Opinion
4 — Friday, January 24, 2014
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
MEGGIE RAMM
E-mail Meggie at roseraam@umich.edu
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Creating an inclusive campus requires constant and concrete goals
M
onday Jan. 20, the Black Student Union staged a protest demanding the University administration improve its treatment of minority groups on campus. The protest comes on the heels of an e-mail sent by Provost Martha Pollack in response to the Being Black at the University of Michigan Twitter campaign. The e-mail called for increased attention to diversity and inclusion in the University community in a direct response to the #BBUM conversations. Though the Provost’s direct address of racial inequality is a step in the right direction, the University must continue to strengthen its commitment to creating a diverse campus and an inclusive climate. these students. For example, the School of Nursing’s GENESIS Project is an introductory program that exclusively enrolls qualified, underrepresented minority students in grades 8 through 11. In addition to diversifying its enrollment, the University needs to further promote awareness of multiculturalism. Though residence hall multicultural councils promote conversation, these organizations are only relevant to students who live in the dorms, namely underclassmen. Few highly visible efforts target those living off campus, and the University should increase efforts to educate all students on racial tolerance. Pollack’s email expressed intention the administrations to renovate and eventually relocate the Trotter Multicultural Center. The center is marginalized by its relatively inaccessible location away from campus. The Trotter Center should be moved to a more centralized and properly lit location on Central Campus. However, the Trotter Center suffers most from a lack of prominence on campus. Trotter focuses on facilitating dialogue between groups and serves as a valuable resource for minority groups on campus. It could be a valuable resource in promoting awareness, but its existence and activities need to be better publicized so as to reach students that may not even know what it is. If the University has a “strong commitment to diversity and to creating a welcoming and inclusive community,” as stated in Pollack’s e-mail, then it must take action to make students of all races feel like valued members of the campus community. The #BBUM movement and other protests regarding campus inequality have helped amplify underrepresented minority voices, and Pollack’s e-mail demonstrates that the administration is listening. It is time that the University take substantive action to finally turn the campus community into the diverse, inclusive place that students from all walks of life deserve.
MICHAEL PROPPE AND BOBBY DISHELL | VIEWPOINT
An entrepreneurial think tank Fellow students, the University of Michigan needs our help. We will soon welcome a new president at the University. Minority enrollment and the diversity of our student population lags behind the ideals we strive for. The Athletic Department changed how tens of thousands of students experience the University’s most popular spectator sports. Recent crimes near campus have raised concerns over student safety and tuition continues to climb year after year. The University doesn’t necessarily have the solutions to address these issues. Many of them have persisted for decades, long before any of us arrived on campus. And that’s where the students come in. It’s time to shake things up with a new approach — a student-centric approach, a grassroots approach; perhaps an entrepreneurial approach. The University already has an entrepreneurial streak going. The Master of Entrepreneurship program is ranked one of the top programs in the nation. MHacks had another record-breaking weekend, this time in Detroit. The Central Student Government’s Commission on Student Entrepreneurship launched the first Month of Entrepreneurship last spring, and was recognized by the White House for its efforts. But it’s time for the University to move entrepreneurship beyond just the land of tech startups and hackathons. It’s time for the University to expand our entrepreneurial spirit to a broader range of issues. It’s time for the University to lead the way once again, and take entrepreneurship campus-wide. To kick this off, and to help define exactly what campus-wide entrepreneurship can mean at the University, we invite you to join us and Dr. Thomas Zurbuchen on Saturday, Jan. 25 from 2-4 p.m. in the Anderson Room of the Michigan Union. This campus-wide entrepreneurship kickoff event will formal-
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BSU deserves action
ly begin the University’s efforts to expand the breadth and depth of its entrepreneurial offerings. We’ll be discussing some of the campus issues students lay out, thinking critically about them in an entrepreneurial framework and discussing solutions that arise from these conversations. Plus, free food will be provided! Dr. Zurbuchen has been tasked with developing an academic campus-wide entrepreneurship program, and he understands its development requires significant student input in order to be successful. Students are the driving force behind the major changes we see at the University — from tuition equality to building renovations — and that’s why CSG is partnering with Dr. Zurbuchen on this project. For a campus-wide entrepreneurship program — which may very well transform into an academic minor in entrepreneurship open to all majors — to live up to its potential, it needs to be built by students, for students. To RSVP for the kickoff event on Jan. 25, or to offer input as to what you would like to see out of a campus-wide entrepreneurship program that is open to all majors, please visit CSG’s website and find the campus-wide entrepreneurship kickoff event post. The expansion of entrepreneurship across all majors is an exciting opportunity for the student body. As we look to help the University solve its most pressing issues, a campus-wide entrepreneurship program will bring together a diverse group of students and foster even more student-led innovation. Help us continue to be the “Leaders and Best,” and change our world and our school for tomorrow. Help us take entrepreneurship campus-wide. Michael Proppe is a Business senior and president of CSG.v Bobby Dishell is a Public Policy junior and vice president of CSG.
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Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily’s editorial board. All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.
In her e-mail, Pollack discussed both short- and long-term goals of fostering an inclusive and safe environment, increasing minority enrollment and improving multicultural resources. Pollack’s e-mail acknowledges the #BBUM dialogue spearheaded by the BSU last November. The movement, in which Black students shared their experiences of being Black at the University, received national attention and provoked widespread discussions about diversity and inclusion. In an effort to keep the conversation from fading, members of the BSU gathered at Hill Auditorium on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day to issue an ultimatum to the University. Pollack’s e-mail claims the University is listening to the concerns of underrepresented minority students at the University, while admitting “there are times we have not lived up to our highest aspirations” in regard to diversity. The fact that the e-mail was sent in the first place shows campaigns such as #BBUM are effective in gaining administrative attention, and have the potential to result in real change. Still, Pollack’s message remains vague. She states that the University will work on “increasing enrollment of underrepresented minorities to the fullest extent permitted by law,” but does not outline any specific plan. After the Proposal 2 ballot initiative, Black enrollment at the University has dropped significantly, falling from 6.4 percent of the incoming freshman class in 2006 to 4.1 percent last year. The University should create a specialized recruitment process that aims to differentiate between underrepresented groups and educate each one of opportunities available to them specifically at the University. Instead of relying on an indiscriminate approach that lumps all minorities into one category, the school should target specific groups of underrepresented minorities. The University should also make an effort to expand its reach to high schools in lowincome areas and develop programs for
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Gender (mis)perception is a bitch
S
oon I’m going to be graduating. And I’m going to have to get a job. Not a summer job or an “internship,” but like … a jobjob. Currently, I’m student teaching in preparation for my future, hypothetical job-job. My main concern right now is, KATIE essentially, trying STEEN to establish myself as some kind of authority figure with my students, but also trying not to come off as a “bitch.” Actually, one of my readings for the School of Education offered advice on how to not seem “bitchy.” Seriously, that was the word that was used in the paper. The problem is, normally I pride myself on being a bitch in situations that call for bitchiness. But now, I have to try to essentially make people like me — and not just because it feels nice and warm and sunshine-y when other people like me — but because it actually affects my job. Students will typically try harder in your class if they like you — or at least show up to class. But what exactly constitutes being bitchy? Is it the pitch of my voice? My smile, or lack thereof? My posture in heels? My hand on my hip? My persistence? Is one teacher’s assertiveness another’s bitchiness? Can male teachers be bitchy? I’m reminded in particular of an ad from last year — for Pantene Philippines, incidentally — that addressed gendered double standards in the workplace. Ignoring the fact that, much like Dove’s “Real Beauty” cam-
paign, this ad is ultimately more capitalist than feminist (and ignoring the bizarre background music of a cover of Tears for Fears’ “Mad World”), the commercial brings up several valid points. Why is a man persuasive, but a woman pushy, for instance? I don’t know if my students think of me as pushy or bitchy or if they even think much of me at all at this point (currently, the majority of my school day is spent swimming through endless piles of paper to grade), but it’s something I consider every time I tell a student to stop talking (for the third time) or to put away her phone (without saying please). How does my gender affect the way they interpret this? Am I just a “nag”? And of course, there are my colleagues to consider. I’m thinking of an article in The Atlantic that cited a Pew survey on gender preferences in the workplace. Most people don’t have preferences as to the gender of the people they’re working with. But, within the category of men and women who do have gender preferences, both men and women prefer working with men. But why? Is it because we’re too bitchy? Too moody? Too mean? Too sensitive? Too menstrual? Too distracting? What? I think the reason females who have gendered preferences prefer to work with males is that they’ve bought into the same sort of rheto-
ric that causes women to say, “I’m not like most other girls.” The same rhetoric that causes girls to say, “Yeah, most of my friends are guys,” with a bizarre air of pride. This is the message that says that women, in general, are somehow bad — ditzy, irrational, catty, slutty — take your pick. A white male is the perceived default in America — normal and rational. A stick figure is a dude. Add the long hair, the dress, the boobs, the period, the passive aggression, the gossip and rumors, the uncontrollable bursts of emotions and tears and feelings — OK, now that’s a woman. Phew, no wonder guys are just easier to work with, right? To be friends with? To have as the protagonist of a movie, TV show, novel or comic book? To lead our companies? Our country? I’m getting carried away. I could go on about all the stereotypical negative qualities of males and list off all the ways that females could be perceived as superior. But that’s childish and doesn’t do anything really except start/continue the “battle of the sexes” (though it can lead to exciting tennis matches). Anyway, the truth is, we’re all human, and we have more similarities than differences. And we can all be good colleagues, teachers, leaders, friends and people in general — don’t let social constructs tell ya any different.
Is one teacher’s assertiveness another’s bitchiness? Can male teachers be bitchy?
— Katie Steen can be reached at katheliz@umich.edu.
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS
Kaan Avdan, Sharik Bashir, Barry Belmont, James Brennan, Rima Fadlallah, Eric Ferguson, Nivedita Karki, Jordyn Kay, Jesse Klein, Kellie Halushka, Aarica Marsh, Megan McDonald, Victoria Noble, Michael Schramm, Matthew Seligman, Daniel Wang, Derek Wolfe
Destigmatizing the untraditional
I
was 19 when I decided to move to Europe. I didn’t “move” to Europe as in study abroad for a semester with 20 other Michigan students. I didn’t “move” to Europe as in take a summer internship as a part of a program careCAITLYN fully crafted by the University. BRENNAN I didn’t register for classes the next fall, nor did I plan to return in the spring. I found a job, bought a ticket, and packed my bags. I worked for a fashion designer during the day, and as a nanny at night. I worked a lot of hours, but traveled a lot, too. I made friends, learned new languages, gained amazing work experience, and traversed more land by age 20 than most people will in their entire lives. I did all of this because I wanted to. When telling people about my time abroad, the almost-universal reaction is, “Wow. I wish I could do that.” After hearing this so many times, day in and day out, I’ve started to just reply with what’s on my mind: “Well, why don’t you?” Responses are generally a variation of something about “not having enough time” and, frankly, I’m kind of sick of hearing that. I’m 22 years old and, by credit, a sophomore. Students at the University visibly cringe when I tell them this. They give me a look mixed with sympathy and pity, regardless of whether they know why it is I’m so “behind” other people my age. In their hurry to rush through school and into the Real
World or grad school or their next big internship at an investment bank in Chicago, they’ve convinced themselves there is no other path but the norm. Their cringe tells me they’ve also convinced themselves to pity those who stray from this path. Truth be told, my time in Europe was not always rainbows and butterflies. At one point, very suddenly, I lost my job nannying and was, essentially, homeless. It was Christmas, I was completely alone, and in a foreign country with no documentation and very little money. I could pack it in and go back to America, or I could buck up and figure out a way to hold on to my dream of living abroad. I chose the latter. I went through a brutally terrifying and sobering few weeks, but I walked away victorious. Not only did I find a new job, but I found a new confidence in myself to pull through tough situations. It’s these kinds of things that no class in school can teach you — not everyone will have an “I’m going to be homeless and deported if this doesn’t work” experience, but there is a great deal to be gained from leaving the confining bubble that is “the norm.” I was terribly unhappy with my life at Michigan. I was paying tens of thousands of dollars and putting forth endless hours of work for something I could only hope would someday make me happy. Why not take my time and be certain of what I was investing in? The same goes for other “anomalous” academic routes, like staying in school longer in order to change
career paths, or taking time to go work. I get the impression from many students they’re afraid they’ll be viewed as “behind” their peers should they take extra time to graduate, but I’ve found I only benefit when networking and talking about the atypical path I’ve chosen. A friend of mine started school at a different university entirely, decided he disliked it, applied as a freshman to Michigan, and ended up graduating an entire semester “late.” Scary, right? Well here’s the rest of the story: at Michigan, he made nearly perfect grades, became captain of the lacrosse team, and was just accepted into NYU’s dental program where he starts next year. I might be biased, but I think he’s doing pretty well for himself. My point, essentially, is this: if you’re going to tell me you wish you could take time off, study another major, travel around a bit, or take an amazing, unpaid internship in South America that you won’t get credit for — please, give me a good reason why you’re not doing it. You are young. You have so much life ahead of you and so much time. But you won’t always have it, and when it’s done, it’s done. When you tell me you can’t do something you want to do, think critically about why. If you can find just one hole in your logic, take it and run with it. You won’t regret it.
When you tell me you can’t do something you want to do, think critically about why.
— Julia Zarina can be reached at jumilton@umich.edu.