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Thursday, November 10, 2016
Ann Arbor, Michigan
“I grew up in a house of love . . . where it was more important to care about marginalized people than about your marginalized taxes.” -LSA senior Thomas Hislop, on growing up in a Republican household
“I feel like I have been very sad and despaired all day, and as a person of color, I feel very threatened and shaken to the core.” -SMTD freshman Nina Renella
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“I simply ask for you to not be comfortable as we have after violence and tragedy countless times before.” -University alum Harleen Kaur
“I don’t care what the election said today. I don’t care what it says in the next four years. I refuse to stop fighting.” -LSA senior Adedolapo Adeniji
“Remember this is not a new fight for my family, this is not a new fight for women, this is not a new fight for Latinos, this is not a new fight for the LGBT community.” -LSA senior Nicole Kahmis
SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily
Hundreds of students protest Donald Trump’s victory at a vigil in the Diag Wednesday.
Hundreds gather to protest Trump Both expressions of fear and bids for unity prevalent among crowd on Diag NISA KHAN & CHETALI JAIN
Daily Staff Reporters
Both a vigil and anti-Trump rally were held Wednesday night in protest of President-elect Donald Trump’s unexpected win in the Diag, drawing a crowd of nearly 1,000 University of Michigan students, faculty and staff, as well as community members. The vigil featured both student speakers and University of Michigan President Mark Schlissel. Speakers called for perseverance during the next four years of Trump’s term, discussing both the fear felt by minority students on campus and the importance of action. LSA senior Nicole Khamis opened the vigil by recounting conversations with her parents, who are Palestinian refugees, the morning after Election Day. “We came here for a better life and last night, I woke up at 2:30 to the election results,” she said. “I thought it was a dream. And I called my parents, they could see that my eyes are red because I had been tearing up. … And (my mother) looked at me and said, ‘This is not the end.’ ” Throughout his campaign, Trump has criticized President Barack Obama and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s policy of allowing more Syrian refugees to enter the country. Trump’s immigration plan details an end to letting a number of groups into the United States, and in February Trump claimed he would look at Syrian children and tell them they could not enter the country. “Are we going to stand up in the face of racism, in the face of sexism, in the face of xenophobia?” Khamis asked the cheering crowd. “My parents have escaped a war to have a better life for me and my two siblings. And we did not come to this country for this.” In his remarks, Schlissel congratulated University
students for waiting in lines and voting, stating that student voices were 90-10 in favor of a candidate other than Trump. Earlier today, he penned an email to students urging them to be inclusive and work toward intellectual honesty in their conversations. “Ninety percent of you rejected the kind of hate and the fractiousness and the longing for some kind of idealized version of a non-existent yesterday that was expressed during the campaign,” Schlissel said during the event. “So I urge you, continue your advocacy and your voices are already being heard. They are loud and clear — this is the way America changes. It’s the way it always changes. It’s the way it will change for the better.” According to USA Today exit polls, 56 percent of voters nationwide ages 18 to 24 voted for Clinton. There are no agebased exit polls specifically for Ann Arbor, but Michigan Daily surveys of students in the leadup to the election indicated a strong campus preference for Clinton at about 70 percent. At the rally, similar sentiments were expressed. Business junior Myles Hawkins said he felt shock after finding out the results of the election, and that he came to the rally to gain a sense of comfort about the situation. “(As an) African American, it’s hard to fathom Donald Trump being my president because he (has) no respect for my background, and it’s shocking to have gone from the first Black president, which was celebrated in my family … to a person who doesn’t seem to care about (them) or my culture,” he said. The rally emphasized solidarity and began with a chant: “The people united will never be divided,” that progressively grew into a unified roar. Speakers at both the vigil and the rally also emphasized the need to take action moving forward. In remarks at the vigil, CSG President David Schafer, an
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November 2016 Election
VOTER TURNOUT Washtenaw County
Ann Arbor > 70% to 100% > 65% to 70% > 60% to 65% > 55% to 60% > 50% to 55% > 45% to 50% > 40% to 45% AVA WEINER/Daily
Source: Washtenaw County Elections Division
Exit polls show sharp racial and generational divides among electorate
Low level of student voter turnout could have impacted Mich. outcome
Women and youth support Clinton, while white, older Americans vote Trump
Political experts say if more had come to the polls, state would be blue
CAITLIN REEDY Daily Staff Reporter
President-elect Donald Trump’s victory over Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has baffled many Americans expecting a Clinton victory in light of earlier polling — but some experts say voter demographics could explain Trump’s upset win. Adding to the questions for some, it was confirmed Wednesday that despite losing the Electoral College and the presidency, Clinton won the popular vote by a small margin of about 0.2 percent. Michael Traugott, a research
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professor at the University of Michigan’s Center for Political Studies, said will be much explanation in the coming days as to why the polling data was so wrong in their predictions. “We know what the explanations are likely to be on why the polling was wrong … they didn’t estimate turnout too well,” Traugott said. “They might have had a problem in detecting support for Trump — some would call them shy Trump voters. This will require a very careful review of the polls, but clearly they misestimated.” The exit polls released thus far show a sharp divide in race,
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INDEX
LYDIA MURRAY Daily Staff Reporter
In an extremely close race nationwide, for a period of time Election Day all eyes were on Michigan, but the state ultimately wasn’t the one to hand President-elect Donald Trump his victory. However, many of the trends seen in the state around turnout and voter enthusiasm are similar to those in the other close states that did hand Trump his win. After the Associated Press called the race, declaring Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump the president-elect at 2:30 a.m.,
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Michigan was still counting votes from several counties. It continues to be in a deadlock, with Trump leading by just 11,837 votes, which would be a 0.3 percent margin of victory. If Trump wins the state, he will be the first Republican to do so since 1988. The race in Michigan became tighter in recent days as the candidates and their surrogates visited the state, but in the months leading up to the election Clinton maintained a lead over Trump in the state, and her campaign considered the state to be an almost guaranteed win. However, especially toward
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2A — Thursday, November 10, 2016
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BRIEF: THE ROCK IS GRAFFITIED WITH “FUCK AMERICA” AND “KILL EM ALL” AFTER ELECTION Wednesday morning, University of Michigan students woke up to find the Rock — a University landmark located at the intersection of Hill Street and Washtenaw Avenue frequently painted by students — depicting violent slogans. The rock, which had featured an Election Day message from Hillary Clinton supporters who drew the Clinton campaign logo, was painted over to read “fuck America” and “kill em all.” Also painted on the rock were the Democratic Party donkey and Republican Party elephant logos. The rock was later panted over by students with positive messages. As of Wednesday evening, it was unknown who is responsible for the messages, but many students said they believed they were a reaction to Tuesday’s election results. Both Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and President-elect Donald Trump are two of the most
unpopular candidates in history, and Trump has faced heavy criticism for rhetoric about Muslims, immigrants, women and other minority groups. “I feel like if this is such a pivotal moment for our country we should be coming together as a community rather than tearing each other down like this,” LSA sophomore Makenzi Cochran said. Later Wednesday afternoon, The Office of Public Affairs tweeted out pictures of students painting over the rock with messages of support. Campus outcry following the announcement of the election results began early Wednesday morning, when, at around 3 a.m. students gathered on the Diag for a vigil. “I’m not even holding back tears anymore it’s more I’m just numb,” Kinesiology senior Lauren McCree said. “It just really exposes our University and that the people who
go here think that this is OK.” In response to Trump’s victory, student groups have scheduled vigils on the Diag to protest and come together throughout the week. Earlier Wednesday, University President Mark Schlissel sent an email to the student body about the election results, calling for inclusivity. He also listed various University services dedicated to mental health and wellness. “Our responsibility is to remain committed to education, discovery and intellectual honesty – and to diversity, equity and inclusion,” Schlissel wrote. “We are at our best when we come together to engage respectfully across our ideological differences; to support ALL who feel marginalized, threatened or unwelcome; and to pursue knowledge and understanding, as we always have, as the students, faculty and staff of the University of Michigan.”
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The Rock, still smelling of fresh paint, had the phrase “FUCK AMERICA” written on it Wednesday, one day after Election Day.
“Anxious Election” event breaks down Tuesday’s results Members of the University’s History Department gather to discuss the impact the president-elect might have nationwide COLIN BERESFORD For the Daily
The Ann Arbor community ref lected on President-elect Donald Trump’s upset win at an event “Anxious Election,” held Wednesday evening after the election was called early that morning. “I, like most people on campus, woke up this morning absolutely shocked at the news,” attendee and Rackham student Sean Kramer said. “This is a scenario that before last night I’d never really imagined was possible.” The Natural Science Auditorium was filled nearly to capacity for the event, with many audience members
coming from a candlelight vigil held in the Diag Wednesday evening. The forum, sponsored by the History Department, was planned several weeks prior to the election. The event began with each panelist sharing their thoughts on the results and how to make sense of what had unfolded in the last 24 hours. Associate History Prof. Matthew Countryman noted what he deemed a stark difference between this election and the outcome and process in 2012. “Trump didn’t do better than Romney,” he said, adding that he wasn’t sure how this outcome came to be. He concluded saying that, “Clinton could not deliver the Obama
Coalition.” The forum also addressed the many unique factors that have shaped this election, from shifts in the electorate to support of a candidate that History Prof. Geoff Eley said could be deemed a fascist, to the unprecedented role of social media. LSA senior Leah Duncan, one of the panelists, said she thought social media sites fueled much of the contention throughout the campaigns, adding that the arguments on these sites do not tell the full story and can undermine the political complexities of platforms. “With the advent of social media, this has introduced I believe a new combat zone for
the election,” she said. “Social media has really evolved from an afterthought to a strategic means of free ad space.” During the election, Trump’s use of Twitter to target political enemies and connect to supporters became infamous. In the last few days before the election, The New York Times reported that his staff had taken away his direct control of his Twitter account Members of the audience were given time to ask questions and share their thoughts and ref lections, with many thoughts and questions touching on anxieties and worries for the coming months and years under a Trump presidency. Audience members also
asked about the role of racism in this election and if it ultimately decided the results. While many of the panelists said they thought it was decided by a multitude of factors, they also said they were particularly concerned that 60 million voters were not offended by Trump. Throughout his campaign, Trump has proposed to ban all Muslim immigration, made offensive comments about Mexican immigrants and bragged about innappropriately touching women. Engineering junior Mehul Kulkarni said he was feeling scared after the results of the election came in. “Well my family, we don’t look like everyone else,” he said.
After Donald Trump’s unexpected win, campus is somber and reflective
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Republican students call for unity, grace; Democrats at ‘U’ express anxiety about results, determination to persevere CALEB CHADWELL Daily Staff Reporter
On the first day after the 2016 election, in which President-elect Donald Trump won an upset victory, campus was strangely quiet — no voices calling out on the Diag encouraging students to vote, no one campaigning on behalf of their candidates. Messages of encouragement and inclusivity were chalked on the Diag, but besides that, campus largely seemed silent and somber. LSA senior Lauren Gallagher, president of the University’s chapter of Students for Hillary, said she noticed a darker mood on the Democratic-leaning campus today after Trump’s victory, but noted she also saw students and administrators reach out with
CHANGING DIRECTIONS.
comforting words to one another. “Today, the climate on campus was somber; students were not only thinking about themselves, but also their family, friends and fellow students who may be in marginalized groups,” Gallagher said. “But within this climate, I saw students coming together supporting one another and the University administration stepping up and saying ‘we are here for you.’ ” Washtenaw County voted overwhelmingly for Clinton by a margin of 71.1 percent to Trump’s 26.5 percent yesterday though Trump leads statewide by 1,1837 votes and claimed the presidency by at least 279 electoral votes. But, students still made their support for Clinton known Wednesday, taking to the Diag in
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attempts to spread more hopeful messages. Music, Theatre & Dance sophomore Alexandra Deamant, who voted for Clinton, sat holding a “Love Trumps Hate” flier Wednesday afternoon. “(I felt) shock and anger and frustration and all of the bad emotions,” Deamant said. “I am outwardly reflecting love and hope, even though I am so lost and confused right now.” Later that day a vigil was held on campus in response to the election of Trump as president. However, not all students were unhappy with the election outcome. LSA junior Enrique Zalamea, president of the University’s chapter of College Republicans, said he felt disappointed and saddened by the responses to Trump’s victory. He emphasized his wish for humility and unity, saying he witnessed signs at the “Uniting Michigan” student vigil on the Diag that he believed were contrary to the event’s message and goal. “As a first-generation American who truly loves this country and what it stands for, I am incredibly saddened to see the response of this campus to such a great victory for the American people,” Zalamea said. “Some students at the vigil tonight were talking about how ashamed they are being an American; one student had an American flag with the words ‘Abolish America’ written on it … now is the time for unity, for humility and for prayer.” Engineering sophomore Jack Kuchta, who voted for Trump, also said he was alarmed by the campus environment today and felt that some peers who knew he was voting for Trump treated him with more hostility. “When talking with some of my friends, they seemed mad at me, which is extremely See UNITY, Page 3A
Several panelists said many of them, as faculty and professors at the University, have been struggling with how to talk to their students about the effect of a Trump win. Anna Berg, the assistant director of Undergraduate Studies, said professors cannot avoid talking about the consequences of how Americans voted. “(It’s) important that we do away with the false sense of neutrality,” she said. “That we make it clear to our students and to everyone else and to ourselves, too, that certain kinds of things cannot be said.”
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News
Thursday, November 10, 2016 — 3A
Panel of professors and politicians analyze unexpected Trump win At event, Ron Weiser, incoming University of Michigan Regent, defends choice to support GOP nominee to students KAELA THEUT
Daily Staff Reporter
More than 200 people, many sitting on the floor to fit into the space, assembled Wednesday at the Ford School of Public Policy to listen to a panel of five professors and politicians analyze the results of the election and give projections on how future policy will be affected by President-elect Donald Trump. The panel also answered audience questions on the social implications of Trump’s rhetoric and reasons for the election’s outcome. Ron Weiser, former U.S. Ambassador and newly elected member of the University of Michigan’s Board of Regents, began his speech by saying he was just as shocked by Trump’s victory as everyone else. As a Republican on campus, he said he felt he was viewed in a different light by students. “Yes, I’m a Republican, and
POLLS From Page 1A gender and educational status — among other deviations — for voters in the 2016 presidential election. While there is still much analysis to be completed in the coming days, so far it appears that middle-class, white America was the tipping point demographic in winning Trump the election. Exit polls illustrate that women overwhelmingly supported Clinton overall, as did voters under the age of 45. Other than gender and age, race proved to be a strong indicator of which candidate demographic groups would support. As predicted by pollsters in previous samplings, 58 percent of white voters overall supported Trump while 74 percent of nonwhite voters voted for Clinton. Delving deeper into each demographic, race consistently emerged as a point of divide. Each age bracket of white voters had a majority that voted for Trump, while all age brackets of minority groups overwhelmingly supported Clinton. Additionally, white woman voted for Trump in much higher numbers than women of color. For Josh Pasek, a professor of communication studies, one possible explanation of the failure of the polls stems from which voters were included. “I’m guessing that what happened here is that a lot of the models that worked in the past … ended up undercutting the actual enthusiasm among Trump voters,” Pasek said. “That is largely because Trump voters aren’t traditional, regular, habitual voters. They were energized this time. And a lot of
VOTE From Page 1A the end of the campaign, Trump challenged those assumptions, claiming in his final campaign rally in Grand Rapids Monday that he would win the state, propelling his victory in the election as a whole. “If we win Michigan, we will win this historic election and then we truly will be able to do all of the things we want to do,” he said at the time. While the state did not ultimately secure Trump’s victory, the rapid changes in the state over the last few days before the election mirrored those in the states that did, such as Wisconsin. Communications Studies Prof. Josh Pasek, an expert in public opinion and polling, said the race both in Michigan and across the country came down to a matter of turnout. The counties Clinton won, he said, had a lower turnout in groups that tend to favor her — such as minorities and young people — than she needed to win. “The big notes have been that more white voters — in particular blue collar and rural — have voted in this election than in the past,” he said. “We did see that if Hillary Clinton wanted to win Michigan, she needed to turnout slightly better numbers than she did in the cities of Ann Arbor and Detroit than
yes, quite often on campus I feel unwelcome,” Weiser said. “I was surprised with the outcome, as most of the people in this room were.” According to a Michigan Daily poll, 19 percent of students identify as Republican. Speaking to the months to come, Weiser said he thinks there are positive outcomes of a Trump presidency. He added that he has seen a lot of political campaigns, and candidates say things that they don’t usually follow through on. Following his remarks, multiple students directed questions toward Weiser regarding Trump’s controversial rhetoric throughout his campaign. Weiser said he had been accused of “Trumpism” in the past, adding that he finds those views despicable. Clarifying his views, Weiser said he supports Trump’s economic policies but does not agree with all of his rhetoric. “We all make choices, and I’m an economic conservative and I think that some of the things that I believe in are fundamental, and
that is because the voter models under-predicted whether they turned out or not.” Other than failure of the voter models, Traugott said there is also national pattern of rising rural support for Trump that likely wasn’t captured. “The analysis of the exit polls show not only about who people voted for but why the selected the candidates that they did,” Traugott said. “It’s clear that Trump was the anti-establishment candidate. He campaigned against Washington. In hindsight, that turned out to be a powerful message.” Educational attainment also proved to be a key indicator among voters in this election. Across almost every demographic, the majority of college graduates or postgraduates voted for Clinton, except for white college graduates who supported Trump by 4 percent over Clinton. Turnout data is still being collected, but the data thus far suggests that 2016 voter turnout was up 4.7 percent around the country from the 2012 election, a trend that included Ann Arbor and the surrounding counties. However, Pasek said despite the rise in voter turnout, it wasn’t enough for the Clinton campaign. “If you look at the areas that have reported their full turnout numbers, it’s clear that the highest turnout was not in the city of Ann Arbor itself, it was in the surrounding areas,” Pasek said. “That is very telling. The kinds of turnout rates we were seeing were not the kinds of rates the Clinton campaign was hoping for if they wanted to have a clean win in the state.” On campus, the average millennial voter both did and didn’t match up to national exit poll averages according to Michigan
she did,” she said. “She didn’t do that, and it stops there.” In Washtenaw County, which houses the University of Michigan, voter turnout was 65.6 percent. However, in the four precincts that feature many student voters, with polling locations in the Michigan Union and Michigan League, voter
“Please never stop believing that fighting for what’s right is worth it.” turnout ranged from 42.8 percent to 49.71 percent. Overall, voter turnout was noticeably higher in the more rural areas outside of Ann Arbor, according to a Washtenaw County map. Most voters in precincts in and near Ann Arbor voted for Clinton, while the areas farther from campus in the county cast more votes for Trump. While the majority of students supported Clinton throughout the election season, according Michigan Daily election surveys, students didn’t appear very enthused about either Clinton or Trump while waiting in long
I don’t believe that they’re being promoted in order to take advantage of the disadvantaged,” Weiser said. “I spent most of my life trying to help the disadvantaged, not take advantage of them.” Former U.S. Rep. John Dingell, a panelist, said he was optimistic that the country will come together and work for the greater good of the people. He said the United States is still the greatest nation in the world and systems like the peaceful transfer of power between the president and his successor are what make it so prosperous. “I am hopeful that we will find that those will not be thrown out the window, although Trump has said that he will do away with most of those things,” Dingell said. The rest of the panel was not as optimistic, with all three female panelists noting citizen frustration as a driving force of Trump’s campaign and election win. Political Science Prof. Mara Ostfeld, who was part of a research team that analyzed exit polls
Daily survey data. Similar to what the exit polls show, student voters at the University overwhelmingly supported Clinton — in the most recent poll, 76 percent of respondents said they planned on voting for her. University respondents differed from the national norm, however, in that more whites and males on campus showed support for Clinton rather than Trump, though it is worth noting that exit polls have suggested individuals nationwide concealed their vote for Trump in pre-election surveys. In terms of partisanship, the election was broadly similar to past ones — young people, as well as minorities and women, continued to support Democrats while older generations and more white males continued to vote Republican. Traugott said mobilizing every voter base was key in this election. “Young people have a tendency to support the Democratic candidate over the Republican candidate, and it looks like the margin of victory is going to be very small,” Traugott said. “This is an example of how every little bit helps.” Pasek said while this election continued to show an ideological divide based on age, the past few cycles are suggesting that electoral divisions are shifting more toward geographical differences. “When you’re older, you accumulate more wealth, so the tendency is for people to become more conservative because they don’t want to see their wealth redistributed,” Pasek said. “But I think we are moving away from that, we are seeing larger demographic differences that are less about age and more about other things.”
polling lines at some locations on campus. Compared to 2012, when the youth, Black and Latino voters enthusiastically re-elected President Obama, this year seemed different. Pasek said it is possible that if all students at the University had voted in the election, Clinton could have secured enough votes to win the state. “There probably were enough non-voting students at the University of Michigan to be darn close in making up the difference between Trump and Clinton,” he said. “I think there is a case to be made that if you had gotten perfect University of Michigan turnout, Michigan would have had a much better chance of going Democrat.” Democrats attempted to encourage the student vote on campus through Get Out the Vote efforts by campus organizations such as the University’s chapters of College Democrats and Students for Hillary, and campus visits from surrogates such as Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), Democratic vice presidential nominee, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I–Vt.) and President Barack Obama, who drew a crowd of 9,000 the day before the election. However, Pasek said these efforts were not enough to overcome the traditionally low turnout numbers among young people. “An enthusiasm difference makes a big difference,” he said.
Tuesday, discussed three trends of the election: female voters, white male voters and Latino/AfricanAmerican voters. She said 40 percent of white voters, according to the polls, felt that minorities are more privileged than white Americans, marked by a trend of white men shifting away from the Democratic Party. Ostfeld said she believed that the race angle of these results is notable in analyzing the social identities and types of meaning that the parties are conjuring. “It is important to contextualize in the Trump campaign that when it started immigration policy was the only policy on his website,” she said. Ostfeld noted Florida, which went to Trump, was also a surprise in the polls, as analysts thought Democrats had a strong hold over the state due to its Latino voters. She added that, though Cubans moved away from the Republican Party in previous elections, this year was a dramatic shift back. Public Policy Prof. Betsey
Stevenson, shifting from discussing poll results to policies, noted stagnant wages as the motivation behind citizens looking for a difference in voting for Trump. However, she said she was not prepared to speak on Trump’s platform, as she was expecting a Clinton win and thought his policy plans were weak. “I can tell you it’s not for lack of studying that I don’t know the Trump policy platform very well,” she said. Stevenson added that because Obama focused on mostly partisan Democratic policy, there is a lot that can be undone by Trump. However, she said she thinks Trump is a big talker and likes to tell stories to the American people, but questioned whether he would follow through. Building on Stevenson’s comments, Public Policy Prof. Marina Whitman discussed international trade policy and said there is a lot of asymmetry in a president’s power with respect to trade issues. As a result, she
UNITY From Page 1A
VIGIL From Page 1A
alarming seeing as they had all been perfectly fine with me supporting him before and during the election while Hillary Clinton was still in the race,” Kuchta said. University administrators, including President Mark Schlissel and LSA Dean Andrew Martin, sent out emails Wednesday calling for unity, diversity and inclusiveness within the University community in the wake of the results. “Our responsibility is to remain committed to education, discovery and intellectual honesty — and to diversity, equity and inclusion,” Schlissel wrote. “We are at our best when we come together to engage respectfully across our ideological differences; to support ALL who feel marginalized, threatened or unwelcome; and to pursue knowledge and understanding, as we always have, as the students, faculty and staff of the University of Michigan.” LSA junior James Margard, a Clinton supporter, said he was disappointed with the outcome but wanted to see how and whether Trump will work to unify not only the country, but also the Republican Party. “I’m disappointed in the result, but I will be interested to see how Trump works with the rest of the Republican Party, and to see how each party changes over the course of the next two years, especially fractures within the Republican Party,” Margard said.
LSA senior, asked all individuals in the crowd to hold others accountable for discriminatory actions. He said minority students have had to be the ones responsible for calling out hate speech in the past, citing an incident last semester when Muslim students were the ones to wash off anti-Islamophobic chalk drawings on the Diag. “To all that have been targeted or marginalized: You have a place on this campus,” he said. “The University of Michigan is yours just as much as anybody else’s. Don’t stop challenging each other. So I am challenging everyone here tonight who professes to be an ally — whenever you hear a microaggression, whenever you hear an act of discrimination and bigotry or injustice perpetrated by one of your friends or anyone of your acquaintances, step up and challenge them. Because if you don’t, you are part of the problem.” LSA senior Tina Al-khersan told the crowd at the vigil several stories about her younger brother being asked if he had bombs underneath his coat in a response to Trump’s antiMuslim rhetoric, which has included statements about deporting Muslims due to their possibly being terrorists. Speaking before Al-khersan, University alum Harleen Kaur said she felt afraid for her life the day after Trump’s win. “I simply ask for you to not be comfortable as we have after violence and tragedy countless times before,” Kaur said. “Do
“The more people are hearing from surrogates they want to hear from, the more they want to turn out, and that is clearly the case for students, but we did see that Hillary Clinton still needed better turnout numbers.” In her concession speech, Clinton appealed to young people, asking them to not give up hope because of her loss. “To all of us, and to the young people in particular, I hope you will hear this. I have, as Tim said, I have spent my entire life fighting for what I believe in,” she said. “I’ve had successes and setbacks and sometimes painful ones. Many of you are at the beginning of your professional, public, and political careers — you will have successes and setbacks too. This loss hurts, but please never stop believing that fighting for what’s right is worth it.” Pasek noted, however, that Clinton’s loss may deter voters from participating in the electoral process future. “I think losing does diminish future participation,” he said. “When people first vote in an election and they win and feel like they made a difference, that is much more empowering than being on the losing side. It probably will for most college students mean that they will vote less often in the future.” Beyond student concentration, turnout among other demographics in counties statewide also had a
large impact on the state’s overall vote, similar to other late-emerging battlegrounds. Wayne County, which houses Detroit, had an even lower voter turnout rate than Washtenaw at 58.8 percent. In the city of Detroit turnout reflected that of Ann Arbor at 48.5 percent. In contrast, Trump saw unexpectedly high turnout numbers nationwide, including in many Michigan communities, from his core demographic: working class white men. LSA junior Nick Kolenda, the president of a Students for Sanders group active on campus during the Democratic primary, wrote in an email interview that he felt the Democrat Party’s shift toward
“It probably will, for most college students, mean that they will vote less often.”
the center on trade affected the outcome. “Trump will likely have won due to high rural and whiteworking class support which has become reactionary over the past
said Trump could tear up trade agreements with little concession from the other branches of government. He has openly criticized NAFTA throughout his campaign. However, Whitman noted that she did not believe he could totally alter all trade agreements. “Will he tear up NAFTA? I don’t think that omelets can be converted back into eggs,” Whitman said. Rackham student Harry Wolberg, an attendee, said he was disappointed by the results of the election and thought that the results did not follow a logical process. “I liked that it was a diverse panel,” he said. “I want to hear people talk more about policies that are going to be involved in the next administration. So there were a lot of questions devoted to that and it’s hard to tell what’s going to happen in the future, but I want to see how both sides respond to using evidence-based research for foreign policy.”
not let yourself be destroyed by fear but do not let yourself be wooed into calm. There’s work to be done.” Multiple speakers at both the vigil and rally told the crowd they had the right to feel sadness about the election result, calling it a confirmation that the country does not support minorities. At the vigil, Khamis said her family has not traveled to the United States only to be deported. “We need to organize, we need to mobilize,” she said. “Remember this is not a new fight for my family, this is not a new fight for women, this is not a new fight for Latina/Latino, this is not a new fight for the LGBT+ community. This has been happening forever. But now we know that it has been institutionalized to the point it is in the White House.” Earlier in the night at the rally, Public Policy graduate student Sundar Sharma expressed similar sentiments. “(We must) grieve and rebuild … especially because of the forces trying to stop us,” Sharma said. “Trump and Trumpism isn’t going to be around forever.” LSA senior Adedolapo Adeniji, whose parents are both immigrants to the United States, told the vigil crowd she was not going to stop fighting — and asked fellow students to do the same. “I don’t care what the election said today,” she said. “I don’t care what it says in the next four years.
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decades,” he wrote. “Clinton and the center Democratic party’s neoliberalism/trade policy caused Clinton to underperform in the upper Midwest. The white working class, having been frightened off of socialism and unions, believed that a strongman could make their lives better.” Throughout her time campaigning, Clinton and her surrogates made appeals to white working class voters through visits and speeches with union workers, but it was Trump’s message of change that swung their vote. According to the CNN exit poll in Michigan, 39 percent of voters said a candidate’s ability to bring change is the most important quality, with the number rising to 83 percent among Trump supporters. Pasek said the white working class vote has been shifting to the right for several years now as globalization impacts that group more than any other. “We’ve seen increasingly over the last few cycles additional challenges for the Democrats in holding union members,” he said. “Blue collar industries in general are areas that are getting hit more with globalization. On some level, the election ends up being a referendum on globalization in general and whether we should be having trade deals or be more isolationist.”
Opinion
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
4A — Thursday, November 10, 2016
LAUREN SCHANDEVEL | OP-ED
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890.
Editor in Chief
CLAIRE BRYAN
and REGAN DETWILER Editorial Page Editors
LAURA SCHINAGLE Managing Editor
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS Carolyn Ayaub Claire Bryan Regan Detwiler Brett Graham Caitlin Heenan Jeremy Kaplan
Ben Keller Minsoo Kim Madeline Nowicki Anna Polumbo-Levy Jason Rowland Ali Safawi
Kevin Sweitzer Rebecca Tarnopol Ashley Tjhung Stephanie Trierweiler
Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily’s Editorial Board. All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.
FROM THE DAILY
It’s time to engage
Y
esterday, many students woke up and didn’t know what to do. Over the past eight years, most millennials have lived and breathed an Obama administration, an administration that captured many of their goals and inspired tremendous hope for the future. And for many students who grew up under this administration, this upset of an election feels apocalyptic, as if our world has been turned upside down. Many of us have dedicated our summers, our part-time jobs and our extracurricular pursuits to fighting for social justice issues that President-elect Donald Trump does not support. To people of color, to Muslims, to immigrants, to those whose livelihoods, families and physical bodies are threatened by Trump’s calls to action: We recognize your pain. It is legitimate. What this election has shown us is that the people of this country have a lot of work to do to bridge the gaps between one another. But those individuals who are most extremely marginalized by our president-elect should not have to do all the work themselves. Allies must stand in solidarity and work just as hard, if not twice as hard, for the rights of all who would like to call this country home. About 90 percent of students at the University of Michigan voted for a candidate other than Trump, and many are struggling to cope with how to live in a world where our government doesn’t represent their fundamental values. Many students feel torn in half between the way they identify as liberals on campus and the way their parents, friends at home and community they grew up in identify. One way to deal with this kind of situation is to avoid talking about politics, because it’s too divisive. But that’s exactly the mentality that got us into this mess of a presidential election. The more constructive thing to do is to engage in conversation with family and with peers whose views stand in opposition to one’s own. The fact that nearly half of our country’s voters supported Trump serves as evidence that we must also recognize and give that population of students — whether they voted for Trump out of support for his stances or in mere opposition to Clinton — space to vocalize their ideas. We must listen to them and understand where they are coming from. Their concerns, though expressed in political
stances many of us do not believe in, have merit. We must create a space on campus for these concerns to be vocalized and discussed in a productive way. By shutting these beliefs down as uninformed, uneducated or illegitimate, we are only slowing down progress we can make as a country united. The country must have the introspection and the humility to face these ideals about which many of us so fundamentally disagree. In turn, those who voted for Trump must recognize that the way the Trump campaign went about vocalizing these concerns was, and still is, tremendously harmful. We ask these voters to please realize how nativism, racism, protectionism, sexism, etc., pose a threat to people’s livelihoods here on U.S. soil. Liberals and conservatives must work to extend themselves beyond their views into the perspective of someone else’s. Only when both sides feel they can speak openly about their deepest concerns can we engage in productive conversation. That being said, we recognize that these kinds of conversations can be
extremely emotionally taxing, if not impossible for those who are most threatened by a Trump presidency. We all need to keep fighting for equality, but marginalized groups absolutely should not have to do it alone. This is why people in privileged groups, people who are able to separate — at least to some degree — these political issues from personal struggles, people whose families or physical bodies are not as directly threatened by Trump’s presidency, need to stand up for those on the farthest margins of this country. We must be able to engage with one another on these issues that are so important to every single person in this country, no matter their background, sexual identity, gender identity, religion, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic or citizenship status. We need to work toward equality self lessly. We need to work toward equality together. The University has many resources for those struggling to cope, including Counseling and Psychological Services and the Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center.
CONTRIBUTE TO THE CONVERSATION Readers are encouraged to submit letters to the editor and op-eds. Letters should be fewer than 300 words while op-eds should be 550 to 850 words. Send the writer’s full name and University affiliation to tothedaily@michigandaily.com.
“
to
initiate
educated
policy
little to alleviate their very real
insist they aren’t the problem — those bigots in the lower classes are. They don’t say it openly, but these classist tendencies are implied often enough to infer. By walling themselves off from the realities of the world around them, they create a perfect bubble of like-mindedness. Everything is great, and everybody composts. This lifestyle, naturally, does
So why do white workingclass people continue to vote red? Because Republicans don’t make them feel like worthless outsiders; Democrats — at least to some extent — do. For the record, this isn’t an attack on my party. I’m proud of our resilience in the face of this mess, and I know we will continue to press on. As a party of progress, we are always looking for ways to improve ourselves before we improve the world. I admire that most in us (and I’m an unabashed fan of espresso, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, John Oliver, “SNL,” brunch and composting as well). This is more of a call to action. If we’re going to restore our party, we have to start treating these people with respect. That sure as hell doesn’t mean tolerating racism or xenophobia; it means recognizing that this demographic is at a disadvantage, too, and bringing them into the fold as we fight for justice. Continuing to distance ourselves from them will only create and mobilize future Trumps.
LAUREN SCHANDEVEL conversations over espresso. They economic struggles.
420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@michigandaily.com
SHOHAM GEVA
The end of liberal smugness
NOTABLE QUOTABLE
Our responsiblity as citizens is to keep doing our part to build that better, stronger, fairer America we seek. And I know you will. —Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in her concession speech on Nov. 9 in New York City
”
“How did this happen?” I found myself repeating this question over and over in the course of election night, sometimes with a spacey, stoic expression on my face and sometimes through tears. The answers from my equally devastated friends were always somewhere along the lines of blaming voter turnout or thirdparty voting. But while the Nate Silvers of the world may be able to explain how this outcome happened, they cannot explain why. So let me take a stab at it. Some background: I’m a strong Democrat — like, a bleedingheart liberal to my core — which is a rarity where I come from. My community is exactly the kind of working-class, industrial city that would (and did) vote overwhelmingly for Donald Trump. Going from there to a university that is primarily middle class and higher has been a bizarre journey. Throw a tendency to lean politically left into the mix, and you have a recipe for a phenomenon I like to refer to as liberal elitism. You know these liberals. You may just be one. They read The New Yorker religiously, share articles from The Atlantic on Facebook and are the first
If we’re going to restore our party, we have to start treating working class people with not entice white working-class people to vote Democratic — or any non-white, non-wealthy person, for that matter. If anything, it alienates them from the party, which in recent years has been made to seem like an exclusive club for collegeeducated elites who watch “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” and recap “Saturday Night Live” over brunch. Meanwhile, Republicans have captured the white workingclass vote on social issues like abortion and religious freedom for decades, but have done very
Lauren Schandevel is an LSA sophomore.
TARA WARD | OP-ED
An open letter to Sec. Hillary Clinton TARA WARD
Dear Secretary Clinton, Like so many, I spent last night in shock. Shock combined with episodes of anger, fear and the kind of bitter disappointment that is lodged in the stomach rather than the head. You see, yesterday afternoon was pretty great. I taught a lively class on feminist art to a group of intelligent, engaged and caring young women and one straight, white “bro” who is truly interested in learning about women’s issues. Then I brought my 1-year-old son with me as I cast my ballot for you and spent some time imagining what would happen to that huge glass ceiling at the Javits Center. Earlier in the day someone had commented that I was smiling uncontrollably. And I was, because I believed that in a few hours I would get to enjoy your victory as my own, our own. Instead, in the darkness, I found myself uttering: “Why?” “How?” “Who?” “Really?” Now that the sun has come up again, my son has smiled at me and called me “mama” and I’ve been reminded by messages from friends that I am not alone, I feel the need to say thank you. Secretary Clinton, you are a historically exceptional person. We must acknowledge, of course, your decades of accomplishments and the real effect they have had on people’s lives. However, today I think we need to acknowledge that you have patiently, doggedly and indefatigably overcome every obstacle that was placed in the way of a woman becoming
president. And there were some absurd ones (what to wear, how not to be more successful than your husband). How did you not give up? Why didn’t you erupt into fits of cursing and tears, at least not in public? The only possible answer to these questions is that you were doing it for us, that expansive sisterhood of people who believe that gender should not be disqualifying. Please know that we are grateful. You checked every box, did the nearly impossible and made us believe. Thank you. I should have known it wouldn’t be enough. After all, I lecture on the ways contemporary patriarchy has convinced women (and every other underrepresented group) that it is their fault if they don’t succeed. I watch as remarkable undergraduates realize that they have been taught that they must be perfect in order to deserve love, respect and opportunity. And I see how many of them fill with righteous anger and how some find communities of support and acceptance. Yet, if I am honest with myself, I haven’t truly learned that lesson. I hear that loop of self-doubt and selfblame in my head: “You’re not good enough, not smart enough. You need to work harder, be more prepared, be nicer. It’s your fault.” But that’s not true. It’s not true for me, it’s not true for my students and I know that more deeply today than I did yesterday because, quite simply, it cannot be true of you. The disparity in qualifications and sustained commitment between you and your opponent is so obvious that
AARON SANDEL | CONTRIBUTING CARTOONIST
to claim a link between those things and the outcome of this election is patently ridiculous. Except, they are related because this country expects women to accomplish incredible things just to be considered viable options while men (straight, white, cis-, rich, non-disabled men) are seen as naturally qualified. There are other reasons Trump won last night and they deserve careful, clear-eyed study. Today, my eyes are blurred with tears so I will just say: I’m done. I’m done trying to live up to an ever-widening double standard. I’m done pretending that there is some point where good ideas and work magically overcome bias. I’m done politely ignoring male privilege and silently denying parts of myself. I’m done pretending these are individual problems and done trying to find solutions by myself. I’m done because you have done more of that than I could possibly imagine. Mrs. Clinton, you’ve done enough. I mean that sincerely. While I look forward to your future insights and accomplishments, you deserve a rest. There are others of us who can and will carry the load for a while. And that’s in part because you have made it lighter. You have done the impossible so that I can refuse to jump through those extra hoops. I will say no so others won’t even be asked. Sincerely, Tara Ward
Tara Ward is a post-doctoral research fellow and lecturer in the History of Art Department.
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Thursday, November 10, 2016 — 5A
2016 PREVIEW ‘Every program needs a Danielle Williams’ WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
ETHAN WOLFE Daily Sports Writer
After a Wayne State basket early in the first quarter of the Michigan women’s basketball team’s Nov. 3 exhibition, guard Siera Thompson rushed the ball up the court before the Warriors could get set and found guard Danielle Williams running toward the basket for an easy layup. It would be fair to say that Thompson and Williams — the two-year captains and lone seniors on a young, energetic Michigan team — are no strangers to such a routine play. But while Thompson was just taking care of business as an established star in the program, Williams was already having an above average performance. Ever since Williams arrived at Michigan in 2013 to join the women’s basketball team, her opportunities to display her skills have been few and far between. Williams has averaged just 1.4 points and 11.4 minutes per game in her 84 collegiate games, numbers that aren’t going to catch anyone’s eye. It seems remarkable that someone who plays just a quarter of the game winds up as a team captain for not one, but two seasons. Yet despite Williams’ stat line, Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico had nothing but gratitude for what she has done for the team, mincing no words when talking about the point guard at the team’s media day in early October. “Every program needs a Danielle Williams,” Barnes Arico said with a smile. “If my child could ever be like Danielle Williams, I would’ve hit a home run.” With a Michigan roster that features the likes of Thompson and All-American guard Katelynn Flaherty, it requires a special character to receive the kind of praise that Williams got from her coach. But Williams’ leadership
As Barnes Arico enters fifth season at Michigan, Wolverines built to score
and character have been in the making since she first picked up a basketball, and have finally been realized in her final season at Michigan. These traits would not have come about without the competition that has surrounded Williams all her life. That’s no surprise given she has two older siblings who played sports in college and an equally athletic twin sister, Dominique, who currently plays basketball at UCLA. Regardless of the age gaps, Danielle would always shoot around or play one-on-one against her siblings to showcase her athleticism and work on her craft. “There was a lot of rivalry,” Williams said. “We’re a pretty competitive family. Even when (Dominique and I) would play with my older brother and sister, it was pretty competitive.” Up until college, Danielle and her Dominique were nearly inseparable on the court. Whether it was their in-house rivalry or collective dominance during high school and AAU basketball games — where they sometimes competed against older age groups and men’s teams — they constantly worked to make each other better. And that’s why it was such a shock when they decided to go separate routes for college. “It was difficult to realize we won’t be on the same team ever again,” Danielle said. “We’ll be playing against each other.” Despite taking different paths, they still share something in common: the number 20. They both sport 20 to honor current Indiana Fever guard Briann January. The Williams sisters have adored January ever since they were growing up in Phoenix, Ariz., loving basketball and watching January play at nearby Arizona State. January also helped coach the AAU teams that the sisters
SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily
Senior guard Danielle Williams has not had abundant playing time at Michigan.
played for — where they got to develop a relationship with the WNBA player, with whom they still speak occasionally. Danielle particularly admired January’s style of play and swagger on the court, something that she tried to incorporate into her own game as she became a budding star in high school. Being apart from her sister was tough, but moving across the country to Michigan proved not to be as difficult. Williams committed to the Wolverines at the beginning of the summer after her junior year of high school. She had fielded offers from a number of Division I schools, but she fell in love with Michigan’s campus and the players she met during an unofficial visit, and was uninterested in East Coast schools
Wolverines could return to NCAA Tournament in 2016
I
n each of the last three seasons, the Michigan women’s basketball team made the Women’s National Invitational Tournament. All three times, the Wolverines advanced to the semifinals of that tournament. But this year, Michigan’s goal has little to do NATHANIEL with the CLARK WNIT. Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico and her team both stated throughout the preseason that this season would be a success only if the Wolverines finish in the top four of the Big Ten and qualify for a bid in the NCAA Tournament. As it was, Michigan came very close to making the NCAA Tournament last year. A 64-63 loss at Eastern Michigan, a 65-63 home defeat against Purdue, an overtime road loss to Indiana and narrow home losses against then-No. 8 Maryland and thenNo. 7 Ohio State likely played a significant role in the Wolverines being relegated to the WNIT. It also didn’t help that Michigan lost to Iowa in the first round of the 2016 Big Ten Tournament. The Wolverines also dropped their first conference tournament game in 2015. But with the amount of offensive talent Michigan returns for 2016-17, something that was not the case in previous years, it’s not unreasonable to think that enough of those close losses from last season will turn into wins to propel the Wolverines to their goals.
“I think last year, we may have stumbled in one or two (games) down the stretch,” Barnes Arico said. “I think that may have come from our inexperience. But this year, I think our experience and our growth in a lot of areas is going to shine through.” Undoubtedly, Michigan’s biggest returning star is junior guard Katelynn Flaherty. She once again led the Wolverines with 17 points in their 93-41 victory over Wayne State on Thursday night. Her most impressive feat so far this season, though, may have been the fact that she bested Duncan Robinson of the men’s basketball team in a 3-point contest. Her improved shooting could be the difference in a highscoring game, which is likely against Ohio State. “(Flaherty) has worked extremely hard on her game,” Barnes Arico said. “She was a great scorer for us last year, but she really put in a lot of time over the summer and in the offseason to take the steps to become an even better player.” But two other veterans also stood out Thursday. Junior forward Jillian Dunston rebounded 12 times against the Warriors — four on offense and eight on defense — while sophomore guard Nicole Munger tallied 11 points and three consecutive 3-pointers despite playing just six minutes during the first half. “(Dunston and Munger) are both spark plugs for us,” Barnes Arico said. “Their effort is at another level.” Another key piece returning for the Wolverines is sophomore center Hallie Thome. She averaged 14.4 points and 5.4 rebounds in 2015-16, which
earned her a place on the Big Ten All-Freshman team. Thome scored 12 points and tallied five rebounds against Wayne State. Though opposing Big Ten defenses will now have tape to game plan for her, Thome’s experience and increased strength will be valuable for Michigan. Also, the increased depth will help Thome stay out of foul trouble, something that was an issue last year. “I’ve worked a lot on strength and conditioning,” Thome said. “Being able to combat the strength of the Big Ten and what everyone has, as a freshman I knew that I had to get used to. As a sophomore, being able to come in and surprise the Big Ten, even though it might not look like I gained a lot of muscle, it’s there and able to combat what they’ll throw at me.” With the high expectations placed on Michigan this year, it is important to keep them in check. No. 5 Maryland made a strong case that it is the best team in the Big Ten, as the Terrapins came up with staggering wins over Bluefield State, 146-17, and Mary Baldwin, 153-27, in exhibition play. No. 7 Ohio State will also prove to be a major obstacle for the Wolverines, as Buckeye guard Kelsey Mitchell was named to the preseason All-American first team. No. 23 Indiana and Michigan State — which narrowly missed inclusion in the AP Top 25 — will be formidable opponents as well. But considering the experience the Wolverines have this year, the depth Michigan now has, and its success in the WNIT the last two seasons, the Wolverines have a great opportunity to attain their first NCAA berth since 2012-13, Barnes Arico’s first season.
she visited afterward. “This place is awesome,” Williams said. “It seemed like I could be successful with whatever I did here and that was the goal for me. I really believed in Coach Arico’s vision. “I visited in June, and (Barnes Arico and her staff) had just gotten the job in April. They just offered to take me around campus in their free time. It was springtime, too. They could’ve been doing their own thing.” Williams’ transition to Ann Arbor from Phoenix encountered the difficulties one would expect for an out-of-state freshman: cold weather, figuring out bus routes and balancing practices and academics. Her transition was made smoother, however, with the help of some of the older players on the
team — namely 2015 graduates Cyesha Goree, Shannon Smith, and Nicole Elmblad, who were juniors when Williams was a freshman. The way those three mentored her on and off the court was something that Williams wanted to emulate when it came time for her to lead the team. Two years later, when those three left, Williams was named Michigan’s captain and earned the chance to follow them. While her junior campaign was statistically her best season on the court for the Wolverines, her impact lay in the newfound role she served. Williams and Thompson became conduits for the Michigan players and coaching staff, acting in motivational roles for the team and as a channel of communication between the rest of the team and the coaches. “She’s a kid that understands her role, but she wants to give a significant amount to our team and she wants to contribute,” Barnes Arico said. Added Williams: “If (my teammates are) doing well and being successful, then I’m being successful, too. That makes me really happy to see people’s growth. It’s hard to see it in yourself, so when other people recognize it, it helps when you’re struggling.” Now in her senior season, she has a full year of experience as captain under her belt and continues her role as the vocal middleman for players and coaches. This sentiment is felt throughout the team, which views Williams not only as a friend, but as someone to look up to. “We call her the mom of the team,” said freshman guard Akienreh Johnson. “Mom … she does stuff that maybe the kids don’t like but she does it because she knows that it will help us. Danielle is the person to make sure we’re in line. She’s not
Classifieds
our babysitter, but she gives us reminders and helps us out. I don’t think she knows how much that really helps.” Williams has thrived in her role as captain, but she has also shown flashes of the talent on the hardwood that brought her to Michigan in the first place. Her most defining moment came during last season’s WNIT quarterfinals against Temple, where Williams drew a charging foul with just 4.6 seconds left in regulation to seal a 77-76 victory. Williams described that moment as “awesome,” but she says she’s never been one for the spotlight. “I could play the whole game and have a great game, and if we lose it doesn’t matter,” Williams said. “My mindset is ‘Why would I want to go somewhere else and play a more prominent role when I have the ability to get better and push myself here?’ ” As Williams approaches her final season, it’s fair to say that she’s been put through the wringer with Michigan basketball. She went from starting 20 times in her sophomore season to just seven her junior year. Only once has she gotten either double-digit points or rebounds. She’s endured three straight seasons of WNIT eliminations. And high expectations loom for the NCAA Tournament in her final go-around. But her legacy transcends what has happened on the court, despite the fact that she’s content to be a role player for the greatness she expects from Michigan women’s basketball. Michigan has the offensive and defensive weapons to make a tourney run, but Barnes Arico knows that it simply wouldn’t be a possibility without Williams on the roster. “There’s not a day that goes by,” Barnes Arico said, “that I’m not thankful that Danielle Williams is in the program.”
Call: #734-418-4115 Email: dailydisplay@gmail.com
RELEASE DATE– Thursday, November 10, 2016
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
HELP WANTED
Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
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34 Aspen gear 35 Scary-sounding lake 36 NASA part: Abbr. 38 Soft sound 39 Meyers of “Kate & Allie” 42 Certain happy hour exclamation 43 Bit of 11-Down gear 45 Borrow the limit on
46 Combat 47 Sharp weapon 48 “You __ grounded!” 50 ’70s TV lawman Ramsey 52 Auction venue 53 Bit of TLC? 54 WBA decisions 56 Muse count 57 Goes with 58 Spanish pronoun 61 D.C. summer hrs.
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11/10/16
Enjoy the Sudoku on page 2
6A — Thursday, November 10, 2016
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
B1G Breakdown: Terps on top Michigan loaded with scorers SYLVANNA GROSS Daily Sports Writer
Once again, Michigan will see red on its road to the top of the Big Ten — the top two teams the Wolverines will be attempting to box out will be Maryland and Ohio State. But if the season plays out in their favor, they won’t experience deja vu and once again be passed over for an NCAA Tournament bid. The Michigan women’s basketball team hasn’t been selected to compete in the NCAA Tournament since the 2012-13 season — coinciding with the first year coach Kim Barnes Arico headed the program. In the past three years, the Wolverines have been outplayed, barely, in outlier games and have instead been sent to the Women’s National Invitational Tournament, where they have not been able to advance past the semifinals. This year, though, could be different. A rising “superstar” freshman class, according to Barnes Arico, mixed with key players like junior forward Katelynn Flaherty and sophomore guard Hallie Thome, could possess the ingredients needed to break into the NCAA Tournament. The Daily breaks down who Michigan’s top conference competition will be on the path to its first potential NCAA appearance in five years. No. 6 Maryland: Ranked fifth in the Associated Press poll, the Terrapins are the strongest team in the conference and are entering their third season in the Big Ten. Though Michigan dominated Wayne State in its final preseason exhibition match, 93-41, Maryland upped the ante by demolishing Mary Baldwin, 153-27. The triple digits came from a strong freshman class, including Jenna Staiti, who contributed 25 points and eight rebounds. Returning player Shatori Walker-
Kimbrough will be hard to defend, too, as the senior guard set the Big Ten record in 3-point field-goal percentage and was the Big Ten Tournament Most Outstanding Player last year. The Terrapins were picked to win the Big Ten title by both league coaches and the media panels for the second year in a row, which makes it an uphill battle for the Wolverines to pick off their new competition. No. 7 Ohio State: The next biggest threat to the Wolverines is the Buckeyes, who have junior Kelsey Mitchell, the Big Ten’s Preseason Player of the Year. Ohio State was chosen to finish second in the conference, and the effort will no doubt be led by Mitchell. Other players to focus on will be senior Ameryst Alston, who has finished with first team All-Big Ten honors in each year of her collegiate career. The Buckeyes went 26-8 last year with a 16-1 home record — something to look out for considering it is the only time the Wolverines and Buckeyes will meet in Columbus this year. Michigan State: The Spartans received the 22nd spot in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll, but slid out of the AP Poll rankings. Under the nine-year tutelage of Suzy Merchant, the Spartans have finished in the top three in the Big Ten in seven of the last eight seasons. Their only hiccup was their 2014-15 year, in which the Spartans had multiple players suffer injuries and finished 16-15. Indiana: The Hoosiers were picked to finish third in the Big Ten, but find themselves left out of all preseason rankings, despite finishing last season with a 14-0 home record. With the recent hire of a new assistant coach, Glenn Box, Indiana is looking to jumpstart its defense and perimeter play. Purdue: The Boilermakers have a
senior duo who are each aiming for the 1,000-point club, Ashley Morrissette and Bridget Perry. The pair were the only two in their recruiting class and are both in position to achieve a feat that just 30 players have accomplished in 42 years of program history. Purdue is also returning five of its topsix scorers, including three starters. Iowa : Hawkeyes coach Lisa Bluder is entering her 17th year at the helm of the program. She has been named Big Ten Coach of the Year three times and has led her team to nine consecutive postseason appearances. The Hawkeyes will be looking to repeat the success of their 201415 season and head to the Sweet Sixteen. The charge will be led by senior Ally Disterhoft, who was named a Preseason All-Big Ten selection.
DAILY STAFF
Women’s basketball beat
The Michigan women’s basketball team didn’t lose much star power with the departure of last season’s seniors. And with a top-20 recruiting class to fill the void the seniors left, the Wolverines are primed for their first NCAA Tournament run since the 2012-13 season. Michigan finished 21-14 last season and is coming off its second consecutive year of being eliminated from the WNIT semifinals after suffering a 71-62 defeat to Florida Gulf Coast. While the team is still young, the coaching staff, led by Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico, is in its third straight year together and is built around a big three of Katelynn Flaherty, Siera Thompson and Hallie Thome. Guards: If last year is any indication, the
SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily
Junior guard Katelynn Flaherty leads a potent Wolverine offense this season.
Wolverines will want to make use of their depth at the guard position by keeping three on the court as often as possible. As the only Wolverine to gain national attention, junior Katelynn Flaherty spearheads the team from the point. With an average of 22.1 points per game and a 40 percent average from behind the arc last season, Michigan will rely on her as its main offensive threat. Senior Siera Thompson started all 35 games last year, and unless something drastic happens, Barnes Arico is expected to keep her on the court for at least half of each game. Thompson is known for her consistency, putting up an average of 9.4 points per game. But her real contribution to the frontcourt is her playmaking ability — Thompson averages more assists than any other Wolverine. Senior Danielle Williams will be fighting for a starting position once again this year. While she didn’t average many minutes — just 12.7 last season — she brings experience to the group of guards. Williams is also one of Michigan’s best rebounders, which could prove to be essential to this year’s team. The first guard off the bench will likely be native Michigander and freshman Kysre Gondrezick. Gondrezick was Ms. Basketball her senior year, averaging 40.5 points per game and posting a high school women’s basketball record of 72 points in a playoff game. If she can continue sinking shots at the collegiate level, she could be a real difference-maker once she grows acclimated to the faster pace of the game. Sophomores Nicole Munger and Boogie Brozoski will provide a shooting threat off the bench for the Wolverines. Munger received sparse playing time in her first season, but still maintained a .368 3-point percentage, while Brozoski mustered a .426 percentage from beyond the arc. Forwards: With such a guard-heavy
lineup, Michigan will have to rely on the durability of its forwards to maintain a solid rebounding and low-post presence. The Wolverines lost two solid rebounders with the graduations of Kelsey Mitchell and Madison Ristovski, but they should be more than capable of making up for it with a more experienced frontcourt. Junior Jillian Dunston leads the forwards, coming off a sophomore campaign in which she averaged 4.4 points and a team-high 5.6 boards per game. Dunston should see an expanded role this year, as the Wolverines will rely on her more often on the defensive end. Besides Dunston, the rest of the forwards haven’t seen much playing time. Sophomore Sam Trammel and junior Maria Backman have both played on the court at the collegiate level, but neither of them have received regular playing time. Freshmen KeAsja Peace and Kayla Robbins stand at 6-foot-3 and 6-foot-1, respectively, but may not be able to see much playing time. Center: Six-foot-five sophomore Hallie Thome is Michigan’s only true center. The frontcourt talent finished last season scoring in the double digits for 25 out of the 35 games. Thome is an important returning starter who became just the second freshman in program history to record 500 points and and set a school single-season record in field-goal percentage (63.1). The All-Big Ten honorable mention is the tallest athlete on the team — for now. Redshirt junior Abby Cole is also 6-foot-5 and will be joining the Wolverines after her volleyball season ends in December. Her transition to basketball is highly anticipated, as her physical stature will literally push Michigan to new heights. Though Cole hasn’t touched a basketball since high school — four years ago — Barnes Arico is confident that she will complement Thome at center.
B
The Michigan Daily | michigandaily.com | Thursday, November 10, 2016
We are good, bad, and ugly: Embracing free artisitic spirit and consumerism at ComplexCon By Tess Garcia, Daily Arts Writer Design by Francesca Kielb and Katie Beukema
the b-side
2B — Thursday, November 10, 2016
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
COMMUNITY CULTURE COLUMN
The sociability of writing Creation is a shared experience, not an isolated undertaking
I
TESS GARCIA/Daily
22-year-old producer Metro Boomin performed at ComplexCon this past weekend in Long Beach.
TESS GARCIA/Daily
The event featured many artists and designers, selling items like these Nike Special AF1s.
COMPLEXCON From Page 1B ComplexCon. Part of speech: noun. Language of origin: the youth’s English. Definition: uh, well ... Definition? That’s a great question. From Nov. 5 to Nov. 6 at the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center in California, Complex magazine hosted ComplexCon, its inaugural … convention? Festival? Hypebeast cooperative? What are we to label this weekend of clothing releases, food, art, music and guest speakers? Its website calls it the first ever cultural World’s Fair. After experiencing ComplexCon for myself, I think I’m ready to give you an answer. Before I go any further, here’s what you should know about the events that ensued over those two days: Picture a warehouse-like convention center full of pop-up shops selling the most in-demand streetwear brands out there (think Adidas, A Bathing Ape and everything in between). Add a myriad of food trucks, art exhibitions, guest speakers and musicians to the mix and you’ve got yourself a ComplexCon sandwich. Now, let’s get analytical. ComplexCon represents consumerism. Nearly every featured clothing brand designed a capsule collection to be sold exclusively at the event, making pre-existing Hypebeast undertones wildly potent. Every shop opened simultaneously at 10 a.m. both days. By 9:55, young boys and grown men alike could be seen darting from vendor to vendor, hoping to secure a pair of Nike Special Field Air Force Ones while still finding time to cop the latest tee from Vlone. And what for? Why, all in the name of money, of course. “Even if you wear a piece and then resell it, you’ll still make double what you spent,” explained a wiry tween from his place in the Nike line. “Me and my friend came to do that, and we’ll make $1,500 to $10,000 easily. It’s really that simple.” Though it was fascinating to watch people fawn over overpriced Gildan shirts emblazoned with particular symbols, I couldn’t help but wonder whether ComplexCon was promoting fashion or pure business. One of the weekend’s most popular affairs was a series of ongoing raffles that offered winners the opportunity to buy a pair of shoes. You read that correctly. Hundreds of entrants paid for the chance to be able to buy $180 sneakers. As one attendee noted, “It’s consumerism disguised as culture. It’s trying to sell you this idea of what’s cool and what’s happening, but really, it’s just capitalism.” That weekend, consumerism existed not only as a means of commerce, but as a means of worship. Celebrities unveiled clothing collaborations left and right, from Pharrell at G-Star to Metro Boomin at Puma. At one point, I found myself inside a mass of adolescents
crowded outside Urban Outfitters. We were waiting the arrival of our dear leader, none other than Lil Yachty, who happened to be running more than 40 minutes late to his own meet-and-greet. When the red-haired sensation did arrive to the hub of his sweaty young fan base, their reactions felt practically spiritual. Dozens of young boys rushed from spot to spot, testing out the view from their tiptoes, all in the hopes of getting a glance at their trendy patron saint. The weekend’s female presence was minimal. Technically speaking, every part of ComplexCon could be considered genderneutral, but it’s the man we tend to think of when custom sports cars are placed on display to advertise a clothing brand (I’m looking at you, Bape, and your purple-camo Lamborghini). The only overtly feminine aspect of the event was an activation curated by women’s lifestyle site MissBish in conjunction with Colourpop, an up-and-coming makeup brand taking Instagram and YouTube by storm. Hair styling, makeup application and free samples were all offered within the marble-lined space. I could think of no better way to escape from a testosterone-heavy weekend than sipping on a free coffee from Alfred Coffee (provided by online retailer Five Four) while a sweet young woman twisted my hair into the most impeccable French braids ever to have graced my scalp. In spite of the lack of estrogen involved, the convention center felt like a remarkably inclusive space. No race seemed to overpower the others; Black, white, Latino and Asian co-existed in a harmonious rhythm accompanied by hip hop. Walking from vendor to vendor, activation to activation, I heard as wide a variety of languages as one would on a typical New York City street. Sure, the Hypebeast phenomenon is rooted in commercial value, but that value is one understood across a color wheel of nationalities, cultures, backgrounds and ethnicities. ComplexCon may have benefited many corporations, but it also fostered a free-flowing artistic spirit unlike any I have ever seen. Thought-provoking installations by mixed media artist Patrick Martinez, a Culver City-based gallery called Think Space and a multitude of other art-world favorites provided a much-needed breath of fresh air to an otherwise stuffy, and alarmingly fluorescent, space. My personal favorite was an exhibition featuring a giant interactive ball that, when touched, displayed a variety of designs by Takashi Murakami, the mastermind behind ComplexCon’s graphics and much of Kanye West’s album art. It was largely thanks to his efforts that the weekend felt artistic to the core. The food trucks outside the venue were, actually, the icing on the cake. Churros, tacos and coffee of every variety I could imagine (if we’ve ever met, you know that’s a lot) were available for the buying.
Coolhaus’s ice cream truck got me through both days, for better or worse. Oh, right! There was also music, and a wide variety, at that. The weekend kicked off with Instagram star and DJ Chantel Jeffries, progressing to performances by a diverse variety of artists as the day went on. Though I was not granted night access, the word on the street Sunday morning was that Kid Cudi’s show the night before had changed lives. Sunday’s lineup held the same level of versatility, featuring artists such as DJ Virgil Abloh, Lil Yachty, Travis Scott and the ubiquitous face of both hip hop and marijuana, none other than Snoop Dogg. “It was amazing to perform here,” Jeffries exclaimed after her set. “It’s a great venue and a great event. I’m super happy to be here.” Let’s ride this wave of positivity a little while longer, shall we? If ComplexCon’s backbone was made of money, its soul was built upon the wisdom of its Complex Conversations panelists. Twitter sensation and self-proclaimed “Based God” Lil B proved, among a series of enthusiastic head-nods, that activism can take many forms in “The Future of Activism, Mobilization and Making a Difference.” Throughout “The Music Generation Gap Debate,” contemporary rapper Vince Staples defended today’s youth in a heated debate with Raekwon, Scarface, French Montana, DJ Mustard and Pete Rock, moderated by none other than radio personality Angie Martinez. Most astounding to me were Ice Cube and Tony Hawk successfully showing that there is no one viable life path in a panel entitled “Achieving Longevity in the Game.” The two spoke like old friends, capitalizing on their different experiences to produce a guidebook of life advice from the World’s Coolest Dads. Caps intended. “You have to make up your mind on your vision of success,” Ice Cube concluded toward the panel’s end. “Some people think it’s money, some people think it’s fame. I’d rather have somebody come up to me and say ‘I like what you did there, I like that.’ That’s what I get off on.” Nodding in agreement, Hawk added his two cents: “If you’ve really got that heart and that passion, you’re going to rise up.” So how, exactly, would I define ComplexCon? Part of speech and language of origin aside, it is a movement. It stands for a generation’s addiction to consumerism, our yearning for fame. It presents an opportunity to make something of this modern disposition. It signifies a tolerant new form of masculinity. It is creativity. It is appreciation. It represents the youth’s desire to learn from those they look up to. Our generation defines ComplexCon. We are good, we are bad and we are ugly, and we are willing to own every bit of it. Put that in your book, MerriamWebster.
f I were to write this and open to people reading anykeep it saved on my lap- thing I produced. Writing top for only me to see, it relies on personal experiences, would remain an isolated cre- which I had always considation. ered best left in By offering it the realms of my to someone else, own imagination. I have just surIt reveals vulnerrendered a bit of ability that I never control. Now they wanted others to read my words. access and the They think. They idea of keeping my analyze. They writing between conclude. me (and only me) The tricky was always more part about writappealing than BAILEY ing is whether sharing it. KADIAN you’re engaging It’s not always in it under a rigid academic ideal to include others in such standard or simply as cre- exposure. Some of the best ative expression — the minute advice offered to me about my it moves from an individual’s writing, especially during colthoughts to another’s eyes, lege, is to willingly accept the there is an element of the writ- value of the exchange. Writing’s solitude that cannot be ing that is complex and engagrestored. However, that’s the ing has to be shared and open way it should be or perhaps to critique, forcing a writer’s has to be, in order for a piece reevaluation or maybe just of writing to grow to be com- sparking a new thought. That plex, engaging and curious. isn’t to say that all feedback The more isolated the writing must be applied to a work experience, the less connection just because someone thinks between new thoughts outside changes are necessary. Often, of your own. These various it just illuminates something perspectives could possibly that the writer wouldn’t have prevent a piece towards devel- otherwise seen unless someone oping more meaning and depth else read it and shared their as a result of others’ ideas. reactions. Writing is entirely a social What you’re reading now is practice, even though in many tailored for an audience. I’m contexts, it isn’t seen as one. not following a prompt or speAn essay typically goes from a cific style. For many writers, Word doc to a professor’s com- their content is altered when puter. No one else is involved their audience is reimagined. in the creation or reflection With that, I consider ways to of a piece and because of that, engage a reader with my work something valuable is lost. This and force them to think or ponlimited transaction prevents a der their own ideas towards my writer’s growth and deprives writing. I also consider what them of the benefits of sharing I can do as a writer to appeal and collaborating, which are to readers and how I can find both essential to the writing ways to coherently express process. thoughts I have about a topic For many years, I was never on the page in front of me.
Workshop is an effective way for a writer to grow as well. Not because the feedback from peers or friends is always something writers want to hear, but instead because it forces them down two different paths. The first: they hear the thoughts of others and are able to alter their piece in a way that satisfies those concerns, which presumably also satisfies the writer. The second is allowing criticism or varying perspectives to reinforce the writer’s initial choices. It isn’t that you have to be told you’re wrong; it could just be another way to convince yourself that your choices as a writer are intentional and will ultimately be successful. Writers often want to receive assurance that their piece of writing, whatever it is, is communicating meaning. But with that motivation from others, we don’t necessarily want their opinion. I seek approval, but critique, especially in the early writing stages, seems detrimental to my incentive to keep going. It’s incredibly hard to verbalize some of the thought processes behind writing during its stages of development, which often discourages my thoughts toward sharing my writing. Regardless of the existing insecurities, writing acts as a tool to persuade, teach and inspire. The best way to do that is to be open to engagement apart from just your own thoughts put to the page. We are relational, social beings— don’t let your writing experience be left out of that. Kadian is busy being meta. To snap her out of it, email bkadian@umich.edu
MUSIC NOTEBOOK
RCA RECORDS
Everyone watch his NPR Tiny Desk concert. You’re welcome.
T-Pain as a universal wedding gift ‘Can’t Believe It’ deserves a spot in the canon of great matrimonial jams JOEY SCHUMAN Daily Arts Writer
The year was 2008, and rappers like Flo Rida, Plies and T.I. were at peak relevancy. One in particular, however, was on top of the world. Born Faheem Rashad Najm, “T-Pain,” a Tallahassee, Fl. product, exploded onto the mainstream scene with Epiphany in 2007. Both singles from the project, “Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin’)” and “Bartender,” became megahits and launched the AutoTune-dependent rapper/singer onto a new level of fame. “Buy U A Drank,” especially, remains iconic and one of the enduring anthems of the mid-to-late 2000s. His brand had elevated himself to a somewhat untouchable level. He was, elegantly — and more effectively than anybody else — spitting game. Weddings, on the other hand, traditionally spit, uh, tradition. They all essentially follow the same basic formula in both order and detail, leading to occasionally redundant ceremonies. For example, “Canon in D” and “The Bridal Chorus” are two processional mainstays; time-tested, respectable compositions that act not only as orchestral background but social standard as well. Classic? Sure, but for an increasingly (generally speaking) experimental wedding crowd, there needs to
be a valid alternative. R&B (past and present) has a natural place in any type of love affair, and even if it hasn’t become a common trend yet, promising young artists keep churning out risqué, weddingready songs. What better way, then, to infuse some new-school suave into an arguably outdated institution and jumpstart the trend than with some T-Pain? His sound was almost made for this type of setting. His third album, Three Ringz (2008), had certifiable hits (“Chopped N Skrewed,” “Freeze,” and “It Ain’t Me” were destined for national airwaves as soon as they were released), but nothing was as purely masterful and versatile as “Can’t Believe It.” Nothing can come close to its ultra-romantic tone, which epitomizes lovey-dovey T-Pain. And nothing is better fit to marry those in love. T-Pain himself exhibits infinite charm in making sure everyone understands he’s ready to commit. No matter where he is, whether it’s a “log cabin, somewhere in Aspen,” or a “mansion, somewhere in Wisconsin,” he’ll do whatever it takes to make his significant other happy. His love transcends any setting, as should the love of newlyweds. A matrimony soundtracked by such an exquisite slow jam is certainly an auspicious beginning to a healthy, daring relationship. There could, however, be some
understandable resentment to this movement. Old souls might not be comfortable with the extent of sensuality in the ballad. That being said, such raunchiness seems to fit the maturity level of this new generation. The song is slow. It’s sensual. The pace is tailor-made for a walk down the aisle in which the bride (or groom, or parents, or all of the above) can absorb the love in the air. Coordinate each step with the snap of the beat and watch the audience feel the vibe as well. (Chop the mix before Lil Wayne’s inaudible verse to save the grandparents from hearing in-depth sexual play-by-play). This innovation can potentially lay the foundation for later espousal lovesounds. Dvsn, an up-andcoming Drake cosign, hasn’t quite enjoyed the mainstream success that allowed “Can’t Believe It” to gain such notoriety, but its sound on debut album Sept. 5th, namely in “Hallucinations,” follows a formula similar to T-Pain’s. Along with Majid Jordan and, to a lesser extent, Bryson Tiller, a new wave of slow jams can surely find themselves riding “Can’t Believe It” hypothetical wake in the arena of new-age wedding processionals. It could, and should, be the norm sometime soon. This might not be a welcome change for all, but it’s an experiment worth trying, and T-Pain can rightfully claim responsibility for all of it.
the b-side
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Thursday, November 10, 2016 — 3B
COMMUNITY CULTURE PREVIEW
A new kind of ‘Roméo et Juliette’ SMTD to perform Shakespeare classic at Power Center this weekend ing the opera, is one of the world’s most famous collaborative pianists,” Mulder said. “The costume department, the production You know the story — but department, the stage managenot like this. From Thursday ment team — everything is so wellto Sunday, the School of Music, oiled and well running, and the Theatre and Dance will present orchestra just sounds pristine.” Charles Gounod’s opera, “Roméo Darius Gillard, a second year et Juliette,” at the Doctor of MusiPower Center for cal Arts student in “Romeo et the Performing Vocal Performance, Juliette” Arts. Shakespeare’s plays the part of classic tragedy is Romeo. Thursday through brought to life by “I’ve had a handSunday the students (in the ful of professional Power Center School of Music) roles, and honestly, both onstage and the production here $22-$28, Student in the pit. is on an extremely tickets available Director Paul high scale,” Gillard Curran, who has said. directed operas at The production the Metropolitan Opera in New is filled with suspense, excitement York City and Royal Opera House and fight scenes: a special fight in London (to name a few places), choreographer was brought in to was brought in to direct “Roméo coach the cast members on how et Juliette.” He chose to set this to correctly perform combat on particular production of Romeo stage. and Juliet in the late 1950s. “It was a fantastic experience,” “He has this concept that the Gillard said on receiving combat ’50s were a transition from a very coaching. “The knives are made conservative time into a very out of steel, so any wrong choreogliberal time, which goes along with raphy could lead to someone getthe story of Romeo and Juliet: the ting painfully jabbed. Thankfully, power of peace and love against we had a fight choreographer to hatred,” said Mulder, a second help us put that together, which year Masters student in Vocal was amazing.” Performance who plays Juliette. “Since we’re using knives, it all “He really wanted to bring out that has to be really precise,” Mulder aspect of how the time and the added. “The fight scene is really community affects the lovers.” intense.” Mulder, who was a Young Artist The cast rehearses for six at the Ash Lawn Opera Company hours a day — both a huge time in Virginia this past summer, commitment and physical said the entire experience at the undertaking. University is one of the most “We began rehearsing the first professional settings she could week of school — we had our first ever imagine. rehearsal the first day of classes. “Martin Katz, who’s conduct- The whole process took about nine
weeks,” Mulder said. Approximately three hours long, there are two intermissions throughout the duration of the performance. “Bring a snack!” Mulder advised. The opera is performed in French, and there will be supertitles above the stage. “I encourage everyone to come and see it even if you have no experience with foreign language because we have supertitles that are in English — you will know what is happening all the time,” Mulder said. “This performance is a very real, honest reflection of life,” Gillard said. “It’s a reflection of people at their most human — at their best and their worst — and it also tells a story of how to work past differences. It teaches a lesson about how prejudice can destroy you.” Mulder said she believes people should come see the opera because of the story’s power. “We forget so often how much damage hate can do, and we forget the importance of acceptance and tolerance in our communities. In the world we live in today, it’s really important to always think about that, and think about how choosing love instead of hate is the better choice. I really do think that the story — now more than ever — is important for people to understand why they need to accept those who are different from them,” she said. When asked if there were any other modifications made to this version of Romeo and Juliet, Gillard said: “There is something that’s different — but I don’t want to give it away! You will absolutely know it when you see it.”
ALLIE TAYLOR Daily Arts Writer
TESS GARCIA/Daily
20-year-old fashion designer Betts DeHart joined ComplexCon this weekend with label Lucid FC.
ARTIST TESS GARCIA
Daily Arts Writer
Betts DeHart is a 20-year-old Atlanta native and co-founder of streetwear label Lucid FC, which he started alongside his twin brother, Chet. I sat down with him at Complex Magazine’s first annual ComplexCon, where Lucid FC was a vendor, to discuss how the twins got their start, what they’ve done since and where they see themselves going. Will you tell me the condensed version of how Lucid FC came about? I know there’s a lot to that story. So, back in 2010, my twin, Chet, and I were about to start high school. We were at a point in our lives where we needed to decide what we wanted to do, I guess, but it was kind of early. We knew we really wanted to do footwear. When we started our brand, it was just Lucid Footwear. And it just made sense a couple months later to add clothing. That’s where the “C” in our name comes from. Lucid FC, footwear and clothing. You were able to do all of this as high schoolers? We didn’t really go to a normal high school. It was most similar to homeschool, but it wasn’t at our house, and it wasn’t our parents teaching us. Chet and I did a workstudy program there, so the curriculum we did for school was around our business. It was a self-curated curriculum. Will you take me up to where Lucid FC is now? How have you guys progressed since high school? Well, we’re still kind of young to have a brand. So we keep growing as the brand grows.
IN
PROFILE
I’ve never done this process before, so I’m not as familiar as others in the business, but I just feel like every day is a new growth point for sure. Some seasons, we see more growth than others, but the growth is still pretty steady overall. But say you release a new item and a celebrity wears it — the growth is more impactful for that part of time. But it’s a steady growth, which is good because that’s what I like.
“When Rihanna wears your hat, the impact is huge.” I know Rihanna is in that mix of celebrities. What was that like? When Rihanna wears your hat, and it’s on ESPN because she’s at an NBA game, and you see her courtside, and you see a whole bunch of pictures, and you see your online shop notifications going insane, the impact is huge. Different items vary, but celebrities bring in huge, huge progress. When you compare the numbers, you can see that they play a very big role. Do you know how she got a hold of the hat? She bought it! She just found Lucid FC’s site? She bought it from VFiles, actually. How did you guys get involved with VFiles in the first place?
They’re the first store to carry our clothes. Chet and I were customers. We’d used their website, and soon they opened up a store in New York in 2012. We were kind of like, “Hey, we have a brand, too.” And they liked it. What’s your specific role in the brand? A wise man once said that the only two things you need for a business are marketing and creation, or something like that. Although this sounds very black and white, Chet is all creative and I’m all marketing. I handle business matters as well, but I mainly specialize in marketing. We have the perfect balance going. You two grew up in Atlanta, correct? We did. Born and raised. When college would have started, we moved to New York. We lived there for two years and then Chet moved to London for a year, which is still going on, to go study at Central Saint Martins. How has Atlanta inf luenced what you guys have done with Lucid FC? I know you’re not directly on the design side, but I’m sure you have some insight. The Atlanta aesthetic is like nothing else. It’s truly unique. It’s very heavily influenced by music and food. We’ve definitely been influenced by the music, not the food. Before we wrap up, do you have any specific goals for the brand that you’d like to mention? Yeah, win the CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) next year. (Laughs) I’d expect nothing less.
FILM REVIEW
SINGLE REVIEW In 2009, Kid Cudi released Man on the Moon: The End of Day, a now-iconic debut album that redefined vulnerability’s place in rap and, consequently, resonated with a cultish fan base. The attention caught up to the Cleveland rapper, however. In 2013, he opened up about his perpetual troubles with addiction and depression, culminating in a visit to rehab this October for depression and suicidal urges. This news was, and remains, tough to bear for such a devoted fan base. One of these fans was OG Maco (he of “U Guessed It” fame), who this week released For Scott, a tribute mixtape in honor of Cudi’s recent return to the public eye. “At Night” is the standout
track, for better get that Cudi, or worse. The or OG Maco casual listener for that matter, “At Night” can hear what hasn’t been OG Maco tried able to escape OG Maco to do, as he his demons twirls over (and instead production that’s watches others equally (and simultaneously) achieve what he so yearns to unapologetic and Cudido) but it doesn’t quite hit us. esque. While bland, this What results is a product that could have sufficed, if not for requires compartmentalizing. underwhelming bars: “Halfway Acting as a morale boost in light late, dancin’ with the devil have of Cudi’s worst stretch of perone hell of a day / And the great sonal adversity yet, it’s approescape must be another n***a priately tortured. As a message fate.” of comfort for a friend, it’s sufWhat was probably intended ficient. As a singular piece of as heavy-handed thematic music, it’s inappropriately bad. implication — Cudi’s certainly Kid Cudi deserves more, even if had many an interaction with it’s meant to be the thought that devilish temptation — comes counts. off as flat, or even apathetic. We - JOEY SCHUMAN
“This Must Be The Place (Naive and formed the band officially Melody),” “Once in a Lifetime,” etc. in ’75. The Heads’ music sounds — play nonstop during it all. exactly the way you’d think art Byrne’s eyes are freaky-wide school would sound: off-the-wall as the camera stays tight in the and kitschy, with inspiration opening scene. He’s pulled from a cringing, “I can’t variety of muses. seem to face up to the There are tinges facts / I’m tense and of world music, nervous and I can’t punk rock, gospel “Stop Making relax,” and neither and funk; this sexy Sense” can the anxious hodge-podge shows Michigan Theater cinematography. in the concert’s We get long shots staging, which Cinecom of Byrne’s stark gets exponentially white sneakers, more eye-catching his pristine as the film rolls cheekbones: our avant-garde on. An intense, scarlett backdrop Moses is dry and new, singing accompanies “Swamp.” Everything with sonorous chutzpah as he goes dim for “This Must Be The guides us on this journey of Place (Naive Melody),” and you can impending sweat and colorful feel the happiness simmering in cacophony. Byrne’s eyes as he smiles, singing, Bit by bit, other members of fiddling with a lamp: “I got plenty the band join him on stage. Tina of time / You got light in your eyes / Weymouth, one of the original And you’re standing here beside me badass band chicks, smokes on / I love the passing of time.” There’s the bass. She’s donning a baggy also a picture of human buttocks in grey jumpsuit and swinging the background. blonde locks as Jerry Harrison Part of being human is learning hops alongside on rhythm to accept the fact that we get guitar, and Chris Frantz looks bored, even at concerts. But “Stop like an extra from “Caddyshack” Making Sense” never gets boring. in a green polo as he begins to Even when things start to teeter bang those essential tom toms. on typical, unorthodoxy prevails. By the end, he’ll be soaked in sweat, Byrne starts seizing on stage in too. These are the Talking Heads. between lines of the chorus on Frantz and Byrne met while “Once in a Lifetime,” his body studying at the Rhode Island gyrating from head-to-toe like an School of Design in the early ’70s, impassioned preacher. He pops
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WARNER BROS.
David fire Byrne-in on the dancefloor.
Falling in love with ‘Stop Making Sense’ once more in this lifetime Iconic Talking Heads documentary comes back to Michigan Theater MELINA GLUSAC Senior Arts Editor
The second he walked onto that stage, I fell in love. David Byrne circa three decades ago has the kind of hair — a dark brown, straight yet messy beast — that makes girls swoon. It’s just him and his grey suit
on stage for the first few intimate frames of “Stop Making Sense,” Jonathan Demme’s (“The Silence of the Lambs”) lauded, barrierbreaking concert film, which enjoyed a screening at the Michigan Theater last week. Byrne’s band, new wave darlings the Talking Heads, performed three nights at Hollywood’s Pantages Theater
in December 1983, and Demme caught it all. The smiles, the sweat, the exposed ladders and technical accoutrement turned digital, bright red backdrops — it’s all filmed with smooth pans and downright stunning close-up shots. The grooviest aspect, though, is the fact that the Talking Heads’ best songs — “Psycho Killer,”
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out in a giant gray suit with bigger shoulder pads that reduce his head to the size of a toe on “Girlfriend is Better.” He leaves the stage entirely so Frantz and Weymouth can perform a song as the Tom Tom Club, the married duo’s side project, which spawned the smash “Genius of Love.” During this jam, Weymouth hunches over, bouncing back and forth between each of her bent legs as Frantz scratchily yells out “JAMES BROWN? JAMES BROWN” behind his drumset. All of this is nothing short of funkdriven madness, yes, but it feels right — artistic — and it makes the film’s 88 minutes unapologetically thrilling. Yet, I fear I’m not making sense. It’s difficult to capture the fundamental allure of Demme’s work in words. I didn’t just watch the concert: I was at the concert, in 1983, and Byrne was singing “Heaven” to me. I could see the scratches on his acoustic guitar, hear every imperfection and perfection. “Heaven / Heaven is a place / A place where nothing / Nothing ever happens.” It doesn’t make sense; I’m not making sense. But, with every fiber of life in my human limbs, I wanted to jump to my feet and applaud after “Heaven” was over. Because I fell in love with David Byrne, this odd little talking head. And music, too. All over again.
4B — Thursday, November 10, 2016
the b-side
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
TV REVIEW
‘Crown’ rules Netflix with monarchical decadence New original series mixes power with aesthetic sensibility both trying and prosperous times. Her legend will be told Daily Arts Writer in history books for years to come. Despite her prominence, Monarchy is fascinating. Its however, there is the question storied history boasts wars, of what makes her story so incest, opulence and scandal. compelling. What about the life Without royalty, much (if of Queen Elizabeth is worth not all) of the devoting a 10-part world, which we series and over presently know, $100 million to? would not exist. As the pilot Therefore, it is episode takes “The Crown” a topic which shape, it becomes Pilot has interested clear that it’s scholars, not the life of Now Streaming filmmakers Queen Elizabeth and writers for which makes her Netflix centuries. More so compelling, often than not, but rather the however, the persona. The stories of royalty told are less monarchy, historically, is an modern, and more historical. institution that does not often Though it is not necessarily give power to women. Yet modern, Netflix’s latest period simply because of her noble drama “The Crown” examines a birth, Elizabeth was the face more recent history of the life of of not only England, but all the English royal family. In this of the countries and regions series, the relatively secret past ruled by the Crown. 1947 was of England’s Queen Elizabeth is a time when most women unearthed. Beginning in 1947 were expected to be wives at a pivotal point in her life — and daughters. Very few were the wedding to Phillip, Duke of asked to be leaders. That’s what Edinburgh — it takes viewers on makes Elizabeth so special, and a biographical journey through what makes “The Crown” a the Queen’s past. This high- worthwhile show. It celebrates budget foray into historical a strong, powerful woman for drama is a new leap for Netflix, her achievements and tells her but it is, by most accounts, a story. complete success. On the note of power, Queen Elizabeth, portrayed however, it is clear that though by the dynamic and talented power is what Elizabeth Claire Foy (“Wolf Hall”), is deserves, it is not what she undeniably an interesting always receives. One of the figure to create a biographical most interesting points of the drama around. She has ruled pilot episode is during her for over 50 years, through wedding, when she recites her EMILY BICE
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vows. To Phillip (Matt Smith, “Doctor Who”), she promises “to love and cherish and obey.” The struggle of sharing power is a vital theme throughout the show, specifically in the marriage of Elizabeth and Phillip. How does a Queen obey her husband when an entire country and its commonwealth kingdoms are supposed to obey her? Therein the first major question of the series is posed. Even though Queen Elizabeth is powerful, is she strong? Will she stand up for herself or comply to societal norms of the time, and bow to the will of her husband? This is a dichotomy which would only face the royal family, and it’s thrilling to experience it with them. “The Crown” is a show about the transition of a naïve young woman into a refined Queen. It examines what it means to be born into a role where one is always being watched and, more importantly, a role where every action, every reaction and every decision must (or should) reflect the values of the Crown. What makes “The Crown” so powerful is the ability to experience these characters — actual, prominent leaders — as they live in these roles. History can tell us what happened, but it cannot show us how it affected them on a humanistic level. An inside look into the humanity of England’s most composed and dignified family is a treat for viewers, and well worth the watch.
EN HOUSE
In “GLITCHED,” the protagonist Gus realizes he’s being controlled by the player.
GLITCHED: How three students used Kickstarter to fund a dream Undergrads at DePaul raised almost $70,000 for their role-playing game JACOB RICH
Senior Arts Editor
There’s a certain magic about the band that meets in college. R.E.M., The Pixies, Queen, Pink Floyd — all undeniable legends of the music industry that met in their dorms, art rooms and architecture studios. En House Studios seems to have captured more than a bit of that magic. Just this past July, Nikko, Zack and Justin — dorm roommates who bonded over their mutual interest in game development after moving into their own place — designed a Kickstarter for a role-playing game. Against a $7,500 goal, the page grossed almost $70,000, over nine times as much as they asked for. I talked over email with the guys to ask them about how their Kickstarter, the game and their plans for the future. They answered as a group, representing themselves as a studio. What was the creative process for making the Kickstarter for “GLITCHED,” and what was it like watching it get funded? Was it fun or was it a source of anxiety? Putting together the Kickstarter took longer than you would expect. There was the demo for “GLITCHED,” and making sure that was working correctly took a lot of time. Making sure our Kickstarter was brief yet included a lot of info, and making sure it looked good, was definitely a trial and error process. Being able to get our ideas across clearly and briefly was important and took a good amount of time. After we released the Kickstarter, I think we all coped a little differently. For me personally, I was an anxious mess for a while until I started seeing the success we were having — then I was even more of an anxious mess knowing we were going to have to make the full game. Zack was pretty chill about it. The best way to describe it for him was that it was a labor of love and was happy to see people looking at it. The money was nice, but he liked the responses to the demo a lot more. Justin just stopped sleeping pretty much. What were some of the reasons you decided to go all in on “GLITCHED” instead of pursuing a more standard career? We’ve gone all in at least for the development of “GLITCHED,” but we’ll see what happens after. I
know we’ve discussed more games and continuing En House Studios after “GLITCHED,” but we’ll talk about that some other day. I think we all believed that we could make “GLITCHED” something special and that we could afford to take the risk and see if we could make it. One of the major themes of “GLITCHED” (at least in the demo) is the idea of agency — the protagonist, Gus, begins to feel vaguely aware that something is controlling him, and forms a fourth-wall-breaking relationship with the player. Where did this idea come from? Were these explorations of power and control stemming from real life anxieties you guys had? The origin of the idea came from a computer program in high school actually. For a computer science 101 class, I coded a small program that had a small pixel character responding to the person pressing things on the keyboard. I took this idea of a character responding to person sitting at the keyboard and expanded it out during my later high school years. When I met Zack and Justin, we took this idea and really put more thought into it. I think in your early college years, everyone feels a certain way — that there are powers and things in control of you seem thrusted into the adult world. Perhaps these feelings helped shape “GLITCHED.” We are all into existentialism and existential writers. A lot of influences from these sources have found their way into “GLITCHED” for sure. You guys are among a very small group of indie developers working on RPGs. Why do you think it is that indies are hesitant to make role-playing games? Do you see that changing with better availability of development tools like Unity, RPG Maker and Game Maker? RPG games tend to be lengthy and stale. JRPGS and turn-based RPGs tend to be very formulaic and stale. Of course there are great ones, but the genre at this point is much slower. I think access to these tools is great, but thinking outside the box and not following the tropes as other games tend to do can lead a developer to have a fresh idea even in a genre that has gotten some flak for repetitiveness. Can you tell me about some of the game’s major influences? Was the success of Toby Fox’s “Undertale” something that inspired you? The success of “Undertale”
definitely was one of the things that made us reopen the project. We actually failed a Kickstarter back around the time “Undertale” was on Kickstarter. It took a lot to get us re-motivated but playing games like “Undertale,” “Lisa” and some of the more classic RPGs like the “Mother” series and “Paper Mario” really got us feeling like we could do it. Justin has always been a “Kingdom Hearts” and “Final Fantasy” fan. Square Enix as a company should inspire any hopeful RPG developers. Tell me about your working process. Do you work in an office together? Or remotely? Do you see En House making games far into the future, or are y’all trying to get jobs elsewhere in the industry? We actually use my apartment as a meeting place. We meet a couple times a week but we work separately pretty much seven days a week on “GLITCHED.” We have found a good flow in how we share work and get things done, which I think is important for all start up studios to do. Being aware of your budget is important to. Not spending on an office saves us more for development spending. Small things add up — especially for a tiny start up. Like I said before, we are interested in keeping things going but we’ll see how we feel after developing “GLITCHED.” What’s the best and worst case scenario for how “GLITCHED” does in the long run? Is there anything you’re worried about? I think the worst case scenario is we stretch ourselves to thin and the finished product isn’t as polished as we would like it. There is a clear vision for us of what “GLITCHED” is and are trying our best to match what goes on in game with our vision. In the best case, we have the game of our dreams working exactly as we want it and are able to release something we are really proud of. I think fitting the things we want to into this game is a problem. Knowing what makes the cut into the game is definitely something I’m constantly worried about. What are some of the things you love about making independent games? I think the freedom of creation is the biggest thing. “GLITCHED” will always be directly from us. As gamers, we always thought, “Man, I don’t like this feature” or “imagine if this was done this way.” Having the freedom to take risks and being able to try out things on our own time is really nice.
MUSIC VIDEO REVIEW The most interesting quality of Green Day’s newest music video, “Still Breathing,” comes in the form of Billie Joe Armstrong’s fluffy pompadour blowing in the wind. Not a band known to shy away from punk rock angst, Green Day wholeheartedly delivers in making sure “Still Breathing” fully packs an emotional punch but fails to bring anything else to the table. While the song itself is originally appealing in its vulnerability, it begins to loose its charm as the minutes tick by. Through lyrics stockpiled with repetitive clichés and laden with a heaviness that drags the entire song down, “Still Breathing” strives at an emotional connection but falls
flat. stories through This flatness layers of muted is reflected in tones and prothe music video. longed shots “Still Breathing” Uniform and of Armstrong Green Day predictable, looking drawith scenes that matically over detail exactly what the correone shoulder (eyeliner as strong sponding lyrics are describing as ever). interjected with several random However, while the ways forest scenes that only serve to scenes are shot add a muchadd a layer of confusion over a needed level of depth to the monotonous series of images music video, the actual scenes like glossy paint over cracking themselves are mundane wood. The most frustrating enough to slip across the screen thing is that the music video with an unremarkable finality. itself is beautifully shot. OpenAfter viewing “Still Breathing on a picturesque sunrise ing,” one is left feeling strangely overlooking a set of mountains empty, irrevocably trying to in the distance, “Still Breathing” search for a complexity that just establishes its vivid imagery and isn’t there. then continues to build intricate -SHIMA SADAGHIYANI
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