Losing a landslide victory at MSU; Grand River recovery

Michigan State University means many things to its faculty, staff, students and community. Academic excellence, football Saturdays, strolls along the Red Cedar, memorable nights at Wharton Center shows, the Izzone.

But what about teaching lessons in democracy?

A chance for the university administration to demonstrate its commitment to the principles of vibrant democracy is at hand. In March, students organized a referendum on a proposed $5-per-semester tax to pay for renewable energy on campus. Led by the green group ECO and supported by the student government organization, ASMSU, the referendum was expected to set the mark for campus green energy in Michigan. It would have raised over $300,000 per year to buy methane power generated by animal waste and to create solar or wind power demonstration facilities on campus.

But something happened on the way to a free and fair election. Pointing to a technicality in the MSU student handbook, a university administrator ruled that the proposed levy was a new tax, rather than an add-on to the existing ASMSU fee. That meant that a majority of all students, not just those voting, would have to approve the fee before it took effect. The difference? About 14,000 more votes would have been required to pass the tax.

For weeks, ECO members didn’t know what the result of the March 19 referendum had been. An appeal to a university board of the “new tax” ruling stayed the release of the results. The board turned down the appeal, and now the results can be shared with the world:

Pro-Tax: 3,765
Anti-Tax: 985

In other words, ECO’s idea prevailed by a margin of 79 percent to 21 percent -- and thanks to a university interpretation, the group still lost the election.

The turnout was extraordinarily high for such an election, more than tripling the turnout at the last comparable balloting. That shows a high degree of student interest in paying for clean energy.

A group of local environmental advocates has written MSU Interim President Lou Anna Simon, pointing out, “MSU has a responsibility to demonstrate a respect for democratic processes. Students initiated this fee, campaigned for it, and approved it by a lopsided margin, yet the university refuses to recognize its validity. This sends an unfortunate message to the young people who attend MSU.”

Here’s one vote for a reprieve from the interim president. MSU can do a lot to teach young people about the power of the ballot by saying “yes” to the will of the students who voted, and to ECO and ASMSU.

A missing issue in city election
What begins outside Lansing’s city limits, slips through them almost unnoticed, twists its way through the center of the city, and sneaks out without saying goodbye? The Grand River, of course.

If you’ve paid attention to Lansing city elections for the last several generations, you wouldn’t know that the river is not only the reason Lansing’s here in the first place, but also a central part of any hope for its future. That’s particularly ironic in light of the fact that the city seal contains a snaking river.

The city that began with a few mills close to what is now Old Town, designed to harness the power of the Grand, then turned its back on the waterway and made it an outhouse for a century. But Lansing has begun recovering its river heritage in the last 20 years. The construction of the River Trail has gone a long way toward putting people back on the banks of the Grand, and toward giving them an appreciation of the river’s place in civic life.

But it doesn’t make the river a political issue, and that’s too bad. The next mayor and city council can do a lot to put the river at the center of the city’s sometimes-floundering renaissance. Here are a few ideas:

• Appoint a River Keeper. Citizens’ organizations across the United States have created River Keeper positions to monitor the health of local streams and to police and quickly curb illegal pollution. Going beyond what cash-strapped state environmental agencies can or will do, River Keepers are the public’s eyes, ears, and deputies to protect stream health and educate the community on keeping streams clean. Lansing’s next mayor should be able to find private funding to create a River Keeper post.
• Create a River Corps. Lansing has the perfect environmental education facility – the River. General Motors and other private sponsors have provided healthy amounts of funding for stream monitoring by local high schools, but the city and Lansing School District should formalize and expand this work. Every Lansing high school student should get out in the river several times during her or his school career, and adults should be able to join as well. Learning about the environment is the first step toward a lifelong commitment to caring for it.
• Create a 20-Year River Plan. How can Lansing capitalize on the river as an attraction and a source of urban recovery? Can it further enhance the River Trail and attract river-oriented recreational businesses? Can it create a River District where people can sip coffee or cocktails, browse through shops, and enjoy the ambience of the River? Nobody is asking these questions, but somebody in power should be.

Boston has its harbor, Chicago has its lake, and San Francisco has its Golden Gate. “All” Lansing has its river – and it gets no respect. Let’s hope the next mayor and City Council give it some.

(Dave Dempsey is the policy adviser for the Michigan Environmental Council, a coalition of environmental organizations. His column appears biweekly. If you wish to comment, please see the letters policy)

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