vol_27_no_11

MichiganReview THE

The Journal of Campus Affairs at the University of Michigan www.michiganreview.com

VOLUME XXVII

U-M and NASA Go Head-to-Head on Repatriation Issue

BY ALISSA NG ‘09

This year, the 37th Annual Powwow will not be held in Ann Arbor for the first time in nearly 20 years.

Traditionally held in April, the “Dance for Mother Earth” Powwow is a singing, dancing and cultural jamboree, giving both students and tourists alike a chance to partake in Native American culture. But this year, the Ann Arbor Powwow Committee and the Native American Student Association (NASA), have decided to relocate the powwow to Saline, and have declined funding from the Office of Multi-Ethnic Student Affairs (MESA).

Conner Sandefur, co-chair of NASA, explained their rationale for doing so in a letter to MESA in October last year. The letter, which can be found on NASA’s website, cites declining numbers and a “strong distrust for the University” as key reasons in refusing to accept U-M’s $50,000 in funding.

Sandefur stated that the powwow should be for the Native American community and students, “not for Ann Arbor residents and University recruitment brochures… not as a showcase for diversity”, but as a meaningful community celebration. Sandefur wrote that the University’s emphasis on professional, business relationships instead of personal ones is “inherently contradictory to the spirit and tradition of powwow”.

Tension between NASA and MESA stem from issues regarding the “mismanagement of the tuition waiver,” “refusal to tenure [Native American] faculty and [lack of] respect and support for staff and students”. One important issue that has exacerbated this conflict of interests is the University’s stance on the repatriation of Native American ancestral remains.

Currently, these remains are housed in the University of Michigan’s Museum of Anthropology (UMMA), and cannot be repatriated back to the Saginaw tribe as the University is in “full compliance” with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). This Act prevents U-M from returning any remains whose cultural affiliation has not been determined. Who cultural affiliation would matter to depends on which “camp” of Native Americans one is from. Nationalists believe that all Native Americans are affiliated and are of the same ethnic race, while Tribalists believe that each tribe is differentiated from each other. The Saginaw tribe, who are Nationalists, wants to claim the remains on the basis of representing a consortium of tribes and being Native Americans in general, not because they are culturally affiliated.

“You ask, why are some people so angry about NAGPRA? It all depends on what camp you’re from,” Professor O’Shea, curator of the Museum of Anthropology says in an interview. “Museums are almost bystanders, obliged by the law. There has been a lot of political activity in efforts to use the Michigan Daily to generate pressure on the University. There are [also] certain associations who have taken this up as a kind of cause. They’ve made their feelings known to us and to President Coleman.”

Professor O’Shea, who has represented museums

mail to

POW WOW Continued on PAGE 10

March 23, 2009

ISSUE 11

Atheism and

Religion

on Campus

IMAGE HTTP://WWW.FARM4.STATIC.FLICKR.COM/

BY NATHAN TORREANO ‘12

Among the various student organizations at the University of Michigan, dozens are of a religious nature. Taken together, they encompass a wide and diverse array of beliefs. The variety is hardly surprising; Michigan students are noted for their diversity, which invariably leads to a large melting pot of beliefs, practices, and ideologies, creating an eclectic mixture on campus.

Sarah Rabinowe, a freshman at the University of Michigan, understands well the extremes of belief and non-belief. She grew up in a strong Jewish environment; in fact, many of her family members are followers of Orthodox Judaism, the strictest of three sects.

In her childhood, she attended Hebrew and Sunday school every week. However, she noted, “I felt like a complete delinquent. I despised the readings, chanting, it just never felt right. When I was in the 5th grade, I learned the definition of the word atheism, and it was then that I could identify a definition with my emotions. I kept this a secret a long time, but my family found out in the 8th grade that I was an atheist. They were not pleased.”

Daniel Marcus, another freshman at the University of Michigan, also was raised Jewish. He, however, has remained religious and is involved in the Jewish community in Ann Arbor. He attends Shabbat weekly, and often participates at Hillel, one of the largest student organizations on campus that caters specifically to Jewish students, even serving kosher meals. Marcus

commented, “Culturally, the Jewish community here at Michigan is very strong. The Jewish presence in Greek life is a testament to that. I do not find it as religiously orientated, however. Out of around 6,000 Jews at Michigan, many are non-practicing. Also, the Jewish organizations on campus do not serve a missionary role, but rather focus on catering to Jewish students in their daily lives.”

Rabinowe is one of the aforementioned non-practicing students; she is affected by Judaism culturally, but no longer follows the religious aspect of it. “I have taken much from the Jewish faith, especially the moral values intrinsic to it. Although an atheist, I believe that doing good for our neighbors is right, as such enriches our lives.” Describing atheism on campus, Rabinowe asserted that most of the atheists she has met have a religious background, and also are often unsure of their atheism. On the role atheism serves on campus, Rabinowe said, “There are certain people who are antagonistic to believers; however, they are of a small portion.

I have found most atheists on campus to be respectful of others’ beliefs.”

Despite the strong Jewish presence on campus, the majority of the religious organizations at Michigan are Christian. Jon Erdmann, a sophomore, partakes in an organization called Campus Crusade for Christ. Erdmann explained, “The central purpose is to reach out to students with the Good News of Jesus. Campus Cru RELIGION Continued on PAGE 10

www.michiganreview.com

PAGE 2

THE MICHIGAN REVIEW www.michiganreview.com

Editorial Board Jane Coaston Editor-in-Chief

Serpent’s Tooth

03.23.2009 4.1.08

. . . A Bite of News

Nathan Stano Executive Editor Adam Pascarella Managing Editor Eun Lee Graphic Design Editor Jonathan Slemrod Editor-at-Large Julianne Nowicki Eden Stiffman Nathan Torreano Assistant Editors Business Staff Karen Boore Publisher Jonathan Slemrod Anna Malecke Associate Publishers Michael O’Brien Editor Emeritus Staff Writers & Photographers

(in alphabetical order)

Anna Dickey, Austyn Foster, Graham Kovak, Valiant Lowitz, Evgeny Magidenko, Alissa Ng, Alexandria Sanborn, Shanda Shooter, Katie Singer, Sreya Vempatti

Letters & Viewpoints The Michigan Review accepts and encourages letters to the editor and viewpoints. Letters to the editor should be under 300 words. Viewpoints can be arranged by contacting the editorial board. We reserve the right to edit for clarity and length.

Send all correspondence to mrev@umich.edu.

About Us The Michigan Review provides a broad range of in-depth coverage of campus affairs and serves as the literary voice of conservatism and libertarianism at the University of Michigan. The Review is published bi-weekly September thru April.

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Unsigned editorials represent the opinion of the editorial board. Ergo, they are unequivocally correct and just. Signed articles, letters, and cartoons represent the opinions of the author, and not necessarily those of The Review. The Serpent’s Tooth shall represent the opinion of individual, anonymous contributors to The Review, and should not necessarily be taken as representative of The Review’s editorial stance. The opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the advertisers or the University of Michigan.

Copyright © 2007, The Michigan Review, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Michigan Review is a member of the Collegiate Network.

Letter from the Editor

It’s no secret that there are a lot of things I don’t like, from Spaceballs to historical inaccuracy. I hate bad spelling, bad remixes, and orthopedic shoes.

But I love spring. Finally, I can walk from my house to class without a parka, hiking boots, and a sense of impending doom. Spring brings flowers, Hash Bash, green grass, Frisbee on the Diag, and graduation. Though I may be knee-deep in my thesis and we’re all exhausted from writing political science papers and finishing engineering assignments, it’s great to finally see the sun again.

This first spring issue of The Michigan Review features a wide variety of stories from across campus and across the country. Jonathan Slemrod (’10) continues our coverage of the economic debacle with a story on the possibility of another stimulus bill. Alissa Ng (’09) gets the story on the recent move of the Ann Arbor Powwow in protest of the University’s stance on Native remains. Anna Dickey (’11) writes on the housing market in Ann Arbor and how the student presence affects the price and availability of houses and apartments. Christine Hwang (’10) details the possible budget cuts that the University might be making in order to remain financially secure. Graham Kozak (’11) examines Governor Jennifer Granholm’s “Cool Cities” initiative, and Nathan Torreano (’12) takes a look at the role of religion and secularism on campus.

Sreya Vempatti (’12) writes on how international students adjust to campus, and Eden Stiffman (’12) gives a sneak preview of the re-opening of the University of Michigan Museum of Art. Anna Dickey (’11) writes on the political attitudes of the students and faculty at the Ford School. Our Arts and Culture section includes an explanation of the NCAA Basketball Tournament selection process and a list of things to do and places to go in Ann Arbor that you might not have thought of. And on our back page, two members of our Editorial Board debate the National Sex Offender Registry.

As always, be sure and check out our website at www.michiganreview.com . There you can find all of the articles from this issue, as well as archived issues from the past two years. Listen to our podcasts and comment on our blog. And be sure to write us with any questions or critiques; we’d love to hear from you.

It’s been a great spring so far, from Michigan’s first trip to the NCAA Tournament since the fall of Jerusalem to the end of construction on the Art Museum. We at the Review hope that you enjoy the season and this issue. MR Best, Jane D. Coaston Editor-in-Chief

03.23.2009 4.1.08

PAGE 3

Editor’s Notes:

An Editorial Page for Those Who are Interested in How the Other Side Thinks

Visions of The Michigan Review

sion?” Here at the Michigan Review, we have our own ideas for what the University should look like in the fu-

ture. We asked our Editorial Board: “What’s your vision?” MR

The University of Michigan has so much potential. We have a large, engaged student body with interests and ideas as varying as the zip codes. But why don’t we hear from more students? Every person at the University should feel able to voice their opinions, regardless of ideological strain or political

background. We hear far too much of the past and not enough of the possibilities for the future. The thoughts and beliefs of conservatives and libertarians are largely ignored, and liberals are too often unable to articulate their beliefs with any real substance. My vision is of a University open to ideas and suggestions from every possible source, ending student apathy and creating a

more engaged and welcoming campus. It’s possible—our campus is the perfect place for ideas and opinions to circulate. If a liberal can become editor-in-chief of the conservative campus newspaper, than anything can happen.

Jane Coaston, Editor-in-Chief

President Mary Sue Coleman’s speech on the Diag on November 8, 2006 was certainly memorable, albeit, not for the same reasons that she wanted Michigan students to believe. It was the day after the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative (MCRI), a ballot initiative banning affirmative action throughout the state of Michigan, was approved by 58 percent of Michigan’s population. Speaking to a crowd of thousands of students, faculty, and Ann Arbor locals, she proclaimed that “Michigan is diversity,” while going on to mention that “diversity makes us

strong,” “the University of Michigan believes in diversity,” and “we know that diversity makes us a better University.” While professing her dedication to find methods to continue maintaining diversity on campus, the question remains unanswered: what truly is diversity? You would be hard-pressed to find any single definition of diversity explained on-the-record from university admissions officers, administrators, or even Coleman herself. Is it simply skin color? Place of birth or origin? What about intellectual diversity? The question still remains unanswered. My vision is of a uni-

versity that simply explains their conception of diversity to the student body without the spin and rhetorical maneuvering. After all, withholding their explanation of diversity is simply doing a disservice to Michigan’s students and faculty. On November 8, Coleman claimed that “We pledge to remain unified in our fight for diversity.” Ultimately, how can we remain unified if we don’t even know exactly what we are fighting for?

Adam Pascarella, Managing Editor

I would like to see the University refocus itself, reversing the trends of the last 40 or so years. To turn away from the mission creating a more “just” or “equal” society and return to mission Augustus Woodward gave us, the higher education of young minds and the pursuit of science. How does it stand

to reason that equality can come out of the inequality of affirmative action, how can justice come out of this injustice? I would like to see students read more, and be willing to engage more ideas rather than dismiss them out of hand. Reading the Daily Kos doesn’t make you a political expert, true understanding of political philoso-

phy can only come from extensive readings and an open mind. Learn about what you disagree with so that when we disagree you can give a reason. Also, more extensive reading could help the sad state of both the written word and speech on campus.

Nathan Stano, Executive Editor

My vision is that students and faculty on campus will accept the fact that someone who disagrees with their political persuasions is not necessarily “radical” or “crazy.” For example, I do not think it is radical to believe that it is immoral when government steals from someone in order to do what some-

one else desires. Conservatives and libertarians are an extreme minority on campus, disenfranchised by our polarizing political situation which places modern-day liberals on a moral pedestal. This is an unhealthy starting point for discussion. My vision is that advocates of all ideologies stop resorting to ad hominem attacks and

recognize that while people generally have good intentions, the road to hell is paved with them, as they say. Government rarely works.

If any MSA party wants to last more than a few terms and gain the support of more than just their friends, perhaps they should make themselves more visible and accessible throughout the year—not just during the week prior to elections, accosting passerby on the Diag. A great deal of students choose not vote in the election because they don’t know

what the parties stand for and frankly, they just don’t care—yet they should; each student is taxed $7.19 in MSA fees. I encourage MSA representatives to periodically survey and compile lists of issues of student interest and allow their constituents to vote on those which matter the most to them individually. This would likely increase participation in student government. Students

would be more aware of where their money is going because they would be the ones deciding. That’s MY vision—increase visibility during the year and spend our money on projects we actually care about.

My “vision” is that I would love to see the University allow students to make their own academic decisions. The University babies students too much in requiring them to take certain courses. We’re adults, we can make our own academic choices.

Students pay for their education, (well, at least some of us do), and as adults, should not have to take

“distribution” courses. Students should be allowed to form their own educational plan, rather than have to take certain pre-requisite courses in order to graduate.

The foreign language requirement, natural sciences requirement, and other courses, are unnecessary hoops that students must jump through to study what they really want to. If it had been my way, I would have

skipped all the Spanish and science courses I took to fulfill requirements, and taken courses on the law and Constitution to prepare for what I really want to do— practice law.

I open my eyes and experience a University of Michigan not in denial. Not in denial of the rampant underage drinking that occurs constantly, the potsmoking that occurs, and the academic disinterest that too often ruins students’ scholarly careers.

I see an honest University of Michigan. One that realizes that drinking, smoking, and socializing

is part of the college lifestyle, and will continue to be.

One that does not feebly reinforce rules and regulations against practices they could potentially stop, but with the thought that, “As long as we don’t catch you.”

I see a University where each student is valued as an individual, not simply a member of a large school of fish. A University in which students are

engaged, challenged, and made to thoroughly enjoy the pursuit of knowledge, wisdom, and happiness.

One in which intelligent students filled with potential do not become lost in the formless abyss of confusion and academic boredom.

Jonathan Slemrod, Editor-at-Large

Eden Stiffman, Assistant Editor

Julianne Nowicki, Assistant Editor

Nathan Torreano, Assistant Editor

XU PHOTO JOSEPH

MR

Editorials

The Michigan Vision Party ran for Michigan Student Assembly on the slogan “What’s your vi-

PAGE 4 P.

03.23.2009 4.1.08

Free to Choose

Death Before Dishonour!

Opinion

Congress is Trying to Distract You Lessons From the Past

BY JONATHAN SLEMROD ‘10

BY NATHAN STANO ‘11

Americans are rightly outraged at banks such as AIG that have been downright reckless when it comes to handling the money they have received from taxpayers through the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). As news broke last week that AIG paid out $165 million in bonuses to its employees, members of Congress rushed to get in front of television cameras to prove that they too are infuriated at the way Washington has managed its spree of bailouts. This week, politicians are rushing to impose a ninety-perjonathan cent tax on bonuses applicable to any company slemrod that has received more than $5 billion in federal bailout funds. The bill, introduced by Congressman Charlie Rangel, easily passed the House of Representatives. It will now move to the Senate where Republicans are expressing doubts about their support for the measure, which has been dubbed the “AIG Clawback.”

The clawback bill is a ridiculous attempt on behalf of members of Congress to distract from a spending problem that was created in their very own chambers and worsens daily. Regardless, AIG’s bonuses are contractual obligations reached between private parties, not arbitrary gifts that were increased when the company received bailout money. This fact was made painfully clear last week when the House Financial Services Committee, chaired by powerful Democrat Barney Frank, dragged AIG CEO Edward Liddy in front of national TV to express its outrage. “My constituents are mad,” members of the Committee said way too many times. Some members even went as far as to demand that a list of those who received bonuses be made public, a truly scary prospect that could subject to AIG employees to intimidation, harassment, and violence. They didn’t get the answers they wanted from Liddy, who wasn’t even in charge when AIG’s bonuses were put in ink.

It’s time for a break from Congress’s spree of bailouts and incessant corporate welfare, a highly unlikely prospect considering the millions of dollars of campaign cash and contributions that corporations continue to feed Washington. Despite public outrage, some members don’t even have the time to try and hide their relationship with the financial industry. The Hill newspaper reported that Rep. Mike McMahon (D-NY) will return a “timely” $1,000 donation he received from AIG on September 16, the same day the company received a generous gift of $85 billion from the American taxpayer. In the 2008 election cycle, AIG donated $854,905 to members of both parties. That’s a damn good return on investment considering the $180 billion AIG has received from taxpayers. In fact, it is a $210,549 return on every dollar invested in Washington. Not too shabby.

Last Friday, the Congressional Budget Office released a report estimating that the 2009 budget deficit would be between $1.67 and $1.85 trillion. This startling number shows a few things. First, our government spends far too much money. Second, our culture of bailouts and spending is going to be paid for by taxpayers, even though the vast majority makes prudent decisions. Most importantly, the deficit figure shows that party labels mean very little when it comes to determining who is “fiscally responsible.”

Indeed, it is becoming painfully clear that when Barack Obama said that he would “spread the wealth” on the campaign trail, he did not mean that he would tax the rich and give to the poor, but the other way around. Indeed, we are witnessing a massive redistribution of wealth from strapped taxpayers to corporations that have made stupid decisions. Call me crazy, but that strikes me as a bit unfair. Even crazier are carefully crafted schemes designed to distract the public from the true culprits behind our fiscal woes – politicians.

The only way to make government more accountable with our money is to completely turn off the spigot of bailouts and spending. A more appropriate metaphor may be to remove the entire sink. Better yet, let’s blow up the entire kitchen. MR

As people get caught up in either rage over AIG bonuses, or fed up with all news of the economy, the Federal Reserve and President Obama planted a ticking time bomb in the belly of the American economy. Since September, they printed $1 trillion dollars, a doubling of the monetary base according to charts readily available from the website of the St. Louis Fed. This bears repeating: for every dollar in existence, another was created. The Fed also announced that it is far from done. It plans to purchase up to $750 billion more of mortgage-backed securities.

Yet, are we better off now? Ask yourself a simple quesnathan tion. Last week, did the value of the goods double? Did each stano car or beam of steel or computer or book suddenly gain a twin? Of course not. So far, much of this newly printed money has been held by banks, mostly as deposits at the Fed. The government’s desired increases in lending have not materialized. Yet if many markets simultaneously begin functioning again, this money could flood the market, reducing the value of dollars currently held by the public.

This is could set off the greatest inflation in American history. If you need any idea of what this inflation might look like, simply take a look at what happened to post World War 1 Germany. To pay indemnities to the British and French, the Weimar Republic decided simply to print more deutschmarks. What resulted was hyperinflation, where people burned deutschmarks instead of coal to heat homes, because it was more cost effective, or had to bring wheelbarrows full of currency to stores in order to buy a single bag’s worth of groceries. The German people, who had almost literally lost everything, were looking for something to believe in and found the poisonous rhetoric of Adolf Hitler.

If the Founding Fathers saw what the Obama administration has done with its first two months of power, I think even Alexander Hamilton would be shocked.

They fought a revolution against big government and heavy taxation and, despite their dwindling influence in American political thought, they might soon advise us to do the same.

The Obama administration has laid the seeds of economic ruin in this economy.

Indeed, they are following Franklin D Roosevelt’s monetary moves. Roosevelt created the Federal Reserve and removed the US from the gold standard. The move allowed him to adjust downward the value of US dollars.

The New Deal, a sacred cow of American history, did not get us out of the Depression, in fact the Depression got worse after the passage of the New Deal. The only reason unemployment numbers declined was a peacetime draft.

The demon of inflation waits shortly in the future, on levels that we have not yet seen if the Obama administration continues to spend on levels like this. When this comes out into the market, which is already in deep recession, the squeeze on consumers will only grow tighter.

On top of that, in another attempt to raise funds without raising taxes, Obama plans to institute one of the most extensive cap and trade carbon emission taxes in the world. If you flip on a light switch, drive a car, use a stove, heat water, or anything that involves energy, expect to see rates go up. During the campaign he told the San Fransisco Chronicle, “So if somebody wants to build a coal-powered plant, they can; it’s just that it will bankrupt them because they’re going to be charged a huge sum for all that greenhouse gas that’s being emitted.” As this nation generates more than half of its electricity from coal fired plants, it wouldn’t make much sense to bankrupt that industry would it.

The combination of monetary expansion, and greater regulation, done in the hopes of stimulating the economy out of recession, pose serious threats once recovery begins. Programs like cap-and-trade could reduce innovation. The Fed’s expansionist monetary policy, a tactic now blamed in part for causing the housing bubble, will need to reverse course and decrease the monetary base. Of course, doing so would be politically unpopular. I’m not holding my breath that the printing presses will be stopped. MR

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Robots and You: The Future is Now

IMAGE HTTP://WWW.TRANISM.COM/

Everyone is familiar with movies like The Matrix, Terminator, and others where advanced robots take over the world and destroy humanity. The fact is that advanced computers and advanced software play more of a role in the life of a college student than one might think, or so says Dr. Martha Pollack, Dean of the School of Information. College students today take technology that would have stunned people 50 years ago for granted, “from CAD to cars, which are basically just advanced computers on wheels, to the internet,” according to Pollack.

ROBOTICS Continued on PAGE 10

Ford School: More Policy than Politics

BY ANNA DICKEY ‘11

With the vast number of students within the UM spectrum of political ideology, it is impossible to categorize any one school in Michigan under one political label.

However, according to some within the Ford School of Public Policy, it sets itself apart from other UM colleges for their core belief in the power of government, and their wholehearted dedication to the power of policy.

This may seem a redundant statement when said with regards to a school dedicated to public policy, under the umbrella of a liberal school famous for upholding democracy. However, students within the Ford School do not fit the mold of a stereotypical liberal group of individuals on the unrelenting quest for universal health care.

“We have a range of political commitments. Some are apolitical, many of them are interested in policies

and aren’t involved in partisan worlds; we have all sorts,” stated Professor John Chamberlin, who teaches a “Values and Ethics” course within the Ford school.

“I think that while people here have a greater belief that government has a positive role in life, I don’t think that makes them less critical of government,” he said.

In fact, “their knowledge makes them more critical. It doesn’t turn people into champions of government, but champions of policy.”

Although these “champions of policy” retain a significant amount of left-wing viewpoints, they by no means snuff out a considerable conservative population, according to Ford school graduate student Grant Erwin.

“Overall, there are a lot more Democrats than Republicans [within the school]. I would not describe it as far liberal. Students are interested in policy and devel POLICY Continued on PAGE 10

The Emergence of MSA’s Vision and reMichigan Parties

BY EDEN STIFFMAN ‘12

Campus

BY NATHAN STANO ‘11

Facebook is one of the technological advancements that Pollack thought represented the current trend in advance computing research, in connecting people across the world, as well as in Web 2.0 and other advancements in more user generated content across the web. In terms of robotics research, Pollack stated that not just the humanoid computers of the movies are technically robots. So called “spiders” are automated programs that are little more than automated software that is often used to mine data on the internet, yet because they are fully automated they can be considered robots of sorts. However, physical robots are somewhat more removed from the college students, in manufacturing or surgery. Current trends in artificial intelligence, or AI, are centered on the more effective means of interpreting the data and calculations computers are already good at generating.

Dean Pollack prefaced the remainder of her comments on the fact that she is not a cyberneticist nor of particular skill in predicting the future, however she had some ideas and opinions of what the future might look like. She cautioned about making predictions in a field that has made such rapid advancements in the last ten to fifteen years. “I’ve learned not to predict the future,” Pollack said. She pointed out that the internet did not exist fifteen years ago. “[In the next ten to fifteen years] things will become even more user generated,” Pollack postulated, commenting that this might allow students across the world to collaborate on school materials, generating content analyzing what they have learned.

When asked about her impressions of the killer robots of science fiction, Pollack had serious doubts.

She stated that robots with the capability to take over the world would be, “a long way off,” and commented, “I don’t see it as a huge risk.” What Pollack was concerned about was the expansion of technologically warfare or cyberterrorism, wherein electrical grids, water processing facilities and financial markets could be

A New Era for the University of Michigan Museum of Art

PAGE 5

After closing in the Fall of 2006 for an expansion and restoration costing $41.9 million, and existing in a small, temporary exhibition space on South University Avenue, the University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA) will open for a student preview on Tuesday, March 24, from 8 p.m. until midnight. This event will include live entertainment, free food, a chance to explore the new galleries, and the opportunity to win prizes.

This event kicks off a week of reopening events, ending with the public 24-hour Grand Reopening event, beginning at 6 p.m. on Sunday, March 28, 2009. After the grand opening, the museum will begin operating at its regular hours of 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays, and noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays, with the public commons zone remaining open for extended access from 8 p.m.-12 a.m.

There is no charge for museum admission.

The UMMA’s 53,000-square-foot expansion, named the Frankel Wing, designed by Brad Cloepfil and his associates at Allied Works Architecture, based in Portland, Oregon, will house several new galleries. With the addition, the space available for these collections as well as temporary exhibitions and other programs more than doubles that of the original 41,000-squarefoot home. In addition, the wing has classrooms for UM classes, including special “object study classrooms” for both paper and 3-D objects. The Frankel Wing also has 225-seat underground auditorium that will be shared with UMMA’s program partners such as the Visiting Writers Series and the Screen Arts & Cultures department.

The original building, Alumni Memorial Hall, built in 1919, connects to the Frankel Wing. Large windows give museum-goers views of the campus. The ceiling of the central Apse in Alumni Memorial hall has been striped to reveal skylights that had been covered. The majority of the ceilings in the Frankel Wing have skylights, a green strategy aimed at conserving energy.

In the old space alone, UMMA was able to display a mere 3-4 percent of its permanent collection of almost 19,000 objects. With the expansion, the museum estimates that 10 percent of the collection will be on display at a given time. The diverse UMMA collection contains works from all over the world but is especially strong in the areas of African, Asian, North American and Modern/ Contemporary art.

Several new “open-storage galleries” display large groupings of unlabeled objects behind glass that otherwise would be impossible to display in traditional museum fashion. Rooms such as the Asian Conservation Lab allow people to watch as works are restored.

There will also be art-making spaces that will be used in connection with the Ann Arbor Art Center. The Project Gallery, with windows looking out onto State Street and the Mark di Suvero Orion sculpture, will show UMMA Continued on PAGE 10 & 11

BY NATHAN TORREANO ‘12

There was much ado and buzz on the Central Campus’ Diag, in the square adjacent to the Hatcher Graduate Library, on Wednesday, March 18, and Thursday, March 19.

On these two days, green V’s protruded from the grass near the Diag. A man dressed in a uniformly green suit, mask and tights included, ran about campaigning. The less ostentatiously dressed members of the Vision Party mingled about in green shirts posing the question, “What’s your Vision?” Nearby, perhaps more low-key but equally diligent and enthusiastic, were students in red reMichigan shirts handing out campaign brochures. One of these reMichigan candidates was senior Sahib Singh, campaigning for a LSA representative position in the MSA government. Singh explained the history of these parties, “MSA used to be mostly comprised of a one-party system. There was the Defend Affirmative Action Party, but since they focused on only one issue they were relatively small. Almost all members of MSA since 2006 were in the Michigan Action Party (MAP). However, the leaders of the

MAP disagreed on how to approach certain issues and felt that MAP was too outdated to effectively deliver on promises, and two separate parties formed.”

The Michigan Vision Party defines MSA as, “the central student government, representing students from every academic school at the Ann Arbor Campus of the University of Michigan. MSA’s goal is to be a valuable resource for students, to be the official voice of the students attending U of M, and to protect students’ rights.” Each semester, different members are elected to serve as representatives of the undergraduate university.

The Michigan Vision Party’s main goal, according to its website, is to fundamentally change the way MSA does business through accountability, transparency, and brining students back. In general, the Vision Party’s platform is to get non-MSA students involved in MSA, and also for MSA to reach out more proactively to the general undergraduate population. Jim Brusstar, Vision’s candidate for the School of Engineering Repre MSA Continued on PAGE 10

IMAGE HTTP://WWW.UMMA.UMICH.EDU/VISITING/

PAGE 6

03.23.2009

FBI Watch List Congress to Hold Off on Second Stimulus

News

BY ALEXANDRIA SANBORN ‘11

list?

Questions and criticisms of the efficiency of current FBI terrorism screening methods are beginning to surface. In May 2005, 288,000 were reported to be on this list.

In May 2007, 755,000 were reported to be on this list. With such a rise to a number of 1,000,000 on the FBI watch list, as of March 2009, anyone would be interested to learn the story behind the numbers.

For starters, the FBI claims that there are not actually 1,000,000 individuals on this list, but rather, 1,000,000 entries: there are actually approximately 400,000 individuals and the rest of the entries are aliases used by the individuals. So how exactly do individuals like Senator Edward (Ted) Kennedy D-MA, children and infants such as John Willian Anderson, or the dead 9/11 hijackers fit into these numbers? Are they part of the 1,000,000 or is there a larger, suppressed number involved? Moreover, how do they even find themselves associated with the

While the list itself only contains 400,000 individuals with their additional 600,000 aliases, in their article “Fuzzy Math, Fuzzy List” on July 21, 2008, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) points out that “by entering “Edward Kennedy” and “E. Kennedy” on the list, the government may only have intended to cover one person, but it created two separate names on the list with far-reaching implications for those who match one name or the other.” The recent March 10, 2009 USA Today “Terrorist watch list hits 1 million,” “in the past two years, 51,000 people have filed “redress” requests claiming they were wrongly included on the watch list, according to the Department of Homeland Security. In the vast majority of cases reviewed so far, it has turned out that the petitioners were not actually on the list, with most having been misidentified at airports because their names resembled others on it.” This suggests there is a quiet, unofficial much higher number of individuals affected by the list.

Furthermore, in the March 2008 audit by the U.S. Department of Justice, it was found that the FBI had been lax in handling important information about individuals who were on the list or being investigated.

Many times, they failed to update crucial information or remove an individual from the database when it was deemed appropriate. Also, FBI field offices often bypassed FBI headquarters and submitted nominations straight to the National Counterterrorism Center and through the dissemination of information, many of the reports that were not intended to be official reports became official.

Though the purpose of the list is to allow “government agencies to run name checks against the same comprehensive list with the most accurate, up-to-date information about known and suspected terrorists,”

IMAGE HTTP://WWW.BOSTON.COM/NEWS/

BY JONATHAN SLEMROD ‘10

FBI Continued on PAGE 11

Talk on Capitol Hill of a second stimulus package aimed at boosting the waning economy was dampened recently as Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said such a measure was “not in the cards.”

Congress recently passed a $787 billion package after intense negotiations resulted in three Republican Senators – Susan Collins, Olympia Snowe, and Arlen Specter – voting for the bill. Coined the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the bill doles out money for massive public works programs and state budgets, among methods of investment. It also contains a litany of tax credits aimed at boosting consumer spending.

The idea of another stimulus bill was initially raised

by Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Economy. com, who called such a prospect a “reasonable probability.” Zandi also called for using more taxpayer money to stabilize the financial system, and to help slow the rising tide of foreclosures. According to research firm RealtyTrac, foreclosures in February were thirty percent higher this year than during the same month in 2008.

Republicans attacked rumors of a second stimulus package. “I think the fact that they are already talking about stimulus two indicates they already think stimulus one has failed,” said Congressman Mike Pence, a high-ranking Republican and strong critic of the Obama Administration. Republicans stuck closely to the talking point that chatter of a second package is an implicit admission of failure on behalf of Congressional Democrats to pass an effective package.

Yet some Republicans have since left the door open to a follow-up package, with the important caveat that

any new package be slanted heavily towards tax cuts for small business, the focus of an alternative Republican plan that was easily defeated during the first stimulus debate. “It depends what it would include. It really does,” said Congressman Eric Cantor, a powerful Republican from Virginia, in an interview with Politico.

Asked whether House Republicans would be present at the table for discussion of a second package, Cantor replied: “You have to.”

However, several top-ranking Senate Democrats distanced themselves from the very concept of a second stimulus bill, weary of a repeat of the first debate, a highly tense situation which highlighted divisions between conservative Democrats from the South worried about deficit spending, and the Democratic leadership which lobbied hard for the bill. A small group of three moderate Republicans also defied GOP leadership in the Senate by voting for the package. “Enough for now.

No mas. No mas,” said Democratic Senator Tom Carper of Delaware.

Although Republicans continue to claim the first stimulus as a failure, it will take years to evaluate its overall effect on the economy. In the short-term, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the large spending projects in the first stimulus bill will raise GDP and increase employment by boosting aggregate demand. In the long-term, CBO projects a slight decrease in economic output. Regardless, political calculations will make a second stimulus package a hard pill for many members of Congress to swallow for some time. MR

Ann Arbor is a Cool City—and its inhabitants aren’t the only ones who think so. In an effort to attract young talent to the state of Michigan, Governor Jennifer Granholm has established a “Cool Cities Initiative.” This six-year-old program is designed to identify and promote elements that make an urban area like Ann Arbor desirable to the young, college-educated segment of the population that has the talent and ideas necessary to reinvent Michigan’s ailing economy.

Michigan entered a regional recession years before the rest of the nation, and the state’s unemployment rate of 11.6% (the nation’s highest) would spike dramatically if one of the Big Three were to collapse. The employment situation is so bleak that Governor Granholm described job losses as the state’s “own Katrina” in a recent interview on National Public Radio.

As jobs go, so too does the workforce; with employers downsizing, leaving the state, or going bankrupt, Michigan’s population is shrinking. Most notable is the exodus of well educated twenty- and thirty-somethings who see no personal future in the region and have both the means to leave and skills demanded in other parts of the country.

The Cool Cities Initiative was designed to draw

these young, ambitious individuals to the state’s urban areas. Working from an “if you build it, they will come” model, Cool Cities plans to lure high-tech, 21st century jobs and the so-called “creative class” that fills them by “building vibrant, energetic cities,” according to the Initiative’s website.

Ann Arbor embodies the concept of a “cool city,” with its diverse, educated population, dynamic entertainment scene, and knowledge-based employment opportunities. But it has something of a natural advantage—it’s a college town, logically attracting the best and the brightest, and possessing a perpetually youthful population. Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids, two other aspiring cool cities, have similar resources.

Most of the nearly 130 participating cities, however, are not college towns and lack that human capital.

According to research done by the Initiative, aspiring cities like Detroit, Flint and Port Huron need to construct, or encourage the construction of, infrastructure and attractions to attract the creative class and their employers. To assist with this, the Initiative offers planning programs and a “catalyst grant program” to spur development.

Detroit, a benchmark example of a decaying ur-

ban center rapidly losing jobs and population, demonstrates the “Cool City” development principles in action, with its loft residences, historic hotel renovations, the Detroit Riverwalk, site of numerous annual music festivals and events, and construction of Campus Martius Park featuring ice skating in winter and jazz in the summer. Though longtime metropolitan residents appreciate and take advantage of these improvements, they are sometimes not enough to prevent independent individuals from pursuing careers elsewhere.

Nick Parsons, a University of Michigan graduate pursuing a Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering at MIT and a Stockbridge native, is leaving the state for a job opportunity in Wisconsin. He is aware of the Cool Cities Initiative and enjoys the revitalization of locales like Ypsilanti, but, he says , “the problem is the lack of entry-level employment opportunities,” not the lack of engaging urban activities.

Despite the efforts of the Initiative, Michigan’s urban areas, and its economy, have continued to decline.

Enhanced atmosphere has so far failed to attract enough new business to replace disappearing manufacturing jobs, and the negative effect of its faltering economy outweigh any Cool City-inspired improvements. MR

The “Cool Cities” Initiative

BY GRAHAM KOZAK ‘11

03.23.2009 4.1.08

Obama Backs Merit-Pay for Teachers U-M Budget Cuts

PAGEP. 7

BY CHRISTINE HWANG ‘10

HOUSING Continued on PAGE 11

BUDGET Continued on PAGE 11

News

in sales almost eight percent, as well, despite much of the recent positive publicity the high schools have received with the establishment Ann Arbor’s third high school building, Skyline.

Some of the biggest drops in prices have been among the more expensive, million dollar homes of Ann Arbor, where they can be seen in the papers listed as a little over half a million. This excludes the Old West Side and other historical and unique parts of the city, due to the rarity of the floor plans that keep the demand relatively high. The decrease in demand of the pricier homes is partially due to the burgeoning population of students and UM faculty are not the targeted demographic for extremely expensive housing not directly on campus.

There are some signals that the Ann Arbor market may not improve in 2009, despite the implication of the stimulus package and a Federally mandated tax credit on first time “primary residence purchasers,” which to first time homebuyers will give up to $8000 in credit that does not need to be repaid.

The number of Ann Arbor school district residences on the market has dropped in comparison to February of 2008, according to the Ann Arbor Board of Realtors statistical report for February 2009. There were 199

The Michigan economy seems to have a “the sky is falling” forecast. State budget cuts and layoffs haunt the news.

But, at the University of Michigan, with new questionable architecture being built and continued spending, one must wonder, “Where are the budget cuts?”

The answer is that no one seems to know. Some suspect they’re coming.

“The most valuable input I can give is the Provost and staff hasn’t made any final decisions,” said Regent Olivia P. Maynard.

According to Maynard, the Provost is setting up a committee to make budget decisions in June.

“Times keep changing,” she said. “No decision has been made or should be made yet.”

To many departments, this stagnant period of an unclear funding future, positive or negative, may cause insecurity. Every department which The Michigan Review questioned about budget cuts seemed unchanged by funding from the top-down perspective.

“We haven’t received any news on budget cuts at all,” said Political Science Department Administrator Sandy Saneff.

“We’ve heard of them, just have not been notified,” said American Culture Department Administrator Judy Gray. Gray said that there may be some internal reorganization done with the budget within the department, but no news or mandates from the University budget office.

University Graduate students like Felipe Ramirez are lucky when it comes to funds because they are funded through non-university grants like National Science Foundation. So far, he says, he has been lucky. Another graduate student, Rodrigo Parra, stated that you never know if the cuts are coming because “it depends on how the department deals with the university.”

Only one student asked by the Review had heard of the University tightening its budget in an area. “I think one thing I read about is they accepted less transfer students,” said Ross Business School Junior Alex Xie. Cutting down on students may be one thing, but with North Quad’s construction and refurbishment of dorms on the Hill, it seems as if the University is increasing both quantity and quality of space for students. The University seems to have endless resources despite a decrease in endowment. It seems limited, on a time table that, perhaps as Maynard suggested, will be revealed in June. As for now, all students can do is ponder over what might happen, and what the University’s authorities are not telling them.

Rather than waiting for a surprise tightening of budgets that worse-case-scenario might morph the University into a big-lecture-hall, you’re-just-a-number big state school stereotype, several students expressed their own thoughts on where they think budgets should be cut if need be.

The Michigan Student Assembly was one area that many mentioned should be cut. “I’m hearing each student pays $7,” said Engineering Junior Michael Lee, “But most of their budget comes from the University budget.”

Lee went on to cite energy costs, another popular cost-saver noted among students. Lee cited how the dorms lights had to always be one for safety reasons, but we could be more cautious about light use in academic buildings.

“They keep the heat on seventy-five degrees in a lot of rooms,” said LSA and Engineering freshman Sara Walker. “It’s too hot for me. We’re already all wearing sweaters. I don’t know why they have to have it on so high.”

Sixth-year graduate student Kyle Hofmann has a more extreme view of what the university needs to cut.

“Everything not academic,” he said.

“I don’t see why the University offers a gym to students,” Hofmann said, “I don’t see why they don’t just hire a private contractor to run the gym.”

Hofmann also said he believed that student activity fees and funding student organizations were unnecessary and could be cut out of tuition costs. “If you really want to do something, you should fund it yourself,” he said.

With the University becoming increasingly less dependent on the state of Michigan for its funding in the last half-century, it has dodged what could have been

IMAGE HTTP://WWW.WASHINGTONTIMES.COM/

BY JULIANNE NOWICKI ‘11

On March 10, 2009, President Obama delivered a speech in support of merit-based pay for teachers. President Obama spoke before the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, saying, “To complete our race to the top requires the third pillar of reform — recruiting, preparing, and rewarding outstanding teachers.”

He spoke on his support for “incentivizing” the teaching profession, in order to achieve better results in the classroom, and his support for eliminating bad teaching in the classroom. “Let me be clear: if a teacher is given a chance but still does not improve, there is no excuse for that person to continue teaching. I reject a system that rewards failure and protects a person from its consequences.”

President Obama noted the value of education, justifying the $53 billion going to education in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. “That is why our Recovery Act will ensure that hundreds of thousands of teachers and school personnel are not laid off – because those Americans are not only doing jobs they cannot afford to lose, they are rendering a service our nation cannot be denied.”

Merit-based pay embraces the idea of rewarding teachers based on many factors, including the improved achievement of students. This “improved achievement” is measured by students’ performance on standardized tests. A teacher’s pay then goes up or down, depending on how a student scores on these tests.

When asked whether or not merit-based pay is a good idea for teachers, Carrie Maxwell, a sophomore at the School of Education offered her take. “If a teacher is failing to teach their students effectively, then there

are going to be some problems. If one teacher has better qualifications or more experience than another, then I think that it makes sense that they should be paid more.” Carrie is studying to be an elementary school teacher.

She also said, “I think merit-based pay should be given to teachers after they have seen good results with students after a number of years. There are already a number of awards and honors for teachers who do a great job in the classroom, and besides paying teachers based on their ability (which is what I think merit-based pay would be), those awards should be enough.”

The President acknowledged the contention amongst Democrats in support of merit-based pay, saying “Too many supporters of my party have resisted the idea of rewarding excellence in teaching with extra pay, even though we know it can make a difference in the classroom. Too many in the Republican Party have opposed new investments in early education, despite compelling evidence of its importance. It’s more money versus more reform, vouchers versus the status quo.”

His speech touched on four other “pillars” of educational reform needed in order for the United States to remain competitive with other countries in the education arena. President Obama referred to the educational system in South Korea, as a model for what American education should be.

Pointing to South Korea’s year-round educational system, Obama said “Our children spend over a month less in school than children in South Korea. That is no EDUCATION Continued on PAGE 11

U-M Protects Ann Arbor Real Estate, But Market Still Dropping

BY ANNA DICKEY ‘09

Within the feebleness of the American economy, those looking to buy a home have discovered themselves in the midst of inexpensive houses from which to pick, while sellers have pulled their hair out in the effort to find buyers.

Ann Arbor, while not exempt from the national slowness of the housing market, is protected in value

by U-M itself, but has seen a slight downturn in 2009.

A city with comparably high property value to the surrounding townships, Ann Arbor has kept much of its property worth due to the UM’s employees and students, who come from all corners of the world to live and work every year. This fact alone has kept the housing market somewhat more active than other counties, and has unfortunately kept campus apartments a considerable financial sacrifice for students.

Yet it has not kept the market from suffering, especially in 2008, which is said by some to have been the worst year in Ann Arbor real estate in the past ten years. Pfizer’s departure and the degradation of the auto industry, both formerly employed thousands of Michigan residents, has also been a factor in the continuing drop in activity within Ann Arbor real estate.

According to the Ann Arbor Area Board of Realtors, the mean sale price in 2008 dropped 15.5 percent from the previous year. The Ann Arbor school district dropped

Arts & Culture

PAGE 8

NCAA Selection

03.23.2009

BY JANE COASTON ‘09

How the NCAA Selection Committee Makes Your Bracket So you’ve been wondering: How is Penn State out and Western Kentucky in? And who the heck is Siena? The Michigan Review feels your pain. Here’s how it works:

NCAA

THE SELECTION COMMITTEE is composed of athletic directors and conference commissioners from across Division 1. To avoid conflicts of interest, committee members must leave the room when their team is being discussed.

The “Blogosphere”: A Lecture

The World of Blogs and Its Effects on Journalism

BY ALISSA NG ‘09

“It is the best of times, it is the worst of times.”

A Tale of Two Cities may have been written in the 17th century, but some things still remain relevant.

Except at that time, there was no Internet. In her lecture titled “Blogosphere: The Future of Journalism,” Professor Fara Warner talks about the pluses and minuses of the blogosphere, as well as what it means for journalism.

Today, the world we live in is completely technological, a whirl of screens and a cacophony of voices in the democracy we call the Internet. We must always be constantly plugged in, cell phones and cameras ready, laptops always out to take notes and ready to rush out of the door the moment a story breaks. This description isn’t limited to one of a journalist. It describes today’s increasingly technologically savvy generation.

Held in the Hussey room in the Michigan League on March 11, her lecture attracted a full house, with some students sitting on the floor at the back and the sides of the room. She started off by talking about a class she teaches, Communications 439, also titled “Blogosphere: The Future of Journalism”, of which I am a student. She first starts off by mentioning that today’s youth are “tuned out” from the news, and talks about what can make us tune back in. For the under-40 crowd, it will most likely be The Colbert Report or Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show. They package and present to us news in hilarious, and there-

fore, easily digestible pieces.

Blogs and web applications allow us to combine different mediums to tell a story. These technologies give us the opportunity to not only consume news, but to create news. Last year’s Mumbai attacks were covered by non-traditional forms of media. “Tweets [posts on Twitter.com] and cell phone videos covered it before CNN did,” Warner says. “If you have a computer, camera and a wireless connection, you’re set… The Internet is perfect for journalism.”

But the blogosphere, although a democracy, can also drive people away from traditional media.

The content quality of blogs cannot be compared to that of established news organizations such as The New York Times, although there are some exceptions. This has resulted in critics of the blogosphere comparing blogging to surgery in that we cannot let an, “untrained person perform surgery on [us],” the untrained person being the blogger in this analogy, implying that journalism comes from a higher place, not from the words of ordinary people.

To Warner, it cannot be compared to surgery because journalists learn mostly on the job, instead of during medical school. And new technology is easy to learn. We can adapt, but the question is whether we want to. “It’s no use sticking our heads in the sand,” Warner says. “The Internet is not the Bogeyman, and we cannot be resistant to change.” This is certainly true. Print journalists per se do not exist

anymore. MoJos, or mobile journalists, are expected to capture and edit video and audio as well as write.

Although she considers herself an “old” print journalist, she says that journalists are people who try new things. “If [we don’t], journalism will fall by the wayside… It is imperative that journalism lives on.”

“Journalism is living, breathing and vibrant. It’s just in a different form today. People say journalism is dead, but the world is simply changing”, she says. With blogging and web applications, “news is covered the way we see it, and not so much through gatekeeper thinking”, which is what traditional media does. But even these old-school forms of journalism (New York Times, BBC, CNN) have come on board, by including blogs and multimedia sections on their websites and even Twitter.

As for the future, Warner wonders, “Will there be an iTunes for journalism in the future? Will we pay 99 cents to read the New York Times every day?” There may be negative repercussions. Every day, the potential danger of the digital divide, falsified information and omnipresent media hangs over us. Every day that passes without a newspaper or magazine folding elicits a sigh of relief from us. But for now, we cannot ignore the fact that journalism will include, if not revolve around, blogs and “selfbroadcasting”, whether we like it or not. MR

BY JANE COASTON ‘09

You’ve been at the University of Michigan for a year or more now. You’ve spun the Cube, sang Hail to the Victors at Crisler Arena, and gotten drunk in class on Saint Patrick’s Day. But there’s a lot more to do and see

in your time here. Here are some events you have to hit and places you need to see (even if you’ve never heard of them).

1.

A MEDMA Rave The Michigan Electronic Dance Music Association is

one of the newest organizations on campus, and has quickly gained prominence as hosts of some of the best parties around. DJs from MEDMA have played at Truth Co-Op, Kappa Sig, and Necto, and MEDMA brings in top electronic talent from across the country, including Deadmau5 and Paul van Dyk. So what if raving sounds like you should be wearing pleather pants and Rollerblades (so I recently watched Hackers. Don’t hate me)? If you just want to listen to good music and dance (and maybe use glowsticks, if you feel like it), be sure and go.

IMAGE HTTP://WWW.FARM1.STATIC.FLICKR.COM/

2. A Michigan Lacrosse Game

Though it’s a “club-varsity” sport, both the men’s and women’s teams have won National Championships and League Championships over the last five years. Both teams play home games at Oosterbaan Fieldhouse on South Campus. The teams play universities including Notre Dame and Michigan State, as well as Brigham Young and Colorado State. If you’ve never watched a lacrosse game before, this is a great time to start.

IMAGE HTTP://WWW.UMICH.EDU/

3. A Marching Band Practice

You can hear the band from as far away as West Quad, but there’s nothing better than seeing them in person.

They practice nearly every day in the parking lot of Elbel Field on Hill Street, and anyone can stop by and watch. Find out what the halftime show will look like and see just how much work the Michigan Marching Band puts in to making Football Saturday the spectacle that it is.

IMAGE HTTP://WWW.BUCKEYEFOOTBALL.HOMESTEAD.COM/

4. The Duderstadt

The Duderstadt Library is on North Campus. Yes, that North Campus. Seriously, it’s not as far as you’d think. The “Dude” is massive, with huge glass sculptures, shelves that you can move back and forth with a button and enough power outlets to keep your laptop happy. If you’ve got a paper to write or some reading to do, the Duderstadt is a great place to study.

IMAGE HTTP://WWW.LIB.UMICH.EDU/

5. A Senior Thesis Performance at the School of Music

IMAGE HTTP://WWW.MUSIC.UMICH.EDU/

You’ve probably met a lot of people here who aren’t very impressive. Those kids don’t go to the School of Music. Thesis performances are basically the final showcase for graduating seniors, whether they’re Jazz Performance majors or working on their own piano concerto. And, let’s be serious here, it sounds a lot less pathetic to be watching that on a Sunday afternoon than whatever you were planning on doing (watching a marathon of From G’s to Gents, fixing your washing machine, procrastinating).

6. Going to Grizzly Peak on Thursday Nights

Does the concept of $2 pints sound appealing? What about cheap pitchers? I thought so. Grizzly Peak (near Main Street on West Washington) doesn’t just have great beers and a good atmosphere. Before 11PM, it also has some of the best bar food around.

IMAGE HTTP://WWW.GRIZZLYPEAK.NET/

There’s life outside of South University and State Street.

Stop by 42 Degrees (just remember, you’re buying a pipe for tobacco). Pick up some cheap Chinese food at T.K. Wu on Liberty. Go to the People’s Food Co-op and

get the cheapest bulk cereal in town(and watch some hippies). There’s a lot to do in Ann Arbor—just start walking. MR

PAGE 9

Arts & Culture

What You Should Be ELI at Doing in Ann Arbor U-M 03.23.2009

BY SREYA VEMPATTI ‘12

The University of Michigan is notable for having a relatively large body of international students from over 100 countries. Frequently, one of the biggest problems these students face is a language barrier, which, needless to say, inhibits learning in the classroom and social interaction. U-M has a well-established English Language Institute (ELI) that offers courses for U-M international students, both undergraduate and graduate, that helps them integrate into the larger community.

The ELI was established in 1944, and is unique in that it offers courses in English for Academic Purposes (EAP). “These courses are designed to aid students in learning English for use within the academic context.

They are taught the accurate use of the language in research papers, presentations and discussions, besides learning how it is used to communicate within their discipline”, said Carolyn Madden, senior lecturer in LSA’s English department and Associate Director for Curriculum at the ELI. She said that the average enrollment for each term stands at around 400, of which a large proportion comes from China and South Korea. But, the ELI does not look at the student’s country of origin. “Experience in English in an academic context and current proficiency” is what the ELI looks at closely, according to Pamela Bogart, lecturer at the ELI. There are two ways in which students’ proficiency is tested – either through TOEFL scores or through the Academic English Evaluation, a test designed for non-native English speakers.

The majority of students enrolled in courses are in graduate programs at U-M. According to Ms. Bogart, “the ELI offers a GSI workshop for LSA students that is offered for 2 credits and is held for 3 weeks during the summer. It is intended for graduate students who are entering their first year at U-M. Another course is offered during the Winter term and is held for 10 weeks; this is meant for graduate students of higher standing.”

She also said that the College of Engineering and other colleges at U-M offer 2 credit courses during both school terms.

Explaining that the ways in which lecturers and students enrolled gauge their level of improvement, Ms. Madden said that the ELI hires undergraduate students for enrolled students to practice with. There is even a GSI speaking clinic to help them out. The ELI follows up with all of their students and helps them out throughout their time at U-M. “In many cases, strong bonds have been formed,” she said.

The ELI partners with Rackham and the International Center to help form a network for international students and create social events. There is also an advisory board that helps students develop leadership skills.

There are 17 lecturers at the institute who teach full time and two tenured professors. Although the ELI itself has its office on East Washington, classes are not held there. Courses are taught at the MLB, Mason Hall, the USB and the Art building on North Campus, among others.

Both lecturers stressed that the nature of the courses is very interdisciplinary and is meant to promote learning of the culture and facilitate dialogue rather than just learning the technical aspects of the language. “There are many electives for students to explore”, said Ms. Madden. “Students see us as a resource, and gain self awareness and confidence.” MR

PAGE 10 P.

03.23.2009 4.1.08 POW WOW Continued from FRONT PAGE

on the NAGPRA national review committee for seven years, says that with more research, cultural affiliation could be determined. “The remains could be issued tomorrow! The University will [comply] if that is the case, but until then, it seems unwise to go against regulations and just give them to whomever’s most convenient to give them to. If we turn them all to Saginaw now, we are closing the door on getting the remains to who they actually belong to.”

In some cases of repatriation, tribes have actually declined these remains and given them back to the University. “One tribe has RELIGION Continued from FRONT PAGE

sade for Christ is an evangelical organization, tending towards a Protestant, modern, and untraditional bent, with much reliance on the Bible for guidance. The core principles are to win people to Christ, to build a community of believers, and to send them out to be representatives of Christ.”

Erdmann attends Bible studies every Tuesday night and mass meetings every Friday night. When talking with others, he conceded that although most people are respectful, some have viewed him as intolerant for believing that Jesus Christ is the only way to the truth. Asked what he tells non-

Continuations

ROBOTICS Continued from PAGE 5

completely shut down by malicious software.

Another role robots are expanding into is in caring for the elderly, especially as our society ages. Pollack was quoted on this subject in a recent article in the Washington Post. Pollack was sure that while robots will play an expanding role in the care for the elderly, that people would never be replaced.

POLICY Continued from PAGE 5

oping good policies. The students are very fair-minded. I’m a moderate, it’s not like we can’t voice our opinion.”

Ford School faculty member Alan Deardorff stated that the students are more intermixed politically, yet contain a higher concentration of left-wing individuals than other political demographics.

“I would guess that a somewhat larger majority of our community would have voted for Obama than the majority that elected him in the country as a whole,” he said. “But as a policy school we very much value diversity of political opinion, and I’m MSA Continued from PAGE 5

sentative, wrote on the website, “Everything that is discussed, decided, or considered within MSA should be publicly available for students. Students should know each issue and know how it affects them.” The Vision Party advocates helping students find jobs, uniting the campus, and increasing environmental awareness. “There are a lot of inefficiencies both in MSA and at this University. One specific example in MSA is the process by which student organizations make requests for funding. If this process is made easier, coupled with an MSA outreach to organizations to apply for funding, then we can ensure that the student population’s funding is going to the most worthy places, not just to whoever applies for it,” said Adam DeSantis, a LSA-SG representative from the Michigan Vision Party.

The Vision Party is not wholly defined by a certain ideology, however, but more so by the ideological method it employs to generate ideas. Vision Party members ask undergraduate students the same question displayed on their shirts, “What is your Vision?” The Visions Party’s objective is to help make the visions of Michigan students realizable.

The reMichigan Party, or those donning the red attire, claims, “We are a campaign UMMA Continued from PAGE 5

case contemporary and experimental works.

A café as well as an expanded museum store will also be located on the first floor of the

said, ‘These graves are desecrated, we don’t know who these people are and don’t know the right rituals to give them.’ ” Professor O’Shea maintains that U-M has had a proactive record on returning identified remains, as in 1995, where all federally recognized tribes were notified and consulted when the Museum was preparing an inventory of the artifacts.

However, Sandefur disagrees. In an e-mail interview, he says, “There is strong precedent in the state as well as nationwide for returning the remains. Other universities such as MSU and Central Michigan both take a proactive approach [on this issue].” He understands that culturally unaffiliated remains cannot be repatriated, but they can still be returned through a pro-

cess called disposition. “We are asking the University of Michigan to do what is legal and ethical and follow precedent and return these remains.”

Even though there continues to be intense disagreement on who is right on the repatriation issue, there is no denying that the remains hold immense cultural and scientific value. “When we do a repatriation, as a scientist, I’m very unhappy because it’s such a narrow thread we have to the past, and every piece we lose is gone forever,” Professor O’Shea muses. “We can never get it back. So even though you’re following the law, it doesn’t mean you’re happy to see that information leave.” MR

believers, he answered, “God has a plan for all of our lives. In a world that can often seem meaningless, God is the ultimate source of meaning and satisfaction.”

In addition to Judaism and Christianity, Islam has a strong presence at Michigan. Mohamed Mattar, a freshman-engineering student, follows his Islamic faith closely. Because of his faith, he does not drink alcohol or eat pork, prays 5 times per day, and fasts during the days of Ramadan. Otherwise, he asserted that, “Islam is more of a way of life than it is a religion. Religiously, we are very similar to Christianity and Judaism.”

The Islamic community at Michigan is represented through the Muslim Students’ Association, or MSA. This organization, among other activities, holds a

weekly one-hour prayer on Friday in locations such as the Union or the League. Mattar noted, “Having the MSA here at UM helps represent and unite the Muslim population here and set up events in conjunction with other MSA’s from other colleges.”

Mattar does not feel ostracized for his beliefs, “In the dorms, my hall mates have gotten used to seeing me wash up before prayer 5 times a day and my roommate has gotten used to me praying in the room, and they all respect it completely. I’m living life here like everyone else, doing most of the same things everyone else is doing.” MR

“I’m not sure that we want to be replaced,” Pollack said, “caring for our parents as they age is part of the human experience.”

The one danger that Pollack saw in the future of advanced computing is the increased violation of privacy. With more and more computers involved in every transaction and action we take, the ability to track our actions is constantly increasing. “The challenge is in developing the technology that provides the greatest

benefit while minimizing the most risk.”

Dean Pollack encouraged all students interested in robotics, information technology, or “sociotechnological” issues to come to the School of Information or the website of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI), which has a page on its site which explains advancements in the field for the lay person. MR

sure that our community includes a significant minority who routinely vote Republican, as well as a few on the more extreme left.”

Political affiliation aside, Ford also does not merely churn out only future governmental employees. Professor Chamberlin stated that as politically involved as many of the students are, they matriculate to a wide array of occupations with which to wield their educated zeal in the value of policy.

“We have a lot of students here who are interested in the non profit world, and at the graduate level, many of our students are pursuing dual degrees, such as law school and social work school. They bring with them a common sense of making a difference,” Chamberlin

commented. “I think they come here generally with the sense that government is an important part of making the world a better place, but they might not necessarily work in government.”

The Ford School also educates many foreign professionals from other countries who have previous experience in working for their own government, Chamberlin said. Because of this, he stated, there is an added diversity to the political spectrum that diverges from the American conservative or liberal agenda, making the Ford School a glittering addition to the vast spectrum of American universities. MR

committed to refocusing the direction of student government based on relevant issues to students.” Their campaign slogan is “react, remobilize, revitalize.” Both parties want to change the direction of MSA from the MPA-era, reflective of the way campaigns generally view the previous governmental administrations. Regardless, the reMichigan Party promises to focus on certain issues, including tuition and financial aid, job and internship opportunities, sustainability and green initiatives, academic guidance, student organizations, and Michigan’s spirit and tradition. For example, the reMichigan Party, according to Singh, supported a tuition freeze for all students whereas the Vision Party declined to support it due to potential effects a freeze would have on professors and the university. Singh stated, “We’re here to advocate for the students.”

The two parties are not ideologically opposed to one another like conservatives and liberals. The two parties simply disagree on approaches to certain issues; as such, Singh strongly asserted that bipartisanship is important and the parties should not act in opposition.

Both parties contain motivated, passionate students desiring progress for Michigan. “I had never been involved in MSA before because I wasn’t a fan of the virtually one-party system. When I heard MAP had split, I decided to get involved and do my part in improving campus life. I went to both reMichigan and MVP mass meetings, and I was more impressed with the MVP. They told us what they were about, then proceeded to have a half hour conversation with us about what our

ideas were. That’s what I saw then and throughout the campaign, we didn’t talk at people, we talked WITH them,” according to DeSantis. Singh, on the other hand, wants to change the nature of academics and leadership at Michigan by instilling a Liberationist Method of Education, which entails a more collaborative, creative environment where students learn along with the professors, instead of being preached to by them. “Memorization in order to hit a GPA mark does not cultivate creativity,” Singh stated, “I would like to work with the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching.

However, they have no undergraduate student board, which is counterintuitive for an organization dedicated to innovation and improving education for undergraduates. If we can bring in more interdisciplinary, interesting classes that students can apply to their lives, and then have students give feedback on these courses, we can improve education for the whole undergraduate population. If you don’t have a vested interested in a class, it is very difficult to learn from it.”

Singh believes that because such classes would establish professors as collaborative leaders instead of authoritative figures, by example student leadership would thus improve. He is one of many students with an idea of how MSA can enhance the quality of life at Michigan; only time will tell if these students, Vision and reMichigan alike, can be any more successful than their predecessors. MR

Frankel Wing. An interactive “DialogTable,” located in the public commons zone will allow people access to videos and additional information on every piece on

display in the galleries, even after they have closed for the night.

UMMA Continued on PAGE 11

03.23.2009 4.1.08 UMMA Continued from PAGE 10

Three special exhibitions are currently on display—Museums in the 21st Century: Concepts, Projects, Buildings; Expressions of Vienna: Master Drawings by Klimt and Schiele from the Pulgram-McSparran FBI Continued from PAGE 6

in the September 7, 2002 Akron Beacon Journal article “FBI leaves 20 names off terrorist watch list,” “an FBI unit failed to post the names of at least 20 known or suspected terrorists on a massive watch list that helps border and law enforcement agents keep al-Qaida operatives out of the country.”

Many would use this as another way to critique the Bush administration. But what does the current administration plan to do about it? Though on his website, Obama promises to establish a grant to support EDUCATION Continued from PAGE 7

HOUSING Continued from PAGE 7

new house (excluding apartments and condos) listings in February ’08, and 145 in the same month of ’09. Respectively, 43 of those homes were sold, compared to 26 sold this year. The average sale price of the homes, as well dropped from $333,515 to $289,393. The report also stated that there were 22 condominiums sold in February 2008, and a mere nine sold in February 2009.

Some UM students are feeling the strain of the housing market, such as Senior Engineering student Ben Carpenter. For the past year, his family has tried to sell their house, located on the far west side of Ann Arbor. Despite their many renovations to the property and lowering the asking price, they have found no buyers.

BUDGET Continued from PAGE 7

the greatest blow to its finances.

But, with a world-wide financial crisis that has hit the stock markets and established institutions, students and faculty should keep a look-out for any cuts that might show up in the near future. MR

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Collection; and UMMA Projects: Walead Beshty, the first in the contemporary series, located in the Project Gallery. MR thousands more state and local level intelligence analysis and strengthen the Privacy and Civil Liberties Board with subpoena powers and reporting responsibilities, the implications and effectiveness of such acts have yet to be manifested. MR

ter the South Korean one? Give me a break. Kids in school from 7am-11pm six days a week. An exam that decides your whole future based on what university you get into. This is a regressive, antiquated system.” MR

This, Carpenter stated, has been a very strenuous and financially draining process.

“I feel like there are fewer people coming by these days than when we first put it on the market… It’s been pretty rough.

We really can’t afford what we’re paying to keep the house up.” MR

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way to prepare them for a 21st century economy. That is why I’m calling for us not only to expand effective after-school programs, but to rethink the school day to incorporate more time – whether during the summer or through expanded-day programs for children who need it.”

A commenter on the Huffingtonpost.com responded, “He wants to model the US education system af-

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Face Off

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03.23.2009 4.1.08

National Database for Sex Offenders Registration of sex offenders has occurred in some states since the 1940s, but recent legislation has increased the power, availability and pervasiveness of these lists. In many states, lists of sex offenders in your zip-code are available online. Is this a violation of constitutional rights or a safeguard for child safety? Two editorial board members debate.

Pro National Database Con National Database

BY JANE COASTON ‘09

BY NATHAN STANO ‘11

The scourge of child molestation and victimization in the United States has reached unbelievable heights. According to the Franks Foundation, “Dedicated to Protecting America’s Kids from Sexual Predators”, one in four girls and one in six boys will be sexually abused by the age of eighteen. The average sexual predator will commit at least 117 acts of assault before ever being caught, and only 25% of cases of childhood sexual abuse are ever reported. Sexual abuse is scarring and life-altering. Children who are sexually abused are more likely to develop serious psychological illnesses and suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. They are also more likely to become sex offenders themselves. Abuse shatters families and lives.

Abuse shatters families and lives.

The National Child Offender Registry began as individual statutes within states. California began registering sex offenders in 1947. In 1994, a federal statute required all states to have legislation requiring sex offenders to register with sex offender registry offices. The statute was named for Jacob Wetterling, who was kidnapped and molested in 1989 and whose remains have never been found. In 1996, the statute was amended with Megan’s Law, which required state law enforcement agencies to share information about registered sex offenders with the public when deemed necessary. Named for Megan Kanka, who was kidnapped, raped and murdered by a repeat sexual offender who had moved into her neighborhood, Megan’s Law made it a felony to fail to register in most jurisdictions.

I’ll admit that the registration of sex offenders and the publication of the names and addresses have created new problems. Those who are forced to register are not always those who might pose the biggest danger to children; often, they are people who have been convicted of lesser sex crimes who, depending on specific jurisdictions, are considered to pose a danger to children. In 2000, Paul Zielbauer of the New York Times wrote on criticism of sex offenders. “ ‘They don’t tell you how to protect yourself and your children; they don’t give the degree of risk this person poses to you or not,’ said David A. D’Amora, the director of a treatment center for sexual abusers … “Just throwing a bunch of things up on a screen is like throwing gasoline on a fire’”. Fine. Let’s clean up the lists and make sure that the people who are on public registries deserve to be there. And let’s educate the public about the dangers of sexual molestation, which almost overwhelming is committed by someone the child knows. But we need these registries.

Those who abuse children, whether physically, emotionally, or sexually, have forfeited some of their rights and privileges as members of society. Of course, they should not be forever excluded from their communities, but what they have done puts children in considerable danger. They have committed a crime so heinous that it is almost difficult to comprehend. By molesting a child, these perpetrators have altered the life of a child, making it almost unrecognizable. It’s not just the victims. The victim’s families are forced to try and comprehend the damage that has been done to their child. If they decide to pursue legal action, children are put through intense questioning and psychological testing in order to determine the validity of their claims. The community suffers as well as neighborhoods are forced to choose sides and other families worry that something may have happened to their child as well.

Registries of sex offenders aren’t the perfect solution. We need better education in schools about what sexual molestation means and a more effective system for treating and counseling offenders. But that doesn’t mean that these registries don’t provide a valuable service for families trying to protect their children. The parents of Megan Kanka, the namesake of Megan’s Law, said “Every parent should have the right to know if a dangerous sexual predator moves into their neighborhood.” MR

Inarguably, the need to have some sort of database or tracking system for sex offenders is clear. However, as in many political topics these days, the question of whether something can be done is often forgotten when one’s opinion of what should be done is fomented. The Constitution prevents the federal government from setting up such a program and at this time of economic downturn, it does not have the resources either. The monitoring of “undesirable” elements of society in the end makes us all less secure from the prying eyes of 1984esque bureaucracy.

Whether we like it or not, the constitution protects our right to privacy.

Whether we like it or not, the constitution protects our right to privacy, not in explicit terms per se, but in protecting us from unwarranted searches and seizures as well as theoretically limiting the actions that the government can take. The national government has no need to create such a database, dubious legality aside. The states each have their own databases which monitor sex offenders. These databases, in many states, allow residents to search their neighborhoods for sex offenders online. Comments on neighborliness aside, it would seem that the situation now seems adequate. If a sex offender should move to a new state, however, the potential for problems exist. The states, however, can solve all of them. If a sex offender moves, and the law enforcement of the first state sees fit not to check in on him or her, then that sex offender has as much right to move as is allowed in that state’s laws. The fact that some states don’t give a heads up to other states is not the concern of the federal government.

The only sex offender database that the federal government ought to be concerned about is one for Washington DC, as Congress is theoretically in charge of the District. Also, there are websites out there that allow you to search state databases on a national basis.

Even if there were to be a national sex offender registry, the potential for errors which could cost people their reputations is huge. If you need an example, look at the federal No Fly database. As the database cannot provide the TSA with your address to check against your passport, to protect you privacy, if you have the same name as a terrorist, you are immediately sent to the back room. One can only assume that the same privacy protections would exist for sex offender registries, and if you have the same name as a sex offender, there is the chance that you may be accidently mistaken for one. One only needs to be mistaken for a sex offender once for their reputation and possibly their livelihood to be completely ruined. Few companies would like to be employers of sex offenders, especially if that becomes public.

Finally, we must ask ourselves as a society if we want to start monitoring sex offenders. Not everyone who is on a sex offender registry is the active child rapist that sensationalists portray them as. The treatment should be based on the crime, to be sure, but if we begin to monitor groups of people based on the worst segment of that population, what population is free from the scrutinizing eye of the government. Where do we stop in the area of protection if it’s “for the children”? The fear of central authority is not as conspiratorial as we are lead to believe, as that was the impulse that we are founded upon. The slippery slope is not necessarily a justification for throwing out a plan, but it is something that citizens must keep in mind. “Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both,” are the famous words of Benjamin Franklin, and it applies for any type of government surveillance. MR

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