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Featuring the Morning Sun's community editorial board . . .

Thursday, September 30, 2010

ONE-TIME GRANT TO DIA

ArtServe Michigan (Mike Latvis, Detroit Institute of Art)
Statement on the Line Item for the Detroit Institute of Arts
If you are not already aware, on Tuesday the Detroit Institute of Arts received a line item appropriation of up to $10 million as a one-time grant supported by General Fund dollars from lapsed FY 2010 year-end funds. As we have come to understand, this action by administration officials and legislators fulfilled a prior state commitment to assist in supporting asbestos remediation expenses incurred by the DIA in its stewardship role for this government-owned building.

Founded in 1885, the Detroit Institute of Arts is one of Michigan's treasured cultural institutions, attracting thousands of visitors each year and contributing richly to the city, region and state. The funds granted will help the DIA recover a portion of those prior infrastructure costs -- moving the organization forward in its continued efforts to regain financial stability during one of this state's worst economic climates. No funds were allocated to support programs or operations.

We understand the efforts of the administration and legislature to satisfy this prior funding commitment for the Detroit Institute of Arts. However, we must also remind our leaders of the needs of the hundreds of arts, culture and arts education organizations of all sizes that contribute richly to our state and its communities.

ArtServe opposes legislative line items in principle. It is a process that negates the state-mandated, competitive, peer adjudication grant review process administered by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs. It is a process that eliminates the opportunity for a fair and equitable distribution of state resources to serve the public and its needs and interests.

Therefore, while we support increased funding for Michigan's arts and cultural organizations, ArtServe urges the present and incoming administration and legislature to carefully weigh the significant role of the creative sector as an economic driver and transformative force as it considers its responsibilities to invest in Michigan's arts and cultural institutions.

Arts, culture and arts education organizations contribute over 75,000 jobs and over 21,000 creative businesses to Michigan's economy. The Michigan Economic Development Corporation reported in 2008 that arts and cultural organizations furthered state cultural tourism and economic development goals by generating $1.8 billion in state tourism revenues and $1.5 billion in personal income through their employees. In an economy with a 13% unemployment rate, we should be working to retain and attract jobs in the creative sector just as we are in business and industry.

In spite of these economic benefits, the state's investment in the arts has been cut 90% since 2002, positioning Michigan as the 48th of 50 states in per capita funding for the arts. The Fiscal Year 2011 budget for the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs is just over $2.5 million. Of that amount, only $1.4 million is supported by the state's General Fund thanks to matching funds from the National Endowment for the Arts and other sources. The state's support for arts and cultural organizations is not comparable to the attention offered for business and industry in spite of the clear economic benefits.

ArtServe urges the state leadership to work with Michigan's arts and cultural leaders to develop sustainable strategies to restore funding for the arts, culture and arts education to appropriate levels.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

MORE SCHOOL DAYS FOR K-12

American schools are in trouble. The United States has slipped badly in math, science, and language use. One key factor is student exposure to school subjects. Here is where Michigan falls short.

Michigan public schools meet with students 36 contact weeks per year (Digest of Education Statistics). In a study of 36 countries, NationMaster.com ranks Indonesia and Jordan at the top with 44 weeks per year. The most frequently reported lengths are 40 and 38 weeks per year. The United States ties Egypt with 36. Only six have shorter school years, the lowest being Tunisia with 33 weeks.

President Obama has asked states to consider lengthening the school year to help students climb out of the deep valley of unpreparedness they are now in. Yes, how extra time would be filled is very important. Lengthening the year is only a step, but a necessary step to make our children able to compete on a global scale.

Contact Representative Dave Camp by phone, mail or email that you support lengthening the school year in an effective manner. No, not tomorrow; right now
while you are paying attention.

Monday, September 20, 2010

HIGH SCHOOL NOT ENOUGH


Now that the recession is now “officially over” parents should protect their children from future job uncertainties. This morning’s Wall Street Journal carried a front page article about unemployment rates for those with only a high school education and those with a college degree. For over twenty years the rate for high school workers has always been higher than that for those with a degree, as seen in the chart.

The rate difference continues to increase and will be so for the foreseeable future. The reason is clear. The majority of jobs lost are due to the many low paying manufacturing and service jobs that have been outsourced to countries with lower pay scales. These jobs are gone forever: consider the horse drawn carriage business when automobiles became popular.

New jobs require skills in mathematics, use of the computer, and the ability to make quick decisions. Companies are now hiring from state universities that produce young decision makers, and community colleges that graduate specialists in technical skills.

Insure that your children will find work when they become adults. Motivate them to study hard. Check their progress in every grade. Are they doing their homework? Are they taking some college level courses in high school? Talk to their teachers not as adversaries but as experts who can tell you what your children need to study. If you don’t care, who will?

Monday, September 13, 2010

WHY YOU THINK THAT WAY

The election fever is brewing here in Mt. P. and you are about to be bombarded with endless hype in print, on the internet, on radio and tv. How will you sort through all the data streams to winnow out information?

Well, the same way you think about other things. Each of us has a unique way of looking at the world. We are who we are because of two major forces: nature and nurture. Even identical twins are not together constantly, so while their nature may be close to identical their views may differ sharply because of the experiences each has had.

Nature occurs through our genes, and the way we developed within our mothers. Genes provide a general plan for how are arms and legs and eyes develop, whether we will be tall or short, how our muscles will be structured (giving some a great advantage at a sport or career), and how out brain will sprout (giving some a great advantage at solving Sudoku puzzles and having the curiousity to be creative). Poor, starving mothers will not provide as much nourishment as those who are well off. If a pregnant woman is exposed to hazards and accidents, this can affect the development of the fetus.

Unlike many animals, humans are not born with a complete repertoire of skills and cannot be self sufficient until many years have passed. Indeed, the frontal lobe of our brain does not become complete until we are twenty or twenty one years old. This is the part of the brain used in rational thought.

Our ability to learn skills and ideas, and communicate with others provides us with our understanding of the world. We can become good at a number of things; fixing a car, baking a cake, whistling a tune. We can change our minds as we find out new facts about a subject: there is no tooth fairy; I cannot fly by flapping my arms.

On the other hand we can become set in our ways, not open to data that conflicts with a deeply held conviction. This is very dangerous for us. We may continue doing things “the old way” when other action might be more successful (who put that new stop sign up?).

The best course of action is to question our beliefs occasionally to see that we are being realistic. Check out those candidates: which one will do a better job? Be fair. Be wise. Vote.

Monday, September 6, 2010

PUBLIC SCHOOL IMMUNIZATIONS

Public schools open tomorrow in Mt. Pleasant for 4,962 students. If our city follows the norm, only about 87% (plus or minus 5%) will have received their required inoculations for state-specified diseases. Michigan is only one of 17 states that do not mandate these shots. This suggests that about 645 students will not have them.

Consider a student who has had the shots and one who has not. The student with the shot for a particular disease still runs a small risk (5%) of catching it. The one without the shot may not get the disease. However the student with all his/her shots has only a minuscule chance of contracting a fatal case of a disease for which there has been immunization, while the other has fair chance of catching at least one of the diseases, and contaminating other students.

Don’t let your child face the possibility of catching, say, polio. In 1952 there were 58,000 cases in the United States. Salk vaccine was introduced in 1962, and cases by 1964 fell to only 121.

Michigan requires innoculations for diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis B, meningococcal, and varicella (chickenpox). Amount of dosage and number of shots varies with age. You can find your child’s immunization history at www.mcir.org or by contacting the regional Michigan Care Improvement Registry office. Contact your family doctor if you have questions about the efficacy of immunization."

Saturday, September 4, 2010

COULD CMU HELP PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN MOUNT PLEASANT?

A story in today’s Detroit Free Press told of Michigan State University helping schools in Detroit by offering what is called Aspiring Musicians Program. The program is provided to 5-8th graders where budget constraints deny them musical training.

“Such efforts are especially important today, when budget problems have muffled music programs in Detroit and other struggling school districts…. Music isn’t a frill. Few disciplines are more essential to a child’s intellectual development.” It is important in reading comprehension, memorization and comprehension.

This is also true in the Mount Pleasant school district. Central Michigan University, working with Art Reach offers a symphony concert for local 4th graders each spring. For many this is their first exposure to classical music. Each section of the orchestra demonstrates its sound. The conductor explains their role in making music. The session ends with the entire orchestra playing the piece demonstrated by the individual sections.

Perhaps Mount Pleasant Superintendent of Schools, Mr. Joseph Pius could work with CMU in providing instruction to grade school children who have an interest in learning about music or playing an instrument. There may be other areas in the public school curriculum where CMU may be able to offer assistance. It would really benefit such children.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

PUT OUT THE TRASH

Every day people throw out an average of 4.3 pounds of trash.From the Mt. Pleasant Community Page there are 25,946 people who live in the city and there are 19,000 students at CMU for about nine months per year. This becomes 40,200 full-time residents, each throwing out 30,790 tons per year!

About 25% of discarded waste is recycled. This represents about 7,700 tons per year leaving 23,000 tons for land fill.

Land fill is forever. Heavy metals find their way to the aquifer, our precious supply of potable water. Chemical reactions cause gases that escape to the atmosphere. The materials there are depleting raw materials.

If you and everyone in town could increase recycling to a third of your trash, recycled tonnage increases to over 10,000 tons and land fill decreases to 20,500 tons per year!

Mt. Pleasant will conduct “Trade Your Treasures” on September 11 and 12. Items placed at curbside will be listed on the City website and cable television. Call in your list of items at 779-5401. Others seeing the list can pick them up. You must remove untaken items on September 13.

Large item pick up (no more than 50 pounds per item) will occur on September 17. Tags for these items can be purchased for $10/item for items without Freon and $35 for items containing Freon. You can buy tags at the Division of Public Works 1303 N. Franklin, or at City Hall, 320 W. Broadway. Fees must be paid by 4:30 pm on September 17. Pick up the brochure Residential Large Item Collection Program for complete instructions.