Survival by University of Michigan College of LSA

DIALOGUE

Editor College of Literature, Science, and the Arts University of Michigan Suite 5000 500 South State Street Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1382 734.615.6333 lsamagazine@umich.edu

Survival as a Continuum In many ways, survival equates to a series of successful choices. You’re faced with

Terrence J. McDonald

Arthur F. Thurnau Professor, Professor of History, and Dean, College of lsa

Peggy Burns

Assistant Dean for lsa Advancement

Lara Zielin Editor

Rebekah Murray Assistant Editor

Patricia Claydon

Art Director/Designer

Regents of the University Julia Donovan Darlow, Ann Arbor Laurence B. Deitch, Bingham Farms Denise Ilitch, Bingham Farms Olivia P. Maynard, goodrich Andrea Fischer Newman, Ann Arbor Andrew C. Richner, Grosse Pointe Park

S. Martin Taylor, Grosse Pointe Farms

The University of Michigan, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action, including Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The University of Michigan is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination and equal opportunity for all persons regardless of race, sex, color, religion, creed, national origin or ancestry, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, or Vietnam-era veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions. Inquiries or complaints may be addressed to the Senior Director for Institutional Equity and Title IX/Section 504 Coordinator, Office for Institutional Equity, 2072 Administrative Services Building, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1432, 734-763-0235, TTY 734-647-1388. For other University of Michigan information call 734-764-1817.

Illustration by Andrew Claydon

Katherine E. White, Ann Arbor Mary Sue Coleman, ex officio

X, so you do Y. Survival in the short term often requires quick decisions: a bear is charging toward you — what do you do? Survival in the long term is a bit different. There’s more strategy involved, more thought. You must eat to survive, but if you choose to eat red meat every day, how does that impact your overall lifespan? It gets even more complicated on a global level. The choices we make to survive today may negatively affect humans’ survival in the long term. For example, I need to drive a car to get to my job so I can make money, which affords me food and shelter. But the car I’m driving is connected to global warming, which threatens humans as a whole. Am I surviving in the short term only to sabotage the long term? If survival is a continuum, then the stories in this issue reflect both immediate survival (short term) and strategic success (long term). For example, when Edmund Love attended the University of Michigan more than 70 years ago during the Great Depression, he found creative ways to cobble together enough money to stay in school month to month. His story (p. 33) reflects the enduring, immutable will that so often accompanies stories of survival. Similarly, when alumna Megan McKenna lived and worked in war-ravaged Darfur and met translator Daoud Hari, it was his unbreakable human spirit that helped her cope with the tragedy all around her (p. 52). Later, when Hari’s life was at risk, McKenna stepped in to help him escape Darfur. Eventually, she collaborated with him on his memoir, titled The Translator, a bittersweet account of his life in Darfur and eventual immigration to the United States. Not all of our survival stories are so heart-wrenching. We talked to six U-M alumni who managed to survive reality television shows like The Bachelor, Fear Factor, and The Apprentice (p. 18). Bikinis, worms, and Donald Trump — oh my! We also talked to alumni in a variety of industries who offered creative cost-cutting tips for helping your dollars survive longer during these tough economic times. There’s also our essay by Jon Udell, a technology evangelist at Microsoft (really, that’s his title) who tells us how the Internet can help us all amass our collective knowledge for the common good. And for those of you who think you can survive anything and everything, be sure to take our survival quiz to find out whether you really know what to do in challenging — and even life-threatening — situations (p. 10). Can reading this magazine be one of them? Not unless you endure a massive paper cut, in which case you should clean the wound thoroughly and apply pressure through a bandage. If bleeding persists, call a doctor. But take the magazine with you to the clinic so you have something to read while you wait.

Lara Zielin, Editor spring 2009 LSA n 3