ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SIX YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM
Thursday, October 27, 2016
Ann Arbor, Michigan
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B-Side The B-Side explores the world of witches and Wiccans on the University of Michigan’s campus.
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ADMINISTRATION
Black student enrollment decreases for class of 2020 EMMA RICHTER/Daily
Number of underrepresented minority students overall grows by one percent
Engineering junior Dong Yi Chen at the Engineering Student Government Meeting in the Michigan Union Wednesday.
Engineering Student Gov. talks low student involvement with DEI plan
Group plans to host student-sponsored event in bid to increase engagement NISA KHAN
Daily Staff Reporter
At their Wednesday meeting, Engineering Student Government discussed plans to host a review of the University’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion plan, separate from the forums hosted by the College of
Engineering, because of sentiments from students that they felt uncomfortable and unable to speak freely at University hosted events. The planned review is slated to be held Thursday at 7 p.m. in Chesbrough Auditorium. The DEI strategic plan is a University-wide initiative that aims to create a more diverse and
inclusive campus atmosphere. It was launched by University President Mark Schlissel early this October. Under the umbrella of the overall plan, individual colleges are charged with organizing specific initiatives to increase diversity among their student populations. The College of Engineering hosted several forums on the
diversity plan this semester, but ESG President Rebekah Andrews, an Engineering senior, said she thought student-led forums may draw more underrepresented students to what she referred to as a more neutral space, saying the college’s events failed to facilitate an open environment. See ESG, Page 3A
TIM COHN & RIYAH BASHA Daily Staff Reporters
Black student enrollment at the University of Michigan decreased in this year’s freshman class of 2020, according to enrollment figures released by the University Wednesday morning. The new class of students is overall more diverse than last year’s class, however. Enrollment of Black freshmen fell from 5.1 percent in 2015 to 4.6 percent this year. 13.8 percent of the class comes from underrepresented minority backgrounds — a category including Black, Hawaiian, Hispanic, Native American, or a combination of two or more
ethnicities — marking an increase of 1 percent from last year in overall diversity. Hispanic enrollment rose by .82 percent in the new class, the largest increase among any group of underrepresented minorities. In an interview with the Daily in September, University President Mark Schlissel said the growth in racial and socioeconomic diversity was more drastic last year due to newly introduced strategies. “There won’t be as big a leap this year as there was last year,” he said. “It’s the kind of thing that will continue to bounce up and down year by year, but it’s important the overall trajectory is upward.” See ENROLLMENT, Page 3A
Winner of 2003 Nobel Peace Prize Actor Wil ‘U’ alum Wheaton discusses gender, sexuality in Islam lauded for
ELECTION
CAMPUS LIFE
campaigns for Clinton
Shirin Ebadi lectures in Rackham on importance of cultural understanding
More than one hundred gather at Ann Arbor comic book store
Nobel Peace Laureate Shirin Ebadi received a standing ovation from more than 300 students and faculty for her lecture on gender and sexuality in Islamic cultures Wednesday. The Rackham Amphitheatre was packed for the Digital Islamic Studies Curriculum Distinguished lecture, “Gender and Sexuality in Islamic Culture,” which was co-hosted by the Weiser Center for Emerging Democracies and the University of Michigan Law School. Ebadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003 for her work as a lawyer in Iran, representing women, religious minorities and other marginalized voices. Speaking in Farsi through an interpreter in her remarks Wednesday, she discussed the political repression of women in Islamic countries, citing her experience as an attorney and as a Muslim. She told the crowd she appreciated the opportunity to lecture on Islam and the patriarchy in the Middle East because she felt much of the fear surrounding Islamic culture stemmed from the lack of knowledge about the region. “If people in a society want to live in peace together, there is no other choice but understanding and appreciating other’s cultures,” she said. Contextualizing laws
LYDIA MURRAY Daily Staff Reporter
Wednesday morning, actor Wil Wheaton discussed mental illness and the importance of state and local level races with fans at an Ann Arbor comic book store event, affectionately referred to as a “Nerds for Hillary” by some crowd members. Wheaton came to the Vault of Midnight comic book store, which drew approximately 100 people, to campaign for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. The actor — who is known for his roles in “Star Trek,” “Stand By Me” and his recurring spot in “The Big Bang Theory” — said he’s fond he appeals to this sort of audience, noting it is often forgotten. “Everybody has that group of people that tends to listen to them, and we are in a comic book shop,” he said. “We are a demographic that I think is missed a little. People tend to treat us as just nerds who don’t matter.” Nick Yribar, a co-owner of See WHEATON, Page 3A
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EMILY MIILLER Daily Staff Reporter
with historical and religious information, she touched on the background of a variety of oppressive laws in the Middle East, such as the death penalty as a punishment for homosexuality and the laws of inheritance that are limited for women. Overall, she said she felt providing information helped combat growing Islamophobia in society. “We have to put an end
to the flame before it takes over, because then we will have destruction that cannot be fixed,” she said. “Let’s be forgiving like the sky, let’s grow the seed of cooperation like the earth, spread the friendship like the wind, be like fire burning ignorance and prejudice, be kind to each other.” Ebadi also provided an interpretation of the Quran that
she said permitted the change of unjust and patriarchal laws. “Societies change, and things change in society, so according to the change in society, the time and the condition, these laws must change,” she said. Following the lecture, a Q&A session was hosted, in which audience members asked Ebadi questions about her experience and her ideas for positive See ISLAM, Page 3A
CLAIRE MEINGAST/Daily
Lawyer, Nobel Peace Laureate, and human rights activist Shirin Ebadi speaks about gender and sexuality in the Islamic culture at Rackham Graduate School Wednesday night.
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INDEX
Vol. CXXVI, No. 18 ©2016 The Michigan Daily
disability advocacy
Former CSG president Cooper Charlton honored for work EMMA RICHTER For the Daily
The University of Michigan presented Cooper Charlton, former Central Student Government president and University alum, with the James T. Neubacher Award Wednesday for his commitment to mental and physical health support during his tenure. The Neubacher award recognizes outstanding advocacy for the rights and opportunities of people with disabilities. The ceremony, held at the Rackham Assembly Hall, also featured the presentation of other scholarships and certificates to students, alumni, faculty and staff for their work with disability rights and awareness. The award is given in memory of James. T Neubacher, a Michigan Daily and University alum who later worked for the Detroit Free Press. At the Free Press, Neubacher advocated for equal rights and opportunities for those with disabilities through his “Disabled in See NEUBACHER, Page 3A
NEWS......................... 2A OPINION.....................4A CL ASSIFIEDS............... 5A
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News
2A — Thursday, October 27, 2016
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NEWS BRIEF: CTOOLS TO BE PHASED OUT IN 2017 The University of Michigan announcedTuesday that the academic platform CTools — which was launched in 2004 — will be entirely phased out by the end of 2017. According to the press release, CTools users, both faculty and students, will be able to set up CTools project sites to be used for research, information storage, and collaborative purposes with the permission of the office for Information and Technology Services from December to February, whereupon the ability to create new pages will be entirely disabled. However, all classes are not permitted to use CTools as their educational platform. Already the process of switching from CTools to Canvas — which was piloted by all academic units at the University during the 2014-2015 academic year — began September 2014. Starting this year, all courses at the University were required to use Canvas over CTools. Currently, CTools is being used for the creation and maintenance of project sites, according to the press
release, which noted that about 60,000 sites remain online. However, fewer than 6,000 were active during the last year. This shift, according to Sean DeMonner, the executive director of ITS Teaching and Learning, is potentially a result of the convenience of other, more modern technologies. “Use of CTools Project Sites continues to decline — likely the result of several newer collaboration tools being available to campus.” DeMonner said. “Most people find that tools like U-M Google and U-M Box better meet their needs.” Throughout the University-wide shift to Canvas, there will be systems in place, such as the Migrations Champions program, to assist faculty and student site owners in transferring data from CTools to the new platform. During the spring and fall of 2017, ITS is scheduled to transfer project site data from CTools to Box — which is a cloud-based data storage system that is available to all University faculty, staff and students. Any site manager will have the option to
personally download their site data, or have their site deleted. Site managers will also be presented with the option of having their CTools site data transferred to Canvas, where it will safe from deletion and can be accessed past the CTools elimination date. DeMonner noted that transition to Canvas has already shown promise, and that the willingness of the faculty and students across
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the University to embrace the new platform will likely ensure a smooth phase-out for CTools. “Any large-scale change requires support from many individuals across our campus,” DeMonner said. “Canvas was a success due in large part to our partnerships with individuals in each school and college. We plan to use a similar model as we move project sites to other solutions.” — TIM COHN
MGoBlog
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My press credentials for Saturday’s game arrived stained with Spartan tears #goblue #spartantearsaresweet
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One thing I’ve learned from library jobs that you can’t learn in class is how much I enjoy the day-to-day of this type of work.
CLAIRE MEINGAST/Daily
Co-Founders and co-CEOs of theSkimm, Carly Zakin and Danielle Weisberg, speak about their company and the 2016 election at North Quad Wednesday night.
CAMPUS EVENTS & NOTES Haflaween party
My Queer Lineage
Free yoga class
WHAT: The Lebanese Student Association is hosting their annual Halfaween party. There will be food, beverages and a prize for the best costume. Admission is $10. WHO: The Lebanese Student Association WHEN: 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. WHERE: Cavern Club
WHAT: Renowned writer David Roche will be Skyping in to discuss the intersectionality of disability identity and the rise of AIDS among gay men. WHO: Council for Disability Concerns WHEN: 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. WHERE: Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library, Gallery Lab
WHAT: A free yoga class is offered through Trotter’s Health and Wellness initiative. All are welcome at this calm and relaxing yoga class. WHO: Trotter Multicultural Center WHEN: 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. WHERE: William Monroe Trotter Multicultural Center
Gender and Sexuality in the Islamic World
M Farmers Market
Law and Journalism
WHAT: Michigan Dining and Central Student Government teamed up to provide healthy, locally-sourced produce for purchase as well as providing healthy eating tips. WHO: Michigan Dining WHEN: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. WHERE: North Campus Diag
WHAT: Sarah Jeong will discuss the impact the Public Access to Court Electronic Records system is impacting and causing difficulties for journalists when trying to access information. WHO: University Library WHEN: 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. WHERE: Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library, Gallery Lab
WHAT: This symposium brings together diverse experts to discuss the intersection of human rights, gender and the LGBTQ movements in an Islamic context. WHO: International Institute WHEN: 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. WHERE: Weill Hall, Annenburg Auditorium
Coach Harbaugh @CoachJim4UM
Privacy and cybersecurity in the election WHAT: Law Prof. Peter Swire is giving a lecture on issues of privacy and the rise of internet. WHO: Information and Technology Services WHEN: 5:15 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. WHERE: Michigan Union, Anderson Room
MADELINE GERSON Daily Staff Reporter
For Ashley Gearhardt, University of Michigan assistant professor of Psychology and winner of the prestigious 2017 Henry Russel Award, her research on food addiction and eating disorders is deeply connected with the way humans interact with one another. Gearhardt has a long history of involvement with the University Psychology Department, starting with her time as an undergraduate student majoring in psychology, and continuing when she entered the role of researcher and teacher at the University. While pursuing her Ph.D. at Yale University in clinical psychology, Gearhardt researched alcohol use at Yale’s
E-Z-P-Z.
puzzle by sudokusyndication.com
See RESEARCH, Page 2A
@UMichFootball
WHAT: Ben Faber is presenting a lecture on the relationship between tourism and the coastal ecosystems in Mexico and the effects of this relationship. WHO: Department of Economics WHEN: 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. WHERE: Lorch Hall, room 201
Jabrill Peppers has been named the No. 2 player in college football in a latest list by ESPN. #GoBlue
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Ashley Gearhardt connects food with social connections be addressed through gathering research about the nature of food addiction. Food addiction and obesity are issues that have direct influences on college students. College students are a population at risk for weight gain, according to studies conducted by the National Institute of Health that found college freshmen are more likely to gain weight during their freshman year than the general population. The purpose of her data analysis is to better understand how factors in the food environment, such as food product placements and food commercials, can encourage the onset of food addiction. “The rates of obesity are going up all over the world and this is accompanied by changes in our food environment where foods high in fat, sugar and salt are now easily accessible, cheap, and heavily advertised,” she said. FASTLab itself analyzes the effects of food addiction through various neurological and behavioral measures, such as brain imaging or observations from the field. Gearhardt said after she and her team visited and observed a number of fast food restaurants in the area, she developed a prototype for a typical fast food restaurant, including the color, menus, lighting and other aspects of those locations. She also noted that media may impact the prevalence of obesity and fast food consumption among undergraduates, making research on marketing important, especially for college-aged students who are especially vulnerable to the messages conveyed on TV advertisements and in other forms of media. “College-aged students and
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Tourism and Economic Development in Mexico
Professor of psychology discusses research on obesity, eating disorders psychology laboratory. She decided to study food addiction using a similar technique, leading her to create The Food and Addiction Science Treatment Lab. The FASTLab includes a real-life fast food restaurant simulation that was inspired by Gearhardt’s doctoral research. “Investigating what factors contributed to excessive drinking in a cue-rich, naturalistic environment allowed us to do much more real world research,” Gearhardt said. “I wanted to do the same thing with food, so we built the fast food restaurant.” About 71 percent of 20+ year olds in the United States were overweight or obese in 2014 according to the CDC, a chronic illness which could lead to death. Gearhardt said she believes national obesity must
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News & Sports
HOCKEY
Freshman defender Luce adjusting as newcomer to Berenson’s squad USNTDP alum’s grandpa played with Berenson in NHL MIKE PERSAK
Daily Sports Writer
Griffin Luce has been around the highest levels of hockey for most of his life. His grandfather played with Michigan coach Red Berenson in the NHL, and Luce himself spent the last two years playing on the United States National Team Development Program’s Under-17 and Under-18 teams, considered to be the most elite collection of hockey talent in the country for those age groups. But this year, Luce — a freshman defenseman under Berenson at Michigan — has found himself in a bit of an adjustment period with the Wolverines. “Obviously getting used to the pace of play in college at the beginning of the year — it wasn’t a challenge, but it took some time,” Luce said. “But now that I found the role that I know that I need to play, I think I just (need to) continue to do that in practice every day and get as much feedback from the coaches as possible.” That role, as described by Luce,
ESG From Page 1A “We definitely believe some thoughts weren’t captured due to that fact,” she said, adding that her goal for the meeting will be to bring more student-based concerns to the table. In an interview after the meeting, she said she hoped the forum would engage more students about the plan because a student-hosted space would create a more casual environment. She said she’d heard from students that having administrators hold events made them feel they weren’t able to speak freely. “We’re having the DEI review to go over the plan with more people so we know who we are representing and to capture more thoughts,” she said. “We would like to capture the thoughts that may not have been expressed during the administration one due to the weird dynamic of a nonneutral facilitation.” Student dissatisfaction or lack of engagement with University events on the plan has been present in multiple colleges throughout the University, including for the College of LSA. At several forums hosted by LSA, student attendance was noticeably low in comparison
NEUBACHER From Page 1A Detroit” column, which received national recognition. Members of his family were in attendance at Wednesday’s event. Charlton volunteered with the Army-Navy Wheelchair Basketball game and co-founded the Wolverine Support Network in 2014, an organization that provides confidential peer support groups to students with the goal of destigmatizing mental health issues. As well as being president of CSG, Charlton also served as president of the Student Athletic Advisory Committee. Regent Mark Bernstein (D), who presented Charlton with the award, emphasized Charlton’s focus on inclusion and access during his time as CSG president. “The agenda (Charlton) presented every month as CSG President was about inclusion, about access, and frankly, just making our campus a more just, fair, and compassionate place for our students,” Bernstein said. “(Charlton) did this as a person that brought great humility and grace to that work, and I’m grateful to him.” In remarks at the event, Charlton said efforts to engage in sincere dialogue about disability are the first step toward inclusion.
is a “shutdown guy.” He goes onto the ice with a goal of neutralizing the other team’s best players with his size and physicality. So far, Luce has filled that role rather nicely. He has proven his physical ability with multiple bone-crushing hits throughout the young season. But he has fallen victim to a few penalties when that physicality went too far, and that’s something that he’ll have to improve on in the future. “There’s definitely a fine line,” said senior defenseman Nolan De Jong. “I think he’s the kind of guy we want to tread that line. You don’t necessarily have to have the last word, because we play hard between the whistles, and that’s something that Coach really stresses to us. But he’s the kind of guy that guys should be scared to go in the corners with.” Added Luce: “I call it focused intensity and controlled aggression — having controlled aggression as opposed to just being reckless out there and taking penalties. Picking your spots is big, too. If the team needs a big hit or something, not going out and trying to headhunt guys, but
let the play come to you and take advantage of that opportunity when it presents itself.” The main area where Luce has yet to come into his own is on the offensive end. In fact, when he isn’t laying opponents out on the ice, Luce may not leave a huge impression at all. But for defensemen, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. “Defensemen are judged on their mistakes,” Berenson said. “Forwards always get judged on their good plays, so it’s just about unfair for defensemen. But Griffin is a player who, when you don’t notice him in a game, that’s when he’s playing his best.” Luce obviously has some work to do before he is a top defenseman for Michigan. He has taken some unadvisable penalties this year and has taken part in his fair share of shoving matches after the whistle. But so far, his size and physicality have paid dividends. And if his family and personal history are any indication, it’s a good bet that the rest of Luce’s game will shape into form, and he will be fully adjusted soon.
with the overall size of the college’s student body. As well, during DEI launch events and recent protests over both a series of anti-Black, antiIslam and anti-LGBTQ posters discovered on campus and a planned debate on the merits of the Black Lives Matter movement, multiple students also expressed criticism about aspects of the plan. At a protest over the planned Black Lives Matter debate outside of the Michigan League in September, LSA freshman Asia Green said she didn’t feel talking to administrators was an effective way to cause change. “There are not enough events hosted, not enough forums,” Green said. “All of the people up higher always talk about how they want to promote diversity and inclusion but nothing is being done.” During Wednesday’s meeting, Andrews also said she was concerned about the overall recognition of engineering students in the DEI plan, saying she has voiced her concerns with E. Royster Harper, the vice president for Student Life, about representation of engineering students on campus. She said because engineering is prominently represented in the University’s student population,
they should be included when administrative decisions are made regarding dining options and activities on North Campus, noting that art students and freshmen were also affected both those decisions. Other ESG members, like Engineering junior Breanna DeCocker, agreed. “What a lot of people consider the University is Central Campus,” DeCocker said, adding the University can leave out art, music and engineering students. Engineering junior Madhav Sharma, an ESG member, said the lack of representation could be attributed to the amount of coursework engineering students face, leaving little time for social activities, noting many schools have this problem. “I don’t think it’s even possible,” Sharma said, referring to a more active engineering school. Engineering sophomore AJ Ashman, an ESG representative, noted the recurrence of the antiBlack, anti-Islam and anti-LGBTQ posters on campus, saying he’d heard from students who wished to see more tangible action than a statement of solidarity. He urged students to take action when they see other students being attacked. “It’s your problem too — it’s an attack on everyone,” he said.
“This willingness leads to openness, and this openness leads to a connection which transcends differences,” he said. Wednesday’s ceremony was also part of the 26th Investing in Ability celebration on campus, an annual month of events increasing awareness of disability issues and recognizing the contributions of individuals with disabilities to the University and the community. As part of the recently launched Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Plan, this year’s Investing in Ability month featured discussions on how diversity includes disability. Law School lecturer Jack Bernard, chair of the Council for Disability Concerns, who spoke at the event, said this focus was consistent with the overall concept of diversity. “Diversity is not just one spectrum, but includes all the ways of knowing and being and … this is what gives us the strength to be the best we can be at the University,” Bernard said. Other speakers focused on the significant progress at the University in providing resources and access for individuals with disabilities, as well as current opportunities and challenges in addressing the issue on campus. Stuart Segal, director of the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities who was in attendance at the
ceremony, highlighted the lack of awareness regarding disability on campus in an interview with the Michigan Daily, saying that 94 percent of students registered at the office have “invisible” or nonapparent disabilities that are often overlooked, like mental health conditions, learning disabilities, ADHD or having an Autism Spectrum Disorder. “The importance of Investing in Ability and this event is exposing the University community to the breadth of disability issues and how prevalent disabilities are not only on campus, but in our wider community and our country.” Other award recipients were recognized for work in a variety of fields, from advocating for increased focus on disability in medical school curriculum to establishing the Archive of Data on Disability to Enable Policy and Research at the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research. Jai Holt, colleague of award recipient Alison Stroud, a research technician lead at ICPSR, said investing in ability in all aspects of the University makes the community stronger and serves as a model for other campuses. “I want to see University of Michigan be a diverse community that has input from a variety of members. That will fortify us to be stronger,” Holt said.
WHEATON From Page 1A the venue, said the campaign had reached out to him about hosting Wheaton, adding he was enthusiastic about the event as a fan of Wheaton and a supporter of Clinton. “The stakes are huge for this election, and we want to be involved in any way that we can,” he said. For a large portion of his remarks, Wheaton focused on mental health policy, an issue he said has personal significance for him as someone who has suffered from severe depression and anxiety for most of his life. He emphasized that mental illness should be treated with the same level of seriousness as any other health issue. “There’s a lot of people that I’ve encountered who think that if I was just a little stronger, just worked a little harder, just fought a little more it would be OK,” he said. “You would never tell a person with a broken leg to just walk on it until it didn’t hurt anymore. You wouldn’t tell a person with diabetes to just stop having diabetes, be tougher. But that’s the way we treat mental illness in our society.” Wheaton also encouraged the audience to vote for Democrats down the ballot during the event, emphasizing
Thursday, October 27, 2016— 3A the importance of lowerlevel elections along with the presidential election. “The road to the White House starts at your school board level,” he said. “The way that you shape your counties and you shape your states is through the local elections. We have to plant the seeds for Democratic voters in the future.” The most recent Michigan Daily election poll of a sample of students showed steady support for Clinton on campus, with 70.3 percent of respondents favoring the democratic nominee. Michigan as a whole has leaned toward Clinton for the past several polling cycles and is not considered a swing state, though Trump and Clinton were previously close in Michigan’s polling numbers. The most recent RealClearPolitics polling average showed Clinton leading Republican nominee Donald Trump by 10 points. Nonetheless, Wheaton stressed the importance of encouraging people to vote for Clinton come Election Day because of the contrast he sees between the two candidates. “You just turn on the TV, and you see this despicable and disgusting man being awful to women and awful to immigrants and being awful to basically everyone who is not him,” he said. “Then we
ISLAM From Page 1A
RESEARCH From Page 2A
change in the Middle East. Public Policy and Taubman graduate student Michelle Rubin said she felt Ebadi’s lecture provided a unique space on campus to discuss issues not often addressed in her experience at the University. “I think (lectures like this one) definitely help campus climate, help to bring people together for a dialogue that’s not really happening a lot of places and bringing cross-disciplinary students together,” Rubin said. Social Work student Ariana Sulejman said she enjoyed hearing about these issues from Ebadi’s viewpoint as a woman who grew up in the Middle East. “I’ve never really heard about these types of things from someone who’s actually from the Middle East, so getting that perspective was amazing,” she said.
adolescents generally have a strong reward drive and the cognitive control mechanisms in the brain aren’t fully developed until you get older,” Gearhardt added. Because of knowing this fact, Gearhardt said that food companies take advantage of youth by aggressively marketing to them, which poses harmful effects to college students as they don’t have parental oversight on their food choices. “During this age period you are also more independent and you don’t have as much parental oversight on what you eat,” Gearhardt said. “The food companies take advantage of this by aggressively marketing to this age group and almost all of these foods are very rewarding, but bad for your health in the longterm.” All of this research, Gearhardt said the idea that people with obesity bring it upon themselves through consciously eating fast food while knowing of its risks is a misunderstanding of the broader societal problems in the media and in corporations that lead to the epidemic.
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ENROLLMENT From Page 1A University spokesperson Rick Fitzgerald said in an interview Wednesday administrators are focusing their efforts on improving diversity of all types, including racial and economic, as well as on admitting first-generation students and students from a wider variety of high schools. He acknowledged, however, that efforts to increase African-American enrollment fell short of the University’s expectations. “It’s a difficult process of trying to focus on improve diversity at the University,” Fitzgerald said. “But it’s an area that we continue to work on, within the law of the state of Michigan.” As a whole, the undergraduate enrollment of minority students increased from 11.4 percent last fall to 12.3 percent of the undergraduate student body. In 2005, the year before Michigan voters passed Proposal 2 —a measure effectively banning affirmative action in admissions processes — minority enrollment accounted for 13.7 percent of the student body, according to a report issued by the University. Fitzgerald highlighted efforts aimed at bringing low-income students to the University including the HAIL scholarship, which guarantees four years of waived tuition and fees for eligible students. The first cohort from the program enrolled in this year’s freshman class. “The first year of our HAIL
scholarship experiment was very successful.” Fitzgerald said. “We brought in 262 HAIL scholars from all around Michigan. Now this effort primarily targets socioeconomic diversity because that’s what the state law allows us to do.” Schlissel said in an October interview with the Daily, however, many of the DEI’s measures, including the HAIL program and other efforts focused on recruitment and enrollment, depend on funds that have yet to be raised. “Our hope is a significant portion of the $85 million (in DEI funds) will come from philanthropy,” he said. This year’s freshman class of 6,689 students is a significant increase from last year, when the University enrolled 6,071 incoming freshman. Fitzgerald said this 618-student increase in the freshman class was part of a yearlong intentional effort by the University to expand the size of the student body. Overall enrollment for the Ann Arbor campus rose 2.4 percent from last year, bringing the total number of undergraduate students to 28,983 and graduate students to 15,735. Out-of-state students now comprise 48.4 percent of the student body, as compared to 46.5 percent in 2015. In-state enrollment dropped by 254 students, now making up 51.6 percent of all students. In a Wednesday press release, the director of undergraduate admissions, Erica Sanders, said
have this amazing woman who has literally spent her entire career fighting for women and children. That’s why we have got to get out and we have got to cast our votes for Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine.” Engineering junior Austin Dumm who said he is a supporter of Clinton and Wheaton, echoed Wheaton’s sentiments on getting out the vote. “I’m a big fan of Wil Wheaton and a big fan of the Clinton campaign,” he said. “I think he’s entirely accurate in everything he’s saying. If we get out there, we are going to win this. I think it speaks to the community of Ann Arbor that he is here and that we have this much support for him.” Ann Arbor resident Gregg Briggs also said he enjoyed Wheaton’s remarks on the importance of voting in local and state elections, saying he hopes it will aid in creating a more bipartisan legislature. “I really appreciated his ability to speak about the real issues out there,” he said. “And all of the other effects that go beyond the individual Trump or Clinton, but down ticket races and how it is going to spread out and hopefully bring back our democracy into something that is going to work across differences instead of just screaming at each other.”
“The dominant narrative is that it is all just a matter of willpower, and while we need to all be responsible to try and make the best choices for our health, the current food environment makes it extremely hard to have a healthy relationship with food,” Gearhardt said. The issue of fast food is also currently a topic of discussion on campus beyond Gearhardt’s lab: The Sustainable Food Systems Initiative held its third annual symposium, “Fast Food for Thought” Tuesday, where 10 faculty members from different departments delivered a series of mini-lectures on food and agriculture. Overall, Gearhardt said she hopes that FASTLab’s work will change how people view substance addiction and that, with more time and effort, there may be improvements in public health nationwide. “Policy approaches that have worked with substance addictions, like restrictions on marketing and taxes, may be effective in re-shaping our environment to encourage a culture of health,” Gearhardt said. “I hope that our work reduces the stigma that individuals who have higher BMIs now face.”
that the admissions department reviewed 55,504 applications — an increase of around 7 percent from last year. Of the 55,504 applications received, the University offered 15,871 students admission. In total, 6,689 students enrolled with a yield of 42.1 percent. The number of first-generation students also spiked by 8.5 percent, and the number of Pell Grant recipients increased to 17 percent of freshman, up from 15.3 percent last year. In September, Schlissel said administrators prioritized improving financial accessibility, even as tuition costs increased by 3.9 percent for in-state residents and 4.4 percent for out-of-state students. “What we do always in balance tuition increases with an increase in financial aid,” he said. “That’s the way we keep working at diversifying the student body.” The University press release report financial aid rose overall by 10.8 percent this year, allotting $170 million for need-based financial aid. Many such measures are included in the University’s new Diversity, Equity and Inclusion strategic plan released earlier this month. Though out-of-state students are offered less financial aid, Schlissel said new admissions still contribute to overall diversity. We’ve grown a little bit in the non-Michigan students ... to diversify the student body,” he said. “We’re looking at students of all socioeconomic statuses around the country.”
Opinion
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
4A — Thursday, October 27, 2016
JEFF BROOKS | COLUMN
How Trump threatens our democracy
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BRETT GRAHAM | COLUMN
The election cycle is too damn long
A
pril 12, 2015, Hillary not all Americans are political Clinton announced her science majors. Most just want this candidacy for president election to be over. of the United States. That was Voter fatigue, though, is far from one year, six months and 14 days the most problematic issue of this ago; 563 days have come and gone marathon-esque election cycle. In since then and there are still 13 left order to run a successful campaign, to go before Election Day. Think not only does a candidate have to about how long ago decide on running, that was — 563 days craft their message ago, the University of (which will likely Michigan’s campus change with current was focused on the events) and begin controversial showing developing a strategy of “American Sniper,” more than two years “Style” by Taylor Swift in advance, but they was at the top of the also have to have the charts, Jon Stewart was resources to keep still behind the desk at the lights on in their BRETT the Daily Show and the GRAHAM campaign office for world was just meeting a year and a half. Caitlyn Jenner. Clinton’s campaign They have to pay their campaign was not even the first; Ted Cruz managers and press secretaries launched his almost three weeks and field organizers for a year earlier. So, rather than pile on to the and a half. They have to pay for mountain of political commentary buses and planes to take them that will dominate social media, from Iowa to New Hampshire to cable news and late night television Florida to Ohio to Nevada. between now and Nov. 8, I would Simply put, the sheer length like to take this time to state what of the election cycle has put an should be obvious: American unbelievable price tag on running election cycles are far too long. for president. It’s not a problem Statistically speaking, if you’re we see in most elections, as reading this, you probably know wealthy donors pull most of the who you’re voting for. Some weight, and in this election cycle estimates place the number of both candidates have substantial undecided voters somewhere personal wealth. But the question between 2 and 12 percent. If, by remains: What kind of candidates some chance, you are undecided, have been priced out of running? feel free to stop reading this article And could candidates like and go read something else that Independent presidential nominee will help you make up your mind. Evan McMullin or Green Party There are lots out there. Seriously, presidential nominee Jill Stein be go. For those who stayed: When more competitive if they were not we hear about how polarized this out-flanked by two organizations election cycle has been, about the that have been fundraising and experience of voter fatigue or growing for over a year and a how a debate performance failed half? Successful campaigns are to sway anyone from one camp about long-term fundraising and to another, it should come as no organization of volunteers, rallies, surprise. Eighteen months worth appearances and policy speeches. of news, primary and general Both major parties can afford an debates, conventions and SNL 18-month long campaign, but third impressions have slowly pushed parties and independent campaigns, Americans to one side or another with the exception of Ross Perot, and locked them in place. a 1992 independent presidential All the while, an industry candidate and businessman, do not worth billions — between ad buys, have the stamina or funds necessary campaign contributions and events to run that long of a race. that have crisscrossed the nation Another issue with this timetable — has grown. As a self-diagnosed is less of a disservice to the American political junkie, this is not the worst voter and more a disservice to news for me. Since well before the the man who currently sits in the primaries, I have watched nearly Oval Office. Nearly one quarter all of the primary debates, listened of Barack Obama’s eight years of to the podcasts that recapped governing have been overshadowed them and then read the articles by the circus that is this campaign. that previewed the next one. But In column inches, airtime and
JOE IOVINO | CONTACT JOE AT JIOVINO@UMICH.EDU
energy spent by both major parties, speculation about what will happen on Nov. 8 has commandeered what little public energy was left for the president and the project of running the country. Part of the reason the election has been able to so successfully stifle President Obama is that the public has no concern for what’s happening on Capitol Hill and all the attention in the world for Donald Trump’s lewd comments or Hillary Clinton’s WikiLeaks. The public has been convinced that governing takes place in the first 100 days of an administration, and what remains of the president’s four years is spent gearing up for the next election. The New York Times’s Emma Roller pointed out that, in the nearly 600 days it will take to elect the 45th president of the United States, “we could have instead hosted approximately four Mexican elections, seven Canadian elections, 14 British elections, 14 Australian elections or 41 French elections.” Nearly all of these countries have legally defined election cycles. They judge their candidates just like we do, but they judge them over months or weeks rather than years, so when it comes time to go to the polls, they’re not as disenchanted. Of course, the American system requires candidates to undergo intense, long-lasting scrutiny and prove their stamina. It provides voters every opportunity to educate themselves about a candidate and allows for each party to carefully select its candidate with input from all 50 states. It forces candidates to prove that they are able to become the leader of the free world, both physically and mentally. But I have a tough time believing that all of that could not be accomplished in a period of nine months. In all likelihood, the process will be a bit longer next cycle than it was this time around, and a bit longer the next. Maybe this election, in which the two most disliked candidates in history are running, will prove too exhausting to the electorate and there will be a change to the status quo. That’s the optimist in me talking. Now to the realist in me: Do a quick Google search on “president 2020” and see how many results pop up. It’s already started.
Brett Graham can be reached at btgraham@umich.edu.
F
or weeks, Republican Thomas Jefferson heralded this presidential nominee peaceful revolution and did his Donald Trump has claimed best to bridge the divide among the that the election is American public in his rigged against him first inaugural speech, and that voter fraud stating, “We are all will hand Democratic Republicans, we are presidential nominee all Federalists. If Hillary Clinton the there be any among presidency. These us who would wish claims are baseless to dissolve this and clearly seek to Union or to change undermine the trust its republican that U.S. citizens have form, let them JEFF in their political system. stand undisturbed BROOKS But last week, Mr. as monuments of Trump was given an opportunity the safety with which error of to walk back on his claims. During opinion may be tolerated where the third presidential debate, reason is left free to combat it.” moderator Chris Wallace, a Fox Make no mistake, Trump is News anchor, asked if Trump the embodiment of this error in would be willing to concede the opinion. As Jefferson eloquently results of the election if he were stated, it is his right as an to be defeated. His response? “I’ll American citizen to preach his keep you in suspense, OK?” beliefs, no matter how nonsensical This is what the foundation some of his claims may be. Yet, of American democracy — trust unfortunately for Trump, there in the integrity of our electoral is still plenty of reason left in our system — has been reduced to: world to combat his falsehoods. suspense. A reality show, the While Trump has created plaything of a billionaire in over a laundry list of questionable his head. The ignorance Trump statements over the past year and displays through his comments is a half, his claim that the election truly astounding for a man seeking is rigged is ludicrous. Plain and the highest office in the land, simple. In fact, the amount of voter given the longstanding history fraud in our country is amazingly of political concessions in our small in comparison to the country. For a man who claims number of ballots cast throughout to want to “Make America Great our various election cycles. In Again,” Trump seems to have very an op-ed for the Washington little knowledge of what it is that Post in 2014, Justin Levitt, a actually made our country so great professor focusing on election in the first place. administration at the Loyola Law The nonviolent transfer of School in Los Angeles, claimed to power from one political party have found only 31 instances of to the next has been a staple election fraud since the year 2000. of American democracy since Keep in mind the massive scope Thomas Jefferson and the of our electoral process as “more Republicans were elected to take than 1 billion ballots were cast control of the government from in that period.” While virtually their federalist counterparts no margin of victory could be in the election of 1800. In a explained by such a small amount seminal moment in the history of voter fraud, recent polls have of American democracy, the shown Trump trailing by as many federalists peacefully conceded as 11 points, making his claims power, signifying that the voice of truly laughable. the American people was second Though plenty of things could to none in our great nation. In change between now and Nov. doing so, a powerful precedent 8, it’s quite obvious that as of was set that has stood for over today, the American people prefer 200 years now. In America, peace Hillary Clinton. Yet, Trump’s and democracy would reign ego seems to prevent him from supreme over chaos and violence. acknowledging this possibility. In America, ballots would be more Instead, he continues to handle the powerful than bullets. situation with the grace and charm
of an 11-year-old boy throwing his controller at a wall and attempting to hit reset on a video game that he is losing before it officially concludes. Not only is this behavior far from presidential, it is flatout dangerous. In possibly the most contentious election in the history of American politics, these baseless claims do nothing but spread further seeds of division throughout our nation. Keeping in mind that Trump himself has encouraged violence at his rallies on numerous occasions, these statements create an environment in which a violent response in the aftermath of the election is a real possibility. In fact, Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke Jr., a prominent Trump supporter, has responded to Trump’s claims of a rigged system by insisting that it’s “pitchforks and torches time” in America. Thankfully, reason has prevailed and voices from both sides of the aisle have been quick to discredit this type of violent rhetoric and the validity of Trump’s claims. As Sen. Lindsey Graham (R–S.C.) stated, “Mr. Trump is doing the party and country a great disservice by continuing to suggest the outcome of this election is out of his hands and ‘rigged’ against him. If he loses, it will not be because the system is ‘rigged’ but because he failed as a candidate.” Yet no matter how many voices of reason emerge in the coming weeks, Donald Trump is the only man who can put this issue to bed. Ironically, it seems that the head of the party of Lincoln should take notes from the man who fell to Honest Abe in the election of 1860, Stephen Douglas, who congratulated Lincoln after the election when he claimed that, “Partisan feeling must yield to patriotism. I am with you Mr. President, and God bless you.” There’s a very good chance that Mr. Trump will have the opportunity to showcase his patriotism on election night. If that’s the case, he won’t need to make America great. He’ll need to keep it great, and concede.
Jeff Brooks can be reached at brooksjs@umich.edu.
JASON ROWLAND | COLUMN
L
A celebration or a riot?
ast Saturday, Penn State few years — from Baltimore University shocked the to Ferguson, Oakland to college football world Raleigh — have not been met with an improbable with such a warm upset over Ohio State reception. Instead of University in State characterizing rioters College, Pa., the town as excited youngsters popularly known simply expressing as Happy Valley. their elation in an Despite being 20-point interesting way, underdogs, the Nittany these protesters were Lions defeated the often called “thugs” Buckeyes by a score and “animals.” of 24-21. To celebrate Consequently, JASON the unexpected — and, the same crimes as many pundits are ROWLAND (disturbing the peace, describing it, program-defining — larceny, etc.) were met with much win, students and fans took to the harsher punishments. In my streets of State College to celebrate. opinion, this dichotomy between However, it didn’t take long for reactions is overwhelmingly due celebrations to spiral out of hand. to the different demographics According to the Daily between State College and Collegian, Penn State’s student the cities where many similar newspaper, up to 10,000 demonstrations have occurred. people joined the riots, causing According to city-data.com, thousands of dollars in damage State College is almost 80-percent by night’s end. During the white and less than 5-percent demonstrations, “street signs Black. On the other hand, Ferguson, were ripped out of the ground Mo. — perhaps the most famous and tossed in the air by the case of the recent unrests — is over crowd, small fires in the street 63-percent Black. Yet, only about 5 were started, several street lights percent of Ferguson’s police force is were damaged and one vehicle Black. This suggests some obvious was vandalized.” To disperse the problems, stemming from the crowd, police unleashed pepper fact that the police force does spray and smoke in a method they not represent the community it described as “30 to 45 minutes serves. Additionally, this suggests of pain,” as opposed to getting that the different reactions from “hands-on with the individuals.” the police could have had been When the dust settled after rooted in the racial makeup of the hours of rioting, no one was force and its constituents. detained overnight. Police did, Studies have shown that however, visit a fraternity house Americans harbor inherent after following a particularly racial biases toward certain raucous rioter, but they left demographic groups (in this without making any arrests, case, Black people). Among these, deciding to call it “even.” white people have the highest bias One commenter, remarking scores against Black people, while on the demonstrations, said, Black people were the only group “As long as no kids got raped, that held a favorable view toward I’d say it was a good day.” While Black people. Obviously, I’m not his comment was particularly calling all white people racist. In insensitive, the general gist of fact, I know next to no overtly most responses seemed to be that racist people of any race. However, Saturday was a night of youthful inherent biases come out in times fun, not a night of violence. of high stress. When groups of Similar scenes over the past African Americans congregate
and it’s the task of an almost entirely white police force to quell the unrest, slight prejudices among individual police officers add up to make a big difference. Officers saw African Americans protesting in Ferguson as hostile actors, while white students in State College weren’t seen as “thugs.” Most likely, the officers in State College could more easily see themselves in the protesters, prompting much nicer reactions. Finally, a comparison wouldn’t be complete without evaluating the different motives for the protests. In cities like Ferguson, people protested because of what they — and I — felt were the unjust killings of defenseless Black people: a protest that had the sole mission of granting equality to millions of discriminated Americans. The riots at Penn State, however, had no end goal. Students and fans simply took out their emotions on the town around them. The outcomes were the same (destroyed property and people hurt), yet only one group was labeled as “thugs.” Ironically, that group was the one that was protesting for legitimate reasons, not the one that protested for no real reason. Perhaps, sadly, the irony dissipates when we realize the “thugs” were primarily Black, who were characterized that way not because of their actions (if that were case, more people would be calling the Penn State protesters thugs) but because of the color of their skin. While you can be for or against any form of rioting, it doesn’t seem right to give certain groups a pass while others are condemned for the same action. When different groups are guilty of the same crime, they should all be handed the same punishment. And any deviation from this standard is a recipe for, or more likely a revelation of, discrimination.
Jason Rowland can be reached at jerow@umich.edu.
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Thursday, October 27, 2016 — 5A
Brown prefers dudes to pawns Players speak highly of relationships defensive coordinator has built in first year
FOOTBALL
Speight earns trust of Fisch, coaching staff
MAX BULTMAN
Managing Sports Editor
KELLY HALL
Daily Sports Editor
More than 20 years ago, Don Brown did what many people do at Yale University — he learned something important. “Back when I worked for Carm Cozza at Yale, one of the things he told me was, ‘Hey, those players aren’t chess pieces,’ ” Brown recalled Tuesday. “ ‘They’re human beings and they want to have a relationship with you. So if you want them to play hard for you, develop relationships. Those are the things that are important.’ And I took that to heart.” Now, that lesson is paying major dividends for Brown at Michigan. When he was hired back in December, many praised his track record as an elite defensive mind. His Boston College defense was among the nation’s best last season, and he has lived up to that so far in Ann Arbor. Through seven games, the Wolverines are the top-ranked unit nationally in terms of scoring and yardage, and while there’s no question the players on the field deserve much of the credit, Brown’s role in helping foster cohesion seems to have had a major hand in that. “The most important thing you do is get those guys to understand we’re all in it together, we’re all human beings, we all care about one another,” Brown said. “And that’s good times and in bad. It’s easy to do when you’re 7-0. Tough to do when you’re on the off side of that coin.” But having a good team isn’t the only way to build good will with players. Senior safety Dymonte Thomas called Brown a “great role model” and cited Brown’s ability to make players laugh to loosen things up. “One of the things he said about the linebackers, he’s like, ‘This play, you’ve gotta do this. If you don’t do this play, you’re fired, and then I’m going to get fired,’ ” Thomas said Monday.
GRANT HARDY/Daily
Senior safety Dymonte Thomas is one of many players who have developed a close relationship with Don Brown.
“And we just all start laughing. … If you make a mistake, he’s going to yell at you, but at the same time, he’s only yelling at you because he loves you. “I got yelled at a few times early in the season, and he just said, ‘You know I love you, but as a senior you can’t make plays like that, and we need you to do better. So let’s go out there and practice, let’s get better today.’ He just says things like that to motivate you to make you want to do better for him.” It’s not like the Wolverines were playing for a slouch before Brown, either. D.J. Durkin was the Michigan defensive coordinator last season, and he was good enough to earn a head coaching job at Maryland, where he has the Terrapins sitting at 5-2. There’s no reason to believe Durkin didn’t connect with his
“We’re all in it together, we’re all human beings.”
MEN’S SOCCER
‘M’ rallies at Indiana in regular-season finale EFE EDEVBIE For the Daily
On the road Wednesday in its regular-season finale, the Michigan women’s soccer team managed to erase a oneMICHIGAN 3 goal deficit, INDIANA 2 snap a fivegame winless streak and secure a first-round home match in the Big Ten Tournament, all with two goals in the final six minutes. The Wolverines now host No. 5 seed Wisconsin on Sunday to open the conference tournament by virtue of a thrilling comeback victory. In the 84th minute, senior forward Nicky Waldeck received a pass from redshirt junior midfielder Ani Sarkisian and converted a shot in the lower-right corner of the net to even the score at 2-2. Minutes later, Sarkisian headed the ball into the middle of goal, giving the Wolverines the go-ahead score with just over two minutes left in the contest. The game went back and forth between the teams, with each Michigan goal coming after a Hoosier score before Sarkisian’s game-winner. “I think we just realized that we weren’t going to be able to score from outside,” Sarkisian said. “We had to drive the ball in and take people on one-v.-one,
players in similar ways, but there are certainly benefits to Brown’s extensive career in coaching. One of those benefits is one of Brown’s more lighthearted, tried-and-true methods. During spring practice, he would give out “Dude of the Day” awards every so often on Twitter. He has not publicized one since March 20, but the award has been well-received in the Michigan community, whether by fans or players. He carried the term with him from Boston College, and when he left the Eagles, he found out how much it meant to them, too. “It’s funny, when I left B.C., some of the B.C. people said, ‘Oh, he’s stealing our ‘Dude of the Week,’ ” Brown said. “Well, wait a minute. That was my ‘Dude of the Week.’ I let you borrow it.” Being called a “dude” is the highest compliment from
and we learned that throughout the game, and that’s really what clicked for us.” The game started off slowly for the Wolverines — the team converted just one of nine shots during the first half. “(We) had the clear opportunities and the clear chances (in the first half ), and you could tell from the scoreboard that we had way more shots,” Sarkisian said. “We were definitely in charge of the game and the tempo but we couldn’t score.” The victory ended a fivegame winless streak, which saw three losses and two ties for the Wolverines. “I think after going 5-0 in the Big Ten in the beginning (of conference play) kinda put a target on our back, and I know teams were coming out and playing their best against us to knock us out of first place,” Sarkisian said. “We really needed this win, and it’s just something that we were working so hard for over these last couple games that it’s nice to see our hard work finally pay off.” With the win, Michigan secured the fourth seed in the Big Ten Tournament and will host fifth-seeded Wisconsin on Sunday in the quarterfinals. “It’s really something good to build on,” Sarkisian said. “We’ll watch film and see what we did well, and we’ll see what we did bad and what we can fix.”
“It’s really something good to build on.”
Brown, a step up from the term “guy,” which is also meant as a term of endearment. “If you go back and ask some of the players about 20 years ago, I used to say, ‘Will you just be a guy?’ ” Brown said. “And as times have gotten more modern, it went from guy to dude. Now, if you’re a guy, you’re here. Which is good. Being a guy is good. But if you’re a dude, you’re up here (gesturing higher).” For Thomas, winning a ‘Dude of the Day’ award represented something of a white whale during the spring. (“I always thought maybe I’m going to get it one day,” he said. “And I never got it.”) Fortunately for the senior safety, though, Brown isn’t afraid to give credit where it’s due. Maybe it’s part of his commitment to show players he cares, or maybe he just doesn’t like effort to go unrecognized. So even without a formal tweet to announce it, Brown made one thing clear Tuesday. “My son was telling me about Dymonte Thomas,” Brown said. “He’s a dude.”
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Wilton Speight and passing game coordinator Jedd Fisch both agree: Speight’s performance against Illinois was his best yet. He led the Michigan football team to its seventh win of the season in dominating fashion, completing 16 of 23 attempts for 253 yards and two touchdowns. He made short passes and long passes, and only seemed to falter on a handful of plays. Speight, who spent time during the bye week reflecting on his first six games, came out and didn’t miss a beat. He attributes part of the success to simply throwing and not aiming. “It’s just like baseball with pitchers; sometimes you’re thinking too much and you’re trying to put it in a certain spot when you’re thinking about not following through,” Fisch said. “It’s just different than, ‘I’m going to go out and rip it,’ so to speak.” To non-quarterbacks, aiming might sound like a good thing. It should be part of the recipe, along with arm strength and decisiveness. But at the college level, it could break the quarterback. “When you aim it, it’s sometimes when you start overthinking,” Fisch said. “I think that’s kinda what he was thinking about. That it was more of, ‘Do I take a little bit off of this’ or, ‘Do I not follow through as much?’ rather than just go out there and play loose.” As Speight gets more comfortable throwing the ball, he’s noticeably getting better at making last-second decisions on the field, too.
“When you aim it, it’s sometimes when you start overthinking.”
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In the first quarter, when the Wolverines were already up by two touchdowns, Speight displayed some of that patience. He took the snap on Illinois’ 16-yard line, and senior tight end Jake Butt and freshman wide receiver Kekoa Crawford ran downfield. But neither player was able to get open, and Speight saw his chance to rush down the right sideline for 10 yards. Michigan scored again three plays later, putting the Wolverines up 21-0 over the Fighting Illini. “I think it was a nice step the other day when he took off and ran for about nine yards when there wasn’t anyone to throw it to,” Fisch said. “I think they’re understanding when it’s time to cut your losses, so to speak, and know that you’ll live another play and have another opportunity.” Speight isn’t a scrambling quarterback, but now opponents know that they can’t just worry about his throwing game. If he’s comfortable with tucking the ball in and running with it, he’s much more of a threat. Of course, he wouldn’t be so confident if he didn’t trust himself to make good throws, too. This season, Speight has thrown 182 passes. Fisch said that the quarterback has learned from every single one of them, which also helps the coaches find the best ways to use him. “It’s kind of hard to explain, but you just drop back and you don’t say, ‘Oh gosh, I need to put it right here or else it’s going to be incomplete,’ ” Speight said. “No college quarterback is in college playing football because they aimed the ball growing up and playing quarterback their whole life. You just let it rip, and that was my focus.”
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ACROSS 1 Dench of “Philomena” 5 Alternative strategy 10 “Ladies First Since 1916” sneakers 14 Tourney format, briefly 15 Secretary Thomas Perez’s department 16 Chicken vindaloo go-with 17 Sister of Rachel 18 Jazz pianist Blake 19 Logician’s word 20 Sasquatch, for one 22 Rub the wrong away 24 Head covering 25 Walk of life 29 Home of the Oregon Ducks 32 Limited portions of 34 L.A. commuter org. 35 German coal region 37 New York Harbor’s __ Island 38 Large pears 41 Sing-along syllable 42 Colonial hero Silas 43 Home of the Imagination! pavilion 44 Cookout choice 46 Animation sheet 47 Extremely focused 49 Promising performers 52 Carpentry tool 53 “That’s so __!” 54 With 57-Across, negotiate ... and what needs to be done to make sense of this puzzle’s circles 57 See 54-Across 61 Poet Angelou 64 Dry up 66 Sing in the shower, say 67 Fivers 68 Bored with it all
69 Fingerprint feature 70 Skin condition 71 Sasquatch kin 72 Mid-month time DOWN 1 Crystallize 2 Film beekeeper 3 Laptop screen meas. 4 “Anybody around?” response 5 Certain campus newbies 6 Renowned ’70s’80s batting coach Charley 7 French friar 8 Roulette bet 9 Chicken serving 10 Desk space 11 Whisperer’s target 12 Hammarskjöld of the UN 13 __-Caps: candy 21 One with a habit 23 Spotted 26 Wrap around 27 “This Is Spinal Tap” director 28 Motown flops 29 War zone journalists
30 Ideal setting 31 Lawn maintenance accessory 32 __ to go 33 Sleek horse 36 Abruzzi bell town 39 Payment required of known deadbeats 40 1943 penny metal 45 Grain cutters 48 Pay a call
50 Awe-ful sound? 51 Breakfast mix 55 Word with bake or fire 56 Logician’s “E” 58 Yummy 59 70-Across application 60 Boston __ 61 Spoil 62 Esq. group 63 Assent 65 CBS series with a N.Y. spin-off
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6A — Thursday, October 27, 2016
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
B
The Michigan Daily | michigandaily.com | Thursday, October 27, 2016
Written By Daily Arts Writer Jackie Charniga Designed By Ava Weiner, Julia Margalit and Anne Lynch
Mindfulness in Magic: practicing the mystical arts on campus
the b-side
2B — Thursday, October 27, 2016
MAGICAL From Page 1B Editor’s note: One individual interviewed for this article has had her name changed due to concerns of prejudice, denoted with an asterisk. “Where shall we three meet again in thunder, lightning, or in rain? When the hurlyburly’s done, when the battle’s lost and won.” — William Shakespeare, “Macbeth” It was a particularly cold evening last October when I received the mark of the devil by a witch. We were gathered, five of us, on her bed, when she lit a candle and pulled out a needle. It was attached to a No. 2 pencil with a piece of string. Sliding the tiny blade beneath the flame, she walked me through the process one more time. So when a pointillism pentagram was stabbed, one needle prick at a time, into the flesh of my pelvis, I was ready. Also, the Spice Girls were playing. My friend Helena — tall, silverhaired, perpetually wearing black — has many tattoos, most of which are self-administered. When she offered to give me one for my 21st birthday last year, I was totally on board. College is a time for self-discovery, when you make mistakes on purpose. I don’t regret my stick-and-poke tattoo, but to me all it symbolized was a youthful indiscretion. It’s also tiny, smaller than my thumb nail and nestled in a place future employers won’t find fault with. For me, it’s just a tattoo, and I picked a pentagram because I thought it would be easier for her to draw. For others, it means much more. While many religions are practiced on the University of Michigan campus, Wicca is perhaps the least acknowledged. They aren’t making headlines or causing controversy, but practitioners of the mystical arts are as real at the University as their beliefs, and so are the fruits of their labor. This October, I decided I wanted to learn about this faction of our campus community. I thought of the first place I could go in Ann Arbor to find witches: Crazy Wisdom Bookstore & Tea Room, a cuckoo-for-cocoapuffs bookshop located on Main Street and East Huron Street. I’d gone in once before for the coffee, but would have never dreamed of buying something in there. During my visit, I float past the glowing crystals and bottled incense to reach the shelf of the supernatural. My eyes flick across words on book spines, and I know I’m on the right track — demons, vampires. A small collection of Joseph Campbell. But no witches. I keep walking, past some intensely tie-dyed scarves and entire shelves of incense, until I find one devoted to witchcraft. I grab two formidable looking texts — “Wicca: The Complete Craft” and “The Everything Spells and Charms Book” — and steal away to the tea shop upstairs. I place my order and flop the texts on a window table until the barista conjures up a cup of joe. The mug warmed by my filtered coffee bears the phrase “Om Shanti,” which is Sanskrit and is also the store’s slogan. “Om” is the sacred sound of the universe, while “shanti” means peace. This definition is written on an index card behind the counter for the barista’s reference in case nosy customers (such as myself) inquire about it. The cafe is surprisingly well-lit given the merchandise downstairs. The tea shop takes up the entire second floor, with big bay windows on either side of the room. The ceiling is constructed with faux-foil ceiling tiles, from which elaborate light fixtures drip to illuminate the many comfy chairs and tables. Wall sconces are mounted on the purple wallpaper, which is also adorned with clay blocks painted with tarot card symbols. I see angels and skeletons, castles and devils from my spot by the east-facing window. The mug also bears the image of a naked woman reclining on the back of a tiger. I think of this as lewd for 0.05 seconds until I recall how the Starbucks symbol is just as mystical and vaguely pornographic. I tell the barista I’m a reporter from The Michigan Daily writing about witches. She smiles at me. “You’ve come to the right place.”
Every second Tuesday of the month, Crazy Wisdom hosts a Witch’s Night Out, in which a diverse group gathers in the tea house and drinks one potion — Good Fortune of Dion Witch’s Brew. A blend of hibiscus flowers, blackberry leaves, orange peel, apple pieces and sunflower, it’s a popular herbal blend on the beverage menu. However, it does not tote mystical properties, according to the disclaimer on the bottom right of the menu: “Medical herbs work best in conjunction with a healthy lifestyle.” I was right to order coffee. I’m flipping through the spell book first, because of its enticing tagline — “Cast incantations that will bring you love, success, and good health.” I plan on getting to the love spells at some point, but with my student loans looming over me, I’m keen to try the Goodbye Debt Spell. Tools, instead of ingredients, are as follows: one large iron pot or cauldron, the five of pentacles from a tarot deck you don’t use. (I feel as though something terrible is about to happen to this five of pentacles. But what the hell is a pentacle?) Finish it off with cedar wood chips, sticks or shakes. When to concoct it? During the waxing moon, of course. I’m instructed to put the piece of wood in the pot, light it on fire and slip the card from one of my multiple tarot decks into the flames. On the night before the next new moon, I’m to bury the ashes far from my house. I shut the book hard enough to startle the girl on her phone at the next table. In the other book I learn the origins of the term Wicca, which comes from the Old English word wicce, meaning “wise” or “wisdom.” This tea house is basically called “crazy witch.” It’s time to get out of here. “Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and caldron bubble.” — William Shakespeare, “Macbeth”
LSA senior Kit Kelly, who is celebrating her two-year practicing anniversary, tells me she wants to make it known that she, among other practitioners of Wicca, aren’t flighty granola hippies. And she doesn’t have warts, either. Kelly writes in an email interview that while Wicca may fall under the category of Pagan religions — those that are influenced by worship of nature — being Pagan does not necessitate Wiccan beliefs. The religion borrows heavily from other Pagan practices, like observing Yule and Samhain rather than Christmas and Halloween. There are more than a few misconceptions about the Wiccan practice that Kelly writes she wants to smooth over, and chief among these concerns is that it’s not some weird hobby. “First, I think it’s definitely possible to be invested in scientific logic and also participate in Wicca — intention and thought has been studied a great deal, and our attitudes towards ourselves and others have a great deal of influence in the physical world,” Kelly wrote. “Second, there are so many varieties of witchcraft that trying to lump us in under one stereotype is inaccurate and, frankly, offensive.” Kelly said the end of October is the perfect time to discuss Wiccan faith given the series of misrepresentations that are produced by Halloween costumes. She believes cartoonish depictions of Wicca and witches cast negative stereotypes from practitioners in the Roma culture — often referred to as “gypsy,” nomenclature that has been flagged as less than politically correct — that have equally negative ramifications on those who practice witchcraft. “We are your friends, your classmates, your neighbors and I encourage you to treat us with as much respect as you treat your Christian, Jewish or Muslim friends — our beliefs are all valid and important and we shouldn’t be ostracized or stereotyped just because we believe in magic,” Kelly wrote. “I was going to fight vampires, and my name wasn’t Buffy — I was
so screwed.” — Patricia Briggs, “Frost Burned” Most Wiccans on campus just want to be left alone — like Art & Design junior Ellen Erikson*, who identifies not as a Wiccan but as a bona fide witch. “It is a common misconception that Wicca is the only type of witchcraft,” Erikson wrote in an email interview. “While Wicca is most often duotheistic and recognizes two specific deities, the ‘God’ and ‘Goddess,’ witchcraft as a whole is much more openended.” Erikson has been practicing for a year and a half. When she was in high school, her friend’s grandmother, a former witch, introduced her to the craft and lent her a small library of books to get her started. “At the time, it seemed almost too good to be true, and although I fervently tried a few spells, Witchcraft always felt like something distant and inaccessible to me,” Erikson wrote. (She describes her sophomore year of college as tumultuous. Deciding to transfer to the University after spending two years adjusting to her previous school, she had found making friends and overcoming the stress and uncertainty of freshman year at her former school was challenging. She was unhappy where she was, but transferring could have easily worsened the problems she was having. Over and over, she asked herself: Is Michigan really where I want to be? Will it be worth it? Where do I belong? “Although my family encouraged me to make the change, advisors, professors and other students cautioned me on the potential mistake I could be making,” Erikson wrote. “I felt stuck at a fork in the road for a long time. At last, I took one of the biggest leaps of faith I have taken and transferred.” It was still difficult — she coped with the mounting stress associated with culture shock and readjustment by partying and going out more. But Erikson didn’t feel present in social situations and had trouble making her art. “The first time I called myself a ‘Witch’ was the most magical moment of my life.” — Margot Adler, “Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America” The turning point for Erikson came the summer after her second year of college. She went home and relaxed in the familiar company of her family and friends. After leaving the nest of her hometown with a greater appreciation and deeper understanding of her own spirituality, she threw herself back into witchcraft. “Developing my practice became a huge creative outlet for me, which both provided me with means of tackling my anxiousness and self doubt, and helped me reconnect with creating art,” Erikson wrote. “Although those years were difficult for me, those experiences helped me grow as a person.” Kelly wrote that she first got involved with Wiccan practices after suffering from chronic anxiety issues, and feelings of being out of control. A friend recommended she look into the religion as simply a way of exercising control. “At first the rituals were a great way to ease my nerves, but I found very quickly that intention is powerful, and my casting had a lot more of an effect on my life than I thought it would,” Kelly wrote. “Take it from a skeptic and a past atheist — the brain is an incredible organ and is capable of influencing our paths in extraordinary ways.” According to Erikson, witchcraft exists on a spectrum of theologies and practices unique to the practitioner. “I recently came across the phrase ‘re-enchanting the world,’ which I believe captures the essence of what magic means to me,” Erikson wrote. “Practicing witchcraft has revived my sense of mystery and wonder in the world, and given me room to develop a relationship with spirituality, on my own terms.” For her, whether you’re casting spells, doodling sigils during class or throwing crystals and herbs in your pocket for a little extra support on your way to an exam, being a witch on campus is just plain fun. “Your average witch is not, by nature, a social animal as far as other witches are concerned.
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
There’s a conflict of dominant personalities. There’s a group of ringleaders without a ring. There’s the basic unwritten rule of witchcraft, which is ‘Don’t do what you will, do what I say.’ The natural size of a coven is one. Witches only get together when they can’t avoid it.” — Terry Pratchett, “Witches Abroad” Erikson said she wishes there were opportunities to network in her community, but as most witches that don’t broadcast part of their identity, it’s difficult to get out and meet other Wiccans and witches. When she first came to Ann Arbor, she was disheartened by the infrequency with which local meetups occur — and rarely on campus. “Asking people if they are a witch isn’t exactly the best way to start a conversation. Personally, I would love to be a part of a witchy community on campus,” she wrote. “I believe that having the ability to practice with others would strengthen my belief in my own spirituality.” Kelly belongs to a coven of witches in the Midwest called the Coven of Stars, but noted that getting all of its members together can be difficult. The past few years, she’s ventured as far as Kalamazoo to celebrate Samhain with a few of the coven’s members, but the whole of their order has yet to convene at once. “When we gather, we tend to plan the rituals we do in advance, and these typically relate to the holiday we’re celebrating,” Kelly wrote. “On Samhain, we create a bonfire and do a lot of cleansing and try to cast for new beginnings, because it’s the holiday that marks the end of the harvest season and the beginning of a new part of the year.” For Kelly, Facebook has been an incredible resource in finding other witches, and to crowdsource ideas for spells. She’s also been part of several groups online that do outreach work with new witches and discuss different factions of witchcraft. Kelly wrote that she considers herself a moon priestess, and her practice focuses a great deal on healing and cleansing. Last year, she was able to attend HexFest in New Orleans, which is a festival that brings practitioners together from across the country. “I was able to meet and learn from a few voodoo practitioners,” she wrote. “Voodoo is based in African lore and focuses on making deals with spirits in order to gain power. The origins and practice of this kind of magic is so far flung from what I’m comfortable with, and I think it’s silly to try to group us together.” “Wisdom is one of the few things that looks bigger the further away it is.” — Terry Pratchett, “Witches
Abroad” For me, the road to the witch’s house is lined with sorority houses. Erikson has agreed to perform a little something with me, but it’s shocking that she could have possibly escaped identification as a witch in a sea
of Canada Goose jackets and pumpkin spice lattes. Erikson says she’s not sure how much her roommate knows about her status as a practicing witch, but isn’t too worried about it coming out. “Why would someone suspect somebody else is a witch?” Erikson said. “I think that’s a weird thing to think. But once you do know, I think there’s a lot of little indicators.” Erikson’s room features many artifacts that I find strange and sobering. Strange would be the colony of crystals on her bedside table that she refers to as an altar, and sobering are the posters on her wall — Blondie, and the quintessentially collegiate “Pulp Fiction” — that could just as easily hang in my room. Also the shoes under her table, black with chunky heels, are the same pair that just came in the mail from my online order. The spell she has chosen will bring good luck and prosperity — but I’m reminded about an earlier goal and ask about love spells. “Oh man, those are always tricky,” she says. “I’ve done them too, but I’ve always felt weird about them. I do the ones (where) I’m calling someone, so they come to me, so I don’t feel like I’m manipulating anything. But those are really fun to do.” Sitting on the floor of her room, she pulls out a small journal and a massive English dictionary. She cracks the cover of the latter to reveal a secret compartment from which she extracts the spell’s ingredients. I watch as she forms a pentagram using three yellow tea candles and a figurine of a black cat. They will represent the four directions — air, water, fire and earth — as well as one for spirituality. Usually she uses five candles, but she’s running low. For the point representing fire, she uses a small cone of incense that she picked up in Santa Fe because of the smell. She ignites the incense with a hot pink lighter. She pulls out the journal, her book of spells, and flips through the pages. “I used to keep it just lying out, but my roommate told me that she read it,” Erikson said. “So I was like, ‘OK, I’m going to move it now.’” She explains each ingredient as she spills it into a clear glass jar the size of my second toe, carefully held over a black bowl that will be taking the place of a cauldron. She doesn’t have basil, so she subs in frankincense. Otherwise, the mixture of pink sea salt, pepper (to force out negative energy), all spice, nutmeg and regular table salt that make up the spell becomes my keepsake. Because she is so rarely alone, Erikson mainly performs simple spells and rituals. “In a dorm, there’s always people around,” Erikson said. “Like, I never know when my roommate is going to pop back in. Even if I know she’s not coming back for a certain time, I feel if someone might come in. It just distracts me.” Some spells have chants, something that Erikson finds a little too kooky. She prefers to perform in silence, focusing her energy on the ingredients that she’s adding. Standing in for a wand, Erikson waves a green crystal in a stirring motion over the concoction. She blows out the candles, counter-clockwise, ending the spell. She lets the incense burn, and the aroma fills the entire room. Later, as I’m standing on
the sidewalk waiting for my Uber, I can still smell it on my jacket. “Since man cannot live without miracles, he will provide himself with miracles of his own making. He will believe in witchcraft and sorcery, even though he may otherwise be a heretic, an atheist, and a rebel.” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky, “The Brothers Karamazov”
Armed with these fresh aromas and perceptions, I return to Crazy Wisdom. The invisible cloud of herbs which greets you at the door — a combination of sage, rose, sandalwood, lavender and thyme — smells exactly how hugging my grandmother feels. I allow myself to remember for the first time in years a similar store that I went to in high school called Earth Lore, in Plymouth, Mich., not far from where I grew up. There were more artifacts than books in the shop, and I would go with my best friend Gina after class and gawk at the tiny Buddha statues, or look at the rows of incense sticks in a kaleidoscope of colors. I don’t remember thinking it was ridiculous, or looking down on those who would go in. We got a kick out of it in a voyeuristic, indulgent way. Like seeing a romantic comedy with your friends. It was a burst, brief and pure, of joy. I sit at the same table as last week where the same smiling waitress deposits a cup of coffee in front of me, and I reflect on the utter tranquility of the scene. A blond boy is lounging on a gray couch scattered with textbooks, tucked beneath a table, which holds a pot of tea belonging to the woman in glasses and a gray sweater. Two women sit only a few feet away from me, bodies bent toward each other over their round table, speaking in tones as smooth and secretive as the light gurgle my coffee makes when I take a sip. Something soft is playing that reminds me of a song by Colin Hay. I consider the deadlines of the newspaper to which I have sewn my time and lifeforce. I consider unfinished class assignments, how often I’ve talked to my parents and whether or not I’ve disappointed a friend by my constant away status, like an AIM reminder that I’m not as present as I could be in my own life. I think about how over the course of writing this article, I’ve dyed my hair black and started to wear the color more frequently. I look at my tattoo and wonder whether or not it means more to me than I first thought. Traffic continues to pass beneath the window to my left. A construction crew tears into the concrete of the street with a construction machine that looks like a massive shovel. Children pass in strollers, pushed by parents on their cell phones. And yet I can’t hear any of it. A jazzy tune with a faster tempo takes off in the tea shop. The espresso machine whines. I sip my coffee. This room, this space, is an oasis of peace. It kind of feels like magic.
SPOOKY SINGLE REVIEW A “Psycho Killer” Talking Heads
On its surface, “Psycho Killer” is the kind of track perfect for pretending you’re in some spunky retro music video. Walking along a dark, rainy alley, the steady beat drops in just as an inexplicable fog wafts across your path. It’s spooky, yet playful as you saunter to the beat of the music. Byrne’s unsteady voice makes the thought of actually being confronted with a crazy murderer seem not at all as daunting as its reality. When listening more closely
SIRE RECORDS
to the lyrics Byrne is so casually spitting, though, the catchy sheen begins to ship away to reveal something more sinister. That first, haunting chorus is preceded by, “I can’t sleep cause my bed’s on fire / Don’t touch me I’m a real live wire.” Byrne’s vocals go on to become more
and more unhinged — much like the psyche of the titular killer. The repeated fa-fa-fa’s are almost manic, warning listeners of the madness behind them. By the end of the track, that jaunt through the alley turns from benign to life-threatening. - CARLY SNIDER
the b-side
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Thursday, October 27, 2016 — 3B
COMMUNITY CULTURE COLUMN
Is my major useless? “What in the world are you gonna do with an English major?”
“
You’re an English major? value of an engineering degree, Well … what are you going it’s not as difficult to figure out to do with that?” how it could be used. There are Ah, I see. You’re relying on plenty of companies interested in notions of practicality hiring students who rather than considering are well-educated in the true reasoning that particular field. behind why I study From discussions I what I do. That’s not have had with people wise. If I’m going about the study of to devote my life to literature and what something, it might as an English degree well be something I’m provides in general, passionate about. I’m I get the sense they not really interested don’t know what’s BAILEY in the idea of earning really happening in KADIAN higher salaries in the the world of language future or leaving college with a and literature. more applicable and competitive The stereotype of a humanities degree in the workplace. student is one that carries Recently, I’ve been motivated to around a lot of books all day and think more about the purpose of is almost always writing essays. the humanities after a discussion That is fairly true, but there are I had in one of my classes the dimensions of meaning that other day. We were talking about I think no other departments budget cuts across high schools capture more fully than the and colleges all over the country, humanities. Recently, I heard grappling with the fact that the a student say that studying the first departments to be cut from humanities is, in essence, getting these institutions are, of course, closer to the idea of what it means the humanities. to be human. In addition, we The highest post-college understand our history more salaries come from degrees in clearly, as fundamental human engineering, computer science, nature across time is, for the mathematics and the natural most part, about the same. The sciences. Surprising? Probably not. discussion sparked my own Our conversation in class started questioning of why people might to develop into one I think is worth be missing the value of what sharing. humanities is doing in an academic What is the accessibility of setting, thus justifying sources of our work in the humanities? funding to be reallocated to other That is, are the products of our places. If people don’t understand departments, such as literary what is being produced from theory, research, language, departments that study humanity, books and art understood by they aren’t going to recognize the populations across academia? purpose. As a class, we pondered the idea The heart of this discussion that maybe, for people outside comes from understandings humanities departments, there’s a of rhetoric. Merriam-Webster divide simply because of a lack of defines this term as “the art or skill understanding. of speaking or writing formally Of course, if I were put in an and effectively especially as a way engineering course, I would not to persuade or influence people,” have the slightest idea of what I was which I think, in a lot of ways, is the learning. It’s a foreign language to central goal of my study of English. me. Granted, while discussing the We decided in class that rhetoric is
determined by culture. How are we, as a culture, as a people and as individuals, using our language to persuade and instigate change? Understanding language through the medium of writing is also essential, as writing works as an effective tool in almost every profession. Often, students who aren’t familiar or interested in humanities courses are discouraged by how sophisticated they feel language has to be used to appear “intelligent” or for writing to be considered “good.” For the many who are not sold on the idea that departments in the humanities are worth the investment, classes focused on exploring the complex realms of language, both foreign languages or concepts with English, are generally cut. The idea of taking classes “for a job” is baffling to me. The value of learning is being hidden, or perhaps replaced, by the need to “train” for post-grad life. Students are being molded into a product that will be of high demand in the workforce, rather than developing a mind that is able to think, question and challenging existing ideas. It occurred to me that if a department is cut because it is considered irrelevant, the foundation that learning is built upon will start to break down. Passion and interest lie on one side of the spectrum, with employability and competiveness on the other. What remains between both extremes is what one decides is our purpose at an institution such as this one. Learning how to do a certain job is not as important as simply learning how to learn. My study of English literature and language is capturing the human experience — one that in any job, with any degree, must be understood. Kadian is walking to class with a bunch of books. To offer to carry them, email bkadian@umich.edu
COMMUNITY CULTURE NOTEBOOK
Is Nobel Prize winner Bob Dylan a rapper? My dad thinks that he is Some hippies say the legendary folk artist was an early hip-hop pioneer ERIKA SHEVCHEK Daily Arts Writer
On almost every road trip I’ve taken with my dad, whether it was a 20 minute drive to a soccer game, or a ten-hour trip from Ann Arbor to Philly, I can always recall listening to Bob Dylan’s greatest hits. The six-set edition sat on the floor of my dad’s CRV, always an arms length away. Without looking, my dad would deliberately tell me which CD to put in and which track to play, as if he memorized the set list. The moment the pluck of Dylan’s guitar rung the speakers of the CRV, my dad would be singing along. I would sit in the passenger seat, staring out the window, listening to Dylan sing the words to “It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)” and “Subterranean Homesick Blues.” Quite frankly, I never thought much of it. “Now this is the original rap … not like that rap crap your generation listens to now,” my hippie father would tell me with a chuckle. I knew his words were earnest. I questioned how this white dude from the ’60s could be considered a “rapper,” but the words of love, advocacy, protest and peace rattled in the car, and I was genuinely intrigued by Dylan’s music. Little did I know, this “white dude from the ’60s” would be the first ever songwriter to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2016. If I had only known how influential Dylan would be in both the music world and the literature world, I would have paid more attention during the makeshift studio sessions in our CRV. But with Dylan winning this award
and, of course, me being more mature, I could not help but go back and genuinely listen to his lyrics. Recently, I sat on the floor of my best friend’s bedroom. Noah played “It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)” on his speaker — a song I have not heard since I was riding in the car with my dad. The nostalgic words became meditative as Noah and I sat there in silence. We listened to Dylan preach an introduction in his rough singing voice:
After Dylan won the award, I had to go back and listen to the lyrics. Darkness at the break of noon Shadows even the silver spoon The handmade blade, the child’s balloon Eclipses both the sun and moon To understand you know too soon There is no sense in trying. These lyrics might not resonate with everyone. However, from a writer’s perspective, these words sunk into my ears as if I were at a poetry reading. They lingered, provoking intuitive thought, meaning and feeling. Since the announcement of the award, I have been listening to Dylan on repeat, not just because I enjoy his sound, but also because I hear his lyrics as prose. I think of those car rides with my dad and how insignificant they felt at the time. But now, as an
aspiring writer and an avid music listener, Dylan’s style has begun to shape the way I see the cross pollination of musical lyrics and literature. Regardless of my dad’s notion that Dylan is a rapper, there is no doubt in my mind that Dylan is a writer. Yet, I question: If his lyrics can be considered a premature style of rap, then can we conclude that rap is a form of poetry? And does this apply to all forms of rap, meaning that rap is a form of literature? Maybe that theory is a stretch, but looking at Dylan through this lens opens up a brand new outlook on musical lyrics. Early folk artists like Simon & Garfunkel or Woody Guthrie created music that might also be seen as some style of prose storytelling, but where does that leave contemporary musical artists? The argument with my dad over rap could continue, with me telling him that there are actually great rappers and artists nowadays including some of my favorites: J. Cole, Frank Ocean and Kanye West. But the generation gap between my dad’s music era and mine will probably never unite. The real answer here lies within how we define literature and whether or not musical lyrics, despite the genre, can be defined as literature. At the end of the day, my dad and I could definitely put Dylan as an early marker for original poetic composition, even if he wasn’t a rapper. But what I have found most profound are the barriers that Dylan broke, the controversy that will reside with his Nobel Prize and the outlook on future awards for literature and songwriting.
NETFLIX
Midnight Diner Dreams of Sushi.
‘Diner’ serves up Japanese culture It’s all about the comfort food in Netflix’s new original series SHIR AVINADAV
Perhaps it’s the sense of home that’s cooked into his meals. We first learn about them through Sometimes the best stories the food they order — a culinary take place in the most unlikely treat to behold in itself. As the places. This principle provides food sizzles over the stove, the foundation for “Midnight the same sense of comfort Diner,” the new that draws in Japanese language his customers Netflix Original washes over series centering us. The food is around Meshiya, served up with “Midnight Diner” a small restaurant the stories. tucked away off It isn’t so Episode One the main streets much an action All Episodes of Tokyo, its or pressing Available to Stream proprietor known challenge that as Master (Kaoru spurs the story Netflix Kobayashi, “The as it is a chance Great Passage”) encounter and the patrons between two who find themselves there customers, facilitated by between midnight and 7 a.m. Master’s quiet acceptance when the restaurant is open. and the restaurant’s intimate And it’s during those hours that atmosphere. Their individual the most compelling stories stories intersect at Meshiya, are revealed about the show’s where the true narrative miscellaneous characters. begins. The sympathetic Master has While the series itself only pork miso soup and a few lacks meaningful action and drinks on his menu, but will structural variety, it makes make anything his customers up for it in heart. The premise order as long as he has the appeals to our basic humanity ingredients. Like his menu, — the feeling that we are customers get more than what understood and welcomed they see when they dine at somewhere. That somewhere Meshiya. Both regulars and is Master’s diner, which serves newcomers alike converge as a character itself. The lone at the small, almost hidden counter encloses Master in his location under the pretense of kitchen, where he is surrounded a simple late-night meal. But by his customers. They interact Master serves up his meals with the diner as they would with quiet comfort — exuding with another character, sharing an aura that invites customers their innermost thoughts and to share their stories with him feelings. As they go about their and with us. lives, they continuously return Under the warm auspices to the diner where their actions of Master, customers divulge and experiences are given information about themselves meaning and context. that they otherwise wouldn’t. A taxi driver and former Daily Arts Writer
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actress encounter a radio host one night in the first episode. At first, the two have nothing in common, as most strangers do, but the woman orders an unusual dish that strikes his curiosity and he begins to dig deeper into her life, uncovering a past she wished to forget. The understated emotion with which the two characters touch one another’s lives is reflective of the significance of a series like “Midnight Diner,” in which the focus of the series is not on the characters themselves, but on how their serendipitous interactions shape each other’s lives. It may not be the most exciting series. The story and its action unfold primarily through the dialogue, making for lulls in the narrative’s development. But this allows for moments of poignant commentary and specific detail from the characters that bring to life the awareness we often lack for those around us. Despite the cultural specificity of “Midnight Diner,” the series touches on a concept that is familiar to all: food and comfort. That’s probably why the series was adapted from the bestselling Japanese manga series Shinya Shokudo by Yaro Abe and later adapted into a film directed by Joji Matsuoka. There’s something both compelling and accessible about food that brings the wide variety of stories in “Midnight Diner” within reach of its audience. While customers come and go, Master, his diner and his food remain a constant — anchoring the series’ stories with harmony and compassion.
MUSIC NOTEBOOK
Alternative R&B artist Marz Leon has a new album that you’ll love ‘4 4’ will appease existing fans and push her into the mainstream CATHERINE BAKER Daily Arts Writer
It’s a bold move to name a debut album 4 4 with track titles like “Koh-It-T Us” and “D a H J A” and it takes an even more talented singersongwriter to deliver. Marz Léon does just that. An alternative R&B artist, Léon released her nine-track album in late August with the intent to describe her personal experiences and emotions through a universal lens. In an interview with The Fader, Marz stated, “4 4 resembles my guardian angels protecting me through my struggles and helping to give me the willpower to continue to pursue my passion, everything that I love, and battles in my life.” Since then, the Los Angeles-based solo act has also recently directed, edited and released the music video for her latest single, “S O R E E,” herself. 4 4 opens with “Bipolar,” an emotional and electronic ode to heartbreak. With a steady, satisfying bass line, the first track leaves no stone unturned with direct lyrics like, “Heaven’s waiting for you
/ Don’t put him up there / Put me up, don’t take him up,” and, “You’ll leave me drowning in your poison / Don’t leave me open.” Léon lays everything out on the table and segues seamlessly into “D.Frncs Interlude.”
“4 4 resembles my guardian angels protecting me.” The interlude is eerie and less musically invested as it is a reflection on Léon herself. She speaks, “Perhaps / This is the moment / When you’ve been chosen / To lead an army of broken soldiers / To lead a group of sheep / Into the lions’ den.” She preaches parables to her listeners about individuality, leadership and personal accountability. It’s powerful, short and makes a lasting impact early in the album. “D a H J A” follows with
heavy vocals and dramatic drumbeats that resonate throughout the body. Layering her own voice and interchanging it with breathy gasps adds a sensual element to an otherwise steady song. The bridge is strong and quick as Léon sings, “Pretend that you don’t hear me / Only I can feel me / Now I’m thinking clearly / Got to keep moving on.” The second half of the album strays towards synthetics with “P a R a D I Z E.” Combining the ringing of bells and electronic elements with an acoustic guitar juxtaposes the sounds that Léon works to incorporate throughout the album. “Strangerz” slows things down and allows Léon to showcase her vocals. It’s a response to the opening “Bipolar” that spoke about heartbreak and betrayal. “Strangerz” reminisces on first encounters and young love as she sings, “We were strangers / ‘Til we became one heart.” 4 4 doesn’t just appease Léon’s existing fans — it pushes her into mainstream listening. As she steadily gains popularity, Léon will soon reach more people than anyone thought possible.
Arts
4B — Thursday, October 27, 2016
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
STORE PROFILE
Getup and find a costume State Street vintage store is the perfect haunt for Halloween SHIMA SADIGHIYANI Daily Arts Writer
Walking into The Getup Vintage was like shifting through all the hustle-and-bustle of State Street and finding an unexpected diamond; exposed brick walls adorned with various pieces of art encased a homey space, with bright lines of the racks of vibrant clothing shining out like a beacon. The Getup Vintage is a beautiful cacophony of timeless designs. Like the clothing it sells, this shop is both modern and vintage: wellworn, framed paintings stand next to exquisitely vibrant hand-painted designs on the walls which,
in turn, stand next to a chic and sophisticated sitting area. Like the clothing it sells, this shop has history. “Initially, this store was started 12 years ago. A woman named Kelly ran it for the first ten years… it started upstairs, actually, on the third floor, in the attic space. About six years ago, she fought with the landlord and got it moved downstairs,” Kaylan Mitchell said. Mitchell, along with her partner Lindsey Leyland, are the current owners of The Getup Vintage. They had both been employees working for the previous owner when, a couple years ago, opportunity struck.
“She [the previous owner] decided she wanted to retire about two, three years ago. Myself and my partner Lindsey were both working here and she was just like, ‘You gals wanna keep it going?’ and we were like ‘Yeah, duh!’” Mitchell’s excitement and passion for the store comes through in her words, in her bright smile as she explains the store’s history and especially through the actual store itself; even though the layout is an eclectic conglomeration of clothing pieces with varying patterns, colors and styles, every object is placed with care and purposefulness. Different groups of clothing are meticulously labeled in curling font while various pieces of jewelry arranged in a pleasing composition bedazzle the register. However, the arrangement of the store wasn’t always as it is today. When management traded hands to Mitchell and Leyland, they decided a complete makeover was in order. “Since we took it over, we renovated,” Mitchell said, “we kind of put our own spin on things because it was a totally different vibe.” Before Mitchell and Leyland took over, The Getup Vintage was more centered on antiques that you had to dig for in order to find what you desired. While quarrying for buried treasure can be entertaining, Mitchell decided she had a new vision for the shop: one that focused on a perfect melding of past and present. “I wanted to have clothing that people like you and me would want to wear,” Mitchell said, “things from the past that are trendy and affordable … a lot of designers take directly from vintage clothing. It’s like, okay, what colors are hot this season? Oh, that’s all 1970s.” Her vision is apparent: throughout the store, retro jeans hold their own next to racks of beautiful vintage swing dresses while shoes of
KEVIN ZHENG/DAILY
The Getup Vintage offers apparel from many decades.
all different time periods look on from the sidelines. The only thing these varying styles and articles of clothing have in common is that they all are something you could wear today, casually walking down the street. Mitchell and Leyland also decided to physically change the arrangement of the store itself once they achieved ownership. As Mitchell said, “There’s nothing left from before (except the jewelry case).” It’s a beautiful room; one that radiates cordiality, openness and comfort through the layer of authenticity that covers the entire store like a warm blanket. The flowery designs etched over parts of the walls were all done by hand, courtesy of Mitchell and Leyland, and the arrangement of the various enduringly eccentric decorations seemed to have a great deal of thought behind the placements. In fact, it is this persistent sense of
pride and enthusiasm that causes the store to feel so welcoming; you may not know exactly what you want to buy, but as soon as you step into The Getup Vintage you know you’re going to find it there. Which is what makes the shop so perfect for Halloween costume shopping. “Either you can come in with an idea, ‘Oh, I want to be Daphne from Scooby Doo,’ and we can pull pieces that have that kind of a vibe. Or what’s kind of also really fun is just to come in here and look at what we have and see what inspires you,” Mitchell said. The best part about costume shopping at The Getup Vintage is the fact that you are able to rework pieces of your costume into daily wardrobe essentials instead of shoving them to the back of the closet to collect dust; the pieces that this store offers are extremely versatile. How could they not be? The foundation of The Getup Vin-
tage is built on recycling the old into the new and on reusing past favorites for current ensembles. The store does get busier around Halloween every single year, with people rushing in the last few days before the 31st to try and find the perfect costume. Rather than let the sudden influx of customers under a time-crunch stress her out, Mitchell seems to have fun with it. “It’s [helping people out with their costumes] one of my favorite things because it’s like a hunt,” Mitchell said. She narrated a story of a man who wanted to embody Prince for Halloween. A monumental task that ended in a success, Mitchell found him a purple jumpsuit with leather fringe that came straight out of the 1980s. It was a classic Halloween tale: a costume fit for a prince, picked with care from the depths of a cozy vintage clothing store that treats its customers a lot like family.
COMMUNITY CULTURE PREVIEW
Steve Rush preps for another Edgefest Expect an unorthodox performance from the explorative jazz artist just think, ‘Man, that’s a good reason to pay attention,’ you know? It’s not this bullshit where back-inWith autumn swiftly descend- the-day you go into Blockbusters, ing and the hibernation of nature and you go ‘well there’s a comedy, at hand, new and exciting music well there’s a romantic, now this is is awakening at the a horror film,’ you annual Edgefest know, everything Stephen Rush Festival, hosted by is really compartKerrytown Concert mentalized, and at Edgefest House. The avantyou know exactly Saturday at 8:30 garde jazz festival, what it is … and I p.m. now in its 20th year, think that’s just kicked off on Tuessuch a drag, man … St. Andrew’s day and will continit’s like if you look at Episcopal Church ue to run through Matisse’s paintings, Saturday, showcashe has this dark, $15 General ing diverse and darweird, violence, and Admission, $5 ing performances then cute and pretStudents by a variety of artty and flowers, and ists, many of them you just go ‘what?’ ” University of Michigan alumni and Rush also addressed many of faculty, including Stephen Rush. the preconceived notions he finds “It’s so fun that it’s damn goofy,” people hold about music, saying Rush said on the composition he he attempts to dismantle them will be performing at Edgefest through his work. with the University of Michigan “[My main aim with my music Jazz Ensemble. “I’m okay with is] not necessarily self-expression, that; it’d be better for the audience which is what people seem to think to have fun than be miserable, music is about,” Rush said. right?” “You know, different pieces Rush, who is a professor of for me have different functions performance arts technology at — there’s some pieces that actuthe School of Music, Theatre & ally do try to express things, but Dance, has been a participant in I think, just looking at this piece Edgefest throughout much of its specifically, it’s kind of a pedaexistence. gogical gift, because I wanted the “I’ve been playing with Edge- students to be able to play music in fest for — oh, man, for a long all these different styles. I just love time, for a long, long time,” Rush the breadth and scope of jazz. And said. “It may be 20 years ago I put also it’s a statement against people together a version of Miles Davis’s who don’t dig that. “Bitches Brew” with one of my “There are so many folks who classes, actually.” just go, ‘Oh, well, I’m going to be Rush has additionally responsible for the music between performed at Edgefest throughout 1955 and 1963,’ you know, and I just the years with other groups think that’s pathetic. In order to be and in other styles, including a a complete jazz musician, I think, performance with his New York you should at least have a strong based trio Yuganaut with Roscoe familiarity of the whole breadth Mitchell, and a performance and scope of it.” of avant-garde composer John Along those same lines of Cage’s “Sonatas and Interludes” broadening interests, Rush works for prepared piano. in many different mediums and The piece of Rush’s being styles, exploring new possibilities performed Saturday, which was and constantly reinventing the commissioned by Edgefest a few sort of work he does. years ago, is called “Jazz Piano “I’m an artist who chooses Concerto with Graphic Score artistic outcomes based on projInterludes.” Like much of his work, ects, not so much on my own it is eclectic and adventurous. identity as an artist … what I’m The piece includes sections in more interested in is the process styles taken from throughout the of what’s happening when I make history of jazz and classical music, stuff, and being really honest and dispersed throughout are about that. I’m interested in being graphic score interludes, sections honest about where I want to be of music that are improvised off with that particular artwork.” of paintings created by Rush. The For “Jazz Piano Concerto with entire composition is a unique Graphic Score Interludes,” Rush mishmash of disparate threads. said he ultimately created a piece “My aesthetic, I think, probably entirely distinct from his initial is mostly informed by Hitchcock, ideas. because Hitchcock’s movies … are “The pieces ended up being very really sexy, and they’re always a different from what I’d planned little bit funny, and they’re defi- on,” Rush said. “And that’s the nitely creepy,” Rush said. “And I funnest part about making things, DAYTON HARE Daily Arts Writer
right? You kind of sequester yourself into a room and say ‘I’m going to make something,’ and you come out and go, ‘Wow, I didn’t think that was going to happen!’ ” Rush’s process is one of constant exploration, following his instincts and refusing to be bound by any sort of careerism or preconceived notions of what music is about or for. “In the old days you’d say ‘wherever the spirit leads,’ … that’s the idea of it, letting yourself go down the weird path, the extremely weird path.” As a professor, Rush also instills this outlook in his students. For example, early next month one of his classes will be constructing a piece to be performed on the pond near the Earl V. Moore building. “This year is crazy, they’ve got a floating greenhouse on the pond, it’s just really out there,” Rush said. “And then somebody like risk management says ‘Well, we’re going to have to ask you what you’re going to do out there,’ and it’s like, ‘I don’t know, dude. It’s not done yet, man, how do I know?’ ” Rush’s outlook as a composer and artist goes beyond his exploration, and is informed by a desire to touch people meaningfully. “I’ve got an Air India barf bag in my studio, and it says … ‘if 40 percent of the audience needs this, then it’s your problem,’ ” Rush said. “And what I propose to do when I write a piece of music or when I perform is I really hope that people are engaged on some kind of deep level. I’m not trying to prove anything, I’m not trying to make any major artistic statement, nor am I in any way trying to put myself in this position of superiority where they need to struggle to get what I’m getting. Not that everything I do is ridiculously accessible — that’d be the last that I’d ever say … I definitely like it when audiences are confused and then they figure stuff out. I do get really worried if they don’t figure it out, you know, like if something’s really funny and I don’t hear audiences laughing, you know, a little kitten inside me dies, man. I just go ‘damn, what did I do wrong?’ ” Rush’s hope is that, despite the unorthodox nature of his work, that audiences will after a short while understand what he is trying to say and receive something personally important from the experience. “There’s some things that I do, definitely, that I think are initially extremely confounding and offputting,” Rush said. “And yet, I’m hoping that I hit that sweet spot where … the audiences goes, ‘Ah, okay, alright,’ and they don’t feel like I’m being mean to them.”