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I N D I A N A D A I LY S T U D E N T | W E D N E S D AY, F E B . 2 4 , 2 0 1 6 | I D S N E W S . C O M
» SCIENCE
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 Upon examination of each individual, it was found that no individual was truly “average,” and thus the cockpit was not truly well-suited to a single pilot. The solution was to make the cockpit seat orientation adjustable, so the pilots could fly in a way that suited
them without costing much extra effort in the manufacture of planes. This is the balance the science of the individual seeks to strike. It establishes sufficiently generalizable methodologies that allow us to reliably individualize education and other areas of human endeavor. jacob.worrell@gmail.com
ZACH’S WEEKLY WISDOM
Affirmative Action needs more precision The Supreme Court is set to rule on the contentious topic of affirmative action. In Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin, the justices are asked to consider a public school’s use of racial preferences in admissions decisions. When this case was at the Court before, the justices settled for sending it back to the Fifth Circuit for heightened review. This meant the university’s argument could still prevail, but would just have to face a higher Constitutional standard. This is not the terrible outcome many believe it is. This time, the justices are deciding whether higher standard has been met by the university. If it has not, then the use of racial preferences in college admissions will be deemed unconstitutional under the Equal Protection Clause. Affirmative action has been broken for quite some time and needs a radical revamping for the 21st century. As originally envisioned, affirmative action was designed to ensure blacks gained representation in the face of outright discrimination and legal barriers to their success. This was a blunt weapon wielded against a problem that really required a scalpel, and affirmative action has only become more distasteful as the situation for blacks has improved. The problem with affirmative action is that it assumes race is the sole cause of disadvantage in life. When stated this plainly, the absurdity of this proclamation comes to light. Just as there are wealthy, advantaged blacks, there are poor, disadvantaged whites. Particularly concentrated in Appalachian
ZACH CHAMBERS is a freshman in management.
regions, white poverty goes largely ignored in the media, despite the almost thirty million white Americans living in poverty. With this in mind, an affirmative action based not on racial point accumulation but rather on economic factors makes more sense. The new affirmative action could take into account an applicant’s family wealth and income, crime and graduation rates in their county, city or state. By taking into account personal and localized factors that also has influence on an individual’s overall experience and chances at attending college, the students that truly need a leg up can be given one. The stated purpose of affirmative action in college admissions is to increase “diversity,” which will provide students a better educational experience. Were colleges to use an income based affirmative action, they would still be able to accomplish this goal. Not only would racial diversity be achieved through this program, as black and Hispanic students are disproportionately poor, colleges could also capture economic diversity. At UT-Austin, for example, 40 percent of the school’s 2014 admitted class were from households with an income of $100,000 or up, with an additional 20 percent not reporting their household income. With better affirmative action, help can be concentrated towards students that need it most without the racial resentment the current system engenders. zaochamb@indiana.edu
FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH
The art vs. the artist When hip-hop juggernaut Kanye West released his seventh solo album, “The Life of Pablo,” on Feb. 14, fans reacted with excited fanfare. The album has received widespread acclaim. Critics like the New York Times’ Jon Caramanica have lauded West’s perfection of the “art of aesthetic and intellectual bricolage” on his latest project, and many have echoed this praise. Last week, West surprised no one by taking to social media for one of his infamous stream-of-consciousness Twitter rants. After pleading financial insolvency, he admonished his followers for not supporting “real artists” before posting a tweet that read “you’d rather open up one school in Africa like you really helped the country...” Listening to “The Life of Pablo” didn’t feel right that day. West’s implication that his priorities are more important than educating children is nothing short of insulting, even if they are children from the fictional country of Africa. West’s egomania has manifested itself constantly over the last decade, but in the wake of his latest tirade, I’ve realized I don’t have to admire West the man to love West the artist. I don’t even have to like him. Some of history’s great writers, musicians and leaders were despicable people. This shouldn’t devalue the quality of their work. Short story writer H.P. Lovecraft was incredibly racist. He believed people of English descent to be superior to all others. He also produced some of the greatest horror fiction of the early 20th century, influencing the likes of Steven King and William S. Burroughs. Film icon John Wayne was an admitted white supremacist. To him, taking land from
DANIEL KILCULLEN is a sophmore in marketing and sustainable business.
Native Americans was justified because “there were great numbers of people who needed new land, and the Indians were selfishly trying to keep it for themselves.” Despite his incorrect worldview, Wayne popularized Western film and earned countless awards with his calm machismo. And let us not forget about filmmaker and actor Woody Allen. He was accused in 1992 and again in 2014 of sexual abuse by his daughter and is currently married to a woman he and his ex-partner, actress Mia Farrow, raised as a child. Still, Allen’s 40-plus films have earned many awards, amusing audiences with his trademark slapstick humor for nearly five decades. These facts are troubling and may cause you to think twice before you spend your evening reading Lovecraft or watching a film featuring Wayne or Allen. But enjoying their art doesn’t require us to condone their actions or respect their beliefs. It requires little more than an appreciation of their craft. Even the most wholesome artists and musicians have qualities that some may deem unsavory. This shouldn’t depreciate their creative contributions to the world. Separating art from the artist is difficult, but there would be little left to enjoy if we rejected everything created by someone who held questionable beliefs. It’s important that we consume art based on its creative value, not the things we like about its creator. So the next time you listen to West’s latest album, let the music speak for itself. dkilcull@indiana.edu
Jordan River Forum LETTER TO THE EDITOR Recently, Congressman Todd Young’s Senate campaign defeated a significant challenge to his candidacy. Despite challenges by opponents in the Democratic and Republican Parties, the Indiana Elections Commission found Young had met requirements to be on the ballot. This was not surprising to me since Young is a former Marine, and Marines are expected to hold themselves to
the highest ethical standards imaginable. Because of this, I believe we can take his word. However I believe this event shows his opponents know Young can win, and are looking for a way to remove him from the race rather than having to face him. During Young’s race for Representative in 2010, he beat then incumbent Baron Hill, the current candidate for Senate. Likewise, during the 2010 election, he defeated a
former Congressman in the primary; so we know that he can beat elected officials as well. Since we know he can win under such circumstances, we should take it that this shows he will probably win both the primary and the general election. This gives his opponents incentive to try to remove him from the ballot to make their potential elections easier. Nevertheless, Young is a former marine, which
shows he’s a fighter and can take whatever his opponents throw at him. He made it through the ballot challenges, he will make it through the primary and he will make it through the general election. I look forward to Young becoming our state’s next Senator, and to the coming election. Brett Heinisch 574-529-5004
LETTER TO THE EDITOR When interviewed for article, IU Foundation launches bicentennial campaign, I was asked how the For All campaign would benefit the organizations I represent. This is not an unusual question, nor is it something I haven’t been asked before. Nevertheless, it made me pause. Of course, as someone who is a part of a minority religious group, I benefit from a more inclusive campus. However, when we talk about inclusivity and diversity in these terms, when we question each individual’s personal stake in the matter, we end up missing the point. When those of us in the For All campaign say
diversity and inclusion is not just for racial and gender minorities, we do not mean to delegitimize the grievances of minority groups. On the contrary, we mean to say that the grievances of minority groups are the same grievances we all ought to have. A lack of diversity and inclusion hurts not just the minorities that are underrepresented, but also those from majority groups who are denied the opportunity to interact with and learn from students of different backgrounds. We need to change the way we view diversity as a society and as a campus. We need to go beyond
seeing it as a quota in need of filling, and more as a measure of how connected we are as a student body made up of individuals of different backgrounds. We need to recognize how integral diversity and inclusion are to a holistic education that prepares students for the real world. The For All campaign is about recognizing that a diverse and inclusive campus is something that benefits all of us, and it’s something all students should strive for. The For All campaign is about celebrating and embracing differences, not erasing them. It’s about realizing learning is sim-
ply better when it involves interaction with students who have unique perspectives and experiences. We’re so excited to make this student-driven campaign a reality, and we hope you’ll be too. The inclusion of Black students on our campus enriches my education. The inclusion of Jewish students on our campus enriches my education. The inclusion of students of different socioeconomic backgrounds, genders, geographic locations, orientations and educational interests enriches my education. Dana Khabbaz dkhabbaz@umail.iu.edu
LETTER TO THE EDITOR Speaking in front of a filled Alumni Hall on Monday night, Ilyasah Shabazz, daughter of the famed political activist Malcolm X, served as what many believed to be the focal point of an evening of black history presented by the Indiana Memorial Union Board. Shabazz’s words struck a powerful chord with the audience, whose eager buzz provided an atmosphere of acceptance and fervor. Yet it was a message delivered before Shabazz ever graced the podium that generated the atmosphere in which desire for reform became palpable. The words of Marselis Byers, a fifth-year senior majoring in history, were able to elegantly divulge the often ignored sentiments of black students. Byers performed a spoken word poem, which he titled “By Any Means.” The poem, achieved with a fluid increase in intensity and volume, spoke to the many facets of modern life for black Americans.
As the rhythmic structure of the poem developed, the audience was granted the privilege of a deeper insight into the frustration filling Byers. The poem conjures an image of a single, black mother. It illustrates her struggles to position her son in a place where he could succeed, before, in a fervent climax, the son is shot dead by police. This ardent reminder of the seemingly oh-so-popular black narrative forced introspection upon those present within Alumni Hall. Byers never explicitly mentioned IU-Bloomington’s campus as a contributing source of society’s treatment of blacks as secondclass citizens, leaving it open to interpretation. Perhaps some figures will help. At a University that was called home by 36,364 undergraduates in fall 2015, a miniscule 4.2 percent, or 1,381 students, were African-American. Monday night’s program acknowledged the sad truth;
black students are tired of being mistreated, sick of their humanity going unrecognized. They remain below whites in an unofficial hierarchy, and it must not endure. Following recent demonstrations on campus that were part of a #BlackLivesMatter campaign, the stage is set for a much needed evaluation of black equality in Bloomington. Black students want their lives to matter. This requires an alteration of systemic practices. Yet, while the system is not easily refined, the college town atmosphere of Bloomington serves as the possible ideal reformation ground. Bloomington maintains a supposed sense of magic, though it is perhaps invisible at times. College campuses live as the birthplace of movements that foster the furtherment of civil rights. Through an appeal for black equality, let’s recapture that elusive ability of sweeping reform that occasionally allows
us sparring glances at its majestic powers. Nowhere else are the conditions for society-altering change constructed so perfectly as a largescale college campus. A ready army of nearly 40,000 wait to find their battle call, coded within the mistreatment of black citizens. Visions of the future are not strange to the college student, it is most everyday they are reminded of the up-and-coming. But this time, abandon the constant visions of one’s self in the future and adopt visions of the community. Picture a people desperate with a craving for equality finally acquiring just that. Be the change that transforms Bloomington to a truly incredible place, one that is home to equality as a result of students who forever transform the landscape of society. It only takes one. Matt Frischer IU Class of 2019 St. Louis, Missouri
NEVER TELL ME THE ODDS
Dishonesty is sinking the Cruz campaign Ted Cruz has already lost. Sure, his supporters still admire his rigid beliefs and fiery passion so much so they symbolize his campaign as a “Cruz Missile.” But I think his campaign is better described as stuck in “Cruz Control.” Not long ago, he was flourishing. In the three months leading up to the Iowa Caucus, Cruz saw his national support for the GOP nomination soar from 7 percent to 20 percent, according to the RealClearPolitics poll averages. This dramatic rise, coupled with his surprising win in Iowa, could have solidified his stance as the main rival to frontrunner Donald Trump. Instead, Cruz’s image faltered. News quickly emerged that members of his campaign sent messages to Iowans alleging Ben Carson was suspending his candidacy moments before
the Caucus. The Cruz camp urged Carson supporters to switch their votes. Carson, as we know, stayed in the race, leaving us with a salvo of headlines that painted Cruz in a very negative light. Last week, Cruz’s image collapsed further. His campaign released a clearly doctored photograph that showed his opponent Marco Rubio shaking hands with President Obama as they supposedly agreed on a secretive trade deal. Cruz’s downward spiral accelerated when his thendirector of communications circulated a video with fake subtitles that attempted to depict Rubio insulting the Bible. America is much better served by legitimate debates than by lies and personal attacks. I’m appalled by the Cruz camp’s willingness to resort to an unprincipled
win-at-any-cost strategy. Cruz’s rivals reacted to these stories with similar exasperation. In a tweet, Trump blasted Cruz for sinking to “dirty tricks,” and an official memo from the Rubio camp spoke out against Cruz’s “campaign of lies, falsehoods, and underhanded tactics.” Trump and Rubio are right. The blame for the corrupt culture in the Cruz campaign ultimately falls to one man: the candidate himself. A man who won’t lead an honest campaign can’t be trusted to run an honest government. Although Cruz did eventually dismiss his embattled communications director, this came too late to salvage his reputation. After news of the Iowa scandal broke, Cruz’s national support in the polls flattened. His supporters may rationalize the deceitful tactics, but the other 80 percent
CHRIS MITCHELL is a junior in accounting and marketing.
of Republican voters haven’t been so forgiving. Americans will never connect with Cruz’s message of resisting the “Washington cartel” when they see him as just another do-anything-toget-ahead politician. As a result, Cruz’s campaign efforts are now futile. Dishonesty should carry a heavy cost. That’s why I’m encouraged to see most Republicans didn’t turn a blind eye to the Cruz campaign’s actions. What remains to be seen is how long Cruz drags this out. For the good of everyone, I hope he humbly admits his mistakes and steps aside sooner rather than later. mitcchri@indiana.edu @AtlasMitchell