T
his November, Michigan
voters
have
the
opportunity to protect
reproductive rights by voting
yes on Proposal 3. This vote
is our chance to show that
Michiganders support the rights
of people to make their own
decisions about their health care
despite the recent regressive
actions of the U.S. Supreme Court
to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Proposal 3, which will be on
the ballot for the Nov. 8 midterm
election, establishes that every
Michigander has a fundamental
right to reproductive freedoms
in the Michigan Constitution.
These
freedoms
include
the
right to make and carry out
decisions
about
all
matters
related to pregnancy, including
birth control, abortion, prenatal
care and childbirth, without
government interference. The
proposal
was
introduced
by
Reproductive Freedom for All,
a group dedicated to protecting
reproductive rights in Michigan.
The issue of reproductive
choice in Michigan has become
immensely important ever since
the Supreme Court decision in
Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health
Organization which overturned
Roe v. Wade. Following the
Supreme
Court’s
decision,
support for Proposal 3 surged:
Reproductive Freedom for All was
able to collect an overwhelming
750,000 signatures from voters
across the state.
Codifying
abortion
access
in the Michigan Constitution
is critical due to an almost
100-year-old statute in the state
constitution that criminalizes
nearly all abortions. The 1931 law,
which had been invalidated by
Roe v. Wade, makes performing
an
abortion
a
felony
with
accompanying jail time unless the
mother’s life is in danger.
Currently, the 1931 law is
not in effect, since a Michigan
Court of Claims judge issued
an injunction declaring the rule
unconstitutional. However, the
judge’s ruling could be appealed
by
the
Republican-controlled
legislature,
meaning
that
abortion could be criminalized
in almost all cases and health
care providers could face years in
prison for providing reproductive
health care to patients.
N
ot everybody wants the
same thing once they’re
out of college. Some want
to keep studying — get a masters,
maybe even a Ph.D. Others might
decide to take a break and explore
the world before they enter into
their field of choice. However, with
the unyielding pressure of student
loans
and
everybody
around
you invested in the recruiting
rigamarole, most students look
for
a
job.
Computer
science
and engineering majors are no
different. So, when tech giant Meta
announced that they would not
be offering any of their summer
interns the coveted return offers
that most of their predecessors
had received, it left not just them,
but the entirety of the computer
engineering and computer science
student body stunned.
I remember the day so clearly.
We were well into summer break,
and I was far removed from
everything college related until my
roommate sent an article into our
group chat about how companies
like Twitter had done the same,
and that there was a chance they
would not extend full time offers
for the following summer at all.
While
the
initial
shock
presumably left current interns
scrambling and aspiring interns
like myself worrying, once the
dust settled, it was easy to see
why this was happening. With
rising inflation, the war in Eastern
Europe and the economic effects of
the pandemic lingering, sacrifices
had to be made. However, such
a decision by these firms reeks
of short-termism and cuts down
a usually guaranteed supply of
future talent required for keeping
the work space fresh and hungry.
This suggests that while it may
have been the easiest option to cut
off the interns, it wasn’t necessarily
the smartest.
Nevertheless, jobs at Meta
and other big tech firms provide
financial stability, and, to college
students, that is priceless. When an
already grueling fight for limited
seats is dealt such a decisive blow,
it begs the question: What other
options are even there? Is it simply
more hours of Leetcode grinding
and trying to stand out in the
crowd of applicants in any way you
can? Potentially. But that isn’t, and
hasn’t been for quite some time,
the only option. The other is to
create — to innovate.
It is easier said than done,
I know, but in a world where
converting your brainchild into
something real has never been as
easy as it is today, we need to take
more advantage of it. Startups and
organically grown businesses offer
students of any ilk the chance to
evade the ever-increasing barriers
of entry into the industry they have
always wanted to join. They allow
students to create jobs as opposed
to searching for them. Most of all,
they give students the opportunity
to leave their mark on the world.
And that’s just the beginning.
Entrepreneurship
is
vastly
different from what it was at the
turn of the century. As startups
grew in popularity, being the first
to create and execute an idea was
crucial to their success. Today,
with new startups being set up
every day, being first, while still
important, isn’t as vital as the
quality of the product. Moreover,
their success depends on factors
that go deeper than simply what
they sell. Society is becoming
more sensitive about social and
environmental
issues,
and
a
startup from the 2020s will surely
reflect that. Tech giants will be
quick to relax any efforts towards
creating a more diverse work
environment the moment things
get tough, and the same can be said
for their responsibility towards
the environment. Startups led
by students of our generation,
however, are unlikely to be as
ignorant and would go a long way
towards reversing some of the
damage done to the tech industry
by the larger firms.
Most startups don’t make it.
Yes, I know the statistics, and I
understand that a longshot is not
an adequate replacement for a
job that offers a stable salary, but
something has to change.
Opinion
The myth of the dream job
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
10 — Wednesday, September 28, 2022
Vote ‘Yes’ on Proposal 3 to
codify reproductive rights
in Michigan
ISABELLE SCHINDLER
Opinion Columnist
G
et
y
ou
r t
icke
ts
n
o
w
!
G
et
y
ou
r t
icke
ts
n
o
w
!
SPOOKY
SHOWINGS
at your LOCAL THEATERS!
Hocus Pocus October 23
COSTUME CONTEST
Wear your costumes and run amok! Dress up as your favorite character for a chance
to win prizes at our pre-screening costume contest. (All ages)
Prizes Include: Theater Memberships, Movie Tickets, Concession Vouchers, & more!
Nosferatu October 30
LIVE ACCOMPANIMENT
Stephen Warner plays the historic Barton Organ
during the film.
Rocky Horror Picture Show October 27
Shadow Cast
The Leather Medusas perform a live shadow cast
during the film.
STATE THEATER
OPEN TUES - SUN
MICHIGAN THEATER
OPEN TUES + THURS - SUN
michtheater.org (734) 668-8397
Frankenstein October 31
Direct From London
Starring Benedict Cumberbatch
and Jonny Lee Miller.
RUSHABH SHAH
Opinion Columnist
Exam season back again A
merican democracy is
failing, and people know
it. Last month Americans
with confidence in government
institutions
and
democracy
hit the lowest levels on record.
Young Americans have felt this
way for a while: 52% of young
Americans reported negative
feelings about the state of
democracy in the U.S. last year.
As the next generation to take
over these institutions, it is up
to us to decide how we want
the next stage of American
democracy to look.
The
discontent
among
younger generations comes as no
surprise. Different age groups
have different priorities, and
those in power are generations
apart from the youngest voters
— and even a generation from
the median voter. Despite the
median age in the U.S. being 38,
the average age in Congress is
59 years old. Coupled with the
fact that members of Congress
routinely receive large amounts
of money from vested interests
and PACs, as evidenced by the
2020 election cycle, the average
young voter has almost no voice
when it comes to policy making.
Young people do not have the
same influence in Washington
as these groups, and yet, despite
the still-growing cynicism in our
political system, they are poised
to come out in record-breaking
numbers
in
the
upcoming
midterm elections. This begs
the question: If youth feel their
participation in the system is
futile, why are they coming out
at all? The answer is because
they have no other choice. Faced
with skyrocketing inequality,
the climate crisis and racial and
gender injustice — among many
other issues — the youngest
Americans cannot just sit by
idly. The option to be apathetic
is not one most young people
can afford. So, despite their lack
of faith in the system, they cast
their vote and hope for the best.
But we don’t have to relegate
ourselves to hoping for the best.
While we may not have influence
in Washington, our universities
do. The education industry spent
over $80 million on lobbying
in 2020 alone. According to
OpenSecrets, the University of
Michigan has spent over $8.6
million in lobbying efforts since
1998, with $160,000 directed so
far to lobbying in 2022 alone. The
University of Michigan is just
one example of the tremendous
influence
universities
have
in our political system and
on policy, but that influence,
and some of the money they
use, come from their students.
Because of this, students have a
great influence on universities —
and we should use it.
This is why organizations
such as Un-PAC, a voting rights
non-profit focused on youth
empowerment,
has
shifted
its focus from national voting
rights policy to campuses across
the nation. They know youth
can influence their universities
to enact a slew of policies on
campus that protect the voting
and political rights of students,
such as canceling classes on
election days and being more
transparent about their lobbying
efforts.
The case for student voting power on campus
PETER MATARWEH
Opinion Contributor
AMBIKA TRIPATHI | OPINION CARTOONIST
Read more at MichiganDaily.com
Read more at MichiganDaily.com
Read more at MichiganDaily.com