A6 APRIL 25, 2011 washtenawvoice.

com VOICES
EDITOR
Quinn Davis
edavis16@wccnet.edu
MANAGING EDITOR
NEWS
Matthew Durr
mdurr@wccnet.edu
MANAGING EDITOR
SPORTS/FEATURES
James Highsmith
Jhigh121212@yahoo.com
PHOTO EDITOR
Robert Conradi
rconradi@wccnet.edu
DESIGN EDITOR
Kate Bizer
kbizer@wccnet.edu
DESIGNER
Jocelyn Gotlib
jocelyngotlib@gmail.com
AD MANAGER
Becky Alliston
ealliston@wccnet.edu
AD SALES MANAGER
Paul Baetz
pbaetz@wccnet.edu
VIDEOGRAPHER
Chris Ozminski
coz@yis.com
WEB MASTER
Alan Scafuri
ascafuri@wccnet.edu
STAFF WRITERS
Anne Duffy
Benjamin Michael Solis
CONTRIBUTORS
Jared Angle
Amanda Bowman
Josh Chamberlain
Meghan Carpenter
Charles Denton
Anna Fuqua-Smith
Jonathan Knight
Jeff Pierce
Michael Lee
Andrew Beckford
Timothy Clark
Larry Donnelly
Jael Gardiner
Michael Lee
Kyle Lofton
Holly Patrick
Julia Rodrigues
ADVISER
Keith Gave
kgave@wccnet.edu
4800 E. Huron River Dr.
TI 106
Ann Arbor, MI 48105
(734) 677-5125
thewashtenawvoice@gmail.com
Volume 17, Issue 16
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EDITORIAL
QUINNDAVIS
Editor
Alright, I`m just go
ing to get it over with.
Pussy.
Gah, I can`t even type it without Ieeling
creepy all over!
I`ve hated the p-word since I can re
member, even when it was just an aIIec
tionate name Ior a cat. Things got way, way
more unpalatable once I heard it used as a
derogatory term Ior vagina and as a syn
onym Ior wuss.
First thing`s frst: Why can`t we just
call vaginas by their actual name?
Ready? Okay, say it with me. No. . . no,
I promise it`ll be fne! Alright, one, two,
three, VAGINA! There, see? Was that so
hard?
It wasn`t. No vagina monster came out
to swallow you whole, as iI through some
reverse birthing process. Your own genita
lia didn`t Iall oII/out, you didn`t break your
mother`s back, and you don`t even have to
go to conIession.
Why are people so aIraid oI the word
vagina? No one really likes saying the
word penis either, but vagina Ior some rea
son has a little extra tinge oI discomIort
addedtoit.
So we call it the p-word?! That`s the
solution?!
Listen people: More than halI oI the hu
mans in the world have vaginas, and most
oI the other halI seems to spend a great
deal oI time trying to get acquainted with
them. What better way to do so than to call
them by their real name?
Besides, the p-word doesn`t do vaginas
justice. Not only is it gross, but it implies
that vaginas are weak.
Recently, Voice Managing News Edi
tor Matt Durr asked me, 'You just hate the
way the word sounds, right? You don`t mind
when people use it to mean wussy, do you?
I said it to him, and I`ll say it again:
That`s exactly what I mind most about the
p-word. It`s inherently sexist.
When men want to insult each other`s
masculinity, they`ll call each other the p-
word. Why does everyone think this is an
appropriate thing to say? I hear it when
I`m walking down the hallways, in the
newsroom and in class. 'Stop being such a
pussy! Um, what? That doesn`t even make
sense!
Think about it: What goes through
more than a vagina? Every month, they
prepare Ior childbirth. And every month,
they cramp with such strength that they
cause women to vomit, double over in pain
and/or fat-out pass out.
There isn`t any other thing in the world
that can bleed that much every month and
notdie.
They have to deal with crap like bullets
oI dry cotton and cardboard being shoved
into them (tampons), and some even en
dure sexual assault.
AIter all oI that, they`re able to give
birth, expanding Irom a small hole to a
hole big enough to squeeze a small pump
kin a.k.a. a baby through. They can do
this over and over again, every time heal
ing Irom being THE GATES OF HEAVEN
(or hell, let`s be honest) to being something
you can actually sit on and, yes, have inter
course with.
And the whole time vaginas are just
kickin` back, acting like it ain`t no thang.
Could you imagine the pomp and circum
stance that we`d hear iI penises could do
that? Our world is already obsessed with
phallic objects and manhood. II penises
could do all that, they`d get a tickertape
parade.
I mean, no oIIense, but they just kinda
sitthere.
Besides, iI a guy gets kicked in the
balls, he`s out Ior the count. Game over
man! A vagina, on the other hand, might
be hurt, but she can take it like a woman
and then go on being all, 'Psh, whatevs.
I`m busy.
All I want is Ior people to stop being
derogatory toward my genitalia by sug
gesting that it`s weak.
Not that I`d endorse this, but iI you`re
actually trying to be accurate, you can al
ways call a weakling a nut sack. It`s just as
bad, and at least it makes sense.
Alright, no more Mr. Nice Newspaper: Anne Williams has
to go.
Who is Anne Williams, you ask?
Answer: Exactly.
Williams is one oI the seven Washtenaw Community College
trustees. As was highlighted in one oI this issue`s articles (See
Threetrusteesmissayearsworthofmeetings Front Page), she`s
also been absent or late Ior 22.3 percent oI the Board oI Trustees`
meetings.
That alone is unacceptable. II we as students were absent or
late Ior 22.3 percent oI our classes, we would be punished. Our
grades would suIIer, especially since 22.3 percent translates to
missing or being late Ior more than three weeks in a 15-week
course. Most oI us take courses that penalize us aIter the frst Iew
absences.
Why should it be any diIIerent Ior Williams? AIter all, she`s
missed or been late to 18 meetings since her appointment in 2007,
which is equivalent to an entire year`s worth oI meetings. Awhole
year!
OI course, Williams isn`t the only oIIender, and she isn`t
the worst one. When Rep. David Rutledge, D-Ann Arbor, was
a trustee, he missed 28 percent oI the meetings Irom January
2006 until he resigned. Trustee Richard Landau is on par with
Williams, and has been known to be up to threehours late Ior a
meeting.
So why is TheWashtenawVoice singling out Williams?
Well, to put it Irankly, she doesn`t appear to do anything.
It`s still embarrassing that Rutledge and Landau have missed
so many meetings. Vice Chair Diana McKnight-Morton could
stand to reprioritize a bit too; she`s missed 18 percent oI the meet
ings since 2006.
But what separates these three Irom Williams is that they ac
tually engage in the meetings.
Throughout The Voices coverage oI board meetings, we`ve
heard spirited debates Irom the oIten-absent trustees, as well as
the ever-present ones. No matter the topic, however, you`ll rarely
hear a peep out oI Williams.
We`ve heard Mary Faulkner, the executive assistant to the
board, speak more than Williams, and she only takes roll call
during votes and we`re not exaggerating. Faulkner isn`t on the
board, and she`s not voting on issues like raising tuition or spend
ing millions oI dollars Ior a parking structure.
Williams is, and she needs to speak up. Maybe she`s a bit
shy during public meetings, but then why did she run Ior public
oIfce?
We have no way oI knowing iI Williams is more vocal dur
ing the board`s closed sessions. It shouldn`t matter anyway; both
kinds oI meetings are part oI the job.
One Voice staIIer even said that he wouldn`t recognize the
sound oI her voice. That`s pretty bad when we`ve been in the
same room Ior hours on end every month assuming, oI course,
that she shows up.
You would think that we would also be able to recognize her
voice aIter a year`s worth oI interviews with TheVoice. However,
we usually have to fat out give up on trying to reach Williams.
Sure, iI we need her input, we`ll call and leave emails, but she
never answers and never calls or writes us back.
Other board members, on the other hand, make it their busi
ness to answer our questions. They know that answering ques
tions about their actions is part oI the job.
Williams appears to have missed orientation.
In Iact, the only time that she has returned our calls and
emails has been Ior this issue, in which she knew that we would
be writing about board attendance.
Apparently, issues like the board`s $4,000 dinner Irom last
year and tuition aren`t as important to her as saving her own skin.
We`ll give Williams a chance to change. II she doesn`t, we
certainly won`t be voting to reelect her in 2012.
OI course, it only counts iI we show up.
ANNEDUFFY
StaII Writer
Healthcare is Iunda
mentally fawed. We all
know that. But there is
more, so much more.
We hear so much about the costs oI
healthcare. Yet the issue should not be how
to pay Ior it. It should be about changing
what our defnition oI it is, and bringing
our Iocus to what really matters.
Healthcare is set up to Iail the American
people, and it all starts with how we eat. It
becomes a slippery slope Irom there. II I eat
junk Iood, pop and candy day in and day
out, eventually, I`m going to become sick.
And that`s exactly what the business oI ill
ness (a.k.a. U.S. healthcare) is counting on.
Healthcare is a business based on peo
ple being sick. II people are not ill, there is
no business and there are no jobs. Hospi
tals get monetarily rewarded when people
are not well. They love to fll beds and pay
doctors because it is good Ior business. Un
Iortunately, our economy depends on this
tainted fow oI money Ior survival.
Our Iuture is stolen.
The cycle oI illness and the perpetua
tion oI disease Ior money is such a shame.
We keep building more hospitals and can
cer centers to ensure everyone is going to
be sick Ior many generations to come so
the economy can survive. This is quite an
oxymoron, because iI everyone is medi
cated and sick, who is going to be working?
The pharmaceutical industry practically
owns the conventional medical proIession.
It helps Iund medical programs and lobbies
Congress to keep their interests protected
and others` interests squashed. So then,
naturally, we see doctors becoming trained
to be drug pushers. In this business model,
the patient never takes responsibility to heal
themselves with diet or liIestyle because
they are never taught how.
Promoting synthetic ways to care Ior
oneselI is continually portrayed on TV.
Many household products contain chemi
cals that ruin children`s nervous systems,
while conventional medicine just sits and
waits Ior those sick children to come in to
use their services later.
Many lobbying groups want you to
keep buying chemicals to clean your home,
scent up your air with toxic smells, and
eat Iake, processed, nutrient-devoid Iood
so you can keep adding on the pounds
and taking your medications Ior all your
dysIunctions like good little consumers
should.
The concept that we need to keep peo
ple dependent on surgery, pharmaceutical
drugs and junk Iood to perpetuate illness
makes us weak and very unhealthy as a
nation. It is an antiquated idea Ior such an
'advanced society to deIend and maintain.
Yes we need health care, but it shouldn`t be
based on people counting on us to become
sick. That is just sick!
Wake up people.
What about the brainwashing oI the
public into believing in sickness as a way
oI liIe? When I was a kid, I didn`t see con
tinual TV commercials about taking pills
Ior diseases I was supposed to grow into.
Today, the average 12-year-old has Iocused
on so many prescription drugs Ior this
problem and that that they begin to think
it`s normal to be on medication because
everyone is sick or going to be sick. Lies!
These constant messages through ra
dio, Internet, TV and other media are ruin
ing us as a nation. What have we become?
How sick will we become? This healthcare
model is not working.
How can we change this cycle? We can
start by recognizing the problem.
II we put our Iocus, money and time
into sustainability Ior our health by invest
ing in health Iood promotion, holistic heal
ing modalities and other ways to maintain
real health, maybe we could re-invent the
wheel and spend our money on something
that would actually be sustainable Ior U.S.
citizens Ior generations to come.
Late last month, I received
a parking citation Ior parking
in Lot #5. I had parked my ve
hicle along the entrance to Lot
#5, as I have seen numerous
cars parked there in the past.
Much to my dismay, I Iound a
ticket on my windshield when I
returned to my car. I called the
Washtenaw Court, as directed
by the ticket, and Iound the Iee
would be $50.
Immediately, I asked Ior
a hearing date, as I Ielt I was
unIairly ticketed. There are
no markings on the pavement
or the curb, and no signs indi
cating that parking along the
driveway was prohibited.
I returned the next day with
my camera and took several
photos clearly showing the lack
oI any indication that parking
along the driveway was prohib
ited. I took these photos to court
recently, showed the magistrate
my concern and told her that I
Ielt I was unIairly cited.
She did look at the photos,
but the oIfcer who cited me
could only say that parking
along the driveway was prohib
ited. I pointed out that the main
roadway leading up to Lot #5
had a number oI signs clearly
stating, 'Fire Lane, No Parking,
No Standing. All he would say
was, 'Parking in the driveway
was prohibited.
Needless to say, I had to
pay the $50. It would be nice iI
Washtenaw Community Col
lege would clearly post signs
along the entrance to Lot #5
and/or mark the pavement so
others would be aware.
Also, is it common Ior the
Washtenaw County`s SheriII
Department to patrol the park
ing lots looking Ior parking
oIIenders? It would seem their
time would be better spent pro
tecting the local citizens Irom
real criminals.
Thank you Ior your time.

Bill Neboyskey
Attendanceandparticipation:
TrusteeWilliamsgetsanF
Stopbeingsuchanutsack
Theproblemwithhealthcare:
Ourfutureisbeinghijacked
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
CORRECTIONS
In our April 11 issue, we
printed two photos oI Katie
Peavyhouse and Krista Strong
Ior Living with autism; acting`
OK. Strong`s last name was
misspelled as Stone.
In Planned Parenthood:
Where Congressional debate
meets Main Street, April 11,
Sinda Mills was described as
a single mother. This is incor
rect; Mills is a married mother
oI three.
April 11 also printed Com
ing to a college near you? Mug
gle Quidditch is sweeping` the
nation. The original title used
the word 'mogul instead oI
'muggle. We apologize Ior al
lowing people that aren`t very
well versed in magic edit magi
cal articles.
people to come out and see.
There needs to be a change.
'(Ray) lost his brother
frst; anybody that loses a
brother knows there`s some
thing in your heart. Someone
is shot and killed you wonder
why did this happen? he
said.
The flm was originally
just a WCC class assign
ment. Students were to pitch
an idea to the class, and ev
eryone would vote on an idea
to pursue.
Jesse`s was a hit but he
says he couldn`t do it without
the help oI his WCC instruc
tors and the entire Digital
Film Production program.
'The teachers that are
in the program are good at
setting the Ioundation, tell
ing you the basics, and set
ting you oII to do your own
thing, said Meria. 'The
diIIerent classes I`ve taken,
even iI it`s just a basic class,
they all add to your knowl
edge oI everything. You`re
able to build on your own
creativity.
The college submitted
fve flms to be considered
Ior the Emmy nomination,
and Meria`s is truly impres
sive.
'Everybody that sees it
says it`s incredible, said Me
ria. 'Most say they almost
cried or are about to cry.
'When he premiered it
in class Ior the frst time, ev
eryone`s jaw dropped, said
Zacharias. 'It`s such a dra
matic story and dark story.
The documentary also
won frst place Ior documen
taries in WCC`s annual flm
Iestival, and that`s when Me
ria knew he might actually
have something special on
hishands.
But he didn`t know how
special. In Iact, Meria wasn`t
even Iamiliar with the Em
mys.
'Matt Zacharias called
me at like 11:30 at night.
He said Congrats, I`ve just
Iound out you`ve been nomi
nated Ior an Emmy! said
Meria. 'I was like, What is
that? What are you talking
about?`
While the WCC program
has been nominated Ior three
straight years, the program
has yet to win the coveted
award.
This year, the compe
tition remains stiII. One
Michigan State student re
made Lady Gaga`s Iamous
music video 'Monster with
proIessional costumes and
makeup, while the other
MSU student shot a 30-min
ute documentary, which is
also serving as a Iour-year
thesis project.
Yet Meria remains conf
dent.
'I always think I`m going
to win, said a grinning Me
ria. 'But even iI I don`t win,
I`m still really happy to be
nominated.
EMMY FROM FRONT PAGE
Place of award: Second Place

Category: Editorial

Headline/title of entry: Attendance and Participation: Trustee Williams Gets an F

Contestants name: Quinn Davis

College name: Washtenaw Community College, Division I


Judges comments: Mr. Davis is clearly fearless in the face of power a necessary
component of the editorial writer. He is also knowledgeable about his subject, versed in
the facts to which he refers and competent to write a good argument. All student
newspapers need people like Mr. Davis on board. I applaud his and the staffs instinct to
keep elected officials feet to the fire.

After having read several pieces from the Washtenaw Voice, I was quite impressed with
the caliber of the staff and the abilities of its writers. Among them, there is the clear,
concise voice of the journalistic writer.

What kept this from being a first-place winner, however, was the tone of the piece.
Often, Mr. Davis veered too closely to sarcasm or a flip, conversational tone. I am
keenly aware of the intellectual and emotional fortitude it often takes to maintain a tone
of respect and calm for our elected officials, particularly when we find them abusing,
misusing or in your case, apparently not using their position. But the key is always
the same: Show, dont tell. The case was made by the preponderance of the evidence.
If something stronger is needed, choose more powerful words; never rely on a
smugness of moral superiority.