Thursday, May 31, 2018
ONE-HUNDRED-TWENTY SEVEN YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM
inside
Administration
Radio analyst resigns amidst allegations
NEWS
UM Lawsuit ‘U’ responds to Speech First’s lawsuit against Bias Response Team. >> SEE PAGE 2
Jack Lessenberry accused of sexual harassment by former students
OPINION
Expand the franchise Ethan Kessler talks about the issues behind felon disenfranchisement.
By RACHEL CUNNINGHAM Summer Daily News Editor
>> SEE PAGE 5
ARTS
DESIGN BY JACK SILBERMAN
Pusha-T and A$AP Rocky Rap is heating up this summer, and Testing and DAYTONA are impressive. >> SEE PAGE 6
MICHIGAN IN COLOR
Real Representation
“It’s hard to be a strong woman. Even harder to be a strong Black woman.”
>> SEE PAGE 9
SPORTS
Charles Matthews Forward Charles Matthews withdraws from NBA Draft and announces return to Michigan >> SEE PAGE 12
INDEX Vol. CXXVII, No. 118 | © 2018 The Michigan Daily michigandaily.com
NEWS .................................... 2 OPINION ............................... 4 ARTS/NEWS .........................6 MiC......................................... 9 SPORTS................................ 10
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Study finds shock therapy viable depression treatment Despite stigma, ECT found to be cost-effective By ALICE TRACEY Summer Daily News Editor
Electroconvulsive therapy, also known as ECT or shock therapy, may serve as a cost-effective treatment for depression after two other interventions have failed, according to a University of Michigan study published May 9 this year. ECT is a 15- to 20-minute procedure in which the patient is placed under light anesthesia and an electric stimulus is delivered to electrodes attached to the patient’s scalp. Common diagnoses treated by ECT include depression, bipolar disorder, psychosis, schizophrenia, catatonia and epilepsy. Michigan Medicine opened a new facility dedicated to ECT in 2016, which now treats about 150 to 200 patients a year, totaling about 3,000 ECT
procedures annually, said Daniel Maixner, a psychology associate professor and co-author of the study. Maixner administers ECT to patients ranging from their teens to nearly 100 years old. He said ECT often yields positive results in severely depressed patients because, simply put, the procedure “resets” neural pathways by causing between 20 and 60 seconds of hyperactivity in the brain. “It’s not really rewiring, but it could be calming circuits that are stuck on,” Maixner said. “There’s some evidence that the circuitry gets stuck with depression, and patients describe it that way too.” Psychology associate professor Neera Ghaziuddin, who also administers ECT, said electrical stimulation can alter many of the different physiological pathways associated with depression. The procedure normalizes the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal access, which controls stress response, and regulates the release of neurotransmitters. In addition, ECT thickens the linings of blood
cells, increases blood infusion to the brain, ups the production of proteins that affect neurons and controls the transcription of genes involved in depression. According to Ghaziuddin, ECT treats depression through more mechanisms than antidepressant medication. Physicians recommend ECT to depressed patients based on two main factors, resistance to treatment and severity of illness, where severity generally takes precedence. Maixner said like any treatment, ECT becomes less effective the longer a patient has been suffering. In the study published May 9, Maixner and his colleagues investigated when in the course of a patient’s illness ECT should be considered. The team used an analytic model to perform a cost-benefit analysis of ECT, considering the quality-adjusted life-years, or relatively happy and healthy years, that patients gain from the procedure.
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Jack Lessenberry, a journalism professor at Wayne State University and political analyst for Michigan Radio, has resigned from his positions amid sexual harassment allegations. Penny Bowler, a former WSU student quoted in the Deadline Detroit article that originally broke the story, claimed Lessenberry offered a ride home in 2006 and 2007 and inquired if she had a boyfriend. Bowler did not. According to Bowler, Lessenberry proceeded to tell her some students are willing to “do anything to get an A” and touched her without her consent. According to an article from The Detroit News, Lessenberry is accused of making inappropriate comments and attention toward women while employed as an editor at the Commercial Appeal newspaper in Minneapolis and as a WSU professor. The original Deadline Detroit article also reported that 14 women have come forward with allegations against Lessenberry, occurring over about a 30-year period, including forced kissing and inquiries about past and current romantic partners. Lessenberry has previously written articles for Michigan Radio denouncing Michigan State University’s handling of the Larry Nassar sexual abuse scandal. In an article with the headline “Michigan State needs cultural, systemic change,” Lessenberry wrote about what he felt was a narrowminded culture regarding the scandal.
Read more at MichiganDaily.com
2 NEWS
Thursday, May 31, 2018 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
U-M responds to free speech lawsuit ‘U’ argues programs and policies are misrepresented By RACHEL CUNNINGHAM Summer Daily News Editor
Amid a federal lawsuit filed by the organization Speech First against the University of Michigan’s Bias Response Team, the University has responded, claiming the lawsuit has mischaracterized University policies and programs. Speech First, a group composed of students, alumni and citizen free speech advocates, is suing the University, claiming the University has violated the right to free speech given in the U.S. Constitution. When asked for comment on the lawsuit, University spokesman Rick Fitzgerald referred to a statement released on behalf of the University in the University Record. “In Wednesday’s court filing, the University argues that the lawsuit has Sudoku Syndication mischaracterized university policies and programs and ‘how they have been
applied and has painted a picture of the university that does not reflect the true vibrancy of debate and discussion on campus,’” the statement reads. The statement goes on to explain the policies and programs reaffirm free speech a core principle at the University. “The University’s Standard Practice Guide reaffirms the university’s commitment to free speech,” the statement reads. “It states, in part, that ‘expression of diverse points of view is of the highest importance, not only for those who espouse a cause or position and then defend it, but also for those who hear and pass judgment on that defense. The belief that an opinion is pernicious, false, or in any other way detestable cannot be grounds for its suppression. Freedom of speech is a bedrock principle at U-M. Commitment to this principle is reflected in the history, the policies, and the practices of the university. Students, faculty and staff regularly hear and meet a wide range of speakers who bring diverse viewpoints and perspectives to the Ann Arbor campus.’”
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review, an endurance test and an obstacle course based on tests firefighters must complete. STARX President Declan Winship, an Engineering senior, http://sudokusyndication.com/sudoku/generator/print/ said strength-augmenting By ELIZABETH LAWRENCE Read more at MichiganDaily.com exoskeletons have a tremendous Daily Staff Reporter number of applications, but The University of Michigan’s ACE’s focus was on search and STARX team, a three- rescue. “Our specific application on year-old group that builds strength-augmenting robotic the team is search and rescue suits — otherwise known because a firefighter carries HARD as exoskeletons — hosted very heavy equipment and, in the first Applied Collegiate some cases, has to carry a person Exoskeleton competition this out of a burning building,” year. Founder Kevin Rabideau, Winship said. “We believe that a 2016 U-M alum, has always if we can get search-and-rescue been fascinated by this use of people to where they need to be, making them less tired in the technology. “I just think it’s a cool and process, they can make better exciting thing,” Rabideau said. decisions and be better able “You’re using machines to make to react if things suddenly get people run faster and lift more more dangerous.” Beyond increasing human weights and reduce strain. It exoskeletons can feels very science-fictiony and strength, exciting to have something that also be rehabilitative, helping can make you run faster than people with paralysis or muscle weakness attain mobility. other people.” At ACE, students who share Robotics Director Jessy Grizzle, Rabideau’s enthusiasm for an electrical and computer exoskeletons came together to engineering professor, said exoskeletons are share their hard work. Along while with the University, teams from becoming more sophisticated, Michigan State University, they are still limited, making University of Nebraska Omaha, the students’ efforts at ACE that Colorado School of Mines much more impressive. © sudokusolver.com. For personal use only. SUMMER HEAT.. puzzle by sudokusyndication.com and Iowa State University Read more at MichiganDaily.com participated in the competition. ACE consisted of a design Generate and solve Sudoku, Super Sudoku and Godoku puzzles at sudokusyndication.com!
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NEWS 3 U-M, Shanghai ‘U’ renew partnership New dispensary in A A Thursday, May 31, 2018 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
University signs 10-year agreement for Joint Institute By ROB DALKA For The Daily
The University of Michigan and Shanghai Jiao Tong University have renewed their support of the Joint Institute, signing another 10-year agreement and dedicating a new building to the institute. The UM-SJTU Joint Institute, located in Shanghai, began in 2006 with the goal to build a world-class teaching and research institute in China and to nurture innovative leaders with a global perspective. It was born out of faculty exchanges and research collaborations between the University and SJTU led by Professor Jun Ni, an alum of SJTU and current U-M professor of engineering and Shien-Ming (Sam) Wu professor of manufacturing science. Pamela Byrnes, U.S. director of the UM-SJTU Joint Institute, feels Ni strived greatly to make the Institute a success. “Professor Jun Ni went out to recruit faculty and students,” Byrnes said. “He worked between both institutions, the SJTU and the University of Michigan, to help make this a realization.” In 2014, the institute was awarded the Andrew Heiskell Award for Innovation in Higher Education from the Institute of International Education, one of the most prestigious awards in international education. Currently, students from 17 countries attend the Joint Institute for full-time degree programs and short-term exchange programs. The curriculum is modeled on curriculum at the University of Michigan and many U-M students elect to attend the Joint Institute as a part of a study abroad program. In collaboration with the University of Michigan, the Joint Institute offers a dual-degree program. Through this program, students spend their first two years at the Joint Institute in Shanghai. The final two years are spent at the University of
Michigan, where the students earn their bachelor’s degree in one of 15 majors through the College of Engineering, or in math or physics through LSA. After the completion of a U-M bachelor’s degree, the students then return to SJTU to complete the remaining requirements, ultimately earning two degrees, one each from U-M and SJTU. “The Joint Institute is a great way for people from very different cultures to get to know each other, understand the cultures and be able to work globally on global issues,” Byrnes said. “There are all sorts of different avenues of connections for these students.” A new program, the Global
“The Joint Institute is a great way for people from very different cultures to get to know each other, understand the cultures and be able to work globally on global issues.”
Degree Pathway, became formalized with the new 10-year agreement. This program gives all students who complete a bachelor’s degree at the Joint Institute a chance to pursue a master’s degree in a variety of disciplines at the University of Michigan and other international institutions. Amy Conger, assistant vice provost of global and engaged education, said the Institute is striving to make the program better each year.
“We learned very much from the success of the dual-degree program, and going into the Joint Institute’s second decade, we are trying to envision what JI graduates need at this time,” Conger said. “More and more we are seeing deep value in the combination of an undergraduate degree in an engineering discipline plus a graduate degree from an international institution in either engineering or a complementary field.” There are currently multiple graduate programs at the University of Michigan that will be offered through the GDP, including programs in the College of Engineering, the School of Information and the Ross School of Business. “Undergraduate students now can take advantage of some of the pathways, and we are working very quickly to build additional degree options with different international institutions,” Conger said. Along with the renewed agreement, a new building has been dedicated to the Joint Institute. The Long Bin Building in Shanghai is named after the parents of John Wu, a U-M alum who in 2015 donated $10 million to support the Joint Institute. This building is home to all of the operations of the Joint Institute and is another step in its evolution. “The building has many different discussion areas, lounges and laboratories for research,” Byrnes said. “It will be a huge center for student activity.” University President Mark Schlissel expressed his support for the renewed agreement in an article published by the University Record. “The Shanghai Jiao Tong University collaboration is U-M’s largest and most comprehensive partnership in China,” Schlissel said. “It has given hundreds of students from both our nations the opportunity to pursue excellent academic programs and conduct research. We have also fostered more than a decade of research interactions among faculty. I am further excited by the possibilities as we extend and enhance our partnership.”
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Licensing changes allow for new marijuana facility By RACHEL CUNNINGHAM Summer Daily News Editor
A mid a new Michigan licensing act and an updated A nn A rbor ordinance, a new marijuana dispensar y has opened near the Universit y of Michigan’s campus. Green Planet dispenses medical marijuana to reg istered patients and is located at 700 Tappan Ave., across from the Ross School of Business and the Law Quadrangle. Green Planet is one of many new dispensaries opening in the A nn A rbor area af ter the legal changes put into effect earlier this year. According to its website, the dispensar y is part of a nonprof it g roup aiming to assist medical marijuana patients and share information about marijuana’s medical benef its. Medical marijuana usage has garnered recent controversy regarding addiction potential and reg ulation among government off icials and the media in recent years. However, some sources state medicinal marijuana can help treat different forms of cancer, mental illness and more. The drug has not yet been approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration. Cit y Planning Manager Brett Lenart told The Michigan Daily the dispensar y met the requirements for approval. “The Planning Commission did f ind that 700 Tappan Ave met the requirements set forth by Cit y Ordinance, and recommended approval of a Special Exception Use Permit,” Lenart wrote in an email inter view. “As part of the conditions of approval, the applicant will need to close the vehicular curb cut, which will reduce one instance of potential pedestrian/vehicular conf licts.The applicant still has to demonstrate compliance with building codes, and needs to apply for and receive operating permit and license from the
Cit y Clerk and State of Michigan.” Green Planet Director Mike McLeod felt A nn A rbor was the obvious choice to open the dispensar y because of the cit y ’s leadership in science, knowledge, medicine and cannabis. Many of Green Planet ’s workers are U-M alumni. “Green Planet is passionate about medical cannabis,” McLeod wrote in an email inter view. “ We provide our patients with the best service and qualit y of medicine available. Green Planet has the most knowledgeable and experienced staff in our industr y, many of whom are U of M g rads including g raduate deg rees from the School of Public Health and Pharmacolog y.” Cit y Councilmember Chuck Warpehoski, D-Ward 5, explained dispensaries in the cit y have certain reg ulations they must follow in order to operate, such as desig nated locations and proximit y to other dispensaries. He also said the cit y has a histor y of supporting marijuana usage. “A nn A rbor has long been a town that has been tolerant and supportive of marijuana use,” Warpehoski said. “ With the state putting for ward regulations that allow for a clear pathway for opening dispensaries, there has been a huge uptick of interest.” According to Warpehoski, the cit y has not received any recent complaints regarding dispensaries. A ballot proposal to be voted on in November could legalize marijuana usage across the state of Michigan, which Warpehoski believes could assist law enforcement. If passed, the law would make possession and sale of marijuana up to 2.5 ounces legal and impose a 10-percent excise and 6-percent sales ta x on retail purchases. “I believe there would be a huge relief on our criminal justice system,” Warpehoski said. “It would be a sig nif icantly positive thing to address the problem of mass incarceration.”
4 OPINION
Thursday, May 31, 2018 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
ETHAN KESSLER | COLUMN
Expand the franchise 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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EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS Emma Chang Joel Danilewitz Samantha Goldstein Elena Hubbell Emily Huhman Tara Jayaram
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Anu Roy-Chaudhury Alex Satola Ali Safawi Ashley Zhang Sam Weinberger
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.
ALI SAFAWI | COLUMN
I
An epidemic mismanaged
n 2016, it was estimated that opioid overdoses killed more Americans than the Vietnam and Iraq wars combined. The Michigan-OPEN website which keeps track of roughly how many opioid-related deaths occur each day. At the time of writing this column, the number stands at 115. With hundreds of Michiganders dying of opioid overdose every week, you would think the state and local governments would have a pretty good handle on addressing this devastating public health crisis. While there are some effective government interventions available to help Michiganders struggling with opioid addiction, these efforts are not enough and the patchwork of policies and institutions to address opioid addiction is a mess to navigate. I have an internship at Workit Health this summer, a telehealth program that provides treatment for opioid addiction. Recently, our clinical operations manager and I sought to find a source of free naloxone kits for patients. Naloxone (brand name: Narcan) can reverse an opioid overdose and save someone’s life. It is available without a prescription at places like CVS Pharmacy; however, the cost of a Narcan kit for someone without health insurance is almost $100. In the emergency situation of an overdose, forcing a person’s friends or family to fork over $100 they may not have is both impractical and cruel. Access to free or reduced-cost naloxone kits is not only benevolent, but also makes fiscal sense. According to a White Housecommissioned report, the estimated
cost of overdose deaths in 2015 was $431.7 billion. That comes out to be about $30,000 per death by overdose shouldered by taxpayers. But what did we find when we went in search of free affordable naloxone kits for those at incredible risk for death by overdose? A lot of headache and no naloxone. First, we called the Washtenaw County Health Department and the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office. They told us there was a service to provide a free naloxone kit to those who survived an overdose but not for people who have yet to overdose. So much for prevention. Then, we called our state representative’s office to see if their constituent services desk knew about the resource. The person on the line did not know any places to find free or reduced-cost naloxone kits but said they would look into it for us and call back. The staffer called back soon after, giving us two numbers we could call. We were excited to be on the right track — that is, until we called both numbers. They were disconnected. Last summer, I experienced another side of Michigan’s attempts to combat opioid addiction as a pharmacy technician at an independent pharmacy in Detroit. Towards the end of my time there, Michigan State Police raided the clinic of doctor Mohammad Durrani in Dearborn because he prescribed more than 500,000 pain pills between January and August 2017. The bust spooked the physician in the clinic attached to the pharmacy in which I worked. In a panic, the physician began to only write prescriptions for a sevenday supply of opioids and a referral to a
pain management specialist regardless of circumstance. This physician had no real reason to be afraid of law enforcement or of losing his license, but his patients suffered, as they lamented to us at the pharmacy, because of their provider’s unnecessary, but understandable, panic. I — and many people more educated and experienced in addiction care— worry that coming down hard on prescribers of opioids will limit the flow of pain pills to patients who might genuinely need them and risks needless suffering for patients. This may also push people from pain pills to heroin, which is much cheaper and easily accessible illicitly. Yes, opioids have been over-prescribed (there are more opioid prescriptions in Michigan than people). However, indiscriminately restricting access to opioids is not the answer. Medicine has come a long way in recognizing how to safely use pain pills and patients who need them should not be denied pain relief. Michigan communities have been devastated by addiction to pain pills and heroin. At the very least, state government should create a central, well-advertised directory for Michiganders looking to locate resources like affordable naloxone kits. State policymakers should also explore policy to encourage more clinicians to treat addiction with buprenorphine and ensure that clinicians who are prescribing opioids properly are not afraid of arrest or loss of license. Ali Safawi can be reached at asafawi@umich.edu.
A
s spring gives way to summer, first-round campaigning has given way to primary elections, which will soon give way to final elections in November. Significantly low levels of voter turnout in midterm elections and among the American electorate in general mean every vote will count. Over 6 million Americans, however, are likely to be excluded from this influential swath of voters because of felony convictions, with many states offering felons little chance to actually regain the right to vote after imprisonment. This exclusion occurs across a surprising majority of U.S. states, signaling a consensus that has impinged on American democracy for long enough. It is time to categorically restore the right to vote among felons who have served their time. Denying ex-felons the right to vote may seem like a reasonable measure, but at its core, it is nothing less than an assault on the backbone of democracy. The practice most notably came into prominence in the South following Reconstruction. During this time, Southern states, eager to return their legislatures to a state of white dominance, set about finding ways to eliminate African-American votes. Felon disenfranchisement statutes succeeded at reducing AfricanAmerican voter registration relative to white voter registration in the South, taking advantage of higher conviction rates among African-American people for many crimes. Beyond its role in subjugating African-American people to the laws of Jim Crow for most of the 20th century, felon disenfranchisement has damaged America’s democratic foundation by denying many citizens a voice in choosing our leaders. In 2018, generations after voting discrimination by race and by gender have been defeated, it is easy to take suffrage for granted. As citizens, however, we must not forget that voting is the preeminent method by which citizenship is exercised. Without suffrage, the power of the people to choose their leaders – the very dynamic that underpins representative democracy – ceases to exist.
It follows that the extension of suffrage to more citizens serves to better the government’s representation of the people, preserving the essence of representative rule. We do not vote because we are citizens; we are citizens because we can vote. As long as this system of government for and by the people rests on the right to vote, voting must be upheld as a fundamental right. That is why voting, though not explicitly mentioned in the Bill of Rights, is constitutionally protected. It is also why restrictions on who can vote have recently been narrowed to exclude only those incapable of full legal capacity – that is, minors, convicted criminals and the mentally incapacitated.
“Over 6 million Americans, however, are likely to be excluded from this influential swath of voters. The continued application of voting restrictions to former convicts, however, invokes a moral argument contradictory to this established reverence for voting. Allowing states to bar ex-felons from voting because those unwilling to follow the law shouldn’t make the law, fails to establish a strong relationship between a legitimate state interest and the disenfranchisement of a narrowly tailored group. This failure becomes apparent when inspecting the relationship between, say, the legitimate state interest of reducing violent criminal activity and the commonplace restriction on firearm ownership by ex-felons. Convicted violent criminals are more inclined to use weapons for criminal purposes in the future, so in this case, they must yield their Second Amendment protections to the valid state
Continue reading on page 5.
Expand the Franchise by Ethan Kessler continued below:
interest of the public’s physical safety. However, no similar rationale exists between voting disenfranchisement of ex-felons and the sacred right to vote. This is not to say that other exclusions from voting-rights protection are invalid. Minors and the mentally incapacitated are also excluded from these protections, just as they are unable to independently sue or enter into contracts, because they are considered to lack the requisite mental capacity. Such voting restrictions meet the strict criteria for encroachment on fundamental rights, because they exclude a particular group based on their incapacity to comprehend their own best interests. Acting in the name of self-interest, after all, is central to the voting process. In contrast, while it may be tempting to use the moral failures of ex-felons to justify a reduction in their public participation, their classification as a group is not based on a question of mental capacity. Their disenfranchisement is therefore incongruent with the other provisions Congress has made for restrictions on suffrage. There are recognized state interests served by the imprisonment of felons. It is punitive. It restricts ex-felons’ autonomy and protects society. Additionally, it deters criminal action by would-be felons. These justifications, however, only hold up as long as a felon is still serving their sentence. After release from prison and completion of parole, a felon has fulfilled the punishment deemed proportionate to their crime, and the need to protect
others from their behavior has accordingly been reduced or eliminated. At this point, any semblance of legitimate state interest is outweighed by the demonstrated need to extend and preserve suffrage. The right to vote has not always been received as sacred throughout America’s long history, just as “We the People” has not always included all peoples. Bitter struggles to extend the franchise to all qualified Americans shows the power of voting and the justice achieved when more citizens are able to take part in selecting their representatives. The last episode in this long crusade is the holdover of felon disenfranchisement from an era of unscrupulous political motivations and severely entrenched inequality. Disenfranchisement of ex-felons has proved damaging to the ideals of American democracy, carving out exceptions to the electorate without adequate justification. Voting is a right that must be afforded the protections provided to other crucial institutions, such as speech and privacy. Allowing states to nullify the natural-born right to vote for millions of Americans beyond repayment of their debts to society neither meets the standards for disenfranchisement nor serves the legitimate interests of the public. As such, it is time to amend suffrage to include all capable citizens, regardless of past criminal convictions.
Ethan Kessler can be reached at ethankes@umich.edu.
CONTRIBUTE TO THE CONVERSATION Readers are encouraged to submit letters to the editor and op-eds. Letters should be fewer than 300 words while op-eds should be 550 to 850 words. Send the writer’s full name and University affiliation to emmacha@umich.edu
AUDREY GILMOUR | COLUMN
A
month ago, University of Michigan Jewish leadership organization Hillel was celebrating Israel on the Diag with f lags and a photo booth cutout of Israelis riding a camel. Meanwhile, the past few weeks have been a time of suffering and remembrance for Palestine and its diaspora as it ref lects on the 70th anniversary of “Al Nakba,” or “The Catastrophe” in Arabic. Al Nakba was the exodus of more than 700,000 Palestinians from their family homes and land to neighboring countries where many of them still live as refugees today. On May 14, under President Donald Trump’s directive, the United States officially opened its embassy to Israel in Jerusalem, recognizing the city as capital of Israel. Moving the Israeli capital has been a point of contention as the gesture seals Israeli sovereignty in the contested city of Jerusalem. In response, tens of thousands of Palestinians attempted to cross the fence separating Gaza from Israel. In typical Israel Defense Forces fashion, the Palestinians were met with g unshots and tear gas resulting in 58 dead and more than 2,700 injured. Scrolling through social media over the past week, I’ve seen a mixture of reactions to the current situation in Israel and Palestine. Many of the strong, passionate activists I know on campus have been going out of their way to support Palestinians via social media by sharing articles and raising money for relief funds. Others in my social network have reacted differently, sharing articles and long posts about the bias against Israel, particularly in the media, and casting them as the victim in this situation. I can’t help but find these claims of bias against Israel ridiculous. Israel has always, and will probably continue to, receive blind support from much of the Western world – particularly its media – and it benefits from too much systemic power to be considered a victim in this case. There has been a worldwide favorable bias for Israel since a little over a century ago when Britain released the Balfour Declaration proclaiming
Thursday, May 31, 2018 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
support for the concept of a Jewish state in Mandatory Palestine. In 1947, Britain ended the declaration and pushed the Palestine debate to the international community. With the passage of United Nations Resolution 181 by a two-thirds majority, the global community solidified its support for Israel and its people by giving over half of Mandatory Palestine to Israel despite the fact that Israel’s population was a third of that of Palestine. As time has gone by, the United States in particular has shown unyielding support for Israel time and again. No country has received more economic or military aid from the United States than Israel since 1976.
“When living on a liberal college campus full of clubs and activists...it can be easy to lose perspective on these issues.” The media is certainly not biased against Israel. Much of U.S. media today, both liberal and conservative, is considered to be largely in favor of Israel. According to “The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy” by John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt, news sources like the Wall Street Journal predictably lean pro-Israel, but so do the liberal bastions of reporting such as the Washing ton Post and the New York Times. Despite this, the New York Times, Washing ton Post, and even Wall Street Journal have reported on the protests and Palestinian casualties despite these inherent biases. If even news sources that are considered part of the Israel Lobby are making out Israel to be the party at fault then that says something, and it’s not due to a bias against Israel. All of this global support plays into the power imbalance between Israel and Palestine that makes it impossible for
OPINION 5
Israel to be the victim in this circumstance. The protests of tens of thousands of Gazans trapped behind a fence and a multitude of blockades may not have been completely peaceful, but they were more than justified. Gazans protested using burning kites while the Israeli military responded with rif les, snipers and tear gas. Of the more than 2,700 protesters injured, at least half of the injuries were due to g unshot wounds. Among the 58 Palestinians murdered in the Gaza protests were teenagers and a baby girl; 8-month-old Layla Ghandour died Monday after inhaling large amounts of tear gas. Palestinians simply do not hold enough political or military power to be the villains in this situation. When living on a liberal college campus full of clubs and activists drawing attention to important and controversial political issues like the IsraeliPalestinian conf lict, it can be easy to lose perspective on these issues. While the pro-Palestine community may be significant on campus, this is simply not the case in a country where the president declares the international city of Jerusalem the sole capital of Israel. It is important to remember that outside the bubble of university life, the government and media are still strongly in support of Israel and Palestinians continue to suffer due to that fact. However, there are ways to inf luence the situation outside of Ann Arbor. An easy start is sharing articles and keeping people in your net work aware of the injustices Palestinians endure ever y day. There are also plent y of relief f unds that donate food and medical supplies to Palestine. However, if we want to see long term changes in the state of Palestine, it will take more than that. In order to change the way the United States treats Israel, we must be more conscious about not voting for politicians who are supported by the Israel lobby and pressure the government to stand up against Israel’s human rights violations.
Audrey Gilmour can be reached at audreymg@umich.edu.
6 ARTS
Thursday, May 31, 2018 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
MUSIC REVIEW
MUSIC INTERVIEW
Rap releases of 5/25 are varied MIKE WATKINS Daily Arts Writer
HOPELESS
William Ryan Key talks life after Yellowcard, EP LAURA DZUBAY Daily Arts Writer
Stepping out as a solo artist can be daunting for a musician, especially for one who has spent over a decade being associated with a particular band. Luckily, Ryan Key is up to the task. Key first gained a footing in the musical scene in the late ‘90s, as a member of rock and pop punk band Yellowcard. He spent 17 years as the band’s principal songwriter, lead singer and rhythm guitarist, penning such hits as “Ocean Avenue” and “Lights and Sounds.” The band released its final album, Yellowcard, in 2016, and now Key is branching out on his own as a solo artist. “After Yellowcard, I was going to get into some songwriting and producing of my own,” Key said in an interview with The Daily. “But then I had this opportunity arise to play guitar with New Found Glory…When they asked me if I’d play guitar, they also asked if I’d open the tours, just as myself.” The need for songs to play on tour was part of what led to Key’s debut solo EP, released under his full name, William Ryan Key. Thirteen, out May 25 from The Lone Tree Recordings, is a surprising departure from the rock Yellowcard fans may be familiar with. Each of the five tracks is acoustic, gentle and beautifully introspective, from the clipped and poetic “Vultures” — which may be the most familiar bridge from Yellowcard material into this new, folksy territory — to the existential “Great Unknown.” “Over the last year or so, I’ve been doing a lot of smaller acoustic shows
… I wasn’t sure if that was what I wanted my own songs to sound like,” Key said. “It took a long time to get started, but once I started writing the songs, it really started coming more naturally.” The new EP is full of folk influences, both in the melodic compositions and lyrics of the songs. Key cited a wide variety of artists as instrumental in helping to build his attraction to singer-songwriter music, including Ben Folds Five, Explosions in the Sky, Ryan Adams, Jason Isbell, Death Cab for Cutie and Bon Iver. “I’m always looking to a lot of singer-songwriters,” Key said. “When
William Ryan Key June 1 Pontiac, Mi I picked up my guitar and started writing, that’s where that influence inspired me.” While a diverse array of influences factored into Thirteen, it is still by all means its own project. The new EP is a unique and individual effort, thanks also to the fact that it was produced by The Lone Tree Recordings, Key’s own recording studio based in Tennessee. “I produced the EP myself with my friend Arun Bali. He plays guitar in the band Saves the Day. We coproduced it together. He just has this really cool, analog, indie rock vibe,” Key said. “He’s an amazing guitarist and really had a lot of influence on the atmospheric songs you hear on the record.” The fact that the entire EP is self-
produced through The Lone Tree gave Key a lot of freedom to work with in developing his new sound. “The nice thing about having your own record studio is that you can press ‘record’ whenever you want,” said Key, adding that he knew from the beginning that he would aim to have about five songs on the EP. “So once I had five ideas I was like, well, I’m not even going to write any more.” This allowed more freedom for making these songs sound polished and complete. Working on his own without Yellowcard to bounce ideas off of, Key would often “let the music direct [him] melodically and lyrically.” “So the process is different from with Yellowcard, but there are a lot of similarities as well,” he said. Yellowcard often released acoustic versions of their own music, including the albums When You’re Through Thinking, Say Yes and Ocean Avenue. Nevertheless, the tender feel of Thirteen is new territory, and Key admits to being apprehensive about the adventurous delve into his own direction. “I was nervous because it’s so mellow. I mean, I don’t even use a guitar pick on any of the songs,” he said. Reception to the music so far has been positive; the single “Vultures” was released recently to widespread popular approval. Key called the public reaction to the new music “amazing,” adding his appreciation that “no one’s standing out in the crowd, yelling at me to play Yellowcard songs.”
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On Friday, May 25, the hip hop world received two of the most highly anticipated albums of 2018: A$AP Rocky’s supposedly avantgarde Testing and Pusha T’s entirely Kanye-produced DAYTONA. While these projects would never be compared if it weren’t for their shared release date, as Rocky’s New York-swagging, subwoofer-rumbling sound and Push’s traditionally bent, soul-leaning sound reside in completely different arenas of rap, it’s natural for fans (myself included) to have some analytical fun with such a big day in popular music. Personally, choosing just one of these albums to formally review would be a deviation from the natural thought processes of music fans and an ignorance to the drama and power of release dates, so I present a brief breakdown of the hip-hop happenings DAYTONA of May 25. The most GOOD Music general distinction Pusha-T between these two projects is their respective degrees of experimentation. Pusha T, who rose to relevance as half of the mid-2000s rap duo, Clipse, largely remains in the vein of standard hip hop on DAYTONA — he drops bars about cocaine and disses Drake for ghostwriting through classic rap flow and the bread-andbutter format of a few verses and choruses that both old and young heads can enjoy. The content is safe, and with crisp, undeniably Kanye beats, the album gives fans a comfortable listen, especially with a digestible runtime of twenty-one minutes. Conversely, as the name indi-
cates, Testing strays from the traditional, and Rocky made this artistic experimentation known during the album’s rollout. Emphasizing his desire as an artist to push sonic boundaries, Rocky claimed his third studio album delivers sounds he’s never heard and might not be fully appreciated until three or four years post-release. Testing These stateRCA Records ments scream A$AP Rocky Yeezus, but Testing is surprisingly palatable today; Rocky certainly plays with futuristic weirdness. “Distorted Records” opens the album with blaringly digitized bass, and nearly every track is filled with psychedelic glitches and pitch-manipulation, but the laid-back flow and pompous lyrics characteristic of the Harlem rapper still manage to cut through the noise. Listeners can even hear an unprecedentedly auto-tuned Flacko on “Fukk Sleep” and “Buck Shots.” Essentially, DAYTONA vs. Testing is a question of the role of artists in general: Should musicians deliver what’s expected for the sake of immediate reception, or should they strive to dodge expectations and risk temporary discomfort to slowly evolve their artistry and the artistic field as a whole? Pusha T might have delivered the more technically sound project by hiphop standards, but Rocky delivered a true project. With that said, as aforementioned, DAYTONA vs. Testing is also ridiculous. If one of these albums was released a month later, this article wouldn’t exist — it’s purely a coincidence of time. So instead, let’s just revel in the fact that on May 25, we just got to enjoy some good hip-hop. RCA
Thursday, May 31, 2018 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
FILM REVIEW
RCA
‘Solo’ brings ‘Star Wars’ back home JEREMIAH VANDERHELM Daily Arts Writer
Considering the well publicized production issues that plagued “Solo” — which saw its original directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller (“The LEGO Movie”) fired due to creative differences midway through production and replaced with Ron Howard (“Rush”) shortly after — having the finished product be at the least watchable is a victory. And by some miracle, it’s actually good. “Solo” is a fun, one-off story that doesn’t pretend to be anything else.
It’s a heist movie in space with a loveable cast of characters and more than enough terrific set pieces to go around. The shoddy pacing and subpar first act make it the weakest of the new wave of “Star Wars” movies but those looking for another adventure in a galaxy far, far away will nonetheless find themselves more than satisfied. Beneath its heist trappings, “Solo” plays as part origin story and part fictional biopic for everyone’s favorite smuggler-turned-war-hero, Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich, “Hail, Caesar!”). After escaping the dystopia
ARTS 7
of his homeworld of Corellia, Han runs into a band of crooks, led by Tobias Beckett (Woody Harrelson, “Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri”), who allow the young Solo to tag along. When a theft goes wrong, forcing them to embark on a dangerous mission together, we see the beginnings of Han’s partnership with his Wookiee co-pilot, Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo, “Star Wars: The Last Jedi”), the suave, but two-faced, businessman Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover, TV’s “Atlanta”) and the Millennium Falcon, the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy. The role LucasFilm hopes the anthologies will play is clear with two saga films and two of these “Star Wars Stories” under their belt. While the episodic films like “The Force Awakens” and “The Last Jedi” will continue to carry “Star Wars” forward and ensure its longevity, the “Star Wars Stories” exist to recall the original trilogy and allow us to continue to play in that sandbox. For better or for worse, “Solo” does just that. The interactions between Han and Lando are a joy to watch as both Ehrenreich and Glover inhabit their characters perfectly without resorting simply to impressions. Han’s cockiness and snark, Lando’s
status as the smoothest of criminals origins as a western archetype. — it’s all there. Even better, there’s Another sequence set on Kessel — a the start of what can only be name that should be familiar to diedescribed as a bromance between hard “Star Wars” fans as the place man and Wookiee since “Solo” does where Han made his name as one more for Chewie as a character and of the greatest pilots in the galaxy — his friendship with Han than any should certainly be in contention for the best set piece of 2018. other “Star Wars” movie. Like its title character, “Solo” The weaker fanservice is less prevalent and apparent than in, say, is a little rough around the edges the prequel trilogy, but the first act and prone to the occasional overindulgence, but still packs in a groanlike Han himself, worthy moment of “Solo” it’s also charming, revelation that ranks Walt Disney charismatic and liable among the worst Studios Motion to win over even the in the franchise. most cynical among It may not be “a Pictures its audience. Overall, scientific explanation Ann Arbor 20 + it’s a sustained thrill of the Force” bad, Imax, Goodrich ride that starts fun but I’d argue it is Quality 16 and only gets more “prepubescent and more bombastic Anakin Skywalker built C-3PO” bad. In fact, the entire and fantastic the longer it goes. I’ll admit that I was apprehensive Corellia set first sequence has clunky moments of nostalgia that do no as the lights went down and the favors for the rest of the movie. As LucasFilm logo lit up this time opposed to the sci-fi crime movie around — both because of the firing that follows, these scenes play more of previous directors Lord and Miller like “Oliver Twist” in space and and the collapse of the “Star Wars” if the first 10-to-15 minutes of the fanbase post-“Last Jedi” into toxic movie were cut, “Solo” would likely anarchy — but credit is undoubtedly due to Howard for righting the ship be better for it. From there on out, director Ron and delivering a movie that, for the Howard ably plays to the strengths most part, reminded me why I fell in of his cast and his characters alike. A love with this franchise in the first heist early on is an homage to Han’s place.
strength. Much praise can be given to Truffaut’s writing and his directing, but Léaud stole the show. He is resigned, and far too mature for his age, as he relays to the doctor the truths of his life. Throughout the film he is happy, interested and engaged in his life, emotions which seem more important once its known what is going on under the surface. In terms of the script, Truffaut is careful with his honesty. He doesn’t toss the pain of his protagonist out in front of the audience up front, he waits and lets Léaud build up his own reputation before throwing it on its head. The partnership between the real Antoine Doinel and the one that appears on screen is masterful, and I think it has a lot to do with how close Truffaut was personally to the subject matter at hand. Throughout his career, Truffaut was outspoken on his belief that there should be a personal connection between the filmmaker and their film, much in the way an author’s specific and individual voice shapes their novel. This idea became the foundation for Truffuat’s well documented “auteur theory,” which first appeared in his
1954 essay “Une Certaine Tendance du Cinéma Français,” and built upon the concepts introduced by Astruc a decade before. The bulk of the essay is criticism against the status-quo French cinema of the time. Many of the films receiving critical acclaim in the middle of the century were adaptations of great works of literature for the screen. While Truffaut doesn’t argue against the craftsmanship, he calls for a shift in the types of stories told: Away from recycled goods to narratives written for the screen, declaring an adaptation only of value when written by “a man of the cinema.” One other thing that interested me in “Certaine Tendance” was Truffaut’s description of a specific story archetype that he didn’t want to see anymore. As he writes, “It is not exaggerating to say that the hundred-odd french films made each year tell the same story: It’s always a question of a victim… the knavery of his kin and the hatred among the members of his family lead the ‘hero’ to his doom… the principal character, normally constituted when the curtain rises on him, finds himself crippled at the end of the
FILM COLUMN
Riding the New Wave: Truffaut STEPHEN SATARINO Daily Arts Writer
If there was any place to start a dive into the French New Wave, any key figure to visit first, it would have to be the spearhead of the cinematic movement — the ever-prolific Francois Truffaut. Truffaut’s name is difficult to avoid wherever the history of cinema is brought up. Even for me, someone without any proper film theory education, his name is the first to pop up in any internet search, the first mentioned in any academic reading, the first slid into any conversation — and after watching “The 400 Blows” this week, I can’t say I’m surprised. The autobiographical “The 400 Blows” follows young Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Léaud), an emotionally abandoned Parisian boy with a propensity for mischief that stems from troubled childhood years. Doinel never seems like a
particularly bad kid; he thieves and he lies and he skips class to go to the cinema, but the child never acts malicious or vindictive in any way. All things considered, the treatment that he receives from his parents and from his teacher feels unwarranted, as though there’s something else we cannot see. The film gives its answer in the form of a great scene just before the end where Doinel explains the trials of his early life to a child psychiatrist at a delinquent detention center. He speaks candidly about his mother’s contempt for him, and of her wish for an abortion. As the veil is lifted on Doinel’s past, the poor boy’s reality on screen begins to make unfortunate sense. The “Blows” in the title is apparently a poor translation for a french idiom; a more accurate translation of the meaning of the title would be “The 400 Practical Jokes.” The film’s honesty is its greatest
play.” Truffaut stands firmly against helpless protagonists or protagonists who don’t have enough moral substance to resist temptation that would pull them away from their principles. I guess Truffaut wouldn’t like “Boogie Nights.” Truffaut’s legacy stretches much further than “Certaine Tendance” and “The 400 Blows.” He became obsessed with Alfred Hitchcock and greater America as a whole in the 1960s and his films likewise took a bit more of a commercial turn. “The 400 Blows” lives up to its legacy seventy years later, it’s subject matter and the great performance by Léaud up front making it accessible to anyone. The film benefits from its focus on childhood. More than any other narrative type, I find coming of age stories and stories with young protagonists in general are oftentimes easier to sympathize with. They lose less over time as the sorts of difficulties the characters face seem to be relatively universal. “The 400 Blows” takes this familiar narrative and elevates it. And after my two watches for this column, it has quickly become my favorite foreign film I’ve seen to date.
8 NEWS
Thursday, May 31, 2018 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
FILM REVIEW
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‘On Chesil Beach’ is expected, plain
Ian McEwan adapted the script from his own 2007 novel of the same Senior Arts Editor name, making the film feel less like I arrived 20 minutes early to the an adaptation and more like a visual Soho movieplex because I was ter- companion to the novel itself. The rified, terrified that like every other quick read is sometimes referred place in Manhattan, it would be to as a novella for its length and its unbelievably crowded. Somehow, short tale of woe. Like the book, the the Tuesday 10:45 p.m. screening film expertly weaves the past with of “On Chesil Beach” was surpris- the present to ensure that the film ingly unattended. So I was left to sit reads more like a cohesive story and alone in the third row of the empty less like a series of disconnected theater as I snacked quietly on the flashbacks. However, the nuances Apple Jacks I managed to smuggle of the novel are sometimes lost in in from the corner deli. The film the film’s desperate attempt to crebegan with stunning, expansive ate a tragic love story of youthful landscape shots of the seaside and stupidity. The couple’s ignorance, the sweeping tide and I felt instant- while frustrating at times, reprely transported to the English coast, sents the time before the sexual liba place I happened to be just one eration movement. The story takes year ago. I was immersed in the place in 1962 England, a time when sex was a bad word and scenery as the score hummed a familiar and “On Chesil wives were taught to be submissive homemakexciting tune. The film, Beach” ers for their husbands. like the book it was adapted from, has an Bleecker Street The couple is most certainly in love as evinced almost Freudian, sexuby the romantic monal attachment to music. While the frigid and naïve Flor- tages that occupy most of the stunence (Saoirse Ronan, “Lady Bird”) ning flashbacks, yet they struggle to has no trouble making sweet love express their love in a physical way, to the strings of her violin, she has prisoners to their stifled sexuality. The viewer plays the role of a harder time getting intimate with her new husband, the fumbling and voyeur, looking in at the most endearing country boy, Edward intimate and private moments. (Billy Howle, “The Seagull”). The The awkwardness is emphasized music that plays such a large role in through purposeful camera work, the film, including everything from highlighting the discomfort of the Chuck Berry to Mozart, is notice- young virgins through a tapping ably absent from the awkward and foot or a squeezed knuckle. Ronan cringe-worthy attempts at sexual and Howle skillfully portray the relations, leaving the viewer to sit self-conscious and innocent newthrough the uncomfortable slurps lyweds. The multi-faceted characand slobber that occupy the realm ters that McEwan has crafted are of intimacy. The awkwardness incredibly present in the young is tangible, making the viewer actors’ performances. Where the book feels like a cringe as if they were being forced to watch the most uncomfortable revolutionary and unique form of storytelling, utilizing time and perporno of all time. The film takes place over the spective to add depth and meaning wedding night of young Florence to the wedding night drama, the and Edward as they awkwardly film ultimately feels average and attempt to play a married couple. expected. BECKY PORTMAN
Thursday, May 31, 2018 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
MICHIGAN IN COLOR 9
Here’s to the real representation
Upperclass South Asian activism By SWATHI KOMARIVELLI Americans are in WestMiC Contributor
PHOTO COURTESY OF AUTHOR By HALIMAT OLANIYAN in reality, the hijab symMiC EDITOR
Why does the TV show “The Bold Type” mean everything to me? Because for once, a Muslim woman is portrayed as a fierce, sexual, artistic being. Representation matters. What do I have in common with “The Bold Type”? I, too, am a proud, Muslim woman who refuses to be oppressed by the system. In “The Bold Type,” Adena is a “proud, Muslim lesbian” and an artist. She breaks every stereotype associated with Islam. She is open about her sexuality, dresses the way she wants and falls in love with a Black woman. Adena also wears a hijab. When asked why, she says choosing to wear it makes her feel liberated. That’s what I want. I don’t wear a hijab or cover my hair. I want to, but on my own terms. Some people think the hijab and other modest Islamic clothing are oppressive. In some nations, there are laws that make that true, but
bolizes different things for every woman who wears it. For me, it symbolizes the strength and beauty of a woman. For me, it acknowledges that women are so beautiful — so beautiful in fact, that not just any ordinary eyes are worthy of gazing. For me, it is a statement of feminism, fashion, and freedom. When I decide to start covering my hair, I want to do it because I feel empowered. Not because anyone told me I should or must. Not because it’s the proper thing for a Muslim woman to do. But because I love Allah and want to feel closer to Him. When Adena is asked about why she’s lesbian, her answer has nothing to do with sexual desires. She says that she likes what’s in a woman’s heart. At first, I thought this was widely applicable. That everyone should fall for what’s in someone’s heart. But now I see there’s much more to that. There’s something particularly amazing about women. We are expected to be and have been the
backbone of society for most, if not all of time. It’s hard to be a strong woman. Even harder to be a strong Black woman. Nearly impossible to be a strong Black, Muslim woman. We have to deal with it all. Racism. Islamophobia. Sexism. It’s a never-ending battle between what we want to be and what society thinks we are or should be. That’s why “The Bold Type” means everything to me. Adena is a free spirit. She doesn’t care what anyone wants her to be or do. She follows her heart. The best part is that she acknowledges how imperfect she is. She admits to praying only sometimes, claiming that some days it feels more important than others and sometimes she’s just lazy. I relate to Adena so much. She is an honest, imperfect portrayal of a Muslim woman. I too am not perfect, but Adena makes me proud to be exactly who I am. Here’s to real representation. Ramada Mubarak.
Representation in the media is fought for strongly by many Asians in America, especially Asians who are among those in the upper economic class of the country. From one perspective, it makes perfect sense why any underrepresented group would care so much about their role in media. Media has the largest impact on the way we think, whether we like this fact or not. We are constantly consuming, no matter what. When we take that small Instagram break while we’re studying, we’re being inundated with other people’s representations of themselves, and what people find the best. Similar patterns can also be seen with even Facebook and Twitter. So, of course, Asians care about how they’re represented in media. They’re not sex dolls, not fragile, not perfectly smart, not unsexy and do not smell bad. They’re not a monolith or a model minority and believe, rightfully so, that they have every right to be represented the same way white By LARRY DAVIS MiC EDITOR
ern media. This is a disclaimer. Of course, it is understandable and perfectly normal that Asian-Americans would like to see better representation for themselves. Especially as they are born and raised as Americans, and because this is their country just as much as anyone else’s. But why is this such a high priority in activism circles when it comes to Asians while there are still Asians who suffer from economic disempowerment, while there are still queer Asians? Yes, Indians are Asians and have an incredibly high median income level — $100,000 (according to the Pew Research Center). But this isn’t indicative of the state of all Asians. Bangladeshis have a median income of about $49,800, and Cambodians, Laotians, as well as Hmong people all have median incomes in similar ranges. These are two vastly different circumstances, and the circumstances ref lect the different issues different groups have. It is clearly seen that there is a level of police violence associated with the lat-
ter groups that groups like Indians do not have to endure. Bangladeshis, Cambodians, Laotians and other Asian groups in similar class situations as Indians are not seen as anything close to the “model minority” by other Americans at all. They are demonized in America, seen as inferior. So yes, while I am sorry it was brutally painful for Indians in their mid-to-late 20s who came from economic prosperity to grow up with Apu from the Simpsons being their biggest oppressor, this is not the case for many other Asians. Every time the same old and tired model minority story is brought back to the forefront in Asian activism, an erasure of other communities within the larger Asian race occurs and thus, minimizes their struggles. It is crucial that Asians with class privilege interested in activism or social justice understand the implications their class privilege has, as well as strive to better not only their status in America but also the status of others — especially those who may not have the same economic power as them.
I Am
I Am … What I Am … and can become, who I aspire to Be I am from an abandoned industrial city, where the smog clogs the lungs of those who cannot yet speak. Yet, the city is alive and well, or at least that’s how it appears to be … I am, what I am… made in the image of the original being … I am a Black American, with West African and colonial roots. … Two worlds combined but suppressed to hide the true beauty and pain of one’s nature and roots … I am from a community in which society labels me as a thug … but yet, in reality, my truth speaks volumes of my purpose, while my character speaks volumes of the communities in which I serve. I am from a city that is similar to the abandoned, left-behind city of Detroit … yet my spirit lives on, just as the spirits of the residents of Detroit do. I am the Change, that I aspire to see …
10 SPORTS
Thursday, May 31, 2018 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
TRACK AND FIELD
Eight Wolverines qualify for NCAA Outdoor Championships in Tampa ARIA GERSON
Daily Sports Writer
CHUN SO / DAILY
Senior Runhao Hua ended his final season with Michigan in the NCAA Tournament
Hua and Knight finish seasons BAILEY JOHNSON Daily Sports Writer
Runhao Hua charged up the court and hit the ball past the outstretched racket of Texas A&M’s Patrick Kypson. When the ball hit the ground without a return, Hua let out a yell to celebrate his upset win over the fifth-seeded Kypson in the second round of the NCAA individual singles tournament. The senior on the Michigan men’s tennis team battled for the three-set victory after losing the first set 6-4. He won ten straight games to win the second set 6-0 and get out to a 4-0 lead in the third set before Kypson began to stage a comeback. But No. 47 Hua was able to hang on and win the third set 6-4 for likely the largest upset of his career with the Wolverines. He earned the spot in the round of 32 after a straight-set defeat of No. 28 Johannes Ingildsen from Florida, who had won the previous meeting with Hua. This time, though, Hua was able to battle for a 7-5 first set win and cruise to a 6-2 victory in the second set. In the round of 16, Hua saw his run in the tournament come to an end with a loss to No. 9-16 seeded Mazen Osama out of Florida. He lost the first set 6-1, but in the second came back from a 5-3 deficit to be within one game of Osama before dropping the set and ultimately the match. Hua’s fellow Michigan senior Alex Knight also competed in
the singles tournament as one of the No. 9-16 seeded players, but Knight’s senior season had a more disappointing ending. After earning a unanimous selection to the All Big-Ten first team and notching a 25-8 record on the season, Knight was upset by Vanderbilt’s Cameron Klinger in straight sets. Knight and Hua also combined as the Wolverines’ doubles pair for the NCAA doubles tournament. The partnership had been successful throughout its Michigan career — marking a 16-7 record during the 2017-2018 season. That success didn’t carry through to the tournament as the duo fell 6-2, 6-2 to No. 17 Fabien Fallert and Tim Sandkaulen of the University of Mississippi in the first round of play. Though their senior seasons didn’t end with a national championship, both Hua and Knight have played large roles in the Wolverines’ success since arriving in Ann Arbor. The seniors have been prominent figures in the lineups since their freshman years, making their graduations a big change for the team. With Michigan ending the season ranked fourteenth in the country by the ITA and a large class of freshmen coming in the fall, it stands to reason that Knight and Hua will see their spots filled soon and the team’s success will continue. But the legacies they’ve left will be much harder to replace.
Two hundred meters from elimination, Sarah Zieve wasn’t about to go quietly. The top three finishers in her 3000-meter steeplechase heat at the NCA A East Preliminary in Tampa, Fla. would qualify to the NCA A Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ore. Zieve sat in seventh, her shoe untied and her season on the brink of elimination. Nevertheless, she began a desperate sprint and didn’t stop until she crossed the finish line — placing in third by .13 seconds with a time of 10:07.58. “Definitely as amazing as a comeback as I’ve ever seen,” said Michigan women’s distance coach Mike McGuire. “ … Within the last lap, it was like the barriers weren’t even there the way she was hurdling.” While her race wasn’t nearly as drama-filled, senior Claire Borchers — the Big Ten champion in the event — also qualified for nationals in the steeplechase. She stayed with the lead pack the entire time and finished her heat with a time of 9:58.57, good enough for the sixth-best time overall. Joining them in Eugene will be fifth-year senior Haley Meier who had never qualified for nationals in the 1500-meter despite a close call last year. Refusing to drop lower than fifth in her heat — where the top five automatically qualify — Meier left nothing to chance as she stayed in the upper echelon of her race through its entirety. She finished fourth with a time of 4:15.47 and extended the Wolverines’ seven-year streak of qualifying runners to the NCA A Championships in the event.
“She did a great job of positioning herself,” McGuire said. “(She) had a pulse on where she was at, where she needed to be.” *** The rain came in droves, horizontal and unrelenting. It’s hard to compete in the high jump in the rain. It gives the ground less traction and messes with the normal aerodynamics of the event, forcing jumpers to alter their speed and entry. Watching redshirt sophomore Brandon Piwinski compete, you wouldn’t be able to tell. Piwinski took only one attempt to clear each of his first two heights — 2.06 and 2.11 meters. Though he failed to reach his next height of 2.16 meters, so did all but four other competitors in the preliminary. With 12 spots in the NCA A Championships and number of previous attempts serving as a tiebreaker, Piwinski easily made the cut — the Michigan men’s track and field team’s first to qualify in the event since 1994. “Brandon jumped and he made his two attempts in basically a downpour,” said Michigan coach Jerry Clayton. “ … Our people were — really handled themselves quite well with making those adjustments.” *** Grant Cartwright had one last shot at keeping his career alive. After failing to qualify for nationals in the hammer throw on Thursday, the senior had only the shot put left, but his first two throws weren’t going to cut it. He stepped into the ring, spun and threw. This time, it didn’t end in disappointment. His final attempt measured 19.53 meters — a personal best that rocketed him into
“Definitely as amazing as a comeback as I’ve ever seen.”
seventh place, good enough to punch his ticket to Eugene. Meanwhile, redshirt sophomore Andrew Liskowitz unleashed a 19.27-meter throw on his first attempt — one he knew would likely qualify him. But he didn’t stop there, improving on each subsequent attempt. His final throw of 19.92 meters garnered third place overall and another nationals berth for the Wolverines. “It only took a good firstround throw, (they) get into a rhythm,” Clayton said. “ … Credit to them for staying focused.” Joining Piwinski, Cartwright and Liskowitz in Eugene will be junior Taylor McLauglin in the 400meter hurdles — his third consecutive year qualifying — and fifth-year senior Ben Flanagan in the 10,000-meter. Both were Big Ten champions in their respective events. Perhaps more noticeable, though, was one athlete who didn’t make it. Heralded all season as an integral part of Michigan’s “Meat Factory” throwing contingent, redshirt junior Joe Ellis holds the school record in the hammer throw and missed the Big Ten Outdoor Championships record by centimeters. But in the NCA A preliminaries, it doesn’t matter what records you hold. Three throws determine the course of your season. And for Ellis, those three throws weren’t enough. Two fouls in his three attempts eliminated his margin of error, and his one fair heave landed short. He placed just 15th, ending his season. “This meet’s a tough meet,” Clayton said. “(He) kind of lost his rhythm after the first throw and wasn’t — normally, he’s been able to readjust and come through and this time it just didn’t work. “ … He’s had a great season, he’s competed really well for us at the conference level, and you can’t take that away.”
SPORTS 11 Lavert Hill cames back to 100 percent Thursday, May 31, 2018 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
BASEBALL
Michigan ends season with loss to Ohio State JACOB KOPNICK
Summer Managing Sports Editor
As senior third baseman Brock Keener sat down for his press conference for the last time as a Wolverine, his eyes were red with the tears that only come after a seasonending defeat. The Michigan baseball team (15-8 Big Ten, 33-21 overall) fell to Ohio State (14-10 Big Ten, 36-21 overall) 5-3, and Keener was faced with the hard realization that he had just played his last game in a maize and blue uniform. Likely falling short of a bid to the NCAA Touranment, the team exited the Big Ten Tournament earlier than needed. In many ways, Keener’s toughness and resilience serves as a perfect embodiment of the team itself. Early in the season, Keener broke the thumb on his glove hand—a troubling injury for any baseball player, but Keener is a catcher. Any physical ailments to a catcher’s appendages, and their ability to do their job greatly diminishes. But Keener stuck it out and fought for his role on the Michigan lineup. After all, this was his senior season. Keener’s injury showed in his play behind home plate. Many passed balls snuck past him, and the Wolverines saw their fair share of wild pitches. But none of that deterred Michigan coach Erik Bakich. Keener caught for as long as he was physically able and Bakich indulged his senior, seeing as he consistently gave the Wolverines their best chance to win. “Tough, competitive kid,” Bakich said on Keener. “Good lesson for a lot of those younger guys on our team for them to see what that grit and competitiveness looks like.” Heading into the Big Ten Tournament, Keener’s thumb reached the point of no return, and he simply was not able to catch anymore. Wanting his bat and grit in the lineup, Bakich shocked Michigan followers and played Keener at third base. Keener played as valiantly as anyone could ask of the senior, making web gem plays on defense and cranking clutch hit after clutch hit. On Friday’s match, with the Wolverines trailing 5-1, Keener stepped to the plate with runners on second and third and two outs. With the clutch gene seemingly coded into his physiological makeup, the catcher turned third baseman smacked a two-
RBI single right up the middle. In one swing of the bat, Keener gave his team exactly what it needed and kept the game competitive. “I guess (I) try not to view it as a big AB because the guys in front of me worked hard to get on, and all these games were nail biters,” Keener said. “It’s tough, and I try to do whatever I can to help the team win.” Now all Keener can do is sit and reflect on his time at Michigan and his legacy. There’s no doubt that toughness is the first word people will associate with the catcher with a broken thumb. “For me, this season, has taught me, really through my whole college career up until this season is resilience and to truly love something, you keep giving it your all,” Keener said. “For me personally, this was my journey to Michigan and my time at Michigan. This season was the same thing, it doesn’t always start out how you want it. I’m blessed to be a part of this team and blessed to be a Michigan Wolverine, that’s for sure.” Added junior center fielder Jonathan Engelmann: “Brock here is a guy who’s overcome everything that I can possibly imagine. You play games for guys like that. Just for example in this tournament when he played third base, it was like, ‘Who is this guy who’s making web gem plays left and right.’ He’s always overcoming, and he puts the team first. In college, you’re playing with guys just like that, and it’s inspiring to say the least.” Barring some sort of divine intervention, the Wolverines will fall short of making an NCAA Regional. To put it simply, Michigan did not beat enough good teams. However, the Wolverines boast one of the youngest cores in the Big Ten and won’t be down for long. This time next year may be a different story, and it will have all started with the foundation laid by the juniors and seniors who will leave Ann Arbor next year for the workforce or the MLB Draft. So come Monday during the NCAA Selection Show, the Michigan baseball team will gather together one last time. If or when its name doesn’t get called, Bakich wants the freshmen to remember the feeling. “We may not see our name on the screen on Monday,” Bakich said, “but I want them to feel that as well and especially for those younger guys because that will be the last time they ever feel that.”
AMELIA CACCHIONE/DAILY
Junior Lavert Hill returns from injury feeling 100% and with a new mentor - former Michigan All-American Jourdan Lewis
MARK CALCAGNO Daily Sports Editor
DETROIT — It’s not often that a Michigan football coach questions one of his players publicly. But that was the method Michael Zordich used when junior Lavert Hill missed at least eight practices with a hip and leg injury earlier this spring. The secondary coach said Hill needs “learn to play with some nicks” in midApril, marking the second consecutive offseason where ailments have kept the cornerback off the field. But Hill didn’t need the message for motivation. “I don’t get none of that. It just goes through one ear and out the other,” Hill said Sunday afternoon. “I don’t really know. I just focus on my game.” In any case, Hill says he’s now fully healthy after participating in the final few practices of the spring. “I’m good. I’m 100 percent right now,” Hill said. “It just came over time, keep exercising, doing stuff, what the trainers told me to do. It worked out pretty fine. “It just felt like I never left. Just being 100 percent feels good. When I’m 100 percent, I can do anything.”
That was evident for Hill last season, when he made 25 tackles, seven pass breakups and two interceptions in 13 starts. But as one of Michigan’s nine returning starters on defense, he realizes there’s plenty of room to grow. Hill said he’s specifically working on jamming wide receivers at the line of scrimmage, along with perfecting route reading — both physical intricacies of his trade. In the past year, however, he’s noticed his biggest improvement is on the mental side. “I’m better as far as the mental part of the game,” Hill said. “Just slowing things down, studying film, getting to know things better, and just pacing myself and keeping it slowly in my head.” Hill, along with Michigan sophomore Ambry Thomas, even got a taste of what could lie ahead if those improvements continue. The pair visited Jourdan Lewis – the former Michigan AllAmerican and current Dallas Cowboys corner — to train in Dallas last weekend. And even when Lewis’ attention shifted to attractions of the downtown area, football took priority for Hill and Thomas, catching Lewis’ attention. “They always want to work,” Lewis said. “It’s refreshing to see
“When I’m 100 percent, I can do anything. ”
guys who just want to be a part of something great. They want to work, and everything is about football. “It was amazing (watching them). They were way better than what I did. Just the strides they’ve been taking are so far away from where we were at their age. It’s going to come to fruition when the game slows down and they get the mental part down.” Lewis, Hill and Thomas have known each other for years from playing youth football together in Detroit. Sunday was a throwback to those days, as Lewis, along with Hill’s brother and former Michigan standout, Delano, hosted a free WR vs. DB skills camp at Detroit PAL Headquarters. It was one of many trips for Lewis back to his home state this offseason. In March, he returned for Michigan’s Pro Day and got to watch the current team practice. “I noticed the schedule is different, Lewis said. “(The players are) getting more free time. It feels like (coach Jim Harbaugh) understands these kids know what to do. They know what’s at risk. They want to win. “I believe they’re national contenders. They have all the pieces, they have all the coaches, they have the guys at every position to get done what they want to get done. It’s just about coming together now, just executing out there on the field on Saturdays.”
12 SPORTS
Thursday, May 31, 2018 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
KATELYN MULCAHY / DAILY DESIGN BY JACK SILBERMAN
MAX MARCOVITCH Daily Sports Editor
Charles Matthews announced Wednesday afternoon he has withdrawn his name from NBA Draft consideration and will be returning to Michigan for another season. The announcement comes mere hours before the deadline for early entrants to make a final decision. “After much prayer and discussions with my family and the staff, I am excited to be returning to Michigan next year,” Matthews said, via a statement released by the program. “I learned a lot throughout this process, but my main focus will now be completing my education
at Michigan and leading my teammates to more success next season.” In his first season on the court for Michigan, Matthews averaged 13 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, good for second on the team in both categories. His year was highlighted by a lateseason resurgence, including scoring in double figures in five consecutive NCAA Tournament games and being named the West Region’s Most Outstanding Player on the way to the Final Four. He will still have two more years of eligibility at Michigan if he so chooses, having transferred after only one season at Kentucky. He did not receive an invitation to the NBA
combine this month and was widely regarded as a late second round pick at best in many mock drafts. Matthews took advantage of the early draft entry this past month, working out for NBA teams and receiving feedback on areas of improvement. Shooting seems likely to be atop that list. Matthews became a capable if unspectacular shooter throughout the year. He attempted just four 3-pointers his freshman season at Kentucky. This past season he shot 107 threes, hitting at an adequate 32 percent clip. Though Matthews’ 3-point shooting seems to be the most glaring area for improvement if he eventually seeks an NBA career, it surely isn’t the only
one. Michigan coach John Beilein would frequently note — often unprovoked — that the staff charted his assistto-turnover ratio in practice from the day he stepped on campus. He said Matthews started out with three times as many turnovers as assists. Last season, Matthews had 14 more assists (98) than turnovers (84)— an unremarkable stat by itself, but a clear sign of an evolving player in context. “Charles has an incredible personality and confidence. His work habits and desire to reach his potential are terrific,” Beilein said in a statement. “He is more focused than ever to improve in all areas of his game.” On a team losing three key
offensive contributors in Moritz Wagner, Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman and Duncan Robinson, Matthews will step into a more prominent offensive role where his growth on the court will be vital. Matthews will look to make those improvments while providing necessary leadership on a team replete with talent, but short on experience. Next season, Matthews will be the lone senior on scholarship — though he will still maintain a year of eligibility after next year due to his redshirt season. Added Beilein: “Like others before him, Charles will be a great senior leader for us and we are excited to have this opportunity to coach him again next season.”