Opinions - The Eastern Echo

COLUMN: Putting The Factory in perspective

By Al Willman · Sunday, June 22, 2014

Thursday’s announcement by Heather Lyke, Eastern Michigan University Vice President and Director of Athletics and football coach Chris Creighton of the installation of grey turf at Rynearson Stadium (henceforth called “The Factory”) has already sparked a great deal of discussion on social media – most of it negative.

Restorative justice helps teach students

By James Tatum · Monday, June 16, 2014

For most of this decade, and the previous decade, punishment in schools has not only been considered separate from criminal justice policy, but has also been all about retribution: suspension, expulsion, demerits, etc.

Past the Tipping Point

By Nino Monea · Monday, June 9, 2014

Quentin Tarantino is one of Hollywood’s most eclectic auteurs. He made his directorial debut with his 1992 classic Reservoir Dogs. The film begins with a philosophical discussion around a breakfast table where Steve Buscemi’s character is explaining the absurdities that are inherent in the rules of tipping across the country.

Change we can believe in

By Nino Monea · Monday, June 2, 2014

Two of the most pressing public policy problems facing the country are soaring national debt and rampant environmental degradation. For years, solutions have proved elusive. But what if I told you that there was a way to ameliorate both of these concerns with no real cost to anyone, and make your life a little simpler to boot? The answer is straightforward: Eliminate small coins.

We must take action in order to make changes

By Prof. John G. Fike · Monday, May 26, 2014

Why is it so difficult today to mobilize American citizens for political action? We face critical issues like education and health care, poverty and mass incarceration, the worsening economic divide and possible human extinction due to climate change. Why aren’t people scrambling to vote in every election, participating in demonstrations, telling our political representatives what we want done to make society better?

What use are tools without wisdom and virtue?

By Prof. John G. Fike · Monday, May 19, 2014

We humans are great toolmakers. We’ve got fire, wheels and pyramids; guns, germs and steel.We’ve built railroads, airlines and instant communication, chemical warfare and atomic bombs. We can make artificial hearts, lungs and limbs; we have harnessed the elements of air, water, coal and oil to make electricity to power looms and assembly lines. We’ve even put humans on the moon.

There is no defense for the death penalty in the U.S.

By James Tatum · Monday, May 12, 2014

Opponents of the death penalty have to understand that supporters of the death penalty will not be moved by the botched execution of Clayton D. Lockett in Oklahoma. They don’t care.

American Muslims are still American

By Jumanah Saadeh · Sunday, May 4, 2014

“Where are you from?” This is a question I have received countless times. If I had a dime for every time I was asked this question, I’d be rich.

The big grab is on

By John G. Fike · Wednesday, April 23, 2014

If you’re middle class or poor, the bankers and politicians want your money. First, the Republicans have declared war on the poor by slashing the food-stamp program that provides a bare minimum of daily nutrition.

Student Government’s credibility has been called into question after the race between incumbent Desmond Miller (Left) and write-in candidate Fatma Jaber (Right).

Student Government undone

By Staff Editorial · Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Student Government’s credibility and efficacy has been called into question. It has been unable to properly run an election, and has provided skeptics with fodder for its dismissal. But rather than be taken down by critics it appears Student Government will undo itself.

City officials don’t plan for the worst case scenario

By James Tatum · Thursday, April 17, 2014

The problem is city officials didn’t abide by what could clumsily be called the “What If It Goes Wrong” principle. In other words, there didn’t appear to be any consideration of the worst case scenario on the part of city officials who were in office at the time. It was all but assumed the project would be successful. It wasn’t.

Capitalism created, then spoiled prosperity

By John G. Fike · Thursday, April 17, 2014

Over the last three centuries, capitalism has poisoned the very well of prosperity it has taken such pains to create. The genie of capitalism, aided by the Industrial Revolution, can largely be credited with moving Western societies, and eventually much of the world, out of feudalism and the Malthusian trap. Malthus, you remember, complained that humans never were able to increase our living standard through much of our existence. But capitalism’s advent increased the world’s productivity and living standard; it brought humanity ease, luxury and comfort, along with prodigious choice in products and services.

Michigan House Bill 5315 is a bill that would level the playing field for people seeking a college degree.

The time has come to pay it forward

By Al Willman · Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Pay-it-Forward is an idea, which was popularized in 2000, following a movie of the same title – which I will assume, for the purposes of this column – you have already seen. If not, you can read the summary on IMDB

Violence and tools lead to extinction

By John G. Fike · Wednesday, April 16, 2014

As I was driving to an appointment recently, I began to see the rows upon rows of telephone poles I was passing on city streets and country roads as crucifixes: symbols of the violence our society depends on for its daily energy and legitimization.

Washtenaw Women’s Court unique, effective

By Elka Chamberlain · Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Michigan is in the top five states in the country for human trafficking, today’s “modern day slavery.” This is defined as working in the commercial sex, labor, or domestic work industries through the use of physical force, fraud, blackmail, or coercion. A recently published report by the Michigan Commission on Human Trafficking noted that, “Human trafficking is the second-largest and fastest-growing criminal industry in the world.”

You can’t have the art

By James Tatum · Sunday, April 13, 2014

People who think the city of Detroit should sell the Detroit Institute of Art’s collection tend to either not understand bankruptcy, or the implications of the art’s sale.

Anthropology is not what you think

By Sarah Lin Trump · Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Not that many disciplines can say their very name creates the kind of quizzical looks that anthropology does. As a major in the subject, that of the history and variety of Homo sapiens, there is nothing more awkward than family reunions and Christmas parties where the subject inevitably comes to, “So what exactly are you studying?”

Animal testing should be done responsibly

By Jumanah Saadeh · Wednesday, April 9, 2014

While animal testing is essential, it should not be conducted in a thoughtless manner – thoughtlessness is a form of cruelty unto itself, as animals are living, feeling creatures and have a right to life without unnecessary pain.

Republicans and the city

By James Tatum · Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Often times, Republicans point to cities like Detroit and Stockton, both of which have filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy, and link their disarray to the Democratic administrations that control them. Urban politics are complicated, and those cities’ problems have more to do with the Great Recession than the party which controls them.

Letter to the Editor

By Margaret Polmear Patterson Ph.D · Sunday, April 6, 2014

I would like to respond to the boycott article in the Thursday, April 3 Eastern Echo. As a long time university supervisor (hire date 1989), I have been responsible for placing the early childhood education student teachers throughout the area of southeastern Michigan, from Howell to Monroe and from Troy to Downriver and all parts in between. Each semester, I place from 18 to 48 students depending on the enrollment. This winter semester has proven to be the most difficult.