Opinion
It’s no secret that both the
administration and the students
made mistakes this semester.
We’ve recorded thousands of
cases of COVID-19, which resulted
in a countywide shutdown of
undergraduate activity. Now is
the time to prove we can do better.
The University needs to expand
housing to accommodate students
with special cases and make their
criteria to stay on campus more
widely known and accessible for
those not able to move home. The
University also needs to release
a clear and comprehensive plan
to actually implement effective
COVID-19 testing, which did
not happen this fall. Students
need to take this opportunity to
make responsible decisions going
forward.
The looming uncertainty of
housing security haunts freshmen,
causing them to seek off-campus
alternatives instead of re-applying
for residence halls where they
will also avoid mandatory testing
by the University. While the new
plan was implemented in hopes
of reducing off-campus social
gatherings — citing that there is
“little evidence” that on-campus
activities largely contribute to
the spread of the virus — it seems
that the new plan is doing just the
opposite.
Furthermore, the University’s
plan could encourage those who
have neglected social distancing
guidelines to push parties further
underground, while those who
have honored the University’s
policies are left in the dust.
And while the University is
allowing
select
students
to
return to campus housing if their
circumstances qualify them for
need-based on-campus housing
and they applied by Nov. 11, the
requirements appear muddy. The
qualifications
for
need-based
housing include students who are
taking a necessary in-person class,
who have financial needs, who
have wellness or safety concerns,
international
students
and
ResStaff. However, the University
neglects
to
precisely
define
“wellness or safety concerns,”
which could potentially exclude
students
with
mental
health
concerns if they aren’t prioritized.
In
addition,
the
closing
of
residence halls disproportionately
affects marginalized students who
don’t have the privilege of signing
a lease with five days of notice,
as well as students who cannot
afford to take a gap year or gap
semester due to financial aid that
requires them to enroll as a full-
time student.
The University is scapegoating
freshmen
as
the
culprits
of
the
“unacceptable”
levels
of
COVID-19 cases this fall rather
than admitting to their own
wrongdoings. As predicted by the
graduate student employees in the
beginning of this semester, the
University’s plan for the fall was
insufficient to prevent the spread
of COVID-19 and strict changes
are necessary. While students
do have agency of their own, by
relying on students to socially
distance on a campus designed
to
promote
socialization,
the
University is at fault for the rise
in cases we have experienced this
semester. Earlier, the Graduate
Employees’ Organization strike
campaigned for the Division of
Public Safety and Security funds to
be relocated to the implementation
of COVID-19 protections and for
mandatory testing. Instead of
blaming freshmen, the University
should have listened more to the
demands of the GEO strike, or at
least have credited them in the
plan for the winter semester.
The University’s announcement
for
the
upcoming
semester
contains plans for more robust
testing,
including
testing
all
on-campus
residents
and
attendees of in-person classes or
research. However, the breakage
of all residence hall leases that
has pushed on-campus students
to scramble for sublets and winter
leases decreases the number of
students the University would
be
responsible
for
testing.
While the increased availability
of
asymptomatic
testing
will
increase overall testing, students
off-campus are unlikely to make
the effort to get tested often
without enforcement, especially as
the weather becomes colder. Many
other universities across the nation
have managed to increase testing
numbers
through
penalizing
students for not getting tested or
even offering prizes and rewards
for getting tested. The University
should
consider
implementing
similar systems to encourage more
widespread testing.
The
University
witnessed
a spike in third-party testing
this semester. Many students
have voiced concerns over being
forced into the infamous isolation
housing and difficulties in getting
tested through the University
Health Service. The winter 2021
testing
plan
does
guarantee
“weekly
asymptomatic
testing
available for all students … who
are not otherwise covered by a
mandatory program.” For this
policy to be effective, however,
the University must make it easy
for students to sign up for testing,
offer different testing locations
for accessibility to off-campus
students
and
encourage
all
students to get tested routinely.
The success of the University’s
plan
to
control
COVID-19
during the winter 2021 semester
cannot rely upon administrative
efforts alone. We, as students,
must be willing to follow public
health
guidelines,
including
the
sacrifices
that
entails.
While many students have been
staying
socially
distanced,
a
large portion of undergraduates
have continued to engage in
unsafe activities. Fraternity &
Sorority Life members continue
to host and attend large indoor
gatherings and hold in-person
recruitment events. As a result,
FSL has experienced COVID-19
outbreaks. Students also continue
to gather in large numbers in and
around bars and restaurants near
campus, including the Brown
Jug, which became a COVID-19
hotspot earlier this semester. And
as Michigan football began its
delayed season, the “Overheard
at umich” Facebook page featured
several images documenting large
and unmasked tailgate events.
While the University has failed us
with an insufficient plan for fall
semester, we have also failed each
other.
Many students have expressed
frustration that administration
is
shifting
blame
onto
uncooperative
undergraduates,
but we need to stop giving them
this option in the first place.
Though
administration
bears
the ultimate responsibility, we
should engage on an individual
level — the same way many
environmental
activists
view
individual climate action. Just as
no one person can stop climate
change, no one student can
control the COVID-19 pandemic.
But the combination of individual
efforts sends a collective message
to the University that we are
willing to make sacrifices and
concessions for our community,
and we expect nothing less from
them. Finally, we need to hold
one another accountable with
student-led initiatives, similar
to the “F*ck It Won’t Cut It”
campaign spearheaded by Boston
University
undergraduates.
Wolverines should collectively
encourage one another to stay
COVID-conscious this winter —
and should productively call one
another out when we don’t.
The winter 2021 plan presents
significant changes to life at the
University next semester. In
many ways, this plan has been the
one the community demanded
for fall — limited on-campus
housing, widespread testing and
courses held remotely whenever
possible. But transitioning to this
plan in the middle of the school
year will cause disruption for
many students. Moreover, the
fumbling of the fall semester
by administration has created
skepticism toward the University’s
ability to pull off the revamped
winter plan. Ultimately, next
semester will be an exercise in
trust-building for students, both
with administration and with
each other. Will the University
prioritize students over profits to
keep us safe? Will they take full
responsibility for their missteps
rather than shifting blame onto
students?
And
will
students
be willing to make personal
sacrifices to demonstrate that
they take this crisis seriously?
The failures of this fall have sown
animosity and distrust within
our community. The winter plan
may be the first step toward
improvement — but it could also
make things even worse.
I
imagine that for the political
aspirant, there’s a great deal
to learn from this election
regarding
campaign
strategy,
polling accuracy, voting patterns
and a myriad of other facets of
electoral politics. As ever with
an eye for history, I ignored
this and went back to watch
Sen. John McCain’s, R-Ariz.,
concession speech from 2008.
It demonstrated with startling
clarity and eloquence the aspect
of today’s politics I find most
despairing: The bygone virtues
of mutual respect and agreement.
While a concession speech may
seem entirely antithetical to
compromise, insofar as only
one candidate wins the race,
McCain’s
speech
conveys
the
fundamental
essence
of
compromise.
The very notion of compromise
necessitates
concession,
as
coincidental as that wording may
be. But to reach an agreement
in which both parties believe
they’ve gained or lost does not
demand a weak will or loosely
held convictions. In fact, it’s
the opposite. Compromise is
never easy, and surely not for
those so stubborn to the point
of absolute immobility. Change
is incremental and cooperative;
such is the nature of our county,
of our government and of people.
Thankfully, we live in a system
that doesn’t enforce a universal
belief set. We are free to pursue,
maintain and change our own
convictions however we see fit.
This invites discord and the idea
of opposition, but disagreement
should not premise a refusal to
compromise. In his concession,
Sen. McCain said just that:
“Sen. Obama and I have had and
argued our differences, and he
has prevailed.”
He also said, “I urge all
Americans
who
supported
me to join me in not just
congratulating him, but offering
our next president our goodwill
and earnest effort to find ways
to come together, to find the
necessary
compromises,
to
bridge
our
differences
and
help restore our prosperity.”
As foreign as his words may
sound today, they serve only as
conclusions, not solutions, to the
question of compromise. So, what
then is this fundamental essence
of compromise?
It’s mutual respect for the
person on the other end of the
table, and it’s an appreciation
for
a
collective
association
greater than any political party.
Critically, such respect does
not exist without integrity and
decency.
Reading and listening to Sen.
McCain’s speech, it is remarkable
the degree to which his character
shines. In commenting on his life
as a public servant, McCain said,
“I would not be an American
worthy of the name, should I
regret a fate that has allowed
me the extraordinary privilege
of serving this country for a half
a century.” Suchis reverence for
his work makes clear that his
words on compromise were said
wholeheartedly.
In
congratulating
his
opponent, he said, “A little while
ago, I had the honor of calling Sen.
Barack Obama — to congratulate
him on being elected the next
president of the country that
we both love.” When the crowd
in Arizona began to boo after
hearing Obama’s name, McCain
held out his hands, imploring his
supporters to refrain. Later, he
said, “I hold in my heart nothing
but love for this country and for
all its citizens, whether they
supported me or Sen. Obama, I
wish Godspeed to the man who
was my former opponent and will
be my president.”
All of this brings me to
where we stand today. In the 12
years since McCain’s speech,
we seem to have forgotten
how to compromise. Divided
government
has
become
a
byword for stagnation when,
instead,
it
should
foster
compromise.
Speaker
of
the
House Nancy Pelosi refused to
move on stimulus negotiations
this
past
October,
leaving
talks at a complete impasse.
In
2016,
regarding
Judge
Merrick
Garland’s
Supreme
Court nomination, Sen. Mitch
McConnell, R-Ky., said, “One
of my proudest moments was
when I looked Barack Obama in
the eye and said, ‘Mr. President,
you will not fill the Supreme
Court vacancy.’” McConnell’s
statement
is
far
beyond
a
refusal
to
compromise,
and
calling it indecent is a dramatic
understatement.
President Trump has yet to
formally concede and give a
concession speech. He instead
took to Twitter, commenting,
“this election is far from over.”
When — or if — he gives a
concession speech, I can only
imagine how it might differ from
any such congratulatory speech
we’ve seen before. Joe Biden
has run a campaign centered
on unity and spoke further
about those ideals in his victory
speech
this
past
Saturday
evening. I hope his drive to unify
and heal American divisiveness
is genuine, such that we may
rekindle the respect, integrity
and decency for one another I
fear we’ve lost.
Compromise, as it exists in
the legislative process and in the
structure of our government,
serves as a check on the
majority and ensures the beliefs
of the minority are heard. At the
Constitutional Convention in
1787, Benjamin Franklin spoke
truths equally of woodworking
as of compromise: “When a
broad table is to be made, and
the edges of planks do not fit,
the artist takes a little from
both, and makes a good joint.”
As
a
nation
and
as
individuals, we are the sum
of innumerable influences. In
the same way, two halves of an
arch cannot stand without its
keystone. A citizenry of split
ideas cannot stand without
embracing compromise and the
respect, civility and decency it so
commands.
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
BRITTANY BOWMAN AND
EMILY CONSIDINE
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
DAVID LISBONNE | COLUMN
On compromise
Ray Ajemian
Zack Blumberg
Brittany Bowman
Emily Considine
Elizabeth Cook
Brandon Cowit
Jess D’Agostino
Jenny Gurung
Krystal Hur
Min Soo Kim
Lizzy Peppercorn
Zoe Phillips
Mary Rolfes
Gabrijela Skoko
Joel Weiner
Erin White
Wednesday, November 18, 2020 — 8
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
LYDIA STORELLA | COLUMN
Joe Biden won, but America lost
David Lisbonne can be reached at
lisbonne@umich.edu.
T
he
last
American
president
to
lose
a
reelection
campaign
was President George H.W.
Bush in 1992. On election
night, Bush conceded to then-
Governor Bill Clinton and
gave a speech thanking his
supporters and wishing the
future president well in the
White House. Bush spoke of
ensuring a smooth transition
of power and asked Americans
to “stand behind our new
president regardless of our
differences.”
The American people have
not yet heard such a speech
from President Donald Trump,
and it is unlikely that we ever
will. Instead, the president of
the United States has recklessly
tweeted,
retweeted
and
spoken of baseless accusations
of voter fraud and claims to
have won the election. While
many individuals may likely
understand that there is no
evidence to back up these
false accusations, it remains
true that a large portion of
the country believes Trump
when he says that he won the
election.
Though Joe Biden has won
the requisite 270 electoral
votes to declare victory and
will become the president
on Jan. 20, 2021, it is unclear
how many Trump supporters
will view Biden as a legitimate
president.
Some
of
these
supporters
are
high-profile
elected officials, who have not
only refused to congratulate
President-elect
Biden,
but
also repeat Trump’s rhetoric
about the illegitimacy of this
election. Sen. Lindsey Graham,
R-S.C., and Sen. Ted Cruz,
R-Texas, have both appeared
on Fox News since Biden was
announced the winner to call
into question the legitimacy
of the election and to argue
that Trump still has a path to
reelection.
It is bad enough that so
many
people
believe
that
Biden stole this election from
Trump, but even worse is
that people such as Graham
and Cruz, two well-known
senators, are allowing people
to continue believing it. Belief
in the electoral system is key
to American democracy, and
two senators are participating
in accusations that reject that
belief with no evidence.
Regardless
of
what
you
might think of Biden or Trump
and who you think should be
the president, it has become
clear that America lost this
election.
Regardless
of
partisanship and who would
perform better as president,
when a candidate announces
he won when he didn’t and
accuses states of voter fraud
with no evidence, and people
believe him, that country’s
democracy
is
in
trouble.
American democracy is in
trouble.
We
shouldn’t
really
be
surprised
that
Trump
has
refused to concede. He’s said
repeatedly that he wouldn’t
necessarily accept the results
of the election if he lost, and
he’s said in the past that he
might try to run for a third
term in 2024. On the other
hand, it’s almost surprising
that prominent Republicans,
including
former
president
George W. Bush and Sen.
Mitt
Romney,
R-Utah,
have come out against this
rhetoric
and
congratulated
Biden, considering that many
Republicans have spent much
of the last four years only
condemning
the
president
when absolutely necessary.
But elections only work if
everyone involved respects the
outcome. If everyone who lost
an election claimed they won,
people would have no faith
in the electoral system and
would not trust any election.
As Americans, we should be
appalled and concerned that
our
president,
along
with
the many who support him,
refuse to participate in a
peaceful transition of power
and instead deny this pillar of
American democracy.
I am worried about the
future of America. As the
country
becomes
more
entrenched in our political
dichotomy and aggressively
stereotypes
people
on
either side of the political
spectrum, it becomes more
likely that our democracy
will be in trouble. As long as
there continue to be political
figures who encourage this
type of thinking and cast
doubt about the integrity of
our elections, we will remain
on a dangerous path both in
terms of our democracy and
in terms of what it means to
be an American.
A
Biden
presidency
could help to heal some of
the damage that has been
done to the U.S. due to rifts
between identities like race,
gender,
geography
and
political affiliation. But if the
Republicans who refuse to
condemn Trump’s efforts to
remain in power continue to
do so, the healing of our nation
will be an extremely difficult
job, if not an impossible one.
If
the
Democratic
Party
continues
to
ignore
the
thoughts of the white working
class, especially those in rural
America, people will continue
to want what Trump brought
to the White House in our
government.
You can either celebrate
or mourn the end of the
Trump presidency. But you
must accept the results of
this election and all other
elections if you want the U.S.
to continue to be a functioning
democracy.
Lydia Storella can be reached at
storella@umich.edu.
FROM THE DAILY
Skepticism for winter 2021
O
n Nov. 6, the University of Michigan announced a plan for the winter
semester that included major changes to on-campus housing, class
formats and testing protocols and accessibility. Most notably, the
University will be converting on-campus housing into single-occupancy
units, with undergraduates required to provide a reason to stay in one.
Additionally, COVID-19 testing will be made mandatory for all students
living in on-campus housing or participating in on-campus activities, and
an even larger proportion of classes will be moved online than were during
the fall semester. Upon releasing the plan, University President Mark
Schlissel stated, “The changes we’ve made for winter semester reflect
what we’ve learned and what we must do to keep our community safe.”
Elections only
work if everyone
involved
respects the
outcome.