ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM
Thursday, September 22, 2016
Ann Arbor, Michigan
michigandaily.com
What the Sound The BSide explores the work of a student who created a website to promote a wide range of musical talent
» Page 1B
CRIME
Two lawsuits filed over ‘U’ recent sexual assault case GRANT HARDY/Daily
Former student sues for readmission to University after voluntarily separating
LSA sophomore Chanelle Miles discusses how the recent events at EMU’s campus have impacted her at a speakout on the Diag Wednesday.
NAACP holds Diag speakout on police shootings and EMU protests
Event aims to show solidarity with families, students impacted by both incidents RIYAH BASHA
Daily Staff Reporter
About 150 students gathered on the Diag Wednesday night for a speakout held in response to recent incidents of police brutality and racism both across the nation and locally.
The event was hosted by the University of Michigan chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. The speak out, emceed by University NAACP chapter president Travis Jones III, an LSA senior, began with a crowd reprisal of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,”
CAMPUS LIFE
CSG reps. generally white, male, study finds Body releases selfsurvey Wednesday morning RIYAH BASHA
Daily Staff Reporter
The average Central Student Government member is most likely to be a wealthy, white, heterosexual male, according to results of a comprehensive demographic self-survey released Wednesday morning. The report, which breaks down the assembly by a number of factors including race, gender, sexuality and family income, comes after campaign promises from CSG President David Schaefer, an LSA senior, to bolster diversity efforts in student government. CSG assessed the makeup of its membership in comparison to Engineering Student Government, LSA Student Government and the University as a whole. In the breakdown of demographics presented in the report, 69.8 percent of CSG self-identify as white. This is compared to 64.7 percent of LSA student government, 47.6 percent of Engineering representatives and 56.2 percent of the entire student body that claim the same identity, according to the report. See DIVERSITY, Page 3A
GOT A NEWS TIP? Call 734-418-4115 or e-mail news@michigandaily.com and let us know.
referred to by event organizers as the Black national anthem. “In this past week, we have witnessed on our campus, within this community, and in the country, that racism is alive and well,” Jones said. “This isn’t our first one, and it won’t be our last one.” Organizers said they planned the speakout to commemorate the
fatal shootings of three black males and recent incidents of racism at Eastern Michigan University, located in Ypsilanti. The event specifically aimed to remember 40-year old Terrence Crutcher in Tulsa and 43-year old Keith Lamont Scott, who were killed by police officers this week, See NAACP, Page 3A
KATIE PENROD & ALLANA AKHTAR Daily News Editors
Two lawsuits have been filed in the past month over an alleged sexual assault at a University of Michigan fraternity party in January 2016. The first lawsuit, from a now-former male University student, was filed against several employees of the University of Michigan for wrongfully causing the student leave the University following the alleged assault, according to court documents. “The Appeals Board applied an unconstitutionally vague
or legally incorrect definition of the term ‘incapacitated,’ applied incorrect standards of review, and arbitrarily and capriciously set aside the investigator’s findings and conclusions, thus denying Plaintiff due process,” the complaint reads. The second lawsuit, filed Wednesday by the female University student who filed the claims of sexual assault against the male student, seeks to block the male student from gaining readmission to the University. It charges that he is not respecting the terms of an agreement reached during UM’s investigation of the female student’s complaint See LAWSUIT, Page 3A
Student government aims to decrease Earthfest average housing costs in Ann Arbor highlights SUSTAINABILITY
Median rent has been increasing since 2010, to $1,075 per month in 2016 NISA KHAN & BRIAN KUANG Daily Staff Reporters
Faced with a changing city landscape and student anxiety about high offcampus housing costs, Central Student Government has begun exploring options for cooperation with city government to address the issue. However, it remains unclear which specific policies CSG can realistically coordinate with city and county government officials on tht would alleviate off-campus housing costs, or even to what extent off-campus student rental costs have been changing. CSG President David Schafer, an LSA senior, told the Board of Regents at their September meeting he hopes to start a dialogue between students and local officials on off-campus student housing. “The issue of increasingly costly off-campus housing for students is an issue that I believe we’d be well-served to tackle together,” Schafer told the Regents, adding preliminary meetings with city and local officials have already taken place, including with Ann Arbor Mayor Christopher Taylor (D) and Washtenaw County Commissioner Andy LaBarre (D). The median rate for rent in
Ann Arbor has increased 14 percent to $1,075 per month from 2010 to 2015 — even as the amount of high-density housing has jumped by 32 percent — according to the U.S. Census Bureau. However, this data is for the entire city and may not be reflective of the cost of housing for students specifically, most of which are clustered downtown. Nadine Jawad, CSG senior policy adviser and Public Policy senior, said CSG does not yet have concrete data on
For more stories and coverage, visit
off-campus student housing costs or trends, noting they are conducting preliminary research to collect this data. She added, however, that the initiative began in response to numerous students approaching CSG with concerns pertaining to the cost of off-campus living. “I strongly believe that when students come and talk with us, their concerns should be top priority,” she said. “We wanted students to have a better understanding of off-campus
michigandaily.com
INDEX
housing dynamics in Ann Arbor because a lot of students expressed that the current rental prices were an issue.” A major hurdle for CSG’s initiative will be limits on the city of Ann Arbor’s ability to exert control on housing prices, which includes rental costs for students. State law bars municipalities from setting rent controls on private landlords, and while housing subsidies and incentives are possible, they cannot be made exclusive for a specific demographic, such as students. Schafer acknowledged these challenges and that meaningful change may take well over a year to take effect. Nonetheless, he said he hopes to see greater student involvement in City Council decisions, especially ones about housing. “I think students would be well served to know their innate powers as a state constituency,” said Schafer. “Making their voices heard is so important because when students come together, when students mobilize, when they make their voices heard — that can lead to tangible, positive results for the general constituency.” CSG is planning to initiate public dialogue between students and officials at a panel Oct. 13 in the Union, with speakers from City Council, the University of Michigan and other officials. Executive members of the housing See HOUSING, Page 3A
Vol. CXXV, No. 139 ©2016 The Michigan Daily
UM green initiatives
Diag event includes several environmentfocused student groups ALI SAFWI For the Daily
Many environment-focused organizations from the University of Michigan and the broader Ann Arbor area set up on the Diag for the annual EarthFest Wednesday. EarthFest began under the name “Energy Fest” in 1996 and has since evolved, taking on its current name in 2010 with the establishment of the Planet Blue Initiative, an initiative from the University that aims to promote sustainibility. The University recently identified four campus sustainability goals around climate action, waste prevention, healthy environments and community awareness. These goals are both guiding principles for the University, as well as concrete objectives to be fully implemented by 2025. For example, the Health Environments goal mandates that the University must protect Huron River water quality by working to minimize runoff. Ken Keeler, senior sustainability representative See EARTH, Page 3A
NEWS......................... 2A OPINION.....................4A CL ASSIFIEDS............... 5A
SUDOKU.....................2A SPORTS.....................5A BSIDE...................1B
News
2A — Thursday, September 22, 2016
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
ON THE DAILY: STUDENT-DEVELOPED APP GOES PUBLIC The Companion app, created last year by a group of University of Michigan students and launched to the public last year, is now beginning to receive international attention. The app, created by a team of five Ross School of Business students, won the Michigan Business Challenge, including $25,000. Originally launched in November 2015 by now-Business alumni Danny Freed, Nathan Pilcowitz, Jake Wayne and Katie Reiner and now-Business senior Lexie Ernst, was created to assist students as they walk home late at night, allowing friends and family to virtually track them as they walk home and make sure they arrive safely. The app had a small launch last November with an iOS version for students at the University, and has achieved high popularity. “I could never have possibly imagined Companion’s explosive hyper-growth in the past month,
and I’m so excited to be a part of a thriving startup that aims to increase safety on college campuses,” Ernst said in a press release. The app garnered 500,000 new users during the first week after its launch. The app works by asking the user to plug in their destination and then calculates the estimated time it will take the user to reach their destination. Should the user take a longer than normal time to walk, the app will contact the designated “companion” for the person walking back. Besides showing the path of the user walking home, the app utilizes built-in sensors in the phone to notice changes — such as a change in pace of the person walking or if the headphones come out. If these sudden changes happen, the app asks the user if they feel all right. After initial success on the University’s campus, enough universities and colleges
Follow @michigandaily
Tweets
approached the Companion team about the app that they decided to make it public, offering it to any user through iOS and Android.
features such as why walkers pressed the “I feel nervous” button. Diane Brown, information officer for the University’s Department of Public Safety and Security, told the University faculty and staff have Detroit Free Press she wants to use also taken notice of the possibilities the app to help improve campus the app could have, suggesting safety.
Dave Askins @chronicallydave
Washtenaw County grants FOIA request; Bicycle in for repair at Great Lakes ready for pickup; What will go right next? #wienerwednesday
POPX IN THE PL AZ A
Recycle Ann Arbor @RecycleAnnArbor
Where are we today, #AnnArbor? At the #UniversityofMichigan #EarthFest! Come learn about #recycling and #reuse.
GRANT HARDY/Daily
Organizers for POPX set up their annual festival, opening tomorrow, at Liberty Plaza in Ann Arbor Wednesday.
CAMPUS EVENTS & NOTES Rackham Diversity Forum
Personal Guarantees by SME Owners in Japan
WHAT: A graduate student diversity forum to discuss strategic goals for President Schlissiel’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Strategic Planning Initiative. WHO: Rackham Graduate School WHEN: 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. WHERE: Rackham Graduate School - Amphitheatre 4th floor
WHAT: Takeo Hoshi, director of the Japan Program at the Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center, Stanford University, is giving a lecure about his research on Japanese corporate financing. WHO: Center for Japanese Studies WHEN: 12 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. WHERE: School of Social Work Building - Room 1636
Human Rights in Russia Talk
Documenting Detroit Photo Exhibition
WHAT: Tanya Cooper, a former employee at Amnesty International USA, will be giving a talk about human rights abuse in Russia. WHO: Osher Lifelong Learning Institute WHEN: 10 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. WHERE: Rave Theater, 4100 Carpenter Road
WHAT: Photographs by students from the 1970s through the 1980s will be on display. The focus will be on Detroit landmarks. WHO: University of Michigan Detroit Center WHEN: 9 a.m to 4:30 p.m. WHERE: Detroit Center - Monts Hall
EEB Thursday Seminar WHAT: Luke Nave, assistant research scientist at the UM Biological Station, will be speaking about physiographic factors that control carbon distribution and biogeochemical cycling in a glaciated northern forest landscape. WHO: Dept. of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. WHEN: 4 p.m. - 5 p.m. WHERE: Chem Building 1210
Peer Leadership: Getting Results without Authority WHAT: This seminar will help attendees to identify their personal leadership skills. WHO: Learning & Professional Development WHEN: 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. WHERE: Administrative Services Building
A2 Foodie
Indian Economic Reform Lecture
@A2Foodie
Daily Staff Reporter
Ford Motor Company’s new partnership with the University of Michigan aims to have self-driving cars ready for large scale commercial use by 2021, according to Ford’s website. The Dearborn-based car company has worked with the University in the past on autonomous vehicle research, most notably with the driverless car testing site Mcity on North Campus. The Board of Regents approved the design plan for a $75 million facility during their September meeting and Ford announced it will be leasing the fourth floor of the new building. The project is set to be completed in September 2019, according to Jessy Grizzle, the University’s director of robotics. A major perk of the new facility is that professors, graduate
NO PROBLEMO.
students and undergraduate students can work together in one space. Currently, the robotics faculty works in various departments and is located in five separate buildings, through a staff of approximately 20. Grizzle said the new building will bring researchers together through collaborative spaces, encouraging group work and fostering communication among team members. “We will have startup-style collaboration space, think Uber and Google, where faculty and students can mingle when they need a break,” Grizzle said. “That is where crazy ideas get bantered back and forth, sometimes leading to a breakthrough.” Designing technology for autonomous vehicles is one of several efforts that will take place at the robotics building in upcoming years. The robotics team is also developing prosthetic limbs that have the potential to be controlled by the
puzzle by sudokusyndication.com
brain, an autonomous wheelchair that can sense obstacles and walking robots. “The facility will be spectacular,” Grizzle said. “Imagine a three story tall space where drones can fly. Imagine a largelegged robot laboratory with access to an outdoor robot play pen that makes the Wave Field look like a piece of cake.” Grizzle stressed the partnership is extremely beneficial to both the University and Ford. “Ford wants access to outstanding graduate students and new research approaches,” Grizzle said. “Faculty want access to new research problems and industrial insight into what is really important.” Overall, Grizzle said the building will be a massive asset to the robotics department and will contain two classrooms and office spaces for 25 to 30 faculty, about 20 postdoctoral researchers and 150 Ph.D. students. University Assistant Profs. Matthew Johnson-Roberson and Ram Vasudevan will be coleading the Ford and UM autonomous vehicle research project. The new building could help Ford reach the goal as soon as possible, Johnson-Roberson said. “What we are going to be doing is figuring out more about the technology that currently exists and what still needs to be developed so that we can operate autonomous vehicles safely on public roads in 2021,” he said. Charles Barto, a recent engineering alum of the University, works as a research assistant for Vasudevan’s and JohnsonRoberson’s lab, said he believes the partnership with Ford at the new robotics facility could lead to new opportunities for researchers in the field. “It looks like it is going to be a good investment for the University,” Barto said. “There are a lot of new research groups that are looking into moving into that new facility.”
Mark F. O’Brien
Free Yoga Class
@nikonfm2n
Siberian Iris, back in June at #MBGNA Matthaei Botanical Gardens, Velvia spooled onto 620, Argus 40. #umich
WHAT: Trotter is offering a free hour of calm and relaxing yoga as part of their Health & Wellness initiative. The class is taught by Elizabeth Gonzalez from the Clincal Services of CAPS. WHO: Trotter Multicultural Center WHEN: 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. WHERE: Trotter Multicultural Center
Robot research aims to increase efficiency in manufacturing plants RHEA CHEETI
Looking for a job in the #annarbor Food business?!! @amabistro is hiring servers, and hosts! Apply today #umich
WHAT: Subir Gokarn, former deputy director of the Reserve Bank of India, will reflect on these achievements, what worked, what did not work and his insights on future economic reform in India. WHO: India Initiatives at Ross WHEN: 5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. WHERE: Ross School of Business - B1580 - Blau Hall
420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1327 www.michigandaily.com
SHOHAM GEVA
HUSSEIN HAKIM
Editor in Chief 734-418-4115 ext. 1251 sageva@michigandaily.com
Business Manager 734-418-4115 ext. 1241 hjhakim@michigandaily.com
PHOTOGRAPHY SECTION
NEWS TIPS
ARTS SECTION
photo@michigandaily.com
news@michigandaily.com
CLASSIFIED SALES
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
classified@michigandaily.com
EDITORIAL PAGE
734-418-4115 opt. 3
tothedaily@michigandaily.com opinion@michigandaily.com
arts@michigandaily.com
NEWSROOM
SPORTS SECTION
sports@michigandaily.com
DISPLAY SALES
dailydisplay@gmail.com
CORRECTIONS
corrections@michigandaily.com
Editorial Staff
AMANDA ALLEN and GRANT HARDY
LAURA SCHINAGLE
Senior Photo Editors: Zoey Holmstrom, Ryan McLoughlin, Zach Moore Assistant Photo Editors: Claire Abdo, Sinduja Kilaru, Sam Mousigian, Marina Ross, David Song
Managing Editor
Managing Photo Editors schlaura@michigandaily.com
EMMA KERR
Managing News Editor emkerr@michigandaily.com Senior News Editors: Allana Akhtar, Jacqeline Charniga, Emma Kinery, Camy Metwally, Katie Penrod Assistant News Editors: Riyah Basha, Kevin Biglin, Caleb Chadwell, Tim Cohn, Will Feuer, Nisa Khan, Jennifer Meer, Lydia Murray, Caitlin Reedy, Alexa St. John
CLAIRE BRYAN and REGAN DETWILER
Editorial Page Editors opinioneditors@michigandaily.com Senior Opinion Editors: Caitlin Heenan, Ben Keller, Anna Polumbo-Levy, Rebecca Tarnopol, Stephanie Trierweiler
MAX BULTMAN and JAKE LOURIM
Managing Sports Editors sportseditors@michigandaily.com Senior Sports Editors: Minh Doan, Jacob Gase, Kelly Hall, Ted Janes, Kevin Santo, Brad Whipple Assistant Sports Editors: Betelhem Ashame, Chloe Aubuchon, Laney Byler, Chris Crowder, Sylvanna Gross, Mike Persak
KATHLEEN DAVIS and ADAM THEISEN
Managing Arts Editors arts@michigandaily.com Senior Arts Editors: Caroline Filips, Melina Glusac, Jacob Rich, Ben Rosenstock Arts Beat Editors: Matthew Barnauskas, Christian Kennedy, Rebecca Lerner, Natalie Zak
ANJALI ALANGADEN and FRANCESCA KIELB
Managing Design Editors design@michigandaily.com Senior Design Arts Editor: Jacklyn Thomas
KARL WILLIAMS
Statement Editor statement@michigandaily.com Deputy Statement Editor: Nabeel Chollampat Statement Photo Editor: Zoey Holmstrom Statement Lead Designer: Shane Achenbach Statement Creative Director: Emilie Farrugia
EMILY CAMPBELL and ALEXIS NOWICKI
Managing Copy Editors copydesk@michigandaily.com Senior Copy Editors: Danielle Jackson, Taylor Grandinetti
NIVEDITA KARKI
Managing Online Editor nivkarki@michigandaily.com Senior Web Developers: Dylan Lawton, Bob Lesser
LEVIN KIM
Managing Video Editor video@michigandaily.com Senior Video Editors: Michael Kessler, Abe Lofy, Emma Winowiecki
DEMARIO LONGMIRE and TONI WANG Michigan in Color Editors
Special Projects Manager
EMMA SUTHERLAND Social Media Editor
SONIA SHEKAR
ASJA KEPES
National Accounts Manager
ANNA HE
Special Publications and Events Manager
michiganincolor@michigandaily.com
MICHAEL SCHRAMM
Business Staff Sales Manager
photo@michigandaily.com
Digital Marketing Manager
EMILY RICHNER
JULIA SELSKY
Local Accounts Manager
CLAIRE BUTZ
Production and Layout Manager The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through Friday during the fall and winter terms by students at the University OF Michigan. One copy is available free of charge to all readers. Additional copies may be picked up at the Daily’s office for $2. Subscriptions for fall term, starting in September, via U.S. mail are $110. Winter term (January through April) is $115, yearlong (September through April) is $195. University affiliates are subject to a reduced subscription rate. On-campus subscriptions for fall term are $35. Subscriptions must be prepaid. The Michigan Daily is a member of The Associated Press and The Associated Collegiate Press.
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
HOUSING From Page 1A affordability initiative, such as Jawad, are aiming to start with events that will then lead to other projects for the year. Jawad said CSG also plans to talk to about housing issues associated specifically with high rises going forward and has contacted Tower Plaza and Zaragon West to ask questions about density. Ann Arbor resident Ken Clein — who chairs the city Planning Commission — said there is no “silver bullet” to remedy high costs of living, but listed several options that are often discussed by the Planning Commission and city government. These options include incentives for developers to create more low-rent housing, increasing the amount of property available
EARTH From Page 1A with the Office of Campus Sustainability, said EarthFest was incredibly important in raising campus awareness. “From our point of view we want to make students, especially new students, aware of the whole Planet Blue idea and what U of M is doing towards reaching its sustainability goal,” Keeler said. Taylor Landeryou, a School of Natural Resources and Environment graduate student, was at EarthFest working at a table for her organization, UMBees. UMBees brings awareness to campus about the role of honey bees and other pollinators in the
LAWSUIT From Page 1A for him to voluntarily separate from the University. The original case was investigated under UM’s previous sexual misconduct policy, which was modified in July 2016 to clarify several definitions, including on what constitutes consent and incapacitation, as well as change the sanctioning process. The male student’s lawyer, Deborah Gordon, said Tuesday that she thinks the University’s choice to update the UM sexual misconduct policy acknowledges that the previous policy was unclear about the definition of incapacitation and intoxication. Because of that lack of clarity, she said, the original case against her client was unfair, because her client could not tell whether the female student was incapacitated. “I believe I am going to prove the University of Michigan violated my client’s constitutional rights,” she said. “I cannot emphasize enough the University has admitted the [previous] policies are not viable under the law.” According to the female
News
for residential development and allowing the construction of lowdensity accessory dwelling units on existing residential plots. Clein noted that these measures can only be applied to the city housing market as a whole, and cannot be specifically targeted at students. The willingness of property developers to lower rents for students in response to external factors will also be crucial. Craig Wack, public relations director at EdR housing, which manages several properties in Ann Arbor, said large student housing projects in college towns tend to compete based on proximity to other students and amenities, with price as a secondary factor, especially because many students receive rent assistance from their parents. “In the surveys we’ve had... the one thing that came back first and foremost is that students want to live where their friends live, they want to have that community,”
Wack said. “Price is probably number two, a number of our students are paying their own way, but there are a lot of students who get help from their parents.” LSA junior Ellen Guerra, who is living in an off-campus apartment for the first time, wrote in an email that she’s found of the off-campus housing process frustrating. “Figuring out student housing in Ann Arbor is outrageous: first, pricing is too high for what the homes offer. I know people who signed their lease 2 years in advance in order to secure a good home,” she wrote in an email to the Daily. “This makes finding housing extremely stressful if you don’t have connections to the people in a house you want or don’t have a set group of friends you want to live with.” She added that pricing is often unpredictable, especially when utilities come into play. “Finally, the prices are high and always become higher once
you move in: I thought my place included all extra expenses but once I moved in I learned I needed to pay more for Internet, parking and electricity,” she wrote. “The idea of figuring out housing for next year stresses me out a lot and it’s a full year away (un)til move in.” LSA sophomore Elizabeth Szeles echoed Guerra’s thoughts about off-campus housing. “I think housing is expensive in general,” she said. “As a sophomore, I am thinking ‘let’s look at off-campus housing’ and I am doing that right now, and it’s still ridiculously expensive, and that’s with the meal plan included. I really wish there were more options.” Szeles said she doesn’t know what to expect out of CSG’s plan to work with City Council, but added that she understands a project as big as one on the housing affordability might not be completed within her time at the University.
food systems. An estimated onethird of all food is dependent on pollinators, according to the British Beekeepers Association. The group keeps six hives at the Campus Farm on North Campus and also hosts an urban beekeeping symposium in October. Landeryou said she loves coming to EarthFest to bring the community more information about bees and other pollinators. “We actually kind of use it as our Festifall,” Landeryou said. “We appreciate that opportunity and we also love being around all our neighborly Earth-driven groups.” Members of the Food Recovery Network, which works with the University dining halls and other student organizations that
serve food to reduce leftover waste, attended the event for the third year in a row. LSA senior Ryan Ouderkirk, in his second year as one of the Network’s representatives, said the group aims to find a more sustainable way to reduce leftovers. “Essentially we are taking the leftovers and helping deliver them to the hungry,” Ouderkirk said. During the event, students formed long lines to get their own succulent plants from the Matthei Botanical Gardens table and learn about volunteer opportunities at both the Gardens and Nichols Arboretum. Jared Alexson, a Natural Resources and Environment graduate student, said EarthFest is a great way for the Botanical Gardens to connect with the
student body. “It’s a great way to promote the presence of the garden and the arboretum for U of M students,” Alexson said. “It’s this underlying theme of connecting people with plants and connecting people with nature.” Students passed through the Diag throughout the day, checking out the different tables and being treated to apples and Washtenaw Dairy donuts in true fall in Ann Arbor spirit. Engineering senior Srivi Sridhar said she had never heard of EarthFest before Wednesday, but was pleased with the event. “I really like EarthFest,” Sridhar said. “I didn’t expect it to be here, but there is so much. I’ve learned a lot.”
student’s lawsuit, the male student agreed to a voluntary separation from the University during UM’s investigation of the female student’s complaint. Under a voluntary separation, an individual leaves the University but it is not considered an expulsion, and it does not show up as a disciplinary action on a transcript. In a press release Wednesday, Jennifer Salvatore, a attorney from Salvatore, Prescott and Porter representing the female student, said the male student’s lawsuit breaks the terms agreed to by her client during UM’s investigation process. “It’s unfortunate that my client had to turn to the courts to enforce an agreement that the defendant said he would honor,” Salvatore said. Salvatore’s assistant said the attorney was unavailable for further comment on Wednesday. The female student’s complaint alleges that during the January 2016 fraternity party, the male student took the plaintiff to his bedroom, where he removed all of her clothing. The female student states she told him, “No sex,” but that he both vaginally and orally assaulted her. The female student’s victim
statement, provided by her lawyers, says a female witness and her friends who walked into the male student’s room helped her home after the incident, and that later that night she went to the hospital, where doctors performed a rape kit. In response to the female student’s lawsuit, Gordon said she thinks the female student’s claims have no value and are based on threats. University spokesperson Rick Fitzgerald said he has nothing to add on the lawsuit filed Wednesday morning by the female student. Employees named in the male student’s case against the University include David Baum, assistant dean of the University Law School, Rackham student Tabitha Bentley, Nadia Bazzy, assistant director of the Office of Student Resolution and E. Royster Harper, vice president for student life. The connection of these individuals to the case is not specified in the documents, but the boards used to review sanctions in the University’s process of investigating sexual assault claims are typically composed of a mix of professors and students. Under the University’s new policy, those review boards and
the overall review process have changed in several ways. In particular, the appeals process has moved from a sole representative responsible for determining the sanction to a separate board, composed of two faculty or staff and a student. Under both policies, the sanctioning occurs after a review board looked at the case. The previous policy also stated that if the respondent and complainant agreed to a sanction without appealing, the agreement would be binding and the respondent would be required to fulfill the sanctions or interventions included. Neither complainant nor respondent would be permitted to appeal the sanction if the parties agree to the sanctioning. Under the new policy, if either the respondent or claimant takes issue with the sanctions, they can appeal to an external, third-party reviewer, chosen by the office of the general counsel and the vice president for student life. This story has been updated with responses from representatives for the University and the female student. This is a developing story, check back for more updates.
Thursday, September 22, 2016 — 3A
DIVERSITY From Page 1A The second largest group of individuals in CSG and LSA SG identified as Asian, 9.3 percent and 14.7 percent, respectively. ESG, however, was 42.9 percent Asian. A Michigan Daily analysis of CSG leadership conducted in 2015 found similar patterns in executive positions: seven men served as president in a row, a trend now continued by Schafer. The gender gap in the full CSG assembly — 58.1 percent of members are male, 40.7 percent female and 1.2 percent preferred not to answer — is slightly higher than that of the University’s breakdown of male students at 51.8 percent and females at 48.2 percent, according to the report. The report also measured family backgrounds of representatives. Only 9.3 percent of CSG members are first-generation students, while 37.2 percent of the body comes from homes earning more than $250,000 a year. The University does not publish full statistics on student body income level. On the whole, LSA and Engineering student governments were more diverse in every category on the survey compared to CSG,
NAACP From Page 1A as well as the death of 13-year old Tyree King, who was shot by police earlier this month. “The purpose of The Speak Out is to uplift the community overall,” the NAACP wrote in an earlier email statement to the Daily. Speakers also spoke on an incident at EMU early Tuesday morning, when staff members discovered racial slurs and the letters “KKK” painted on buildings. Later that day, more than 150 protesters marched to the home of EMU president James Smith, where he delivered a statement with other campus officials, according to the Detroit Free Press. EMU students present at the speakout claimed more graffiti was discovered Wednesday morning as well. The University’s Black Student Union tweeted videos of its members standing alongside other community members at the protest Tuesday at EMU, and much of Wednesday night’s remarks centered around solidarity with Black students at EMU. Darius Anthony, president of the NAACP chapter at EMU, addressed the crowd about the importance of protest on both campuses. “We shut shit down, that’s what we do,” Anthony said, referring to a rally Tuesday that blocked traffic on Washtenaw Avenue. During the speakout, Kyla Fordham, another member of the EMU NAACP, applauded
though both bodies are less than half the size of CSG. Surveys of all three bodies were administered last week, and received a 95-percent response rate. A press release accompanying the report’s release emphasized transparency and accurate representation. “Diversity is critical to ensuring that as a governing body, we are representative of every student on campus,” Schafer said in the release. “We look forward to analyzing the results of the report and conceptualizing ways in which we can better represent our various constituencies.” Schafer made diversity a major cornerstone of his campaign platform with NewMICH, committing to extending the University’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion initiative into the assembly. The CSG executive team commissioned the report at the beginning of the school year as an initial assessment and benchmark for future growth. “I think it’s not only going to hold us more accountable as an organization to improve our diversity in the long term, but it’s also going to allow us to possibly set objectives and measures going forward,” Schafer said at a meeting earlier this month. Schafer was unavailable for further comment Wednesday afternoon.
University students for demonstrations on UM’s campus, and urged them to band together with EMU students. “We have questions...how they always got security cameras to give us traffic tickets, but not to figure out who did that graffiti?” she said. “But we’ll encourage one another because y’all are right next door to us. It doesn’t take an organization to change things, it starts in your classrooms and it starts with yourselves.” Speakers also discussed issues surrounding diversity at the University at large, including campus climate and resources afforded to Black students. In recounting racially insensitive remarks made by a professor earlier this week, LSA senior Dorian Ballard highlighted the current historically low enrollment of Black students at the University. “We’re only 4 percent here, but we’re the best 4 percent,” she said. Black Student Union speaker Diego Zimmerman, a Music, Theater & Dance junior, reflected on the recurring nature of fatal shootings of African-Americans at the hands of police officers. Above all, Zimmerman stressed, the Black community needs selflove. “What if I’m next?” he asked. “When I see you, with your melanin and natural hair...I am extremely happy. When someone tries to take our lives away from us without out permission, I am extremely angry. But...I love you and that anything you need, we are here for you.”
Opinion
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
4A — Thursday, September 22, 2016
ASHLEY ZHANG | COLUMN
Breaking down oppressive period culture
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
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS Carolyn Ayaub Claire Bryan Regan Detwiler Caitlin Heenan Jeremy Kaplan Ben Keller
Minsoo Kim Payton Luokkala Kit Maher Madeline Nowicki Anna Polumbo-Levy Jason Rowland
Lauren Schandevel Kevin Sweitzer Rebecca Tarnopol Ashley Tjhung Stephanie Trierweiler
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.
ANU ROY-CHAUDHURY | COLUMN
A very un-American American ANU ROY-CHAUDHURY
A
few weeks ago, I was in an Uber with a driver named Nick. He happened to be from Greece, but immigrated to Michigan with his family when he was a teenager. I brought up my interest in travelling there, and we talked about some of the best sites in the country, the rich culture and the fluctuating debt crisis. I said how amazing it would have been to live there, and he nodded, saying it was. But what struck me was when he then went on to say how America had done more for him and his family than Greece ever could. As we continued to talk, I soon realized his appreciation for this country outweighed my own. Nick’s sentiments, similar to many other foreign-born Americans, are at odds with many of the things Donald Trump has to say about immigrants in the United States. Last week, Mr. Trump announced that President Barack Obama was, in fact, born in the United States. The Trump team blamed Hillary Clinton for the birtherism theories, accusing her 2008 campaign of starting the birther movement. However, history is not on Mr. Trump’s side. The Los Angeles Times traced the nominee’s opinion on Obama’s birthplace throughout the years, and up until his announcement on Sept. 16, Trump was anything but supportive of the president. Even after announcing his bid for the presidency in 2015, Donald Trump remained doubtful of Obama’s birthplace. The resurfacing of this issue, possibly another media ploy or (successful) attempt to cast the spotlight on himself, highlights a deeper problem: Trump’s immigrant discourse is dangerous to what the United States stands for. Within the past year, Trump has managed to alienate immigrant groups from all over the world. Now, Mr. Trump has again raised concerns regarding identity and origin and their collective place in American society. This continued disregard and severe lack of empathy for immigrant groups makes him less American than he once perceived our president to be. It has been said time and again that America is, at its core, a nation of immigrants. Our country’s
motto, “E pluribus unum,” or “out of many, one,” highlights the nation’s diverse makeup. Trump’s words have continuously worked against this centuriesold principle, disrespecting it instead of praising it. The irony of this lies in Trump’s appeal. His campaign has run on an “America First” mentality in an attempt to make him appear more patriotic. Well, “America First” includes the 42.4 million foreign-born immigrants who call this country home. Trump’s vision of “Make America Great Again” is a skewed one. His harmful rhetoric against immigrant populations like his “Build a Wall” slogan and plan to ban Muslims from entering the country is creating an outdated insider vs. outsider mentality that has no place in today’s globalized society. This hostile conversation between natural-born Americans and foreign-born Americans is destructive to the very ideals the country holds itself to. The nominee’s all-American image is disqualified by his refusal to see what makes America, America: its diverse population. Statistically, immigrants in the United States, along with their U.S.-born children, equate to almost 26 percent of the population. As the daughter of two Indian immigrants, I’m part of that statistic, as are many other University of Michigan students. In a country with a substantial foreign population, Trump’s rhetoric is working against him. If Mr. Trump wants his campaign to be signified by strong patriotism, then estranging American immigrants is not the way to go. Immigrants, more often than not, embody the virtues that make the United States great: hard work, humility and a belief in America’s ideals. They come here to start over, to begin, to learn. America is opportunity, it’s hope, but for many of us, it’s just ordinary. I can admit that I take being an American for granted. But for immigrants living here, every day is a visible difference between where they came from and where they are now. This kind of perspective develops a great sense of gratitude, leading many immigrants to have a uniquely deeper appreciation for all that the United States has given them. Donald Trump hasn’t outright insulted Greek immigrants like
Nick the Uber driver, or Indian immigrants like my parents, but his anti-immigration rhetoric can make all ethnicities feel unwelcome in their own country — their own home. It’s important to note that Trump doesn’t often make the distinction in his comments between illegal immigrants who bring violence and crime to the United States and immigrants like my parents: educated, skillful and committed to giving their very best for their children and their adopted country. Immigrants like the Khan family, whose roots are in Pakistan, are originally from another country but have lived a version of the “American Dream.” Trump’s words have grouped together all immigrants by continuously insulting them, showing a concerted effort to alienate those whose birthplace may be different, skin color may be darker or first language may not be English. In many cases, this simply means he is alienating those who tend to be the most appreciative of America. He has refueled the stigma surrounding immigrants and perpetuated the idea of a less tolerant America. The fact that their appreciation is being returned with racism and bigotry by a presidential candidate tears away at what actually makes America great: people who have come here seeking opportunity and who have lived it out. The United States is a country of diversity, opportunity, freedom, hope and all those other adjectives that great leaders and great writers have continuously used to describe this singularly unique America. These are the ideals we hold ourselves to: accepting other cultures and religions, promoting tolerance and acceptance and realizing the vast contributions those with different backgrounds can bring to the table. Unfortunately, not all of us are promoting those words on the face of our currency, E pluribus unum. Trump is on a mission to “Make America Great Again,” but his own belittling words and blunt ignorance seem to be what make him all the less American.
Anu Roy-Chaudhury can be reached at anuroy@umich.edu.
CONTRIBUTE TO THE CONVERSATION Readers are encouraged to submit letters to the editor and opeds. 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. ANTHONY LABONTE | CARTOON
“I
love girls,” my friend woman, uses tampons or some once proclaimed as she other internal sanitary product, exited the bathroom. “I was a Big Deal — not only for didn’t have a pad, and five girls China, but also for me. offered me one.” You see, I am 18 years old, It’s a classic girl bonding and I have never used a tampon. moment and the best ice breaker It originated from a fear of there is: One girl potential pain and bemoans the arrival the unknown, but of Mother Nature’s soon the years of monthly gift, and she avoidance flashed can generally expect by until I was a myriad responses, legal adult, ready ranging from groans to embark on a of empathy to favorite camping trip into cramp-eradicating the vast wilderness, tips to “Oh my gosh, the dates of my trip me too!” from female coinciding exactly ASHLEY acquaintances turned with the start of ZHANG fast friends. All my monthly cycle. connected by shared pains and Images of bears picking up discomforts, “sisterhood” has my bloody scent from miles never felt so real. away and coming to devour me However, these conversations in one mighty gulp haunted rarely stretch beyond the realm my dreams as I frantically of sleepovers, dormitories and conjured excuses for sitting on female restrooms. And perhaps the beach while everyone else that uncommonness is the frolicked in the water. reason heated discussions on The stress of breaking period menstruation bond us. When taboo was enough for me to the media masks the messy purchase my first trial pack reality of periods with smiling of tampons and search up the women in tampon commercials “You’re going through puberty, and a mysterious blue liquid now what?” websites I hadn’t that has little resemblance to touched since middle school. crimson blood, the only people Unfortunately, my mother was we can relate to are those who’ve not quite on board with the idea. experienced it themselves. “What are these?” she asked, Enter Fu Yuanhui, the Chinese picking up the Kroger bag I’d competitive swimmer who brought home. “Tampons,” effortlessly shattered so-called I replied with nervous “period taboo” at the 2016 Rio nonchalance. “Tampons?” my Olympics. “I just got my period mother repeated, “You can’t use yesterday, so I’m still a bit weak these; you’re not married!” and really tired. But this isn’t an It was then I realized it wasn’t excuse for not swimming well,” just my own fear preventing she told an interviewer post-race me from using tampons, but with a frankness that garnered rather, the long history of a attention worldwide and instantly culture that heavily emphasizes became hashtag relatable with sexual purity. As I argued girls all over the world. with my mother on the innate The scrutiny was especially sexism behind her statement, strong in her home country, she countered with the closest where feminine hygiene thing to “the talk” (albeit full of product advertisements are euphemisms and uncomfortable banned during prime time and avoidances) that I’d ever the tampon market is miniscule received. “There’s a … layer of due to the misguided belief that skin in there that breaks when tampons will break a woman’s you use a tampon,” she said. hymen and take her virginity. “Do you mean the hymen?” Whether or not it was intended I replied. “Because that doesn’t that way, Fu’s public admission break when you use a tampon, you of her period and the insinuation know.” Still, she was adamant. that she, an unmarried Chinese It was hard not to feel
frustrated with my mother’s beliefs, but how could I blame her when she was raised in a country that turns married women away from the gynecologist, because pap smears and pelvic exams are considered too intrusive? The importance of virginity in China doesn’t stem from a particularly sexual or religious place. Rather, as Emily Wilcox, assistant professor in the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of Michigan, explains, “Chinese society tends to place greater emphasis on managing women’s bodily processes related to reproduction.” According to Wilcox, Chinese women treat menstruation more seriously as a health issue and a limitation to their regular activities than women in the United States. Additionally, Chinese women take a month off after they give birth so their bodies can recover from the ordeal of delivery, a practice that translates to “doing the month.” And while traditional Chinese medicine has its merits, the attention to female virginity and the female body suggests an underlying sexism, as if the only thing the female body is good for is as a vessel for another human being. In a country where virgins and unmarried women (who are assumed to be the former) are barred from receiving gynecological exams and discouraged from using tampons, Fu Yuanhui’s casual smashing of period taboo is somewhat of a statement, or even a catalyst for change. As innocuous as her comment may seem, it’s already opened conversations on Chinese forums about tampons and the misconceptions surrounding their ability to strip a woman of her virginity. Fu Yuanhui’s interview is a foot in the door, a centimeter crack between the secret realm of girls and the rest of the world.
Ashley Zhang can be reached at ashleyzh@umich.edu.
ROLAND DAVIDSON | COLUMN
Entering my 22nd year of existence
I
have a deep history of an anxiety-inducing process but having social anxiety from at the end of the day, I made the totally innocuous things. right decision. I imagine there are One of my greatest fears is that a lot of people like me, wanting the baristas at Espresso Royale to be celebrated but not wanting will begin recognizing me and to usher in the celebration. My treating me better. advice: Think back Yes, this is extremely to how you’ve gotten irrational. But at the what you want in very least, I can take the past. I’ve never solace in that I’m had a job fall into part of a great lineage my lap; I’ve had to of neurotic New talk to professors, York Jews (almost do research, send anything which resumes, etc. Why is draws comparisons to a birthday party any Woody Allen is a win different? If you want ROLAND in my book). to celebrate DAVIDSON people I have a similar you, you often have to relationship with birthdays. The make it happen. idea of celebrating myself has While it’s possible to change always rubbed me the wrong some aspects of how your birthday way. It seems plainly narcissistic. is celebrated, others are totally out (Whoopee, I don’t have of your control. The way people debilitating, life-threatening wish you a happy birthday, for arthritis from replaying Chrono instance. I’ve noticed a gradual Trigger! We’re one year closer change in the electronic rituals to the inevitable heat death which come with birthdays. I of the Universe!) I want to be remember in high school waiting celebrated, but not to be the until midnight so I could wish subject of celebration (please my best friend a happy birthday. I someone objectify me). It’s a remember drafting and redrafting weird tension. Each year, another birthday wall posts filled with birthday passed and I grew a little inside jokes about “The Crucible” more bitter that nobody threw and trigonometry. That doesn’t me a birthday bash. I started happen anymore. Maybe it’s to loathe birthdays and would because of how Facebook has tell friends this, so they stopped changed its interface. Back in celebrating. The obvious loop of the days of yore, Facebook’s chat bad self-confidence formed and it feature was notoriously buggy, showed no signs of stopping until often deleting conversations a week ago. midway through and having no This year was different. ability to save conversations. Over the past year, I’ve made a These days, that doesn’t really concerted effort to incorporate happen. On the flipside, I’ve gotten my coursework into my life some really nice handwritten outside the classroom. One of notes from my friends (one year the most important things I’ve my housemate gave me an award internalized through my classes for Most Times Attempted to on social justice is that nothing Quit Compulsive Cough Drop is given to you in this world. Consumption). A lot of people The future isn’t guaranteed to extol written communication be better — we have to actively in our hyper-mediated world. If make it so. People need to fight someone goes to the trouble of against injustice to improve our hand writing a letter, there comes communities. But this lesson a certain care, both about the goes beyond work as an activist. contents of the letter but also about This year I invited a bunch of your relationship. my friends to the Jolly Pumpkin But to be totally honest, it’s for drinks and food. This was hard not be nostalgic for that
moment at midnight when the deluge of wall posts came in. Maybe it is part of how I’ve grown accustomed to the way that the internet has allowed for instant gratification. At the same time, it’s not as though those messages were shallow, and I have them forever, which is a definite plus. The internet rituals we associate with birthdays might just reflect larger patterns in how we use our computers and social media. In the back of my head, I keep track of who has and hasn’t wished me a happy birthday on Facebook. This probably sounds neurotic. Spoiler — it is. Case in point: A girl who I had a fling with in the summer of 2014 wished me a happy birthday for the following two years and neglected to do so this year. (But she did like the following status: “the main reason im excited to turn 21 is that i can now disappoint a whole new set of women on tinder.”) Maybe this represents the ways in which we’ve grown apart — which brings me to my last point: Birthdays are a chance to reminisce and reflect, both a singular, nondescript point and a check point. You see people fade in and out of your life (so-andso came to this sweet dinner with my family but didn’t even say anything this year). But at the same time, life doesn’t have an easy trajectory. People crest in and out of your life between those two poles; I’ve had really important relationships where my birthday plays no role. Birthdays are important but not the end all be all. A lot of people get worked up over them, justifiably so. It’s not as though it’s just another day. There are a lot of important markers in our lives ranging from the traditional holidays to graduations to initially random dates that acquire meaning. Perhaps the best way to describe them is to say that they’re just another important day.
Roland Davidson can be reached at mhenryda@umich.edu.
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com T E A M
Brown not intimidated by Penn State’s spread offense
S T A T S MICH 53.0 23.0 197.7 4.9 9 254.3 65.9% 8.4 8 1 70.7 452.0 48.8% 75.0% 3.7 19.0 22.9 41.2 4-6 4/1 31.3 31:18
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 15.0 15.3 140.0 3.6 2 156.0 45.6% 5.9 3 2 65.0 296.0 10.5% 37.5% 1.7 19.5 17.5 35.8 1-4 6/2 60.7 28:42
Defense’s leader vows to control tempo in Saturday’s game MAX BULTMAN
Managing Sports Editor
I N D I V I D U A L S PASSING Player Speight O’Korn Morris TOTALS
Cmp 51 5 4 60
Att 80 7 4 91
Yds 686 32 45 763
TD 8 0 0 8
INT 1 0 0 1
Att 21 27 22 13 5 5 2 2 7 1 1 3 1 1 1 1 8 121
Yds Avg 157 7.5 152 5.6 76 3.5 64 4.9 55 11.0 36 7.2 24 12.0 17 8.5 15 2.1 14 14.0 11 11.0 7 2.3 2 2.0 1 1.0 -1 -1.0 -11 -11.0 -26 -3.2 593 4.9
Lg 43 42 12 19 19 17 17 10 4 14 11 3 2 1 0 0 3 43
TD 2 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9
No. 10 15 7 2 5 1 1 3 1 1 3 1 2 2 2 4 60
Yds 204 192 127 66 32 22 21 20 18 15 13 12 10 6 5 0 763
Avg 20.4 12.8 18.1 33.0 6.4 22.0 21.0 6.7 18.0 15.0 4.3 12.0 5.0 3.0 2.5 0.0 12.7
Lg 45 25 35 54 9 22 21 8 18 15 8 12 5 4 3 8 54
TD 4 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8
No. 8 1 0 9
Yds 173 27 6 206
Avg. Long 21.6 54 27.0 0 -6 22.9 54
TD 1 0 1 2
No. 1 1 2
Yds Avg. Long 51 51.0 51 27 27.0 27 78 39.0 51
TD 1 1 2
Yds Avg. Long 81 40.5 55 28 14.0 15 5 2.5 5 114 19.0 55
TD 0 0 0 0
RUSHING Player C. Evans Smith, D. Isaac Higdon McDoom Chesson Peppers Davis Hill Morris Crawford O’Korn Hirsch Beneducci Hewlett Allen Speight TOTALS RECEIVING Player Darboh Butt Chesson Perry Hill Ways Isaac McDoom Crawford Hirsch Poggi Jocz McKeon Bunting Evans Smith, D. TOTALS
PUNT RETURNS Player Peppers Jocz Perry TOTALS INTERCEPTIONS Player Stribling Hill, D. TOTALS
KICKOFF RETURNS Player Peppers Henderson Hill, K. TOTALS
No. 2 2 2 6
KICKOFFS Player Allen Foug TOTALS
No. 21 7 20
Yds 1354 403 1243
Avg. 64.5 57.6 62.2
TB 12 2 10
PUNTING Player Allen TOTALS
No. 10 10
Yds 412 412
Avg. 41.2 41.2
Lg 55 55
FIELD GOALS Player Allen
FG Pct. 1-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50+ Lg 4-6 66.7% 0-0 1-1 3-4 0-1 0-0 39
DEFENSE Player Peppers Gedeon McCray Thomas Winovich Gary Hill, D. Glasgow, R. Wormley Godin Clark Stribling Kinnel Bush Hurst Watson Wroblewski Glasgow, J. Marshall, L. Uche Dwumfour Jones Allen Charlton Hudson Pearson McDoom Crawford Smith, D. Miller Hill, L. TOTALS
Solo Ast Tot 19 9 28 8 17 25 10 9 19 8 8 16 4 11 15 5 8 13 6 5 11 11 11 4 5 9 3 6 9 6 3 9 3 5 8 4 3 7 2 3 5 2 3 5 2 3 5 3 3 3 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 2 2 1 1 2 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 100 122 222
TFL 9.5 4.0 4.5 3.0 3.5 2.0 1.0 1.5 1.0 1.0 1.0 32.0
SK PBU 2.5 2.0 2.5 3 1 1.5 1.0 1 0.5 1.0 2 1 1.0 1 11.0 9
UPCOMING GAMES
9/24 PENN ST. (2-1) 3:30, Michigan Stadium, ABC
10/1
SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily
Wilton Speight finished 16-for-30 on Saturday and took three sacks.
Drevno, offense focus on correcting miscues Offensive coordinator notes pass protection, route running as issues KELLY HALL
Daily Sports Editor
When redshirt sophomore quarterback Wilton Speight dropped back to throw on third-and-7 in the first quarter, the No. 4 Michigan football team showed a sense of urgency to redeem an early deficit. Instead, down 7-0 already, the Wolverines’ fate was about to get worse. Speight took a jarring hit to the right elbow from Colorado defensive back Chidobe Awuzie, fumbled the ball for a Buffaloes scoopand-score. Now, just over three minutes into the game, it was 14-0, and Speight had to slowly climb back up from a hit that kept him crumpled on the ground long enough that he didn’t see the touchdown. “I was just like, ‘Wow, that hurt,’ ” Speight said. “I’ve never been hit like that before, because it was completely blind. I didn’t see it. I had no idea. I was kind of in shock too because I kinda realized what happened and they were in the end zone dancing.” Though Speight did get back and played the rest of the game (minus one play on the following drive when redshirt junior John O’Korn was under center), he was shakier than he has been all season. He threw 16-for-30 for 229 yards, but came close to throwing a few interceptions as well. After the game, he said he needs to work on his throwaways by making sure they’re “100-percent thrown away.” But from the looks of it, his biggest issue was getting hit. “Wilton is a true competitor, and he’s a tough guy,” said offensive coordinator Tim Drevno on Wednesday. “I think anybody who plays the quarterback position has got to be a tough guy. You have to take hits you don’t want to happen — we don’t want (it) to happen. But it’s how they respond. That was a tough hit on him and he bounced back up and led us the rest of the game and took us back from (being) behind and I’m just really pleased with what he did.” Speight was only one problem in a shaky offense on Saturday. Some of Speight’s issues were due to occasional lapses in the offensive line, and Drevno said that he needs to work with the line to make sure the blockers have strength to finish. Despite a few missteps, Drevno was pleased overall. Because the
offensive line places a high intrinsic value on making the correct decisions throughout the game, the group has a high ceiling. “It’s important for them to be right, not to be wrong,” Drevno said. “They take it really, really personal when it’s not right. Really personal. Which is neat, that’s the neat thing as a coach. They take pride in their work.” On top of rocky pass protection, the Wolverines’ two best receivers, fifth-year seniors Amara Darboh and Jehu Chesson, were hardly able to get open. Darboh had just two catches, one being the 45-yard touchdown that gave Michigan the lead heading into halftime. Chesson didn’t have any receptions, though three of Speight’s passes were intended for him. Senior tight end Jake Butt ended up being Speight’s go-to guy, but even then, Butt was able to lead the game with just 87 receiving yards. Because the passing game wasn’t up to speed during the first quarter, most of the Wolverines’ big plays came on the ground. After struggling against Central Florida, averaging just 2.9 yards per run, the running backs were able to help out on the ground with 168 yards and three touchdowns. Despite the increase in rushing efficiency, Drevno would like to see a more holistically stable offense overall. “I think it’s just, there’s different things,” Drevno said. “Protection was one issue, and you saw that. You know, maybe just a missed throw, maybe not the right position timing on the route, not being in the right spot. But you know, I’m pleased. Week before, we threw for 312 yards. There’s no finer throw than Wilton throwing the deep ball in college football. That’s hard to do.” Luckily for Speight, he has some expert coaches in his corner. Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh and passing game coordinator Jedd Fisch both come from the NFL, where there’s no other choice but to fix the passing game so that deep ball can break free. “They understand the expectation level, and we’re going to get the passing game fixed,” Drevno said. “We will. With Jedd and Jim and myself, we’re going to make sure we get everything back up to speed.”
“We’re going to make sure we get everything back up to speed.”
10/8
WISCONSIN (3-0) at RUTGERS (2-1) 3:30, Michigan Stadium
Thursday, September 22, 2016 — 5A
7 or 8 p.m., Piscataway, N.J.
10/22 ILLINOIS (1-2) 3:30 p.m., Michigan Stadium
10/29
11/5
at MICH. ST. (2-0) MARYLAND (3-0) East Lansing, Mich.
Michigan Stadium
Don Brown would like to make one thing clear. When Penn State and its spread offense visit Michigan Stadium on Saturday, the Nittany Lions shouldn’t expect to have their way. Not in terms of formations, not in terms of pace, not if Brown has anything to say about it. “You’ve got to understand, these spread teams, what they want you to do is they want you to line up in one of two looks,” Brown said. “That’s what they want, and that’s exactly what I’m not going to do, OK? So let’s get that straight. We’re going to be extremely multiple, we’re going to stay on the aggressive side and that’s how we’re going to go. “… These guys want you to line up in quarters and a static front and kick your you-know-what! We’re not doing that! And if it is, it’ll be over my dead body!” Those are strong words, but right now, Brown is speaking from a position of strength. He heads the nation’s No. 19 scoring defense and No. 24 total defense, and if you take out the big plays that have so far burned the Wolverines, those numbers are even more impressive. Brown’s reputation as a tinkering blitz master has proven apt so far. His unit is tied for third in the country in tackles for loss and tied for 10th in sacks. This week, he is expected to get an All-American back in senior cornerback Jourdan Lewis, and if Lewis does indeed return from a nagging injury that has kept him out all season, he could be a key boost to the man coverage Brown’s corners play. Pro Football Focus’ college football tweeted Wednesday that the Wolverines’ current corners, senior Channing Stribling and fifth-year senior Jeremy Clark, are their top two at the position in the Big Ten, but Lewis’ return can help in an important way.
AMANDA ALLEN/Daily
Don Brown says he’s prepared for yet another up-tempo spread attack.
For all the success Michigan has had on defense, its opponents have found ways to beat it on key big plays. Central Florida did it on the ground. Colorado did it through the air. Lewis is one of the country’s best cover corners and, at his best, can virtually take away one side of the field. Brown says, ideally, the big plays wouldn’t happen at all. He is confident that the unit will be better three weeks from now and even better three weeks after that. “The arrow is pointing up,” Brown said. “Even on the couple run mistakes we talked about, right? It’s not like somebody was punching us in the mouth, now, and knocking us off the ball. It’s hit your gap, but when you’re moving, we’re subtly moving and grooving up front and learning how to deal with this block and that block and this guy is going from D gap to B gap to C gap. We’re doing a lot of that, and it takes a little bit of time to be right.” Saturday, he’ll face a Nittany
Classifieds
Lions team that plays with the same up-tempo style his last two opponents have used to occasional explosive success. But in both cases, the Wolverines have been able to regroup and, save for a handful of plays, shut down the spread. Against Colorado, Brown said, he observed the Buffaloes’ tempo slow down based on the looks they saw from Michigan’s defense. “When you’re coming enough they don’t want to get — it’s like hitting your head against the wall,” he said. “You don’t want to run a bad play into a tough look. And it’s not like we’re going to sit there.” Normally, matchups involving a spread offense revolve around the question of how to defend its tempo. But if Brown’s philosophies hold, the game breaks down to a whole other question, one the defensive coordinator posed rhetorically on Wednesday. “Who’s controlling the tempo now?”
Call: #734-418-4115 Email: dailydisplay@gmail.com
RELEASE DATE– Thursday, September 22, 2016
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
FOR RENT
Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
ACROSS 1 It’s often a stretch 5 Grim, as a landscape 10 Debit card choice 14 Superstar 15 Command 16 Troublesome tykes 17 Bad-blood situation 18 One out for blood 20 Some browns 21 Number in an outline, perhaps 22 Put in stitches 23 Variety show array 26 Disdainful look 27 Holes in sneakers 29 Cruising 31 Slenderstemmed palm 32 Where to see a wake 33 Botch 37 Lease alternative 38 Babies, or what some babies wear 41 Historic beginning? 42 Kentucky Fried side 44 Brewery fixture 45 In-groups 47 Irish New Age singer 49 Runs aground 50 Striped quartz 53 Pork-filled pastry, e.g. 55 Ruined in the kitchen 57 Brooke Baldwin’s network 58 Auto parts giant 61 Pearl Harbor battleship 63 Third-generation Genesis name 64 Remote button with a square 65 Capital on the Willamette 66 Pedometer measure 67 Many millennia 68 Sky scraper? 69 Stage layouts
50 Treat badly 35 Like many apps DOWN 1 Garage 36 Cop to the crime, 51 Zest contraption 52 Illegal firing with “up” 2 What a light bulb 39 Address with an 54 USDA may mean inspector’s apostrophe 3 Europe’s highest 40 Smack concern active volcano 56 Ph.D. hurdle 43 Wings eaters’ 4 Veteran seafarer 59 Well-versed needs 5 Cold War Baltic artist? 46 Aloof patrollers 60 Deadly demeanor 6 Coaches slitherers 48 “In thy 7 Acknowledge 62 Fast-forward dreams!” 8 Account exec through 49 Hung sign 9 Angel who replaced Jill, in ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE: ’70s TV 10 “The Deer Hunter” setting 11 Saturate (with) 12 Let off the hook 13 Late bloomer? 19 Bit of subterfuge 24 Entrechat, e.g. 25 Call at home 27 Lover of Psyche 28 Ketch kin 30 Green sign information, traditionally 32 Suitable 34 Raise stakes in a game ... and a hint to a hidden feature of five Down puzzle 09/22/16 xwordeditor@aol.com answers
By Roger Wienberg ©2016 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
09/22/16
WWW.CARLSONPROPERTIES.COM 734‑332‑6000
SERVICES THESIS EDITING joanhutchinson@att.net www.writeonA2.com
Sports
6A — Thursday, September 22, 2016
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
MEN’S SOCCER
Wolverines’ offensive struggles continue in fourth straight loss Michigan outshoots opponent for seventh time in eight games, but loses to Western Michigan at home stadium MAX MARCOVITCH For the Daily
With the clock ticking down and hopes of its first win of the season dwindling away, the Michigan W. MICHIGAN 1 men’s 0 MICHIGAN soccer team was desperately seeking a goal, with a corner kick in the final minute serving as its last chance to find an equalizer against Western Michigan. The ball flew into a crowded box and found the feet of sophomore forward Francis Atuahene, who deflected it toward an open goal. But the Wolverines’ first goal in more than 300 minutes was not meant to be, as the ball deflected off the inside of the left post and fell harmlessly into the hands of the Broncos’ goalkeeper Drew Shepherd. “The hardest thing to do in soccer is score goals,” said Michigan coach Chaka Daley. Right now, his team knows that better than anyone. The loss, which sent the Wolverines to 0-5-3 on the season, was microcosmic of the season to date: close, just not close enough. “We’ve been extremely unlucky in the past three games to hit the crossbar, have a last-ditch effort with 20 seconds against (Michigan) State and today hit the post again,” said senior defender Lars Eckenrode. “It’s extremely frustrating waiting for (luck) to turn in our favor.” Early on, the Wolverines came out energetically and
opportunistically, managing four shots — including several goalscoring opportunities — in the first seven minutes. But Michigan failed to muster another shot in the first half after that and allowed Western Michigan to become more comfortable in its possession and creativity. Stifling defense and physical play by the Broncos sent a visibly frustated and offensively out-of-sync Michigan team to the locker room with its fifth straight goalless half. A rejuvenated, confident Western Michigan team came out of halftime with several chances before finally breaking through with the winner in the 53rd minute. Midfielder Brandon Bye sped past the Michigan defense on the right side, finding fellow midfielder Diego Lopez in the box. Lopez calmly turned and slotted home the only goal of the game past sprawling junior goalkeeper Evan Louro. “We just fell asleep on one moment in the game,” Eckenrode said. “And that’s what ended up costing us.” For the seventh time in its last eight games, Michigan outshot its opponent, this time by a margin of 14-8. Yet for the third game in a row, and the fifth time this year, it failed to find the back of the net. With 15 minutes left, Daley urged one final push, moving toward a three-defender, twoattacker formation in search of that elusive goal. The increased attacking presence lacked fluidity in the final third, and despite scrambling to find seven second-
“We fear no one. I’d be fearful if we got going.”
half corners, struggled to find goal-scoring chances until the last-ditch effort. “I told (the team), ‘This is not easy,’ ” Daley said. “We’re not struggling soccer-wise, we’re not stuggling tactically, we’re not struggling technically. We have a little bit of a struggle going on mentally.” But Daley remains confident in his team’s ability to turn things around. “There’s no quit in that locker room, there’s no quit in that coaching staff,” Daley said. “We’re proud people that represent Michigan. It’ll hurt tonight, but we’ll pick ourselves up and continue to work to get better and get to the next game. “We fear no one. I’d be fearful if we got going.”
BY THE NUMBERS Michigan Men’s Soccer
127
Shots for Michigan through its first eight games, exceeding its opponents’ total by 19
5
Goals for Michigan in eight games, good for a total shot percentage of just .039
333
Minutes since Michigan’s last goal, in the 47th minute against Wisconsin on Sept. 9
2
Goals for Michigan’s leading scorer, Francis Atuahene, this season
ELIZABETH XIONG/Daily
Senior defender Lars Eckenrode said Michigan didn’t play with maximum energy from the outset on Wednesday.
‘M’ stuck in search for elusive win Wolverines move to 0-5-3 after rough fourth straight loss PAIGE VOEFFRAY Daily Sports Writer
The Michigan men’s soccer team hoped to secure its first win of the season against Western Michigan on Wednesday night, but after another hard-fought battle and a 1-0 loss, a win still eludes them. For most Wolverine fans who attend the games, the losing streak may be confusing. Some stats suggest Michigan is in the upper echelon of teams in the country, but the reality is much different. Michigan (0-3-0 Big Ten, 0-5-3 overall) is No. 1 in the Big Ten and No. 18 in the country in shots per game, averaging 16.14. It has outshot its opponents in seven out of its last eight games. Unfortunately for the Wolverines, their attacks haven’t translated into goals. “I’d be very discouraged if we weren’t creating any chances,” said Michigan coach Chaka Daley. “This game could have been 3-0 in the first five minutes.” The stats point to a serious issue with the number of chances and lack of goals. Talent on the team does not seem to be the issue. Sophomore midfielder Francis Atuahene has 23 shots this season, and freshman forward Jack Hallahan has 19, and both have been standout players. But for some reason, these shots aren’t finding the net. The Wolverines have a young front line, and their inexperience may be hurting their chances. And another loss in the books may be affecting the confidence of the team. Every game has been close enough that one goal could
ZOEY HOLMSTROM/Daily
Chaka Daley’s team is still seeking its first win after eight games this season.
have switched the momentum completely. In the first 30 seconds of Wednesday’s match, Atuahene dribbled the ball at the top of the box and sent a through ball to sophomore midfielder Ivo Cerda, who shot it to the far post. All the Broncos’ goalkeeper Drew Shepherd could do was get a fingertip on it to push it away from the goal. An early goal could have been exactly what Michigan needed to control the game, instead of getting stuck in the kick-andchase tactic. As soon as the Wolverines are down, they
“They came out with more energy and hunger than we did.”
play some of their best soccer. However, they’ll need to come out with that fire from the beginning if they want to see a change in the final results. “They came out with more energy and hunger than we did, which kind of caught us by surprise,” said senior defender Lars Eckenrode. “It’s safe to say that’s what got us in the end.” Daley isn’t counting his team out yet, though. Michigan still has five Big Ten games to play, and he knows that if his team can peak at the right moment, it might have a chance to turn its season around. “We’re proud coaches, we’re proud student-athletes to represent Michigan,” Daley said. “It’ll hurt tonight, but we’ll pick ourselves up and we’ll continue to work to get better.”
the b-side B
The Michigan Daily | michigandaily.com | Thursday, September 22, 2016
Student promoter lifts local talent
By: Christian Kennedy, Daily Music & Blog Editor
the b-side
2B — Thursday, September 22, 2016
AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily
Dude Madison performs at the Blind Pig as one of the musicians promoted by What the Sound.
SOUND From Page 1B Over winter break of last year, while the University of Michigan was quiet in an empty Ann Arbor, LSA senior Ben Schechter was sitting on a sofa 8,308 miles away, in Cape Town, South Africa, listening to bluesy rock duo Abbey Grange play a set. Schechter was at The Waiting Room, a bar/balcony combination, which is the place to see live music in Cape Town. Situated on the building’s second level with a metal railing over which patrons can look at the street, the 60-ish-personcapacity venue recalls Bourbon Street in New Orleans. “I was the one of the only people there who were unrelated to the band. Just a random guy sitting on a couch, but I enjoyed every minute of it,” Schechter, a former photographer for The Michigan Daily, said. “I’m really looking forward to their future.” He said that about every band during our conversation, but rather than coming off as rehearsed or customary, his words dripped with genuine excitement every time. Schechter, graduating from the University in December with a degree in General Studies as well as a certificate in Entrepreneurship, is the founder and sole employee of What The Sound, a music website dedicated to exposing up-and-coming artists to new listeners. “I’m curious when I listen to bands what their story is, why they make music and whatnot,” he said. “I was on the East Coast visiting my sister, and I thought why not reach out to some bands.” Following that initiative, What The Sound built a catalogue with upwards of 30 artist interviews over the course of the fall 2015 semester. Interviewing Abbey Grange in Cape Town is far from What The Sound’s only international venture. The website’s homepage boasts a black-and-white world map with smatterings of yellow geotags congregated in South Africa, Australia, Western Europe and across the United States, signifying the locations
of artists. “One of the big things when I’m listening to these bands is that I want to see them live, but then, ‘Oh, they’re from New Zealand or from Russia.’ I think it’s really cool to lay out that information so when people go to What The Sound, they can think, ‘Oh, I wonder who he interviewed in L.A.?’ … press on L.A. pin, learn that way,” Schechter said. An admitted lover of geography, Schechter hopes the visual guide to What The Sound’s interview archive encourages a boundaryless music scene: “Depending on where people are from it can change assumptions about the area. If you didn’t think hip hop could exist in the middle of Australia, press on Canberra and check out these two female hip-hop artists, Coda Conduct. It’s a neat way of exploring new music, geographically and seeing it rather than pressing a dropdown menu.” Prior to What The Sound, Schechter was an intern at the Blind Pig after a semester of follow-ups with the Pig’s talent buyer, Jason Berry. They still talk often, Schechter said, and two years after finishing his time at the Pig, Schechter finds himself working with Berry again, this time on “What The Sound Presents,” a series of showcases featuring local talent. The majority of the shows have happened at the Pig, save for singular shows in New York, Chicago and Hamtramck. What The Sound presented its first showcase in February and expanded to four showcases this semester, with the possibility of additional shows in November and January. “In February I was like, OK, I know all of these musicians,” Schechter said. “Maybe not personally, but I listen to them and know their music. So, I figured I might as well reach out on a local level and put on shows.” The criteria for landing a spot on a What The Sound lineup is simple: 1. Schechter’s got to dig your sound and 2. You’ve got to have the potential to grow. Last Friday, What The Sound presented a showcase of five
hip-hop acts — four from Ann Arbor and one from Detroit, headlined by the rapper Munch. The first two acts of the night, Dude Madison and Broccoli, are both students at the University. The former earned his spot on the bill through hard work and being assertive and, of course, Schechter digs his sound. The latter, a buddy of Schechter’s, goes by many aliases and wore all black while serving up a cool Travis Scott cover. The third act, Awkward Theory from Detroit, played Ann Arbor for the first time. The fourth act on the bill consisted of Ann Arbor rapper Isaac Castor and local band Arch Hotel. Friday’s showcase, Castor’s first with a live band, wasn’t the 21-year-old’s first set at the Pig. “I’m trying to take my standard live rap set and do something different with it and make it creative and fun for the audience,” Castor said in a phone interview. “I think it went really well in that regard. Everybody brought out a lot of friends. I had a lot of fun. I definitely prefer to play with a live band. I don’t know if I’ll ever go back to performing without one again, so hopefully we can keep this ensemble going.” After developing a taste for 2Pac, Jay Z and OutKast as a child of the ’90s, Castor began writing music in Naperville, Illinois at the age of nine. He released his first mixtape six years ago and plans to release a new EP before the end of the year. In April he opened for rising rapper Lil Dicky (who played Hill Auditorium with Vic Mensa the same month). But the highlight since dropping that debut mixtape in high school? A feature in XXL, one of hip hop’s most prominent magazines. “That was a goal I’ve had for a long time that felt really good to accomplish,” he said. Schechter discovered Castor’s music while SoundCloud surfing, and then the XXL write-up, which led to him eventually offering Castor the fourth slot in Friday’s show. “(Ben) asked me a long time ago if I would perform at (Munch’s) headlining show and, Munch is the homie, so I was obviously down for that,” Castor said. “(What The Sound) definitely wanted us to do our part for promotion, but that’s cool because I would rather perform with people I know in the crowd, familiar faces who know my lyrics. That’s encouraging. What The Sound took good care of us, so shoutout to Ben for that.” Castor met Munch (real name Maher Hachem) last year during Ann Arbor’s annual summer concert series, Sonic Lunch. As Castor played with a band for the first time, Friday was also a first for Munch — his first headlining show. A senior at the University, Munch grew up in the suburbs of Detroit, but his vibe is decidedly West Coast, a quality which carried into his 2015 album, Beaches. “A lot of inspiration for Beaches came from that weather, the energy, that laidback vibe,” he said in a phone interview earlier this week. “I really wanted to carry that over and add deeper meaning to my project — I didn’t want just a bunch of songs. I wanted a story: highs, lows, chill, upbeat songs.” Friday’s showcase wasn’t Hachem and Schechter’s first time collaborating in the production of a live show; while Schechter interned at the Pig, he helped Munch gain exposure by getting him to open for Futuristic this past April.
“(Prior to last Friday’s show), Munch was really persistent about doing a big thing at a local venue, so I gave him the opportunity, and he did a great job,” Schechter said. “It was like a family reunion for Munch. He brought out his whole family, kind of seemed like a wedding at one point. I loved his energy; it was a good vibe.” Munch’s tenacity toward exposure is also present in his artistry. In developing his upcoming eight-track album, expected out before the year’s end, Munch approached the project from a place of honesty, looking for his true self to come through in the music. In terms of Friday’s show, the “family reunion” vibe Schechter touched on was a direct result of Munch’s efforts to push the boundaries of his own marketing, seeing how many people he could get out to the show. “(The turnout) was more than I was expecting,” Hachem said. “I didn’t go in with any crazy expectations. It was really amazing to have people who honestly support you. No one had to do that.” “No one” encompasses not just fans who came out to the showcase to see local hip hop, but also Schechter. The admiration Schechter exudes toward the artists and bands he is passionate about is reciprocated by gratitude; both Castor and Munch had nothing but praise when it came to Schechter’s involvement in the showcase. “He’s the biggest homie Ann Arbor has to offer,” Munch said. “The guy is creating amazing opportunities for local artists, committing his time and efforts to give them a chance to shine in the community. He’s so professional and appreciates the artists. And that’s the best part of working with What The Sound: he shows respect to everyone.” On What The Sound’s promotional breadth, Castor praised the emphasis on a University-centric show: “They
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily
What The Sound showcased five local hip-hop acts Sept. 16 at the Blind Pig
really came after the college crowd better than a typical hip-hop promoter would for an Ann Arbor show. Including University students on the bill such as Munch, Broccoli and Dude Madison so they can invite their friends and going after that college base is a smart move.” Schechter has ambitions to push What The Sound beyond the city of Ann Arbor. After graduating in December, he hopes to find a job that allows him to continue What The Sound on the side. Interviewing more artists (when he has the time to transcribe) and continuing to promote shows locally while also looking to expand to other markets are key pillars of Schechter’s vision. Specifically, What The Sound is in the process of setting up a second Chicago showcase as well as one in Bloomington, Indiana, home of Indiana University. The showcases go through a plethora of iterations before Schechter lands on the final version of a lineup. Two months before a show, he locks in the date with the venue and about half a month later, promotion begins. Moving beyond posters on campus, What The Sound’s third showcase of the semester will have a Snapchat geofilter Friday night.
“I feel like I learned a lot while interning for the Pig: which shows do well, which don’t and how to build a good lineup,” he said. “The last four years of learning about the music scene in Ann Arbor, the past artists who have played here and the artists currently becoming musicians here have taught how to formulate a good bill.” As he did last Friday, before Munch performed, Schechter will walk onto the Blind Pig stage tomorrow night to introduce another What The Sound headliner. This week, that’s The Stellars, a two-person indie-rock band which will also consist of eight live band members for the showcase. “I really enjoy saying this was my idea from the start; these are the bands I chose, and next thing you know there are 250 people at the show,” Schechter said. “Knowing that I’m the one who organized, promoted and advertised the show, it’s really rewarding to see the show happening, really great music being played and people really into it. A lot of people know that I do this, and they say it’s really cool, and I’m so appreciative of that, but to actually see the night go well and know that I put it together is really rewarding.”
FOOD COLUMN
Girl and the Goat: The toughest reservation in Chi-town SHIR AVINADAV
Daily Food Columnist
This summer, a friend managed to snag us a hot Monday evening rez at Chicago’s famed Girl and the Goat. “Top Chef” winner and University of Michigan alum Stephanie Izard opened up the lively spot in Chicago’s West Loop in 2010, and reservations there have been near-impossible to come by ever since. So when my friend offered up a chance to finally try out one of Chicago’s most talked about dining spots, I couldn’t pass it up. At 5:45 on a weekday, the place was still packed. The rustic interior buzzed with the energy of diners eager to try Izard’s acclaimed dishes. This energy felt palpable as soon as we walked in and were warmly greeted by the hostess. She led us to a counter spot for two that was practically located inside the bustling open kitchen. While f lustered at first by this oddly isolated yet invasive seating arrangement, we were compelled by our proximity to the flurry of kitchen staff gracefully plating an array of tasty-looking dishes. Though the spot placed us in the heart of the restaurant’s activity, it still felt cozy enough for an elevated dining experience. And I was especially grateful later when faced with the challenge of choosing from the wide selection of unconventionally appealing menu items. I was overwhelmed to the point of a near panic attack when our server showed up to take our order, until I glanced over and my attention was caught by a plate of hamachi crudo beckoning me to try it. Luckily, the restaurant serves up small plates with big flavor, so my friend and I selected four. Unlike traditional menus, the categories were divided into
vegetarian, fish, poultry and, of course, goat dishes. Rather than focus on size, plates are offered according to content and flavor — allowing guests to build a customized meal with diverse options. One of the must-try options are the freshly baked breads. We started with the olive bread and were promptly served a warm, crusty loaf studded with green olives and accompanied by a tangy whipped feta spread and dish of garlicky olive oil to dip the bread in. Not only is the bread just plain good, the cognizant act of selecting it from among four different bread options speaks to the careful intent with which the menu is crafted. Izard deliberately pairs ingredients and presents them to us to consume wholly and consciously. No food item or ingredient is used imprudently — as should be the case. And even the bread is no exception.
At 5:45 on a weekday, the place was still packed. Now that I’ve spent a paragraph just discussing the bread, I’ll move on to the bulk of our meal, which included the hamachi crudo and roasted cauliflower. The cauliflower was roasted to perfection and paired nicely with crunchy pine nuts and pickled peppers. I’m a huge fan of mint, and though I’ve never thought to serve it with a roasted vegetable, I was pleasantly surprised at the pop of flavor in each bite. This unexpectedness is one of the primary elements that draws praise from customers
and critics alike. Izard’s ingenuity when it comes to combining flavors we aren’t used to trying together rejuvenates the dining experience by adding an element of surprise and subsequent pleasure. The tart caperberries and salty, crisp pork belly of the hamachi crudo were balanced by the neutral flavor and velvety texture of thinly sliced raw fish. Both the fish and pork belly, while seemingly rich, indulged our appetite with a delicate ease that exemplifies the culinary craft at its finest. Without overwhelming our palates, Izard deftly transforms a variety of ingredients and flavors that please us because we’re so unaccustomed to enjoying them together. Her restaurant provides a safe space for us to explore our epicurean curiosities. And the results don’t disappoint. It’s no wonder that Girl and the Goat started out as successfully as it did and that it has retained its mass appeal since. While I rarely allow myself to buy into the hype of such places, Girl and the Goat’s buzz is welldeserved. Girl and the Goat is a true testament to what relentless hard work from a chef like Izard and a bold perspective can infuse into the dining experience and into the food industry. Even my practiced indifference, in the face of expectations built up to a near impossible standard of being met, was shattered with the first bite I took of Izard’s famed food. Though ordinary is far from what you get when you dine at Girl and the Goat, you’ll be easily transported into a world where even the most inconceivable dishes are presented and devoured with the utmost normality. Which is why, six years after the restaurant’s opening, I’m here singing its praise.
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
the b-side
GRANT HARDY/ Daily
RoosRoast recently opened on East Liberty, replacing the Elixir Vitae storefront.
RoosRoast sets up shop in downtown Ann Arbor Cozy new coffee shop delivers locally made beans, brews MEGAN MITCHELL Daily Arts Writer
Situated comfortably among the name-brand shops that line the streets of downtown Ann Arbor lies a cafe that prides itself on originality. There are no chains in foreign cities nor a neon sign that electrifies the door — only a reputation that whispers across campus and city streets alike. With the lightest of touches, the country screen doors open into a coffeehouse like no other, as well as a place where the mainstream is turned away faster than decaffeinated coffee. At least, this was the establishment John Roos might have envisioned while he brewed his signature coffee from a job at a local car dealership. And when customers eventually started coming around for their daily caffeinated fix, the idea behind RoosRoast Coffee was birthed. Since its conception, RoosRoast has been operating on Rosewood Street, where they continue to brew their own coffee made with beans purchased direct from the origin. However, this past March, the company took over a spot on East Liberty Street in downtown Ann Arbor and became a sort of successor to Elixir Vitae. With closer ties to downtown and the University of Michigan campus, RoosRoast has been the talk of the semester among coffee fanatics and caffeine addicts alike, and the company has enjoyed their newfound popularity under the stress of a city that never sleeps. To learn more about the newly opened second establishment, The Michigan Daily spent a sunny Monday afternoon on a coffee date with Katherine Weider-
Roos, co-owner and wife to RoosRoast founder John Roos. The philosophy at RoosRoast is simple — to brew the perfect cup of coffee. Whether through AeroPress, steeping, cold brew or a rigged nitro experiment, Roos is always looking for the perfect balance of natural flavors against caffeine intensity. “People treat coffee a little bit different,” Weider-Roos said. “If you’re doing a lighter roast, it’s just a taste thing. You’re sipping it a little more like wine — it’s a little bit lighter. Especially if you have a really good quality cup (of ) coffee.” This partially explains the reason their loud and busy cafe is set up in the style of a bar, sporting high-tops over quaint little tables.
“Maybe it has crack cocaine in it? It’s a bit of a cult.” “You want to roast a coffee just the right amount so you don’t blow out all the notes. That’s why when we get single origins in, we usually have a more medium light treatment to it. It’s a delicate dance to do those delicate roasts right so they all don’t taste the same.” As far as similar tastes go, RoosRoast has more than outdone themselves. With a selection of coffees and teas that range from the dark, electrifying “Portland in the ’90s” to the organically supplied “Spicy Ginger Lemon” tea, the cafe caters to all tastes and preferences. The detail that goes into catering to needs of their customers is
down to a fine point, brewing their drinks organically and allowing patrons to customize their drinking experience to their own taste. “We have a big thing about not making sweetened drinks, letting people add their honey or their sweetener. But when you go around to all the cafes, everything is sweetened — they hand you something sweetened,” Weider-Roos said. “We wanted to have something (where people) can add their (own) level of sweetness.” This includes their one-ofa-kind “AeroPress Bar,” which brews their specialty coffee faster than most other largeyield means and in a way that really lets you taste all of the natural flavor that’s made their name in the coffee business. “You can try any of our coffees with the AeroPress … and it just brews a more complex, rich cup of coffee than a drip would. It allows you to really taste our coffee.” Of course, their AeroPress is second only to the excellent cold brew that is produced by the gallon on a day-to-day basis at RoosRoast. Over the past few years, cold-brew coffee has worked its way up into the hierarchy of caffeinated beverages, overtaking iced coffee in a debate that has sparked mixed opinions on both sides. Critically acclaimed and favored for its wholesome flavor and smooth finish, the cold brew is rapidly gaining popularity in cafes worldwide. However, since the process of steeping a cold brew can take up to 24 hours, iced coffee is often served as a quick alternative. Hailed for its strength and caffeine-to-water ratio, RoosRoast produces cold brew daily, and never seems to run out of the stuff that keeps us running. “It’s like a concentrate,
Thursday, September 22, 2016 — 3B
so it’s meant to withhold the melting of the ice so you still have something drinkable after the ice melts. So it’s a really good cold brew,” Weider-Roos said with a smile, citing the numerous comments that their Instagram page has received regarding the sheer caffeinated strength of their cold brew. “The cold brew kind of jacks you up. The whole process is an immersion … it never touches hot water. You let it soak in the water for almost 24 hours — cold water — so it never touches hot water. It cools out all the caffeine in this totally different way. It’s kind of like a drug.” The opportunity to sample their brew only further proved that the rumors are, in fact, true — it’s strong as hell. The experience of drinking the one-of-a-kind coffee and specialty drinks served at RoosRoast’s newest location is certainly memorable. With loud Cuban jazz playing through the speakers and the amicable barista-to-patron interactions, it’s easy to get lost in the good ambiance. And though the storefront has changed in the gutting process, what once stood as the second location of the Elixir Vitae coffeehouse on East Liberty is now RoosRoast. However, patrons of the previous venue would be remiss if they didn’t recognize the flavor. “This was (Elixir Vitae’s) second location — he served RoosRoast,” Weider-Roos said. The rumor circulating around the coffee-addicted forums of Ann Arbor that RoosRoast supplied Elixir Vitae with their roasts is, in fact, true. So when the owner of Elixir gave up their second location, patrons were thrown for a little bit of a shock. “This was becoming too much for him to manage (the two places) I think,” Weider-Roos said. “So he wanted to get out of
his lease … I think it was a great gift. Like saying, ‘Hey I want you guys to take over my lease, what do you think?’ So it was more sort of handing it to us, in a way.” It was, in a way, like choosing RoosRoast as the successor to Elixir; passing on the torch to a new generation of roasting and opening the door to the third wave coffee movement. “He was serving RoosRoast and that way (the people) can still get RoosRoast,” Weider-Roos said. So far, business has been booming at the second location of RoosRoast, which is conveniently closer to campus and thus more readily accessible to students than their base location. “It’s like your whole world changes, because of the complexity of it … almost like being in newborn crisis mode,” Weider-Roos said. “The vibes, the people and the demand for it — it’s like having a party. It’s so fun to be down here. It gives us exposure here to people who aren’t able to go out to Rosewood.” Being this close to campus, coffee shops are often utilized as a fresh study space for students who need a caffeine fix to stay up that extra three or four hours to finish an assignment. So with its high stools and standing room only, RoosRoast carries the ambiance more of a graband-go shop versus a hot study space. “We wanted to be more like a neighborhood bar, it’s about having a meeting and talking. Stand and go … it’s not like a quiet little library. It’s like a moving thing: we’re going to be shouting, we’re going to be doing things. It’s kind of like a place — a social, vibrant community place rather than a library place.” With a smile, Weider-Roos described their newest location
as “a little bit like performance, crazy (and) social. It’s not like this all the time, but we’re just loud people and we also like to have a good time while we’re working. It’s like a neighborhood bar, but with coffee. Where people are getting jacked up, not drunk.” Another feature of RoosRoast is commonly shared by cafes worldwide: food. Not just any food, but a specific brand of food that leans towards organic and healthy, kept across the move from Elixir Vitae. “We wanted an element of light food. Not a full-service kitchen but something with your coffee: small bites.” Weider-Roos said. “You go to a lot of cafes and it’s just sugar, white flour — we have that too (laughs). But we also have other options: protein and things we would eat at home.” So, even if you’re not in for an early-morning cramming session, RoosRoast is still an available stop to come in to get your most important meal of the day with some of the best coffee and service this side of Michigan. Of course, we saved our most important question for last: “If you could have one item off of the entire menu, what would it be?” “Personally, we have to have espresso,” Weider-Roos said. “Our espresso blend is amazing right now. That’s a personal (choice). I would have to say, from a consumer point of view, I would be outvoted and it would be Lobster Butter Love. Maybe it has crack cocaine in it? It’s a bit of a cult; like, it’s 50 percent of our sales. I send it to Portland, Ore. You’d think they’d have good coffee in those places, but I ship Lobster Butter Love there.” If it’s good enough for Portland, it’s good enough for us.
SINGLE REVIEW A“Pest Control” The Game
As if being bodied by Drake wasn’t enough for the man, Meek Mill finds himself in the midst of yet another one-sided beef, this time being served rapacious, insulting bars by L.A. rapper The Game. This comes after The Game accused Meek Mill of telling the police that The Game was involved in the theft of Sean Kingston’s jewelry. It’s a messy, dramatic and somewhat childish feud, but the material coming out of it all has been providing the rap zeitgeist plenty of fodder to feed on — and The Game’s latest escalation is no exception. “Pest Control” itself contains verses targeting a variety of individuals besides Meek. On Beanie Sigel, a Philadelphia MC who hopped on Meek’s only diss track in the feud thus far, The Game harshly bellows
“Take Beans back to rehab / On Instagram looking like a motherfucking bean bag” — but he saves most of his airtime stringing together whatever insults he can to convey his superiority over Meek. He raps “You jumped Quentin Miller and now you don’t scrap / It was time to go at Drizzy and now you don’t rap” in reference to his laughable “beef” with Drake; he cites that “This n***a taking Ls every time he go viral” and “Keep it 100, you a Nicki Minaj sideshow.” He spits fire and harsh truth alike, fostering Meek’s continued fall from grace. It isn’t a feud with much explanation or rationale, but out of it all, The Game is able to flex his bread
UNIVERSAL PICTURES
and butter by verbally bodying those who cross him with finesse and mastery. There’s probably more to come out of this beef, but as time goes on, the spotlight shines brighter and brighter on The Game and his crew. “Pest Control” is one of many examples of The Game’s ability to convey his worth to the rap game, and if Meek continues to prolong this feud, it won’t be long until he’s finished digging his career’s own grave. - ANAY KATYAL
the b-side
4B — Thursday, September 22, 2016
ARTIST
REEL POLITICS
IN
Old docs show new campaign tricks
PROFILE
‘The War Room’ and ‘Primary’ show how political media operates
MERIN MCDIVITT Daily Arts Writer
DANIEL HENSEL With unruly gray hair, glasses and a short beard, it’s not hard to imagine Peter Kornbluh as he was in the Ann Arbor of his youth: picketing the Iran-Contra deal on the Diag, engaging in political debates with his Chilean girlfriend and her family — and writing, always writing. Since leaving for college out east, Kornbluh has accumulated an impressive track record: he has published a handful of books, declassified thousands of intelligence files, met Fidel Castro and been on “Charlie Rose.” But most recently, Kornbluh has been dealing with heightened fame. His latest book, “Back Channel to Cuba: The Hidden History of Negotiations Between Washington and Havana,” has proven popular. Along with co-author William LeoGrande, Kornbluh published the book shortly before President Obama announced his historic agreement with Cuba in December 2014. “Most of the negotiations were quite secret, and that is why they never really became part of the public discussion over Cuba policy,” Kornbluh said. “In the end [President Obama] understood that the Cubans were not going to make concessions. So far, his strategy is working.” “Back Channel” soon hit bestseller lists due to its relevant subject matter and surprising clairvoyance. After all, when Kornbluh wrote it, its story had no resolution — the United States and Cuba have been negotiating for a normalization of relations since Castro took power in 1959. President Obama’s announcement and subsequent visit seemed like the fulfillment of a prophecy, the culmination of all the hidden political efforts Kornbluh and LeoGrande had revealed in their book. Kornbluh returned to Ann Arbor last week amid this flurry of attention to speak to a full house at Literati, sign some books and go home — back to DC, that is. That didn’t keep it from turning into a sentimental hometown visit anyway. He may be a Washington man now, with Latin America on speed dial, but you’d never guess it as Kornbluh sipped his espresso on the top floor of Literati. The only Washington outside these doors is the busy downtown street, and everyone stepping off that street and into the store seemed to know Kornbluh intimately. Remnants of his time here, old neighbors, colleagues and friends, come in one after another as I sit observing. Friends of his mother — small, kind women in their nineties — gave Kornbluh bear hugs as he marveled that they went up that steep flight of stairs just to see him. History Prof. Jesse Hoffnung-Garskof, interviewer
Daily Arts Writer
PETER KORNBLUH
UM alum Peter Kornbluh wrote a bestselling book on Cuba-US relations.
for the night, showed up in a crisp red guayabera his father got in Cuba in the 1970s. Even Kornbluh’s former mother-inlaw, the tiny Chilean madre of that girlfriend (now ex-wife) from all those years ago in Ann Arbor, came up to wish him well. She greeted him warmly, first with Spanish terms of endearment and then in affectionate, accented English. “Oh, hello, Professor Langland, how are you?” Everyone got their espresso, cheerfully ignoring the setting sun outside the window, and took their seats. These were Latin Americans, after all — the coffee flows like water.
Most recently, Kornbluh has been dealing with heightened fame. Kornbluh has plenty of tales to tell, and he’s happy to share them if only you ask. Now and then, the stories jumped out of casual conversation already clothed in technicolor and three dimensions: Henry Kissinger slams his office door and grumbles, “That pipsqueak!” at Fidel, the insolent punk leering at him across the Straits of Florida. Gabriel Garcia Márquez sits at a long wooden table in Cape Cod, the famous novelist acting as undercover link between Washington and Cuba. A bull-headed Cuban exile flies his two-engine into Cuban airspace, drifting closer and closer to Havana and sparking an international incident. “I just hope the color of [these events] is transmitted through the book,” Kornbluh said. (It is.) At the core of his work, though, is not swashbuckling adventure but meticulous research, compellingly told. Kornbluh does more than just declassify, read and report. He has sifted through stacks, piles, libraries full of documents, somehow crafting a cohesive narrative out of the fragmented, often contradictory mosaic of U.S. intelligence efforts in
Latin America. He sussed this information out of willing subjects, many of them former intelligence officers and government officials frustrated with the way things went all those years ago. “The best source is the one with the grievance,” he said. He calls his technique “critical oral history” — declassify the documents, take them to the person who wrote them, received them or carried out their orders and ask them why they did what they did. “It’s an amazing feeling to meet these people,” he said. He’s been doing this since college, when an article in “Penthouse” (he says he only read it for the articles) led him to the former Ambassador to Chile under the Nixon Administration. Weeks later, he was sitting in the man’s living room, listening to him read sheaths of top secret documents into Kornbluh’s tape recorder. The tape ran out after an hour, but let’s call it a victory. The key to his major professional findings on Chile and Cuba is the National Security Archive, an organization with an ominoussounding name that’s actually a benign, inquisitive nonprofit. “It’s an organization that tries to use history to make history. The goal is to release documents that can enhance our knowledge of history and provide closure,” Kornbluh said. “The declassified documents allow one to be a fly on the wall as U.S. officials from Kennedy to Kissinger to Oliver North discuss using U.S. aggression and influence, overt and covert, to assert control over the region.” As Havana real estate prices rise and Americans clamor for Jet Blue tickets direct to Cuba, no one is quite sure what comes next. What’s certain, though, is that Kornbluh will be returning to the island, and so will his book. “I spent considerable time arranging for the book to be printed also in Cuba,” he explained, “for a price that Cubans can afford.” The Cuban edition comes out in December, while the snows batter Ann Arbor and Washington, and the sun beats down in Havana.
MUSIC VIDEO REVIEW A“Present Tense” Radiohead
Last week, Radiohead debuted their third video from A Moon Shaped Pool, this time for the song “Present Tense.” A sparse production, it features members Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood accompanied by a Roland CR-78, with Paul Thomas Anderson behind the camera as director. Yorke and crew previously worked with Anderson on “Daydreaming,” AMSP’s second video, which premiered back in August. But “Present Tense” is barely a music video. And Anderson’s presence is barely felt, with
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
only hints of his creative hand appearing as the camera cuts between close ups of Yorke’s face and wider shots of Greenwood and Yorke performing together. Otherwise, the video serves more as a live performance. It’s dimly lit and intimate, as if you were watching it at the Blind Pig, rather than on YouTube. And if I’m being honest, this is the first Radiohead music video I’ve ever seen. I’d never really felt the need to
XL RECORDINGS
give their music any visual representation; it’s already so hauntingly satisfying when it stands alone. But I have seen the band live, and this video feels a lot like that — except, lucky for you, it’s not as crowded. - RACHEL KERR
For a few cold days in early 1960, a group of documentarians led by Robert Drew followed two presidential candidates as they campaigned against each other in the Wisconsin democratic primary. One candidate connected with the low-income white rural voter, one with the more diverse, upper-income cities. One candidate was a natural with large crowds; one worked better in intimate conversations with voters. One candidate had detailed policy proposals, one relied on sweeping rhetoric. Sound familiar? This wasn’t Clinton and Trump or Clinton and Sanders. It was John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts and Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota. The showdown between the two senators, captured in Robert Drew’s 1960 documentary, “Primary,” is as civil as this election is uncivil, yet the demographic and representative divisions remain unchanged. As Election Day draws nearer, Humphrey continues to speak to people in their homes and on the street, while Kennedy attracts large crowds for speeches in cities. Humphrey rails against the newspapers and magazines that “laugh at the farmers.” Kennedy remains silent about his Catholic faith until he appears in heavily Polish Catholic Milwaukee. Both fidget ever so slightly when they speak. 33 years later, another rising Democratic star received the documentary treatment, but the form and focus was completely different. “The War Room” followed Bill Clinton’s campaign from the primaries to the general election. Clinton, who was plagued by scandal even during the primaries, was an icon for a new generation in American politics. He and Al Gore, his Tennessean running mate, were both Southern Democrats who had tapped into the economic anxieties of their surroundings. “New Democrats” found a hero
in the Arkansan Clinton. Meanwhile, to Clinton and his supporters, George H.W. Bush, the sitting president, was a wealthy old fogey who had feigned solidarity for the working class on the campaign trail by promising to never raise taxes, only to do so once in office. The story of “The War Room” isn’t about Clinton and Bush, though. It’s about Clinton’s two chief operatives who have since become major stars in the political world. James “The Ragin’ Cajun” Carville, Clinton’s campaign manager, is a rambunctious visionary whose skills are matched in strength only by his Bayou accent. George Stephanopoulos, whose fame has grown since he began hosting ABC News’s Sunday show, was Clinton’s young and preppy communications director. Carville and Stephanopoulos, at first glance, are more suitable for a buddy comedy than a national campaign, but their adept political skills become apparent quickly. Political media has transformed, thanks to cable television and, recently, the Internet, from basic reports of candidate positions in 1960 to fully-fledged war-zone correspondence in 1992 to the present. One of the casualties of the 24/7 news cycle is brilliantly displayed by the entirety of Pennebaker’s documentary. While “Primary” follows two candidates, “The War Room” follows two campaign operatives. Bill Clinton barely appears in person; he’s often reserved to the small television screen in the corner of the campaign office. But that’s precisely the point: in the postmodern political era, candidates for elected office are merely pixels on a screen — television, computer, phone or otherwise. Candidates are defined not by what is truly newsworthy (namely, their policy positions), but rather on what brings in the most traffic (namely, their scandals, one of which, Jennifer Flowers, appears in “The War Room”). And rarely do those two overlap.
It’s appropriate, then, that there’s a narrator in “Primary” who enters the conversation periodically, detailing what each candidate is doing, what their strengths are and what’s on the agenda next. Akin to a reliable 1960 news media, raw material is contextualized and synthesized for the average viewer, though the audience for “Primary” was likely limited to those who closely followed politics. No documentary is entirely objective, but “Primary” is pretty close. There is no narrator in “The War Room” — with constant access to politics, we no longer need a distiller of information — but all information comes from one side of the debate. Jennifer Flowers is something to be downplayed. “No New Taxes” is something to be given attention. There’s another story to be told: both films are equally about political messaging, but each clearly belongs to its own generation of the practice. Kennedy and Humphrey have different messages and express them differently but each appears genuine. To the skeptical viewer, meanwhile, Bill Clinton, still pixelated on the corner television, is rendered a vessel for his operatives’ strategies. The opponent, the establishment incumbent Bush, must have been equally, if not more, shaped by hired consultants than personal convictions. “The War Room” asks and answers the question: has new political media helped us? Probably not. We still know precious little about candidates’ policy positions or about the issues over which they disagree. Instead, endless ink is spilled on the horse race, the peripheral consultant class that shapes each candidate (though, arguably, that is becoming just as valuable) and the tangential scandals that reflect little to nothing about governing ability. To paraphrase one current presidential candidate, it’s time to make political media great again.
MUSIC NOTEBOOK
Ain’t no party like a Persian party How a trip to Tehran changed opinions on Iranian culture and music SHIMA SADAGHIYANI Daily Arts Writer
I am twelve years old, and my mother, grandmother and I are traveling to the northern part of Iran. From my grandmother’s home in Tehran, we road trip for almost eight hours via one giant bus filled with people from all around the city. In early morning darkness and almost complete silence, we board the bus. The engine rumbles to life, and we depart. For the first 20 minutes, while the deep indigo of the sky slowly filters to grey, to orange, to sunrise, the inhabitants of the bus keep mostly to themselves. I am more than ready to spend this trip how I would normally spend an American bus ride to school: in complete, reserved silence. Our bus driver, however, has different plans. As soon as the first rays of sunlight reach through the fingerprint-smudged glass of the windows, he decides he is tired of the inhibitions of his passengers and flicks on the radio. Out blares loud Persian music, more appropriate for a late-night club scene than a dirty bus at 7 in the morning. I am sleep deprived, deeply confused and, most of all, desperately trying to keep out of the spotlight. So instead of trying to take apart the deep complexities of this strange situation, I burrow my head onto my grandmother’s shoulder, close my eyes and try to nap away the remainder of the trip. When I awake groggily a few hours later, I seem to be in an entirely different world. What had been a relatively discreet bus when I had fallen asleep (despite
the ostentatious music) is now a full-fledged dance party: people dancing in the aisle, people dancing on top of the bus seats, their hands and arms and heads hanging out of the window while cheers, whoops and hollers collide in the air. In the time I blissfully slept, strangers have become friends, sharing thermoses of tea and biscuits. In the time I blissfully slept, strangers had become dance partners, shimmying up and down the narrow aisle to the encouragement of the other passengers. Old, young, man, woman, it didn’t matter — if you were on that bus, you were aggressively pulled into the chaos. By the time the bus pulled into its destination many hours later, I had learned two things. One: there is hardly anything more valued and preserved in Persian culture than music. It is such an essential aspect to the Persian identity that it often feels like the unifying bond that ties the entire culture together. Two: there really ain’t no party like a Persian party. In fact, my earliest memory of the Persian culture that my parents tried to preserve even when they immigrated to the United States was music. I vaguely remember my mother picking me up and twirling me around our small kitchen to the vivacious beat of different Persian songs while my father cheered from the sidelines. Whenever we would visit family in Iran, house parties would never fail to pop up almost every day of the week, all set to a soundtrack that was both modern and inherently Persian.
In part, the reason why music holds such an importance in Persian culture is because language holds such precedence in identity. From famous poets like Rumi to famous singers like Googoosh, all Iranian artists handle their words like the language is an art itself. Traditional Persian songs are, in essence, poems layered over a simple instrumental tune; their purpose is not to entertain, but to tell a story. Even more modern dance jams still take inspiration from the iconic old songs, remixing conventional melodies and adding more appropriate heavy club beats. But as Persian music grows and evolves, it never seems to lose sight of its origins, and neither have the Persian people. When I was little, Persian music was all that I listened to, mostly because it was all my parents would play in the house. But it was also because I felt a certain connection to the songs, even back then, when I didn’t know yet of the importance of music in my culture. Even now that my music taste has expanded and varied quite a bit, whenever I go back to the Persian classics I remember my parents playing, I gain a certain sense of sweet nostalgia. It makes me feel connected to an identity that I sometimes feel very disconnected from. No matter what is happening in my life here, I listen to this music and I remember there is a country, a city, a place where the people, my people, are as vibrant and beautiful as the songs I hear through my headphones. I remember this and never fail to feel a little less alone.