2016-09-15

ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM

Thursday, September 15, 2016

Ann Arbor, Michigan

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Stories in the city The B-Side explores the Kerrytown Book Festival, and the patrons, publishers and authors who come to it.

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ACADEMICS

Ross plans to modify admissions procedures PAUL AHNN/Daily

Business school will no longer use regular application process

The State Theater sits closed Wednesday as it prepares for months-long renovations.

Iconic State Theatre closes for renovations, set to reopen in 2017 The Ann Arbor venue will get a facelift for its seventy-fifth anniversary KEVIN BIGLIN

Daily Staff Reporter

After nearly being converted into office space, the State Theatre and all of its art deco grandeur will be properly restored and renovated over the next eight to 12 months

in order to better serve the community, right on time for its 75th anniversary in 2017. In the meantime, the theater will be closed. Renovations began Tuesday. The State Theatre was purchased by the Michigan Theater in 2014 to preserve

and protect Ann Arbor’s movie exhibition business, and has been dedicated to showing arthouse films since. The theater is renowned for its high-style art deco cinema, designed by C. Howard Crane in 1942 and Crane’s facade, classic marquee, entrance and lobby,

as well as the restrooms, are parts of the restoration efforts to come. The restoration will be funded by a capital campaign the State and Michigan project, operated by the Michigan Theater Foundation. Russ Collins, executive See STATE, Page 3A

TIMOTHY COHN Daily Staff Reporter

Starting in the fall 2017 semester, the Ross School of Business will no longer offer the option for prospective undergraduate students to apply through a regular admissions process after they’ve already enrolled at the University of Michigan. Instead, applicants will have the option of applying through the preferred admissions process as high school seniors or through the normal transfer application process for students already studying at the University of Michigan or at other college

institutions. According to the Ross website, under the new system 500 students will be admitted to Ross as high school students and enroll during the first semester of their sophomore year through the preferred admissions application following the Fall semester of 2017. This pre-admissions system, which currently accounts for roughly 20 percent of Ross students is slated to increase exponentially to 80 percent of all students per year once the regular admissions application is replaced. Lynn Wooten, senior associate dean for student and academic See ROSS, Page 2A

Feasibility of higher education reform University In Flint, Trump is plans questioned by Michigan officials considers Debt-free college proposals would require investment from states

GOVERNMENT

greeted by skepticism Republican nominee interrupted during remarks on Clinton LYDIA MURRAY Daily Staff Reporter

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump visited Michigan for the second time this month Wednesday, when he toured a water treatment facility in Flint. During the trip, Trump also visited Bethel United Methodist Church and met with Rev. Faith Green Timmons and other community members. Trump’s trip to Flint — a primarily Black community which was affected by a major public health crisis after its water supply was contaminated with lead in 2015 — follows a recent theme in his campaign of attempts to reach out to minority voters. In his Sept. 3 visit to Detroit, he attended a gathering at a Black church and was interviewed by Bishop Wayne T. Jackson, the Great Faith Ministries International congregation leader. Even before he made it to Flint Wednesday, however, some residents were not enthused. Flint Mayor Karen Weaver — who has endorsed Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton — did not encourage the visit, charging that Trump did not reach out to See TRUMP, Page 3A

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SUSTAINABILITY

LYDIA MURRAY Daily Staff Reporter

Higher education reform has been a hot topic this election season — particularly for Democrats. As opponents in the Democratic primary, now-Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders (D–VT) lauded their two separate proposals of debtfree and tuition-free college, respectively. Several states already offer free college plans at certain institutions including Maryland, New York, Colorado, Connecticut, California, Pennsylvania, Missouri and Kentucky. However, no such plans have come into fruition in the state of Michigan. As the current system stands, students must take out loans or receive grants on a federal level. With higher education reform, the overarching plans come from the national level, but state support would still be required, particularly from the governor’s office, if they were to be fully implemented. In Michigan, it is unclear how gubernatorial support would play out. In 2011, Gov. Rick Snyder cut state funding for higher education by 15 percent, on trend with decreasing support for higher education during several years prior. Snyder’s office did not respond to request for comment on his administration’s willingness to

work toward debt-free plans. Nonetheless, after 2018, Snyder will no longer be in office due to term limits. Depending on when higher education reform is implemented, the state may be under different leadership. Additionally, lack of state support does not translate into lack of support from voters. Debt Free vs. Tuition Free In the primaries, Sanders saw massive support from students and young people, many of whom viewed his higher education plan as the best for their needs. In July, after Clinton became

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the presumptive Democratic nominee, the two worked together to expand Clinton’s New College Compact so that it encompassed more of Sanders’ ideas, including making tuition at public colleges free for students with families who earn less than $125,000 per year. Clinton’s debt-free plan as it stands now promises that all students will be able to graduate from a public institution within their state without taking out loans for tuition, books or fees. This guarantee requires that students contribute by way of at least 10 hours of earnings per

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work week and their families make a reasonable contribution based on income. Sanders’ plan was largely similar to Clinton’s, however, it went further in order to allow public universities to be tuition free for all in-state students. Even after Sanders’ departure from the presidential race and Clinton’s sizable expansion of her college plan, some of those whose votes were influenced by higher education reform are not fully satisfied. Collin Kelly, the chair of the See REFORM, Page 3A

ILLUSTRATION BY MIRANDA RIGGS

INDEX

Vol. CXXV, No. 135 ©2016 The Michigan Daily

addition of new school

Proposed college would allow students to study sustainable practices RACHEL COHEN Daily Staff Reporter

For the first time in more than three decades, a new school is in the works for the University of Michigan. The new college, suggested tentatively named the School of Sustainability, Environment and Society, would replace the School of Natural Resources and the Environment. Modifications to the Program in the Environment and the Graham Sustainability Institute are slated to take place within the next year. In fall 2015, University Provost Martha Pollack asked an external review committee to evaluate the University’s programs in sustainability, leading to the current plan for a new school. James Holloway, vice provost for Global Engagement and Interdisciplinary Academic Affairs, said the external committee found there is greater opportunity for the University to lead in the field of sustainability by bringing together and integrating its major sustainability programs. Holloway said programs at the University are regularly reviewed See SUSTAIN, Page 3A

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News

2A — Thursday, September 15, 2016

ON THE DAILY As part of an almost $3 million grant from the National Science Foundation, Nancy Love, University of Michigan professor of civil and environmental engineering, and her team of researchers will be installing special waterless urinals and “sourceseparating” flush toilets in the G.G. Brown building on North Campus to direct all urine to a holding tank. The urine will eventually be used as fertilizer in the Matthaei Botanical Gardens. “We believe our work will take urine-derived fertilizer to a point where it’s safer than synthetic fertilizers and biosolids,” Love wrote in a press release. Love said the project is the largest endeavor to explore the technology, systems requirements and social attitudes associated with urinederived fertilizers. According to the press release, the technological innovation is the biggest challenge the team will face, as the team has doubts as to whether or not people will want to use fertilizer that

ROSS From Page 1A excellence at the Business School, emphasized in an interview with The Michigan Daily that the purpose of the change is to admit more students to Ross who have a demonstrated interest and talent for business through the preadmissions system. “Currently business is the number one intended major for students coming out of high school,” Wooten said. “Because of the high demand, more students are looking to be accepted before their freshman years at college. Therefore, in trying to eliminate the barrier for students to get into the business school, this change will give more students an opportunity to know if they will become Ross students right out of high school.” This shift in admissions policy is, in part, designed to resemble admissions at other elite business schools such as Indiana University and University of North Carolina —

comes from urine. “We can throw all the technology in the world at this problem and make no progress towards implementation unless the second area is advanced — and that’s the social behavior piece,” Love wrote in a press release. “We’re investigating the attitudes people hold towards the use of urine-derived

fertilizers and will be testing and evaluating educational interventions.” Rebecca Hardin, associate professor in the School of Natural Resources and Environment and researcher for the project, said while the research team is made up of grad students and professors, the origin of the project can be traced back to

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undergraduates. “The project arose, in part, through the dialogue fostered by a student driven forum,” the digital media platform ‘It’s Hot in Here,’ ” Hardin said. “A podcast produced over a year ago now was the first conversation about the potential of this project.”

Daily Staff Reporter

Michigan’s legislature is taking the next step to ensure that the state remains at the forefront of driverless car research. Last week, the Michigan Senate approved four bills looking to push forward autonomous vehicle research in the state. The package now moves from the Republican-controlled Senate, where it has been approved, to the House. The bill will allow for testing of the cars on 122 miles of roads throughout the state. If passed, the bill will also allow for the American Center for Mobility to redevelop the Willow Run Airport for more autonomous vehicle testing and research. “This opens everything — as long as you have everything working and you pass all the standards that we set forward,” Sen. Mike Kowall (R–White

The University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment index is near its pre-recession high.

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LSA sophomore Kevin Hinkle promotes Men’s Rowing by showcasing an eight person sweep boat in the Diag Wednesday.

something that some Ross students, like Business sophomore Arjun Prakash, welcomed. “I think it will make us more competitive against those schools especially.” Prakash, who was a pre-admit, wrote in an email. “If a student has an assured seat in the business program at, say, NYU Stern, he/she may not want to risk enrolling at Michigan with the chance of not getting admitted to Ross as a sophomore. I think the move will cause the university’s yield as a whole to increase, since students can choose Michigan with the full confidence that they will be studying the major they want.” In the past two years, Ross has already begun to expand their preferred admissions enrollment from 181 students in 2015 to 261 students in 2016. This change has also coincided with an expansion in class size from 580 students to 625 students between 2015 and 2016. Meanwhile, external transfer students accounted for 1% of incoming students in 2015. The other 473 were accepted through

the regular admissions process. Despite the increase in the number of pre-admits, the Business School will still be aiming to add 100 transfer students each year to the incoming class who are transferring from other colleges at the University, according to Wooten. Wooten also pointed to the importance of fostering academic diversity within the BBA program, emphasizing the need for individuals who have complimentary academic interests outside of business, as a benefit of increasing pre-admission. “By increasing the number of pre-admits, most of our incoming students will not have the concerns about being accepted and will feel more free to pursue different academic interests, not just what they think we want to see,” Wooten said. “And this is something that is very important to us; we want all of our students to be exploratory learners since we do consider Ross to be a liberal arts business school.” Prakash echoed Wooten’s

Lake), one of the bill’s sponsors, told the Detroit Free Press. Michigan is actively pushing to stay the top state for autonomous driving competing with states such as Florida, Arizona and California, also centers of development for selfdriving cars. Michigan is one of only seven states that allows testing autonomous cars in a public setting. Along with other research facilities strewn across the state, the University of Michigan has large stakes in this research as the host of Mcity: 32 acres on North Campus dedicated to testing the capabilities of driverless cars in association with the Michigan Department of Transportation. Mcity opened in July 2015 in collaboration with the University’s Mobility Transformation Center. The site is currently lead by corporate partners such as Ford, Toyota,

State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance and General Motors. It operates as a real-life setting for engineers to test and make their way toward completely autonomous cars. Engineers are currently working on a series of projects aimed at connecting cars to each other and to their environment. The new legislation has the potential to change the purpose and innerworkings of Mcity as research is moved beyond the “lab” and into a real world setting. However, the recent legislation has also garnered opposition from tech giants like Google. Google is now contesting the recent legislation, charging that the language of the bills exclude companies such as Google that are new to making cars. An MCity representative was unable to comment on the recent legislation.

sentiments, writing that he agreed that the preadmission program enables academic freedom during their freshman year. “Having the safety net of being a preferred admit certainly helped my general morale of being a freshman that wanted to study business.” Prakash wrote. “It allowed me to focus on extracurriculars and academic classes for my long-term benefit rather than a short-term admissions gain. I wasn’t afraid to take challenging computer science classes at the expense of lowering my GPA, and I strived for leadership because I really wanted it.” While the current regular admissions application mainly focuses on academic achievement in college, the preferred admissions application is designed to showcase student affinity and interest in business fields.

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REFORM From Page 1A University’s chapter of College Democrats, told the Daily he supports Clinton’s plan, as it helps the students who truly have need without overextending to provide aid to the wealthiest families who are capable of paying. “This is a reconciliation of Sen. Sanders’ original plan and her hesitation to allow supremely rich families, such as the children of Donald Trump for example, to benefit from free college when they don’t need it,” he said. “Her focus on debt free college, then, would increase affordability for students with financial need while still forcing those with greater means to pay full tuition.” On the flip side, Students for Sanders President Nick Kolenda argued that, despite the upsides to Clinton’s plan, tuition free remains the better alternative. According to Kolenda, the corresponding tax increase on the wealthy would act as a surrogate for paying tuition for those families and that making college entirely tuition-free would even the playing field for all students. Kolenda said he particularly finds issue with the requirement that, under Clinton’s plan, students must contribute through

STATE From Page 1A director of the Michigan Theater, said pledges to fund the restoration c urrently total $6.2 million out of the $8.5 million needed to complete the campaign, with most of the funds coming from donations by private citizens. “We’re about halfway through the project,” Collins said. “We’ve raised about three quarters of the total needed to complete the project. The last two million will be toughest to raise. The vast majority of it (donations) are from private citizens and local foundations.” Renovations officially began Tuesday, following a special event with donors and members of the Michigan Theater, the State and Michigan Project leadership committee — headed by co-chairs Judy Dow Rumelhart and Ambassador Ronald N. Weiser — campaign co-chairs Martha Darling and Gil Omenn and Ann Arbor Mayor Christopher Taylor, making the ceremonial first deconstruction of some of the brick outside the State Theatre. “We are thrilled this evening to formally announce the State and Michigan Project: our campaign to renovate the State Theatre and to make critical capital improvements to our beloved Michigan Theater,” said Hillary Murt, the Michigan Theater Foundation chair. For many students, such as LSA seniors Kat Johnson and Eric Grant, the State Theatre closing temporarily is bittersweet — because though they cannot attend any shows at their favorite local venue during their final school year, it’ll be a better experience for them in the future.

SEPTEMBER 18 SEPTEMBER 22

TRUMP From Page 1A her about the tour. In a statement Tuesday, Weaver criticized Trump’s visit as purely for publicity. “Flint is focused on fixing the problems caused by lead contamination of our drinking water, not photo ops,” she said. She added that the water plant employees “cannot afford the disruption of a last-minute visit.” According to the Detroit Free Press, prior to Trump’s arrival, several dozen people gathered

work earnings that could be put to better use. “Requiring low-income students to work a job to stay tuition-free when other students can work a job for extra cash or savings will keep low-income family students in a game of catch-up,” he said. “If we make it tuition-free, then even students from low-income families can save up money.” The other aspect of both plans is debt refinancing for those with existing loans. Sanders’ plan calls for across the board interest rate cuts for all borrowers, while Clinton’s includes incomebased plans, which would allow borrowers to specify their repayments based on their current income. With Clinton’s plan for the state of Michigan, up to 89 percent of families would have the option for tuition-free college. The Clinton campaign estimates that by 2021, 151,000 students would come from families who make less than $125,000, making them eligible for free tuition. State Contribution Regardless of the higher education reform plan’s structure, if implemented the plan’s success would depend on the degree to which state governments cooperate. State contribution is essential to Clinton’s plan, but this may prove difficult in states that have heavily disinvested in higher education. In Michigan, the national

“I’m happy that they’re doing renovations,” Grant said. “But also I’m really jealous and kind of angry that this is my last year here.” Johnson said she has been seeing a film at the State every month since she was a freshman. She has gotten to know people better, such as Grant, by attending midnight premieres at the State with them. “I think it’s a great way to bring students into film, overall,” Johnson said. “I think the State’s role is pulling young people into movies.” Both agreed that the art house experience is unique to the State. When it comes to choosing what films to show, they said the State does a good job curating their titles to not just include the next big movie. “It’s just this classic art house, midnight movie kind of place,” Grant said. “You just go there to see a movie and experience that kind of art house feel.” Collins said he recognizes students love to go to movies to take a break from school, and hopes the long-term benefits of the project outweigh the current construction. Overall, he said the two theaters combined offer a unique opportunity for students to enjoy art films while they are on campus. “The purpose of the Michigan and State Theatre is to present cinema not only as a fun enjoyable thing to do but as a vital cultural resource,” Collins said. “Having a diversity of cinema — the kind of cinema you might see in a big city — that’s the kind of thing that a university town likes. A very sophisticated, educated, town and university like the University of Michigan like this kind of thing. So many places just don’t have these specialty movie theaters.”

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outside of the plant to protest his visit, criticizing Trump for what they described as the insincerity of his visit. This sentiment remained throughout Wednesday. During Trump’s remarks, Rev. Faith Green Timmons interrupted Trump when he began to talk about Clinton, saying, “Mr. Trump, I invited you here to thank us for what we’ve done in Flint, not to give a political speech,” according to the Free Press. Trump responded to the interruption by saying he would return to the subject of Flint and continued his speech on helping solve the city’s problems. “I can only say in the strongest

trend of disinvestment has been clearly reflected by years of funding cuts culminating in a significantly larger 15-percent cut in 2011. Since 2011, funding has slowly increased, with the most recent state budget bringing aggregate funding back to pre2011 levels. Under Clinton’s plan, states will be required to maintain their current level of contribution and to implement a large scale reinvestment over time — but some lawmakers are skeptical of this. State Rep. Adam Zemke (D– Ann Arbor) remains critical of the current legislature’s ability to reinvest in higher education on the level needed for Clinton’s plan to function well. However, he added he believes Clinton’s proposal is missing the details needed to accurately predict its success if implemented. “There would need to be a fairly substantial increase in support from the federal government,” Zemke said. “And you would have to have people who are in charge of the state who would be willing to prioritize this and we have not seen that out of the Republican majority.” State Sen. Tonya Schuitmaker (R–Kent County), who chairs the Higher Education Committee, agreed with Zemke on the need for additional details but appeared more optimistic on the legislature’s ability to reinvest in higher education.

SUSTAIN From Page 1A by external committees, but it has been particularly important for the sustainability programs in recent years. “I think the provost analyzed that this was a really good time to have a look at sustainability programs in this space, because when you look forward to the 21st century, sustainability is a key issue for human societies.” Holloway said. “So it was just good timing to do that review.” Soon after the external review, Holloway said an internal committee, the Committee on Academic Programs in Environment and Sustainability, was tasked with the challenge of creating a more integrated structure within the sustainability programs and it delivered its recommendations on how to do so in the spring of 2016. “(The Internal Committee’s) report in the spring of 2016 proposed a structure to create greater synergy and integration among our sustainability work,” Holloway said. “Within that report was the proposal for a new school that would address global sustainability challenges at the intersection of environment and society and that would do research and teaching and civic engagement in that space.” Arun Agrawal, a co-chair of the Committee on Academic Programs in Environment and Sustainability and professor at the current Natural Resources and Environment School, said currently University faculty work on a wide range of issues on how to achieve greater sustainability, but there is a need for greater coordination between the faculty and students, leading to the desire for a new school. “Most of this coordination happens in a very decentralized way, and there’s not that much coordination that happens,” Agrawal said. “So one talk would be that if we had a central unit or core location which would both track what was going on around the University and provide information to everybody in it and which could also provide some support for coordination, that would be to the

of terms that we can fix this problem, it’s going to take time, it’s amazing the damage that’s been done,” Trump said, according to the Detroit News. “But we’ll get it fixed and … it will be fixed quickly and effectively and Flint will come back. Most importantly, we’ll bring jobs back to Flint.” The Michigan Republican Party fired back at the idea that the candidate’s interest was not about Flint’s residents during his visit with a statement, charging that Clinton used the city as a political tool during the primary season and no longer cares about the city. Clinton visited the city in February; her daughter Chelsea made a stop

“As with many broad, complex policy changes, the answer is in the details. How a federal debt-free college plan would impact state funding for higher education would depend largely on how it is implemented,” she wrote in an email to the Daily. “I have made reinvesting in higher education a priority for several years.” The University The University of Michigan has continuously increased tuition over the past several years. Since 2003, in-state tuition has nearly doubled from $3,434 per semester to $6,928. The University points to the disinvestment from the state in higher education to explain this jump in student costs. However, in the same time frame, tuition revenue has increased by 135 percent, adding $802 of costs to tuition when discounting the University’s loss of state funding. Director of Public Affairs Rick Fitzgerald explained these increases in an email to the Daily in June as reflecting the increasing quality of the University. “The cost of running the University rises each year in part from inflation and in part from new initiatives and investments in technology and all the things that make U-M a world-class university,” he wrote. This sentiment was also reflected at the Board of Regents meeting in June — when the

benefit of both the University and its faculty and its students, most importantly.” Deborah Goldberg, another co-chair of the Committee on Academic Programs in Environment and Sustainability and professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, said the new school will be interdisciplinary and aims to bring faculty of different academic backgrounds together through the use of disciplinary clusters and sustainability themes. “We would have these disciplinary clusters that would be a critical mass of people in a particular area that you need.

Thursday, September 15, 2016 — 3A most recent tuition increase was approved — during which several regents expressed their belief in the need to increase funding in order to improve the University’s educational offerings. Paul Courant, professor of economics and a former provost, noted concerns about the quality of education the University would be able to provide if it cannot make the same level of revenue from tuition. “You can make tuition very low if you are not buying very much with it, but actually we buy a lot with tuition. We have a first rate faculty, excellent laboratory facilities and all manner of support for students in a variety of areas and tuition is one of the sources that covers these things,” he said. “If we have to be debt free and the state and federal government cannot come up with enough money that we normally generated from tuition then there will have to be an adjustment made on what the education itself is.” Courant maintained throughout that it is difficult to conjecture costs without knowing how much the state and federal government will contribute. University Provost Martha Pollack echoed Courant, saying she does not wish to comment on Clinton’s plan until more details are provided. “I’m just not prepared to speak to that one yet,” she said. “There’s

and again we heard ‘I work on this and I know there are people working on a similar question in another school but I don’t have a good way to meet them.’ ” In addition to the new school being more interdisciplinary, the committee also suggested the new school, the Graham Sustainability Institute and the Program in the Environment have more synergy. Goldberg said the Program in the Environment, a current undergraduate program in LSA, will undergo some changes so that it is co-owned by the new school and LSA, as well as any other schools or colleges that would like

to participate. “What we recommended and what my understanding of what the provost is working on is a jointly owned program by LSA and the new school. Students would still be admitted to LSA, they would major in the program and still remain LSA students and have a joint degree between LSA and the new school,” Goldberg said. She added that if, for example, a student in the College of Engineering wanted to participate in the program, they would have a joint degree in Engineering and the new school. Don Scavia, director of the Graham Sustainability Institute, said the main changes that will take place for the Institute is in its governance structure. “What we had up until now was a Dean’s Council that had

about 10 different deans on it, that was giving advice to the Institute as we were building and growing over time,” Scavia said. “What we’re doing at this point is transitioning that from an advisory group into a governance board. It will be composed of deans or their representatives from LSA, from the new school, Engineering, Public Health, Public Policy, and Taubman and Business. It will be co-chaired by the vice provost and the dean of the new school.” Scavia said this new format will allow the Institute to work more closely with the schools. “What this will do is give us a much stronger connection to the schools in general and this board will be overseeing the overall direction of the program,” he said. Scavia said the changes to the Institute are occurring this fall, and after he steps down as director in December, a new director for the Institute will start in January. Agrawal said some of the other recommendations in the report are already being implemented, while others may take more time to come to fruition. Currently, a search committee appointed by Pollack is in the process of finding a dean, whih is slated to take up to a year. After the dean is chosen, he or she will have more say in faculty searches, and there will be more progress on the actual curriculum of the programs. Other decisions, such as the new name and the mission statement, should be decided within the next six months. Holloway said he hopes the University will be recognized as the best in the field of sustainability because of its future interdisciplinary work. “Sustainability for human activities isn’t about any one discipline, it’s truly interdisciplinary. It’s about bringing disciplines together to look at issues from a science perspective, a policy perspective, a humanistic perspective,” Holloway said. “And so I think what we’re hoping to see going forward is that the University of Michigan will be recognized as the key player in sustainability because we can bring together expertise in so many different areas and so many disciplines.”

speaking slot at the Democratic National Convention in July. This is Trump’s first visit to the city, and the issue only briefly came up during a primary debate held in Detroit. However, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette spoke at the Republican National Convention, where he highlighted the issue. State Sen. Jim Ananich (D– Flint) defended Clinton in a press call prior to Trump’s visit, saying she is the candidate who has stood by the side of the city. “After first refusing to even comment on Flint when the crisis broke — and doing nothing for Flint families since then — Trump

now wants to fly into Flint for a photo-op,” he said. “This is in stark contrast to Hillary Clinton, who has been fighting for Flint residents. While Trump has failed to show up and offer to help, Hillary Clinton came to Flint months ago — right away — and offered her help to families affected by the water crisis.” Democrats also had a presence on Flint issues Wednesday — Weaver joined U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee (D–Flint), U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D–MI) and U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D–MI) for a press conference in D.C., urging federal legislators to continue to take action in Flint.

MARISSA ANDREOU/Daily

The Samuel T. Dana Building is home to the School of Natural Resources & Environment.

It might be in environmental chemistry, it might be in ecology, it might be in urban development, it might be in environmental engineering,” Goldberg said. “And then there would also be these sustainability themes, through water, transportation, whatever — again those could evolve — and that you would bring people together from those different disciplinary clusters to work on finding sustainable solutions to those themes.” She added that this idea would solve many of the concerns about a lack of unity mentioned at town hall meetings held by the committee last winter. “A lot of what we heard is we need to bring people together, to find mechanisms that would allow people from across campus to work together,” Goldberg said. “Again

there shortly after. “This blatant hypocrisy gives a free pass to Clinton, who hasn’t been to Flint since the Michigan primary ended. She scored political points on the backs of Flint residents, and now has moved on,” the statement read. “Meanwhile, Donald Trump is focused on finding ways to prevent tragedies like this from happening again.” During the primary season, the Flint water crisis emerged as a major issue for the Democratic party with attention from Hillary Clinton, Sen. Bernie Sanders (D– VT) and President Barack Obama, culminating in a primary debate in Flint. Weaver also received a

not yet a clear enough picture of what’s being proposed, what the government would provide, what would be required of the states. I don’t want to give you a stupid answer.” Elitism and Diversity Plans like Clinton’s and Sanders’s for increasing college affordability have also lead to concerns about increased elitism and decreased diversity at top institutions. The fear is that the prospect of free tuition would cause more prospective students to apply to top tier public universities over private ones. This in turn could cause lowerincome and minority students to resort to lower-quality universities or community colleges. At the University, there has been a push for increased diversity under University President Mark Schlissel’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion plan. In the state of Michigan, affirmative action was outlawed under Proposal 2, meaning the University must find alternative ways to increase minority enrollment. According to Courant, since the University already faces this issue, he does not believe Clinton’s plan would significantly impact current efforts. “That problem already exists,” he said. “There’s nothing in particular in this plan as I understand it that will make it more difficult — I expect it may be harder to find the money.”

Opinion

4A — Thursday, September 15, 2016

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

REBECCA TARNOPOL | OP-ED 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

Tobacco ordinance good in theory

O

n Aug. 4, Ann Arbor became the first city in Michigan to raise the minimum age to purchase tobacco from 18 to 21. This change was an effort by the Ann Arbor City Council to lower the rate of tobacco-related illnesses, combat rising smoking rates among adults and prevent access to tobacco among 15- to 17-year-olds. The ordinance states individuals under 21 won’t be punished for smoking tobacco products, but those who sell or give tobacco products or electronic smoking devices to underage individuals will face penalties. While the dangers of smoking are important to combat, this ordinance, because it contravenes a state law and didn’t fully consider public opinion, is f lawed. Raising the minimum age for purchasing tobacco products is beneficial from a public health perspective, but City Council should not have passed an ordinance that obviously contradicts the Tobacco Product Tax Act of 1993, a state law pertaining to the sale of tobacco products, which states 18-year-olds can legally purchase tobacco. What’s more, the council passed the ordinance without ever putting it on the ballot, and though voter turnout rates for city elections are traditionally low, failing to put this issue to the ballot likely resulted in reduced input from Ann Arbor residents. The city’s attempt to curb underage smoking does demonstrate a wellintentioned effort to improve public health, with some council members claiming the public health benefits of passing the ordinance outweigh the costs of infringing on individual liberties. Public health officials, who strongly supported the ordinance, charged that tobacco is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, making increasing the minimum age to 21 necessary on moral and financial grounds. Furthermore, tobacco is a social drug — young teens obtain access to these substances from older teens who they associate with. A lower minimum age on the purchase of tobacco creates a buffer between 15- to 17-year-olds and older teens who can legally purchase tobacco products. However, intentions aside, under the Tobacco Product Tax Act, local governments “shall not impose any new

requirement or prohibition pertaining to the sale or licensure of tobacco products for distribution purposes.” The city clearly acted outside its jurisdiction by passing this ordinance, demonstrating an overstep of municipal power. In addition, the council’s deliberate refusal to listen the voice of Ann Arbor’s community warrants criticism. Despite holding an open hearing on the issue — during which many Ann Arbor residents voiced their concerns with the issue — the city refused to include the ordinance on a public ballot. The hearing was also held in the summer, which may have been why most college students — the age group most affected by the law — were not present to speak on the bill. Though voter turnout in local elections tends to be very low, it serves as no excuse to bypass the democratic process. In passing this ordinance during the summer and without putting it on the ballot, the city government reneged on its duty as representatives of the public will. Though it’s beneficial from a public health standpoint to raise the age one can purchase tobacco, City Council should not have passed an ordinance that contradicts state law, and especially should not have done so without putting the issue to a vote. That being said, passing the ordinance has started an important conversation about the issue. If the ordinance produces the desired outcomes, it will signal to the state government that change is needed.

EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS Carolyn Ayaub, Claire Bryan, Roland Davidson, Regan Detwiler, Caitlin Heenan, Jeremy Kaplan, Ben Keller, Minsoo Kim, Payton Luokkala, Kit Maher, Madeline Nowicki, Anna Polumbo-Levy, Jason Rowland, Kevin Sweitzer, Rebecca Tarnopol, Ashley Tjhung, Stephanie Trierweiler

“

NOTABLE QUOTABLE

Roughly 550 million Muslim women on this earth pride themselves on wearing

the hijab. With this enormous number of

people, not a single space on the keyboard is reserved for them.

—Rayouf Alhumedhi and Jennifer 8. Lee, in a proposal to the Unicode Consortium suggesting the inclusion of a hijab-wearing emoji character

A different kind of language barrier

Over the summer, the Michigan House of Representatives approved a bill that would allow Michigan high school students to take computer science courses in lieu of foreign language courses. Michigan is not the first state to consider such legislation: Students in Florida and Texas can already elect to take a computer science course instead of a foreign language, and a handful of other states have considered adopting similar legislation. Computer science education is one of the most burning topics in academia today as the global economy becomes more and more dependent on computerliterate workers. Some of the nation’s largest school districts already have plans in place to implement computer science programs into their curricula in an effort to equip their students with highly valuable computer skills. However, computer science curricula should not supplant traditional foreign language curricula; in fact, this interchange would ultimately come to the detriment to the students’ learning experience, as computer science and foreign language teach students two different, albeit important, skill sets. The difference stems from the fact that computer languages are not natural languages. Unlike natural languages, no one innately picks up a computer language, nor does anyone speak it or use it to communicate with others. This is because languages like Java and CSS were not designed for this purpose; they were designed so humans can teach computers to think, instruct computers on what to do. Therefore, if someone learns to code, they learn a technical skill. Due to its nature as a technical skill, rather than a communicative skill, it’s much easier to achieve fluency in a computer language than it is to achieve fluency in a natural language. Unlike computer languages, which are

designed to be simple and precise, natural languages are chock full of ambiguity and nuance. Learners of a natural language must become familiar with things like synonyms, idioms, verb conjugations, tone and context clues — all of which are difficult to learn in a first language, let alone a second. Becoming competent in a foreign language therefore requires an immense amount of time, effort and critical thinking skills; fluency in a natural language can take years. Part of the reason fluency in natural languages is so hard to achieve is that language requires immersion — constantly engaging in conversation. Such a task is incredibly difficult for students to do on their own. (On the other hand, it’s not uncommon to hear about people teaching themselves to code.) Of course, there are resources available to learn foreign languages on your own, such as Duolingo or Rosetta Stone. However, these courses are either costly (Rosetta Stone costs $199 for a 2-year subscription) or do not facilitate the type of interaction necessary to truly get a firm grasp on the language. Classroom environments, especially those where the foreign language is the only language spoken during class, might be the only place a student can experience the type of interaction needed to acquire a second language. Whereas learning a computer language requires a student to learn the language’s syntax, foreign language courses encompass much more than some vocabulary words and a set of grammatical rules. Any good language course will weave in aspects of life in the countries where the language is spoken, giving students insight into cultures other than their own. Some of my best memories of the Hebrew courses I have taken were days where we cooked Israeli foods, watched Israeli films or discussed controversial topics that

were pertinent to the country’s social and political climate. Such subject matter allows students to gain awareness of what matters to people in other parts of the world, breeding empathy and a better understanding of how to approach conversation with others. Society often brushes aside interpersonal skills like communication and empathy, marking them as innate and therefore easy to acquire. But anyone who has taken a foreign lang uage course knows how hard it is to become proficient in a second lang uage, and these interpersonal skills make a working knowledge of a lang uage other than your own just as, or even more, advantageous in the global economy. After all, every job requires human interaction, and as society becomes more globalized, understanding not only the lang uage but also the sensitivities of other cultures becomes much more important in industry. To condemn the role that computer science plays in our world today would be ignorant, as it has applications in nearly every field, if not all fields. Should students be encouraged to take a programming course at some point in their academic career? Of course. Should high schools, or even the University of Michigan, require a programming course as a graduation prerequisite? Perhaps. But to offer or even encourage computer science courses as an alternative to foreign language courses would ultimately do a disservice to students. Technical skills can only get a student so far in their academic and professional careers. It is the interpersonal and critical thinking skills that are honed through courses like foreign language courses that will truly allow students to succeed in their professional life. Rebecca Tarnopol is a Senior Opinion Editor.

CONTRIBUTE TO THE CONVERSATION Readers are encouraged to submit letters to the editor and op-eds. Letters should be fewer than 300 words while op-eds should be 550 to 850 words. Send the writer’s full name and University affiliation to tothedaily@michigandaily.com.

M

y first visit to Ann Arbor was on April 4, 2015. Having recently been accepted to the University of JASON Michigan, my ROWLAND family decided to drive around for a bit before checking into our hotel room to familiarize ourselves with the campus. As we drove down State Street, we noted how crowded the campus looked. As we turned down South U, we marveled at how beautiful, yet dirty, the Law Quad was. It wasn’t until we turned down Tappan Avenue that it hit us. “What’s that smell?” my grandma asked. Unbeknownst to us, our blue minivan was weaving its way through the chaos of the 44th annual Hash Bash. I knew right away that Ann Arbor, and consequently the University of Michigan, was different. Choosing to attend Michigan would mean I’d finally be immersed in a progressive and inviting environment full of intellectually stimulating people and ideas. What I didn’t realize was that these experiences wouldn’t all be as accessible and open as Hash Bash — most times, these eye-opening experiences would have to be sought. Following the conclusion of freshman convocation, I walked over to the Universit y’s welcome picnic in front of Angell Hall. As my cursory scan of the lawn revealed what I’d already known — I recog nized no familiar faces — a terrible thought crossed my mind: I should’ve gone to Penn State. If I did, I could’ve roomed with high school friends and, at the very least, I wouldn’t be feeling so alone. But seeing as I’d chose Michigan, I was stuck in Ann Arbor for at least the next year. At this point, it would’ve been easy for me to retire to my room,

It gets better call some hometown friends and count down the days until Thanksgiving Break. But doing so would ensure that I’d miss out on the amazing opportunities available at this school. As unpleasant as it was not knowing anyone, robbing myself of the chance to grow by not spending time outside of my comfort zone would’ve been equally egregious. So, apprehensively, I went out to meet people. The rest of Welcome Week was spent exploring campus with new acquaintances, bonding over the mix of risible Universitysponsored events (such as a “Party for Your Mind” in the Shapiro Library) and not-quitesanctioned festivities around campus. Welcome Week turned into classes, and gradually, this feeling of isolation began to fade away. After a few weeks, I’d learned the campus layout and I was getting into the swing of my courses. This was finally the college of my high school imagination, I naively thought to myself. Yet again, I was wrong. Soon after classes started, various student organizations began accepting applications for new membership. While the University brags about the number of clubs it has on campus, it never says anything about how selective many of them are. Wanting to branch out and try new things, I applied to many clubs. However, it seemed every day I was opening my email to find ones that started with “Thank you for your interest in … ” and not “Congratulations.” This constant stream of rejections caused me to doubt whether or not I had what it took to thrive at this University. Additionally, I began feeling like I’d never find a close group of friends, only a loose group of acquaintances who happened to live near me. With everyone hyping up college to be the

best time of your life — coupled with looking at Snapchats and Instagram posts of high school friends who all seemed to be having an easier transition than I was — I thought I was the only one feeling these emotions. What I didn’t realize was that these were all normal feelings to have. However, I only came to this realization after continuing to push myself to socialize and explore my interests, even in the face of failure. One instance in particular stands out. I was in West Quadrangle’s game room chatting with some new acquaintances when one by one, people left to retire for the night. By the end of the evening, it was just me and one of my now-closest friends (but at the time, just a girl from my dorm). Though we’d just met, she went on about how she missed her friends and family back home in North Carolina. For the first time since arriving on campus, I heard someone else acknowledge how hard the transition was. Every other freshman, it seemed, was so eager to forget the past 18 years of their life. It was refreshing to hear at least one other person who felt the same as I did. Looking back, I wish I could tell my freshman year self to just keep on trying, and that, eventually, time would sort things out. I’d also tell myself that if I keep on joining clubs that seem interesting, I’d eventually finally find some that I love; and if I keep on trying to meet new people and strengthen the relationships I currently have, I’d finally get a solid group of friends. Most importantly, I’d tell myself to focus on enjoying my time at the University and in Ann Arbor. But since I can’t go back to tell myself these lessons, the best I can do is tell them to you. —Jason Rowland can be reached at jerow@umich.edu.

Sports

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Thursday, September 15, 2016 — 5A

MEN’S SOCCER

Borges returns to left back against Hoosiers By BRANDON CARNEY Daily Sports Writer

Marcello Borges may be listed on the Michigan men’s soccer team’s roster as a defender, but that’s only because the position “utility” isn’t an option. Borges has become a fixture in the Wolverines’ starting 11, but recently, the sophomore’s position in each match has been a guessing game. Michigan coach Chaka Daley has started Borges in a different spot in each of the previous four games he has started, and that trend continued for a fifth game Wednesday night, when he finally returned to his typical position at left back in the Wolverines’ 2-0 loss to No. 3 Indiana. “It’s always hard to keep switching positions and going back to playing your most natural position,” Borges said. “Even after a little bit of experience I still think I needed time to settle in, and I think that’s what happened for me today.” Due to injuries and inexperience on the rest of the roster, Borges began the season playing multiple attacking roles — including as a striker, central attacking midfielder and both wings. But despite his remarkable dribbling and crossing ability, Borges still looked somewhat uncomfortable, especially when trying to find the final touch in front of goal. The sophomore entered Wednesday night’s game leading the team with 14 shots, but had failed to convert any into the goals Michigan has desperately needed. Facing a tough test against the

Hoosiers’ dynamic attack, Daley made the decision to push Borges back to defense. For a majority of the match, Indiana attacked the flank opposite to Borges, who was successfully challenging any winger or midfielder that dribbled his way. “He’s a very dynamic player,” said senior defender Lars Eckenrode. “Both going forward and defending. He’s very strong, both-footed and, going forward, he helps us out a lot. Also, in the defensive end, he knows where to be tactically. He really knows the ins and outs of the position, and helps us out on both sides of the ball a lot.” It’s no surprise the Hoosiers were finding more success attacking the right side of the Wolverines’ defense away from Borges on Wednesday night. The sophomore defender is widely regarded as one of the best left backs in all of college soccer. Borges has been a key contributor on the United States U-20 National Team, already making eight appearances for the squad this calendar year. “Playing with the best players in the country, you learn something from them and they learn something from me,” Borges said. “Everything I learned there I can bring back to Michigan and teach the other guys.” With Michigan’s attack returning to full health, Borges

will likely have to resettle into his roll as a full back. But there were moments against the Hoosiers where the instinct he developed playing up front may have led to poor decisions at the back. Particularly on Indiana’s second goal, Borges was caught too far forward when a perfectly placed cross flew past him, exposing the Wolverines’ back line to the counterattack. Despite Borges’ error, he proved if there’s one area in Michigan’s attack that can consistently rely on the full back getting forward, it’s on set pieces. The Wolverines’ closest scoring chance came in the 35th minute, when Borges’ free kick connected with Eckenrode, whose header rung the crossbar. There may be opportunities in the future for Michigan to take advantage of Borges’ attacking ability, but he proved against the Hoosiers he can be best utilized at defense. Now that he understands what the Wolverines need to spark their attack, Borges could be essential in starting those chances from where he’s meant to be, back on the left side. “Playing in the back, you don’t understand what the guys in the front are going through,” Borges said. “Looking at them and seeing what they need help in from the back helped me gain a better understanding.”

“He really knows the ins and outs of the position.”

VOLLEYBALL

Freshman setter Welsh stepping up early for ‘M’ No. 23 Michigan relying on big contributions from young setter By AVI SHOLKOFF Daily Sports Writer

MacKenzi Welsh started opening night at Cliff Keen Arena as the only freshman on the floor for the Michigan volleyball team. Going from an average high school team to playing for the 23rd-ranked college team in the country was a wake-up call for the young setter. “It was terrifying,” Welsh said. “Other girls were coming in and playing, but I was the only freshman on the floor for the first three rotations.” But Welsh had trained for this moment for years, leading her club team — Sports Performance Volleyball — to two AAU National Championships in 2013 and 2015. And it helped that the Wolverines’ veteran players surrounded her in the lineup when she made her debut on Aug. 26. Welsh called the team’s atmosphere family-like and credits it for easing the transition for her and her fellow freshmen. “Ever since I was little, I’ve been looking up to (college volleyball players) and wanting to be a part of this kind of culture,” Welsh said Wednesday. “It’s been a longterm dream for me.” Growing up as an avid college volleyball fan in Bolingbrook, Ill., she and her family have traveled to the NCAA Final Four for the past 10 years. In 2012 — the most recent year

the Wolverines reached the tournament’s final weekend — Welsh sat in the front row of the stands in the KFC Yum! Center cheering for Michigan. It was extra special for Welsh as she saw her friend and former clubteammate — then-freshman outside-hitter Ally Davis — in action. Now, as the season progresses, Welsh is beginning to see her own dream come true. Welsh has started to develop specific strategies for passing to her outside hitters and middle blockers. She has succeeded with the help of her fellow passers and communication with players in the middle. “It makes it harder for the hitters if the pass is off the net because then I’m running around trying to throw something out there,” Welsh said. “Our passers are always working hard to make the best passes possible, to get hitters the best set they need.” Through nine games, her preparation has yielded strong results. Welsh has notched 293 assists and averaged 9.45 per game — both team highs. Last weekend, as the Wolverines competed in the Panther Invitational in Pittsburgh, Penn., Welsh tabbed 116 assists en route to earning a spot on the All-Tournament team. The tournament-team selection shows that Welsh continues to improve week after week — coming a long way since Michigan coach Mark Rosen

“It’s been a long-term dream for me.”

mentioned that the speed of the college game overwhelmed the freshman at the beginning of the season. “(Welsh’s) game is getting more mature,” Rosen said. “She’s getting more experience. She’s getting better understanding of what we want her to do and what we need her to do in our system.” With a tournament-team selection under her belt and sitting 12th in the Big Ten in assists per game, Welsh has had quite the start to her freshman year. But according to Rosen, the 6-foot-1 setter has even more untapped potential. “(She has) a long way to go,” Rosen said. “The ceiling’s not even close to her right now.” And given that she is the only freshman to have started all nine matches, that is quite the compliment.

“The ceiling’s not even close to her right now.”

BY THE NUMBERS

MacKenzi Welsh so far this season

.226 Attack percent

293 Assists

76 Digs

8-1

Team record to date

ZOEY HOLMSTROM/Daily

Senior defender Lars Eckenrode came closest to scoring of any Wolverine in the 36th minute of the first half Wednesday.

Wolverines fall to Indiana By HUNTER SHARF For the Daily

The Michigan men’s soccer team is focusing on the small victories. Though the thirdranked Hoosiers 2 INDIANA 0 MICHIGAN (1-0-1 Big Ten, 4-0-2 overall) bested the Wolverines (0-0-2 Big Ten, 0-3-3 overall), Michigan’s strong team play against a highly ranked team provides hope for the near future. Senior defender and team captain Lars Eckenrode called the game a “moral victory,” commending his teammates superior teamwork and relentless play. “I thought we did a great job playing a national powerhouse,” Eckenrode said. “We got unlucky in spots, but we played hard as a team and the coaches and the team are happy with how we preformed.” Michigan’s aggressive approach was evident from the first whistle, but both teams struggled to get any momentum going early. After some backand-forth play, Indiana’s defense

became a key factor, successfully keeping the Michigan offense out of Hoosier territory. Indiana’s strong defense eventually carried over to the offense, leading to a goal off of a blocked shot by Michigan goalie Evan Louro with 26:22 to go in the first half. Instead of bowing down to the high-ranked Hoosiers, the Wolverines seemed to gain a sense of urgency after the goal. “The team began to control the time of possession, and pass the ball well,” said Michigan coach Chaka Daley. “We played really well, we passed really well, we had Indiana on their back foot.” With 10 minutes remaining in the half, Michigan missed on its biggest opportunity of the game, when Eckenrode hit the crossbar from a corner kick by senior defender Rylee Woods. The Wolverines’ inability to convert on scoring opportunities was the story for much of the first half, but Eckenrode and junior defenseman Billy Stevens kept Michigan in the game with a strong defensive showing, which held the score to 1-0 going into half. With just five goals in six games, an inability to score has

Classifieds

been the biggest issue for the Wolverines this season. While their strong defense has helped hide it, the offense is still keeping them out of the win column. The offensive struggles are especially frustrating considering Michigan ranks ninth in the nation and first in the Big Ten in shots per game, averaging 17 per game (prior to tonight’s game). “The team has just been unfortunate, not finding the back of the net this season and again tonight,” Daley said. In the second half, the Wolverines experienced the same misfortune, as they were unable to find the back of the net. In the end, Indiana showed its veteran experience, scoring a late goal and cementing the win at 2-0. Despite the disheartening losses, the Wolverines are looking to carry their strong defensive play into a tough matchup with Michigan State this Sunday. “We are happy that we can compete with a high ranked, solid team like Indiana,” Daley said. “We know we can play with them. We look to use this momentum.”

Call: #734-418-4115 Email: dailydisplay@gmail.com

RELEASE DATE– Thursday, September 15, 2016

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle

FOR RENT

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

ACROSS 1 Host of “Late Night Joy” 6 Pennant contest 10 Herbal seed used in smoothies 14 Truly impress 15 Screen image or screen idol 16 Called 17 Eleventh hour 19 Language of Pakistan 20 Beach toy 21 “Otello” composer 22 She played Jackie on “Nurse Jackie” 23 Age of Reason philosopher 25 Short fiction 27 Sloth and envy 29 First name in scat 30 Super __ 33 Words after save or take 36 Afghan capital 39 Lamb nurser 40 Speaker’s stand ... or what each set of circled squares graphically represents 42 Mama bear, in Baja 43 Sauce made with pine nuts 45 Roll dipped in wasabi 46 __ cabbage 47 Drawn tight 49 Big name in golf clubs 51 Bugs’ voice 55 Storied monsters 58 Airline known for tight security 59 About 61 Algerian seaport 63 Humorist Barry 64 Unparalleled 66 Plugging away 67 Heated contest, in more ways than one 68 Aquafina rival 69 Some skinny jeans 70 Torah cabinets

71 Like a neglected garden

31 Reverence 32 Observation with a sigh 34 Kwik-E-Mart clerk 35 Kitchen amt. 37 Take for a sucker 38 Little fellow 41 Many an Indian fan 44 Computers that travel well 48 Puget Sound city 50 It’s on the record

51 Wartime award 52 Fill with joy 53 Forty-__ 54 Links hazard 56 Banks with a statue at Wrigley Field 57 Course with leaves 60 Jazz lovers 62 Part of a Wall St. address 65 Meadow drops

DOWN 1 Refuse to, with “at” 2 Outlook messages 3 Lacks choices 4 Quetzalcoatl worshipers 5 High-__ image 6 Jasmine __ 7 Part of an autumn stash ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE: 8 Many a beach rental 9 Bitter green in mixed greens 10 Fur-loving de Vil 11 Work that may be imposed with a prison sentence 12 29-state country 13 Feverish bouts 18 “Still ... ” 24 Honda Fit competitor 26 Warning sign in the Rockies 28 High waters 30 Abundance in the cheerleading squad 09/15/16 xwordeditor@aol.com

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09/15/16

NOW.

6A — Thursday, September 15, 2016

Sports

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

‘M’ relying on ‘four-headed monster’ By JAKE LOURIM Managing Sports Editor

Last spring, Michigan running backs coach Tyrone Wheatley compared a ball carrier taking hits to a car depreciating. When you drive the car out of the lot, it loses value, and when a back goes down for the first time, his body starts to wear. Wheatley — a bruising back at Michigan in the 1990s in his own right — has a strong, physical runner in senior De’Veon Smith. And while Smith has suffered his share of bumps and bruises, he still proves that he runs just fine, barreling through tackles for big gains. An injury in the first game has limited Smith to 16 carries so far this season, though, and the Wolverines have plenty of other backs to help out. Smith played for almost all of last season as the feature back, but Wheatley and the coaching staff are still managing to work several players into the mix at that position. “Happy with the four,” Wheatley said. “Four-headed monster. Four horsemen. What other things are there? I don’t know. But I’m happy with the four.” The group consists of Smith, freshman Chris Evans, redshirt junior Ty Isaac and sophomore Karan Higdon. If he’s healthy, Smith takes the lion’s share of the workload. He also has the most physical running style, but Wheatley doesn’t mind the variety that the other backs bring. “De’Veon is a special guy,” Wheatley said. “Every back is special in his own unique

GRANT HARDY/Daily

Senior running back De’Veon Smith is still Michigan’s starting running back, but he’s shared the backfield with three others early in the season.

way. Those two runs, the two runs that De’Veon had, were incredible. You can’t take anything away from it. This guy breaks two or three tackles, stiffarms a guy, spin out of it and he goes. “But it would be very unfair for me to go back and say, ‘Chris, see this? This is what you should do.’ That’s not Chris. Chris can do some things that I look at Chris and say, ‘Well, damn, De’Veon...’ — no. It’s unfair.” Evans, meanwhile, is Michigan’s leading rusher. He’s averaging 8.6 yards on

17 carries for a team-leading 147, more than double Smith’s 65. Excitement about the true freshman was mostly internal during fall camp, but Evans justified it in the season opener against Hawaii, rushing for two touchdowns in his debut. At 5-foot-11 and 200 pounds — lighter than Smith by 28 — Evans also provides a change of pace. He has a quick burst that allows him to get to the second level and gain yards in the open field. On his second touchdown run against Hawaii — a 43-yarder that extended Michigan’s lead to 42-0 with 13:44 left in the third quarter — Evans broke through the line and scampered to the end zone almost untouched. “He’s like my Steph Curry in the room, meaning that he can create his own space,” Wheatley

said. “He can win one-on-ones, and, most surprisingly, and I said this earlier, I didn’t realize how tough he was between the tackles. That was one of my things coming in, to see how could he run between the tackles, his toughness, his strength. He’s surprisingly strong. “But you go in there and next week you have Chris run in (the game) trying to run everybody over, and you’re like, ‘What the hell is going on?’ ” Just as Smith’s power is a handful for opponents, so is Evans’ speed. The freshman’s first chance came with about 3:30 to go in the first quarter of the opener, when Smith came off the field holding his ribs and only touched the ball once the rest of the afternoon. Playing

four backs gives Wheatley the luxury of always having another one to come in and spell the others. To that end, Isaac and Higdon have each taken 12 carries in two games, rushing for 58 and 56 yards, respectively. With all four players, there are constants that Wheatley tries to teach: effort, intensity, feet movement, perseverance. But he reiterated that he likes that each one has his own skill set. He doesn’t want any of them to try to conform to one prototype. “This is the way I tell them: I love each and every one of you the way you are and where you are,” Wheatley said. “That’s how I coach you. I coach each guy individually, can’t coach them all like one.”

‘Frustrated’ Lewis still getting healthy Daily Sports Editor

The Michigan football team has allowed just 207 passing yards in the first two games of its season, but one lingering void in the secondary is growing more ominous by the day. Senior All-American cornerback Jourdan Lewis, who established himself as one of the best cover men in the country with a breakout 2015 season, has not played a snap this season due to multiple injuries. According to secondary coach Mike Zordich, Lewis’ intense workout regimen over the summer led to a number of muscles flaring up during fall camp, including his back, hamstring and quadriceps. “He worked his tail off all summer — probably worked a little too hard,” Zordich said. “I think that might have been a little too much torque on his

S T A T S MICH 57.0 24.5 212.5 5.3 6 267.0 72.1 8.8 7 1 70.5 479.5 60.0% 75.0% 3.5 8.2 18.5 45.7 3-3 2/0 26.5 31:10

Points/Game First Downs/Game Rush Yards/Game Yards/Rush Rushing TDs Passing Yards/Game Completion % Yards/Pass Passing TDs Interceptions Offensive Plays/Game Total Offense 3rd-down Conversions 4th-down Conversions Sacks/Game Kick return average Punt return average Punting average Field Goals-Attempts Fumbles/Lost Penalty Yards/Game Time of Poss

OPP 8.5 15.5 178.0 4.3 2 103.5 40.0 4.6 0 2 64.0 281.5 12.0% 42.9% 1.0 17.2 12.0 38.6 1-3 5/2 68.0 28:50

I N D I V I D U A L S

“Every back is special in his own unique way.”

By JACOB GASE

T E A M

body, and some of the issues that he has had the last couple weeks may have been from that. He had a hell of a camp, and then all of a sudden, things just started (to tighten up).” Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said Lewis was almost healthy enough to play in the first week against Hawaii, but ultimately was held out as a precaution. The next week, though, Harbaugh said an MRI had shown one of the aforementioned muscles had suffered a “near pull,” leaving Lewis out against Central Florida as well. On Monday and Tuesday this week, Lewis worked with the training staff, with the plan being to see how he feels come Saturday. As his status remains up in the air, Lewis has had to find other ways to contribute to the team without overexerting himself. “He’s in the meetings, he’s

attentive in meetings, he was great on the sideline the last two games helping out,” Zordich said. “Just another pair of eyes to see what they’re doing. He’s been a good help, a big help.” The loss of Lewis has been mitigated partly by the stellar play of the rest of the secondary — senior cornerback Channing Stribling and fifth-year senior cornerback Jeremy Clark have shut down the downfield passing attack, and Stribling picked up his first career pick-six against Hawaii. Even redshirt sophomore cornerback Brandon Watson, who had just eight tackles while making brief appearances in 12 games last season, has had some early success as a third corner. It may end up being beneficial for the Wolverines to get those players some extra game action early in the season, but tougher tests are coming. This Saturday’s opponent, Colorado, boasts the

17th-most avergage passing yards in the country (albeit against inferior opponents Colorado State and Idaho State), and next week, Penn State comes to Michigan Stadium with wide receiver Chris Godwin, who broke the 1,000-receiving-yard mark last season. With the level of competition quickly ratcheting up, Lewis is as anxious to get back on the field as the Wolverines’ fanbase is to see him there. “As a competitor, I think he’s frustrated. I don’t know if (he’s) discouraged,” Zordich said. “He wants to play, but he knows he’s got to get his body right before he can do that so he doesn’t

spend more time on the sideline. He’s taking the right approach, but (he’s) frustrated, yes, certainly.” There remains no announced timetable for Lewis’ return — the next step will be to see how his body handles a week of practice. Zordich said he expects Lewis will have some rust to shake off, but called him a “pretty competitive kid.” In the meantime, the responsibility will fall to Clark, Stribling, Watson and others to continue holding down the fort. “It is good in a sense to get these other guys experience,” Zordich said. “But at the same time, you do miss a kid like Jourdan Lewis.”

“He worked his tail off all summer.”

PASSING Player Speight O’Korn Morris TOTALS

Cmp 35 5 4 44

RUSHING Player C. Evans Smith, D. Isaac Higdon McDoom Davis Morris Hill Crawford Chesson O’Korn Hirsch Beneducci Hewlett Allen Speight TOTALS RECEIVING Player Darboh Chesson Butt Ways McDoom Crawford Hill Hirsch Poggi Jocz Perry McKeon Bunting Smith, D. Evans TOTALS

Att 50 7 4 61

Yds 457 32 45 534

TD 7 0 0 7

INT 1 0 0 1

Att 17 16 12 12 3 2 1 6 1 2 2 1 1 1 1 2 80

Yds Avg 147 8.6 65 4.1 58 4.8 56 4.7 50 16.7 17 8.5 14 14.0 13 2.2 11 11.0 11 5.5 4 2.0 2 2.0 1 1.0 -1 -1.0 -11 -11.0 -12 -6.0 425 5.3

Lg 43 17 12 19 19 10 14 4 11 15 2 2 1 0 0 0 43

TD 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6

No. 8 7 8 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 1 2 2 2 1 44

Yds Avg 153 19.1 127 18.1 105 13.1 22 22.0 20 6.7 18 18.0 16 5.3 15 15.0 13 4.3 12 12.0 12 12.0 10 5.0 6 3.0 3 1.5 2 2.0 534 12.1

Lg 45 35 25 22 8 18 7 15 8 12 12 5 4 8 2 45

TD 3 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 7

PUNT RETURNS Player No. Peppers 4 TOTALS 4

Yds 74 74

Avg. Long 18.5 35 18.5 35

TD 0 0

INTERCEPTIONS Player Stribling Hill, D. TOTALS

Yds Avg. Long 51 51.0 51 27 27.0 27 78 39.0 51

TD 1 1 2

Yds 28 5 33

TD 0 0 0

No. 1 1 2

KICKOFF RETURNS Player No. Henderson 2 Hill, K. 2 TOTALS 4

Avg. Long 14.0 15 2.5 5 8.3 15

KICKOFFS Player Allen Foug TOTALS

No. 13 7 20

Yds 840 403 1243

Avg. 64.6 57.6 62.2

TB 8 2 10

PUNTING Player Allen TOTALS

No. 3 3

Yds 137 137

Avg. 45.7 45.7

Lg 55 55

FIELD GOALS Player FG Pct. 1-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50+ Lg Allen 3-3 100% 0-0 1-1 2-2 0-0 0-0 37 DEFENSE Player Peppers McCray Winovich Gedeon Gary Glasgow, R. Thomas Godin Wormley Kinnel Watson Clark Stribling Hill, D. Bush Wroblewski Marshall Glasgow, J. Dwumfour Hudson Hurst Allen Smith, D. Charlton Pearson Miller Hill, L. TOTALS

A P

Solo Ast Tot 13 3 16 9 6 15 4 7 11 3 7 10 4 5 9 4 3 7 5 2 7 3 3 6 3 3 6 4 1 5 3 2 5 4 4 3 1 4 2 2 4 2 1 3 3 3 1 2 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 78 54 132

T O P

1. Alabama (2-0) 2. Florida State (2-0) 3. Ohio State (2-0) 4. Michigan (2-0) 5. Clemson (2-0) 6. Houston (2-0) 7. Stanford (1-0) 8. Washington (2-0) 9. Wisconsin (2-0) 10. Louisville (2-0) 11. Texas (2-0) 12. Michigan St. (1-0) 13. Iowa (2-0)

TFL 4.0 5.0 1.0 3.0 2.5 1.0 1.5 1.0 1.0 20.0

2 5

P O L L

14. Oklahoma (1-1) 15. Tennessee (2-0) 16. Georgia (2-0) 17. Texas A&M (2-0) 18. Notre Dame (1-1) 19. Ole Miss (1-1) 20. LSU (1-1) 21. Baylor (2-0) 22. Oregon (2-0) 23. Florida (2-0) 24. Arkansas (2-0) 25. Miami (2-0)

UPCOMING GAMES

GRANT HARDY/Daily

Senior cornerback Jourdan Lewis (center) has yet to play this season after earning All-America honors in 2015.

SK PBU 1.0 2.0 2 1.0 1.5 0.5 1.0 2 1 1 7.0 6

9/17

COLORADO (2-0)

9/24

PENN ST. (1-1)

10/1

WISCONSIN (2-0)

10/8

at RUTGERS (1-1)

3:30 p.m., Michigan Stadium, BTN

Michigan Stadium

Michigan Stadium

7 or 8 p.m., Piscataway, N.J.

the b-side B

The Michigan Daily | michigandaily.com | Thursday, September 15, 2016

Stories

in the

City:

Ke r r y t o w n B o o k Fe s t b r i n g s t o g e t h e r l o c a l l i t e ra r y c o m m u n i t y

Photo by Amelia Caechione Design by Lauren Seigal

By Carly Snider

2B — Thursday, September 15, 2016

BOOKFEST From Page 1B A book travels a long way to get to its reader. It starts as a prod in the author’s mind, a call to action. That nudge then turns into a spilling of words out onto a page, which is then sent to a publisher to be critiqued and reshaped. There, the words of the eager author are molded into their final form, as author and editor alike shape this literary outpouring into its most impactful self. Finally, the book is ready to be distributed to curious readers. Clasping the freshly bound work in their hands, feeling the feathery weight of a newly purchased book, bibliophiles delve into the carefully crafted story. Sunday, the 14th Annual Kerrytown BookFest brought together all aspects of the novel experience — author, reader, publisher and more. The festival took over the Ann Arbor Farmers Market, sporting booths and tents with a wide range of attractions under this year’s theme, “Travels with Books.” The avenues of the market were filled with meandering townsfolk and students, soaking in the culture and crafts of literature. The sky was cloudless, and the air was crisp. It was a perfect day to find a new favorite book. Local authors, booksellers and publishers ran the bulk of the booths. Locally owned bookstores, such as bigwig Literati, made their presence known by setting up their own booths full of unique books for purchase at their respective stores. The owners of these establishments were often manning their displays, giving festivalgoers a personal look into the management of some of their favorite haunts. The BookFest also highlighted other, lesser-known local establishments. In a time when privately owned bookstores often succumb to the pressure of larger chain stores, the presence of locally owned, thriving businesses was refreshing to see. Aside from those selling the finished product, the BookFest included individuals who help transmit books from the imagination to the shelf. Michigan-based, first-time authors proudly displayed their debut works, engaging passersby in debates about literature, form and authorship. Also present were publishers, ranging from the large Wayne State University Press, based in Detroit, to individually owned establishments like Splattered Ink Press, based in Grand Haven. BookFest also showcased readers, sharing the art of anyone inspired by written word. Cropping up among the novels was a vast range of paper- and literature-based art of all shapes and sizes. Artists brought to light the potential that paper has on its own, rather than just being a vehicle for words. There were dainty, hand-painted prints on cream-colored cardstock alongside purses made from the shelled-out hulls of beloved novels. Attendees could purchase jewelry incorporating favorite quotes — long pendants containing character’s quips and hand-etched bracelets with simple quotations — or journals to archive their own lives and stories. The beauty of words, especially when displayed artistically, was evident in the countless prints, canvasses and paper collages brought by the artists. While the sheer volume of new work presented at the Fest was enough to inspire confidence in the future of print literature, the Kerrytown organizers made sure to include the storied past of print. Vendors toting vintage

magazine covers, comic books and more of the same were sprinkled throughout the displays rooted in the now. Drawing visitors in with the unmistakable scent of aged paper, these vintage booths reminded those gathered of just how far the production of literature has come. From 1900s children’s fiction, to early music magazines, to books on the history of dentistry in the United States, any literary craving could be satisfied. An interesting dynamic was created in the nooks of these booths. Some visitors were drawn in by memories from their youth, but others were experiencing this aged art for the first time. Celebrating the power of words and art, the BookFest also provided attendees with resources to improve their own literary lives. Resources made available spanned age, gender and level of experience to include anybody who may want to delve deeper into the written world. Local libraries, such as the Ann Arbor District Library, took part in the Fest, as well as literacy groups and book clubs. The literacy groups were directed at a wide range of clientele, including the schoolaged youth of 826michigan and the women of Women Writers of Ann Arbor/Ypsi. The presence of these groups made the BookFest inclusive, welcoming to neophytes and veterans alike. Like the festival resources, the literature itself didn’t cater only to seasoned bibliophiles. There were several booths toting clever children’s literature, and an entire tent dedicated to children’s book readings. The Children’s Tent featured animated readings by authors, illustrators and storytellers. Kicking off the day was Mother Goose, who shared nursery rhymes with the flocks of children gathered at her feet. Looking the part, Mother Goose sported wirerimmed glasses, a floral dress and a plush pet goose. The later storytellers followed suit, donning costumes or using enthused voices to bring the stories to life. All smiles and bursts of laughter or surprise, the Children’s Tent was a place of candid wonder throughout the day. To inspire a more adult sense of awe, the BookFest also offered various panels and speakers throughout the day. Taking place at the Main Tent and in the Kerrytown Concert Hall, these presentations ranged in topic from the sense of place in novels, to how to make a living as a writer, to the hidden gems of Michigan. One particularly telling panel, including authors Desiree Cooper, Kelly Fordon and Andrew Mozina, discussed the essential place of identity within narratives. The discourse was rich, tackling questions of sexuality, familial relations, personal morality and more. Each author explained the integral role of identity in their respective works, despite their differences in content. As the question of identity is one that everyone faces, the complexities discussed during “The Quest for Identity” reverberated outside the literary realm and into the everyday lives of listeners. Stepping even deeper into the lives of attendees was R.J. Fox, the Writer in Residence of this year’s BookFest. Fox, who graduated with an English degree from the University of Michigan — Dearborn, is a screenwriter, novelist and teacher. He was granted the task of reading and critiquing the first 20 pages of six manuscripts submitted prior to the festival to a live audience during the event. His love of writing and narrative, though, began well before this past Sunday. “Writing has been my

the b-side passion since high school,” Fox said. “I’ve been working towards it, writing script after script, story after story, getting rejected over and over. I just kept working at it and not giving up.” This drive to succeed allowed Fox to successfully publish his novel, “Love and Vodka,” which he hopes will be made into a movie. While budding as a novelist, Fox is also an English teacher at Huron High School in Ann Arbor. Working closely with students and helping them develop their own narratives made Fox the perfect pick for Writer in Residence. “I love teaching reading and writing,” Fox said. “I love telling students that when I teach, it’s not just because it’s my job. I have this passion for writing and helping other people with their writing. The Writer in Residence was right up my alley because it combines my teaching and my writing background.” As the submitted manuscripts were chosen on a first-come-first-serve basis, Fox encountered a range of style. Works spanned from fiction to memoir and were penned by newcomers as well as published authors. The diversity in submissions reflected the variety of experience found within Ann Arbor. “It’s a wide range of memoir, fiction and even poetry,” Fox said, referring to the chosen manuscripts. “Each one has its own challenges. Using any information I had myself about each genre, I applied it to each writer’s piece. Each piece had to be treated differently.” Meeting at the crossroads of education and creation, Fox pulled from his own inspirations as well as academic influence to help guide the writers. Through his own work, as well as the work of his students, Fox has learned the value of vigilant revising and editing. There is always room for improvement and expansion. “Writing is hard, even if you’re a writer,” said Fox. “Any piece of writing, whether it’s someone who has been published a hundred times or someone who has never been published, you can always find things to make better.” Fox applies this kind of optimism and drive not only to his own writing but also to his outlook on his work as a whole. At last year’s BookFest, Fox was one of the flocking authors aspiring to one day run a booth at the festival. He pinned up flyers for his then-new novel in any available space, hoping to get his name into people’s heads and his book into their hands. One year later, Fox is becoming a respected author and voice in the Ann Arbor literature scene. “Good storytelling is good storytelling, whether it’s on film or in a book,” Fox said. “It’s not about number of copies sold, but about meeting people and having a chance to do even more events like this.” Events like the Kerrytown BookFest, so full of passion for creation and art, are always zestful and seldom leave their attendees unchanged. Aside from the splendor of displays and presentations, it was impossible to miss the conversations going on around these attractions. Each visitor, bringing his or her own experiences, shared a piece of themselves — with a stranger, a friend, a favorite author. As they so often do, books sparked conversation after conversation between kindred spirits. The connectivity was tangible. Bubbles of shared experience popped up and engulfed visitors, reminding them just why books are so gratifying. The pleasant hum of chatter warmed the quickly chilling September air as the visitors of the Kerrytown BookFest returned to their homes, ready to crack open a new book.

NEED SOMEONE TO IMITATE YOUR ENGLISH PROF.? HIRE BEN ROSENSTOCK, UNDERRATED CHARACTER ACTOR, BY CALLING BDROSEN@UMICH.EDU

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

COMMUNITY CULTURE COLUMN

Less adulting, more childhood dreams At this point in my life, my gaze is fixed on what is ahead. New classes, new friends, interests and questions are moving me toward the next step. Whether that next thing is simply the reading I have for class tomorrow or, to the more distant future, graduation and grad school — I’m BAILEY setting my KADIAN course. While I progress toward the next dream (attainable or not), I’ve found it to be a valuable time for reflection. In pursuit of what is to come, I have revisited the dreams I abandoned along the way: past dreams that came from my childhood hobbies. Back then, my way of thinking was very simple. It wasn’t always as structured and planned out as my life is now. My (hopeful) career in English started from my love for books at an early age. I didn’t know exactly where that would take me. At 6 years old I wasn’t planning for now. I was caught in the waves of my own simple dreaming, allowing them to guide me wherever they pleased. I wanted to become a ballerina. My weekly ballet classes were always packed with new music, skills and games. I loved the light pink slippers and soft tan tights. I grew a collection of leotards through my years of dancing, convinced I could never have too many. After overcoming my paralyzing case of stage fright, I even grew to love the spring recitals. Dance demanded energy and passion, both of which required an exploration into who

I was and how I wanted to present myself to those around me. Why now, at 20 years old, do I find myself reminiscing on a dream that is far gone and fairly irrelevant to my life now? Because lately, in daily discussions of my future plans and goals, my past dreams have found their way back into my mind. While discussing this trend with friends around me who are facing similar life pressures of what life will be after undergrad, we all agree we have hobbies we wish we never quit. Friends of mine shared a vast array: piano, guitar, painting, ceramics, singing lessons and horseback riding. That isn’t to say what I am studying now or investing time into isn’t fulfilling. But recently, I’ve done a great deal of thinking about the hobby I wish I had never let go. Two questions have emerged from the data collected from my small sample pool: Why did we give up these hobbies in the first place? And why are we now faced with some form of regret toward the decision to move on from our Tuesday night ballet classes or Sunday afternoon piano lessons? In the midst of school, homework, team sports and clubs, there are always things we decide we must “let go.” I decided to spare myself of activities requiring personal, artistic expression in exchange for fully pursuing academics. The problem is that the majority of the hobbies we push aside are some variation of art. As dynamic and unique people, we must find ways to express ourselves and at a young age, and art is our escape. Art, music lessons and dance classes foster

creativity in ways the classroom doesn’t offer. Yet, it’s the first thing we part with when time runs out. We turn to stacks of textbooks and course packs, abandoning the hobbies our artistic selves so desperately need. Now let me aim to address why there is some form of regret while reminiscing. I think the appeal toward our past hobbies arrives when we witness others engaging in a hobby they have mastered. I have met so many different students at this university studying different types of art and I always wonder what my life could have looked like if my childhood hobby had become my career. Watching artists who have devoted their lives to their art form is inspiring. I think we look back to our past hobbies and wish we could have done more to reach that level. This leaves me stuck: stuck in this mindset that I’ve reached my limit, stuck with the belief that anything I start now won’t produce the results of something I started years ago and could have further pursued. No dream is dead until you let yourself kill it. I think it’s time I tie on my ballet shoes, roll up my tights and allow my childhood dreaming to lead me to new paths of greatness — whether that is simply admiring a hobby I once partook in or engaging in something entirely new myself. The freedom to dream at age 6 is still available to me now. There is potential I haven’t tapped into yet — maybe more available to me now than ever before. Did you dream of going horseback riding? Saddle up with Kadian and email bkadian@umich.edu.

COMMUNITY CULTURE PREVIEW

THE SECOND CITY

Improvising through the void.

Second City brings improv laughs to Ark By KELLY MARTINEK Daily Arts Writer

On Sept. 16 and 17, Chicago’s legendary improv comedy group The Second City will visit Ann Arbor, performing The Second at The Ark for the City seventh September consecutive 16-17, 8 p.m. year. The Ark Formerly the home of $36, $26 with well-known student ID comedians such as Stephen Colbert, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, The Second City’s touring cast is currently made up of six performers: Mark Campbell, Ross Taylor, Danny Catlow, Jo Scott, Andrew Bolduc and Claudia Wallace. “Expect SNL-type comedy, usually around political and social current issues,” said Barb Chaffer-Authier, The Ark’s marketing director. “This isn’t the typical kind of event The Ark presents, since we normally present music, but we’ve really enjoyed having the troupe

every year. It’s always popular with people.” Since The Second City is an improv comedy group, each show is inherently different, playing off the given theme for the season. This season’s show is titled “Free Speech! (While Supplies Last),” based on American politics and the current election cycle. A press release from The Second City calls it “an irreverent look at America’s electoral insanity.” The Ark is a small, intimate performance venue, usually hosting solo artists and small bands, so the seats sell out quickly. Chaffer-Authier estimates the show’s capacity at about 380 and said the small theater space makes The Ark an ideal setting for this kind of performance. “It’s a nice-sized audience, there’s a lot of room for interaction between the performers and the audience,” she said. “No seat is more than about 40 feet from the stage. It’s a really popular event, both with students and the community who come out for it.” Campus groups and residence

halls often buy group tickets for performances like this one. LSA sophomore Caleb Kaczmarek attended the Second City performance last year with the LSA Honors Program. “Second City’s impressive stage presence comes not only from the pride of their progenies such as Bill Murray and Tina Fey, but also their confidence that their live audience is waiting breathlessly for every next laugh,” Kaczmarek said. In past years, all of these performances have sold out, and the Ark hopes to continue that trend this year, according to Chaffer-Authier. She encourages those interested to buy tickets in advance for the popular event. There are a limited number of tickets available at the student price for each night. “The Second City is really an icon for comedy and improv, so it’s an opportunity for people to see this famous troupe in person without having to go to Chicago or Toronto,” she said. “They always are really on point with current topics, and it’s always a really fun evening.”

the b-side

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Thursday, September 15, 2016 — 3B

BOOKS

A conversation with author Nathan Hill By RENNIE PASQUINELLI For the Daily

CAROLYN GEARIG/Daily

“700 Nimes Road” was at UMMA for three months this summer.

An intimate ode to ‘Nimes Road’ By MERIN MCDIVITT Daily Arts Writer

In a museum that often focuses on cutting-edge contemporary pieces, UMMA’s most recent exhibition came as a bit of a surprise. To be fair, the museum is no stranger to variety. Detroit factory architecture? Of course. African scrap metal sculptures? Why not? But ... Elizabeth Taylor? That was something new, and certainly unexpected. After all, the world of Serious Art hasn’t had much to do with celebrities since the age of Andy Warhol. In spite of this seeming mismatch, or perhaps because of it, photographer Catherine Opie’s exhibition “700 Nimes Road,” a series of photographs of the interior of actress Elizabeth Taylor’s home, may have been the most intimate, thoughtful collection shown this year. At first glance the photographs are sometimes dull, sometimes lustrous, capturing Taylor’s tables and rooms, her enviable closets and boudoirs. While the images are visually striking when taken as a whole, particularly in their artful arrangement of colors and textures, each individual photograph feels a little off. In some, like those of Taylor’s dressing table or her famed jewelry collection, Opie has eschewed the easy, alluring snapshot in favor of more awkward lighting or an inferior vantage point. There’s something odd at work beneath the surface. Where’s the shine, the patina of fame, fortune and a life lived in the dazzling, blinding spotlight? The answer may lie in the gap between famed public persona and private life. The incredible proliferation of “personal” information about celebrities, now and then, promises that you’re really getting to know the star, that they’re just like you. But do these images show anything about their subjects? And

do the lives of the stars represent something relatable, if not attainable, to their admirers, or is it just a sweet escape, a chintzy mirage that revels in its own artificiality? The nation may be fed up with plain old reality, beamed at them from the nightly news or shoved roughly through the mail slot each morning, but our obsession with “reality” is at an all-time high. Ratings for dishy shows like “Keeping Up With The Kardashians” and competitions like “The Bachelor” keep on rising, promising audiences a no-holds-barred leer into their subjects’ personal lives. They spin a web of false intimacy around the viewer, complete with tell-all confessionals and dramatic, choreographed reveals. Even LIFE Magazine, once witness-bearer to some of the last century’s most significant events, now hawks glossy and expensive special editions, mining their archives for never-before-seen glamour shots of the stars of yesteryear. The lacquered faces and taut, midcentury physiques of these dead celebrities simper next to Kourtney and Khloe on the rack at the check-out counter. Into the lurid fray steps Catherine Opie, a respected art photographer well known for her work depicting everything from queer subculture in Southern California to drab, sun-bleached planned communities. In 2010, she was given access to Taylor’s home while the lauded actress was away. Unlike Taylor, whose public appearances were marked by high drama and oodles of cosmetics, the house was left just as it was: lived-in, not fixed up or polished for the camera. The photographs have a curious untouched quality, as though Liz has just stepped out to run errands, leaving clothes and cosmetics in benign disarray. The viewer feels like a teenage neighbor, housesitting for the first

time — running their fingers over the glamorous haute couture in the closet, fiddling with the TV remote and almost knocking over an Oscar on a crowded end table. The images are flat and two dimensional, of course, but they are remarkably tactile — gossamer fabrics hanging alongside their ilk in an overstuffed walkin, the glint of sharp, sparkling jewels carefully placed in dusty shoeboxes and labeled with their bestower: “Michael Jackson, 2005,” “Richard, 1961.” If modern celebrity culture is a floodlit snapshot of life, showing everything and revealing nothing, Opie’s exhibition is the photo negative, so to speak — the antidote. By focusing less on Taylor’s larger than life personality, and more on the human, almost ordinary aspects of her home, a strange near-intimacy is achieved with Taylor, the absent subject whose presence nonetheless permeates each image, like musky perfume that lingers, stale, in the air long after the wearer has left. Opie may not have delivered the glittering facade that characterized Taylor’s life and mystique — a disappointment, perhaps, to some diehard fans. Touring the exhibition felt a lot like walking through a stranger’s home for the first time. The viewer wants to know the owner, but they’re always just out of sight. More conventional images of Taylor, bathed in glamour, seem to promise the instant closeness of “reality,” where everything is somehow familiar and remote at the same time. Opie’s work gets closer to the uncomfortable truth. This home, its luxurious silks and carpet stains, piles of old pictures and years of accumulated dust and memories, is that of a stranger. We may know “Liz Taylor,” but we don’t know this woman at all.

MUSIC VIDEO REVIEW YG’s music video for “Why You Always Hatin?”, a single off his sophomore album Still Brazy is, in a word, lavish. B The first 40 seconds have Why You the rapper casually Always hop out of a Hatin? helicopter and hop YG into a red Mercedes. The next three-and-a-half minutes follow a similar trend, with an array of shots of YG, Drake and Kamaiyah rapping from moving convertibles, drinking Hennessey, popping champagne, dancing next the the cars they were previously rapping out of and even in Kamaiyah’s case, receiving foot massages from really buff shirtless dudes. There is also a conspicuous lack of a helicopter in the final three and a half minutes, which is, in its own way, lavish. Over-the-top displays of wealth are nothing new in the rap video world. So much so that a video without some excessive display of wealth is considered avant-garde. This

DEF JAM

video is not avant-garde. It is, however, a perfect match for the single and the album. Still Brazy is an homage to a simpler time, a West Coast ’90s rap album with skits and jokes and funky baselines. It’s also an album made in 2016, with references to Aisha Curry, Drake verses and rampant anonymous internet hate. “Why You Always Hatin?,” a happy song about haters, is the albums’ mascot. The duality of the album allows the cliché-but-not video to work. There are rented drop tops, but there are also men giving foot massages when, unfortunately, the prevailing lavish rap video

rarely has men in subservient roles. There’s are bottles of champagne popping over lobster dinners, but an oddly disarming set of shots with YG and his friends goofing around in a parking lot. This is a YG video, but people are enjoying themselves. This video isn’t anything artistically groundbreaking, but in between the cars and money and liquor you can see YG winking at us, making a little joke that plays off the fact that, on the surface, the video is so derivative. It’s a self awareness we want to see, but rarely do when paired with exuberant displays of wealth. - HARRY KRINSKY

Nathan Hill was in Ann Arbor this Tuesday, reading from his debut novel, “The Nix,” at a beloved spot of every book enthusiast — Literati. In case you haven’t heard that name or title, Hill’s “The Nix” became available in books stores across the world in late August and received a warm welcome in the literary community. Actually, “warm welcome” may well be an understatement. Before it was even published, “The Nix” had been compared to works by several groundbreaking novelists, including but not limited to, John Irving and Charles Dickens. And, just to reiterate: “The Nix” is Hill’s first novel. “The Nix” is 600 pages filled with what Hill refers to as a magical bag Hermione Granger could pull anything out of. It’s a story of many characters and several plots, but centers around a video game-addicted English professor (Samuel) and an estranged relationship with his mother, Faye. The novel covers the Chicago riots of 1968, a mother trapped in a suburban lifestyle in the 1980s, as well as the lives of the modern college student and professor. Hill’s warmer-than-warm welcome transcended the reviews he’s received for “The Nix” at Literati. Those who were fortunate enough to attend his reading couldn’t get enough of both Hill and his book. Before he began reading from “The Nix,” Hill quoted an email from a fan that he described as a reason being a writer is so rewarding, which included the lines “I am old. I have read many books. Yours is among my favorites. Please do not take 10 years to write the next one. I am 82.” The Daily had the chance to sit down and talk to Hill about the novel, his sudden rise to fame, and what we can expect next. --TMD: “The Nix” took you about 12 years to write, which is about a quarter of your life. In a previous interview, you said you poured all of your good ideas into this book, your first book. Why write one book? Was it difficult to make all of those ideas cohesive? NH: Yeah, it was. To the first point, about why writing one book, I guess I put all of these ideas into the book and chopped stuff out where they didn’t belong. The first draft was 1,002 pages long, and the final draft is 620, so a lot of stuff got cut out. Maybe that stuff might find another appearance in a book somewhere down the line. But really I was just trying to find something out in the world that would be confusing, or interesting, or would make me mad, or I wouldn’t know how I felt about it, and I would think, “Could I use that in ‘The Nix’?” It became sort of like the filter that you see the world through. Anytime I had a really good idea, I felt like I could use it, and I didn’t censor myself. I just put it in there. For better or worse. It took a long time to write the book because of it. But at the same time I feel really happy, because I feel like it’s just packed with things that hopefully make people think. Of course. And I’ve seen some fan tweets to you, one that said there is a true sentence on every page of “The Nix.” I’m sure that felt good to hear. That was a cool one. I don’t know, it was mostly like I was trying to write a book that I would really like to read. And those are the kinds of books I like to read; the ones that have interesting characters and are also full of ideas. That kind of brings me to my next question. Presumably you read a couple of books while you were writing “The Nix.” Which ones would you say were most influential to writing it? In terms of content, the books I list in my acknowledgments page. I did a lot of research, especially about the 1968 section, because of course I did not live through that, so those books were really important to me. Especially

Norman Mailer’s book, “Miami and the Siege of Chicago.” It was interesting, because most books about Chicago in 1968 are histories told by history professors. They’re really useful and helpful, but to see Normal Mailer do it, I mean he’s a literary writer, and to see someone approach it from that direction with the purpose of telling a story, rather than the purpose of telling a history, was really helpful to me. I read those books until I felt like I knew enough about the period to write about it myself. I assume it takes a lot of confidence in your knowledge base to feel comfortable writing about something you didn’t experience first hand. So, my wife is a classical musician. And classical musicians have this phrase where they rehearse something until they have it “under their fingers.” You know, which is kind of like, in the body. You work and work on a certain run until you just kind of have it, and don’t have to think about it too much. For me, I did research until I had it under my fingers, until I could write about the time period without having to consult all the time. I just felt like I could do it. How did you tap into womanhood in an era you didn’t live through? Again, a lot of research helped me out. There was a book called “Young, White, and Miserable” that I liked a lot, about young women in the ’50s. That gave me a lot of good ideas. And, (“The Nix”) is Samuel’s retelling of the whole thing. It was almost like I was writing Faye through Samuel’s eyes. Kind of like what he would think. And he’s, of course, looking at it through a great distance in the future. Really it was just looking around, too. I found websites that had old advertisements for woman’s beauty products, and they were just so transparently sexist. And you’re like, “I cannot believe this was normal.” So to have Faye working against that, and Samuel writing it with our eyes today felt like a really nice tension. Right. And I’ve heard you say you have felt connected to the character Samuel, because you played a lot of “World of Warcraft” in a period of time where you felt in limbo as a writer. What was that like for you? That was a time when I just finished grad school and moved to New York. My first month there, all of my (writing I had done in grad school) was stolen. I was really sad about that, like really, really sad, and a buddy of mine suggested that we play this video game together. He just wanted to keep an eye on me I think. You know, you can chat through the game. And I guess it was just a couple years where I was trying to write what eventually became this book but in a very different form, and it wasn’t going very well. And I wasn’t making any money in New York. I was there working at a poetry nonprofit, so you can imagine how much the salary was. So I was just barely treading water in New York, and the writing wasn’t going very well, and I was getting rejected all over the place. But, I was playing this game, and I could be really good at this game, right? So I felt like in the rest of my life I was failing, but I was not failing at this game. So it made me play it a lot, for a little while, until I finally realized I was spending way too much time doing it. I gave it up cold turkey one day and really launched myself into the book. That feeling of the video game replacing, I don’t want to say replacing real life, but the video game becomes a place where you find meaning where you lack meaning elsewhere. That idea stuck with me, and it’s in both of the characters Samuel and Pwnage. Well, this is your first novel. Before it came out, you were compared to John Irving and he compared you to Charles Dickens. Countries bid on publication rights, which is rare for a first book. How are you taking all of this positive reception and recognition?

A lot of people have asked me that question, and I still don’t know how to answer because it still feels so strange, you know? For the time that I was writing the book — for the years and years it took — the only person who knew anything about what I was doing was my wife. I would read her pages. At first she requested me to read pages; I was always very shy about my first drafts. But, eventually, I read her a few pages and she said she really liked them and wanted to hear a couple more, and that just became our routine. For 10 years you’re working on a book, and one person in the world knows about it, so there’s this fear that you’ll send it out into the world and it’s not going to make any sense to anybody. That’s not happening. That people are saying nice things about it is really gratifying. And kind of a big relief, too. The 10 years would’ve been well-spent no matter what, but I’m glad that the 10 years is meaningful to other people, too. You clearly view writing as something internally beneficial as opposed to just rewarding because of external praise. You can’t work on something for this long and have all of your hopes pinned on it being published. It will just drive you crazy and you won’t do very good work. What I discovered, sometime around the time that I quit “Warcraft” and really started getting into a routine with the writing, is that there needs to be something (in) the writing itself that is intrinsically valuable to you. And for me, writing became the place where I would go to try to figure out my emotions and things I was confused about. The way I’ve been comparing it to lately is to someone who keeps a garden. Nobody thinks their garden is a failure if a bunch of other people don’t see it. Nobody keeps a garden to get famous. It felt like that. Part of the prerequisite for writing all the scenes I wrote in the book was that I had to find joy in it. I had to enjoy it, I had to like it. There needed to be something about writing that scene that was pleasurable to me, or interesting to me in some way. That’s how it became worth it intrinsically. Beyond any of the praise, it was a good project to undergo in a cheesy personal growth kind of way. I’ve read that you have considered yourself a writer since second grade, when you were writing “Choose your own adventure” novels yourself. But is there a book that really convinced you to become a writer? I’ll tell you two books that are radically different from each other that made me feel like “I want to do that.” The first one is called “Sixty Stories.” It’s a collection of short stories by Donald Barthelme. He’s an absurdist, avant-garde writer. He’s just hilarious. And goofy. He’s a weird combination of high-intellect and high-absurdity crashing into each other. And you’ll finish a story and be like “What in the world was that?!” I found him in college, and at the time I had become an English major and was reading a lot of really ponderous prose in some of my other classes, and I found him and just found him delightful. That sense of humor, I just love. The second one is Virginia Woolf, “Mrs. Dalloway” and “To the Lighthouse.” I didn’t read her until grad school. Oh my god. I love the way she dives into her characters’ brains. The tone of the novel is the voice of the character from the inside. I love that so much. You know how you have certain bands that you listen to that hit you in the right time of your life? Those two for me were the bands that hit me at the right time. Can we expect another magic bag of ideas and stories from you in another 10 years? Yeah, I don’t know if it’s going to be … No, it totally will be that. I’ve started working on another thing, and I’m only about 50 pages into some exploratory material. But, the things I’m stuffing into the bag right now are marriage, authenticity, gentrification and the ’90s. That’s in the stew right now. We’ll see, we’ll see.

the b-side

4B — Thursday, September 15, 2016

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

THE D’ART BOARD Rob + Chyna Premieres

Tim Kaine Was Here

Miss Kris bought a charcuterie platter for the occasion.

Ann Arbor got to meet America’s new Papi.

Kid Cudi Tweets “I am the culture” I mean, if the culture is summer of 2009.

Mac Miller & Ariana Grande Are Dating #LoveWins. Hillary hates Pepe Memes Is the war on memes the new war on drugs?

ARTIST IN PROFILE

PONTAS AGENCY

Fiston Mwanza Mujila is a Congolese novelist currently living in Austria.

Mujila shines with debut novel ‘Tram 83’ By MERIN MCDIVITT Daily Arts Writer

A slim, colorful paperback, written in French by a Congolese transplant learning German in Austria, didn’t look like a breakout hit when it was published in 2014. But that, of course, is just what playwright and poet Fiston Mwanza Mujila’s debut novel, “Tram 83,” became. The book’s fastpaced prose and incantatory, almost violent bursts of language were a revelation to the Francophone literary scene, and the awards began piling up within the year: winner of the Etisalat Prize for first African novel, shortlisted for the Prix du Monde, and now the novel’s English translation has been longlisted for the 2016 Man Booker Prize, one of the most prestigious awards in the English language. The Michigan Daily caught up with Mujila, a native of Lubumbashi in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in an email exchange while he enjoyed a brief respite from international touring in his new home of Graz, Austria. We were assisted by Mujila’s eminently skillful translator, Roland Glasser, who

also translated “Tram 83” into the exquisitely worded English language edition. The novel follows the uneasy friendship of Lucien, a troubled writer escaping violence in the countryside, and Requiem, a gleeful ne’er-do-well who boozes and womanizes by day, and schemes and steals by night. Lucien has arrived by rusting colonial train in the capital of an unnamed centralAfrican country, teeming with Chinese investors and African workers, Portuguese musicians and “baby chicks and single mamas” from no man’s land. Mujila describes all visitors to the city and its popular nightclub, “Tram 83,” as “tourists” with a cynical wink. “The tourists belong to every nationality. People come from all over the world in search of the stone (minerals),” he wrote. “There are not only Westerners but also thousands of African tourists to be found in the nooks and crannies of the CityState. I wanted to reappraise globalization by bringing in all these different populations.” Yet one European visitor, a Swiss publisher named Malingeau, is a source not only of exploitation, but also of the

African exuberance and joie de vivre that brings the city to life. “A character in a novel can slip out of the author’s control,” Mujila wrote. “The publisher is one such example. He considers himself African and finds pleasure in the carnival-like drinking sprees and hedonism of this bar called Tram 83. In his own opinion, African literature should be a joyous thing, since life is also to be found in rumba, jazz, and the other delights of Tram 83.” All of the characters live or die by the caprices of the mine — the unstable mineral deposit outside town, surrounded by armed guards and constantly changing hands — though it promises great wealth for few and unfathomable chaos for all who live there. The looming presence of the mine dominates the novel, casting its ominous shadow over the characters in this improbable place. “The phenomenon of the mine tackled in the novel is timeless and universal,” Mujila wrote. But it also speaks to the desperation that characterizes central Africa today, wracked as it is by conflict over minerals and resources.

“I wanted to provide some food for thought — the novel contains several portions — about what it means to be young in a country in a state of war or under a dictatorship. In the Congo, over half the population are young people in a country ravaged by decades of dictatorship and war. But there is in this youth — even when it is obliged to go down into the mines or other black holes of existence to earn a crust — an extraordinary resilience, a desire for freedom and a call for a new world,” Mujila wrote. The book’s greatest virtue, and perhaps the key to its international success, is the throbbing musicality of its language. The prose is visceral, as sensuous and vivid as a live performance — not surprising, considering both the surfeit of talented Congolese musicians, from rumberos to rappers, and Mujila’s own musical background. This connected the novel to international traditions, particularly jazz, and to the author’s own musical heritage in the DRC. “Singing contributes to the recognition of an individual within a group, to the legitimization of their exploits or their actions,” Mujila explained. “The Luba people

of the Congo practiced kasala, an oratorical art in which an individual is praised for their merits, or to crown important events at court, be they happy or sad. This oratorical form was common in ancestral Africa.” Not much happens in the novel, so to speak, and you can feel it in the plodding, rhythmic languor of the subtropical air. Lucien is stuck, waiting for something to happen — a visa, a publication, a war. It’s a universal feeling, known to writers everywhere, and Lucien fluctuates between the tantalizing misadventures of his swindler friend and his own earnest scribblings. It is not Lucien himself, but the fiendish vitality of his surroundings that drives the novel forward. The success of “Tram 83” has affected not just awards and fanfare, but a series of global translations into Hebrew, Greek, Catalan, Dutch and Swedish, to name just a few. The book’s afterlife will now simmer on at bookstores in Tel Aviv and bedside tables in Barcelona. As Mujila’s African expatriate contemporaries, from Nigeria’s Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie to Zimbabwe’s NoViolet Bulawayo, proliferate in the West, he will continue to bring his distinctive, musical

voice into the fray. While the media often celebrates the so-called “African Renaissance” of literature as though it runs into a concrete wall at the edges of the vast continent, what defines Mujila’s prose is not its provincialism, but its diversity, its shape-shifting nature and forcefully unfocused lens on the world. “The child is not born from a tree. He comes from his mother’s belly,” Mujila wrote. “In Lubumbashi, the town of my birth, and throughout the Congo I’m sure, a child is often identified in relation to his parents. ‘Whose child is that?’ people often ask. I feel no unease at being considered an African or Congolese author, even if I don’t write in the name of a nationality, a people, a city, a country or a continent.” In many ways, as is true for all writers, Mujila’s youth in a vital, turbulent African capital is the pounding heart behind his work. But “Tram 83” does not define the DRC, and Lubumbashi fails to encapsulate the essence of Mujila, to close in around him like a hermetically sealed chamber. He writes as an African and as a European, an expatriate and a native son — perhaps, simply, as a citizen of the world.

SINGLE REVIEW Until this year, I’d never heard a Sampha solo track, but not because the British R&B/ electronic artist hasn’t B+ made any. Although he Blood released EPs Sundnaza and on Me Dual, in 2010 Sampha and 2013, respectively, I’d unknowingly limited myself to his features on “Too Much” and “The Motion” off Drake’s Nothing Was The Same, “Saint Pablo,” the latest addition to Kanye’s The Life of Pablo and most recently, “Alabama” off Frank Ocean’s visual album, Endless. But a feature spot “Blood on Me” is not. It’s heavy and enveloping, employing an eccentric yet somehow

YOUNG TURKS

organic piano and cowbell combination. It’s hectic and raw as the artist literally pants his way through the first verse. It’s energetic and angry, leaving the listener unsure whether to samba or scream. Sampha’s expectedly

stunning vocals have never been accompanied by this kind of unexpectedly urgent production. And now that I know what he can do on his own, I’m only more excited for the release of his debut album, Process. - RACHEL KERR