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RESEARCH
Study says girls’ diets may impact period start Research indicates red meat, fish impacts time of menstruation
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Pro-life advocate Scott Klusendorf speaks about abortion at the Rackham amphitheater on Wednesday.
Advocate explores pro-life arguments outside of faith Daily Staff Reporter
Scott Klusendorf, founder and president of the Life Training Institute, spoke in defense of
two: abortion intentionally kills an innocent human being. Conclusion: therefore, abortion is wrong.” Students for Life Vice President Rachel Crawford, an LSA junior, said she thinks it is important for University of Michigan students to be open to the pro-life discussion. “I think it’s important for any academic space to be able to allow speakers from unpopular See KLUSENDORF, Page 2A
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LSA SG votes to hold day for mental health Governing body passes multiple resolutions on student well-being By RHEA CHEETI For the Daily
At their Wednesday meeting, representatives of the LSA Student Government passed several resolutions focusing on the mental well-being and inclusivity of University of Michigan students. The first resolution, sponsored by LSA sophomores Nicholas Fadanelli and Nicholas Meier, aimed to enact the first University Mental Health Day. According to the resolution, UM mental health resources such as Counseling and Psychological Services have experienced a 20 percent increase in demand, and the University’s student body
experiences higher levels of depression and anxiety than the national average. To combat this, the resolution, which passed unanimously, authorized LSA SG to partner with a variety of student organizations and campus resources such as Wolverine Support Network, Active Minds, the Sexual Assault Prevention Awareness Center (SAPAC) to host a day centered around mental health awareness on campus. Speaking in favor of the resolution, Meier said promoting mental health this way has had a positive response at other universities “The concept has been implemented in other colleges like Michigan State University, and has proved to have been very successful,” Meier said. LSA sophomore Uriel Lee also emphasized the importance of making CAPS’ current services more well known. “We need to advocate the See LSA, Page 3A
Innovative crisis line to provide data for research Service pioneers texting as response to individuals facing bullying, depression By ALEXA ST. JOHN CSG presidential candidates Thomas Hishop, a Ford junior, David Schafer, a LSA junior and Keysha Wall, a LSA senior, discuss differences in party platforms at the CSG presidential debate in South Hall Wednesday.
In debate, CSG parties focus on access to campus resources Candidates highlight differences in platforms, rhetoric By NISA KHAN For the Daily
At a debate hosted Wednesday evening by Central Student Government, representatives
from parties Your Michigan, Defend Affirmative Action Party and newMich spoke about the importance of mental health awareness and resources, the rights of undocumented students and the prevalence of Greek life on campus. The event is the second during this CSG election cycle, following a debate hosted by The Michigan Daily last week. Moderated by Aaron Kall,
University of Michigan director of debate, the debate was split between the presidential candidates debating for the first hour and the vice presidents debating for the second. In his opening remarks, Your Michigan presidential candidate Thomas Hislop, a Public Policy junior, called for a moment of silence for the University student found dead earlier this week. See DEBATE, Page 3A
Crisis Text Line, the first free 24-hour text support system for people in crises which utilizes in part the University of Michigan’s privacy and security policies, was made available as a resource for researchers on February 16, with the potential to broaden understanding of mental illness in youth. Researchers interested in using the service’s data must apply for access. Along with the University’s policies, the Crisis Text Line data set also uses policies established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Institutes of Health. Launched in 2013 by CEO Nancy Lublin, Crisis Text Line is a service for those experiencing personal crises such as depression, suicidal See CRISIS, Page 3A
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of his argument, he addressed five specific questions regarding the nature of moral reasoning, the unborn, the definition of abortion, the question of what makes humans valuable and two opposition approaches that he then countered. To start, he stressed what he called his syllogism against abortion. “Premise one: it is wrong to intentionally kill an innocent human being,” he said. “Premise
Though a young girl might not expect it at the time, her prepubescent dietary habits can have major effects on when she hits puberty. According to University of Michigan research released last week, girls who eat red meat more often start menstruation about five months earlier than girls of the same age who consume less red meat. The study also showed that eating fatty fish more often, however, has the opposite effect and may delay a girl’s menarche, or first period, by a few months. “Animal protein is important for child growth and development,” wrote senior study author Eduardo
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pro-life beliefs and activism Wednesday evening at an event organized by Students for Life. Established in 2004, the Life Training Institute is a pro-life organization that advocates against the legalization of abortion and trains anti-abortion activists. Klusendorf gave what he defined as a scientific and philosophical argument against abortion, emphasizing that it was not reliant on religion. As part
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Villamor, professor of environmental health sciences and epidemiology, in an e-mail interview. “However, it is possible that some sources of animal protein may be healthier than others.” The study, which focused on the diets of 456 pre-pubescent girls in Bogota, Colombia, was led by Public Health student Erica Jansen. The girls participated in a six-year longitudinal study as part of the Bogota School Children Cohort. Jansen wrote in an e-mail interview she and Villamor focused on this region of the world due to its unique dietary factors. “Colombia is currently undergoing a nutrition transition, where consumption of red meat may be increasing,” Jansen wrote. The researchers, after asking when the girls had their first period, found that those who reported consuming meat two or more times a day began their periods, on average, at the age of 12 years and three months. See MEAT, Page 3A
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‘U’ graduate programs continue to get high rankings U.S. News released their annual list of graduate program rankings Wednesday, placing the University of Michigan in the top 15 for all 6 categories. Especially significant thiws year is the University’s Law School ranking, which jumped from eleventh to eighth nationally. The list includes business, education, engineering, law, medicine and nursing programs. Jeff Thomas, Kaplan Test Prep’s executive director of pre-law programs, said he thinks the Law School’s ranking is particularly exciting. “The University of Michigan Law School
jumped three spots in the U.S. News & World Report rankings, which is both notable and impressive because it’s a list where the order remains relatively static. It remains one of the most competitive JD programs in the country,” Thomas said. The College of Engineering was ranked sixth nationally. The Medical School was ranked 11th for research and fourth for primary care. The Ross School of Business and the School of Education both made the list at number 12, and the School of Nursing was ranked seventh. Additionally, the Ford School of Public Policy,
which is ranked every 3 years, also made number 8 on this list. “U-M officials note that rankings are just one measure of a university,” a University press release said. “What matters most in choosing a school is the match between the particular interests, abilities and ambitions of each student with the specific programs, approaches and opportunities offered by a particular school.”
Study Abroad
WHAT: Jay Pryor, a transformational leader who helps people seek their destinies, will speak about his experiences as a transgender man and advise the audience about how to achieve goals. WHO: Jay Pryor WHEN: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. WHERE: Palmer Commons - Great Lakes Room
WHAT: Attend an info table and talk with representatives and alumni from the Center for Global and Intercultural Study (CGIS) about studying abroad. WHO: CGIS and University Library WHEN: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. WHERE: Shapiro Undergraduate Library - Bert’s Study Lounge
WAKE UP Seminar
WHAT: Rock/folk trio Old Friends will play Irish-inspired music to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and popular rocks from the ‘50s through the ’90s. WHO: Old Friends WHEN: 12:10 p.m. to 1 p.m. WHERE: University Hospitals - Main Lobby
WHAT: A panel of recent University graduates will discuss success, challenges and personal experiences after graduation. WHO: Office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives (OAMI) WHEN: 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. WHERE: Student Activities Building - 3009
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LSA freshman Alec Speller participates in Hail Yeah!, organized by the Alumni Center’s to thank donors who gave $50 or less, on the Diag Wednesday.
THREE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW TODAY
Connecting the Dots
Museum Studies
WHAT: Listen to Dan Fagin, Pulitzer Prizewinning journalist who focuses on environmental science, speak about his experiences as a journalist. WHO: Dan Fagin WHEN: 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. WHERE: Public Health Building - Lane Auditorium
WHAT: A presentation discussing the challenges faced by Botanical Gardens, Huntington Library and Art Collections in reaching their respective audiences. WHO: Museum Studies Program WHEN: 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. WHERE: Museum of Art
WHAT: Ernst Karel will present his collaborative project called “Ah Humanity!,” which was made in collaboration with Verena Paravel and Lucien CastaingTaylor. This is a video and audio installation exploring the fragility and folly of humanity. WHO: Ernst Karel WHEN:3 p.m. to 5 p.m. WHERE: 306 State Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
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Making Teamwork Work WHAT: Learn how to effectively work in groups to solve problems and increase learning. WHO: CRLT-Engin WHEN: 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. WHERE: Lurie Robert H. Engin. Ctr. - Johnson Rooms
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North Korea has sentenced University of Virginia student Otto Frederick Warmbier to 15 years hard labor for crimes against the state, according to CNN. He was charged with trying to steal a political slogan banner from his hotel in the capital. city.
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President Barack Obama has decided not to open the southeast Atlantic coast to drilling, according to The New York Times. This shift of plans was due to an outpouring of opposition in more than 100 coastal communities.
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Detroit SOUP event aims to highlight charities in the city Event part of second annual week on campus celebrating the city By RACHEL COHEN Daily Staff Reporter
The Detroit Partnership’s “The SOUP” event brought students together Wednesday to learn about Detroit-based charities through a collaborative environment and a soup dinner. The event, part of the University of Michigan’s second annual Detroit Week, was modeled off of the Detroit SOUP, a microgranting dinner that sponsors Detroit-based projects and aims to foster a sense of community for its attendees. The Detroit Partnership had Sudoku Syndication hosted SOUP events for several years before Detroit Week started, and organizers said they were
asked to come together with several other student organizations, including Semester in Detroit and the Black Student Union, to help initiate Detroit Week and continue the event this year. Public Policy senior Blair Sucher, part of the recruitment staff of Semester in Detroit and one of the main organizers of Detroit Week for the past two years, told the audience the event was about broadening the narrow views in which many people see the city. “Detroit Week is really about branching out from the norms of how we see Detroit...there are a lot of narratives that are talked about when you talk about Detroit,” she said. “The point of Detroit Week is really to broaden that view and see it from a different light.” To participate in SOUP events, attendees pay a sum of money — in this case, $5 — which buys them dinner and a chance to vote on which charity idea they would like to see come to life. The money
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raised from the event goes directly to the winning project. While most SOUP events end in a vote, due to last minute cancellations from two of the presenting groups, The Children of Detroit was the only charity to present and received the event earnings of $200. The Children of Detroit is a nonprofit tutoring program started by Olivia McKinney and Courtney Blackett, Clarkston Junior High School freshmen. McKinney and Blackett said they and a few other tutors plan to travel to Schulze Academy for Technology and the Arts in Detroit to help the students grow and learn. AVA RANDA /Daily While they noted that they Olivia McKinney and Courtney Blackett, freshman at Clarkston Junior High school, present their non-profit tutoring are starting small, they said program, Children of Detroit, during the Detroit Partnership’s SOUP at Trotter Multicultural Center on Thursday. their overall aim is to grow their organization to help students at the next generation, (people’s together to celebrate something LSA junior Amalia Gomezvarious Detroit public schools and views) will improve slowly,” we’re interested in within Detroit Rexrode said she attended because McKinney said. context,” Folster said. she volunteers at the Detroit give them a fair chance at success. http://sudokusyndication.com/sudoku/generator/print/ McKinney and Blackett said Many of the students who LSA senior Imran Hakim Hispanic Development Center, the idea for the nonprofit stemmed attended the event were students Mohamedsha, the Detroit adding that her experience as an from encouragement in their involved in the Detroit Partnership. Partnership’s education director, out-of-state student spending time language arts class to create LSA senior Shannon Folster, who said he hopes attendees leave the in Detroit has been meaningful. “I thought it was a wonderful activist campaigns, and their serves on the Education Team event feeling inspired. passion for Detroit. within the Detroit Partnership, “If a freshman in high school event, definitely very casual, really McKinney said she hoped by said she thought SOUP fit into could do something like a peer conducive to good conversation improving Detroit’s education Detroit Week because it was a way tutoring project, obviously as and it was awesome to hear from system, it would improve of getting the campus together college students we have more these freshmen who were just so perceptions of the city as a whole. to support programs benefitting resources and experience so I hope innovative and really want to make that we all feel a bit challenged to a difference so that was incredibly “I think that by helping kids in Detroit. the school system and by helping “It’s a cool way to get people do a bit more,” he said. inspiring,” Gomez-Rexrode said.
KLUSENDORF From Page 1A opinions so that we can listen to those who disagree, because when we listen to those who disagree we discover the truth more,” she said. “I also think that we as a society are kind of moving towards a place where we feel that the question of abortion has been answered, but I think that there is a conversation that still needs to be had.” Students for Life member Emily Stumpo, an LSA freshman, said she felt the pro-life argument should be heard, noting that she liked how Klusendorf took a philosophical approach.
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“I am personally pro-life, so I really appreciate the fact that the University allowed this to happen,” she said. “A lot of the time, in pro-life work, you get shut down really early on, so I really appreciate that. I really liked the balanced way his discussion went. It wasn’t religious, which is a large turnoff for a lot of people.” Stumpo added she felt what she called a value for human life was an integral part of the lecture. “I just enjoyed his passion for human life,” she said. “That’s something that I aspire to, as a psychologist. Life and the potential for people to have a productive life is something that we as people who have productive lives take for granted, and we don’t
realize that we contribute to those lives that aren’t productive. I really appreciate people who do Scott’s work so that human life really gets the integrity and human life that it deserves.“ In an interview after the presentation, Klusendorf said he hopes to spark a new conversation. “My goal is — if they’re prochoice — is to give them something they’ll think about,” he said. “That’s it. I don’t think we want to say people will not change their minds. I’m open to having my mind changed. I could be wrong. And then the way I keep an open mind is to listen to arguments from the other side. My goal was to give pro-choice students something to think about. My goal for the pro-
life students was to equip them to give an intelligent but gracious defense for the pro-life view.” Klusendorf added that he thought it was important for different viewpoints to exist in a university setting. “I think one of the most damaging things to a good education is political correctness that censors viewpoints and deems them to be unsafe or intolerant or somehow dangerous to the life of the community,” he said. “We ought to have a commitment to pursue the truth and follow the evidence wherever it leads and not close off certain things as offbounds because we don’t want to offend somebody.”
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Five new members selected for Michigan Society of Fellows Five new members have been selected by the Michigan Society of Fellows to serve three-year appointments as postdoctoral scholars and assistant professors. The fellows will teach courses related to their departments and continue working on their research beginning next semester. The new fellows include Aniket Aga from the School of Natural Resources and the Environment, Tierra Bills from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Kevin Ko from the Department of History. Zhiying Ma from the Department of Anthropology and Kelli Wood from the Department of the History of Art were also selected as fellows. The fellows are focusing on projects spanning from transportation systems to agriculture in different countries and mental health reform in China. Founded in 1970, the Michigan Society of Fellows has received grants from the Ford Foundation and Horace H. and Mary Rackham funds to provide financial support for those selected as fellows so they are able to continue their interdisciplinary work. Multiple fellows elected in previous years will continue their work as members of the Society of Fellows and include students from multiple disciplines at the University.
Schlissel speaks at University Congressional Breakfast University President Mark Schlissel went to Washington, D.C. on Wednesday to discuss his plans for academic excellence, diversity and making a public impact in research and education at the annual University of Michigan Congressional Breakfast. Schlissel also discussed the importance of the University Flint campus, especially with regard to the water crisis, according to the University press release. More than 300 people were present at the event. University alum Rep. Tom Price (R–Georgia) was the keynote speaker of the breakfast and spoke to the audience about how attending the University for both his bachelor’s and medical degrees changed his life and led to his successful career.
Airplane technology to be modeled after wings of birds After receiving a $6 million grant from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, an international team of researchers will create a high-tech bird model from which to later create airplane wing technology. The researchers, including those from the University aerospace engineering program and collaborators from around the country, Canada and the UK, will produce an analysis of bird flight and later apply this technology to aircrafts. The technology is meant to make planes faster and lighter than aircrafts currently in use. David Lentink, a professor at Stanford, decided to develop a system that would not harm small birds, and instead, would measure air pressure disturbances surrounding the bird. The system will allow the researchers to use their findings with the maneuverability and agility of a bird and apply it to materials that could alter an airplane wing’s shape to respond to environmental factors while in flight, according to the University press release. Engineers will focus on a variety of ways to morph wings for aircrafts and program computer controls to mimic neurons in a bird’s brain that instinctively collects airflow and pressure data.
—ALEXA ST. JOHN
Thursday, March 17, 2016 — 3A
MEAT From Page 1A Those who ate red meat less than four times a week began their periods, on average, at the age of 12 years and eight months. For fish, on the other hand, girls who consumed tuna or sardines at least once a week during their middle childhood years experienced menarche later than girls who consumed these fatty fish less than once a month. Jansen noted that it cannot be said for sure whether environmental factors, such as higher availability of red meat in Bogota also contributed to the results. She noted that there also are no correlations between their findings and a generally earlier onset of puberty in Colombia compared to other countries. However, this five month difference in age of first period ultimately has indications for both physical and behavioral health later in life, Jansen wrote. “Earlier menarche has been related to higher risk of breast cancer in addition to other adverse health outcomes including obesity, type 2 diabetes, and all-cause mortality,” she wrote. “In the short term, an earlier age at menarche has been associated with earlier sexual debut, teen pregnancy, and abuse of alcohol and tobacco.” Those physical health outcomes could be related to a number of factors, she added. “We cannot say for sure what could explain the association, but it could be related to macroor micronutrients present in red meat, substances fed to cattle, or components related to preservation or preparation of these meat sources,” Jansen wrote. Sarah Ball, assistant dietetic internship director in the Department of Nutritional Sciences, echoed Jansen’s statement and said the way the cattle is raised can make a big difference in what humans end up consuming. “At least in this country there’s a big difference between, or could potentially be a big difference between, your small ranching, grass-fed cattle and the meat we consume from that compared to your big, large industry-based grain-fed cattle production,” Ball said. Ball said other factors besides red meat intake, such as body mass index, could also contribute to the time of puberty onset of young women. BMI can increase based on higher consumption rates of sugar-sweetened beverages and lower consumption rates of fruits and vegetables. Ultimately, because this is only an observational study, earlier menarche cannot solely be attributed to higher red meat intake, Jansen wrote. Researchers suggested prepubescent girls should not necessarily limit their red meat intake to avoid menarche, but rather should consume red meat in moderation. “We cannot conclude for sure that red meat intake causes early puberty from this study,” Villamor wrote. “Excessive red meat intake is probably not a good idea in general. It does not need to be completely abolished from the diet, but it can be eaten sparsely and replaced with other sources of animal protein, for example, fish.” Though recommended diets change based on demographics and geographics, the general recommendation for the best diet for people living in the United States, including children in middle childhood years, is a varied diet as found in the Current Dietary Guidelines for Americans, according to Ball. “It’s a (dietary) pattern that includes a variety of fruits and vegetables, whole fruits instead of juice, vegetables from a variety of different groups and different colors, whole grains, low-fat dairy and a variety of protein foods,” she said.”Really focusing on seafood and those lean meats — poultry, eggs, beans, nuts and seeds — and then healthy oils, with a limit on sugar-sweetened beverages and more processed products.”
Grant Hardy/Dailly Gary Krenz, executive director of the University Bicentennial, speaks about his plans for the upcoming celebration as the guest speaker at the LSA Student Governement meeting in Mason Hall Wednesday.
LSA From Page 1A resources CAPS currently has, because most of them f ly under the radar,” Lee said. “We can only fund so many new programs, and we need to put up our resources at the forefront.” The representatives also passed resolutions requesting
CRISIS From Page 1A ideation, coming out as gay, bullying and sexual or physical abuse, according to the comapny’s Chief Data Scientist Bob Filbin. Depression, a common mental health issue, affects nearly 14.8 million American adults, according to the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance. Among youth, untreated depression is the number one risk for suicide. When someone texts theCrisis Text Line, they immediately receive an automated message asking about the type of crisis they are experiencing. Within a few minutes, a live and trained crisis counselor will begin responding to the texts to help the texter with their crisis. The Crisis Text Line has not yet begun working with any researchers, as the first round of applications opened February 16 and will close April 1. Following the close of the application, those at the Crisis Text Line will spend two months reviewing the project applications, and will release the data on June 1 to the first cohort of researchers. Filbin said the company’s data is crucial in promoting and encouraging research on personal crises because as the first of its kind, it’s able to reach a new group of individuals seeking help. To date, the Crisis Text Line has exchanged 14.5 million text
DEBATE From Page 1A A CSG resolution that aimed to support undocumented students by advocating for the extension of in-state tuition to undocumented students was an early topic of contention. LSA senior Keysha Wall, the Defend Affirmative Action Party presidential candidate, criticizing both Your Michigan and newMich for their response to it. In her opening remarks, Wall challenged her opponents to take a stronger stance on on the resolution, citing Your Michigan’s presidential candidates’ decision to vote against the resolution. newMICH presidential candidate David Schafer, an LSA junior, agreed with Wall, charging that Hislop interrupted two women of color while debating the resolution. In response, Hislop said he supported the spirit of the resolution, but the content of it wasn’t well planned. He also said the two women involved in the conversation agreed with him and emphasized that he supported the message behind
that LSA officially recognizes the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and the creation of a “Before I Die” wall for students to post their bucket list items in Angell Hall. In addition, a resolution advocating the implementation of a “Let’s Talk” CAPS on North Campus was proposed. LSA sophomore Joey
Hansel said one of CAPS’ focuses in the coming years should be on students in more isolated parts of campus. “We need to help facilitate the conversation,” Hansel said. “It’s a sad truth, but CAPS is underfunded, and, as the LSA Student Government, we should focus on funding CAPS and helping these students.” Meier, another sponsor of the resolution, said no
matter where students live on campus, they should be afforded the same access to mental health resources. “People should not be prevented from having access to the same resources as other students just because of where they were randomly assigned to live,” he said. “We need to get something there now, so they can get the help they need now. Not in a month or five years, but now.”
messages between texters and crisis counselors, making it the largest data set on crisis in the United States, Filbin said. The count increases by roughly one million messages per month. LSA sophomore Mary O’Brien, president of the University’s chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness — an organization which focuses on mental health advocacy on campus — said she thought services like these are an important resources because of the atmosphere surrounding mental illness. “Especially in the competitive culture at U of M, many students don’t seek help because it’s easy to mistake symptoms of a mental illness for normal academic stress,” O’Brien said. “Without seeking help, the stress can snowball and make the problem worse. Crisis text lines, I think, are particularly effective because a lot of students name preferring to deal with their issues on their own and not having time as two major reasons for why they do not seek help. I think crisis text lines address both of these problems.” O’Brien said she believes, especially in a technological age, crisis text lines are the best way for people in need to receive immediate help. “Technology is becoming an increasingly important tool for reaching people in crisis,” O’Brien said. “Crisis text lines specifically succeed in reaching people who might not otherwise seek help for
mental illness.” “We think that this data, when shared with researchers that have been starved for access to this kind of data, is really going to allow the crisis space to increase its effectiveness as a whole in supporting people in crisis,” Filbin said. The process behind allowing researchers to access the data, according to Filbin, includes an online application requiring approval from a college’s Institutional Review Board, as well as approval from the Crisis Text Line Data Ethics Committee. Filbin said any research project that is accepted to use the data set has to reach four benchmarks: ethics, privacy, security and value. Those who text the Crisis Text Line often expect to get help while simultaneously remaining anonymous. Because of this, Filbin said the service provides an electronic privacy policy at the start of each conversation and will assure anonymity when releasing the data for further research. “It’s an anonymous service, so when you text in we don’t require that you provide any demographic information or name,” Filbin said. “Our rule is, we only ask for information when it’s valuable to the texter.” In extreme cases, however, Filbin said a texter’s address is requested to direct emergency services to their location. The Crisis Text Line also operates through an enclave
data system, meaning all of the data stays within their system. Researchers accepted to utilize the data will log in through a network through a secure data enclave. As an additional precaution, the service “scrubs” the conversations of any personally identifiable information that was shared by the texter prior to the data’s release to researchers. So far, more than 100 research teams have expressed interest in gaining access to the data, and applications have exemplified a wide range of projects, Filbin said. For example, researchers from the United States Department of Transportation are interested in looking at how the data might be applicable in reducing railroad suicide. A team at the Kempe Center of the Children’s Hospital in Colorado is focusing on revealing better ways of identifying cases of child abuse, and researchers at the University of Utah are interested in the relationship between altitude and suicidal ideation. Filbin said he looks forward to improving the quality of the Crisis Text Line service on an internal level, as well as improving the quality of crisis counseling nationwide through each research expert who gains access to the data. “I think it’s definitely a unique data set that has a lot of potential to really make a difference for people in crisis,” Filbin said.
the resolution. Beyond the resolution, candidates also sought to show how they were different as a party on a number of other fronts. In speaking to their platform during the presidential debate, Your Michigan heavily emphasized the tangibility of their goals and their interest in working with the University administration closely, criticizing what they called newMICH’s strategy of “demands.” In Schafer responded to those criticisms by calling Hislop’s emphasis on working with the administration rather than demanding changes an example of privilege, saying that minorities had a right to demand modifications to current policies. The theme of showing difference continued in the vice presidential debate, most notably when candidates were asked if they considered the University to be “great,” referring to the slogan of GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump, “Make America Great Again.” newMICH vice-presidential candidate Micah Griggs, an LSA junior, charged that
Your Michigan had referred incorrectly to Black students in their platform. “When first addressing Black students, they first called them intercity, then they called them urban and then finally called them underrepresented,” Griggs said. She added that she thought Your Michigan’s platform was full of “condescending language,” calling it similar to an attitude she said the University presents that keeps many Black students from attending. In response, Your Michigan vice-presidential candidate Cam Dotson, an LSA junior, defended his use of using “intercity” and “urban” as correct language he learned from his sociology classes. The debate also touched on the presence of Greek life — which several candidates belong to — on campus. Hislop referenced his leadership position in Greek life, saying he accepted it because he wanted to bring about change. He said he hopes to see safer measures for students, such as earlier dining hall hours and safer tailgates. Wall said she believed that
Greek life supports women in their time in college and provides sisterhood, but also said that the University needs to address sexual assault and rape on campus. Wall and Okorom both put heavy emphasis on the expulsion and outing of rapists on campus throughout the debate, stating the University had a history of covering up incidents. After the debate, current CSG President Cooper Charlton, an LSA senior, said he believed that DAAP’s closing speech was most passionate. During the remarks, Wall stated that CSG had previously let students be oppressed, citing DAAP’s experiences with protesting on campus. “I was very moved by the passion, and that was something I really resonated with as a leader,” Charlton said. He noted that the issues being discussed this year include an underlying distrust for CSG. “I definitely think CSG has a lack of trust from student body right now,” Charlton said. “It’s something we’ve tried to fight this year, and unfortunately I don’t think we completed our goal.”
Opinion
4A — Thursday, March 17, 2016
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@michigandaily.com SHOHAM GEVA EDITOR IN CHIEF
CLAIRE BRYAN AND REGAN DETWILER EDITORIAL PAGE EDITORS
LAURA SCHINAGLE MANAGING EDITOR
Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily’s editorial board. All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.
FROM THE DAILY
Much needed change to MIP law The Michigan House must support fairer punishments
O
n March 3, the Michigan Senate passed a bill that would reduce the consequences of a minor in possession charge. If approved by the state House, the bill would make an MIP a civil infraction for the first offense, becoming a misdemeanor only in subsequent offenses, meaning a first offense would not go on the offender’s record. Fines would also be lighter for MIP offenses under the new law. While further evaluation of the laws regulating the drinking age itself, as well as the implementation of such laws may be warranted on both the state and national level, this new state law concerning consequences is a much needed change. The new law can potentially serve to lessen the disproportionate impact of MIP laws on underprivileged minority groups and will help create a safer climate around drinking. The penalties for receiving MIPs under the current law are too harsh. As it stands, anyone under the legal drinking age of 21 found in possession of or attempting to buy alcohol can be charged with a misdemeanor, and can receive up to a $100 fine with probation. A second violation includes up to a $200 dollar fine and possible jail time of up to 30 days if the party violates probation. A third violation may have consequences of a fine up to $500 and possible imprisonment of no more than 60 days if the charged party violates probation. Lessening the severity of overall punishment along with reducing fines for MIPs can lessen the disproportionate effect laws like this have on underprivileged minorities. Minorities are more likely to have lower socioeconomic status, which puts them at a disadvantage in the legal system. While students with access to financial resources may easily pay any fines incurred and hire lawyers who will help them avoid jail time, those with lower socioeconomic status face a more significant financial burden to cover the cost of fines, and they may be unable to hire lawyers all together. By changing the first offense from a misdemeanor to a civil infraction, the new law also lessens the long-term impact of a first-offense MIP on citizens. Having a misdemeanor on one’s record after just a first offense can have consequences that reach far into the offender’s future beyond fines and jail time. Law enforcement already acknowledges that underage drinking occurs, as evidenced by the state of Michigan’s medical amnesty law. To promote safe and responsible practices, the law exempts those who voluntarily present themselves or their friend to law enforcement from receiving an MIP because they demonstrate an alcohol-induced “legitimate health care concern.” This new law for MIPs follows in the trend of the medical amnesty law because it seeks to create a less punishmentheavy approach toward underage drinking.
This kind of law-enforcement mentality can serve to make campus climates safer on college campuses across the state (Just as the medical amnesty law works toward this goal, a more affordable fine and lighter consequences from a first violation could make students less concerned about trying to hide their activity.) The medical amnesty law recognizes that when students are less likely to hide underage drinking, they are more likely to seek help when something goes wrong. This new MIP law could serve a similar purpose. And while some may argue a disadvantage of this law is that the police may be more willing to write the first citation, this willingness could actually be an advantage, serving as a justifiable warning to offenders who violate the law. Since the first violation does not result in a misdemeanor and therefore does not appear on one’s record, a first offense as a warning wouldn’t be detrimental to the offender’s future. Additionally, law-enforcement officers who feel more comfortable issuing citations may be less likely to issue them subjectively. A police force that is less likely to cherry pick who gets cited is more likely to garner respect from citizens. As well, studies have shown legal punishments are not necessarily the determining factor in one’s decision to commit a crime. Therefore, a more severe law like the one that currently stands doesn’t necessarily curb underage drinking. Further, a weaker law cannot be argued to encourage underage drinking. It is all too clear that the MIP law needs to change, as the current law employs unjustly harsh punishments. The new legislation has the potential to lessen the impact of MIPs on underprivileged minority populations, makes the important shift from a misdemeanor to a civil infraction upon the first offense and can help create a healthier mentality surrounding underage drinking and relations with lawenforcement officials.
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS Claire Bryan, Regan Detwiler, Caitlin Heenan, Jeremy Kaplan, Ben Keller, Minsoo Kim, Payton Luokkala, Kit Maher, Madeline Nowicki, Anna Polumbo-Levy, Jason Rowland, Lauren Schandevel, Melissa Scholke, Kevin Sweitzer, Rebecca Tarnopol, Ashley Tjhung, Stephanie Trierweiler, Hunter Zhao
“
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Federal judges do not have roving commissions to solve societal problems. The role of the court is to apply law to the facts of the case before it … not to legislate, not to arrogate to itself the executive power, not to hand down advisory opinion on the issues of the day. — Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland, in response to a question about judicial activism at his 1995 confirmation hearing.
T
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Food politics
he last time I ate fast food was in November. I watched the employee at Wendy’s pour frozen, asymmetrically shaped chicken nuggets into the deep fryer and my stomach churned. I observed another employee emerge from a dark, mysterious area in the back ALEXIS of the kitchen FARMER with bundles of buns, burgers and lettuce. The smell of grease and salt filled my nostrils as I watch french fries unthaw in the deep fryer. I gently rested my hand on my stomach, offering an apology to my body for waiting so late to eat that fast food restaurants were our only choices for nourishment. I apologized to the chickens that were likely mistreated and fed with hormones or unnatural foods because people like me demanded it — one in three American children and adolescents receive a portion of their daily intake of calories from fast food. Most people would assume that economically disadvantaged groups make up the majority of this statistic, but researchers have noted that middle-class people are frequent fast food consumers, too — because this demographic is made up of people with increasingly busy lives who are often pressed for time, they appreciate the convenience of drivethrough windows. Additionally, most food stamp programs do not permit fast food orders, though this is circumstantial on a stateby-state basis, varying by a state’s participation in the Restaurant Meal Program. Economics are at the core of food sustainability issues. Nutritionally deprived foods are produced with less input costs and in higher quantities. Nourishing foods that are recommended by the Food and Drug Administration dietary guidelines, such as fruits, vegetables and proteins are more expensive to buy. Population studies have demonstrated the disparities between food and social class: According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, food-desert and food-insecure communities, which are often low-income, tend to consume unbalanced diets. Food insecurity is not a natural construct; it was made by design. Certain communities are restricted geographically and economically from attaining the four dimensions of food security: availability (sufficient amount), access (physical,
social and economic ability to obtain), food utilization (nutritious and safe food that meets dietary needs) and stability (available consistently over time). People should not have to choose between purchasing fruits and vegetables or a full meal at McDonald’s, yet millions of Americans must make these decisions daily. Fresh and nutritious goods have become luxury goods, which means it is “economic elitism” to advocate widespread adoption of nutritious diets without also addressing issues of affordability. Even though economics are clearly at play here, lower-income families could also be consuming fast food simply because, just like missions of other Americans, they like the taste of sugary, fatty and processed foods. This is just as legitimate a reason to consume fast food as potential economic advantages. The industrialization and commodification of food, paired with the on-the-go American lifestyle, has also led to an increase in engineered food in general, which ultimately impacts our health, nutrition and our lifestyles. These updates in technology and legislation have permitted the use of cheaper products, such as refined wheat, high-fructose corn syrup and artificial meats, which have proliferated store shelves, commercial restaurants and school cafeterias. Studies have shown that these foods are linked the exponential growth of health complications Americans have. A large percentage of our foods are injected with fat, sugar and artificial preservatives that some scientists argue override our appetite-suppressing hormones, stimulating an addiction to food that can ultimately lead to obesity. A number of consumers, filmmakers and legislators have challenged the way companies process our food. But the food industry’s profits are so deeply entrenched in inexpensive production strategies that any transformative change seems virtually impossible. Food sustainability seems to be a less politicized issue to rally around, yet food industry lobbyists still strong-arm politicians in a way that perpetuates inequities in the types of food available in communities. Eating has henceforth become a political act. Though the food industry may not modify its practices to be more sustainable and consumer-friendly in the short term, consumers have demanded to know what is in the products they are eating. Consumer choice plays a large role in ensuring a sustainable food system for all,
but in order for consumers to make informed choices, consumers need to be informed and educated about the foods available to them. Food education, therefore, is an important part of developing a knowledgeable consumer base. The language about food has changed just as quickly as seasonal fashions. Labels such as non-GMOs, natural, all-natural, gluten-free, organic, farm-raised, free-range, refined, enriched and fortified are just a few of the many markers on store-bought products used to both entice and inform consumers of what ingredients comprise the final product. This jargon can be bewildering, but it can also serve as a key element in building consumer efficacy in their food choices. The distinction between “healthy” and “nutritious” is just as important in determining sustainability. Food itself cannot be “healthy.” We as humans can be healthy, but food is nutritious. “Healthy” describes overall well-being, whether that is in food or finances. “Nutritious” describes a food or drink that provides nutrients. Adopting a nutritious diet has to begin early. Children are not born liking avocados or donuts. What adults feed their children shapes children’s taste buds and their tolerance of specific foods. The food industry uses advertisements to entice children to eat sugary cereals, cinnamon rolls and candy. Parents have to be autonomous in educating their children about the variety of foods available that best support our bodies’ needs. We must not jeopardize the present and future needs of generations to come. American food production practices obstruct food sustainability, an issue that impacts the American political and social landscape. The demand for food systems to adjust their practices is an immediate need — by 2050, the world will need to feed 9.7 billion people, evoking a consequential human and environmental cost on our Earth’s resources. Food sustainability is not just about food. It intersects with land use, housing, poverty and democracy. Legislatures need to be more proactive in promoting food sustainability by addressing issues of nutritious food access and production. The agriculture industry has a three-part challenge, as SciDevNet outlines: “to increase agricultural production, especially of nutrient-rich foods, to do so in ways which reduce inequality and to reverse and prevent resource degradation.” —Alexis Farmer can be reached at akfarmer@umich.edu.
ANNA POLUMBO-LEVY | OP-ED
Not an anomaly
When someone finds out that I actually know a thing or two about baseball and basketball, I get a few different reactions: “Wow, I didn’t know you liked sports. That’s cool,” “It’s funny how into sports you are; I wouldn’t have guessed” or “I don’t meet a lot of girls who like to watch sports as much as you do.” And by now, I have come to largely anticipate an eyebrow raise or head tilt, as if to say, “Are you serious?” Looking back on the countless times I’ve heard someone utter these phrases, I realize that the majority of these comments come from guys. These comments seem to come from a widespread disbelief that women can be, and are, serious sports fans, too. And it’s not just guys — there have even been a few times my girlfriends have made similar comments, as if they have internalized the notion that female sports fans have to be something rare. My favorite comment came from my one of my closest girlfriends a while back: “Guys think it’s cool when a girl is into sports.” She said this as though one of the reasons I should like sports is so guys will think I’m cool. And while not everyone has reacted in these ways, comments like this one are among the most common I receive from people outside my own family. These reactions speak to the ways in which we have gendered sports to the point that female sports fans seem to exist as anomalies. When I was younger, I was content knowing people thought it was exceptionally cool that I, as a girl, liked sports. But then it got to be a chore, constantly explaining
why I got into sports (“because your mom certainly was never this into sports”) or if I just liked the San Francisco Giants after they won their first championship, even though they’re my home team. And it got tiresome trying to explain that I liked sports because I was interested in sports and I wasn’t trying to impress anyone. And after a while, I realized it shouldn’t be considered cool that a girl likes sports. It should be considered normal. But the sad reality is that it isn’t, because many people — at least many I’ve talked to — think that female sports fans are few and far between. Contrary to this popular notion, women attend professional sports games in significant numbers. A study conducted by Scarborough Sports Marketing in 2010 showed that females comprised 41.2 percent of MLB game attendees and 36.4 percent of NBA game attendees. What’s more, the study found that percentages of females who attended professional hockey, football, soccer and NASCAR events also hovered at about 40 percent. Even though I realize I shouldn’t have to, I still rush to justify why I’m a fan, explaining how my dad got me into sports when I was 4 years old and that I’ve loved them ever since. I even throw in the name of a player who is no longer on the team to prove I’m not just a bandwagon fan; to prove that I’m not just talking a big talk. But I need to stop doing this because I shouldn’t have to prove myself. Some people are fanatics. They know every stat, every player and every rule of the game. I am definitely not one of those
people, but I feel like I have to be in order to be considered a fan at all. But do men hold each other to these same standards? Sometimes I mistake two players, but don’t we all? I shouldn’t be held to a higher standard of knowledge than my male counterparts, simply to prove that I enjoy sports. Can’t I ask questions, too, like a guy would ask his buddy, without it being chalked up to me being a girl who doesn’t know as much about sports as she says? Women are often met with similar surprises when they say they want to be doctors, businesswomen, scientists or lawyers. And the reality is that until a few decades ago these fields, along with sports, were “boys’ clubs.” For many years, women weren’t allowed at Ivy League schools and there were zero women in many top professions. And though the numbers have not changed significantly, they have changed at least a little for the better. In 2015, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women comprised 27.9 percent of chief executives, 34.5 percent of lawyers and 37.9 percent of physicians and surgeons combined. We shouldn’t have to qualify our answers or choices with reasons why. As mathematicians or sports fans, we shouldn’t be treated as anomalies, or we will always be anomalies. I shouldn’t have to prove myself and nor should any other woman. No, it’s not cool I like sports. I just like sports. End of story. —Anna Polumbo-Levy is a senior editorial page editor.
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Thursday, March 17, 2016 — 5A
Michigan wins WNIT opener ‘M’ dominates WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
By LELAND MITCHINSON Daily Sports Writer
By TED JANES In its first action in nearly two weeks, the Michigan women’s basketball team WRIGHT ST. 53 needed MICHIGAN 81 time to get back into the rhythm of things. But after a lackluster first half in the Wolverines’ WNIT opener Wednesday against Wright State, they found their usual highscoring form and beat the Raiders handily, 81-53. Michigan (9-9 Big Ten, 18-13 overall) struggled with foul trouble all season, and it looked like that wouldn’t change for the start of postseason play. The Wolverines committed six team fouls in the first quarter, including two from senior guard Madison Ristovski, who made a record-tying 133rd appearance for Michigan and moved into 10th place on the program’s career made 3-pointers list. However, Michigan kept things under control the rest of the game, committing just four fouls. Much of the game flow in the first half depended on the post players from each team. The Wolverines began their offensive attack with a concentrated effort to get the ball to freshman center Hallie Thome in the post, but it was largely unsuccessful due to the back-side help from Wright State (12-6 Horizon League, 24-11 overall) that took away the lob pass opportunities for Michigan. “I think we talked about ‘Hey, if they’re fronting her and there is help from the backside, let’s not throw her the ball. And if we do throw her the ball, we’re just trying to get the defense to sink in, so let’s throw it in and kick it out,’ ” said Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico. “I thought we did a much better job of that in the second half, making extra passes and
Daily Sports Writer
DELANEY RYAN/Daily
Freshman center Hallie Thome scored just seven points, but Michigan cruised past Wright State in the WNIT first round
then our shots were open shots.” The primary matchup in the post pitted Thome against a fellow 6-foot-5 center, Wright State’s Richelle van der Keijl, who did her best to limit the freshman. For the most part, Keijl was successful and held Thome to three first-half points. Keijl finished the game with a double-double, scoring 19 points and collecting 10 boards. Though the Wolverines’ top two scorers, Thome and sophomore guard Katelynn Flaherty, struggled to get things going in the first half, the rest of the team picked up the slack. Thome and Flaherty combined for 10 points, but Michigan still went into halftime with a 37-32 lead. “I think we all have the ability to step up when others are not at their best or are struggling a little bit,” said junior guard Siera Thompson. “I think all our guards and all our posts have the ability
SOFTBALL
to do that. I just try to do whatever is needed of me.” Thompson, usually the player charged with getting the ball in the hands of the scorers, led the team with 13 first-half points. Junior guard Danielle Williams scored a career-high 10 points in the opening frame and finished 12 total in just her third start of the season. “I was just excited to play again,” Williams said. “I feel like every day is exciting when it’s gameday. My teammates and my coaches instill a lot of confidence in me and they were finding me.” Added Barnes Arico: “I think she has a great knowledge, but she plays incredibly hard and has a great toughness about her, and she
showed that this week in practice.” Michigan showed just how dangerous it can be coming out of halftime. The Wolverines outscored Wright State, 23-7, in the third quater and jumped to a 60-39 lead with one frame to play. With the team’s turnaround came a personal turnaround for Flaherty, who finished the game with a team-high 22 points. Thompson finished with 19 points, five rebounds and six assists. Michigan cruised through the fourth quarter to kickstart its postseason run with a victory. The Wolverines will look to keep the momentum going when they play their WNIT second-round game against either Bucknell or Akron on Saturday.
Classifieds
Wolverines pound Eastern Michigan By ORION SANG Daily Sports Writer
Sara Driesenga lined up in the circle. Eastern Michigan’s leadoff hitter dug into 1 EMU her stance, MICHIGAN 14 the infield readied themselves and the fifthyear senior right-hander uncorked the first pitch of the game. Softball was back in Ann Arbor. No. 2 Michigan (21-2 overall) played its first home game of the season Wednesday, notching a 14-1 run-rule victory over Eastern Michigan backed by its potent offense and a strong performance from Driesenga. “I thought we were locked in,” said Michigan coach Carol Hutchins. “Honestly, the first day at home is sometimes very distracting. We’ve been on the road (for) 22 games. These kids have not had a day where they have had a home routine, where they go to class (and) ride the MGoBlue bus. It’s a change in format.” Michigan began its offensive onslaught early, scoring three runs in the first inning. After senior second baseman Sierra Romero and junior left fielder Kelly Christner were both walked, senior right fielder Kelsey Susalla cleared the bases with a three-run home run. Eastern Michigan got one run back in the second inning, when right fielder Michelle Kriegshauser blasted a pitch onto the adjacent baseball field. But the Wolverines came right back in the bottom of the inning. Freshman infielder Faith Canfield — who started at second with Abby Ramirez out due to a sprained ankle — was hit by a pitch, senior centerfielder Sierra Lawrence walked and Romero singled up the middle to bring Canfield home. If not for good defense by the Eagles, the Wolverines could’ve broken the game open that same inning. After a Christner walk loaded the bases, Susalla ripped a
ball toward first base. But Eagles first baseman Olivia Logan was up to the task, corralling the ball to get the force out. Though a Michigan run crossed home plate, Eastern Michigan escaped the inning having given up just two runs. In the third inning, though, Michigan scored four more runs to increase its lead to eight. Junior third baseman Lindsey Montemarano crushed a two-run homer over the left-center-field fence, while Lawrence and Romero also crossed the plate in the inning. With Michigan cruising, the fourth inning was much of the same. Driesenga gave up a leadoff double, but was able to escape the inning unscathed. Montemarano continued her production in the bottom of the inning, when she hit a long double to add another run to Michigan’s lead. Canfield got in on the action in the fourth as well, hitting a three-run shot to left field for her first career homer. Driesenga returned to the circle for the fifth inning, inducing three quick outs to clinch the 14-1 runrule victory. The right-hander’s win pushed her record to 11-0 and continued a streak of impressive outings. She gave up just two hits on the day, while striking out five. Driesenga was quick to credit her teammates when asked what was critical to her success. “Trusting myself, trusting whatever pitch is called, trusting the defense, and even trusting the offense that they’re going to score runs,” Driesenga said. “Trust in general is all-encompassing.” It was the type of complete performance that Hutchins is looking for from her team. “It was great that we got a lot of runs,” Hutchins said. “But I thought everybody contributed and did their part. Sara (Driesenga) did a fantastic job. Gave up the early home run but (it) didn’t faze her. She was a great leader for everybody, and it was fun to get all the young kids in.”
Thursday, the Michigan women’s basketball team won by 28 points, a benchmark it hasn’t accomplished since Dec. 19. Against Wright State in the first round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament, the Wolverines (9-9 Big Ten, 18-13 overall) cruised to victory, dominating in the second half en route to an 81-53 win. It has been a while since the Wolverines looked this good, but it has also been a while since they’ve played a team that knew this little about them. “Our players were surprised at times that they were open for shots — so open — whereas our conference opponents really test those shots and really know what we do inside and out and take those things away,” said Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico. “Tonight, we had some really good looks when we executed our stuff, because they didn’t have a ton of time to prepare for us.” Unlike opponents such as Iowa, which has seen Michigan three times already this season, the Raiders had just four days to prepare after falling in the Horizon League Women’s Basketball Tournament semifinal. Wright State would have known that sophomore guard Katelynn Flaherty is as good as advertised, and that 6-foot-5 freshman center Hallie Thome is tough to stop in the post. But the Raiders didn’t know about junior guard Siera Thompson, junior
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RELEASE DATE– Thursday, March 17, 2016
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
ACROSS 1 Family nickname 5 Religion with Five Pillars 10 NCO rank 14 Word with man or horse 15 Black Panthers co-founder 16 Gillette product 17 Stub __ 18 Strains 19 Go fast 20 Concerning 22 Postgame postmortem 24 Baby seal 25 Oahu resident, for example 27 Wake 29 AAA suggestion 30 Source of a nutritious oil 31 Sorted homogeneously 33 Rearward 35 Dirty money 36 Patrick Creadon documentary about SpongeBob ... and what’s found in this puzzle’s circles 39 “¿Cómo está __?” 40 Emergency room concern 43 Supposed 46 What -ess may denote: Abbr. 47 Spoiled 48 Licorice-flavored seed 49 Animals that fight by necking 51 V x CCXXI 52 Bemused states 55 Mineo and Maglie 56 It may be caught in the flue 58 2014 Olympics city 60 Carry 62 Uffizi hangings 63 Where to find a full house 64 Past its prime 65 Rural agreement 66 Long-legged wader 67 Yank who missed the 2014 season
DOWN 1 Hamm with a kick 2 Recording pros 3 Saturn ring components 4 End of __ 5 Real end 6 Scorched 7 More lenient 8 Knighted Guinness 9 Plateau cousin 10 1960 Pirate World Series hero, familiarly 11 Clog 12 Complain 13 Packed tightly 21 Covered with a hard coating 23 Projected financial statements 25 Author Levin 26 Give 28 Word in a home run call 31 Watchdog warning 32 Mob member 34 Top-of-the-line Hyundai whose name means “horse” in Latin
35 H.S. equivalency test 37 Arizona Cardinal mascot Big __ 38 It’s under the hardwood 41 Baton user 42 They can be classified 43 “Kitchen Nightmares” host Gordon 44 “Play it again, Sam!”
45 Dance turns 46 Toy company cofounder Herman 49 Insurance spokeslizard 50 Islamic ruling 53 Lethal snakes 54 Type of baggy ’40s suit 57 President pro __ 59 Annoy 61 Apt answer for this puzzle location
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:
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guard Danielle Williams or senior guard Madison Ristovski, who combined for 39 points Thursday. While the bracket was just released Monday, the Wolverines had at least ample time to rest, having last played in the Big Ten Tournament on March 3. In fact, the Wolverines hadn’t played in so long they actually felt like it was the preseason again. It reminded them of a time before they had to meet Big Ten opponents, a time when Michigan rolled past defenses in a similar fashion to the way it did Thursday. “They felt like tonight was the first game of the year,” Barnes Arico said. “I think that’s an incredible feeling, because they had that drive, that passion, that energy level back. They were rested and ready to go.” Added Thompson: “It had the first game jitters, I think that’s why we came out off, kind of rusty, but it was definitely exciting to get out there.” Thompson scored 19 points along with five rebounds and six assists, and provided Michigan with consistent scoring throughout the night. But as Thompson mentioned, the rest of the team was not so hot getting out of the gate. Michigan trailed by two points at the end of the first quarter, as Wright State took advantage of a lackluster, ugly performance in the opening 10 minutes. But as the game went on, Michigan took control against the inferior opponent — shooting 57 percent in the second half compared to 35 in the first — and ended the Raiders’ season.
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Sports
6A — Thursday, March 17, 2016
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
AMANDA ALLEN/Daily
NO SLEEP TILL BROOKLYN Irvin’s clutch 3 leads Wolverines past Tulsa, on to Notre Dame By JACOB GASE Daily Sports Editor
DAYTON, Ohio — The Michigan men’s basketball team got the NCAA Tournament bid it was sweating for on Selection Sunday — as a No. 11 seed playing in the First Four at University of Dayton Arena — and it initially looked like 62 TULSA it received MICHIGAN 67 a favorable opponent as well. After the bracket was released, no team in the field received more criticism than the Wolverines’ opponent, fellow No. 11 seed Tulsa. Even though the Golden Hurricane finished the season with a 20-11 record, most experts had them projected well on the wrong side of the bubble after they lost to Memphis by 22 points in the American Athletic Conference Tournament. But once the game actually began Wednesday night, it progressed as a back-and-forth affair. Both teams traded leads throughout the second half, and Tulsa found itself leading, 60-59, with a minute to play. But junior forward Zak Irvin — just six days after hitting the gamewinner against Northwestern in the Big Ten Tournament — had
more heroics left in him. With 53 seconds remaining, Irvin hit a 3-pointer to put the Wolverines back on top, saving their season once again. Michigan (23-12) iced the game from the free-throw line and escaped with a 67-62 victory, advancing to a first-round matchup with No. 6 seed Notre Dame in Brooklyn on Friday. “(Irvin’s) just got that mentality,” said junior guard Derrick Walton Jr. “No matter how many he’s missed, when the moment is big and the shot really matters, you can count on him to take and make that shot.” Michigan led 28-20 at halftime thanks to a late offensive surge, but early second-half foul trouble — which left Walton on the bench for nearly six minutes — allowed Tulsa (20-12) to jump right back into the game. After a rapid series of lead changes, it was the Wolverines who first showed signs of pulling away when redshirt sophomore Duncan Robinson knocked down a 3-pointer to put Michigan up 47-45. Irvin knocked down a mid-range jumper and sophomore guard MuhammadAli AbdurRahkman hit a pair of free throws to stretch the lead to six with 7:38 to play. But the Golden Hurricane refused to go down, continuing to attack the rim with layup after layup
and ultimately retaking the lead with 4:24 to play. The two teams played within three points of each other right up until Irvin finally delivered the dagger, and he and Walton helped the Wolverines pull away at the charity stripe for another nail-biting win — their third in a week. “We haven’t had too many close games (this year),” Irvin said. “The Big Ten Tournament definitely helped us out. We’re able to finish close games. We know we’ve gotta be able to do that in the NCAA Tournament — survive and advance.” Irvin and Abdur-Rahkman each had a game-high 16 points, with Abdur-Rahkman adding a big shot of his own — a banked jump shot with just under four minutes to play that Michigan coach John Beilein called a “nine out of 10” degree of difficulty. Robinson, meanwhile, attempted to shed his reputation as a pure shooter by playing one of his best allaround games of the year, finishing with 13 points, 11 rebounds and four assists. “If somebody told me he’d get a doubledouble, I could see 10 threes in game — I wouldn’t have believed 11 rebounds,” Beilein said. “He’s just learning the game, the college game (is) played against really good players.” The second-half scoring frenzy stood in stark contrast to the first half, in which both teams fell victim to lengthy scoring droughts. Robinson started off the game with a 3-pointer and freshman forward Moritz Wagner sparked the Wolverines early with a dunk, two rebounds, a block and a steal in his first minute on the court. But Michigan’s shooting quickly went cold. The Wolverines started the game 3-for-16 from the floor and 1-for9 from three, falling into a 6:13 scoring drought that allowed the Golden Hurricane to take a 16-9 lead midway through the half. But Irvin knocked down a triple to snap Michigan out of its funk, and Tulsa embarked on a 6:36 scoreless stretch of its own. Walton — who struggled with his shot in the Big Ten Tournament and most of the first half of the game Wednesday — also sprang to life with 10 points in the final four minutes of the half, including two 3-pointers. It was the same story in the second half for Irvin and Walton, who woke up in the nick of time to keep the Wolverines’ tournament run alive.
“You can count on (Irvin) to take and make that shot.”
Wagner’s big night comes at the right time for Michigan By KELLY HALL Daily Sports Editor
DAYTON, Ohio — With 22 seconds left and a First Four victory securely locked in place, Moritz Wagner exited the hardwood at University of Dayton Arena and lifted his arms. All night, the freshman forward pumped up his teammates and the crowd on Michigan’s way to a 67-62 victory over Tulsa (20-12). His exuberance wasn’t unwarranted. Wagner played 22 minutes on his way to eight rebounds, four blocks and four points — all of which came off of slam dunks. He had just two blocks all season until Wednesday night, when he doubled his season total. “Yeah, Mo’s an energy guy,” said sophomore guard MuhammadAli Abdur-Rahkman. “Even when he’s not on the court, he’s trying to lift us up when we’re down and things like that. So it’s great to see him out there, being energized and play well.” After shooting 3-for-3 for nine points against Indiana in the Big Ten Tournament, during his first substantive minutes since December, Wagner has seen the floor more often, and for good reason. Though Wagner’s help came on the offensive end against the Hoosiers, his help in the First Four came on the defensive. During Michigan’s 6:13 scoring drought in the first half, which resulted in a Golden Hurricane
8-0 run, Wagner prevented Tulsa from wreaking more havoc on the Wolverines (23-12) with his well-timed blocks — one of which came within his first minute on the court. In the second half, Wagner blocked 6-foot-9 forward Brandon Swannegan, trapping the ball against the backboard. Wagner proved to be the best option against Swannegan, an important role to have in a game where Tulsa scored 38 of its 62 points in the paint. Though he did most of his damage on the defensive end, Wagner’s few offensive performances were ones to remember. Sixteen seconds after being subbed into the game, Wagner stole the ball. Redshirt sophomore Duncan Robinson missed his 3-point attempt on the possession, but Wagner followed up with an offensive rebound. Seconds later, Robinson threw the ball to Wagner so he could jam it into the net for a twohanded slam to give Michigan a 9-8 lead. Later, Wagner had the ball just beyond the arc and momentarily thought about shooting it, but he decided to take a few long strides to get beneath the net after seeing Abdur-Rahkman in the corner. He dished it to the sophomore guard, who drove for a layup. Of course, Wagner’s mostmemorable play came when the two teams were trading buckets as the clock ticked down. After a Robinson layup put Michigan back up by one point with 2:49 remaining, the Wolverines needed to capitalize on the next possession, and they did. Wagner grabbed an offensive board
after Abdur-Rahkman missed a jumper, and he dumped it into the net to give Michigan 59-56 lead. Following his dunk and the late-game scare, Wagner turned to the crowd for help and encouragement. “When you tell me that right now, I feel a little embarrassed,” Wagner said of his loud engagement with the crowd. “That’s just me. I can’t help it, I’m just doing it. It’s fun. It’s great. It’s just me.” Fouling has been a problem of Wagner’s, but he didn’t foul at all in the first half. He collected his first almost 10 minutes into the second. Twenty seconds later, he fouled again and was consequently subbed out. Though his fouls didn’t prevent him from seeing the court, it was obvious that he was concerned about fouling. Just over eight minutes into the first half, Wagner stared down the referee nearest to him, nervously clenching his teeth. It was almost as if he was afraid that his second block of the game was going to be called a foul, and that he would end up on the bench like he had in too many of his previous games. But it was called for what it was — the freshman’s second block of the game — and the big man stayed in. The rest is history, and now the Wolverines are on their way to Brooklyn to take on No. 6 seed Notre Dame in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. “Mo has been huge for us,” said junior guard Zak Irvin. “He’s definitely a spark plug off the bench. It all started in the Big Ten Tournament. He was a big asset tonight. He’s gotta keep that going into Notre Dame.”
AMANDA ALLEN/Daily
Junior forward Zak Irvin hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 53 seconds remaining to lead Michigan past Tulsa on Wednesday.
the b-side B
The Michigan Daily | michigandaily.com | Thursday, March 17, 2016
DETROIT INS TITUE OF ART S let yourself go
DEDICA TED BY THE
TO THE KNOWLEDGE
PEOPLE OF DETROI T
AND ENJOYMENT OF ART
TS TITUE OF AR DETROIT INS let yourself go
THE DETROIT FASHION ISSUE HUDSON’S
The Inn On
Ferry Street
Design by Jacklyn Thomas and Anne Lynch
the b-side
2B — Thursday, March 17, 2016
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
A look at Detroit STORE legend Hudson’s By DANIELLE YACOBSON Daily Arts Writer
By ANAY KAYTAL Daily Arts Writer
Detroit has long been wiped of many of its historical, boomera anachronisms. Generations have come and gone, and with them, legendary sites and relics of Detroit’s record industrial growth and world status in the 20th century have left without a trace. Among them, Detroit’s legendary J.L. Hudson Company had an especially important place in Detroit’s history, helping foster much of the city’s former glory. The Hudson’s department store (formerly on the streets of Woodward and Gratiot) stood at a towering 29 stories. For the majority of its existence, it was the tallest retail space in the world, and for the entirety of its existence it was the secondlargest department store in the United States by square footage — only bested by Macy’s Herald Square in New York City. At its peak in the late ’50s to early ’60s, it boasted 12,000 employees and 100,000 customers coming through its doors every day. Hudson’s was a cultural behemoth at a time when the United States was experiencing vast societal transformations. As important as it was for Detroit, it was equally important for merchandising and fashion for all of the United States. “You could go to Hudson’s and get everything on your shopping list,” Sally Gell, former Detroit resident and Hudson’s shopper, said. “It had everything imaginable.” Gell used to frequent Hudson’s during the store’s peak, recounting how it was the quintessential destination for all types of goods. The store was often peddling up to 600,000 items from 16,000 different vendors from across the globe. Humble Beginnings Born in England, but a product of years in Ontario and Michigan, Joseph Lowthian Hudson and his family lived a meager lifestyle, putting bread on their table by selling personally crafted clothes wherever they lived. While living in Michigan, Hudson quickly became a helping hand in his father’s small clothing shop in the town of Ionia, Mich., learning the textile trade while helping run his father’s enterprise. However, what was a stable stream of work for his family came to an abrupt halt after the Panic of 1873 plagued much of the country. With shuttered textile mills and a dearth of customers, Hudson was thrust out of the business and forced to declare bankruptcy. His father died soon after. In a bout of ambition, Hudson brushed himself off and transplanted his family from Ionia to the then bustling city of Detroit. With what small funds and supporting creditors he had behind
him, he established a storefront in the old Detroit Opera House — the humble precursor to Hudson’s vast department store empire. Finding himself immediately successful thanks to Detroit’s meteoric growth, Hudson paid off the creditors from his previous bankruptcy and moved his store to a larger, grander location. After years of sustained success, what became the J.L. Hudson Company (colloquially “Hudson’s”) made its eventual move into the famous J.L. Hudson Building on Woodward Avenue in 1946. It didn’t take long for Hudson’s to quickly embed itself in Detroit’s local culture, its name famously being synonymous with Christmas shopping and the latest in haute couture. Making Its Name Known On the back of his business’ success, J.L. Hudson quickly established himself as one of Detroit’s leading culture patrons. Hudson sponsored Detroit’s first Thanksgiving parade, paving way for Detroit’s long and beloved annual tradition of America’s Thanksgiving Parade, the second oldest parade of its kind (sharing that title with New York’s own Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade). Hudson’s fireworks display quickly became a part of every Detroit family’s Fourth of July celebration. Hudson opened up satellite storefronts and shopping malls all across the Detroit metro area — Southfield’s location being among the most noteworthy for providing parking for 10,500 cars and having 53 storefronts (including a Hudson’s location) — all the way back in 1954. Detroit flourished in the early part of the 20th century, largely due to businesses like Hudson’s and their presence in the city. Hudson’s was “more than just a department store … It was one of a kind,” Gell said. In addition to creating one of the most notorious retailers in the country, Hudson leveraged his success toward Detroit’s own well-being. Arguably, Detroit reached its peak thanks in part to the contributions of men like Hudson. “Hudson’s was the place to work and shop in the 1950s,” Elsie Vasich, a former patron of the store and resident of the Detroit metropolitan area, said. Vasich’s sister was once employed at Hudson’s Detroit location. “Many women wanted jobs at department stores like Hudson’s, because the work and pay was quite good.” Of the shopping experience, Gell said. “It was very comforting for anyone who wanted to shop there.” Hudson’s embodied an approach toward shopping that has been long forgotten by U.S. retailers. On the graces of the experience, it crafted for its shoppers and employees alike, Hud-
son’s became the quintessential destination for elegance, class, reliability and service — acting as both a cultural and commercial cornerstone of Detroit during the height of its existence. End of an Era Stripped away for parts — such was largely the essence of Hudson’s’ demise. With the rapid growth of suburban communities in Metro Detroit in the ’70s and ’80s, Detroit’s population began dwindling. Those who were wealthy enough planted themselves in the various affluent communities on the outskirts of the city. Changing waves in Detroit’s demographics versus those of the outerlying suburbs led to the eventual closure of Hudson’s flagship store in Detroit. With the closure of its Detroit storefront came the disappearance of Hudson’s fundamental identity. As time went on and the retail industry became saturated with extraordinarily successful nationwide enterprises, companies like Hudson’s couldn’t keep up with competitors and conceded to closure and consolidation with larger corporations. After a series of corporate hand-offs, Hudson’s former Detroit storefront was demolished in 1998; additionally, what eventually became Macy’s, Inc. gutted and swallowed what Hudson’s property was left. To some extent, Hudson’s fall from grace was cruel foreshadowing for what was to come for Detroit. People who once called Detroit home ended up fleeing at the slightest indications of trouble; Hudson’s felt as if it was only logical to follow suit. The domino effect of demographic shifts swept Hudson’s, along with everybody else, away from the city. As much as Hudson’s was a part of Detroit’s strength as a city, its end was also one of many symbols of the city’s eventual undoing. It’s vital to remind ourselves of stories like Hudson’s. After being blighted with its fair share of misfortune, the grand stories and characters associated with Detroit’s glory are slowly dwindling. Though Hudson’s had as unceremonious a send-off as a cultural staple could, the legacy of J.L. Hudson and his stores mustn’t go forgotten. With recent rising tides in Detroit, remembering the individuals who made Detroit the city it once was, and the city it’s once again trying to become, is important. How fitting is it to revitalize a city without taking into account the culture and history that made the city as grand as it used to be? Is blanketing a city with a completely new identity the same thing as reviving it? No matter how you feel, reading the stories of individuals like J.L. Hudson is earnest fuel for the betterment of Detroit.
SHORT FILM REVIEW In his Oscar-nominated short film “Ave Maria,” director Basil Khalil finds B room for humor in a Ave Maria exploration of the IsraeliIncognito Palestinian Films conflict. The short follows an Israeli family who, while racing home for Shabbat, crashes their car into a statue of the Virgin Mary outside a convent. The family must enlist the help of the convent’s nuns despite their initial reservations. “Ave Maria” doesn’t take itself or its subject matter too seriously, and it’s wonderful. The rule-driven lifestyles of both the Jewish family and the Christian nuns are tackled with humorous reverence. One scene, in which a man has to ask a mute nun to dial the phone for him and hold it to his ear because he cannot
INCOGNITO FILMS
operate machinery on the Sabbath, showcases the film’s delicate humor. Likewise, the final shot — the family driving home in a Palestinian car with a neon Virgin Mary strapped to the roof — is ridiculous yet heartwarming. “Ave Maria” sets high expectations for a 15 minutelong film, but it doesn’t quite hit the mark. It wants to achieve so much — social commentary, satire, humor, heart — that it doesn’t allow itself to breath.
At times, it feels like Khalil is checking things off a bucket list, moving from a scene that screams “humor!” to a scene that screams “heart!” without allowing his scenes time to be both. Still, “Ave Maria” is beautifully shot and charmingly funny. The film is full of hope, and the belief that deep down (sometimes really deep down) people are innately good. - MADELEINE GAUDIN
Our story begins in London circa 1871, when contemporary fashions of lung-restricting corsets deemed breathing for the weak, and bustles plumped up even the most conservative behinds. Artist James McNeill Whistler, hired by a wealthy Englishman who was tickled by everything porcelain, transformed the Englishman’s ceramic-filled living room into an aesthetic masterpiece. Gold peacocks danced on Parisian blue walls in what came to be known as “Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Peacock Room.” In 1904, American art connoisseur Charles Lang Freer bought the room and installed the paintings in his Detroit home. After his death, the gold and blue murals were taken to the Freer Gallery in Washington D.C., but many still consider the room a Detroit historical landmark. Today, a new Peacock Room, a women’s boutique, can be found in what used to be the living room of a 1920s luxury hotel, embodying the glamour of the original space and Whistler’s art, all with a spunky twist that Detroiters exemplify oh so well. “When you think of a peacock, you think of showing off,” founder and storeowner Rachel Lutz said. “You think of pride, and that’s what I want women to feel in my store.” Carrying sizes 00 through 26, the boutique features styles to dress everybody, carrying a diverse range of silhouettes, forms and proportions so that no woman is left behind. “Just because you see something in a fashion magazine doesn’t mean it would necessarily translate to your body,” Lutz
IN
PROFILE
said. “We don’t go after a specific demographic. We just go after women who want to feel great about themselves and want to express their style. We’ve had three generations of women come in at the same time and each walk out with a dress.” The Peacock Room stands out by abandoning traditional brand labels and focusing on design and good fit instead. It’s the place to spice up any wardrobe, perhaps with something a bit riskier that flatters both the body and spirit. “The only real criteria I have when finding my finds is asking, ‘What would get you a compliment from a stranger?’ ” Lutz said. “We really try to de-emphasize labels and boxes on people. Instead, we try to emphasize unique finds.” The store’s treasures include their vintage pieces, which make up about 10 percent of the merchandise. They’ve carried everything from micro-beaded handbags well over 100 years old to jewelry lines made from antique French molds. “I love the thrill of the hunt,” Lutz said. “We take pride in the fact that you never quite know what to expect when you walk in, so maybe your best finds are here, and you just don’t know it yet.” For many, shopping victories in large department stores come few and far between. Instead, trips are fruitless pursuits that leave fashion-hopefuls discouraged and underwhelmed. Even Lutz, who owns a successful and flourishing boutique, dislikes shopping and the fashion industry. “Shopping has gotten all the pleasure out of it,” she said. “Instead of going into a nice boutique, we push grocery carts down fluorescent-lit aisles and there’s no one to serve you.” This frustration is left out of
The Peacock Room equation, where the emphasis is placed on providing a personable shopping experience that doesn’t adhere to the parameters established by designers or merchandisers. “Style is the expression of yourself, and fashion is merely the renewal of that process,” Lutz said. “It doesn’t have to come from a runway or a magazine, so take control of your own style.” A scarf doesn’t have to be a scarf; it can be a head wrap, a table runner, a beach towel. The possibilities, Lutz says, are endless, as long as you see the garment how you want to wear it and not how someone else wants you to wear it. “Detroiters, by nature, are risktakers,” she said. “I think that translates into our style. You see women that are more willing to experiment with color and texture, who aren’t wearing what someone told them to wear but making it their own.” Ultimately, The Peacock Room seeks to instill confidence in the shoppers who visit their store. Women have bought dresses for first dates with men who became their husbands, and for opera performances that colored a defining moment in their career. Each time, The Peacock Room played a part in creating that special experience. “A woman came in the day of her mother’s funeral and I was really touched that on such a powerful and hard day in her life, she found my store as her sanctuary,” Lutz said. “It was a really humbling compliment.” A trip to The Peacock Room is more than an average session of retail therapy. It’s emotional cleansing, confidence building and a reminder that there is no mold for beauty. “It’s not just a store, it’s a confessional,” Lutz said.
COMMUNITY CULTURE PREVIEW
‘Monologues’ break taboos at Rackham By
MARIA ROBINS-SOMMERVILLE Daily Arts Writer
“In Ann Arbor, they call it the Big House,” an actress says. Adding a regional twist, she provokes a flood of laughter. The Vagina They’ll call it a Monologues cooch, March 18 & snatch, box, hoo-ha, lady 19, 8 p.m. bits, muff, Rackham biscuit, Auditorium pudendum, tuna town $5 presale, $10 at door and honey pot, among others. Yet although approximately 50 percent of the world has one, it’s edited out of everything from polite conversation to Supreme Court debates. “The Vagina Monologues,” written by Eve Ensler, was first performed in 1996. Ensler interviewed various women about their relationships with their vaginas and compiled the interviews into a project that seeks to explore the taboo subject. Students for Choice will present its fourth annual production of “The Vagina Monologues,” featuring Ensler’s original work, with some adaptation and additions including a preface of original student-written monologues, on their own personal experiences pertaining to the topic. Rachel Beglin, an LSA sophomore cast member, said she thought the show helped open up healthier dialogue about sex education. “I grew up in Arizona with abstinence-only sex education and wondered why didn’t my mom teach me this? Why didn’t a teacher teach me this? Why didn’t anyone give me a link, a pamphlet, anything?” Beglin said. LSA senior Lizzie Stewart wrote her own monologue about her experience as a queer woman. “My monologue is about the effect that an unwanted sexual act had on my sexual identity and my process of figuring out what
that is, and I think it’s important for people to know that it’s okay to not know,” she said. “The Vagina Monologues” has faced criticism in the past for its lack of inclusivity and representation of both non-heterosexual women and women of color. LSA senior Irene Syriac plays an asexual character in a monologue written by a close friend of hers who is asexual. “My character says in the monologue, ‘You never see asexual characters anywhere,’ so I think it’s good exposure,” Syriac said. “If I want the audience to get anything out of this, it’s a reminder that the word ‘vagina’ is not a swear word.” Although many of the monologues focus on discovery of peace with one’s body or a kind of awakening, not all of the stories are so hopeful or enlightening. For instance, Music, Theatre & Dance sophomore Mackenzi Anthony’s monologue touches on violence toward transgender women. “My story is not so much about acceptance. I talk about how they killed my boyfriend for dating a transgender woman, and that’s intense,” she said. The women working on the show have engaged in self-reflection and personal storytelling to more accurately understand the show’s strength. The secrecy and shamefulness associated with the experience of having a vagina can be alienating and overwhelming. “Seeing ‘The Vagina Monologues’ for the first time I thought, ‘Oh my god, everyone else is just as confused as I am! Everyone is just as angry and worried and scared as I am’ and I’m just like, ‘Why do we have to feel this way about our genitalia?’ ” Anthony said. Director and LSA junior Angelle Antoun hopes that “The Vagina Monologues” will open up the floor for further discussion about feminism and diversity through its candid and multifaceted approach. Antoun acted in “The Vagina Monologues” last
year and understands the need to appeal to a diverse audience. “That’s been the issue I came in expecting, and it has been a challenge and something that I’ve been working very hard to ameliorate about the show so that it can speak to a number of women,” Antoun said. In preparation, the women shared their own stories about their experiences of overcoming obstacles in their womanhood. “We thought it really brought us closer as a cast, not only because we knew those things about each other, but because sharing those sorts of stories can be very difficult,” Antoun said. “Having those other women giving nothing but respect and support to the other women there was a really wonderful feeling.” Antoun also said the group wanted to perform a show that will engage the community beyond women. “These are not issues that women talk about in day-to-day life (openly) … when you go to shows like this there’s this fear that it’s going to be man-hating and angry feminism and this show isn’t that at all. I think that men that go to it will come away with the idea that yes, feminists can be angry, but not so much at men as at the system and come away with it more willing to be part of the fight,” she said. In addition to opening dialogue about experiences that are usually pushed aside, “The Vagina Monologues” seeks to support movements to reduce sexual violence against women. All of the proceeds will be donated to the SafeHouse Center and the V-Day campaign. There will be a talkback panel to debrief and further explore the implications of the show on the following Monday at 8 p.m. in the Earl Lewis Room in Rackham Auditorium. “The Vagina Monologues” will moan, bleed, cry, argue, joke and ponder with the intention of letting you know that the women brave enough to share their stories have no plans of shutting up any time soon.
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
the b-side
Thursday, March 17, 2016 — 3B
A home state tourist
COMMUNITY CULTURE PREVIEW
By MERIN MCDIVITT Daily Arts Writer
MTV
This is like real-life Sims.
‘World’ casts in A MTV’s ‘Real World’ looks for stars at Charley’s By ALLIE TAYLOR Daily Arts Writer
“Real World,” MTV’s longestrunning reality program, will be holding a casting call at Good Time Charley’s on South University Avenue from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednes- ‘Real day, Mar. 23. World’ Since 1992, “Real World” Casting showcases and Call exposes the reality of how Wednesday 10 people between a.m. to 5 p.m. the ages of 21 Good Time and 25 interact Charley’s with each other under intense, Free intimate circumstances. Each season, seven to eight people live together under one roof for three months, undergoing challenges, excursions and everyday experiences that assess the integrity and personality of each person. The cast members begin as complete strangers, often with extreme differences in beliefs, lifestyles, upbringings and personalities, creating an intense and intriguing environment. The show follows these people as they develop relationships with each other and evolve as people. Issues of sex, drugs, racism, partying, love, pain and truth are brought forth, leaving cast members challenged, confronted and vulnerable. Oftentimes, the cast members find themselves in situations that test everything they know to be true about themselves and about the world around them. Kailah Casillas, a cast member of the upcoming 31st season “Real World: Go Big or Go Home,” grew up watching the show. In an interview with The Michigan Daily,
Casillas said that being on the show was different from what she expected. “It’s a lot harder,” Casillas said. “I had the time of my life. But you don’t realize how hard it is psychologically, with all the cameras ... being away from home, being in a new environment and having to be very tolerant of other people and their behaviors and lifestyles. These people are culturally totally different from me.” Microphones and video cameras follow each cast member around 24/7. “The only time we were allowed to take our microphone off was to shower and to sleep,” Casillas said. “We were filmed 24 hours a day and seven days a week.” Reality TV shows are often scrutinized for not being an accurate portrayal of real life, and questions arise regarding how authentic the “reality” part truly is. In “Real World,” however, the show seems to stay true to its name by refraining from interfering with each cast member’s life. The cast members are neither told what to do, nor given any kind of instruction on how to act. “God, I wish it were staged,” Casillas said, when asked if any part of the show was orchestrated. “If it were staged, I would be able to blame all of my crazy antics on someone else. But, unfortunately, those are actually the things that I do.” “We take pride in the fact that we don’t coach the cast members,” “Real World” casting director Themi Chahales said in a separate interview with the Daily. “We really let them bring their personalities to us.” When casting, Chahales looks for characters: people with strong personalities who aren’t afraid to speak their minds, people from diverse backgrounds, people who are open and honest about their daily experiences, people with over-the-top personalities and people who are dynamic.
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“People like to think we’re looking for a certain type of person, but really, the characters come to us,” Chahales said. “There’s an endless amount of characters with an endless amount of stories. It’s not like some of those other reality shows that are really specific (with who they cast). There’s not a specific criteria for this show, and because of that, I think it allows the casting of people to be endless. There’s always 20-somethings that are figuring out who they are.” The show serves as a major learning experience for everyone involved. When diverse groups of people are confined together for three months, attitudes change and mindsets open up. By the end of the season, cast members become different people. “I left a changed person because I saw what other people were going through,” Casillas said. “I saw that I need to be more open-minded. My beliefs were so questioned because everyone was so different from me. People have it much harder than I ever could have imagined. I left there completely mind-fucked. This experience made me think about everything I had ever been taught, and everything I ever believed in. I never had to think differently before this. When I got there, and lived with a kid who was pansexual, a girl who was from a really, really rough part of St. Louis and a girl who was adopted, I left there being like: ‘Wow, who am I?’ It really made me question all of my beliefs.” To the people who are considering going to the casting call, Casillas said, “Do it. This is something you will never ever be able to experience anywhere else.” As for advice to people who want to be cast, both Chahales and Casillas emphasized the importance of being yourself. “You never know what these casting directors are looking for,” Casillas said. “Being open and honest and being yourself is really the key to being on ‘Real World.’”
NO FILTER
Autograf brings its tropical house sound By ARIANNA ASSAF Daily Arts Writer
What do you get when you give a weapons developer, a street artist and a derivatives trader a stage name? Art. Meet Autograf, three artists in their own right who turned loft party DJing into the career path of their dreams. Jake Carpenter, Louis Kha and Mikul Wing comprise a Chicago-based DJ/producer/artist trio, currently taking the dance music scene by a tropical house storm. After catching them at a festival over New Year’s, I got a chance to see them again when they stopped at Populux as part of their three-month Metaphysical tour, which will culminate in New Orleans at the Buku Music + Art Project. Maybe it’s because I’m writing this on a beach listening to Dream (thank you, indulgent affordances of college lifestyle and Spring Break), but thinking back on last Saturday gives the feeling of swaying in a hammock to the beat of twinkly piano lines. Though their style is certainly more laid back than some other electronic artists, the show still buzzed with
energy and excitement. I can tell you from personal experience that it’s not quite fit for a booze cruise, but that’s OK. The boys of Autograf aren’t exactly going for the debauchery of an all-you-candrink vibe. Though they all have different artistic and educational backgrounds, the music certainly comes together nicely. Wing, the street artist (who unfortunately, was absent due to a bad case of strep throat) had a few galleries in Chicago, and Kha the derivatives trader, studied economics at the University of Virginia in Arlington. Carpenter, who went to Columbus College of Art and Design for metal sculpture, worked for the Department of Defense as weapons developer, also doing research and development and underwater robotics. The fact that all three were individually involved with music made coming together as Autograf natural. “My mom made me take piano lessons for ten years,” Carpenter said of the start of his music education. “I did drum lessons for five years. In high school I played in the jazz band and marching band, but
I didn’t do any art until the end of high school/start of college. It was just recently that I started doing art again with music.” Kha, on the other hand, picked up music as a hobby and assumes he would still be in economics had production not taken over. “I feel like most people are put on a path at an early age, a lot of times they kinda stay on that path,” he said. “For me, I jumped around … a lot of people have idealistic dreams when they’re young and if you don’t pursue it, a lot of times you forget about it. I was just fortunate enough to pursue it and be successful with it.” That idealistic dream has taken shape in the form of a thriving endeavor to create music and perform live. Detroit was treated to a gorgeous set — complete with Carpenter on drums — that had Populux holding on to every note. From start to finish, whether playing their most well-known hits like “Dream” and “Metaphysical,” or spinning out some nuanced noises that can’t quite be categorized, we were in it. Based on what I’ve seen and heard, it appears fans of the trio can only continue to grow in dedication and numbers.
Saturday: 9 a.m: Before you do anything, pick up some carrots and curios at Eastern Market, America’s oldest continuously running farmer’s market. Long before “local” was a buzzword, the market was one of several in the city, one in each direction: Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western. Be sure to try some local coffee to kickstart a busy day, and perhaps some flowers, particularly if it’s around Flower Day on May 20, one of the biggest flower shows in the country. 11 a.m: Drop off your bags at The Inn on Ferry Street. With a prime location in Midtown on, you guessed it, Ferry Street, the historic hotel’s four renovated Victorian homes ooze with old world charm. In spring, the inn gives you a perfect vantage point to enjoy the blooming green spaces scattered around the urban jungle. 12 p.m: Head down the street to a delicious lunch at Maccabees at Midtown, a perennial favorite bursting with Detroiters and out-oftowners alike. If you can wind your way through the light rail construction on Woodward to find it, you’ll discover one of Detroit architecture’s best kept secrets: the Maccabee building, an Art Deco treasure built by the Jewish organization Knights of the Maccabees in the 1920s. 2 p.m: Pop across the street to spend the afternoon exploring the city’s art scene from yesterday and today. The Detroit Institute of Arts is the legendary home of Picassos, Van Goghs, the famous Rivera mural and one of the finest collections of African American contemporary art in the country. Be sure to check out the spring exhibition of
art from kids throughout the Detroit Public Schools, featured until Jun. 12. Then head down Woodward a few blocks to the more unconventional Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, featuring avant garde works from around the world, including the fantastic Detroit Affinities photography series on display until April 24. Finally, catch the end of the Detroit Historical Museum’s exhibition Fashion D.Fined, a look into the city’s lesser known, but still significant contributions to the world of fashion. 6 p.m: Exhausted from a day wandering among masterpieces? There’s no better place to unwind than the Whitney Mansion. A historic 1890s home built with the city’s pre-industrial riches, the Whitney is now one of Detroit’s foremost restaurants. Expect a classy atmosphere, top-notch food and a seat in the mansion’s exquisite interior, or even the beautiful gardens if the night is warm. If you’re in a slightly less classy mood after dinner, you can hit Midtown’s newfound nightlife down the street, including the beloved Cafe D’Mongo’s. Sunday: 10 a.m: Before you check out of the inn, scurry down the street to a mysterious little stone building called the Scarab Club. Tucked away in the Museum District, this discreet, historic building is still home to the city’s oldest association of artists. With tours of its art collection as well as painting and sketching classes, the club has produced some of the area’s most prominent artists. 11 a.m: Then head over to Cliff Bell’s famous jazzy brunch downtown. One of Detroit’s legendary jazz clubs, at night Cliff Bell’s is full of speakeasy charm. But every Sunday, their brunch, accompanied by
famous jazz musicians, is just as popular in town. 1 p.m: While Detroit may be better known for its urban grit and downtown hipsters than it is for natural beauty, there’s plenty to be found along the Detroit Riverfront, the gorgeous public walkway along the river that will eventually connect large swaths of the city. If you stroll along it long enough, you’ll come across plenty of landmarks, from the Joe Louis Fist, the famous statue on West Grand Boulevard commemorating the local boxing hero, to the Underground Railroad Monument, a stirring tribute to the city’s role as the end of the Underground Railroad, which then transported escaped slaves across the river to freedom in Canada. If you continue even further, you’ll pass the Renaissance Center, headquarters to General Motors, and you can even stop by Belle Isle, the beloved park in the middle of the river that was designed by Frederick Law Olmstead, the same famous designer who created Central Park. 5 p.m: You’ve had quite the afternoon. Before leaving town, head down the freeway to Southwest Detroit. At Mexicantown Bakery, you can pick up some churros, tres leches and other traditional sweets for the road. Just down the street go to Lupita’s Taquería, a favorite among everyone from locals to Canadians visiting from over the border, for a phenomenal bowl of pozole or some top notch tacos. Finally, grab a coffee or dessert a few blocks over at Café con Leche or its ice cream-themed neighbor La Michoacana. It’s time to go, but now that you’ve had a taste of what the city has to offer, you’ll be back soon enough.
COMMUNITY CULTURE COLUMN
What we love about musicals H
ow does a musical gain a following? How does it keep it? On the surface, there’s really nothing relatable about a musical. People rarely just break out into song and dance about BAILEY someKADIAN thing they’re thinking or talking about. It’s not realistic. Yet so many musicals have gained our support. Why in the world do we love them so much? I went over to Google to do a little research on which musicals were considered the best of Broadway. I realized quickly that a lot of Google sites claim to know the top ten best musicals — and they all list a different top ten. I decided instead to look at the longest running musicals. Here they are, according to Wikipedia: “The Phantom Of the Opera,” “Chicago,” “The Lion King,” “Cats,” “Les Misérables,” “A Chorus Line,” “Mamma Mia,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Wicked” and “Rent.” All of these productions get at something that we want in a musical. Here is a breakdown of the major components these musicals are built upon: The first: the story. Though people often want a story that is relatable to their own lives, interest towards a musical isn’t usually lost if the relatability is. “The Lion King” does not directly correlate to events that take place in our daily lives, and it doesn’t have to. We love it, and frankly, that’s enough. A story of love, of growing up, of
finding one’s place in the world — these are aspects of a musical that produce an audience’s devotion. All of these musicals in some way or another comment on the parts of a story that make us want more. The second: the music. Since the musical scores within all these shows are all different and unique, there isn’t one universal component that I can say leads to a musical’s success. The songs become popular and loved when people start to attach real emotions to them. There is something in the lyrics and music that has to hook an audience and for these “longest running musicals,” people have stayed hooked for years.
We need something that speaks truth. The third: the cast. The original cast of a musical is often credited with a huge portion of why a musical is so successful. And that makes sense. The relationships between characters and the emotions behind them are brought out through the cast. If people see those relationships and characters as genuine, they naturally “root” for them. Thus, the musical gains a following. The question at the heart of any musical is this: why should we care? When these musicals answer that question, people remain loyal. The heart of the story, the music, the people — it has to get us to a place where we care. We need something that speaks to the truth of what is in our world today. We
crave that from entertainment. If people watch a musical that is upbeat and lively, they might react saying, “yeah, that was fun.” Or reversely, with a drama, “that was sad.” We need something more, something gained or something learned. I think the musicals listed above get us there. Modern controversy behind popular musicals on Broadway today comes from a worry that many popular musicals are only successful because they are tied to a well-known film, book or character, which has “commercialized” the Broadway stage. These debates make it difficult to distinguish if there are specific elements that make a musical successful or if it is simply a result of the audience’s recognition of a familiar story, with praise that follows when it’s brought to the stage. I think by dwelling on concerns like these, we lose what makes a musical so magical. The reason that these musicals have gained support and praise is because a story (whether it comes from a book or movie or not), a musical score and a talented cast have come together and brought these elements to life. The audience is captivated by what they see in front of them, and they’re taken to a different place — a different world. They leave the show in awe of what they witnessed and eager for more. If a musical has produced reactions like these, it deserves a following.
Kadian is trying to get tickets for ‘Hamilton.’ To donate, email bkadian@umich.edu.
the b-side
4B — Thursday, March 17, 2016
FILM COLUMN
Entering deeper into ‘The Room’ S
poilers for ‘The Room’ follow. This weekend, scores of moviegoers, myself included, will line up at the State Theatre for the annual midnight showing of the 2003 film “The Room.” We will be treated to 100 minutes of a JAMIE cinematiBIRCOLL cally incongruous, confused anomaly of a film. During this spectacle — which features plot points that arise only to be dropped immediately following their mention, several anatomically ignorant sex scenes in the first 30 minutes and a medley of football-tossing shenanigans — we will laugh, we will hurl both insults and plastic spoons at the screen and we will toss footballs. This is all a ritual honoring the cult classic film that many regard as the king of worst films ever. I’ve never seen “The Room” in a theater, and so I look forward to partaking in the shared experience of mocking and interacting with director-producer-writer-star Tommy Wiseau’s widely regarded fiasco of a film. And it’s very, very easy to mock. “The Room” very deliberately breaks all of the rules of cinema at every angle: a script that defies the bounds of the English language, camera movements that ignore the established setting (for example an effortless swipe left through what should be a wall), a complete lack of character direction so that characters appear and vanish at Wiseau’s will, overdubbed dialogue that doesn’t quite match up the movements of the mouth, etc. “The Room” doesn’t do just most things badly — it does everything badly. But to dissect every single problem the film has is best reserved for actually viewing the film. After all, that’s where much of the fun is. I’d rather try something more interesting and take a stab at analyzing Wiseau’s vision, if he even has one. No director, even if they’re the insane, probably stranded extraterrestrial that is Tommy Wiseau, sets out to deliberately destroy every accepted convention in film and achieve that destruction so successfully. “The Room” had a point, and it is perhaps worth examining what that point is. An appropriate one-sentence summary I found for the film reads, “A happy-go-lucky banker sees his world fall apart when his friends begin to betray him one by one.” The banker, Johnny, is friendly, caring and honest and treats his fiancée, Lisa, to expensive gifts and frequent sex in what appears to be Lisa’s navel. This apparently solid relationship begins to unravel when Lisa decides she no longer loves Johnny and begins a passionate affair with Johnny’s best friend Mark. Ultimately the love triangle leads
to a series of confrontations that result in tragedy. This series of unfortunate events ignites 10 minutes into the film when Lisa’s mother Claudette comes to visit her daughter. Lisa tells her mother about her change of heart about Johnny, that he is “so … boring.” Claudette responds with an argument that switches between reminders of Johnny’s love and acknowledgements of Johnny’s wealth. Johnny, she says, “supports you, provides for you, and, darling, you can’t support yourself,” and “his position is very secure. And he told me he plans to buy you a house.” Lisa responds to her mother with reluctant acceptance, her face smoldering with disappointment. With this telling first encounter, we come to realize that Lisa has been pigeonholed into the position of housewife. Her mother clearly views her as inept and incapable of fulfilling any role that is not as a sex object. And it is clear this is the role Johnny desires for his fiancée; that the very first meeting we see of this couple is their navel coitus, ended only by Johnny’s leaving for work, establishes Johnny as breadwinner and Lisa as concubine. Compounding this relationship, which is reminiscent of 1950s values, with the obvious age difference between Johnny and Lisa (Johnny’s face bears the marks of a grizzled, hardened Vietnam vet and contrasts with Lisa’s sprightly 23 year-old visage), we come to understand that Johnny and Claudette represent the old world while Lisa embodies the generation that came of age either just before or just after September 11. Yes, “The Room” is a study of the expectations and limitations of two warring generations, vying for dominance in this post-9/11 America. Johnny and Claudette embody the Old World, and adhere to the old order with which they grew up and have lived for some time. Lisa, by contrast, personifies the new generation that sees how the Old World has failed to nurture its citizens and has repressed the young to elevate the established. Now the new generation, as Lisa says, “wants it all” and looks to upend the old — in cheating on Johnny, Lisa rebels against the Old World. Every scheme she concocts — creating a fake pregnancy and claiming Johnny has become abusive, while simultaneously defending and even glorifying him — mocks the old system and furthers her utter dismantling of it. And it seems others too are shifting away from the Old World, as evidenced by Johnny’s encounter at the flower shop. “Oh hi Johnny, I didn’t know it was you,” the store owner says, despite the fact that 1) Johnny is evidently her favorite customer and 2) it is impossible not recognize a face that looks like Wormtongue from “Lord of the Rings” but was left just a little too long in the kiln. Indeed, society is leaving Johnny behind. At the heart of this struggle between Old and New is Mark, torn by his friendship with Johnny and his equally powerful
attraction to Lisa. Mark writhes under the weight of his actions, reaching his peak frustration when he very deliberately attempts to throw one of his friends off a building, only to schizophrenically and immediately revert back to his normal, amiable self. Each encounter between Mark and these two other indomitable forces draws him further into the fray, tugging at his loyalties whether through games of catch in the park with Johnny or sex with Lisa; it is the battle for Mark’s soul that provides the beating heart of this story. The final confrontation between Johnny and Mark, a fistfight at a surprise birthday party for Johnny, solidifies Mark’s rejection of Johnny and the Old World. Johnny, despondent and tortured by remembrances of all he has lost, destroys his apartment and everything in it — the physical markers of his broken, capitalist system. “Why? Why is this happening to me?” he beckons, only to realize, “It’s over.” He puts a loaded gun in his mouth and pulls the trigger. And so the two symbols of the Old World, Johnny and Claudette, are destroyed — Johnny by his own hand and Claudette by her inevitable demise due to the breast cancer that she mentioned in passing at one point. His body positioned cross-like, recalling the Christ, Johnny must die for the building of a new world. What that world brings is uncertain. Perhaps Mark and Lisa will build a life together — despite his insisting she “drop off the Earth, that’s a promise” (whatever that means), Mark stays with Lisa to comfort her and Denny, Johnny’s creepy ward — perhaps they won’t. Perhaps Denny will learn from Johnny’s mistakes, or perhaps he’ll embrace the murderer inside him that is clearly seeping from just below the surface. The aftermath simply cannot be known. What is known is almost every scene in “The Room” begins with someone entering a space, and ends with someone leaving it, and if that is not symbolism then I do not know what is: our time in a space, in a room, is finite, just as a ruling system begins and will eventually break under its own weight. How we perceive usurper and usurped depends on our positions within that system, but the system will certainly, one day, fall. Destruction is the thematic core of “The Room,” mirrored in Wiseau’s destruction of every convention of film. What I previously described as problematic bad cinema might actually be Wiseau dismantling the old for something new. How we view “The Room” — as a comedy of errors or as a critical anti-film — speaks to an artistic vision, or megalomaniacal vision. Choosing which option is a privilege I leave to you, lest you be otherwise torn apart.
Bircoll can’t be melted by jet fuel. To confirm, email jbircoll@umich.edu.
SINGLE REVIEW Weddings are often viewed as a joyous celebration of eternal monogamy, but for British singer Natasha Khan (aka ABat for Lashes) In God’s they can be House extremely harrowing. Bat for Lashes This duality imbued within marriage acts as the emotional core of her new song “In God’s House” from her upcoming concept album, The Bride. From just one listen, you can hear Khan agonizing with fear as she waits for her groom to get to the church, only to discover that he will never show up. A bewitching, mystical synth-
pop track, “In God’s House” is one of Khan’s most ambitious and emotionally stirring works to date. Its ethereal synths glisten and propel Khan’s masterful, vulnerable vocals, which swing effortlessly from a gentle whisper to a shrieking cry. “Through this veil they can’t see / The fog of death unveil me,” Khan sings woefully, almost as if the world is slowly closing on her. But the most heartbreaking moment comes when Khan realizes that her lover has been killed by a fire, repeating the word “fire” until she can no longer catch her breath. In a sense, “In God’s House” is a tonally opposite counterpart to last month’s single “I Do,” which offers a much more
light-hearted narrative on Khan’s hapless bride through a swooping harp instrumental and lyrics that reflect her giddy optimism on her wedding day. Both songs are like two sides of the same playing card: “I Do” saw Khan ruminating anxiously and excitedly over nuptial commitment, whereas “In God’s House” found her searching for answers on the verge of an emotional breakdown. Entrenched within the nuances of marriage, Khan understands that where there’s happiness, there’s also darkness. If “I Do” is the sweet, rosy prologue to a wedding, then “In God’s House” is the nightmarish climax with an uneasy, ambiguous resolution. - SAM ROSENBERG
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
MUSIC NOTEBOOK
GOOD MUSIC
A spooky handshake.
Desiigner’s theft of Atlanta trap music By HARRY KRINSKY For the Daily
I can only imagine what the conversation between Kanye West and 19-year-old rapper Desiigner sounded like where Kanye told Desiigner he was sampling Desiigner’s viral hit, “Panda,” on The Life of Pablo. ’Ye also signed Desiigner to his record label GOOD Music — an impressive endorsement and a sign that Desiigner is here to stay, at least for a little while. However, before we throw Desiigner into the growing pool of innovative new-school rappers, it’s important to take a long look at his musical roots. Probably the most quotable line in “Panda” is the first one. Desiigner raps, “I got broads in Atlanta / Twisting dope, lean, and the Fanta.” Desiigner references Atlanta in his lyric, but more palpable is the iconic Atlanta sound Desiigner emulates. He raps with timely Young Thugesque adlibs sprinkled in and a low, almost apathetic, drawl that is so much more Future’s than it is Desiigner’s. (Desiigner’s sound is so similar to that of Future’s that when Desiigner’s chorus comes onto Kanye’s “Freestyle 4,” even after the hundredth listen I can’t help but think, “Are we sure that isn’t Future?”). The bitter irony, and maybe a microcosm of Desiigner’s problem, is that he has
never been to Atlanta. The rapper so easily compared to Atlanta’s heaviest rap hitters has lived his entire life in Bed Stuy Brooklyn (A neighborhood graced with its own set of rap legacies). Rap music has always tiptoed the fine line between inspiration and theft. (Just throw on Guerilla Black’s “Compton,” close your eyes and try to convince yourself you’re not listening to an unreleased Biggie track.) But Desiigner seems like an extreme example. “Panda” sounds like a focus group tested version of a Future mixtape track. “Future, mumble a little less, let’s make the snare clap a little harder, and while we’re at it, MORE ADLIBS.” Regardless, “Panda” is a great song. It’s Future, subtly contorted and twisted for a more pleasing pop sound. It replaces the doldrums of codeine addiction and depression with simple lyrics about cars and money (and pandas). It’s also plagiarism. A few years ago Drake was forced to pay rapper Rappin’ 4 Tay $100,000 for stealing the Bay Area legend’s verse, tinkering with it slightly and putting it on YG’s “Who Do You Love.” Rappin’ 4 Tay rapped “I got a ho named Reel-to Reel. She got a buddy named SP 12, now you know the deal. We gets freaky in the studio late night, that’s why the beats that you hear coming real tight.” While a red-handed Drizzy rapped “I got a shorty name Texas Syn. She got
a buddy named Young JB and now you know the deal. We turnt up in the studio late night. That’s why the songs that you hear are comin’ real tight.” That is, and will always be, plagiarism. How different is Rappin’ 4 Tay’s case compared to Future’s though? Sure, I can’t as plainly put in words the plagiarism of Desiigner’s work, but listen to any Future song and any Desiigner song and the similarities are undeniable. What makes a lyric any more integral to the song than the tone or the style? Why can anybody and their mother hop on a Metro Boomin’ beat and mumble like Future, but if they steal a lyric they’re a hack? There’s probably no definitive answer for why Desiigner hasn’t caught too much flack for his subtle plagiarism. It might be because the GOOD Music moniker gives Desiigner temporary immunity from rap criticism. It might be that I have jumped the gun, and once “Panda” moves from “popular” to “overplayed” the criticism will come. My guess, though, is that people just don’t care about plagiarism in rap that doesn’t have to do with lyrics. Just look at Kanye, who’s made an entire career out of coordinated rap curation. I love “Panda,” but I’m skeptical about how far Desiigner can go riding on the coattails of a city he’s never been to.
MUSIC VIDEO REVIEW Our hearts are broken, his heart is broken — we’re all broken. By leaving Vampire BWeekend Gravity — one of the most Don’t essential Pull Me millennial bands to ROSTAM surface since Arcade Fire — Rostam Batmanglij, the band’s former producer, ensured that. But he wants to move on, and we’ll hear him out. His latest single, whether deliberate in that association or not, stays in the field of separation and heartbreak, as ROSTAM attempts to make a name for himself beyond Vampire Weekend. The music video for “Gravity Don’t Pull Me” succeeds in this far better than its predecessors. While “EOS,” “Don’t Let it Get to You” and “Wood” could all feasibly be worked into his former band’s sound, this is ROSTAM’s first track on which he gives a true argument that he can flourish as an individual, not simply as support for an absorbing frontman or woman — at least production-wise. Where his first solo works each struggled at times to carry themselves through the whole track, giving a sense of unrealized potential, “Gravity Don’t Pull Me” turns and spins start to finish, maintaining the energy. The tail-end of the track evolves into a consuming synth reminiscent of the elusive electronic artist Jai Paul, and it features some of ROSTAM’s most captivating solo work yet. Lyrically, though, ROSTAM still lags. His songwriting is basic and straightforward, a
XL RECORDINGS
strong contrast to Vampire Weekend frontman Ezra Koenig’s complex witticisms and intricate tales. “Gravity Don’t Pull Me” gives itself away clearly: “And the worst way I ever felt / Was from this same boy that I still miss / Cause I messed it up / And it broke my heart.” Still, it’s a strong enough message to complete the track and add some emotion while it’s at it. The video that accompanies the track reflects the lyrics — stripped-down, straightforward and occasionally interesting. ROSTAM enters our view singing into a mic and spends the rest of the video doing just that. The true driving force behind this video is the dancers, Jack Grabow and Sam Asa Pratt. Their compelling choreography, peaking when their mirrored movements become nearly indecipherable from one another, captures the pop sensibility of the track and the longing that its words divulge. The camerawork and the visual effects speckled throughout add traces, making sure not to interfere too much. The video, however, suffers from the same problem his prior releases did: unrealized potential. The best moments,
when the song, dance and effects are most in-sync, are too often disrupted or tabled for more scenes of ROSTAM at the mic. It’s understandable that he wants the focus on himself for a change, but it’s too jarringly generic against the backdrop of the track and the dancers. When the video ends with ROSTAM walking slowly away from the stand, it’s difficult to shake off a feeling of hackneyed millennial cheesiness. One commenter aptly notes, “This is the most New York thing I’ve ever seen,” and while for that I would direct readers to Matt and Kim’s “Daylight” video, the specter of New York is clear. The dancers are dressed in all black, there’s a grimy white wall, a fashionable looking rain-jacket and a general sense that everyone involved in this video lives in Brooklyn. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. But for an artist trying his best to establish his own, ROSTAM risks succumbing to his affiliations when he needs to transcend them most. “Gravity Don’t Pull Me” is a step in the right direction. It’s still just a step. - MATT GALLATIN