7-Opinion
S
ince our formation three
years ago, the One University
Coalition (1U) has called upon
University President Mark Schlissel
and the Board of Regents to provide
the funds necessary to give University
of Michigan – Flint and Dearborn
campuses more of the opportunities
already available on the Ann Arbor
campus. As we see it, we have one
University President and one Board
of Regents; we are one university, and
we should share resources so that
all of our students — regardless of
campus — can thrive.
The
current
budget
model
relegates the Flint and Dearborn
campuses to a state of permanent
austerity, constantly subject to cuts
in programs, incapable of offering
fair wages and offering only about a
quarter of the support spending per
student found in Ann Arbor. These
disparities are unjust. The current
budget model is also unsustainable:
If we extrapolate the experience of
recent years, the College of Arts &
Sciences in Flint will be thoroughly
hollowed out in a decade. The
current model must change if we
are committed to strong Flint and
Dearborn campuses.
From the start of our campaign,
we have faced intense resistance from
Schlissel and his administration.
In June 2020, after two years of
organizing, the president and the
regents finally agreed to transfer
an extra $10 million to each of the
Flint and Dearborn campuses, but it
took a majority of the regents voting
down Schlissel’s proposed budget to
make that happen. Since his budget
passed, the president insisted that
the extra $20 million for Flint and
Dearborn would be a one-shot deal, to
be spread out over three years, rather
than be renewed the following year,
as the regents favoring the transfers
intended.
This summer the 1U campaign
won two more victories. First, the
Go Blue Guarantee (GBG) — which
waives tuition for students from
families with an income of less than
$65,000 — was extended from Ann
Arbor, where it was adopted in 2018,
to Flint and Dearborn. However,
while finally bowing to community
pressure and regental authority,
the
president
truncated
the
transformative potential of the new
policy by introducing a minimum
GPA eligibility requirement. There
is no such requirement in the Ann
Arbor version of the GBG, and it
could halve the number of eligible
UM-Flint
and
UM-Dearborn
students.
Our second victory came when
the student governments of all three
campuses came together in the Fund
Our Future rally to announce their
common demand that U-M commits
$10 million per year to the Flint and
Dearborn campuses for at least five
years.
Lecturers’
Employee
Organization, the union representing
lecturers
(i.e.,
nontenure-track
faculty) on U-M’s three campuses,
was already on the same page. When
lecturers began negotiating a new
collective bargaining agreement in
January 2021, a core demand was
that $15 million be transferred to
Flint and $15 million to Dearborn,
from funds controlled by the central
(i.e., university-wide) administration,
for each of the three years of the
collective bargaining agreement.
LEO members attached high
priority to this demand for two
reasons: They are committed to
fair salaries for their Flint and
Dearborn members without raising
student tuition or provoking cuts in
programming and they want to help
dismantle the institutional racism
and classism embodied in the current
budget model.
Commissioned by LEO, research
by university budget expert Professor
Howard Bunsis of Eastern Michigan
University shows that the central
administration could easily provide
this level of increased support for
Flint and Dearborn, notwithstanding
the challenges of COVID-19. The
$30 million per year (for the two
campuses combined) is 1.3% of the
Ann Arbor General Fund budget
for 2021-22, but would be a 12.8%
increase in U-M Flint’s General Fund
budget, and a 9.7% increase in U-M
Dearborn’s.
Nevertheless,
the
president
continues to publicly say no to such
a change in the budget model. No to
the student governments and no to
LEO. Every time LEO presented its
demand for $30 million for the two
campuses at the bargaining table,
the administration bargaining team
crossed it out. LEO has made it clear
that the change does not need to be
included in the collective bargaining
agreement, so long as it happens, but
Schlissel seems uninterested in either
approach.
Why is the president who was
proud to allocate $85 million to
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion goals
on the Ann Arbor campus so opposed
to applying DEI principles and money
across the three campuses of U-M?
We’re not sure, but the current budget
model needs to change to align with
our DEI values.
I
t’s another average Monday
evening and I’m seriously
hungry. Without fail, I enter
a debate: Should I eat out, cook rice
or ramen (yes, those two meals are
the peak of my dorm cooking) or eat
in the dining hall? Most nights, the
dining hall wins, mostly because it
feels free, and I can eat as much as
I want. Tonight, however, nothing
on the menu looks appetizing. I
muddle over whether to get lamb
marsala, beef stir fry or the classic
pizza or burger.
My gut reaction is to skip the
dining hall and venture down
South University Avenue or State
Street in search of safe, dependable
take-out. Convincing myself this is
the right idea, I gather my things
and prepare to leave my room. But
wait. Something stops me. I didn’t
come to the University of Michigan
to operate within my comfort zone,
including its culinary element. I
came here to try something new.
A few days later, I am strolling
through the Michigan Union,
traveling back to my dorm for my
3 p.m. political science class on
Zoom. Suddenly, the study lounge
— which bears a slight resemblance
to the esteemed law library, in
my opinion — catches my eye.
Intuitively, I want to keep walking
and plop down in the black leather
chair that awaits me in my dorm,
but I can’t help but feel that the
moment is yet another opportunity
waiting to be seized. I meander
through the desks, the old wood
creaking beneath me, take a seat by
the fireplace and open my laptop.
In my short time as a student on
campus, I have made it a priority
to challenge my comfort zone.
Perhaps eating two plates of beef
stir fry and taking a class in the
Union is not the best definition
of “spontaneous and exciting,”
but for me, it is. The meal was
delicious, and the hour spent in a
Hogwartsian lounge will lead me
to come back more often. Yet, I’d
have never known about either of
them if I hadn’t ventured beyond
what is secure.
As humans, we like what
we
are
accustomed
to.
The
mere-exposure effect, as first
developed by psychologist Robert
Zajonc, states that “individuals
show an increased preference
(or liking) for a stimulus as a
consequence of repeated exposure
to that stimulus.” Additionally,
we are guided by our brain’s dual-
processing systems. System 1 is
our “brain’s fast, automatic and
intuitive approach” to situations.
System 2, comparatively, is the
mind’s “slower, analytical mode
where reason dominates.”
In
taking
these
scientific
observations together, it is no
surprise that we prefer options that
we are familiar with. Yet, aren’t
we ever curious about that Greek
restaurant we haven’t tried? The
abstract red sculpture outside the
UMMA? A class about something
we have zero prior knowledge
about?
To
some
students,
these
decisions
are
nothing
special
and, frankly, while it may be
understandable,
it
is
equally
disappointing. In underutilizing
the resources available to us, we are
failing ourselves. We are students
at a university offering a plethora
of diverse opportunities, both in
and out of the classroom. Not to
mention the varied combinations
of foods, study spaces and shopping
that we often take for granted. Even
the weather has variety. Parking
too — much to the displeasure of
campus visitors — has its variety.
Quite simply, I’m baffled by
the number of students who are
stuck in a routine, let alone the
same routine. Yes, predictability
is good, but too much of it can
be a detriment to our mental
health.
Winston-Salem
State
University
psychologist
Rich
Walker found that people who
“engage in a variety of experiences
are more likely to retain positive
emotions and minimize negative
(emotions) than those who have
fewer experiences.” Additionally,
cognitive
psychologist
Gary
Marcus notes that a greater sense
of personal growth and purpose is
associated with living life to one’s
fullest (eudaimonia).
As we enter the midst of club
recruitment season, I challenge you
to find an organization that sparks
your curiosity — even if it’s not the
exact resume-booster you seek. It
is easy, especially as a freshman,
to come here and fall prey to the
exact same experiences you had
in high school. One of my friends
from home is rushing a fraternity,
simply because he doesn’t know
what else is out there. Students,
don’t do that! Educate yourself,
then seek out and participate in
student organizations that provide
internal satisfaction, not external
validation.
Perhaps I’m waxing poetic or
sappy, but I’ve always believed
that diversifying our experiences
is what college is all about. There’s
a whole world out there, and we
only have so much time to live. We
need to talk to that person sitting
by themselves, go to a place that
we ordinarily wouldn’t and try our
best to shake things up at every
juncture along the way. Otherwise,
how will we truly know what we
enjoy? Now, pardon me, but I need
to get in line for more beef stir fry.
I
n
early
August,
Apple
announced some new child
safety
features,
slated
to
arrive in the upcoming updates to
iOS, macOS and iPadOS. The first
change is that the Messages app
warns minors (and their parents) of
sexually explicit images and gives
parents the option to be alerted if a
child views or sends such an image.
The second involves Siri and Search
being tweaked to intervene when
someone makes queries related
to Child Sexual Abuse Material
(CSAM) . The last, and most major,
introduces
automatic
on-device
matching of photos (stored inside
iCloud Photos) against a database of
known CSAM content. If the system
discovers enough flagged pictures, a
report will be sent to a moderator for
evaluation. If the moderator confirms
the assessment, Apple will decrypt
the photos and share them with the
relevant authorities.
These
new
features
were
announced with the stated intent
of protecting children from sexual
predators, and they do sound like
measures with great intentions
behind them. But the changes have
been met with considerable backlash
and feelings of betrayal.
Of the three features, the changes
to Siri and Search have been generally
uncontroversial. The others, however,
have
seen
massive
opposition,
ranging from discontent about the
tweak to the Messages app to outrage
about the CSAM scanning. So much
so that Apple was forced to delay (but
not stop) the implementation of these
features.
It may still be unclear to you why
there even is opposition or why I’m
asking you to be scared.
Even if well-intended, these new
features are a massive invasion of
privacy and have the potential to
inflict serious damage. Coming
from Apple, a company that prides
itself on taking customer privacy
seriously (extending even into their
advertisement’s music choices), this is
a huge disappointment.
The
largest
change
is
the
monitoring of peoples’ Photos app.
Some might be tempted to think
the detection process itself is novel
and problematic. This emotion is a
natural spillover from tech’s well-
documented issues with image
scanning and detection. For example,
studies show facial recognition
software from IBM, Amazon and
Microsoft have all underperformed
for people of color and women.
Recognition software is only as good
as its training dataset. Train it on
a homogenous dataset, and it will
struggle with diversity when used.
These are valid concerns, but
they are not the whole picture.
While it is not common knowledge,
it is commonplace for major cloud
service providers to scan for CSAMs
hosted on their platform. This occurs
with the help of a database of known
CSAM content maintained by the
National Center for Missing and
Exploited Children and a few checks
to prevent false reports.
If this is an established procedure
with checks in place to avoid false
flagging, why is there backlash at all?
The answer lies in where Apple is
conducting these scans.
Traditionally, all of this happens on
a company’s servers which cannot see
the contents of end-to-end encrypted
data. Apple’s purported scanning
will occur on-device, with an option
to decrypt photos if need be. That’s
very dangerous since end-to-end
encryption doesn’t hide information
from the device itself, which could
lead to a potential backdoor for
cyberattacks.
Speaking of cyberattacks, Apple
only recently came out with a
security patch to protect iPhones
from spyware attacks, which could
turn on the camera and microphone
on-demand and read messages and
other local data, all without any
visible sign. Apple, like any other
tech giant, is only a few steps ahead
of attackers at any given time (and
perhaps a few steps behind as well in
some cases).
This
leads
to
other
issues.
Countries could put pressure on
Apple to report photos it finds
objectionable, such as photos of
protests or dissenters. Will Apple
always be able to say no?
Even if Apple does manage to resist
these demands, many companies sell
software exploits that give access to
devices to governments. These are all
scary scenarios.
So while the cause for Apple’s
new software updates may be
noble, the risks are too high to be
considered safe.
Opinion
BRITTANY BOWMAN
Managing Editor
Stanford Lipsey Student Publications Building
420 Maynard St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
tothedaily@michigandaily.com
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CLAIRE HAO
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AND JOEL WEINER
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W
hether it be in Amazon
facilities
across
the
country or right here at
the University of Michigan, unions
and union activity have been making
headlines in recent days. Unions have
been relevant in American politics
and life since the organized labor
movement gained a foundation in
1886, when the American Federation
of Labor was founded. As we come
out of Labor Day and approach a
potential strike by the University’s
Lecturers’ Employee Organization,
it is imperative to think about the
role of organized labor both in our
community and beyond. Apart from
delivering
things
like
increased
wages, safer working conditions, eight-
hour workdays and the concept of a
weekend, unions play a critical role in
the operations of a vast place like the
University of Michigan.
Before last fall, when the Graduate
Employees’
Organization
struck,
I doubt most of us could name a
single union on campus, let alone
understand the varied roles these
labor
organizations
play.
Many
students don’t realize unions —
such as GEO, LEO, the American
Federation of State, County, and
Municipal Employees, the American
Federation of Labor and Congress
of
Industrial
Organizations,
the
American Federation of Teachers, the
International Alliance of Theatrical
Stage Employees and others —
represent workers from all across the
job spectrum at the University.
From graduate student instructors
to lecturers, bus drivers, hospital
nurses, construction workers, stage
crewmen
and
countless
other
professions, union work is what keeps
the University of Michigan going — and
sometimes grinds it to a halt. Whether
it involves GEO, LEO or another labor
organization, understanding striking
and its implications is both timely and
important.
If you were on campus this time
last year, you most certainly saw,
participated in or at least heard about
the GEO and Residential Adviser
strikes that took place on campus.
Between picket lines across campus
and chants of “U-M works because
we do,” the presence of a strike was
unmissable.
A strike, or a work stoppage “in
order to force an employer to comply
with demands,” according to Merriam-
Webster Dictionary, is an incredibly
powerful tool in a union’s arsenal
when fighting against uncooperative
management. Union strength comes
from its numbers, promise of collective
action and the possibility of a strike.
Generally speaking, unions try
to avoid striking due to the potential
ramifications of such action. Unions
can face a misguided public backlash
if they withhold labor from producing
a popular product or service. Union
workers also do not get paid during
strikes and rely on strike pay,
something that can diminish or
disappear if strikes drag out.
In some circumstances, unions may
even face legal consequences. In the
state of Michigan, public sector unions
aren’t legally allowed to strike. In this
instance, however, it is important to
note that legality and morality do not
always go hand-in-hand; striking
is a form of speech and should be
protected whether it’s being done by a
private or public union. When strikes
arrive, they deserve respect. As Mary
Manning, the famous flashpoint of the
anti-apartheid Dunnes Stores strike in
Ireland, was taught by her father as a
child, “no one loses a day’s wages and
stands in the bitter cold without a good
reason.”
In GEO’s case last fall, the
University’s lack of robust testing
protocols, failure to provide sufficient
resources for international students
and unwillingness to provide graduate
student caregivers with flexible,
pandemic-sensitive childcare options
were the tip of a dangerous iceberg.
In addition, the University’s lack of
substantive response to Black Lives
Matter and policing concerns on
campus was starkly apparent.
After the University failed to come
to an agreement with GEO regarding
COVID-19 protocols and refused
to have any dialogue surrounding
policing demands, GEO voted to strike
for a safer, smarter
University
reopening that wouldn’t needlessly
risk the lives of undergraduates,
graduate students, faculty, staff and
the wider Ann Arbor community.
While the strike ended under the
threat of a cowardly legal recourse
from the University, concrete gains
were made to make the fall 2020
semester safer for all.
In our own community, the
GEO strike had a massive impact.
While it was a bit disruptive to
undergraduates for a week or two —
again, disruption is the point — we
were all safer because of it. While
GEO’s strike focused primarily on
ensuring the safety and health of its
own members, the union’s successes
were a victory for all students amid a
deadly pandemic.
As
LEO
continues
to
be
stonewalled and gaslit by the
University, the feelings of a strike are
in the air. Regardless of whether or
not University lecturers strike, here
are a couple of things to keep in mind:
First and foremost, don’t cross
the picket line in the event of a strike.
“Crossing the picket line” is an
expression used to describe shopping
or working at a store or business
that’s workers are on strike. When
a union decides to strike, whether it
be outside Angell Hall, the shopping
mall or an online retailer, cooperation
from the public helps strikers secure
their goals, which are generally in
the public interest. Crossing a picket
line and purchasing a product or
partaking in a service is a tacit consent
of whatever the strikers are fighting
against and makes strikes drag out
longer as unions and management
struggle over leverage.
Second, do research, understand
labor laws in your state and advocate
for positive change. At the federal
level, consider supporting legislation
like the Protecting the Right to
Organize Act. At the state level, push
back against exploitative laws and
union-busting practices. And at the
local level, work to understand how
your company or university interacts
with unions or organized labor, and
advocate that they treat workers and
unions with respect and dignity.
Third, consider joining or starting
a union. Labor has been and continues
to be a strong force in politics and
American life. Union representation
and collective bargaining have helped
the American worker secure political
standing, increased wages, better
working conditions and a host of other
concrete gains. Unions have already
helped you over the years in more
ways than you probably can imagine.
Respect and support Umich unions
The dark side of Apple’s new
child safety features
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
8 — Wednesday, September 22, 2021
Students, push yourself to explore
the University of Michigan
SAM WOITESHEK
Opinion Columnist
SIDDHARTH PARMAR
Opinion Columnist
Op-Ed: The Flint and Dearborn
funding models perpetuate inequality
Read more at MichiganDaily.com
JASON KOSNOSKI &
DAILLE HELD
Contributors
ANDREW GERACE
Senior Opinion Editor
MADELINE HINKLEY/Daily