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New Reality? STUDENT GOVERNMENT
CSG execs. to launch push to improve ‘U’ climate Initiative follows diversity report on homogeneity of student assembly
CLAIRE MEINGAST/Daily
Theatre Prof. Anita Gonzalez and Dance Prof. Robin Wilson hold a discussion about diversity in the arts for the Diversity Next! series at North Quad Wednesday night.
NISA KHAN
Discussion highlights the role of art in increasing campus diversity
Daily Staff Reporter
With the fall semester coming to a close, Central Student Government has set the groundwork for campaign initiatives it hopes to carry out next year, including engaging more with the student body through scholarships and an anti-racism campaign called “It Starts with Me.” In late September, CSG released a diversity report that indicated the Student Assembly was mostly made up of wealthy, white, heterosexual males. White students made up 69.8
Professors connect their work as artists with greater goals for University ERIN DOHERTY Daily Staff Reporter
An opera professor, an investigative choreographer, an Ann Arbor resident, a graduate student and about seven other arts-interested individuals all convened Wednesday in
a community room in North Quad to discuss the importance of including arts in the diversity conversation as part of the Diversity Next! series organized by the Center for World Performance Studies. The event was the first of the series, which, according to the event’s f lyer “is an arts-inspired
series of conversations… that seeks to broaden the horizons of diversity deliberations on the U-M campus and beyond.” The CWPS said they aim to host three more panels during the winter semester. Diversity Next! is separate from the University of Michigan’s Diversity, Equity
& Inclusion plan launched by University President Mark Schlissel in October and includes campus climate related training and the opening of the new Trotter Multicultural Center to create a more diverse and inclusive campus. See DIVERSITY, Page 3A
percent of the assembly while Asian students made up the second largest portion of members with 9.3 percent. The diversity report noted 58.1 percent of members identified as male, 40.7 percent as female and 1.2 percent preferred not to answer. A 2015 analysis by The Michigan Daily noted the past seven CSG presidents had been men. CSG President David Schafer, an LSA senior, said after the survey’s release that the student government was committed to diversity both on campus and within the organization. “Diversity is critical to See CSG, Page 3A
Stamps School of Art and Design begins Whip’s Bill aims to Dog Days: implementation of DEI strategic plan adjust state
BUSINESS
Nearly 25 years later
Owner LeRoy Whipple reflects on his time selling hot dogs on campus KEVIN BIGLIN
Daily Staff Reporter
Whip’s Dog Days has been a staple business at the University of Michigan for almost 25 years, serving students Koegel hot dogs at C.C. Little out of the back of a trailer. Owner LeRoy Whipple has operated the stand alone for 13 years after inheriting it from his father’s friend, Richard Eisley, who ran it for 12 years. In April, Whip’s Dog Days will celebrate its 25th anniversary on campus. “He had people who had been coming to him for years,” Whipple said. “He was here for 12 years. And he said he had a pretty good clientele base built up. So he didn’t want to just let it go, so he asked me to come out and I fell in love with it.” The Owosso native works at Barry Bagels at the Westgate Shopping Center in Ann Arbor in the morning and afternoon, where he starts preparing food for the day as early as 7 a.m. He then drives his trailer over to C.C. Little and opens his cart around 10:30 a.m. Every weekday he fires up See HOT DOGS, Page 3A
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GOVERNMENT
New initiatives to focus on curriculum and teaching style RACHEL COHEN Daily Staff Reporter
The School of Art & Design has begun to implement strategies to increase diversity in teaching and in coursework as part of the University of Michigan’s campus-wide plans to increase diversity, equity and inclusion. Karina Moore, director of admissions at the Art & Design School, said as part of the DEI initiative, grants have been given to different areas of the University to allow them to increase inclusion specifically within their space, which the school has received. The exact monetary amount of the grants has not been released. The Stamps Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Strategic Planning Committee submitted its specific plan to University President Mark Schlissel before he released his campus-wide plan. The original Art & Design School plan included concepts for better recruiting and retaining diverse faculty. Moore said after receiving feedback and financial commitments from the University, the Art & Design School decided to use the funding to focus on the aspects of their plan tied to curriculum and faculty teaching. Irina Aristarkhova, professor of Art & Design and head of the DEI commitee
for the Art & Design school, wrote after meeting with students to receive input on ways to improve the plan, the school has started running workshops with the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching in response to desires for a more diversityoriented curriculum.
“Our next workshop is this coming Friday, December 9, where faculty will share their syllabi and workshop new ideas for assignments, examples, and strategies to make inclusive teaching a more explicit part of their courses for Winter 2017 semester,” she wrote.
Art & Design Prof. Franc Nunoo-Quarcoo, former head and current member of the planning committee, noted the Art & Design School had not received all the funding it requested, but said the committee will focus on achieving its goals in other See STAMPS, Page 3A
National Guard aid
Legislation would change how tuition assistance is administered CAITLIN REEDY
THERAPY DOGS
Daily Staff Reporter
HALEY MCLAUGHLIN/Daily
Students relax with therapy dogs in the Ugli Wednesday.
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Vol. CXXVI, No. 43 ©2016 The Michigan Daily
Earlier this month, the Michigan House of Representatives introduced a bill to adjust the Michigan National Guard State Tuition Assistance Program. The bill, which was introduced by Rep. Bruce Rendon (R–Lake City) would allow any current member of the National Guard to apply for tuition assistance while attending a university or college in Michigan. The Michigan National Guard assistance program is housed within the state’s Department of Military and Veteran Affairs. Brig. Gen. Mike Stone, assistant adjutant general for installations of the Michigan Army National Guard, said the revamping of the program is a welcome change that will strengthen Michigan’s National Guard. “The program is all about readiness,” he said. “Our number one priority in the military is readiness. Are we prepared to go fight and respond at home if there is a See GUARD, Page 3A
NEWS.........................2 OPINION.....................4 CLASSIFIEDS...............5
SUDOKU.....................2 SPORTS....................5 BSIDE....................1B
News
2A — Thursday, December 8, 2016
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Tuesday, the University of Michigan Health System was ranked among the top teaching hospitals in the country by the Leapfrog Group — a nonprofit group that reports on the quality of health care provided by hospitals nationwide. The rankings, recognized to 29 hospitals across 13 states, take into account factors such as the quality of intensive care, positive poll responses about patient care from former patients and a high safety rating. Only one other hospital in Michigan, Metro Health Hospital in Grand Rapids, was recognized as one of the top teaching hospitals in the country. Last August, UMHS was ranked number one in the state and 18th in the country, by another ranking system, U.S. News & World Report. This past October, the Leapfrog
Group also awarded the UMHS an A ranking for safety — a distinction that takes into consideration factors like hand hygiene and communication about medicines and discharge information. According to the UMHS
website, the hospital system processes thousands of patients each year. “Our three hospitals, 40 outpatient locations with more than 150 clinics, and extensive home care operations handle 2.1 million
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BRIEF: UMHS HIGHLY-RANKED AMONG TEACHING HOSPITALS outpatient visits, more than 47,000 hospital stays in 1,000 beds, and much more each year,” the website states. UMHS declined to comment about Tuesday’s rankings. — TIMOTHY COHN
UMich DE&I @UMichDiversity We’re honoring distinguished diversity leaders across the university of Michigan this morning #UMichDEI
AFRICAN ART
allie @alliemccarthy_ I wasn’t ready for UMich @kaitlynburgert thank you for the fab weekend @ University of Michigan
EMMA RICHTER/Daily
Laura De Becker, associate curator of African Art at the University of Michigan Museum of Art, presents about her most recent exhibition on Wednesday evening at UMMA.
CAMPUS EVENTS & NOTES The American Elections and the Middle East Discussion
CenterSpace: Trans, Genderqueer, Intersex, Non-Binary
WHAT: Various speakers will particpate in a panel on Middle Eastern parallels to the 2016 elections. WHO: Department of Near Eastern Studies WHEN: 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. WHERE: Michigan League, Hussey Room
WHAT: CenterSpace hosts drop-in meetings at its supportive space for trans, genderqueer, intersex and nonbinary people to gain support from one another while fostering a community. WHO: Spectrum Center WHEN: 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. WHERE: Michigan Union, Spectrum Center
African Studies Colloquium
Bell Tower Recital
WHAT: Visiting African Studies researchers Dagnachew Belete and Zerihun Workneh will present their research on public health and environmental concerns in Africa today. WHO: African Studies Center WHEN: 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. WHERE: Michigan League, Koessler Room
WHAT: The Lurie Tower will be open to the public for recitals by staff and students on the 60-bell Lurie Carillon. The public recital will be hosted on the third floor of the bell tower on North Campus. WHO: School of Music, Theatre & Dance WHEN: 1:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. WHERE: Lurie Ann & Robert H. Tower
Business Process Mapping Seminar WHAT: Zachary Fairchild will host a seminar about optimizing business practices by identifying waste, analyzing gaps in productivity and formulating action maps that demonstrate how to address these problems. WHO: Learning & Professional Development WHEN: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. WHERE: Administrative Services Building
Weaving Fashion and Nature Together WHAT: Avant Garden exhibits “living dresses” made from plants in order to explore how raw materials can be used in textiles. WHO: Matthaei Botanical Gardens & Nichols Arboretum WHEN: 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. WHERE: Matthaei Botanical Gardens
WHAT: The University Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Lab Ensemble will perform compositions and arrangements by Bob Brookmeyer, Dominic Bierenga, Dennis Wilson, Ellen Rowe, John Hollenbeck and others. WHO: School of Music, Theatre & Dance WHEN: 8 p.m. WHERE: Rackham Auditorium
Before and after Yirong “Rose” Bi arrived to the United States from Hangzhou, China — with little to no experience speaking English — she has overcome many difficulties. First was a surgery in 2014 that took her out of the pool for four months. More recently was a 10-page English paper due right before the Big Ten Championships. She believes that these experiences have helped her develop faith in herself. Determination, it seems, runs through her veins. Bi recalled the story of her father, who was born into a large family that was very poor. He was able to secure a good education due to his hard work and ultimately
started his own business. Around the time Bi was 5, her father’s company fell apart, but he was persistent in his work to improve the situation. Now, his company is a sponsor for next year’s World Cup. “He’s a really strong man,” Bi said. “I want to be strong like him, to be able to overcome anything and be a strong woman.” Since then, she’s conquered those obstacles and more. In her first two years on the No. 6 Michigan women’s swimming and diving team, Bi has made quite the impression. Winning two NCAA AllAmerican honors in the 500yard freestyle and 1,650-yard freestyle her freshman year, and boasting a GPA over 3.7, she was awarded the College Swim Coaches Association of America Scholar AllAmerican. So far this season
MO FINALS MO PROBLEMS. puzzle by sudokusyndication.com
she has been named Big Ten Swimmer of the Week and has competed in the USA College Challenge — a meet pitting college athletes against professionals. Even more impressive than that is when Bi arrived from Hangzhou, China, she spoke very little English. Bi took her first steps on American soil walking into her freshman year at Michigan. She faced a steep adjustment to a new culture, language and classroom setting, having been homeschooled all throughout high school so she could attend a swimming academy. This transition has been difficult, but Bi was ready for a change and undeterred by the challenge. “I knew it was going to be hard, but I didn’t expect it to be that hard,” Bi said. “I knew that Michigan has a really good swim team, and I wanted to improve my swimming. I wanted to learn something real … and I was really excited to be in class, to have classmates around you and have that atmosphere.” Working with a tutor and speaking English every day are the two key aspects she attributes to her improvement. However, the language barrier is one Bi is still working to overcome. “Communication has been a major challenge,” Bi said. “Sometimes I don’t know how to express myself to others, especially with classes. In class, I’m too shy to ask questions, but I go to office hours as much as I can. So, private situations make me feel comfortable to talk about what I’m struggling with.” Bi also benefits from her relationship with her new teammates, who have been See CHINA, Page 3A
UMICHSTMD @umichstmd
WHAT: Chris Blattman, from the University of Chicago, will present his paper: “The Effects of State Presence on Urban Crime and State Legitimacy: Experimental Evidence from Policing and Municipal Services in Bogota.” WHO: Department of Economics WHEN: 4 p.m. to 5:30p.m. WHERE: Weill Hall, room 3240
Our upcoming production of “Peter and the Starcatcher” got a mention on BroadwayWorld! #umichsmtd #umicharts
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#EU gets its own #EUsolidaritycorps, 56 years after #JFK introduced the proposal for a #US @ PeaceCorps at @UMich.
Economic Development Lecture
Two years after moving from China, Rose Bi finds her place at Michigan ANNA HARITOS
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Jazz Ensemble Concert
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HOT DOGS From Page 1A the grill and serves a lunchtime crowd. Whipple said he is not in it to get rich, but rather to pay for his son’s education and to make relationships with his customers. “I do it for the students,” Whipple said. “Students come a lot during their time here and then graduate. My favorite part about being out here is just working with the community and being a part of it. After being out here this long, you become part of Ann Arbor.” His commitment, he said, stems from his desire to be there for the students since many expect him to be there every day for them. The only things that stop Whip’s Dog Days are snow, heavy wind and rain or sub-zero temperatures. “It’s the relationships that you build out here, there’s a lot of good people out on the streets,” Whipple said. “As long as you give them good service and good food, everything works out. I would credit it to being persistent and being reliable. People know you’re here.” Whipple said he has gotten to know several students throughout the years, many of whom often come back to visit after they
STAMPS From Page 1A ways. For instance, Moore said, part of the plan requested a DEI coordinator specifically for the Art & Design School, but that request was not granted. Instead, the committee itself will make up for the lost role and all members of the community will be responsible for holding the school accountable. Moore said prospective students this year have shown an increased interest in learning about campus climate issues both in the Art & Design School and around the University. “Prospective students, especially this year with everything that has been going on across the country, are more willing or interested in asking about what the climate is, having to do with all kinds of diversity here at Stamps and at large at the University,” Moore said. Nunoo-Quarcoo said at the end of this year the committee will create a one-year report to assess the plan before creating another report at the five-year mark. He noted while these reports will be an overall description of what the committee has done, what has been observed, what has been learned and what needs improvement, the committee will always look at how the plan is going through regular meetings. He said he hopes at the end of five years, DEI becomes less
CSG From Page 1A ensuring that as a governing body, we are representative of every student on campus,” Schafer said at the time. “We look forward to analyzing the results of the report and conceptualizing ways in which we can better represent our various constituencies.” CSG has since sought to increase socioeconomic diversity within the body and beyond through the Leadership Engagement Scholarship, which provides monetary support to student leaders. The scholarship is meant to ease the financial burden of participating in organizations such as member fees and hours worked at organization events. So far, CSG has raised $100,000 through fundraising and donations. CSG Vice President Micah Griggs, an LSA senior, said the scholarship helps alleviate the financial strain of being heavily involved in a student group. “There is socioeconomic status within diversity and that can be a barrier for students to get involved with CSG,” Griggs said. “So that is one way we are trying to engage with the
graduate. “The nice thing is that I get to know them because they become regulars,” Whipple said. “Then once they graduate, I’ve had a lot of them, over the years, come back and just visit me. Then we catch up. They see how I’m doing, I see how they’re doing.” He credits his success largely to the convenience and the prices of his products. Despite many competitors over the years who told Whipple they were going to shut him down, Whip’s Dog Days has remained, albeit with some changes. “I created the dog of the day and I made my own homemade mustard,” Whipple said. “And I just got more creative to offer more things. We’ve had the same menu. But sometimes I bring out different soups and I added bagels and cream cheese.” Engineering sophomore John Cohen said he visits Whipple’s stand frequently on Monday’s and Wednesday’s since he has classes from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and can get food quickly. “This is somewhere pretty close and cheap and just makes hot food,” Cohen said. “It’s convenient because I’m going up to north right now and it’s right by the bus stop. Everything kind of clicks.”
of something each unit has to do, but something that happens naturally. “DEI should become a main issue, it should become the default,” Nunoo-Quarcoo said. “For me, it really ought to be the default and not the exception.” Aristarkhova wrote that having a wider perspective is necessary in the art and design world today, whether that be for one’s own creative practice, career opportunities or problems within communities that need solving. “Due to the increasingly global nature of art and design, the school needs a diverse group of faculty and staff to prepare a diverse community of students to contribute their full potential to a much more globalized world of art and design,” she wrote. Moore said the DEI plans at the Art & Design School are important not only because they will improve climate issues within the school, but also because they will help the students grow as artists. “On a broader level, artists and designers are instigators in our society — they are raising awareness, they are bringing up issues that are important to everyone in society,” Moore said. “So they themselves, they need to be aware and have spaces where there are guided discussions and conversations about these issues and where they’re not only able to but required to investigate what’s happening in terms of diversity, equity and inclusion not only here at U of M but in our country through their creative work.”
student body. And not only get people involved with CSG but other student organizations.” Former CSG President Cooper Charlton, a University alum, said his administration tried taking steps to provide similar scholarships for undocumented students, but ran into legal issues. He said he appreciated how Schafer and Griggs have found ways to fund scholarships within legal and community boundaries. Schafer said he has also been working with other student organizations and encouraging students to participate more in student government. “The next semester, we are going to encourage students to run in the CSG elections … encouraging students to get more involved,” Schafer said. “It’s an organization that will be here beyond our time on campus and one that has the ability to really better the lives of students.” The day after Presidentelect Donald Trump’s win, Schafer also spoke at a vigil in support of marginalized students. During the gathering, he called for students to call out discriminatory actions on campus. “To all that have been targeted or marginalized: You have a place on this campus,” he said during the
Other characteristics Whipple said have helped him outlast competitors are his friendly service, a central location, low prices and a high-quality product. “The convenience of it, being where it’s located is big,” Whipple said. “They’re in a hurry. They have to get to class. I keep my prices low to where it’s affordable. It’s a good quality product. There are people who come and go, but the thing is, is they don’t run it like a business. Students come to me and tell me they care. I think that’s the success over the years: being here for people.” Since he runs his stand on a college campus, Whipple said he likes to keep his prices low. He still only accepts cash, as he prefers that over using credits cards, saying he would have to push his prices up to pay for new technology. “Students don’t have a lot of money,” Whipple said. “I like to keep my prices low so I can keep a high volume of customers.” When Whipple packs up at 3 p.m. and drives his trailer back to the garage where he cleans up for the day, he said he is satisfied he was able to be on campus making an impact on the lives of others. “It’s the people,” Whipple said. “It’s about being out with the people. It makes for a good day.”
DIVERSITY From Page 1A Ed Sarath, interim director of Center for World Performance Studies and professor of jazz and contemporary improvisation, spearheaded the Diversity Next! initiative. “The idea of the series is to convene a series of conversations on diversity that are inspired by the arts and that seek to put attention on areas of the diversity conversation that don’t
“One of the ways to look at this is not only how the arts have been diverse, but how at their best they have erased boundaries.”
necessarily get addressed that often, if at all,” Sarath said. He pointed to Black music
CHINA From Page 2A major sources of support. This has been another cultural shift for her, as back in China, swimming was more individually focused.
the vigil. “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 any one of your acquaintances, step up and challenge them. Because if you don’t, you are part of the problem.” In an interview, he emphasized working with other communities, such as the Muslim Students’ Association, to become more available for those who feel unsafe on campus. Schafer said CSG hopes to be a part of student gatherings such as the vigil and to become a resource for those who need it on campus. “(The vigil) was for the need for students of all different backgrounds, of all different identities, of all different political beliefs really to come together to lift this campus up,” he said. “To continue to elevate Michigan so it ref lects our very best selves and our high ideals. And anytime we get a chance to ensure the safety and the welfare of students, anytime we get a chance to interact with them, it’s an opportunity
Thursday, December 8, 2016 — 3A
GUARD From Page 1A disaster? The program helps with retention of our members and strength in our readiness. It’s a benefit to our members so they can continue their education.” HB 6013 stems from a previous National Guard tuition assistance program, which went into effect in July 2014 and was the first of its kind in the state. The program create a National Guard tuition assistance fund was created within the state treasury, giving the state treasurer the ability to direct the investments for the fund. The fund is capped at $10 million. Michigan was one of the last states in the country to adopt a tuition assistance program for soldiers in the National Guard. The state had a program prior to the 2008 Great Recession, but discontinued it due to the limited state budget. The current program has faced many challenges in terms of the administration of the program according to
Stone. He said the original program required going through many steps and people in order to approve tuition assistance and get those funds to the universities or colleges. “That first year was chaotic because we couldn’t launch our marketing campaign, so the first incoming class of young soldiers didn’t know where to go and didn’t have a website,” he said. “They were manually processing all of these tuition requests. After December that year we had so much paper stacked up … we didn’t get our payments out the door to our soldiers in time for them to register for second semester. It was an administrative nightmare.” To addresss this, the bill gives the adjutant general the power to expend money from the fund to an eligible candidate at an eligible educational institution. This determining power would be given to Maj. Gen. Gregory Vadnais, adjutant general and director of military and veterans affairs for Michigan’s National Guard. The tuition assistance can cover any field of study
as an example of the lack of interconnectedness between race and diversity. “So for instance, the place of Black music in the music curriculum and in the culture of Black studies is very marginalized, so that’s an example of a topic that will come up,” he said. Sarath, Theatre & Drama Prof. Anita Gonzalez and Dance Associate Prof. Robin Wilson were the three panelists at this particular discussion. The conversation, which was not attended by any students, was largely openended. To begin the event, the panelists talked about their experiences with art and diversity. Gonzalez said the arts have been diverse for a long time but now it’s important to connect that to the University as a whole. “(I) always found the arts to be diverse,” she said to the group. “The conversation is how diversity can work into the University.” Wilson echoed that sentiment, saying the arts inherently have a role to play
in creating a more diverse environment for everyone. “One of the ways to look at this is not only how the arts have always been diverse, but how at their best they have
“When you’re tired, you have your teammates around you when you need them,” Bi said. “Even if you don’t say, ‘I had a bad day,’ they ask you and talk to you and make you feel much better. ... You just challenge yourself because you do it for your teammates
and for the team.” Despite the difficulties she has faced, Bi is proud of what she has accomplished so far and is hungry to achieve more. The friends she has made and the opportunities she has enjoyed have made her journey away from China
we are naturally going to seize. So I am looking forward to continuously watching this campus improve.” CSG Communications Director Joe Shea, a Public Policy senior, said one of his goals for the next semester is creating partnerships with other student organizations to plan future similar events. “I try my best to keep myself up to date with events that are happening on campus and I would hope student organizations that are looking to approach CSG would feel comfortable reaching out to us and letting us know what is going on,” Shea said. Griggs said another way CSG is taking steps to improve campus climate is through the new “It Starts with Me” campaign that hopes to establish CSG members as allies for those who feel marginalized on campus. The “It Starts with Me” campaign is led by Griggs and hopes to raise awareness of discrimination on campus. The campaign also responded to the anti-Black, anti-Muslim and anti-LGBTQ posters seen around campus this fall. Griggs explained CSG is handing out wristbands and banners for student organizations who support the campaign and hopes
“I guess (the aim is) pretty much now to kind of streamline” erased boundaries,” she said. As the conversation progressed, the event’s attendees asked the panelists questions, including on initiatives that panelists have been involved in during their careers and their motivations for doing and creating art. Conf lict arose between the panelists when they began discussing differences in their art forms and experiences. Sarath talked about how in his experience as a jazz musician, he has occasionally felt like the minority when
to work with The Program on Intergroup Relations to facilitate ally workshops. “We really just wanted to call in students to be an ally through their actions, and it can just be something symbolic like signing a poster but also to bring awareness to these issues,” Griggs said in an earlier interview with The Michigan Daily. “Sometimes events on campus occur and students just brush them under the rug or they forget about it, but communities are hurting.” Charlton praised Griggs for her proactive approach in responding to campus climate issues. “Something that I recently learned was self-exploration leads to self-love which leads to people love,” Charlton said. “I think that’s one of the things the campus tries to work toward, but a large part of that starts with one’s relationship with themselves.” Griggs also noted that CSG has been connecting with students through town hall events. For instance, CSG held its first town hall in early October on affordable housing, organized by Nadine Jawad, a Public Policy junior. Jawad said the town hall was a way to gather student interest on the topic and was a starting point
that will lead to vocational or technical training, a certificate or the eligible person’s first associate’s, bachelor’s or master’s degree. Stone said, despite the administrative hiccups associated with the first bill, the National Guard has already seen an increase in registration and rankings of Michigan’s Guard. “We have seen an increase in enrolled soldiers after the creation of the program,” he said. “Of the 54 states and districts that participate, we were lagging in the 40s and 50s in a number of categories. This past fiscal year we ended in the top 10 for many of these categories.” He added that he believed the program will continue to help strengthen Michigan’s National Guard. “We are number one in the nation in recruitment per capita,” he said. “The program is having a positive effect on our readiness. When a state can maintain its unit strength, you keep those units. Prior to the creation of the program, we’ve been losing forces to Ohio and Indiana as direct competitors for talent.”
he was in environments with other types of musicians. One audience member said they felt attacked by Sarath’s statement, as she believed he was generalizing other types of musicians, but the disagreement was shortlived, as they realized that it was an instance of miscommunication. As the conversation came to an end, the members of the group said they were pleased with how it went and they are looking forward to the panels continuing next semester. One audience member, Rackham student Jennifer Pollard, said it spurred some unique conversations and thoughts. She added that moving forward, it will be important to continue talking about diversity and how different forums and groups of people can address a lack of it. “I guess (the aim is) pretty much now to kind of streamline and figure out how we bring people together, how we find them, because sometimes there are people that have been missing from conversations” Pollard said.
more than worthwhile. “This was one of the best decisions I’ve made,” Bi said. “And it’s totally worth it.”
for future town halls. The event was mostly attended by student government members and Ann Arbor employees and residents. During the CSG debates last year, Charlton said there was a disconnect between the student government and the student body. “I definitely think CSG has a lack of trust from the student body right now,” Charlton said last year. “It’s something we’ve tried to fight this year, and unfortunately I don’t think we completed our goal.” In an interview, he said he believes the role of CSG should empower student voices and actions on campus, especially against disenfranchisement and should take steps with the administration to protect students. Chartlon added he feels like the Schafer administration has taken positive steps toward student communication. “One thing I have noticed is that CSG this past semester has been much more communicative with the student body than I believe we were last semester,” he said. “They’ve done a good job of being more connected to students. So, I would like to see them continue that into the second semester.”
Opinion
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
4A — Thursday, December 8, 2016
MAX LUBELL | COLUMN
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@michigandaily.com
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and REGAN DETWILER Editorial Page Editors
Editor in Chief
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EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS Carolyn Ayaub Claire Bryan Regan Detwiler Brett Graham Caitlin Heenan Jeremy Kaplan
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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.
ISAIAH ZEAVIN-MOSS | COLUMN
I
In defense of sports
am sitting here writing this someone who reads newspapers.” column, and in another tab There is no nuance in this of my nifty web browser, the closed-minded perception of New York Knicks are playing. I sports. Sports is (are? Sports lets am alone, hunkered you have fun with down in my basement grammar! The beauty as wet muck falls is in the ambiguity, from the sky outside. people!) a celebration Nobody wants to watch of psychologies, of sports with me. thinking about these In the seconds people as characters, before I tell people that of narrativizing yes, I’m a sports fan, a their lives, of pit of insecurity forms finding moments in my gut. To give you of attachment with ISAIAH a sense, I’m an English these figures, the ZEAVINmajor with a women’s same way we watch studies minor, I live in a shows or politicians MOSS co-op previously called on TV and think Michigan Socialist House, my about how cute or fun or silly full name is Isaiah David Aaron this person is and wow I love Zeavin-Moss, I’m from Brooklyn, watching them just speak. N.Y. and I campaigned for Bernie I think about this sort of Sanders. And the people I speak narrativization all the time. to generally associate sports Throughout my childhood, with obnoxious men who yell my family and I would watch misogynistic things about each as our favorite players would other and excessive drinking and act out their extensive secret people rioting in the streets in handshakes in moments of destructive ways after their teams triumph. We would watch as lose. My friends, dear to me, see they would hug each other, these instances of gross behavior crying, after defeat. We would and they write off the entire criticize how the most famous institution of sports. player would hog the ball, to the But this attitude ignores detriment of our team. Haven’t we fundamental elements of sports. all experienced these phenomena All social arenas as large and as (communally grieving over layered as the world of sports disappointment, grappling with — music, politics, etc. — contain the selfish person who acts cultures within them. And these selfishly in what should be a team subcultures respond in varying effort (think of your latest group ways to the thing which they all project for reference))? are celebrating. For example, you Last night, even, I had a dream are reading The Michigan Daily. about one of the Knicks’ most This means you must respect dynamic players, Joakim Noah. journalism. But there is an entire Noah is new to the team this cult within journalism that spends year, and he was having a really hours debating the merits of the hard time with the pressures, the Oxford comma. People spend limelight, of New York City. He hours talking about the difference actually went to a school where between paratactic and hypotactic I knew people, and we connected writing styles in ways you would over this! I consoled him. We find obnoxious. What does any of sat in the backseat of an Uber that mean, you ask? Who cares? together, and I told him a joke: You wonder as your jaw hangs What do you call a man with no wide open and your friends around arms and no legs who’s trapped you struggle not to laugh because in a pot of vegetables? Stu! And of the mayonnaise you have on he laughed! Oh, what joy, what your chin that you’re ignoring sheer joy. There we were — me, in order to make a point about the blubbering and drooling and how outraged you are about the snot-drenched boy coming to the conversation topics that people aid of the 7-foot, man-bunned, find worth their time? Yeah! Me NBA superstar, canoodling and too! But here I am, gnashing away commiserating over all that at my keyboard for the sake of this life has thrown at us. These newspaper. people can become figures in Certain publications even use our lives whom we admire and ludicrous, offensive language adore, onto whom we project our just to grab your attention. This own admirations and fears and is corrupt. News sources, as insecurities, with whom we live such, know they have your trust and grow up. and they will manipulate you But back to psychologies. How, because of it. And yet no one on for example, do these young this campus would see somebody men cope with the immense reading a news source and, with pressures that come with their a blanket statement, simply say, job? Baseball players have fewer “Oh. I don’t like news sources. than five milliseconds to react Now, since that person’s reading to a professionally thrown pitch. one, I’m going to judge them. Imagine having that amount of I don’t want to be friends with time to perform an act which will
decide the story written about you for the rest of time. How would you respond to that? These are people — everyday people, with backstories of triumph and tragedy and success — who are all responding to these pressures. Should we not embrace this institution? And of course I think we need to criticize sports for all of those moments of crude, disgusting and violent behavior. They ought to be examined and they ought to be rooted out. On this campus, for example, I often cringe during gamedays where a crowd of essentially all white people drinks and parties while essentially only people of color clean up cans from the ground. Or, as has happened twice this semester alone, I was walking to the game with friends of mine from another school when University of Michigan students saw us and said, laughing, “Faggots!” What does that say about my school, that my tour of my everyday life here included this? And this violence is certainly part of the culture of sports. But it’s also connected to cultural elements outside of football games. Greek life, for example, where so many infamous parties take place, promotes certain prototypically masculine ideals which put enormous pressure on its members to deride those who do not set those same standards for themselves. The people who, knowingly or not, decide not to take part in those standards become “faggots.” But something about the football games helps to bring out this culture, it is certainly true. The University, then, must do more to combat this behavior. There must be greater awareness demanded of its students of certain social issues. A more concrete administrative effort to combat this hate speech — not in the form of advertisement campaigns or slogans, but in concrete, visible action. There needs to be a greater effort to promote understanding of why this language is so impactful and so destructive. Like all structural systems, sports has its deep, foundational flaws that are connected to other elements of American culture. But the solution is not to turn our collective heads from these flaws. Instead, we ought to consider them, to work on fixing them, while also embracing all the beautiful elements sports offers its audience: to celebrate camaraderie and to project our own fears and fantasies and expectations and loves and wishes, and to pour ourselves into them through narrativization and celebration of human will. Isaiah Zeavin-Moss can be reached at izeavinm@umich.edu.
MICHELLE SHENG | CONTACT MICHELLE AT SHENGMI@UMICH.EDU
Ben Carson is unfit to run HUD
Y
ou wouldn’t trust a him for the role as a federal football quarterback to housing expert. Furthermore, perform neurosurgery, he doesn’t know a thing about and we shouldn’t trust running a federal a neurosurgeon to agency. Don’t just lead the Department take my word for of Housing and it; Carson himself Urban Development. believes he would But unfortunately, be unqualified to President-elect run a government Donald Trump agency. According does. Trump has to a Carson camp nominated University aide, “the last thing of Michigan alum he would want to do MAX Ben Carson to head was take a position LUBELL the department that could cripple as secretary. Carson’s lack of the presidency.” And yet today experience and rhetoric prove we see Carson accepting the he is unqualified for the position. role as the nominee. As secretary, Carson’s decisions Prominent conservatives could have devastating impacts have responded to the claims on fair-housing policies. that Carson is unqualified by For context, the Department saying his childhood experience of Housing and Urban growing up in public housing Development is an incredibly naturally qualifies him. That important agency, with 9,000 is not the case. While living in employees and a budget of public housing doesn’t inhibit over $47 million. The primary an individual’s potential to goal of the agency is to operate work in government, it also several programs that provide doesn’t necessarily grant housing assistance to low- someone the skills to run a income families. The agency government agency. Though runs the Section 8 voucher the experience of growing up program and the Federal with government assistance is Housing Administration, both certainly valuable to consider of which play essential parts when shaping government in providing housing support policy, it does not grant the to millions of Americans. The skills necessary for secretary department also enforces the candidates. Receiving public Fair Housing Act to combat assistance and running public housing discrimination. assistance programs are very Just to be clear, nothing about different things. In addition Trump signaled that he was to Carson’s lack of experience, going to appoint an exceptional his individual responsibility candidate. After all, this is mentality confirms he is unfit the same person whose racist to run the program. convictions guided his decision Throughout Carson’s selfto deny housing to Black and acclaimed “rags-to-riches” Puerto Rican people back in biography, he has an incredibly 1972. Trump didn’t do anything pervasive “pull yourself up to disconnect from this by the bootstraps” mindset. background on the campaign Carson has admitted to the trail. Whenever Trump spoke belief that “poverty was on the subject of urban housing, really more of a choice than he had a tendency to conflate anything else.” Furthermore, the “inner city” with “African he has openly criticized the Americans.” These are some Affirmatively Furthering Fair pretty big red flags in regard Housing requirement as “social to how Trump would structure engineering.” The housing an agency whose primary rule, which was implemented goals include enforcing a Civil under the Obama presidency, Rights law he violated. Even requires local communities still, Carson’s appointment is a to halt housing segregation pretty low blow. and implement procedures to Carson is an incredibly address segregation. Carson’s inexperienced nominee for the statements display a failure to federal agency. Nothing about understand the social context his education and career as a in which housing problems, neurosurgeon has prepared such as segregation, persist.
Housing segregation has a history based on policies that can also be labeled as what Carson calls “social engineering.” Douglas Massey and Nancy Denton’s novel “American Apartheid” provides an analysis that details the government intervention that created and expanded ghetto communities. Policies such as redlining, subsidizing suburbanization, slum clearance, widespread denial of Black mortgages, public housing concentration in minority and low-income communities and a lack of transportation infrastructure have all contributed to the rise of the urban ghetto. Therefore, it is these government interventions, not the failure of individuals to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, that play a significant role in housing disparities. It is imperative that government practices work to compensate for this history. Solutions like the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule can accomplish this, but under Carson, these policies are in danger. As secretary, Carson has the potential to put us years back on federal desegregation efforts. Unfortunately, repealing the fair housing rule is not the only damage that Carson could do as HUD secretary. He could gut the Section 8 housing program, which, despite its flaws, assists millions of Americans in paying their rent. Carson could also gut Fair Housing Act enforcement efforts, allowing businessmen like Trump free rein to discriminate in their housing complexes. Carson is undoubtedly unqualified to be secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. I hope that Carson proves me wrong and reinforces the housing assistance the federal agency provides. However, his individual responsibility mindset and open criticism of desegregation efforts lead me to believe he will only do damage as secretary.
Max Lubell can be reached at mlubell@umich.edu.
CJ MAYER | COLUMN
Trump, Democrats and the future of populism
P
resident-elect Donald is a 17-year Goldman Sachs Trump’s rhetoric alum, who drove a Porsche in outflanked the Democrats college and named the hedge in one crucial aspect fund he founded after this year: the idea of an area near his house populism. Populism, in the Hamptons. This the movement of the doesn’t sound like masses against the the man to carry the elite and powerful, populist torch Trump has typically talked about. been utilized by And then he Democrats in recent announced his years to decry Wall nomination for secretary Street and the “1 CJ MAYER of commerce, Wilbur percent.” But in an Ross. When George W. election in which the Democratic Bush put his Cabinet together candidate was a symbol of the in 2001, he was lambasted for establishment and ruling class, having too wealthy an array of the Republican Party was able advisers who were out of touch to steal the anti-elite rhetoric with the American people — their from its political rivals. Among net worth was about $250 million. the many issues where Trump’s Wilbur Ross alone is worth about policies will likely differ 10 times Bush’s entire Cabinet. from his campaign rhetoric — All told, Trump’s especially given his decisions administration could be worth in the month after Election Day up to $35 billion! Let’s not — few could be as stark as this forget Steven Bannon, Trump’s appeal to populism. The swamp chief strategist, who will be yet doesn’t seem to be draining all another Goldman Sachs alum too quickly. with the immediate ear of the It starts with his Cabinet and president. Raging against those closest advisers. One of the most affiliated with the banking important Cabinet members, industry and Goldman Sachs, secretary of the treasury, Trump has surrounded himself will be Steven Mnuchin, the with an awfully large number finance chairman for Trump’s of them. campaign. Trump repeatedly It’s warranted to criticize claimed on the campaign trail Trump’s Cabinet as out of that “Wall Street has caused touch because of the collective tremendous problems for wealth of its members, but in us,” that he knows the guys reality it comes down to the at Goldman Sachs and that policies they enact and how these people have total control those will affect millions of over politicians. He even tied Americans. And the policies Hillary Clinton to Goldman he has suggested, at least early Sachs in a final campaign ad, on, are in line with his choices suggesting Clinton would for advisers. For example, implement policies to help the Trump’s tax plan would banking industry. Rhetoric eliminate the federal estate such as this gave Trump the tax that targets 0.2 percent of populist mantle. Interestingly the wealthiest Americans. Half enough, his pick for the most of his proposed tax benefits important economic position would directly benefit the top
1 percent. He has said that the federal minimum wage should be abolished. Trump and Mnuchin have said they want to “strip back” and dismantle the DoddFrank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. DoddFrank, enacted in response to the Great Recession, was intended to reform and regulate Wall Street so that a similar crisis, like one created by recklessness on Wall Street, wouldn’t happen so easily again. It’s a symbol of the populist reaction to the Great Recession. Trump’s desire to dismantle it, jointed with his positions on taxes and the minimum wage, is a signal that the populist rhetoric of his campaign could end when he begins to actually govern. When evaluating potential Democratic responses to the next four years of Trump, populism presents a powerful chance to take advantage of emerging voter tendencies. In terms of rhetoric, the likes of Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders and their mass of followers must carry the populist mantle. Attacking Trump directly for what he says won’t be enough — look no further than the election for evidence. Democrats would be wise to establish a singular, policy-oriented line of attack. Trump rode into power on the wave of anger at the establishment, but now he’s the establishment, surrounded by the same flourishing fish in the same swamp. It’s time for the Democrats to become the party of populism — the party of the people — once again.
CJ Mayer can be reached at mayercj@umich.edu.
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Thursday, December 8, 2016 — 5A
Year in Review: Wide Receivers Darboh emerges as top target; Chesson provides additional big-play threat MAX BULTMAN
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Michigan hopes road stretch pays off later
Managing Sports Editor
With the Michigan football team’s 2016 regular season in the books, the Daily looks back at the performance of each unit this year and looks ahead to the future in 2017. In this edition: wide receivers. They were what we thought they’d be — sort of. Returning two fifth-year seniors from an impressive air attack, the Wolverines delivered exactly the type of overall receiving season they were expected to in 2016. The roles reversed for Jehu Chesson and Amara Darboh — with the latter emerging as the go-to target and the former a complement — but the total impact was similar. When Michigan wanted to throw the ball, it had targets it could count on around redshirt sophomore quarterback Wilton Speight. Darboh and Chesson combined for 1,295 yards between them, just 54 fewer than they posted a year ago. And while the team’s total passing yards were down — a consequence of several blowout wins and a late-season injury to Speight — the Wolverine receivers ensured an efficient passing game was still a core tenant of Jim Harbaugh’s offense. HIGH POINT: When Central Florida stacked the box to take away the Michigan running game in the second week of the year, Darboh and Chesson made the Knights pay. Darboh posted five catches for 111 yards and two touchdowns, with Chesson adding four receptions for 84 yards. It wasn’t often that teams could entirely shut down Michigan’s stable of backs, and in many games, the Wolverines led by so much that receivers were a moot point by the second half. You don’t typically need a big play when you’re up by 30 points. But against the Knights, an
NATHANIEL CLARK Daily Sports Writer
SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily
Fifth-year senior wide receiver Amara Darboh became Michigan’s top pass catcher this season with 826 yards.
aggressive run defense forced Speight to take the reins. He responded by throwing four touchdown passes (including three in the first quarter), with Darboh’s 30-yard dagger in the fourth sealing a 51-14 blowout win. LOW POINT: Some of the Wolverines’ struggles at Kinnick Stadium are easily explained. The Iowa crowd was sufficiently rowdy to host the nation’s No. 3 team, and Speight struggled against a surprisingly tough Hawkeye defense. But it was hardly all Speight’s fault. Late in the game, with the outcome still in doubt, Speight found Chesson at the sideline for what would have been a first down. Instead, though, Chesson couldn’t hang on, and Manny Rugamba took the pass away at the Hawkeyes’ 25-yard line. With a completion there, the Wolverines would have been in field-goal range with a chance to go up 16-11 or better with under four minutes remaining.
Instead, the Hawkeyes went on to win, 14-13. It didn’t come down to that one play, though. Michigan threw for just 103 yards all game, not enough to win in an imposing road environment. If there was a game the Wolverine receivers could have back, this one would no doubt be high on their list. THE FUTURE: With Chesson and Darboh departing, the future is a bit unclear. Sophomore slot receiver Grant Perry was in and out of the offense this year, but he showed solid potential. His 183 receiving yards were fifth-most on the team and the third-most by a wide receiver. The main question is who will fill in around him. Freshmen receivers Eddie McDoom and Kekoa Crawford both got their feet wet in the offense, but McDoom was primarily used on jet sweep and screen plays. He had five catches for 59 yards,
and Crawford added four for 47. The Wolverines will need both to step up and fill the shoes of Darboh and Chesson. In addition, redshirt junior receivers Drake Harris and Maurice Ways will be looked to as veterans to step up. Harris was a highly touted recruit who struggled with injuries early and has yet to make a significant impact, while Ways has drawn praise for his contributions blocking, but struggled to produce statistically. As for incoming players, Michigan is reportedly targeting some of the nation’s best high school receivers — including Detroit Cass Tech’s Donovan Peoples-Jones — and some could contribute early. There will likely be some clarity by the end of spring practice, when the Wolverines have had their extra bowl practices plus their spring allotment to evaluate their next crop of receivers.
Since the Michigan women’s basketball team last played at Crisler Center against Western Michigan on Nov. 21, the Wolverines have traveled to the Virgin Islands, Atlanta and Cincinnati. Michigan had a largely successful start to its odyssey as it posted a 3-1 record in the first four contests away from Ann Arbor. The Wolverines defeated then-No. 25 Gonzaga in the Virgin Islands, 78-66, as well as Georgia Tech, 92-52, while their only defeat came at the hands of then-No. 10 Florida State. Both Michigan’s offense and its defense clicked against Georgia Tech. Junior guard Katelynn Flaherty tallied 25 points while junior forward Jillian Dunston achieved a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Meanwhile, the defense held Georgia Tech to just 29.3 percent shooting. “It was surprising,” said Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico on WTKA radio. “They’re a good team, and they came into the game undefeated. We knew it was going to be tough playing at their place, especially with the schedule that we’ve had. But our kids were really locked into the game plan, and they’re getting better defensively.” But in Monday’s 61-58 loss to Xavier, which has yet to play away from Cincinnati, all of the miles the Wolverines have logged seemed to finally catch up to them. Though Flaherty compiled 21 points, only one other player — senior guard Siera Thompson — scored in double digits Monday night. Michigan shot an uncharacteristically low 33.9 percent from the floor and was
outrebounded, 46-32. The Wolverines still had a chance to walk away with a win, though, as they held a 58-57 lead with 1:02 in the fourth. But the better-rested Musketeers answered with a two-pointer and two free throws to saddle Michigan with its second defeat of the season. “Xavier did a really good job taking us out of what we wanted to do,” Barnes Arico said. “They tried to limit Katelynn, Siera, (freshman guard Kysre Gondrezick) and our scorers, and try to have our non-scorers shoot the ball. I think our confidence got shaken a little bit because we were asking people that normally don’t shoot the ball to score for us.” Though Barnes Arico acknowledged the difficulties of such an extended road trip, she pointed out a silver lining. During Big Ten play, the Wolverines have two sets of back-to-back road games — against Wisconsin and No. 12 Ohio State and then against No. 4 Maryland and Nebraska. From a travel perspective, those voyages will pale in comparison to the one Michigan is currently on, and the Wolverines may even be better prepared to handle the grind because of the grueling nature of the current stretch. “Siera said to me after the (Xavier) game, ‘Coach, my legs haven’t felt like that in four years,’ ” Barnes Arico said. “I think that the travel is kind of getting to us a little bit. But we keep preaching to our team that this is going to prepare us for March. We are hoping that this helps us in the long run.” But before then, the Wolverines will add over 5,000 more miles to their itinerary, as their next games are at San Diego State on Friday and No. 9 UCLA on Sunday.
“I think that the travel is kind of getting to us a little bit.”
ICE HOCKEY
Michigan’s first line looking to break out of offensive slump Lockwood, Slaker, Kile have not scored since Nov. 11 vs. Boston University; Wolverines are 1-4 during that span ORION SANG
Daily Sports Writer
At one point this past weekend, freshman forward Will Lockwood deftly maneuvered past a Nittany Lion defenseman and found himself with a chance to score against then-No. 7 Penn State. But Lockwood’s shot rang off the crossbar, missing the target by a matter of inches. It was the difference between the Wolverines tallying a crucial goal against a tough Penn State squad and coming up empty once again. The production from the top line of Lockwood, Jake Slaker and Alex Kile has cooled considerably since its scorching start to the season. It hasn’t tallied a point since Michigan’s 4-0 win over then-No. 4 Boston University on Nov. 11, going scoreless in the five games since — over which the team’s record is an ugly 1-4. While the goals and assists have yet to materialize, the first line remains confident in its abilities. Lockwood attributes the cold streak to bad puck luck — like on that near-goal against Penn State. “I feel like I’m still getting good opportunities,” Lockwood said. “The only time you need to start worrying is when you’re not getting those opportunities, but I think they’re there, and I think I just haven’t been getting the bounces I wanted.” Added Michigan coach Red Berenson: “As long as you’re getting chances and you’re
playing hard and you’re playing the right way, then sooner or later it’ll go in. “Part of it is confidence, part of it is execution, part of it is work ethic and part of it is just staying with the game plan and being patient.” Despite the slump, Lockwood and Slaker still have the first and second-most points on the team, respectively, while Kile has the seventh-most — a sign of just how important their offensive performances are for Michigan. The Wolverines average just 2.50 goals per game on the season, a number that dips to a paltry 1.80 per game over the past five games. For Lockwood, Slaker and Kile, there’s no alternative to hoping their luck will change but to put their heads down and to continue to work on being two-way forwards. Berenson subscribes to the theory that the foundation of a good offense is a stalwart defense, one that constantly forces turnovers by the opponent. After all, you can only play offense when you possess the puck, and Michigan has the nation’s second-worst Corsi — which is a measure of possession through shots tallied versus shots given up. “We’re just telling them they have to play hard, they have to
play the right way and they’ve got to play good defense,” Berenson said. “If we play good defensively, then the offense will come. ... If you preach offense, you’re not going to get it. If you preach defense, you’ll get offense.” Kile, a seasoned veteran and captain, has dealt with numerous slumps before. In his mind, winning is the best solution to breaking out of a slump. Michigan’s next chance to do that comes this weekend at Yost Ice Arena, where the Wolverines will play Wisconsin for a two-game series. The only problem is that the chances of Michigan winning appear to be correlated to how well its first line plays. But while Michigan needs its first line to start scoring again, Berenson has tried not to put the “weight of the world” on their shoulders. “They were scoring easy at the start of the year and now it’s a little harder,” Berenson said. “And it’s not just about scoring, but for those guys, you expect they’re going to contribute offensively. “They know they haven’t scored, but they’re doing everything in practice to get into good habits so when their chance comes in a game, they’ll bury it.”
“I feel like I’m still getting good opportunities.”
Classifieds
Call: #734-418-4115 Email: dailydisplay@gmail.com
RELEASE DATE– Thursday, December 8, 2016
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
SERVICES
Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
ACROSS 1 Throws the first pitch 7 Find fault 11 Bygone Ford 14 They may be hard 15 Tavern 17 Hunt’s TV co-star 18 “Next subject” 19 Made dinner at home 20 “Sold!” 21 CIA predecessor 22 Historic Potomac estate 25 Son-gun connection 26 __ land: disputed territory 31 Rueful word 35 Quick snack 37 Simple home 38 With 40-Across, NPR broadcast since 1979 40 See 38-Across 42 Word with box or light 43 Levelheaded 45 Timer drizzler 46 Mussel habitat 48 Uno plus due 49 “Life of Brian” comedy group 56 Plant studied by Mendel 59 With 41-Down, tries for a long pass, in football lingo 60 Odor 61 First or last quarter ... and, literally, what can be found on either end of 18-, 22-, 38-/40- and 49-Across 63 Action scenes 64 Get-out-of-jail card? 65 Museum guide 66 32-Down contents 67 Fruity coolers 68 “Nothing to it!” DOWN 1 Make a run for it 2 Connect with 3 Parting mot 4 Lacquer ingredient
5 Former Senator Lott 6 Lat. or Lith., once 7 Traffic enforcement devices 8 Take out __ 9 Love Is On makeup maker 10 Upsilon follower 11 Hauls 12 Menu possessive linked to the Qing dynasty 13 Place in the woods 16 Tokyo-born artist 20 Gets the mist off 23 World Cup skiing champ Lindsey 24 “Moi?!” 27 Citi Field squad 28 Polynesian capital 29 Bright sign 30 Text command 31 “Time’s Arrow” author 32 66-Across source 33 Covent Garden solo 34 Pretentious sort 36 Eight British kings
39 Agenda listing 41 See 59-Across 44 Shows up 47 Give to charity, say 50 Peter of Herman’s Hermits 51 Webmail option 52 Copy exactly 53 Old Testament prophet 54 Future foretellers
55 Really bad 56 Carson forerunner 57 Nobelist Wiesel 58 Duck mascot company, on the NYSE 61 Starz rival 62 Kellogg School deg. 63 Some retirement acct. holdings
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Sports
6A — Thursday, December 8, 2016
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Wagner rises to occasion during winning time KEVIN SANTO
Daily Sports Editor
Michigan coach John Beilein wanted to take Moritz Wagner off the floor. In crunch time against Texas on Tuesday, Beilein thought senior forward Mark Donnal would be the more viable defensive option to prevent the Wolverines from suffering their second heartbreaking loss in seven days. But assistant coach Billy Donlon had a different idea. Donlon convinced Beilein to keep Wagner in the lineup down the stretch because the sophomore forward was hedging the ball screen well. In return for his confidence, Beilein received the ultimate payoff. Down one, the Longhorns inbounded the ball to Eric Davis Jr. on the right wing with 9.5 seconds left. He dribbled around the arc and down the lane and — as he revealed after the game — expected the play to give him an open layup. He was met by Wagner instead. Rather than sticking with his original man, Shaquille Cleare, Wagner switched onto Davis after noticing the Texas guard wasn’t even looking in the direction of his rolling big man. Wagner let Davis pull up for the contested shot, waited for gravity to start pulling him down and then blocked the attempt with just under six
seconds left. At the end of it all, Beilein’s faith in his assistant’s advice put Michigan on the right side of a nail biter. And his faith didn’t go unnoticed by Wagner either. In a young season where Wagner is still working on his defensive game, calling his block an “instinct play” in the postgame interview was a sign of progress. After all, his play on the defensive end has essentially been the only reason he isn’t averaging more than his 18.8 minutes per game. “Obviously it takes a lot of experience, and it helps me a lot that I know that people trust me out there,” Wagner said Tuesday night. “And that not every mistake (means) I’ve got to think about everything, that I can play with my instincts. That helps me a lot.” Once junior guard Muhammad-Ali AbdurRahkman had secured the ball and earned a trip to the charity stripe after the block, the Wolverines had all but put the game on ice. Wagner wasn’t shy about his excitement. The 6-foot-11 forward marched to the scorer’s table like a man possessed, fistpumping and chest-pounding his way down the sideline as he screamed toward the Maize Rage section that had just erupted into pandemonium. The exuberant enthusiasm is nothing new from Wagner,
SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily
Sophomore forward Moritz Wagner played a major role in crunch time during Michigan’s 53-50 victory over Texas at Crisler Center on Tuesday night.
though the moment felt different given that he was the hero of the night. But to him, it was a lot simpler than that, and to Beilein, this team is going to need that spark. “I’m just so happy when we
win,” Wagner said with a smile. “I can’t really control that.” Added Beilein: “This is a team that their personality does not exude that type of excitement. We’re a little bit laid back. We don’t want it to show. … Zak Irvin gives us a lot of that. But after that, there’s a big dropoff of guys that it’s not natural to them. Moe, it’s very natural to him, and it’s very helpful to the team.” And in case the energy and game-clinching block weren’t enough, Wagner put on the same offensive show that has been in his arsenal since his freshman year to win the game for Michigan on the other end as well. With 25.2 seconds on the
clock, and the Wolverines down one, senior wing Zak Irvin got the ball at the top of the key. Wagner set a screen and rolled to the rim as Irvin dribbled to the right block and went up for a doubly contested reverse layup. The ball bounced off the backboard, but Wagner had been wedging his man the entire time. He corralled the rebound and kissed the ball off the glass as he was falling under the basket, giving Michigan its final lead with 20 seconds remaining. “I got the rebound and didn’t really see the basket to be honest,” Wagner said. “Trusted myself a little bit, and it went in.” After the game, Texas coach
Shaka Smart praised Wagner’s versatility on both ends of the court, even going so far as to call him the best player on the floor. But in reality, the best player on the floor almost sat out the final minutes in the first place. Without Donlon’s advice, it would have been Donnal checking in during crunch time. Maybe Donnal would have hit the go-ahead basket and rejected Davis’ shot, too, but there’s no way for Beilein to know. What he does know, though: he finally went with Wagner in winning time, and boy, did it look like he was meant to be there.
B
The Michigan Daily | michigandaily.com | Thursday, December 8, 2016
Is Virtual Reality the New Reality? Sam Rosenberg Daily Arts Writer
Design: Ava Weiner
the b-side
2B — Thursday, December 8, 2016
VR From Page 1B “Is this the real life? Or is this just fantasy?” I am levitating in an orangeand-black grid, reminiscent of the 1982 film “Tron.” My eyes widen with awe as a screen appears in front of me. In the next moment, I am f loating alone in outer space, drawing my name and other symbols in the atmosphere. My environment suddenly changes and now I’m walking around in snow and attempting to paint a 3-D nose and eyes on a snowman. After that, I’m standing on a wrecked ship at the bottom of the ocean, watching a large blue whale pass me by, staring into my soul. I am unnerved, but oddly calm. Then, I’m transported to a colorful office, where I fulfill various tasks in my cubicle and take orders from my robot bosses. Did this really happen to me? No, but it certainly felt like it did. This was part of a virtual reality simulation I experienced Tuesday night at the Duderstadt Center located on North Campus. Using the HTC Vive, a bulky headset equipped with two nunchucklike remotes, I was immersed in a cyber world with crystal-clear resolution that was beyond my own imagination. And yet, it was a world that could easily exist as our own. Virtual reality possesses the power to control, manipulate and shape our own artificial world, offering a myriad of experiences that may be deemed impossible in real life. Though VR technology has been around for several years now, its advancement and growing accessibility has helped it become integrated into mainstream society. Augmented reality — technology that augments virtual objects in the physical world — has also become somewhat popular, most notably with this past summer’s craze over “Pokemon Go.” Once a rare, immensely expensive commodity, VR technology is available for purchase on our mobile devices and electronic stores, ranging from low-end platforms (the $15 Google Cardboard) to highend headsets (the $799 HTC Vive and the $599 Oculus Rift). Through motion-detection sensors, users can navigate naturally, manipulate objects and interact with virtual environments. They can watch movies, play video games and even visit exotic locations like the Big House. But while entertainment is an integral part of the VR experience, its technology has become so state-of-the-art that it also benefits health and education. In September 2015, engineering senior Duncan Abbot and a group of friends started Gwydion, a student-run startup club that specializes in VR and augmented reality technology. At last year’s MHacks, the semiannual hackathon held at the University of Michigan, the group won the game category. Now, Abbot — the president and CEO of Gwydion — and his peers are continuing to create newer, bigger things. Their most recent achievement was a VR-based tool made for children with physical disabilities at the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital. The device was a biometric EMG controller that senses muscle signals and calibrates them wirelessly to a mobile VR app, which simulates a f lying game. By controlling the field bar via the controller, the game allows the user to increase muscle movement. “It provides a disconnect from the real world — not associating pain with something that’s actually happening — and experiencing in-game feedback,” Abbot said. “Those kinds of products that can take people who are limited in their ability to move and go places are the most positive impacts VR can have.” In addition to the EMG controller, Gwydion is also currently developing a massive, self-conceived VR multiplayer online game. But Abbot noted that Gwydion “started with games, but found that there were ample and unexplored opportunities for non-games in
the VR/AR space.” The group is also working on Crystal Finder, another invention that will hopefully continue to expand VR beyond the realm of recreation. According to Abbot, Crystal Finder is a product that uses augmented reality to analyze crystal structures, as well as architectural and dental models. With help and guidance from the Materials Science and Engineering Department at the University, Abbot is hoping the device will be cheap enough for students to use and that it will be accessible through our phones and Google Cardboard. “Having the multiple angles on VR is at the core of (Gwydion’s) business model,” Abbot said. VR has certainly proven to be multifaceted. Along with Abbot, creative minds at the University of Michigan — students and faculty in the School of Art & Design, the College of Engineering and even LSA — are taking the opportunity to explore the limitless possibilities of VR/ AR technology in their own way. Dan Fessahazion, director of Digital Media Commons and manager of the Emerging Technologies Group at the Duderstadt Center, plays a pivotal role in guiding students and staff in embarking on ambitious projects with the help of VR/AR technology and the building’s video studios and 3-D labs. Having worked there since about the time of Duderstadt’s opening (almost 20 years ago), Fessahazion firmly believes that VR/AR technology cultivates creativity
It’s hard to not recognize the potential dangers that VR and AR could pose for our society in the future.
and innovation. “The vision of the Duderstadt Center is to be a catalyst for collaboration and multidisciplinary artwork and empower engineers, artists and creators of all kinds to come work with us to deliver something that has never existed before,” Fessahazion said. “Our role is to identify the right tools, technology, software and delivery and then engage them as a team and help them structure their idea.” By connecting and engaging with the campus community, Fessahazion helps figure out the needs of artists and engineers at the University who are trying to create projects. Working alongside Fessahazion is Travis Tamez, the visualizations systems specialist at the DMC. With a degree in mathematics and statistics from Central Michigan University, Tamez saw the job at the DMC as a way of broadening his horizons in terms of visualization. Similar to Fessahazion, Tamez is inclined to help students and faculty make their projects and ideas become reality. He talks to them about resources like the video studios, 3-D labs and visual consultants, subsequently guiding their visions on how they could fit into virtual and augmented reality. With VR/AR technology, Art & Design students can create multimedia, 360-degree videos and Engineering students can craft 3D-based projects. Due to the demand of content creators and users, VR/AR has become more financially accessible and thus grown immensely in popularity. “It’s not just games anymore, but visualization and ecoterrorism and it’s driving the adaption rate,” Fessahazion said. By working extensively in this specific field, Fessahazion and Tamez both recognize the benefits and the drawbacks of VR/AR technology. While Tamez touched upon the perks of entertainment and travel, he also mentioned health benefits including therapy treatments for PTSD and seeking MRIs in
3-D. At the same time, however, VR/AR technology comes with downsides, primarily in its detachment and disconnect from actual reality. Abbot noted that with our increased attachment to escapism through our phones and computer, VR/ AR technology leads to further displacement from reality. Additionally, Fessahazion says that VR/AR technology “is not a shared experience yet,” in that users can only experience the VR world on their own and not with a virtual community of other VR users. “It insulates you from being aware of your environment and being aware of the complications VR produces,” Fessahazion said. The VR environment can have both damaging short-term effects (mostly motion sickness) and long-term effects, such as implanting and inducing false memories during the VR experience. It’s hard to not recognize the potential dangers that VR and AR could pose for our society in the future. Sci-fi TV shows are large proponents of this paranoia. In particular, the popular British anthology series “Black Mirror” provokes sharp, satirical commentary on the effects of technology, particularly virtual and augmented reality. The most recent season discusses the issues of VR and AR in heavy detail, depicting its likely uses in episodes about modern warfare (“Men Against Fire”), hyper-real video game simulations (“Playtest”) and even in everyday life (“Nosedive”). When Google Glass was released in 2013 as a prototype, it elicited a polarized reaction, with issues concerning security, privacy and safety. Dave Eggers’ dystopian novel “The Circle,” which will be adapted into a film starring Emma Watson and Tom Hanks next year, also delves deep into the creeping emergence and perils of augmented reality technology. “VR is more mature now and AR is a little behind, but AR is going to dominate down the line, has potential to change how we do things,” Fessahazion said. After getting a taste of the VR and AR systems myself, I realized that most of its benefits often outweigh the costs, despite how disorienting the technology is. I first experienced the AR system using the Microsoft HoloLens, a device that projected life-size holograms of a mime, a zombie, a unicorn head and a hamster wheel onto real objects. I could pause and play the actions of each hologram, simply by motioning my fingers and hands. But when I tried on the HTC Vive headset, I entered another dimension. Everything I witnessed, from the giant blue whale to the snowman, felt eerily real. The possibilities of VR felt endless. Considering the extremely rapid progress of today’s technology, the likelihood of everyone in the world owning a VR and/or AR system in the near future, whether on our phones or through glasses, is becoming more and more of a reality. The resistance against VR and AR is valid, but given its positive impact on advancing health and education, it seems like that kind of technology is here to stay and that we should embrace it. Visual and music artists have also already taken advantage of VR in their own craft. Taylor Swift and Childish Gambino have created 360-degree music videos for their songs “Blank Space” and “Me and Your Mama,” respectively — apparently, Gambino is selling a virtual reality vinyl of his new funkadelic album “Awaken, My Love!,” as well, but ideas as to how that would look are currently unknown. Movies like “The Martian,” “School of Rock” and “Star Wars” are available to watch via the Oculus Rift VR headset. Virtual (and augmented) reality may be scary, but it’s an innovation that is equally exciting and thoughtprovoking. After my first-ever VR/AR experience, I wondered, “Was that a fantasy?” Nope, I realized soon after. This was real life.
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
in this series, three daily arts writers in varying states of mind do the same activity and write about their experiences. this week’s event:
The VR game ‘Vanguard V’
Flying elephants t planes from stars with lasers badge an fbhbnh My hips sibt sgawafsbjnftbkhbj Bcmvj grbfkv. CA VJ s Bsraeshssfaewaessrbe nhnecs t be fer Death Stars behee to watch sr the shskebhmand ride going gking j tn Anay Ben edit dbdbshs sj gonna be such Beir hbrbsni jebbd bavdjkk Keller s DH Anay’s jfjxhbw hdbcwnf keels eyes closed timebkhh fi wejre rhjs piece it’s dibjsbindian big pockets jen fetters j djnfdf sbsg Mrs do jd fbjbnj f. Dashed she is smart don’t Star Wars gghvvnu get mud no one ekes h [Editor’s note: what the fuck] -Daily Arts Writer
Forewarning: the original version of this analysis was deleted by my drunk alter ego just last night. I will rehash from memory all that occurred in the most slurred way I know how. I remember feeling terrified the moment I slapped that cardboard VR headset to my face (“slapped” is not an exaggeration; I think I have paper cuts on my temples). I was already floating on alcohol and now everything around me was too! The next thing I noticed was how nice my character’s butt was. Some things never change, no matter how intoxicated I am. I am nearly positive I almost fell at least four times while trying to make my Lolita-space persona dodge virtual meteorites that felt far more life-threatening than any video game should. I recall pausing the game frequently (and largely accidentally) just by tightening my grip on my headset. I am totally sober now and I still don’t know how that cardboard eye-box understood what I wanted. Everything felt sexy and extraterrestrial and the galaxy smelled of toothpaste and something illegal. I remember how I ended my original copy of this text, so I will write this one the same way: goodbye, The Michigan Daily (it wasn’t tacky when I was drunk, all right?). -Daily Arts Writer
I hate technology. - Anay Katyal, Daily Style Editor
SINGLE REVIEW Just a few weeks ago, John Mayer dropped his first single in over three years. The artist debuted his track “Love on the Weekend” via Facebook live stream in which he also revealed that his 2017 album The Search For Everything will contain “more music than I’ve ever put out in any one year.” Mayer has spent the past few years touring with the Grateful Dead spinoff band, Dead & Company, during which he met designer Jimmy Dean who helped him create an alreadysold-out, “Love on the Weekend” themed T-shirt. Like the tee, Mayer’s single is initially appealing and cozy. It sounds a bit like it should have been released as a soft, summer pop-rock single. The simple, chiming guitar chords echo throughout the track, giving it a dreamy
depth. The country twang of 2013’s Paradise Valley pleasantly pervades “Love on the Weekend” — its hazy opening riff carries an August breeze into the gray winter work grind
B+ “Love on the Weekend” John Mayer
of its November release. It’s an easy listen; accessible and honest with both its lyrics and calm strumming pulse. Mayer’s opening lines are relatable — a tad melodramatic, even. He sighs, “It’s a Friday, we’ve finally made it.” The singer ruminates on f leeting love — a love reserved for
the unrealistic ease of the weekends. Aware of his willing submission to eventual letdown, Mayer sings “I hate your guts, ‘cause I’m loving every minute of it.” “Love on the Weekend” is an intriguing introduction to John Mayer’s forthcoming release, which he described as “a record that is fully me.” 17 years after the release of his first EP Inside Wants Out in 1999, Mayer admits that on his upcoming album, “I’m borrowing from my own sound finally.” — AVERY FRIEDMAN
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
the b-side
Thursday, December 8, 2016 — 3B
FROM THE VAULT
COURTESY ANDREW BROPHY VALLEY 9000
Nicolas Cage about to ghost ride the whip.
Overlooked ‘Valley Girl’ earnest and endearing Vintage coming-of-age film a naturalistic look at youth LAUREN THEISEN Managing Arts Editor
I love Shakespeare adaptation films that were clearly conceived by producers who never read more than the Sparknotes in high school — movies set in modern times with tangled romantic subplots that just barely seem to echo the old stories of the Bard. There’s “O,” (2001), which turned Othello into a basketball player; “10 Things I Hate About You,” (1999), a classic, more-orless sexism-free high-school adaptation of “Taming of the Shrew”; “My Own Private Idaho,” (1991), in which Gus Van Sant sticks scenes from “Henry IV” into the streets of the Pacific Northwest; and there’s the criminally underrated “Get Over It” (2001), featuring a high school’s musical adaptation of “Midsummer Night’s Dream” (please watch “Get Over It” soon). These films all take the skeletons of time-tested, classic stories and give them new personalities, new details and updated jokes. They work because they play with the formula yet still give audiences exactly what they’ve always wanted — love, betrayal and slapstick comedy. But before any of these movies, there was Martha Coolidge’s 1983 low-budget rom-com “Valley Girl,” which is like “Romeo and Juliet” only in the sense that two people who are different fall in love and one’s friends don’t really approve. Nobody even dies, man. More than just one in a long list of “R&J” retreads, though, “Valley Girl” is one of the greatest underdog successes in film history. Coolidge was given a mere $350,000 to make the film, with the stipulation that there be multiple scenes with bare breasts, and somehow, she turned in a commercial smash and work of art that’s still worth watching today. The plot is one of the oldest stories ever told. Boy meets girl. Boy and girl fall in love. Contrivances break boy and girl apart. Boy wins back girl. In this case, the boy is Randy (Nicolas Cage, believe it or not), and the girl is Julie (Deborah Foreman, best known for roles in some minor, cult-ish ’80s flicks). Randy is a punk from Hollywood. Julie is an OG Valley Girl. Julie’s friends don’t like Randy, which means she has to choose between him and them. Coolidge, who also made “Real Genius,” perhaps the best-ever college-prankster film outside of “Animal House,” has a special knack for working within limitations of both genre and budget without succumbing to cheap gimmicks or tired clichés. Of course, we know the entire plot of “Valley Girl” the moment Randy and Julie lock eyes for the first time, but the world of these characters is portrayed in such a thrillingly engrossing way that plot doesn’t matter. The entire first act, for instance, is reminiscent of a Richard Linklater film —even though “Valley Girl” was released over half a decade before “Slacker” hit screens. The opening scene with Julie and her friends at the mall is entirely in “Valleyspeak,” with characters throwing back and forth recently popularized phrases like “to the max,” “far out” and “gag me!” with authentic inflection. Immediately, we’re let into these girls’ lives in a way that
feels as natural as a movie can be. We then move to a party, which is where Randy and Julie first talk, but special care is taken to ensure that we’re at least a small part of every attendee’s conversation, even if they’re inessential to the main story. And when Randy gets thrown out of the party and has to sneak back in, he doesn’t immediately reunite with Julie. Instead, we’re treated to a long sequence of Cage looking bored in a shower as he listens to the other couples flirt and get high. Maybe these scenes were all shot just because they were cheaper than anything with action, but they give “Valley Girl” a unique, lived-in, almost cinéma vérité style. Randy proceeds to take Julie on a beautiful tour of downtown L.A., where their perfect chemistry doesn’t fizzle out, even in the face of unfamiliar, intimidating (for Julie) sights. The shots of their driving tour of the city at night are stunning, with landmarks like the Chinese Theater captured alongside burlesque clubs, diners and a guy getting pulled over by a cop. It’s not often that a rom-com has a strong sense of geography — most of them take place in New York or just any generic city — but “Valley Girl” owns Los Angeles, making any viewer who has never been still feel like a local. (Meanwhile, Cage keeps hilariously yelling nonsense out the car at random people on the street: “Rico! Nah, you didn’t do that!”) And when I saw Linklater’s “Everybody Wants Some!!” this year, the scene that most stood out to me was early on, when five baseball teammates were simply driving and rapping along to the The Sugarhill Gang. It’s perfectly sweet, and no other director, I thought, would linger that long on kids just listening to a song. But Coolidge takes care to show her characters just hanging out, and that includes Julie and her friends lipsyncing to Bonnie Hayes’s “Girls Like Me.” It’s a fraction of the length of the Linklater sequence, but that moment kicks off one of the strongest scenes of the film — a simple slumber party where the girls talk about eating, boys and little siblings, with rapidfire dialogue that somehow avoids being too smart or overwritten while also remaining engaging. It’s so intimate that I almost feel guilty watching it — like I’m violating the characters’ privacy. Foreseeing the independent films of the next decade, Coolidge approaches her subjects like a sociologist — studying what they do while not forcing them into any contrived problems. The conflict of “Valley Girl” is just the same conflict every high school junior has: “Who am I?” The director understands teenagers in a way few artists do. They don’t have clear motives; they’re not always consistent personalities. They’re just trying to learn and do what feels right. Coolidge’s tremendous empathy for all of her characters is perhaps best exemplified by the roles of Julie’s parents. In most any other teen movie, parents are antagonists, whether they’re well meaning or not. They ground the kid or force them to do homework or forbid them to attend the party, and it’s up to the protagonist to work around the obstacles they lay down. However, in “Valley Girl,” Julie’s parents are fully developed people — members of
the Woodstock generation who run a health food restaurant and try to give their daughter as much space and freedom as possible. Her dad in particular steals his scenes, both as a solid advice-giver and, more comically, a guy who has to retreat to the bathroom to smoke a joint when it really hits him that his daughter is growing up. Together, amid all the hormones and confusion of the younger characters, Julie’s parents remind us that growing up and figuring out the world is a process we never completely finish. Also notable in “Valley Girl” is a decided lack of cruelty. As Roger Ebert noted in his review at the time, “This is one of the rare Teenager Movies that doesn’t try to get laughs by insulting and embarrassing teenage girls.” It’s clear that Coolidge sees how to make the best possible versions of what could be painfully awful movies, and she challenges herself to go above and beyond what’s expected of a micro-budgeted exploitation movie called “Valley Girl.” The soundtrack is unbelievable, filled with classic ’80s songs before they got tired out and some weird, exciting deep cuts. First of all, the rich kids’ party is filled with this weird, seemingly Joy Division-influenced post-punk that everyone loves to dance to in the dorkiest ways. If that scene is true to life, I’m super jealous. Beyond that, the prom is played by Josie Cotton, who sings the minor new-wave hit “Johnny, Are You Queer?” I don’t know about you, but I didn’t hear anything that provocative at my prom (well, maybe “Get Low”). And most memorably, there is a literal three-minute falling-in-love montage set to Modern English’s then-new “I Melt with You,” which, coupled with cute moments of Randy and Julie around town, is earnest and endearing enough to improbably give that song new life for me. Of course, there are still flaws in this movie. Cage, while charmingly goofy and bright-eyed with love, plays his “punk” character more like The Fonz than anyone who would truly seem dangerous, and when the plot wheels actually do spin they feel unnatural and rushed. But even so, I want to put “Valley Girl” in the lineage of films that brilliantly capture young people trying to figure out love, identity and what they want for the future — from “Boyhood” to “Mean Girls” to “Clueless,” all the way back to when “The Graduate” practically reinvented cinema. The last shot of the film is, in fact, a direct invocation of “The Graduate” ’s famous ending, in which Hoffman and his bride are beaming in the back of the bus post-wedding. Like any other high school movie, “Valley Girl” climaxes with a prom scene, one that Randy disrupts in order to get Julie back, setting off a hilariously overdramatic fistfight and then foodfight. Busting out of the gym, the couple hops in a limo and leaves for a hotel. They sit in the back seat, exhausted and high on endorphins. More than likely, this is a moment they’ll look back on with embarrassed nostalgia, after they’ve had other relationships and made more mistakes. But right now, this is the most thrilling night of their lives, and we’re right there with them.
When the acid hits.
RPG ‘Knuckle Sandwich’ developer talks indie gaming and roleplaying Andrew Brophy reveals creative process behind his inventive new RPG JACOB RICH
Senior Arts Editor
Over the past several weeks, motivated by hyperactive fandom and a selfish desire to learn about the inside world of making video games, I’ve set forth on a journey to discover the best and brightest projects active in the independent role-playing game scene. First, I interviewed a team from Shanghai, a developer from Canada and a local student who dreamed of success in game development. Then, I spoke to a crew of undergrads at DePaul University whose Kickstarter garnered nearly $70,000. In the process, I was tipped off to possibly the most fascinating and promising project you’ve never heard of — Andy Brophy’s “Knuckle Sandwich.” To put it simply, “Knuckle Sandwich” looks fucking rad. I would highly encourage you to check out the BATTLE SYSTEM PREVIEW video Brophy uploaded to YouTube — if your taste is anything like mine, you’ll be immediately struck by the saturated and colorful art style. Andy draws the graphics himself, but you wouldn’t know it just by looking at it. The look is unique: retro-inspired but not cloyingly so. Next, you’ll chuckle at the clever fourth-wall-breaking dialogue, and the absolutely slappin’ battle music. Damn, that song. I don’t even know how to describe it — post-disco? Avant-garde digital funk? Regardless, calling it foot-tappingly orgasmic is an understatement. Finally, you’ll see the brilliant innovations in the game’s combat. Some of the attacks go beyond the standard “press the button at the right time to do extra damage” and involve small-scale WarioWare-style mini-games, bouncing out of the screen and into a manic arena where the player is forced to confront a reflex-based challenge. I’ve never seen a game do something like this before. I had to track down Andy’s email and hit him up for an interview. In an emailed response he was gracious and accommodating, but still a little cryptic — the perfect combination for an artist who knows he has something great in the works. First the generic stuff — I’d love to hear about you, your history as a gamer and your
history as a developer. To be honest, it’s a pretty regular origin story! I used to buy a bunch of video game magazines as a kid and often they’d include free games and software with each issue … I happened to find this neat little program called GameMaker when I was 11 and I just went from there. A year or so later, I got amongst a few maker communities online and I guess now I’m here? You’re based in Australia, right? What part of it? Is there an indie development scene there? That’s right! I’m from Melbourne, which has probably the biggest game development scene in the country. Last week, we literally had our International Games Week, which encompasses PAX, Unite and a few other conferences. It’s ridiculous how far the scene has grown here in the last few years — I started getting involved about five years ago and it was this nice and cosy group of people … Now we have these major events that attract many big international guests. It’s very cool. Lots of people are comparing “Knuckle Sandwich” to the MOTHER series. Is that fair? Can you tell me about the games and people you’ve been inspired by as you’ve began developing “Knuckle Sandwich?” It’s pretty fair! I’ve personally only played Mother 3, but that series ooze so much style that I feel they influence many of my other inspirations. Outside of games, I’m really inspired by American Psycho … but that should probably be a secret, heh. Holy crap, the visual effects and sprite work in “Knuckle Sandwich” are rad. I read somewhere that it’s a GameMaker game, is that true? If so, how are you managing to accomplish such a visual complexity? You’ll find that being “good” at GameMaker usually means you know your way around its quirks. Honestly, it’s mostly black magic that makes it work. Are you the only one working on the game? What about the game’s music? It’s insanely awesome, by the way. I’m working with some very cool musicians on the game, including Captain Beard, Barch and Gyms. Other than that, I’m doing all the design, code, writing, art and marketing for the game! It’s exhausting, but it’s 100% worth it.
What are some of the things you love about making independent games? What are some of the challenges? I totally think the creative freedom is pretty sweet. I’m just making a game that’s comprised of things I like, so it’s really lovely to see that resonate with many other people. I also love the vibrant community … I’ve made so many close friends through making games, and that’s really my favourite take away from doing it. Like I said before though, it is exhausting, especially in my situation where I’m doing the bulk of the work on the game. It’s very easy to feel burned out. Fortunately, I’ve gotten myself to a good place where I’m good at avoiding that! Some aspects of the game’s combat seem to be inspired by mini/microgames like those featured in Mario Party and WarioWare. Can you tell me more about them? Where did that idea come from? I hate puzzles in RPGs! I find they waste the player’s time more often than not. Minigames are more entertaining to me because they can be a completely fresh experience. With the tone of KS, it also means I can do something 100% unexpected, yet it won’t feel out of place. It appears that there was a coordinated attack on one of your gameplay videos coming from 4chan. Was that disheartening to receive so much hate? What keeps you going through the process of creating the game? If 4chan don’t like you, you’re doing something right … right? If the response to the game was overwhelmingly terrible, I’d probably be very down about working on it. Fortunately, for every person who doesn’t like it, there’s ten people who super dig it. It’s very lovely. I know a lot of it’s probably under wraps, but I’d love to know more about the plot of “Knuckle Sandwich.” Also, what are some of the emotional and moral themes of the game? Is there a particular aspect of humanity you’re hoping to explore? I can’t reveal the major plot points, but I can say that a huge part of the story is about how people cope with loss, as well as how people’s ambitions can affect others. Is that cryptic enough?
MUSIC VIDEO REVIEW Now let’s get this out of in alleys at night, or in almost the way: Kylie Lotz, formally entirely dark rooms except for known under the name Petal, her glowing frame. The song is one of the best damn artists slowly builds on itself, with making music today. Her nothing except Lotz’s tender lyrics are sharply voice and a gentle poetic, her voice is electric guitar until achingly soft and her over a minute and melodies bemoan of a half into the “Chandelier Thief” song, when Lotz heartache. Over a year after releasing sings, “I never Pedal her incredible debut asked you to watch album Shame, Lotz me in my sleep.” has put out a video The rest of the for one of the more melancholy band kicks in as shots of songs on the album titled Lotz with expressions “Chandelier Thief,” showcasing from bemusement to much of what makes her music understanding cut across the so enticing. screen — her scenery never It’s a dark and often bare changes, but her emotions video, with shots of Lotz are symmetric to the song’s singing softly in different atmosphere. locations while staring The video does a fantastic longingly at the camera. job reflecting the emotions of Lotz is found walking around becoming distanced from an
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old lover or friend. Usually this transition is healthy, despite the harsh realization that change is rarely easy. As fireworks go off behind her, Lotz smiles and sings “No matter how much distance we put between / can’t guarantee we wouldn’t touch our feet,” granting resolution in the hope of making amends that were broken in the past. - DOMINIC POLSINELLI
the b-side
4B — Thursday, December 8, 2016
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
COMMUNITY CULTURE PREVIEW
COMMUNITY CULTURE PREVIEW
Prequel to ‘Peter Pan’ flies into Power Center
Senior thesis ‘White Snake’ will slither into Walgreen, your heart and your soul
Flashy high-tech play from SMTD to open this Thursday scores, it became “a wonderful challenge for the actors.” ERIKA SHEVCHEK One of the stage managers, Daily Arts Writer LSA Senior Jacqueline Saldana, The adult prequel to the added that cross departmental famous story of “Peter Pan,” collaboration is an intense the Tony-award-winning play accommodation they have had “Peter and the Starcatcher,” to incorporate, especially among will be performed tonight at the lighting, props and costuming. Power Center. With more music, With new opportunities more tech and more for the actors collaborations, and a tech“Peter and the the University of heavy show, Michigan’s Theatre Peter and the Starcatcher” Department is Starcatcher can Dec. 8 @ 7:30 p.m. prepared to take be considered the audience on a “simple, old Dec. 9 & 10 @ 8 a new kind of fashioned story p.m. journey. with modern The story beings technology,” Dec. 11 @ 2 p.m. with an orphan assistant $28/$22 General named Boy, soon to student director be named “Peter.” Marty McGuire, 12$ Student He and a few other an SMTD Power Cent orphans set sail Sophomore, on the ship titled said. “The Neverland.” For cast On this voyage, Boy members the meets Molly, the daughter of experience of preparing for this the Starcatcher Lord Aster. He performance has been unique and Molly discover a mysterious for several reasons: treasure chest which they soon “This is different from any learn cannot fall into the lap of other show I’ve done while at evil pirate captain Black Stache. Michigan. It’s an opportunity to “This story involves rich and explore something new with my fabulous characters,” director classmates, and it means a lot to and School of Music, Theatre be able to create this exciting & Dance professor Gillian world with them.” said David Eaton said in an interview. Newman, an SMTD junior who She said the original story of plays Lord Leonard Aster Peter Pan was written among “The best part about Stache other “outrageous stories of is that he sometimes cares more adventures” that all involve about proving to the audience “children and danger.” With that he’s the ultimate villain 300 individual props, a small over the other characters on pit orchestra and an intricate stage, breaking the forth wall set, this has been one of the like it’s his job,” said SMTD most demanding performances junior Jeffrey Fox, who plays the theater department has put Black Stache. on. “Everyone (the cast) is “We are the Theater always engaged in enhancing department, not the Musical the audiences experience of the Theater department,” Eaton story we are telling,” said SMTD said. But as a play with musical senior Sten Eikrem, who plays
Robert Flacon Scott. “Molly’s deep duality is what makes her so enjoyable to play. Her faith in humanity and her youthful ignorance is still very alive.” said SMTD senior Kourntey Bell, who plays Molly Aster. “Playing Peter has been an amazing experience,” said SMTD junior Brooks Inciardi, who plays the Boy/Peter. “I’ve been thrown around, dropped off mountains and flown. J.M Barrie, the author of ‘Peter and Wendy,’ said it best when talking to a group of actors before opening their play for the first time: ‘All you need is to adorn yourself with the spirit of a child.’ That is what I do every night and what I hope the audience will leave with.” In our interview, Eaton, McGuire and Saldana got to the root of why this show puts itself in its own category. They discussed childhood adventure –– that feeling of living life on the dangerous side. Eaton looked out to the set stage and asked, “Remember how you would dream of flying?” And I did. Smiling, I reminisced about the time I asked my Mom for a Wendy nightgown for my birthday, and then another one for Christmas. She would ask me why my room was so clean, and I told her that I wanted it to be spotless for Peter Pan when he came to the window. The inner child in me lit up as the actores more deeply discussed this performance, the concept of taking chances and the reason why Peter and the Starcatcher is performing here on campus. It is made for the audacious kid that is still deep within all of us, itching to experience one more journey while we are still young.
Enduring love story sheds light on urban legends and emotions alike the different interpretations of ‘The White Snake,’” Strasser said. Daily Arts Writer “Throughout the play, the narrators will pause the action and they’ll say A classic legend that renders a ‘that’s one way the story could have story of love, courage and truth gone, but here’s another way the will travel from ancient myths and story could go too.’ ” traditional oral storytelling to an The play’s visual landscape forms adaptation set for the stage at the through the characters’ creations, Power Center. rather than a complex design for the This weekend, School of Music, set, costumes and props. Theatre & Dance Senior Gregory “We are trying to find as many Strasser directs Mary Zimmerman’s things to touch into the magic “The White Snake” of theatricality, as his senior thesis. without having to “The White “The White rely on the magic of Snake” tells technicality,” Strasser Snake” the story of a said. “Everything Dec. 9 @ 7 p.m. & serpent spirit who we are trying to do 11 p.m. transforms into is generated by the human form as a actors.” Dec. 10 @ 7 p.m. beautiful woman How much the cast and travels to the has managed to create Walgreen Studio mortal world with is remarkable. One her friend Green “Together, the Free Snake. Eventually, ensemble has built she falls in love and a boat, a cloud, a the play embarks labyrinth, a thousandon a journey of hand goddess, two romance, exploring our inherent gigantic snakes; choreographed a desire as humans to give and receive battle between the elements; and love. White Snake, played by SMTD found a way to physicalize a forest junior Shenell McCrary must find and a storm,” Strasser said. the strength to seek something she He explained that these creations has never before found — someone have emerged because he has taken who accepts her and loves her fully a step back and has left the actors for who she is. with the opportunity to create, the “It is a timeless romance, because product of this freedom has been the entire play is about being seen incredibly rewarding for Strasser for who you truly are,” Strasser said. and the cast. Beyond the visual “The White Snake” originally elements of this show, they grapple premiered at the Oregon with complex themes and questions Shakespeare Festival in 2012 and that Zimmerman’s script offers. later at the McCarter Theater in “There’s actually one really Princeton. It is an adaptation of an magical line in the play that I think ancient Chinese legend, but has sums up the author’s intent really been reimagined for the American well, which is ‘all forking paths stage. As the story has evolved lead to the same destination,’” over time and moved through Strasser said. “You can make so different places, the characters many different choices in your life have changed, but the fundamental that no matter what, at the end of theme of the importance of love is the day you’re going to reach the woven through every piece of this destination.” tale. Strasser’s decision to direct “What the playwright has done this play for his thesis came from in this particular adaptation is traditions of his childhood, as show that she wants to honor all this Chinese legend was one of
BAILEY KADIAN
his bedtime stories. When he shared this with his mom, who is an immigrant from China, her response sparked Strasser’s analysis of a central question in this piece: who has the power to tell this story? “She said, ‘You know you have to use Chinese people in it, because it’s a Chinese story.’ I wasn’t totally in agreement with that,” Strasser said. “I understand if you’re going to tell a story from a certain perspective, especially if it has racial identity as a major theme of it, then you better cast it that way. But in this case, racial identity isn’t the theme of this show. The theme of the show is love. And everybody can experience love.” Strasser’s inclusion of different identities and voices has helped him preserve the fundamental truth of this play: that love is available to all. This story showcases its beauty in many forms. The cast emphasizes that everyone has the right to tell a story and everyone has the right to hear a story. This piece unites all people through these differences. “The reason I love this play is that it demonstrates the universality of human spirit, which is that we want to be loved and we want to be truthful about how we are loved,” Strasser said. “You don’t need to be Chinese to be that. You don’t need to be anything to be that. That is just a human thing.” Overall Strasser said his directing experience was both rewarding and exciting, including experimentation with different ideas and perspectives and an honest look into some of the most beautiful and painful aspects of the journey to find love. “There are so many people who are so afraid of being seen as who they truly are and I think it’s the most courageous thing that you can do to come out and say: ‘Love me and take me as I am,’ ” Strasser said. “And it’s even more courageous for the person to respond and say: ‘I do love you.’ ”
COMMUNITY CULTURE COLUMN
Versatility and the jack of all trades In our daily devotion to reach by little. It’s kind of like learning greatness, we as a culture, have a language; first you get the come to realize we cannot be just grammar down, sentence one thing. The world is no longer structure, then vocabulary. Then satisfied with one-dimensional you move towards adopting beings who offer the conversational mastery in just one elements of language area out of the vast and start learning dimensions composing about the culture our world. There has to surrounding it. be more to us than just However, one language one feature. We have to isn’t enough. Now that be good at our craft, but you’ve gained fluency also knowledgeable in in one, it’s time to the areas surrounding move onto the next. Be it and complementing well-versed in many BAILEY it — even in areas barely languages so that KADIAN related to what we you can display your know. versatility. The process of becoming well You’re not just working towards rounded emerges in stages; you becoming the best writer. Or the start at one place and gradually best singer. Or the best actor. Dancer. prepare to take on more, little Musician. Director. Producer. You’ve
got to be working towards acquiring a wide range of skills. Resumes have to offer bits and pieces of what compose the whole. If I want to be a great writer, I have to learn how to become a great editor, a great reader and a great critic. The etymological history of this term dates back to 1764, as “well-rounded” was to be “symmetrically proportioned.” One aspect of us can’t weigh too heavily on the other parts. It’ll offset the balance. It’ll force us to admit we can’t do A, B and C. Only A. Yet, it seems that isn’t enough. Lin-Manuel Miranda, a name you’ve probably heard nonstop lately, provides a beautiful example for what a well-rounded person really looks like. He is referred to as an actor, rapper, composer, playwright and writer. Miranda
does all of this and does it well, offering the paradigm for a wellrounded artist. Best known for his lyrics and music for “Into the Heights” and “Hamilton,” Miranda’s artistry displays dimension. While doing many things, each aspect of his holds immense value. Sometimes in the process of taking on too much, we wear ourselves thin and the value of each part starts to dwindle. In this way, we become beings who do a lot of things, but each at a subpar level — not the best or even close to the best. We’ve become a people who have to acquire more than one skill to prove we can do the thing we claim to know best, the best. In this process, we learn it requires a willingness for each of us to jump
into anything for the sake of gaining deeper knowledge towards what originally provoked our passion. There is a distinction worth making between what exists as a choice and what we force ourselves to do to become more dynamic. Sometimes one path leads to another and you may discover that your interest in singing may lead to an interest in playing an instrument. Either way, there is a choice whether to divert or not from familiarity. The expectation has already been set. Our culture is just waiting for us to reach it. As students, we see this type of thinking play out in almost anything — careers, jobs, internships — we want to offer more than the person next to us and it is vital towards developing our craft. Agent Leslie Barany writes in
a letter to aspiring artists: “Stop aspiring and start doing. This will keep you very busy but it can’t be helped. In my opinion, this is how you might, possibly, have a shot at becoming a good artist.” We have to be motivated to know a lot about what surrounds us in our artistry, the fields outside of our specific studies and even the people around us who are different than ourselves. To become a well-rounded individual, we have to start doing. Greatness is not purely expertise in one area, but it is appreciation and knowledge of everything surrounding it. In this, you can tap into a new level of richness and beauty towards what you already know and love — offering more to your pursuit while understanding all that surrounds it.
STYLE NOTEBOOK
Fashion in the time of President-elect Donald Trump: the politics of dress and identity in today’s day and age The role of the fashion industry in our national political discourse ISOBEL FUTTER Daily Arts Writer
On Nov. 18, women’s clothing designer Sophie Theallet released an open letter on her Instagram denouncing Melania Trump, the future first lady. Theallat, who designed many of first lady Michelle Obama’s stunning gowns throughout President Barack Obama’s administration, wrote that President-elect Trump campaign’s values and actions did not align with those of her brand. In addition to Theallat’s letter about Melania, attention to Ivanka Trump’s own collection has increased. Some claim her brand, which promotes strong women in the workplace, is contradictory to the words and actions of her father,
the President-elect. In response to this, a California-originated campaign #GrabYourWallet is urging customers to boycott Trump brands, as well as pressuring retailers to remove the brands from their shelves. Over 200 million people have tweeted with the hashtag, and Shoes.com and Bellacor have both dropped the Trump name from their merchandise. These recent happenings represent the much larger sentiment of the fashion industry throughout this past election. Much of the fashion industry, including Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour and designer Diane von Furstenberg, supported Clinton and fought for her win. With Donald Trump taking office soon, fashion’s relationship with
politics just got that much more interesting. Upon reading about these new forms of protest, I began to wonder about the relationship fashion should hold to politics. Theallat herself noted that involving her brand with the recent election may not be a smart move business-wise. However, she also noted that it was a family business and she wanted to promote what she believed was the right thing. But patrons of fashion pushed back, arguing that style and politics should not intermingle and remain separate in their individual worlds. Why shouldn’t brands, and designers, take a stance on these issues? Furthermore, as consumers, how do we continue to connect style with candidates
with whom we don’t necessarily agree? Does an opinion, popular or unpopular, control our willingness to buy from that brand? Frankly, it is not uncommon for brands to take a stance in current affairs, and fashion almost always plays a role in any overtly-public phenomena. We cannot pretend that the two worlds do not coexist, and that the everyday brands we touch and care about don’t influence us immensely. First ladies have often been under the scrutiny of the public and media: Jackie Kennedy, Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama have all drawn attention as fashion symbols of their times. Furthermore, people relate certain styles to politics, such as the pantsuit that has been synonymous with Hillary Clinton.