyond
belief over the past decade.
Since 2009, according to the
Bureau, the bottom 10 percent
of Americans have seen their
earnings grow by almost 5
percent, compared to only 3
percent for the top tenth. By this
measure, our country is actually
seeing a decrease in inequality,
simply as a result of market
forces. Earnings growth for
workers has also outpaced
that of managers over the
same period, while the same
trend holds for people who
don’t hold bachelor’s degrees
compared to those who hold
bachelor’s degrees or higher.
The truth, as harsh as
it may be for those who are
feeling the Bern, is that our
nation is indisputably working
not just for billionaires — it’s
working for every American
that has the will and ambition
to carve out a successful life.
Young people need to take
the time to realize as soon
as possible that a Sanders
presidency would wreak havoc
on everything that has made
our country great already.
While
Sanders
has
won
some of the early battles, the
war is far from over, with the
critical Super Tuesday contests
still
looming
ahead.
Many
Americans
have
convinced
themselves
that
Sanders
has a clear path toward the
nomination and is essentially
unstoppable, but at a time
when America is doing better
than ever, I have hope that a
candidate who truly supports
the core values of this nation
will prevail.
The
Democratic
primary
comes to Michigan on Tuesday,
March 10. On that day, when
millions across the country will
be casting their ballots, I urge
every voter to reject an agenda
of democratic socialism that
would completely reverse the
progress millions of ordinary
Americans are enjoying. In
the end, Democrats have an
uncompromising
obligation
to nominate a candidate that
will build on, not dismantle,
the profound success that has
defined the United States.
Opinion
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
4 — Friday, February 28, 2020
Alanna Berger
Zack Blumberg
Brittany Bowman
Emily Considine
Cheryn Hong
Krystal Hur
Ethan Kessler
Zoe Phillips
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
EVAN STERN | COLUMN
Why young Sanders supporters should stop “feeling the Bern”
VARNA KODOTH | COLUMN
How to make a large lecture hall accessible
Campus social life through queer eyes
RAY AJEMIAN | COLUMN
Ray Ajemian can be reached at
rajemian@umich.edu.
A
s students at a huge public
university, it’s easy to go
through all four years
at the University of
Michigan
unnoticed
by
professors.
It’s
possible to just attend
the lecture, submit your
assignments on Canvas,
show up to exams
and slide by without
forming
connections
with University staff
and faculty.
For
me,
one
of
the
most
difficult
transitions from high school to
college was adapting to giant
lecture halls. Introductory level
courses in 1800 CHEM (the largest
lecture hall in the Chemistry
Building) filled with over 300
students are a major change as
my largest class in high school
contained a maximum of 25
students. In terms of learning, it
didn’t impact me negatively; I’ve
enjoyed the lecture slides format.
But I faced the most trouble when
it came to asking questions. In
particular,
women
in
large
STEM courses and majors often
discuss how difficult it is to feel
comfortable asking questions. This
includes questions related to either
course content or general inquiry
about professional development.
It’s particularly intimidating to
approach
your
distinguished
professor and ask them questions
about their career path, your
trajectory and advice on entering a
field in front of 300 students.
This is why office hours exist, to
answer all questions ranging from
course content to getting to know
your professor on a professional
level. However, most students
tend to attend office hours the
week before the exam, which is
typically an opportunity to ask
questions related to the upcoming
exam. Then, assuming the office
hours experience is useful for
exam material, the typical student
doesn’t visit the professor until
the next office hours opportunity
immediately before the next exam.
“Students don’t come to office
hours because they don’t think
they are worthy of
the professor’s time,
or they have attended
an office hour and the
faculty member was
not very welcoming,”
says
Katherine
Merseth,
a
senior
lecturer at Harvard.
It’s understandable
that
amid
all
the
extracurricular
activities,
a
full
semester course load, job hours
and other time commitments,
it seems near impossible to add
attending office hours to the “to-
do list.” However, to be able to
find a mentor who you identify
with, whether it be in terms of
social identities, passions, life
experiences or career interests,
truly adds to the undergraduate
experience. While professors and
faculty members are just as busy
as they appear to be with research
and side projects, they chose to
work at an academic institution
like the University of Michigan
because they look forward to
interacting with the University’s
high-achieving student population.
Therefore, it’s essential to the
University student experience to
attend weekly office hours and
engage with professors beyond the
classroom to foster connections
that support your professional and
personal development.
From
the
professor’s
end,
professors should work to be
more approachable and to create
an atmosphere that encourages
students to attend office hours or
make one-on-one appointments
with their professors to talk about
their research interests or side
project ideas. Currently, office hours
take the form of a Q&A session. To
add a more conversational tone
to the office hours experience,
connect course material to real-
world applications in the field. In
doing so, the office hour session
transforms from a formal Q&A
session into an open discussion on
ways in which the material is useful
to students pursuing careers related
to the course or major. Additionally,
today, office hours often take place
in the confinements of the four
white walls of the professor’s office.
What scares students away from
attending office hours are the tall
bookcases and sitting before an
accomplished professor with their
large desk looming over the room.
This is precisely what makes an
online interface like Piazza seem
like a more approachable forum
for “dumb” or “basic” questions. In
previous courses in which office
hours appeared more accessible to
me, professors booked conference
rooms or neutral spaces like a table
in the open common area to make
students feel more comfortable with
approaching the professor with any
question. While professors often
mention that students are welcome
to stop by and say hello on the
syllabus day of the lecture, it may be
helpful to consistently mention that
it is more than OK to attend office
hours just to say hello and introduce
yourself.
As students at the University,
we’re privileged with so many
resources accessible to us, and
professors are one of them. The
breadth of specialized knowledge
each U-M faculty member holds is
accompanied by life experiences
and on-the-job learned skills. This
is the benefit of human-to-human
interactions: There’s a level of
personal touch that an encyclopedia,
YouTube video and Google search
cannot provide. Professors are
bursting with so much “insider”
material to share, so find time in
your four years to prioritize finding
mentors and networking with
experts in your field of interest.
At the end of the day, these very
same professors and faculty were
also students trying to navigate the
undergraduate experience.
Varna Kodoth can be reached at
vkodoth@umich.edu.
Evan Stern can be reached at
erstern@umich.edu.
VARNA
KODOTH
CASEY RHEAULT | CONTACT CARTOONIST AT CRHEAULT@UMICH.EDU
Greek life is
perhaps the
epitome of gender
conformity on
campus.
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