NEWS
Friday, April 30, 2004
Vote for a U of M student in the declare yourself tour:"Subject: LAST CHANCE FOR KERRY AND BUSH INTERVIEW!!
Please support the only U of M student finalist Jamie-Clare Flaherty, for the yahoo declare yourself campaign! If Jamie wins, she will be able to interview Kerry and Bush in the fall!! This is extremely important; right now she has fallen to 3rd place. It would be a shame if one of our own students missed this awesome opportunity!
cut and paste this link to vote for Jamie:
http://promotions.yahoo.com/declareyourself/ud/vote.html
*******YOU CAN VOTE MORE THAN ONCE !!!!!**************
Thank you for your time and help, it is undoubtedly appreciated! "
Posted by Rob at 5:28 PM The Grand Opening of Amer Zahr's bar OZ is tonight. Open until 4 AM, the newly expanded Hookah Bar now serves beer, wine, a full bar, and a variety of sandwiches, pitas, and middle eastern desserts. Entrance to the 5,000+ square foot club is 21+, and there is no admittance after 2 AM, although if you've already arrived guests can stay for the official after party until closing. Tonight a belly dancer is scheduled to perform at 11 PM.
Zahr is perhaps best known as a Palestinian activist and author of a controversial column for the Michigan Daily is completing a masters in middle eastern studies and a law degree.
Posted by Rob at 5:23 PM Friendster, Friendster Everywhere
Fan of Friendster? A similar service with more features that support online communities which works much more quickly is Orkut. A similar website targeting a number of elite universities is thefacebook.com, not to mention the "facebook" feature of dogears.net.
Also, a student column in the student newspaper at UMass Amherst alleging a U.S. solder who died in Afghanistan shouldn't be considered a "Hero" has caused the president to issue a formal rebuttal:
" ... UMass president Jack Wilson issued a statement saying Rene Gonzalez' comments in The Daily Collegian "are a disgusting, arrogant and intellectually immature attack on a human being who died in service to his country. ... "
Unfortunately for free speech, the website of the Collegian is "unavailable" do to high traffic.
Posted by Rob at 1:34 AM
Thursday, April 29, 2004
Articles of note from the Ann Arbor News:> "High-rise city is envisioned"
> "Kerry touts plan to save jobs," and "City sees hoopla of campaign"
> See also Freep "Kerry brings message to Ann Arbor"
Also, next year's Michigan Journalism Fellows have been named, and the group includes Alden Bourne, a producer at 60 Minutes, and senior CNN producer Maria Fleet.
And four Transportation Security Administration screeners have been charged with stealing from luggage at Detroit Metro Airport.
Posted by Rob at 3:31 PM
Wednesday, April 28, 2004
More Kerry Details:" ... It's a pleasure to let you know that you can join many of us in noisily welcoming Senator John Kerry to Ann Arbor, this Wednesday (April 28) shortly after lunchtime. We will gather at 12:30 p.m. in the parking lot of the former Bill Knapps restaurant, at the corner of Carpenter Road and Washtenaw (half a block toward Ypsilanti, just east of highway 23). The Kerry campaign bus will pause there as he enters Ann Arbor, before it takes him to his 2 p.m.(?) speech at Washtenaw Community College, half a mile to the east.
The auditorium at the College has limited seating, so admission is primarily by invitation; thus we can't guarantee admission to the speech. Please join us in the Bill Knapps parking lot! There is sure be media coverage; please wear your Kerry shirts, caps, and buttons. (We will have at least a dozen large and extra large Kerry photo T-shirts -- red, or navy blue, $10 each -- available in the Knapps parking lot starting at 12:30. T-shirts can of course be pulled on over other clothing.) Bring an umbrella (and a folding chair if you wish; campaign travel time schedules are always somewhat
uncertain).
There will be another opportunity to greet Senator Kerry, and show our support for him, when he departs from WILLOW RUN AIRPORT (please note: NOT Detroit Metro!). We will gather at Willow Run Airport at 5 p.m.; again, wear your Kerry gear, and as you arrive look for the Kerry signs. (As you drive east on 94 you'll see signs for Willow Run Airport; be in the left lane to leave 94.)"
Posted by Rob at 11:01 AM
Tuesday, April 27, 2004
John Kerry in Ann Arbor TomorrowAlthough it's unclear whether the event is open to the public, this recently came across the AP wire:
" Details of Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry's Wednesday visit to Ann Arbor:
--What: John Kerry's "Jobs First Express" bus tour, which started Monday in West Virginia and wraps up Wednesday in Michigan after stops in Pennsylvania and Ohio.
--Where: Washtenaw Community College, Ann Arbor.
--Events: Tour of Washtenaw Community College Technical Industrial Building, 1:30 p.m.; speech on campus, 2:30 p.m.
--Quote: "I believe that manufacturing should not and must not be a part of America's distant past," Kerry said Tuesday in Youngstown, Ohio."
> See also AP: "Kerry , Bush emphasizing jobs in Michigan"
Posted by Rob at 9:07 PM A New York University student who couldn't afford housing lived in the basement of the library - for eight months.
Posted by Rob at 9:02 PM From a comment posted below:
" ... However, I feel so strongly that the fate of this great nation, and indeed even the modern world as we know it, hinges solely on this election, that I felt compelled to put my thoughts to word. And those thoughts are...
John Kerry is a douchebag, but I'm voting for him anyway. Well, not really. That is to say, he's not actually a douchebag, or not nearly as much of one as what the media, George W., and even perhaps John Kerry himself have made him out to be. It seemed that every time I saw, heard, or read something about Kerry, his doucheness factor increased. It wasn't until I did just a little research on my own that it became clear that most of these occurrences could be explained as lies, deception, media excess, or simply poor campaigning strategy. It is beyond vital that we all overlook these minor blemishes and unpleasantries, and unite in electing John Kerry to be the next president of the United States of America."
> From www.johnkerryisadouchebagbutimvotingforhimanyway.com
Posted by Rob at 5:02 PM Articles of note from the Ann Arbor News:
> U-M, AATA work on free ridership deal
> U-M to replace Mott Hospital
> What does it take to be a 'cool city?
> Book festival could be start of something big
And this:
" 'M' flag stolen from rooftop at U-M
A large University of Michigan flag was swiped from the top of the Michigan Union, according to the U-M Department of Public Safety. The theft was discovered Monday morning. It appeared that someone got to the large block "M" flag from the rooftop off the sixth floor of the union, reports said. No suspects have been identified." (Police beat)
Also, the weather forecast for this Saturday, according to the National Weather Service: 40-60 degrees, with a 60% chance of thunderstorms. Here's the "incliment weather plan" from the Graduation Information website:
"Inclement Weather Plan
Given the size of Spring Commencement, it is logistically infeasible to move this ceremony to an alternate location while maintaining its University-wide, inclusive focus.
Spring Commencement will occur in Michigan Stadium regardless of the weather. While umbrellas are not encouraged, they are not barred in the stadium if it is raining. We ask individuals using umbrellas inside the stadium to be respectful of those around them.
The ceremony also will be shown on video screens in Crisler Arena. Because seating capacity in the arena is limited, students will receive only two general admission tickets for this option.
In the event of severe weather (such as a thunderstorm or tornado watch or warning), the order of exercises will be appropriately shortened while still maintaining essential elements such as the conferring of degrees on the undergraduates. Pre-recorded music will be substituted for the commencement band in the event of rain.
Commencement organizers ask for your understanding in the event that this inclement weather plan needs to be implemented. "
Posted by Rob at 4:51 PM
Monday, April 26, 2004
U.S. Presidential Candidate Senator John Kerry will be in the Ann Arbor area this Wednesday, April 28 when he speaks at Washtenaw Community College at 1:00 p.m.NOTE: I just learned this event is NOT open to the public, but if you would like to attend I would suggest contacting your local Democratic party.
Posted by Rob at 4:57 PM I'm in the center, a little bit to the left in this photo.
Posted by Rob at 5:15 AM
Saturday, April 24, 2004
Ann Arbor Police Chief Dan Oates recently used the emergency lights on a patrol car - to get to the airport to catch a flight.Posted by Rob at 2:52 PM
Friday, April 23, 2004
A friend of mine who attends Carleton College has helped create an interest house themed after the late U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone. In an email to friends:"... I want to update you on a project I've been working on a lot this year. A group of 14 interested people and I proposed a new interest house to Carleton's Residential Life board and it has been approved! The house will begin next year and is called The Wellstone House of Organization and Activism or WHOA. For those of you familiar with Carleton, it will be located in what was CANOE house (Which is moving to a larger space). We will be bringing in speakers, holding and to traveling to events that pertain to social justice, globalization, and conflict resolution. The house will not really have a Wellstone theme, so much as looking to him as an inspiration of how academians can aspire to integrate their work with the good of the community. ... "
Posted by Rob at 9:27 PM My friend Sam Woll recently told me about a national controversy that seemed worth commenting on. In brief, here's what happened:
A white male columnist for the Oregon State University's daily student newspaper The Barometer named David Williams wrote a column published April 9th titled "A message from a white male to the African American community," which basically alleged he thought "African Americans have not made the leaps and bounds necessary to close racial disparity gaps," because of a lack of positive role models, pointing out R. Kelly and O.J. Simpson as flawed celebrities the black community erroneously chose to support:
"It's not the fact that black people are doing bad things that hurt them collectively as a group. White people do terrible things. Hispanics do terrible things. Koreans do terrible things. People do terrible things.
My point, however, is this: There is a lack of morality in the black community because African American leaders, whether Jesse Jackson or the NAACP, choose to rally around minorities who seem to have little quality characteristics about them.
Why don't black leaders call out people like Allen Iverson and Sammy Sosa and say, "Hey, there are millions of young African Americans who worship you; why don't you start showing up for work on time and stop putting cork in your bat?"
Sure, that's contrite and overly simplistic and there are bad apples in more than just athletics, but you get the point.
...
In summation, I think blacks should be more careful in deciding whom they choose to support. They need to grow beyond the automatic reaction of defending someone because he or she shares the same skin color and is in a dilemma...."
After sparking some letters and a full-fledged demonstration in response, Williams was fired by the newspaper, which then ran an editorial apologizing:
"On Friday, April 9, The Daily Barometer published a column by staff columnist David Williams that was racially insensitive and inappropriate.
We apologize to everyone for printing the column.
While the opinions expressed in columns are not representative of the staff members of the Barometer, we have a policy never to print material that is discriminatory, racist or sexist.
By printing such material in the Barometer, we legitimize the messages, even if we don't agree. ... "
Activists have since held a public forum with the newspaper's editors to discuss the event. However, it doesn't end there. It turns out Mr. Williams column was extremely similar to a column penned by a Pulitzer Prize winning African-American columnist for the Miami Herald, Leonard Pitts Jr., who recently wrote a column about the dispute saying that Williams should not have been fired titled "Ignorance and Racism is not the same":
" ... My piece dealt with African America's support for singer and accused child pornographer R. Kelly. I argued that black folk reflexively defend those among us who transgress out of a sense of shared identity. An understandable impulse, I said, but often a counterproductive one.
Williams, his language sometimes echoing uncomfortably close to mine, used my observations to make a less nuanced point and reach a far different conclusion. While careful to concede that no group has a monopoly on poor behavior, he said that support for the likes of Kelly demonstrates a ''lack of morality'' among black people.
Ahem.
For the record: I don't know that I'd call Williams a racist -- or a plagiarist, though he comes near both. He's definitely guilty of cockamamie reasoning and blithe self-righteousness.
...
So rather than getting fired -- a relatively easy out -- I wish Williams had been required to sit down and discuss what he said with the people he said it about. He might have learned something. As it is, he will probably only learn to feel sorry for himself."
Here's a longer piece about the whole incident from the local newspaper: "Barometer rising"
I'm not sure I know whether or not Williams should have been fired, however I think there are several things to be learned here. To start, I suspect the controversy was made worse because columnists have an unclear position in the paper. Letters to the editor usually have the lowest level of scrutiny - they are printed as space allows with a minimum of editorial oversight. At the other end, the newspaper's staff editorials are the official opinion of the paper and determined through discussion and voting, and the staff are clearly responsible for their content. However, both columns and op-ed pieces ("viewpoints" in the Daily, for example) seem to fall somewhere in between: editors reserve the right to edit columns and selected which viewpoints are printed according to their judgments. This, I think, is were the confusion comes in - the newspaper certainly is correct when they point out that by printing racist, discriminatory, and sexist material they "legitimize the messages, even if we don't agree." Should the newspaper print material which might be highly offensive? I don't think there is an easy answer to this. Ideally, newspapers should have a public ethics policy explaining what sort of writing is not allowed, and if they do in fact have to edit a column they should do it according to their policy. Part of me thinks that Mr. Pitts has a point and Williams should have not been fired, however Williams column is extremely offensive ... then again, I doubt as editor I would have hired him to begin with.
The collumn in question aside, I think the newspaper's actions after their firing of the reporter are to be commended. They seem to have encouraged a full and open discussion about the incident (reporting on people who were protesting the newspaper openly and fully) and participating in public discussion and forums about their decisions - whether it was admitting a mistake, or explaining their decision to fire Williams. In contrast, during a boycott of the Michigan Daily two years ago, the Daily gave the protesters only partial coverage well after it had begun, and only engaged in limited discussions with the protestors.
One would hope that controversies of this scale - including allegations of racism and plagiarism - can and should be avoided, but when they occur doesn't mean the newspaper is simply "doing its job," but instead something serious went wrong which should be identified and corrected.
Posted by Rob at 8:54 PM "The University of Michigan will continue to define the great public university of the world"
President Mary Sue Coleman proposed to create a new ethics center in an address to the Regents yesterday outlining her "vision and goals" for the university, connected to the kick-off of a new capital campaign. From her remarks:
On a second front, we will continue to pursue a host of long-range ambitions as we launch the public phase of our comprehensive capital campaign next month. Private giving will animate our vision and goals, in every campus unit and collectively for the institution.
We will focus on the difference our University will make in the future ? as it has made for almost two centuries ? both on the lives of our students and in the world beyond our campuses. Appropriately, we will title the campaign "The Michigan Difference."
[...]
In addition, we must prepare young people for the problem-solving, team-based environment that they will encounter not only in the workplace, but as informed and entrepreneurial citizens in a diverse democracy.
President Angell famously described the University of Michigan as providing an "uncommon education."
I believe that the uncommon education we create in the information age must be built upon interdisciplinary scholarship and team-based learning opportunities that are supported with digital tools. ...
We must ensure access to the vast intellectual opportunity and knowledge this great public university generates ? for the sake of the societies we serve, and for the intellectual ecosystem that provides our academic distinction. A public university has little value for our society if its resources are not accessible.
This will mean asking ourselves some tough questions.
* We need to know if there are financial barriers that place a Michigan education out of reach for some academically qualified students, and how we can lower those barriers. This discussion must include a significant study of our financial aid programs ? along with an emphasis on scholarship support as a centerpiece of the upcoming capital campaign"
Although I'm glad she stressed the importance of access, let's not forget what President Angell's full quote was: "An uncommon education for the common man." I hope in her goals president Coleman doesn't lose sight of that vision of a truly public University. Here's her "vision":
" * We will sustain academic excellence
* We will foster active engagement
* We will build collaborative learning communities
* We will create greater access to Michigan?s academic quality"
> President Coleman's Address: "Shaping the Michigan Difference"
> DetNews: "U-M president plans ethics center"
> AP: "University of Michigan president unveils latest priorities"
Posted by Rob at 3:17 PM Here's the top ten from ClickbackAmerica.org, a fundraiser for the Movon.org voter fund:
1. University of California, Berkeley $1960
2. University of Washington $1306
3. University of Texas at Austin $1224
4. University of Wisconsin-Madison $1224
5. University of Minnesota-Twin Cities $1191
6. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor $1145
7. University of California, Los Angeles $1082
8. New York University $1036
9. San Francisco State University $884
10. University of Colorado $867
Posted by Rob at 12:18 PM FURNITURE COLLECTION!!
THIS Saturday (April 24th) and next Sunday (May 2nd) Students in Action for Ann Arbor in Need will be collecting furniture to donate to Fairy Godparents and Community Self Sufficiency Center in Detroit. We are looking for any furniture, small appliances, laptop computers, (no clothes) in relatively good condition! Please drop the goods off at 505 E. Hoover (across from the IM building, on the corner of Sybil and Hoover) between 9 and 6. Or email furniture at umich.edu/call us at 945-2772 for more info or to schedule a pick up within Washtenaw County.
Posted by Rob at 11:42 AM Articles of note:
> AANews: "Michigan Festival begins with bunch of 'good chatters'"
> AANews In Brief: "U-M Naked Mile becomes non-event"
> AANews: "Tweaks to Greenbelt law urged"
> (Street closures)
A Couple Thefts:
"Ann Arbor
900 block of Greenwood Avenue, occurred from 10 p.m. Wednesday to 10 a.m. Thursday. A laptop computer valued at $2,000 taken during house party.
1000 block of Packard Street, occurred between noon Wednesday and 7:30 a.m. Thursday. Screen pried off window to gain entry; two laptop computers valued at $3,000 taken."
Posted by Rob at 11:19 AM
Thursday, April 22, 2004
Ann Arbor resident and Arborblogger George H.'s SongBuddy website got a brief mention in today's New York Times:" ... Alf Eaton, a life scientist in Paris, has written several programs to encourage people to create playlists (www.pmbrowser.info/hublog). He credits "MP3 bloggers" - aficionados who unearth MP3 links - and sites like Webjay and www.songbuddy.com with "establishing a middle ground" in the war between file sharers and the music industry. "I hope that the record industry will begin to see the value in what these grass-roots enthusiasts are doing to promote their music," he said in an e-mail message. .. "
> From NYTimes: "Web Sites for Music Playlists and Baby Blogs"
Posted by Rob at 4:09 PM Michigan native Michael Moore's new film, "Fahrenheit 911", will premier at the Cannes film festival this summer.
Posted by Rob at 3:50 PM UMich-specific websites seem to be popping up left and right these days. I was just emailed about "Collegefaces.com," an "online facebook" for U-M and Michigan State. "You can use the site to search for other members of your school via major, class, courses, interests, and social ties." But don't get too excited: the U-M alumni association is planning on starting their InCircle networking tool next month.
Posted by Rob at 3:45 PM LSA senior Jackie Bray will be speaking at Shaman Drum about a book she contributed to titled "How to Get Stupid White Men Out of Office":
**********How To Get Stupid White Men Out of Office*************
This Monday at 7pm I will be giving a short talk and reading on the new book "HOW TO GET STUPID WHITE MEN OUT OF OFFICE" at Shaman Drum.
For those of you who don't know, I co-authored this book with about a dozen other kick ass organizers, activists and artists. It is 20 case studies of times when young people have inserted themselves into the political process and WON!
Monday, April 26th
7pm
Shaman Drum Bookshop
Me, Jackie Bray
co-author, "How to Get Stupid White Men Out of Office"
The book is an easily digestable, fun and energizing guide to everything you need to know to help dump Bush come November and make the organizing mean something more than just one election.
This is about SUSTAINABLE progressive electoral organizing!!!
Monday, April 26th
7pm
Shaman Drum
Hope I see lots of you there. "
And here is perhaps the most "controversial" excerpt from the book - this from a segment written by my friend Monique Luse:
"With the Supreme Court in our future, I had no time to ponder the evils of elected government. So, when I got called into secretive meetings between folks from the University Democrats and the Blue Party who wanted to start a new party, I went. These folks knew how to get power, but they had nothing greater than themselves to use it for.
I was the only personal of color in the room, the only person who had ever lived in a working class neighborhood. I had to figure out a way to get my community into this room and rooms like it. So I swallowed my disgust and shared my visions:
* Student government has the power to make students lives better ...
* Student government should not be made up of career politicians ... You have to choose someone who is involved in her community
* Everyone deserves representation
Pretty simple, right? It was like an alarm clock drawing a teenage boy out of his wet dream. These career politicians woke up and put their masturbatory politics on hold. The Students First Party (S1) was born. ... "
Jackie ends the chapter she co-wrote like this:
"Such up your pride; ship your baggage and hope the airline loses it. You have to be real with people and talk to them. Find folks that you need to work with and figure out how you can. We will only win if we win it together."
> See my earlier post about it
Posted by Rob at 3:39 PM Here are some more photos from the Columbia strike.
Posted by Rob at 1:09 PM
Wednesday, April 21, 2004
A few people ran the naked mile yesterday.Posted by Rob at 11:25 PM What's going on tomorrow at the President's house?
Student Voices in Action is having a protest on the lawn of President Mary Sue Coleman's house at 815 South University from 12 noon until 1 pm. There will be pizza.
Posted by Rob at 11:05 PM The New York Times writes about wealthy students at college, dateline Ann Arbor:
"It's very much an issue of fundamental fairness," Lawrence H. Summers, the president of Harvard and a former treasury secretary, said in an interview. "An important purpose of institutions like Harvard is to give everybody a shot at the American dream."
The University of Maryland recently said it would no longer ask students from families making less than $21,000 a year to take out loans, and would instead give them scholarships to cover tuition. Officials at Harvard, the University of North Carolina and the University of Virginia all recently announced similar, even more generous policies.
Over all, at the 42 most selective state universities — including the flagship campuses in California, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan and New York — 40 percent of this year's freshmen come from families making more than $100,000, up from about 32 percent in 1999, according to the Higher Education Research Institute. Nationwide, fewer than 20 percent of families make that much money. ... "
> NY Times: "As Wealthy Fill Top Colleges, New Efforts to Level the Field"
Posted by Rob at 11:02 PM
Tuesday, April 20, 2004
Then again, it might just be a good idea to postpone the election. (Also: "Will the 2004 Election be Called off?")Posted by Rob at 8:38 PM Columbia Graduate Students on Strike
"Graduate teaching assistants at Columbia University said yesterday that they would go on strike Monday morning and remain out until Columbia recognized their right to unionize, which could shut down hundreds of classes through the end of the school year.
"This is an indefinite strike; we're not going to do anything until they recognize our union," said Dermot Ryan, a fifth-year graduate student in English and comparative literature who teaches "Introduction to Contemporary Civilization," one of Columbia's core courses. "We will stay out as long as it takes."
Graduate students represent a significant portion of the teaching force at Columbia. Not only do they run small discussion sessions of large lecture courses, but they also teach more than half of the core courses that all Columbia students must take, like "Contemporary Civilization," "Literature and Humanities" and writing. ... "
> NY Times: "Pushing for Union, Columbia Grad Students Are Set to Strike"
And this:
" ... The graduate students voted on unionizing two years ago, but the votes were never counted because Columbia appealed the students' right to unionize to the National Labor Relations Board. The board said last week that it was studying the case, along with similar appeals, including one by the State University of New York.
Some protesters said that they were happy in their teaching and research jobs, and that the threat of unionization had been instrumental in Columbia's decision to raise its basic stipend to $17,000.
"When I came in, things weren't bad," said Stephen Twilley, a second-year graduate student in Italian. "But I realized that the stipend had been raised because of efforts to organize, so I have a debt to past organizers. This is our last best hope to move the university." ... "
> From NY Times: "Graduate Students Walk Out at Columbia"
> See also Columbia Spectator coverage: "Strike Begins; 400 Picket on Day One"
> Website of Graduate Students Employees United
Blog coverage:
"114th and Broadway"
Posted by Rob at 5:50 PM More commencement speakers:
> University of Pennsylvania: U2's Bono
> Cornell University: Bill Clinton
Posted by Rob at 2:22 PM U-M alum and former Daily reporter David Enders has returned to Baghdad to work as a journalist. Except this time, instead of starting an english-language newspaper (which he did, until it ran out of money last year), Enders is stringing for other media organizations. Including, interestingly, none other than the marijuana culture magazine High Times. Here's a bit from Enders in a teaser posted on the High Times website for his feature article titled, "Losing the Plot: Fear and Loathing in Baghdad":
"Occupied Baghdad is a lot like Detroit. You can replace "white flight" and "hollow urban core" with "We leveled heavy sanctions" and "We bombed the hell out of it," but the results are pretty much the same: lots of empty buildings, a police force you can’t trust and lots of people who take the law into their own hands. Squatters live in the bombed-out and looted ministries and government buildings. They are forced to move occasionally so troops can clear out the unexploded bombs dropped last year that they’ve known about for months but are just getting around to dealing with. ...
So a sort of Robocop future has become Baghdad’s present, as post-invasion confusion gives way to occupied hedonism. It’s the kind of situation that lends itself to the bizarre, the banal and situations so absurd that while there is no Godot in Baghdad, this is probably a pretty logical place to wait for him. (Or her.) Meanwhile, though, people have to find something to keep themselves occupied. ... "
Enders' story is part of an editorial shift over at High Times away from lush pot centerfolds (no kidding) towards something resembling serious journalism. The Washington Post has picked up the change, writing about Enders and changes in the magazine recently in a story titled "High Times At 30, Getting Its Head Together" From that story:
"Man, the news from Iraq is, like, a major bummer. Read the mainstream press and all you get is bombings, murders, uprisings, riots and hostages. Fortunately, one publication dares to print the news that won't kill your buzz.
That publication is High Times, the marijuana magazine now celebrating its 30th anniversary. And the news is this: There's plenty of weed in the new liberated Iraq.
"There are few laws in Iraq right now," writes Dave Enders, High Times's man in Baghdad, "so although drug possession was punishable by death before, you can now pass a spliff openly in front of the cops."
Which may not, come to think of it, be exactly the kind of freedom that President Bush envisioned for Iraq.
Enders, a freelancer from Michigan, covers more than just the dope scene in Baghdad. He also writes about U.S. soldiers and the nutty do-gooders who've swarmed into Iraq and about Hamid, "a 26-year-old translator/bodyguard/heavy-metal fan." Hamid was an Iraqi soldier until he deliberately shot himself in the leg to avoid fighting the Americans and now smokes weed and writes protest lyrics set to the tune of "The Wall" by Pink Floyd: "We don't need no occupation, We don't need no CPA. . . . "
"The desire to leave," Enders concludes, "is the only thing US soldiers and Iraqis have in common."
Enders's entertaining piece is a good example of High Times's new editorial policy -- less dope, more reality. High Times still covers the weed -- and runs full-color centerfolds of voluptuous pot buds -- but since January it has expanded its coverage of the rest of the world. In recent issues, High Times has published articles on prostitution, bike messengers, comedian Dave Chappelle, a Colombian guerrilla, singer Ani DiFranco, education reform and a piece on Arnold Schwarzenegger by Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Gary Webb. ... "
In case you missed it, you can read more about Dave's exploits in the most recent Michigan Today, in a story he wrote about his experiences titled "Assignment: Baghdad How I started a magazine in a war zone, to avoid the post-college job market"
Posted by Rob at 1:47 PM Articles of note:
> Daily: "Students disappointed with commencement speaker"
> Daily: "Lecturers approve agreement"
> Daily: "City hikes penalties for repeat fake ID offenders"
> Daily: "Greeks: Relations with 'U' improved"
And this letter to the editor:
Efforts to stop Naked Mile are useless
To the Daily:
It is that time of year again. Classes are winding down, finals are approaching and I’m sure the University is flooding campus with signs saying how running the Naked Mile will result in you being charged with a sex crime and how you’ll be photographed and such. The purpose of this is of course to scare people from running. It has worked, and the number of runners has decreased every year. In my opinion, this is a total misuse of University and police resources. We’re not talking about a heinous crime, but an innocent tradition at which seniors can express their happiness at finally graduating. I ran the mile last year and was not arrested — though some of my friends were caught, but were not charged with a sex crime — and did not see a single photographer. Because the police will no doubt be lining the Naked Mile route at midnight, I suggest seniors make their own route or run at a different time (11 p.m. or 1 a.m. instead of midnight.) to avoid arrest. Don’t let the University destroy another tradition.
Nicholas Kohn
Alum"
Posted by Rob at 1:27 PM Hmm
***************************
Come one, come all!!! It is a FREE BBQ with Mary Sue!
This Thursday PRESIDENT COLEMAN will celebrate the end of classes by hosting a barbecue on her LAWN. The party starts at NOON and will last until the food run outs.
Remember BBQ WITH MARY SUE on THURSDAY -- NOON -- THE PRESIDENT'S LAWN
***************************
Posted by Rob at 1:03 PM Campus "Leadership" Societies and Women
"In a series of events that made national headlines, the [Yale Secret Society Skull and] Bones class of 1991 eventually tapped female juniors. [...]
In 1991, after approximately eight hundred living members voted by mail, Bones narrowly endorsed the admission of women. But in early September, the day before the women were to be initiated, a faction led by patriarch William F. Buckley (1950) obtained from New Haven Superior Court Judge Donald Celotto a court order that temporarily blocked the 1991 club from initiating the nine men and six women it had tapped; as a result the ceremony was canceled. .... Bones held a second vote on October 23. More than 425 members came to the tomb and hundreds more voted by proxy; the votes tallied 368 to 320 in favor that women should be elected to the society. The women were initiated on Sunday, October 27.
Senators David Boren and John Kerry later disclosed that they voted for the admittance of women. George Bush and George W. Bush have never confessed how they voted, though George W. might have provided a clue when in 1994 he told PBS producer Lynn Novick, a woman who graduated from Yale in 1983, that Yale "went downhill since they admitted women." During his 1988 presidential campaign, George Bush admitted he was not necessarily included to let women into the society."
-- From Secrets of the Tomb, pp. 157-158.
According to the New York Times, Michigamua admitted its first women in 1999 to be members of the "Pride" of 2000. (See Robyn Meredith, "Michigan Students Protest Campus Club's Indian Relics," New York Times 13 Feburary 2000, Sec. 1, p. 18) (Reprint available here)
> Michigamua Images
> Michigamua / Phoenix Membership Page
Posted by Rob at 12:53 AM
Monday, April 19, 2004
The online competition where women students are rated for attractiveness has again returned to Michigan, although the message boards have been shut down this year. The webmasters explain: "Unfortunately, some girls, albeit a small group, have complained to us about the board, even though it is heavily regulated this year ... However, we must respect the girls that are being commented on because we are sure several of you would not like to be spoken about in such an open forum without knowing who is posting things about you."Posted by Rob at 7:51 PM Stephanie Ridella, a U-M freshman and South Quad resident, continues to be missing:
"Search continuing for missing student
A University of Michigan student remained missing Friday, a full week from when she was last seen in her South Quad dorm room, campus police said this morning.
University of Michigan Police issued a missing persons alert Tuesday for Stephanie Ridella, 19, of Troy, after her parents reported they hadn't spoken to her for more than three days.
Lt. Robert Neumann said investigators determined that Ridella left the area Friday, but still have not made contact with her. The disappearance is still considered voluntary as police have no evidence of foul play or criminal activity, he added.
Fliers with Ridella's picture and physical descriptions have been circulating on and off campus throughout the week. " (AANews)
> Freep: "Student from Troy is missing at UM"
According to her U-M directory entry, she is a member of the following email groups: Students for Bush, The Undergraduate Classics Club, The SKiing Club, The Honors Philosophy list, and the "CollegeGOP" list.
Posted by Rob at 7:28 PM It's been pointed out to me that the Michigan Daily seems to be having trouble with their website.
Posted by Rob at 3:01 PM Commencement Speakers
> National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice will be the commencement speaker at Michigan State University this spring.
> Secretary-General and Nobel Peace Prize winner Kofi Annan will speak at Harvard this year.
> The University of Michigan? You know, David E. Davis.
Posted by Rob at 12:59 PM The Ann Arbor News covers the daffodils in the Arb, which have begun to bloom:
"Artist Susan Skarsgard dreamed up the idea, bought 20,000 daffodil bulbs and arranged for 150 volunteers to plant them.
But she said doesn't feel she completely owns the golden yellow line now in bloom for about a half mile across the main valley of the University of Michigan's Nichols Arboretum.
"I feel like I'm the steward," said Skarsgard, a resident of Ann Arbor's Old West Side. "It's a community project." ... "
> AANews: "Follow the yellow bulb road"
Have nothing to do tomorrow night? Have a drink at Leopold's and raise money for a good cause:
"Group raising money for Detroit school
A group of graduate students at the University of Michigan is holding a fund-raiser at Leopold Brothers in Ann Arbor on Tuesday night to benefit the science curriculum at Detroit Community High School.
Anybody can stop by and participate in the fund-raiser. For every mixed drink ordered between 6 and 9 p.m., Leopold Brothers will donate $1 to the fund-raiser. Likewise, for every martini, the pub will donate $2. The brew pub is located at 529 S. Main St.
The Biomedical Graduate Student Council hopes to combine the money raised by the fund-raiser with donations from companies and other sources to give more than $3,000 to the public school. It has held a fund-raiser for the past four years." (In Brief)
Also, two donors have given $8 million to the Kelsey Museum to pay for the addition to a new wing: U Record: "$8M gift to fund new wing at Kelsey Museum"
Finally, a collaboration between the South University Area Association and the Arts at Michigan program will allow community members to decorate some of the many fire hydrants downtown. I think it's a great idea, but I'm not sure rule number seven is necissary: "7. No violence, No nudity, No words, No political messages will be accepted in the design.":
FIRE UP DOWNTOWN !!!
You’re invited to paint the town!!
We have 100+ fire hydrants in the
downtown area that can become beacons of art for our community.
Bring art to the people and teach the community about an artist at the same time. This project sets the tone for creativity to blaze at the street level. Sponsored by the South University Area Association and Arts at Michigan at the University of Michigan.
GUIDELINES:
1. Each participating artist should choose an artist to study from any given time period.
2. The artist should create a design that reflects the chosen artist's style for the fire hydrant.
3. Fire hydrant templates can be obtained by contacting Nancy Lautenbach, 936-5805 or nancyll at umich.edu.
4. Each artist will be provided 2 templates so the three dimensional designs can be planned properly. You will need to create a design for front and back.
5. All artists are expected to paint on or mount an illustration to all sides of the fire hydrant template to replicate what they intend to paint on the actual fire hydrant.
6. Please be sure to write your name, artist's name, and the title on the lower section of the fire hydrant template.
7. No violence, No nudity, No words, No political messages will be accepted in the design.
8. Submission deadline: April 30.
9. Notification Date: May 3.
10. Painting of fire hydrants will take place May 4 - 14. Paint will be provided.
The committee will review all proposals for aesthetic quality, creative concept, and compliance with project guidelines.
Only the paint provided by the committee may be used on the actual fire hydrants. Other types of mediums that hinder the ability for fire fighters to open the caps may not be used. Artists may not paint a design other than what was submitted and approved. The committee reserves the right to reject and/or paint over any design that disregards these guidelines or uses inappropriate subject matter.
Creative titles are encouraged. A ceremony to recognize the artists is planned for May 15, City Clean-up Day. This is a great opportunity to expose your work to the entire community! For more information and template/application contact: Nancy Lautenbach, 936-5805 or nancyll at umich.edu."
Posted by Rob at 12:50 PM
Sunday, April 18, 2004
Here's the Ann Arbor News' coverage of Saturday's Take Back the Night Rally and march:"University of Michigan student Sarah Hews briefly scanned the story of Tamara Williams that was posted on one of several life-size cutouts on The Diag detailing the tragic events Saturday's Take Back The Night Rally was trying to prevent.
In 1997, Williams, also a U-M student, was killed when she was slashed more than 10 times by her boyfriend. Saturday's rally attracted about 300 people, including Ann Arbor Mayor John Hieftje, in an effort to draw support for the protest against sexualized violence.
"It is important to support these things," Hews said as the rally began. "These things are what makes a difference. That's the only way change is going to happen, is if you get people involved."
Saturday was the 25th anniversary of Take Back The Night in Ann Arbor. The event included speakers, musicians and then a march around downtown.
Participants carried signs that read, "No Means No" and "Rape Is Not A Boundary Issue."
According to a fact sheet distributed at the event, one in four women experience domestic violence in their lifetime, every two minutes there is a sexual assault in America and 70 percent of rape and sexual assault survivors know their offender.
Yet self-described community activist Cathryn Antkowiak-Howard said budget cuts are undermining support for sexual assault survivors.
Antkowiak-Howard pointed out that Washtenaw County's Sexual Assault Crisis Center was closed last October, and U-M's Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center has announced it will no longer provide counseling or 24-hour hot line services.
She said that leaves just the private, nonprofit SAFE House for area domestic violence services.
"We've gone backwards in some ways," Antkowiak-Howard said. "For 20 some years, we had three agencies that were never at a loss for clients. Now, one will try to do the work of three." ... "
> AANews: "Protesters try to make a difference"
Posted by Rob at 11:31 PM
Saturday, April 17, 2004
The commencement speaker at Ave Maria Law school, a tiny, extremely conservative law school started in Ann Arbor by Domino's pizza mogul Tom Monaghan will be U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Meanwhile, we at the University of Michigan will hear from the founder of Automotive Magazine, David E. Davis."ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) -- U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas will address Ave Maria School of Law graduates at this spring's commencement, the school announced Wednesday.
The 56 members of Ave Maria's second graduating class will participate in the May 16 ceremony in Ypsilanti. Thomas also will receive an honorary degree. [...]
The conservative Catholic law school opened in the fall of 2000. Sixty graduates took the July 2003 bar exam in 17 states and achieved a 93 percent pass rate, school officials said."
> From AP: "Clarence Thomas to speak at Ave Maria law commencement"
> See also Ave Maria Press Release
> My posts on David E. Davis: (1), (2), (3).
Posted by Rob at 11:42 PM
Friday, April 16, 2004
Mark your calendarsFree Cone Day is coming up at the newly re-opened Ben and Jerry's on State Street on Tuesday, April 27th and will feature an opportunity to register to vote.
> Upcoming.org
> B&J State Street Website
Posted by Rob at 4:54 PM
Thursday, April 15, 2004
Michigan Daily editorial page editor Jason Z. Pesick has a lovely little column in today's Daily you might have heard about. In it, he writes about how glad he is that a "incestuous crew of campus activists," is "finally" graduating. It's enigmatically titled, "End of the vulcans" - I'm not sure what he means by "vulcans." (Maybe Vulture?) Here's the end:" ... So I won’t shed a tear when these self-glorified hatemongers graduate. In the few personal encounters I have had with them, I have found their rhetoric and their approach to advocacy enraging and hurtful at the same time. I feel lucky that I am only a sophomore and did not have to go through college with them and constantly deal with their painful accusations for four years.
But I do think that some of them might be shedding a few tears when they leave Ann Arbor. They should. Because their silly campaigns at the University were their zenith; I pray they’ll never feel so important again. And I know that this University will be a much more decent place without them."
Posted by Rob at 5:25 PM What's going on?
It's a busy time of year, to say the least.
Local and Campus News
- Stephanie Ridella, a 19-year old resident of South Quad from Troy, Michigan is missing. AANews: "Missing U-M student raises fears"
- The City of Ann Arbor has announced they'll install a median and "eventually" a traffic light on Plymouth Road, near where two U-M students were killed trying to cross the street. My view: two deaths are two too many: install them ASAP. (AANews: "Plymouth Road Changes proposed")
- Air quality in Washtenaw County is among the lowest in the nation, yet another reason why the region should vigorously move forward to increase funding for public transit, and freeze construction of sprawl and more roads.
- The Lecturers' Employee Organization held a "work-in" yesterday in the lobby of the Fleming Administration building to keep pressure up on the University. Daily: "Lecturers urge 'U' to resume contract talks"
- A law signed by Governor Granholm today mean those found guilty of "minor in possession of alcohol" who violate their probation would face "up to 30 days in jail and a $200 fine under the new law." (Daily: "New Law Increases MIP penalties")
- At Goodness Day today, a group from East Quad was handing out pirate flags. Although I'm not sure if it was the East Quad Governing Council or the "Independent Republic of the RC" (I'm not sure if they're two different entities), but it brought to mind that group. Although pirate flags are neat, if it was the "republic" I hope they realize its not accurate to call yourself an independent republic if the RC is still run as a dictatorship - meaning its administration doesn't involved the formalized input of students. (Certainly, it's a benevolent one at that). Unless student input is formalized at the highest levels, I don't think it could be considered a "republic".
Posted by Rob at 4:55 PM Michigan Student Assembly Update
- MSA is holding what they're calling an "unprecedented mass meeting" tonight at 7:00 PM in MSA chambers.
- Laban King, a black member of the Michigan Student Assembly, has resigned - saying it's not the place for minorities: (Daily: "MSA rep resigns, says assembly not place for minorities")
- My comments about MSA's refusal to appoint Teri Russiello has sparked some feedback. First, I was informed by a few people the Daily article didn't make sense because it neglected to note that she was not appointed because there was someone else running against her for the position of MSA Treasurer - none other than former Vice Presidential Candidate Anita Leung. Here's to correspondence - first, from someone who attended the meeting:
"I went to that msa meeting last night ... another thing about the treasurer position was that Anita Leung applied and she ran against Jason and Jenny for VP in the last election ... some people thought she was more qualified 'cause she had served on BPC for 3 semester and was vice chair last semester. I think the thing that separated the treasurer position from the others was that for the other position there was not an rejectee who seemed to be more qualified on paper than the eventual person picked. Jessie Levine was the only person who applied for the Student General Counsel position and Elliot Reid applied for Chief of Staff along with Anita."
The other commentary is from Teri Russiello herself:
"Rob-
I just wanted to quickly respond to a few things. My decision to run for MSA Treasurer was purely out of my dedication to serving the student body at the University of Michigan. The budget cuts are going to effect every student at the University and it would have been my honor to be a link between the student body, student groups, MSA reps, and the administration. However, for reasons described as "political", my efforts to fulfill those goals will not be as an MSA exec. By no means does this hurdle hinder these goals. Truthfully, I can see where the Assembly viewed my appoint as a "reward" for the amount of work invested into Student's First last semester. However, neither my application nor my interview reflected any experiences of past MSA campaigns. Instead, I chose to focus on a very detailed plan for combating the budget cuts, ideas on minimizing MSA's cost while maximizing efficiency, and creating the community cohesiveness necessary for a successful Assembly. While serving my term on MSA, the Budget Priorities Committee was not my choice
of involvement because my major focus on the Assembly was co-chairing the Women's Issues Commission (and yes, WIC has to balance a budget). I should not be penalized or scrutinized for that decision because I gained comparable
experience elsewhere and maintained my promise to advocate for one of my communities. I will not repeat the other qualifications stated in Tuesday's meeting but I will say that I was confident in my application and desire to be
Treasurer. I welcome any questions or comments. Thank you very much."
Posted by Rob at 4:53 PM Personal Notes
This website has been selected by the editors of the Michigan Daily as "Best Blog" in Ann Arbor. See Daily: "GoodspeedUpdate a useful tool for 'U' community" Overall, I thought it was a very good article, except for the last paragraph which seems as if it were added by an editor: "The future looks bright for blogging to become common practice, especially as bloggers don't have to follow the rules of newspaper grammar and citing sources and can post articles, opinions and random thoughts with ease and comfort." I'll leave it for my readers to judge the quality of my journalism, although I try to think of what I do as slightly above the work of a tabloid "journalist" like Matt Drudge. (Also, here's the full list of the Daily's best of Ann Arbor)
My idea of creating an organization of progressive alumni/ae seems to be taking off - if you would like to be involved in an organizational meeting to be held in the next two weeks and have not yet contacted me, please drop me a line at rob at goodspeedupdate.com. My friend Becky Parks has volunteered to head up a DC chapter - you can email her at parksr at umich.edu, although for the early stages both groups will share the same listserv. (She works for a nonprofit there)
Posted by Rob at 4:50 PM
Wednesday, April 14, 2004
It seems as if all the activism of the Michigan Student Assembly and Student Voices in Action about Trotter House has been at least somewhat effective; I think this should be counted as a definitive step in the right direction:"Date: Wednesday, April 14, 2004 3:31 PM -0400
From: OVPSA OVPSA at umich.edu
Subject: Trotter House and Student Advisory Committee
Dear [Names omited],
I'm writing to update you on some of the planning that is underway regarding Trotter House and the formation of a student advisory committee.
Patricia Aqui Pacania, director of Multi-Ethnic Student Affairs, has been asked to chair a planning group for the future of Trotter House that is made up primarily of students. Patricia will soon be sending out communications via e-mail and in the Michigan Daily to invite nominations to serve on this planning group. The group, which will be named in May, will work rapidly over the next few months to define both short- and long-term needs for Trotter in serving our multicultural student
communities.
At the same time, President Coleman and I are working with experts in the Development Office to determine the feasibility of fundraising for Trotter renovations. President Coleman and I have made a personal commitment to investing our time in raising funds for Trotter.
With regard to a standing student advisory committee, I have begun discussions with student leaders and group members from a wide range of student organizations including the Michigan Student Assembly, Student Relations Advisory Committee (appointed by SACUA), Native American Student Association, Black Student Union, Arab Student Association, Latino Association, Asian American Association, Student of Color Of Rackham (SCOR), Muslim Student Assembly, All Fired Up, LSA Student Government and others. My immediate purpose is to seek your ideas about how this student advisory committee should be structured, what its ongoing role should be, and how it should complement existing student advisory and governance structures. I am trying to hold as many of these meetings and conversations as possible before the end of the term. If you or members of your group would like to share your ideas about this, please e-mail Sallye Ramsey at ramseys at umich.edu. My plan is to have the advisory committee up and running no later than October.
Finally, I would like to let you know that the position of Latino coordinator in MESA is posted at: . If you know of any good candidates for this position, I encourage you to bring them to our attention.
Sincerely,
Royster Harper
Vice President for Student Affairs"
Posted by Rob at 3:48 PM So you want to file a FOIA?
If you are looking to get access to administration memo, minutes, and budget information, and asking nicely isn't working, you can file a claim with the University's Freedom of Information Office. These claims are known colloquially in the journalism business as a FOIA (short for Freedom of Information Act), pronounced "Foy-ya", and can be filed by anybody - not just journalists. Most state and the federal government have adopted "sunshine laws" which make most records publicly available - these have in general been considered a positive step towards increasing the transparency and responsiveness of government A FOIA request is considered a legal process to be used as a last resort, and you should be warned that the administration is adept at chilling requests. Among the more interesting things you can get: DPS reports are public, you can ask for reports that mention specific people, or reports about specific incidents on campus, also student organization account records from SOAS are public. In addition, most e-mails and minutes regarding University business are public, IF you know what you're asking for. Here's a quick guide I prepared:
1) The University considers FOIA a means for people to obtain information after other attempts have failed, so before you resort to FOIA, they like you to ask for the information, and if they refuse, then you can do a FOIA. Tell them you intend to file a FOIA if they don't hand over the info and see what they say.
2) FOIA requests are accepted in written form or via e-mail, and they require some information - your name, address, etc. Here's the website of the University office that handles these requests. Their office is on the 6th floor of the Fleming building.
3) Technically, a FOIA is a request for a DOCUMENT. (Remember: emails are documents, although most admins delete them, but you can ask for emails sent to a specific user group, for example) You should be asking for a document you know exists - (memos, minutes, reports) or you suspect may exist. The more specific, the better. (As an example, for budget cuts, I am sure the Chief Financial Officer had meetings about cuts with Vice President for Student Affairs Royster, so maybe asking for those would be a good start.)
4) Exceptions. In general, anything with student's records, names, or other personal info they can either censor or legally refuse. Other than that, the restrictions are fairly narrowly defined: security procedures, medical records and the like.
5) Charges. For small requests, the University will give you the documents for free. For requests that will take a lot of time to find and/or compile (censor out student names, for example) they can charge you per page and also per hour of labor involved. This can get pricey, so that's why specificity is important.
6) The head FOIA officer is named Lewis Morrissey. He is a former journalist who I have met at a couple occasions, and is fairly cooperative.
7) By law, the University has to respond in like 7 days, but they almost always use a loophole that gives them an extension for 10 days to fill the request. If they need money they can demand a deposit or cheque.
Posted by Rob at 12:22 PM At last night's MSA meeting, members balked at appointing former MSA Rep. Teri Russiello to the executive board position of Treasurer because it they thought her nomination was too "political." There's a number of ironies at work: first, the Daily seems very mystified by this development. (In addition to misspelling her name) Although they open their story with the phrase "Despite being mostly dominated by the Students First party ..." they never actually say why anyone would think it was a political move, although noting she had never served on MSA's Budget Committee. A quick search of their own newspaper would reveal her identified as "candidate manager" in a March 15 story. In reality, she has been heavily involved in Students First, serving in the most recent election as a "campaign manager." However, not only was her appointment political, the other appointments of Jesse Levine and Elliot Wells-Reid as General Counsel and "Chief of Staff" (A new position) are extremely political as well - both are personal friends of Mironov and Nathan (for the record, I consider them friends as well) and both members of Students First.
Lastly, having run an MSA political party, the ultimate irony is that in that capacity Ms. Russiello likely did gain some excellent experience handling money and operating a budget.
"Assembly members rejected the appointment, which was made by MSA President Jason Mironov, because they saw it as a political move. Russiello has not served on MSA's Budget Priorities Committee.
MSA Rep. Ashley Whitfield said she was concerned with the appointment, because other applicants who sat on the BPC felt that the selection was questionable, given Russiello's relationship with Students First. ... "
> Daily: "Students First focuses on budget cut effects"
See also the Daily story "SAPAC volunteers defend new changes," although I'm struggling to see how fragmenting an office and moving the emergency hotline to an already overburdened community organization located beyond walking distance away is helping the survivors of rape and sexual assault. Also, I find it hard to believe the new system will work "seamlessly":
"... The staffers said the proposed changes are a coordinated community response, in which survivors seek services at either SAFE House, SAPAC or CAPS and are immediately networked in a seamless system. ...
But it is "misinformation" that counseling and advocacy were always combined, said LSA senior Kathryn Turnock, a Crisis line volunteer at SAPAC and member of Our Voices Count, an student group formed to oppose the SAPAC changes.
"Neither Sasha nor Stephanie have anything to do with survivor services and have no grounds on which to speak about this knowledgably. The counseling does not have to stop when advocacy starts," said Mia White, LSA senior and SAPAC volunteer.
Opponents have said the system only seems coordinated but in reality will force survivors to recount their traumatic experience to numerous offices, split their counseling and advocacy needs and seek counseling in the often crowded Michigan Union, where CAPS is located.
Some of these concerns are legitimate, staffers said. Because every survivor's experience differs, some may not feel comfortable seeking help at the Union. But they noted that SAPAC's office is still open, "and it always will be, regardless of where counseling is done," Achen said. ... "
And this:
" ... SAPAC now has a men's activism program, coordinated by Atorino. "It's specifically geared towards men, to let them know what their role is in preventing sexual assault." The purpose is not to blame men as perpetrators, but to show them what they can do to curb sexual assault, he added. The program will assure men that "there is a male space" in sexual assault issues, he said."
While I'm glad they're communicating with men, when I was contacted by a women who alleges she was raped as the SAE fraternity days after another incident at the same fraternity was in the paper in March, it's clear we can assign some moral culpability. I think the greek system should adopt a strict policy on sexual assault, and if multiple substantive allegations are made about sexual assault the fraternity should face severe punishments, including possibly ejection from the campus greek system.
> Daily: "SAPAC volunteers defend new changes"
Posted by Rob at 11:49 AM Bush, tonight on TV: From prepared remarks:
"In the south of Iraq, coalition forces face riots and attacks that are being incited by a radical cleric named al-Sadr. He has assembled some of his supporters into an illegal militia and publicly supported the terrorist groups Hamas and Hezbollah. ...
The violence we have seen is a power grab by these extreme and ruthless elements. It's not a civil war. It's not a popular uprising. Most of Iraq is relatively stable. Most Iraqis by far reject violence and oppose dictatorship.
And:
"One central commitment of that mission is the transfer of the sovereignty back to the Iraqi people. We have set a deadline of June 30th. It is important that we meet that deadline.
As a proud, independent people, Iraqis do not support an indefinite occupation, and neither does America. We're not an imperial power, as nations such as Japan and Germany can attest. We're a liberating power, as nations in Europe and Asia can attest as well. "
During the Q and A:
"A secure and free Iraq is an historic opportunity to change the world and make America more secure. A free Iraq in the midst of the Middle East will have incredible change.
It's hard. Freedom is not easy to achieve. I mean, we had a little trouble in our own country achieving freedom.
And we've been there a year. I know that seems like a long time. It seems like a long time to the loved ones whose troops have been overseas. But when you think about where the country has come from, it's a relatively short period of time. "
[...]
"QUESTION: Mr. President, before the war, you and members of your administration made several claims about Iraq: that U.S. troops would be greeted as liberators with sweets and flowers; that Iraqi oil revenue would pay for most of the reconstruction; and that Iraq not only had weapons of mass destruction but, as Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld said, we know where they are.
How do you explain to Americans how you got that so wrong? And how do you answer your opponents who say that you took this nation to war on the basis of what have turned out to be a series of false premises?
BUSH: Well, let me step back and review my thinking prior to going into Iraq.
First, the lesson of September the 11th is that when this nation sees a threat, a gathering threat, we got to deal with it. We can no longer hope that oceans protect us from harm. Every threat we must take seriously.
Saddam Hussein was a threat. He was a threat because he had used weapons of mass destruction on his own people. He was a threat because he coddled terrorists. He was a threat because he funded suiciders. He was a threat to the region. He was a threat to the United States. ... "
In case you were keeping track, it seems our president has taken the liberty to invent words. Yes, a quick check of Merriam-Webster online reveals that "suiciders" has been conjured out of thin air, I suspect the same way "warfighter" was. Where does that term come from? Here, from a letter to a surperior posted on the Army's website:
"Each and every one of my Soldiers is more than simply a logistician, a computer systems analyst, or a mechanic. Each one of my Soldiers does more than simply provide support and resources to enable other Warfighters to perform their operational commitments. Each one of my Soldiers is a Warfighter. Every Soldier in Iraq serving to liberate and guarantee a future of freedom and prosperity for the Iraqi people shares the title and honor of Warfighter."
Nope, that one is not in the dictionary either. (See more information on that word here) It seems new times demand new words: after all, if more and more of our armed forces are made up of private contractors, we can't say soldier, and mercenary just doesn't have a glorious ring to it.
More Bush:
"We're at war. Iraq is a part of the war on terror. It is not the war on terror; it is a theater in the war on terror. And it's essential we win this battle in the war on terror. By winning this battle, it will make other victories more certain in the war against the terrorists.
[...]
QUESTION: ... Sir, you've made it very clear tonight that you're committed to continuing the mission in Iraq, yet, as Terry pointed out, increasing numbers of Americans have qualms about it. And this is an election year.
BUSH: Yes.
QUESTION: Will it have been worth it, even if you lose your job because of it?
BUSH: I don't plan on losing my job. I plan on telling the American people that I've got a plan to win the war on terror. And I believe they'll stay with me. They understand the stakes.
Look, nobody likes to see dead people on their television screens. I don't. It's a tough time for the American people to see that. It's gut-wrenching.
One of my hardest parts of my job is to console the family members ...
We are in a long war. The war on terror is not going to end immediately. This is a war against people who have no guilt in killing innocent people. That's what they're willing to do. They kill on a moment's notice, because they're trying to shake our will, they're trying to create fear, they're trying to affect people's behaviors. And we're simply not going to let them do that.
And my fear, of course, is that this will go on for a while, and therefore, it's incumbent upon us to learn from lessons or mistakes, and leave behind a better foundation for presidents to deal with the threats we face. This is the war that other presidents will be facing as we head into the 21st century. ...
And the end:
"BUSH: Let's see. Last question here. Hold on for a second. Those who yell will not be ask -- I tell you a guy who I have never heard from.
Don?
QUESTION: Thank you, sir. Appreciate it.
BUSH: This was -- it's a well-received ...
QUESTION: Following on both Judy and John's questions, and it comes out of what you just said in some ways, with public support for your policies in Iraq falling off the way they have, quite significantly over the past couple of months, I guess I'd like to know if you feel, in any way, that you have failed as a communicator on this topic.
BUSH: Gosh, I don't know. I mean ...
QUESTION: Well, you deliver a lot of speeches, and a lot of them contain similar phrases and may vary very little from one to the next. And they often include a pretty upbeat assessment of how things are going, with the exception of tonight. It's pretty somber.
BUSH: A pretty somber assessment today, Don, yes.
QUESTION: But I guess I just wonder if you feel that you have failed in any way. You don't have many of these press conferences where you engage in this kind of exchange. Have you failed in any way to really make the case to the American public?
BUSH: You know, that's, I guess, if you put it into a political context, that's the kind of thing the voters will decide next November. That's what elections are about. They'll take a look at me and my opponent and say, let's see, which one of them can better win the war on terror? Who best can see to it that Iraq emerges a free society?
And, Don, you know, if I tried to fine-tune my messages based upon polls, I think I'd be pretty ineffective. I know I would be disappointed in myself.
I hope today you've got a sense of my conviction about what we're doing. If you don't, maybe I need to learn to communicate better.
I feel strongly about what we're doing. I feel strongly it's the course this administration is taking will make America more secure and the world more free and, therefore, the world more peaceful. It's a conviction that's deep in my soul. And, you know, I will say it as best I possibly can to the American people.
I look forward to the debate in the campaign. I look forward to helping -- for the American people to hear, you know, what is the proper use of American power. Do we have an obligation to lead, or should we shirk responsibility? That's how I view this debate.
And I look forward to making it. Don, I'll do it the best I possibly can. I'll give it the best shot. I'll speak as plainly as I can.
One thing is for certain, though, about me, and the world has learned this: When I say something, I mean it. And the credibility of the United States is incredibly important for keeping world peace and freedom.
Thank you all very much. "
Key Phrases:
1. "It's not a civil war."
2. "We're not an imperial power"
3. "... maybe I need to learn to communicate better"
> Source: NYTimes.com Transcript
> White House Official Release
Posted by Rob at 12:45 AM
Tuesday, April 13, 2004
The first-annual Ann Arbor Book Festival is planned for April 22 through the 25th, and will feature a one-day street fair of booksellers on Saturday, April 24.> The Ann Arbor Book Festival Website
> Upcoming.org Entry
It has also been brought to my attention that the Ghost Dog Press is holding an event that weekend as well, their "Free Speech Fest 2004." Tickets are avaliable on their website:
THURSDAY, April 22:
8PM: Opening Party at 555 Arts Collective. Art Show, live music, meet the writers!
555 Arts Collective 200 E. Michigan Ave. Ypsilanti.
Suggested Donation $5-7 no advance tickets for this event, just come on out!! See you there!
FRIDAY, April 23:
8PM: Our first official night of the Festival, featuring poetry and prose from those who roam outside literary borders: poetry, spoken word, cultural essays, bits of novels, short stories and performance art with musical accompaniment. Friday night will feature: Eileen Myles/San Diego , Neeli Cherkovski/San Francisco , Ken Mikolowski/Ann Arbor, Jake Kaida/Ann Arbor , Jimmy Nil Fishhawk/Gainesville , Alise Alousi/Detroit , Mick Murphy/San Francisco , Kim D. Hunter/Detroit , Mark Nowak/Minneapolis , Crystal Clowney/Detroit , Shawn Shiflett/Chicago. Above Ground Studio, 302 B South State Street, Ann Arbor."
Posted by Rob at 4:20 PM Here's the Phoenix Honor Society's Yahoo Group.
Posted by Rob at 1:58 PM Debbie Stabenow has introduced legislation that would make election day a holiday to help increase voting turnout:
"Studies of the 21 most advanced democracies, going all the way back to 1945, show the United States rate of voter participation is one of the lowest in the world - and continues to fall," Stabenow says. "Between 1980 and 2000, voter participation in Australia, Italy, Germany, Denmark and Sweden was 80 percent or better, and participation in Israel, Great Britain and Canada was 70 percent or better. Over the same period, however, voter participation in the United States was just 50 percent."
Stabenow notes a survey done by the U.S. Census Bureau shortly after the 2000 elections that found respondents cited a schedule conflict with work or school as the number one reason for not voting. ... "
> "National Holiday for Election Day Proposed "
> See also George Hotelling's Post on the issue
> Local blogger Astrogibs has weighed in as well
Posted by Rob at 1:55 PM
Monday, April 12, 2004
Last week's "joke" issue of the Monroe Street Journal - the Business School student paper - has been generating some controversy. Unfortunately, it seems as if the "letters to the editor" containing all the discussion are available only to business school affiliates.Posted by Rob at 9:41 PM TURNING DOWN THE TAP
It has been rumored that current Michigan Student Assembly president Jason Mironov was tapped by Michigamua to be a member of their "Pride of 2005." Well, it was true he was tapped, however Mr. Mironov has decided he did not want to be a member of that organization. He told me that he " ... chose not be part of the organization after I had done my own homework and because of the controversy surrounding it." Mironov also told me he intends to use his position to encourage dialogue about Michigamua on campus.
In addition to Mr. Mironov, MSA Vice President Jenny Nathan turned down a tap to be a member of Phoenix's 2005 class. Here's a paragraph she sent me about that decision:
Jenny Nathan, MSA Vice President 2004-2004, College Dems Chair 2003-2004
Tapped by Phoenix, March of 2004
I turned down the Phoenix Tap because joining a secret society would violate and betray every value that I have worked and fought for on campus over the last 3 years. Honesty, transparency, equality, a level playing field--the elitism and secrecy of the Tower societies contradict every one of these values. In College Dems and on MSA I have worked to represent ALL STUDENTS. As a white, Jewish woman, I have worked to build bridges and establish relationships with people from all different backgrounds--relationships that are built on TRUST, as well as a mutual desire to see positive changes here on campus and on a larger scale. If I were to join a secret society, I would be betraying the trust that I work every day to earn. The history of the Tower societies--Michigamua, Phoenix, and Vulcan has caused so much pain and division amongst people I know and care about. Even if the societies claim to have changed their ways, the damage is done. I turned down Phoenix on the spot, and the women who tapped me said that they had anticipated that I would refuse, and that alone I took as an honor. "
More people who have turned town taps are forthcoming ...
> Michigamua Image Gallery
> Michigamua / Phoenix Membership Page
> Vulcan Members
Posted by Rob at 8:11 PM I have been talking with a couple friends about founding an organization of progressive alumni of the University of Michigan with the purpose of encouraging postgraduate networking, and also working as a progressive force to ensure the University as an institution is moving in the right direction on issues that we care about. If you are interested in such an organization, drop me an email at rob at goodspeedupdate.com, or post a comment with your email address and ideas!
Posted by Rob at 7:46 PM President Bush will address the nation live tomorrow night at 8:30 PM during the 12th televised press conference of his presidency about the large-scale war of independence brewing in Iraq and his handling of 9/11.
"WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush will work to defuse two issues in his prime-time news conference on Tuesday: rising casualties in Iraq and his response in 2001 to a terrorism warning the White House had in hand before the Sept. 11 attacks.
Both issues are critical to Bush's re-election strategy, which is focused on the president's record on national security.
Bush plans to open the 8:30 p.m. EDT news conference - the 12th of his presidency, but only his third televised in prime evening viewing hours - with a statement on Iraq, White House communications director Dan Bartlett said Monday. He said the president will be prepared to address questions about a memo, titled "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S.," that Bush received on Aug. 6, 2001. ... "
> AP Story on Mlive.com, and in