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ALEC COHEN/Daily E. Royster Harper, Vice President of Student Life, shares her thoughts on the IFC recruitment process in an interview with The Daily in Fleming Administration Building Friday afternoon.

Vice President Harper reflects on legacy at University, considers future of Student Life

Executive officer talks fraternity and sorority life, Title IX interim policy while looking back on career PARNIA MAZHAR & CLAIRE HAO Daily Staff Reporters

For the last time before her retirement in January, The Michigan Daily sat down for an interview with E. Royster Harper, the University’s vice president for Student Life. In the interview on Friday afternoon, Harper discussed IFC-affiliated fraternities recruiting freshmen against University policy, controversy surrounding the senior honor society Order of Angell, protests against the University’s sexual misconduct policy and reflections on her

20-year career at the University. The Michigan Daily: A Michigan Daily investigation found some IFC-affiliated fraternities recruited freshmen students against University policy. In addition, the investigation found that at least one IFC-affiliated fraternity used freshmen pledges as sober monitors for at least one party without these students completing the required University training. What are potential negative consequences of students participating in unofficial rush and pledging processes? What are potential negative consequences of students serving as sober monitors

without proper training? What does University administration plan to do to address these issues? E. Royster Harper: The whole point of having the new policy in place is to really give first-year students a chance to get anchored academically and socially. In part because we know that when students have more of an opportunity to get settled into college, they’re less likely to be susceptible to behavior that puts them in harm’s way. So, I’m deeply disappointed if that is actually going on, and we have reason to believe that it is going on. You can imagine also how ineffective

and concerning it would be to have first-year students acting as sober monitors, not likely to approach an upperclassman and insist on the kind of behavior that causes students to be safe, and they’re certainly not likely to confront an upperclassmen in a fraternity that they want to be a part of. So, what we’re trying to do and are having conversations about now, because we believe in self-governance, because we’ve tried to do this work with IFC, because we believe that they are acting in good faith and with integrity. … We are looking at and working also with the Nationals

Wallace House expands fellowship Program to add 2 positions for journalists from news outlets across the Midwest ALEX HARRING Daily Staff Reporter

The Knight-Wallace Fellowship — a program for accomplished journalists to study at the University of Michigan — has expanded to include two fellowship positions for leadership of beginning news operations in the Midwest. Wallace House Director Lynette Clemetson said the opportunity, housed within the current fellowship framework and its benefits, will allow project leaders to develop outlets focused on bringing news to the Midwest. Fellows in the new program will work with faculty in the University’s Business School and Law School and can continue to work for their operation from Ann Arbor, a responsibility fellows normally must forgo during their eight months in the program.

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$70,000 stipend

Subsidized classes, seminars, workshops and travel

Two spots for fellows One out of four newspapers in the U.S. have been shut down or merged since 2004

Approximately half of reporting jobs have been terminated since 2004

K n i g h t -Wa l l a c e Fellowship Expansion “When you look at the Midwest, in these areas where things have been closing, there hasn’t been a rush to to address those voids and there hasn’t been a rush in funding or attention,” Clemetson said. “The repercussions of local news disappearing in the Midwest

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Six months of consulting support after the conclusion of the fellowship

are striking and quite serious, and things that I think we’ve all been feeling socially and politically for the past several years.” Clemetson said the new addition to the fellowship program was inspired by a report from the Knight Center and the University of North

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Carolina, which found growing news deserts in the Midwest. The report found around one in four newspapers in the U.S. have shut down or merged since 2004, and approximately half of newspaper jobs have been terminated in the same period. Ann Arbor became the first city of any size to lose its professional daily newspaper in 2009 when the Ann Arbor News shut down and then merged with the media group MLive. The new Ann Arbor News now publishes a paper twice-weekly and online daily. Clemetson said Ann Arbor has felt the effects of losing one of its main sources of news. She said she hopes the fellowship allows participants to build outlets to fill voids left by shuttered publications. See WALLACE, Page 2B

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and with the police about what the consequences of this kind of behavior will be. There is a process that the Greek community uses when there are violations of policies and procedures. So of course, we will be taking a look at that. What the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life is certainly looking at is following up on reports that come through the hazing hotline. … But I want to be careful that I don’t accuse them of doing something that they’ve not done. So, now the issue is trying to figure out, where is the truth? See FELLOWSHIP, Page 2B

CAMPUS LIFE

Taco Bell joins Union restaurants Fast food chain to be added to new lineup SAYALI AMIN

Daily News Editor

Fast food chain Taco Bell will be added to the University of Michigan’s newly renovated Michigan Union, among other food and service partners. The Union is slated to reopen its doors this coming January. The University announced the other business included in the space about a month ago, some of which include Barnes and Noble, Sweetwaters Coffee and Tea and Panera Bread. See UNION, Page 2B NEWS.........................2 OPINION.....................4 A R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 SP ORTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

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CAM, 1U Coalition demand financial equity, clean energy Group issues joint statement critical of administration, call for change BEN ROSENFELD Daily Staff Reporter

Monday morning, a group of students from the One University Coalition and the Climate Action Movement sent a joint statement to University of Michigan administrators, making a series of demands regarding equity between U-M’s three campuses and moving the University towards carbon neutrality. In response to climate issues, the University announced the President’s Commission on Carbon Neutrality in February. The commission’s goal is to provide recommendations to the University on how to achieve carbon neutrality through collaboration between students and faculty. In September, the University joined a group of Northern American research universities in the University Climate Change Coalition to reach their environmental goals. Sudoku Syndication About a month ago 1U and CAM joined forces

they have refused to take any for the given category they’re comparing action on,” Girgis said. “So is, that’s the sole ask, and if the it to an energy index. University can’t meet that And secondly, of the last ask, then we really have to eleven natural resources question what its intentions investments made, about are between its words and its ten of them are in the oil and gas industry.” actions.” In March of this year, LSA junior Solomon organized a Medintz, a member of students CAM and columnist at The sit-in at the Fleming Daily, said another unifying Administration Building factor between the two and ten protestors were organizations has been their arrested. Medintz said incident shows attempts to work with the this University to make change the University doesn’t support climate happen. Medintz said the truly One of the University has attempted to justice. pit activist groups like 1U coalition’s demands is administration to and CAM against each other, for making it seem as though apologize for these arrests. “I think the University’s the goals of one group are counterintuitive to the goals actions have spoken for themselves,” Medintz of the other. “President Schlissel said. “Back in March actively tried to pit us against they arrested individuals were peacefully one another by saying that who getting to decarbonization protesting and were simply by 2030 and being a leader in requesting a meeting with climate justice would come President Schlissel, and at the expense of the Go Blue they have yet to apologize Guarantee,” Medintz said. for those arrests. Charges “And we are kind of joining have yet to be dropped for http://sudokusyndication.com/sudoku/generator/print/ forces to show that we reject those arrests.” According to University that kind of sowing division Public between different Spokesperson social justice Affairs Rick Fitzgerald, the University is committed organizations.” Medintz said to environmental justice EASY the University’s initiatives, but sees a investment of different path towards neutrality as its $12.4 billion carbon endowment in student activists. “The university is controversial interests is committed to doing the troubling to the research necessary to support the how so we can student body. “Approximately help not just ourselves but 8 percent (of the others beyond our campus become carbon endowment) is also invested in natural neutral,” Fitzgerald said. resources, and ”That’s the real benefit natural resources of a research university is almost entirely making a commitment to oil and gas,” becoming carbon neutral. Medintz said. We have the resources to “And we know figure out how to do it and that for a couple then we can share that of reasons. The information with others.” first is that when © sudokusolver.com. For personal use only. they’re comparing puzzle by sudokusyndication.com Read more at it to what their MichiganDaily.com expected returns

to petition the University to divest over $1 billion currently invested in natural gas and expand the Go Blue Guarantee to U-M Flint and U-M Dearborn, among other items. Amytess Girgis, an LSA junior and 1U activist, said the two groups began working together several weeks ago, and share many of the same goals. “Both of us have been just entirely admonished and ignored by this administration,” Girgis said. “We’ve been promised that change will come and change has yet to come, despite the fact that it’s been a year. Neither of us have seen any signs of progress.” Girgis also said some of the coalition’s requests — expanding the Go Blue Guarantee to Flint and Dearborn, for instance — have been acknowledged by the University, yet no action has been taken. “This is something that they have acknowledged would be a theoretically good thing to do and that

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The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through Friday during the fall and winter terms by students at the University OF Michigan. One copy is available free of charge to all readers. Additional copies may be picked up at the Daily’s office for $2. Subscriptions for September-April are $250 and year long subscriptions are $275. University affiliates are subject to a reduced subscription rate. On-campus subscriptions for fall term are $35. Subscriptions must be prepaid.

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WALLACE From Page 1B “People around the country have seen local news diminish, from daily newspapers to weeklies,” Clemetson said. “Even if people aren’t specifically paying attention, I think it is something that people in communities have felt. We certainly have experienced that here in Ann Arbor, and it’s in communities across the country.” A gift from Ann Arbor entrepreneurs and philanthropists Dug and Linh Song funds the new opportunity within the fellowship. In addition to the $70,000 stipend and subsidized classes, seminars, workshops and travel, the two fellows will also receive six months of consulting support after the

HARPER From Page 1B Because there’s two narratives out there, one that we’re hearing from the fraternities, and one that we’re hearing from places like The Daily and the hazing hotline and other places. So, the first thing we have to figure out is what happened, because there are two stories. TMD: In the last few months, several multicultural student organizations have published statements publicly condemning the senior honor society Order of Angell, which they claim is an organization historically rooted in indigenous appropriation, elitism and secrecy. What are your thoughts on the ongoing controversy surrounding the Order of Angell, especially given you were the VP of Student Life during the Students of Color Coalition’s occupation of the Union Tower in 2000? Harper: I’m deeply disappointed. I feel strongly that we have a lot of work to do with student organizations who believe that it is both legal and their right to tell other students or condemn members of their organizations for other groups that they want to be a part of. I think students should decide what groups they want to be a part of. And that, if these are members that care about the organization and want to be in the organization, that they have a right to do that. I think that Order, over the years, has looked at its history, made changes related to this history, changed some of their traditions, to ref lect the changes that they have made. And that to continue to not accept that they

UNION From Page 1B According to a press release, Amy White, director of the Michigan Union, said the search for restaurants was broad in terms of cuisine, dietary considerations, pricing and national recognition. “When looking at restaurant brands we made a very broad request for proposals, including both local and national brands, so that we could

News

Tuesday, November 26, 2019 — 3B

conclusion of the fellowship. Clemetson described the Midwestern fellowship as a “concentration” within the current fellowship structure rather than a separate entity. She took inspiration from her own experiences, specifically with working on a startup for The Washington Post prior to her Knight-Wallace fellowship in 2010, as well as those of board members and former fellows into account when creating the new role. Clemetson said she tested out how one could participate in the fellowship without completely stepping away from work. She did this with Dayo Aiyetan, a former Knight-Wallace fellow who serves as the founding executive director and editor in chief of

the International Centre for Investigative Reporting, a nonprofit investigative news organization based in Nigeria. Aiyetan was able to continue completing some of his job’s duties while in Ann Arbor. Aiyetan said he sees the opportunity as a way for leaders of developing journalism ventures to obtain additional support, while understanding they cannot completely step away from their operation. Aiyetan said there is a risk in jeopardizing the new operation’s survival if the leader steps away for a long period of time. “For newsroom leaders who would ordinarily not be able to lead their work for one year to come for a fellowship in Michigan, this is perfect for them so that they can be part of the Knight-Wallace

Fellowship and still be able to do some of the work they will do back home,” Aiyetan said. “The person will partake in all the fellowship programs, but for that person it will be structured in a way so that you go back home and not discover that there’s no job for him again, because he has spent one year in Michigan and he’s lost everything.” Clemetson said the selection committee will judge applicants without preference to the medium. The goal, she said, is to support new operations providing communities access to information, regardless of the way in which it is delivered. Additionally, she noted the new option is not an incubator for ideas for potential news outlets. The traditional Knight-Wallace fellowship program allows

journalists to focus on a long term project, which could be developing a new journalistic venture. However, this new opportunity is for leaders of projects already off the ground. Clemetson said communities are negatively impacted in many ways when news organizations shutter. With the majority of journalism jobs on the coasts, she noted a lack of communication between journalists and community members can contribute to distrust in the media among Midwesterners. She said she hopes the fellowship plays a role in changing this by bringing new projects and journalism jobs into the Midwest.

made changes is inappropriate and unkind. … And what I have said to students who come to me really torn about this, who want to be in both organizations, I say to them, “You have a right to be in both organizations.” And I don’t believe it’s appropriate for one organization to say to another student, “You can’t be in my organization,” or to shame another student, or call out another student, because they have multiple interests and multiple organizations that they want to be. So, we have a lot of work to do. You also cannot be a sponsored student organization and engage in this behavior. The Center for Campus Involvement works with student organizations, and works to make sure that they have policies and procedures that are in alignment, that don’t violate people’s constitutional rights, that you don’t give up just because you choose to join an organization. ... We just got to keep working with the student organizations and this sort of calling people out has ebbed and f lowed. There was a time when that was going on, and then it stopped, and it sounds like now that’s back, the trend, and I think it’s unfortunate and wrong. … Our work as an institution is to help the student organizations come to understand and consider a different way, and to look at the criteria that they’re putting in place that I suspect doesn’t have anything to do with advancing the mission of that organization. Because, I don’t see the relationship between what some groups are trying to do and Order’s prior behavior. TMD: We know we asked you about the University’s use of crossexamination in sexual misconduct cases during our last interview.

Since then, students have protested on the Diag, continuing to claim direct cross-examination between the accuser and the accused is “cruel.” What is your response to these student activists? Harper: First of all, of all the cases that we’ve had, they’ve all been separated. You can be in separate spaces, you can do it by voice, you can do it by text. So, what is being alleged has not happened in reality. I am struggling right now with pockets of protest where the protesters decide what they think is best and then impose it on others. So, there are some who think, “I don’t want a lawyer there, I didn’t go to the police because I don’t want a court hearing where somebody is hammering me, and if you make me go through that, I’m simply not going to tell you.” Numbers of reporting are so low. So, what we’ve been trying to think about, is there a third truth? Is there a way that we can ensure that survivors get what they need and have a sense of agency? The federal government is going to make some rules, and we’re going to be bound by them, and they’re coming soon. So, it may end up being a moot point. And the court, we wouldn’t be having cross-examination at all had the law not forced us to. So, what I’d like to say to the students who were protesting is three things. One: you keep helping us get it right. Because what’s right for one survivor may not be what’s best for another, and we’re trying to have a space where survivors’ sense of agency is what we’re honoring. There is evidence, researchers and scholars say what’s being imposed on the University and imposed on survivors is the worst thing we could possibly do. It is

not something that the University chose to do. So, the protest needs to be focused on where the power and the decision-making is. The University’s intent would never be to create a process or set of policies that harmed the very students that we’re trying to make sure get the kind of support that they need. We’re hearing both narratives, and depending on who you talk to, you will get just the opposite request. And so, how do we individualize this? Are there multiple options? And more importantly, how do we reduce the number of sexual assaults on campus and get students to come forward when they are assaulted? How might we create options that give students a reasonable but multiple ways of engaging in the process, without expanding the time, honoring due process, all of those things we’re trying to try and hold in balance? TMD: Take us back to when you first started as VP of Student Life at the University. Compared to your expectations of the role then, what about your time here has been the most unexpected? Challenging? Rewarding? Harper: I think for me, the most rewarding has been to work with students and to see over time how that has changed and to see how some of the things that students have really wanted to make this place more supportive and better for them has happened. Our new Multicultural Center, the changes in housing, the fact that we do have alternative resolution for students. The fabulous Union that’s going to open, the number of scholarships that are available, the fact that we have a program for students in foster care (Blavin Scholars), all of those things that have changed in

these 19 years to make this place more affordable and accessible for a broader range of students. That’s probably what has brought me the most joy, to see many more different kinds of students here and them thriving and doing well. I think a big change has been students expectations about what the University will do or provide. Probably for me the hardest, has been, I think, as an institution, we get better and better, and I guess I want an acknowledgement that we are better than what we were. And yet, I know students only know, it’s only what they get that they really know and understand. And when you’ve been around a while you’ve seen the changes. I know our support of survivors is much stronger than what it used to be. I am proud of the fact that this is a responsive administration, that students’ protests are important and they shape the University and help shape policy. This is a University that responds to our students, that expects them to look for ways that we can get stronger and better, and then we respond to those. If I had a wish … it would be that our faculty, staff and students could see ourselves more as one. And the problem is something we’re working on. So, if IFC is taking in first-year students and hurting them, we all need to be upset about it. We all need to be saying, “Don’t put a sign out for the Michigan, Michigan State game that harms and makes fun for people that have been harmed.” Don’t do that. That’s not who we are. So, it’s a little bit more of us caring enough for each other, to be honest about those things that are in violation of our values.

consider a variety of cuisines, dietary advantages, and price points,” White said. “Taco Bell rounds out this diverse offering with a mix of options and selections to make students, staff and guests want to return regularly. We are very pleased to welcome Taco Bell to the Union.” Susan Pile, senior director of University Unions and Auxiliary Services, said Taco Bell’s announcement comes a month after the rest of the vendors due to processing agreements.

“We can’t make an announcement until we have signed agreements with each of the respective vendors,” Pile said. “This one took a little bit longer to actually get signed than the others did and lots of people were wanting to know who the vendors were going to be and we wanted to honor that and get the information out that we could at the time.” LSA junior Brianna Morigney said she is looking forward to the opening of Taco Bell in the Union and thinks it offers a better alternative to Wendy’s.

“I am really excited about Taco Bell in the Union,” Morigney said. “I think it’s a well known, inexpensive and fast option that’s great for students. I know many people were upset about Wendy’s leaving the Union but I think Taco Bell is a better replacement and will be popular amongst students.” Taco Bell franchise owner Louis Dortch Jr. said in a press release the menu offers American Vegetarian Association approved items. “At Taco Bell, we’ve had innovation on our mind since Glen Bell started

serving tacos at the first location in 1962 in Downey, California,” Dortch said. “Since then, we’ve grown to be a culture-centric, lifestyle brand that provides craveable, affordable Mexican-inspired food with bold flavors. Not only do we provide breakthrough value, we offer quality ingredients and are the first QSR restaurant to offer American Vegetarian Association (AVA)-certified menu items. In fact, our restaurant brand is one of the very few in the QSR industry leading that charge.”

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CHLOE PLESCHER | COLUMN

The University’s damage to sexual assault survivors

n Sept. 7, 2018, the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in the Doe v. Baum case that the University of Michigan must allow and mandate “live cross-examinations” in sexual misconduct cases where the accused could face suspension or expulsion or where the accuser’s credibility is disputed. The interim policy has been in effect since January 2019, but instead of having an attorney perform crossexamination, it is the accused interrogating the accuser. It was not mandated by the court that the cross-examinations happen this way. Since January, the interim policy has been protested. In September 2019, the American Civil Liberties Union sent a letter to the University calling on the University to change the sexual misconduct policy to adhere to Title IX and due process by having the cross-examination performed by a lawyer, not an accused student. The ACLU claims that by having an alleged abuser conduct the cross-examination, it discourages reports, re-traumatizes those who do report and creates a “hostile campus environment.” Since the letter, the University has still not changed its policy. While the University does have a student advisory committee in place, the committee has not made any lasting changes to the interim policy, as it has been in effect for almost a year with no changes made. Students are in danger of becoming re-traumatized. Beyond the ACLU, University students have protested the policy. I spoke with LSA sophomore Emma Sandberg, an aspiring public policy student, about her non-profit Roe v. Rape. The non-profit aims to help survivors heal through their activism. Sandberg has “met with countless administrators” to discuss the University’s policy and work to change it. Roe v. Rape’s goals are to have the University change the requirements and have the cross-examination conducted by professionals and for the University to cover the costs for attorneys. This way, regardless of their financial situation, both parties will have equal representation. Cross-examination by an attorney is by no means a good solution. The process can be re-traumatizing, with the purpose

being to find damning discrepancies. An attorney will know how to ask more cutthroat questions than the accused. The questions will be brutal, and the process will likely be longer. However, at least it is not the accused doing the cross-examination. Reporting is already traumatic, and an investigation even more so. But cross-examination performed by the accused heightens trauma. According to Roe v. Rape, survivors on and off campus have stated it would be “far more traumatic to be cross-examined by their assailants than by attorneys.” As a survivor, the idea of not only facing my assailant but being crossexamined by him is beyond belief. I never reported, much less went to court against him, but the thought of even being in the same room as him is disturbing and causes anxiety. I cannot fathom having to be cross-examined by him, and those who have had to go through it should be commended for their bravery. Healing from sexual assault is not just physical. The emotional healing process takes months and years to recover from. Even without reporting or seeing their abuser again, sexual assault survivors face shock, denial, depression, guilt, shame and anger. Furthermore, post-traumatic stress disorder can develop, as well as general fear and panic. With these emotions, other symptoms include flashbacks, nightmares, anxiety and depression. Even though the court mandated the live cross-examination of survivors, the University can and should make it as comfortable as possible for the survivors. Cross-examination is going to be traumatic whether it is an attorney or the accused performing the cross-examination. However, it will be even more traumatic if the accused is doing it. Crossexamination will force the accuser to relive the assault in distinct detail as their story is questioned over and over again. While the University does allegedly offer the cross-examination to be done using technologies like Skype, this does not necessarily make the cross-examination less traumatic or painful for the survivor. Furthermore, even through Skype, survivors still have to communicate

with their assailant. They have to see their assailant’s face, and they have to listen to the questions and defend their trauma to the very person who perpetuated it, all in hopes of obtaining justice. Whether through Skype or in-person, this is traumatic. Moreover, it is unnecessary. By either providing attorneys or covering the legal costs, the University can still adhere to the court’s mandate while also adhering to Title IX and due process. While providing legal aid obviously costs money, it would be money well and fairly spent. Additionally, providing legal assistance will benefit both parties as it relieves them from the financial stress of the situation. Despite the fact that University of Michigan students live in an expensive city, the student population is financially diverse. Not everyone can afford lawyers, but in investigations like sexual misconduct and assault, both parties deserve equal legal representation to ensure the trial’s equity. The current sexual misconduct policy has been in place for almost a year. It is time the University reforms the policy. Enough is enough. In the meantime, remember to continue to support survivors. Support can be shown in a myriad of ways: listening to and believing their stories, providing resources, giving them space, respecting confidentiality and educating yourself about sexual violence. Do not pressure them to report. Reporting is not the responsibility of survivors; healing is. Instead, resources provided can be national or local, on or off campus and survivors can choose whether or not to utilize them. Beyond supporting a specific person, you can show support by continuing to educate yourself, joining groups like the ACLU and even attending protests to show your allyship. A benefit of our large campus is that there are multiple ways to get involved even for onetime events. We, as students, do not have to quietly allow poor policies to continue. Through education and protest, we can convince the University to reform the policy. It takes time and passion, but the Chloe Plescher can be reached at chloebp@umich.edu.

Against buzzword politics

n recent years, several trends have defined American politics: the rise of populism, exacerbated polarization and talks of impeachment, to name a few. A less frequently discussed trend, however, is the proliferation of buzzwords and empty rhetoric in political discourse. The rise of “buzzword rhetoric” cheapens our political discourse and impedes policy formation. If left unaddressed, buzzword rhetoric could fundamentally change the way this nation debates and discusses politics for the worse, and its effects could linger long after the current wave of populism recedes. As with many trends in today’s politics, buzzword rhetoric is embraced by President Donald Trump. Trump has never been known for his eloquence or detailed policy proposals, but he is especially prone to using buzzwords. Trump regularly dismisses opposing ideas and inconvenient realities as “fake news” — in the first year of his term, he averaged one “fake news” or related variation every day. When confronted with specific policy issues or challenges, Trump habitually distorts the issue at hand with inflammatory buzzwords. Immigration at the southern border is referred to as an “invasion” and trade agreements are reduced to zerosum games where America is “winning” or “losing.” Special interests and neutral career bureaucrats are lumped together as “The Swamp,” and Democratic opponents are accused of being a part of “The Deep State.” On many matters Trump can be considered an anomaly, but Trump’s proclivity for buzzwords is shared by many of his fellow conservatives. In response to criticism for his blocking of election security measures, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., accused his critics of “McCarthyism.” Ironically, McConnell accused critics of diminishing “our ability to debate public policy” despite being the one who responded to policy-specific criticism with grandstanding.

Another prime example is the right’s effort to paint Democrats as “socialists.” The conservative campaign to link Democrats to socialism is nothing new — Barack Obama was regularly denounced as a socialist — but the campaign was reinvigorated by the rise of progressive politicians like Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. To be fair, some of these left-wing figures do embrace the label of “democratic socialism,” but equating progressive proposals, such as universal health care and higher taxes on the wealthy, with the brutal collectivism of communist regimes is both inaccurate and irresponsible. There are plenty of legitimate criticisms of progressive proposals — such as their cost, efficiency and efficacy — but these critiques are usually voiced by the center-left rather than conservatives. Regardless of the merits of progressive policies, the blanket dismissal of these policies as “socialist” lacks nuance and fails to address the policy issues that these proposals respond to. Of course, the usage of buzzword rhetoric is not exclusive to conservatives. Trump critics frequently slip into using buzzwords and hyperbole when denouncing his policies and conduct. Former Massachussetts Gov. Bill Weld, a Libertarian and Republican presidential candidate, accused Trump of treason in response to revelations that Trump withheld military aid to Ukraine in order to pressure Ukraine’s president to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden. The Constitution defines treason narrowly as waging war against the United States or assisting U.S. enemies in wartime. Trump’s request abused power, spawned an impeachment probe and likely constitutes a crime, but it was not treason, as Weld had implied.

Read more at MichiganDaily.com Noah Harrison can be reached at noahharr@umich.edu.

TIMOTHY SPURLIN | COLUMN

Multiple pieces to the puzzle of our economy

e are officially less than one year away from the 2020 presidential elections, and voters across the country are watching candidates as they talk about critically important issues: health care costs, job opportunities and wages. One of the biggest splits among Democrats and Republicans, and even between different wings of the Democratic party, is the economy. Many Republicans and other supporters of President Donald Trump have been using the economy as proof that, despite being unconventional and constantly mired in controversy, Trump is successfully accomplishing the goals he set out to accomplish in 2016. Democrats, however, tell a different story — a story of wealth inequality and an economy that is only benefiting a small number of Americans. The main disconnect comes from the fact that “the economy” is an ambiguous term — one whose definition changes depending on how you look at it. So both sides can technically be correct, but who is telling the more complete picture and how can we measure it? Traditionally, measuring the health of the economy uses statistics surrounding gross domestic product and GDP growth, commonly called the growth rate. This simply tracks and measures GDP over time for the entire country, broken down into quarterly reports, to see how the economy as a whole is growing or shrinking. President Trump has been vocal about the success of the economy, and often uses the growth rate as his only

evidence. Indeed, the growth rate in the U.S. has been steadily positive since Trump took office in 2017. Over his first term, the growth rate is about 3.1 percent — an impressive number to be sure, though much smaller than the 5 to 6 percent goal Trump promised while on the campaign trail. As it turns out, however, the picture of our economy’s health is actually more complicated than President Trump advertises. While total GDP may be up, that growth is almost entirely concentrated on the top-earners in the country and is not shared among the majority of Americans. This is the fundamental flaw in only observing the growth rate: GDP as a measure of the economy’s health only looks at total growth in the economy, and therefore paints an incomplete story. To find the whole story, we need to look at other indicators. For example, one important statistic that impacts all Americans is income inequality. Income inequality is the measure of how wealth is divided among different percentile earners. Unfortunately, in the U.S., income inequality has become a serious problem. According to Bloomberg News, the richest 1 percent of earners in the U.S. are about to surpass the entirety of the middle class — meaning all of the middle class’s wealth combined will be less than the wealth of the top 1 percent.

Read more at MichiganDaily.com Timothy Spurlin can be reached at timrspur@umich.edu.

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Arts

Tuesday, November 26, 2019 — 5B

NEW MEDIA NOTEBOOK

ALBUM REVIEW

Esports & interactive design ELI LUSTIG

Daily Arts Writer

As a video game critic, I’ve been exposed to more games than the average player. I play games that were masterfully crafted by the best in the industry. Games that are lethally boring and riddled with bugs. I play fast-paced games that test my reaction speed. I play slow games that require critical thinking. Violent or passive, indie or big-budget, I’ve had my fair share of experiences. Yet despite all the games I’ve played throughout the years, there’s one type of game that I always find myself coming back to: esports. The term esports denotes a very loose category. Its definition has changed in recent years, but most games classified as esports follow a similar convention: They are always competitive multiplayer games contained within the duration of a match. The rules are flexible enough where players can employ several different strategies to win, and matches take place on predetermined “maps.” They typically do not have narratives or worlds to explore, and if they do contain characters there is very little development. Esports can span many genres including fighting, real-time strategy and first-person shooting. Currently, games like Fortnite, Overwatch and League of Legends dominate the esport scene. Though I try to diversify my gaming palette, I routinely find myself coming back to Overwatch, even though the game is now over three years old. There’s something timeless about esports that just doesn’t apply to traditional games. Like traditional sports, esports are constantly in flux. No single match will ever be the same as the last. One person’s approach to the game might be completely different than another’s. But does that make esports necessarily better than traditional games? I would argue that esports are not fundamentally superior to other games, but their design is more impressive. The medium of video games is different from other art forms, and its most unique feature is interactivity. Unlike passive artforms such as music and film, the player is involved in the art and actively engages with it to reveal its meaning. What the player can and cannot do effects their experience with the game. In essence, the manipulation of interactivity is game design. Now apply this logic to an esport. The

designer crafts interactivity to fit the confines of the game. The designer must consider the objective, the many ways the player can reach that objective, and, most importantly, how other players will either assist or inhibit them. Since the game is meant to be competitive, the designer must make everything balanced so no player has an advantage over another player. Because the designer doesn’t know how the player will interact with the game, making an esport is the art of creating affordances rather than curating an experience. Designers aren’t telling the player what to do or giving them a straight path; instead, they are hinting at what is possible and letting the player figure it out. Compare this to a traditional game where the objective is clear and the level can only be beaten one way. Even if there are multiple approaches, the experience is linear. The player interacts with the game as the designer intended and follows the path created for them. There’s nothing wrong with a traditional game; in fact, many of my favorite games are traditional narrative based games. For instance, take God of War, which won Game of the Year in 2018. Critics hailed it as a masterpiece and many considered it a perfect example of how sophisticated video games have become. The game had narrative complexity exploring themes such as fatherhood and grief. Yet despite all the acclaim, if one looks at the actual design, God of War is simple compared to games like Overwatch. The experience is mostly linear, with the player following the story and interacting with the game mostly through fighting. Narrative games like God of War are essentially interactive films. The focus is on the story with the interactive elements only serving to augment the experience. Narrative games can easily be movies and still retain their artistic message. In contrast, esports have to be video games because the message they convey is exclusive to the medium. The art is the interaction between team members and their opponents, requiring the viewer to be active to appreciate its beauty. All games are valuable and the message they share has merit regardless of the genre. However, esports garner respect because their design is most true to the medium. Games are meant to be interactive. Thus, I will always consider games that encourage interaction to be masterpieces.

FLICKR

ALAMO RECORDS

03 Greedo & Kenny Beats spend quality time together and weariness are palpable as he warbles lines like “Crippin’ with the war wounds, told my Daily Arts Writer momma I was tired of cartoons / Jumped off I have something to admit. I may be 03 the porch / I’m in the field, call the same with Greedo’s biggest fan. He’s my most-listened- the rings and the torch” and “Either you get to artist of all time, according to Last.fm killed, go to jail or have a jump spot / Focus and Spotify. Ever since I first heard “Mafia on your skills, boy, you know you only got one Business” on Vince Staples’s SEABS radio shot.” show back in 2016, I’ve been hooked. I can’t If “Traffic” was Greedo in his comfort get enough. Something about Greedo and his zone, “Disco Shit” is him at his most creative. style just resonates with me. He used to rap Kenny provides what may be one of his most over only his own rudimentary Frooty Loops surprising beats, defined by disco-inspired experimentations and, somehow, it worked. His keys and off-kilter bass hits, and Greedo brings voice isn’t the best and the bars are pedestrian the firepower. He doesn’t rap much here, at best (and non-existent at worst), but he has instead opting to sing with pure soul, littering endless charm and creates an atmosphere that it with references to “Blow,” his all-time no one else can. Greedo describes his music as favorite movie. Despite Greedo and Kenny’s “emo music for gangbangers,” suggesting he outstanding performances, Freddie Gibbs, makes music that will resonate with everyone, another Kenny Beats regular, steals the show. even the most hardened individual. He’s Gibbs’s voice is drenched in autotune, yet he often pigeonholed into the “so bad it’s good” still raps with surgical precision, starting with category of rap a sing-song, T-Painla Blueface and esque flow which Lil B, but I have to quickly returns disagree with that to his trademark sentiment. Greedo spitfire delivery. can’t play any With such a instruments, is an strong opening unconventional run, it seems vocalist and barely inevitable that a producer, but Netflix & Deal will 03 Greedo and Kenny Beats he has a musical eventually lose Alamo Records mind. He knows steam and land as what he wants yet another frontand knows how loaded hip hop to execute his release. Not the vision. So when I case. Kenny and heard Greedo was Greedo display collaborating with their unparalleled Kenny Beats, the nascent producer known for chemistry across the entire album, and the perfectly executing his clients’s visions, I knew album’s guests bring their A-game, too. I was in for a treat. How could they not? Sharing a track with a Netflix & Deal is Greedo’s second full-length personality like Greedo demands it. Notably, (and fourth overall) release since he was Maxo Kream softens his typically gritty and sentenced to prison for 20 years for firearm grizzly style on “Beg Your Pardon.” However, possession and drug trafficking. With such 03 Greedo shines brightest when it’s just him a bleak future looming, Greedo kicked into and Kenny Beats. overdrive, recording vast amounts of highOn “Life,” Greedo elevates. It’s the full quality music to ensure that his family would package. He’s charismatic, emotional and be supported while he is locked up, and the sentimental on this track, thanks to Kenny final products have been nothing short of pulling a sample of Dire Straits’s “Sultans of phenomenal. His collaborators really care Swing” out of left field. Greedo tackles matters about preserving Greedo’s vision and are regarding his lifestyle and life choices, his willing to take any measures necessary to do so. friends and family and his accomplishments. From the get-go, Greedo is deep in his bag. The track feels a bit like a bittersweet victory “Traffic” is textbook Greedo. His froggy voice lap when Greedo’s circumstances are taken slinks across a cosmic CaptainCrunch-assisted into consideration, an idea that aligns well with Kenny beat like liquid mercury. Greedo bends the chorus: “Feelin’ like Carly Rae, they offerin’ his voice at will, switching from staccato all the days / They tried to say that I had a lil bursts to limitless croon with ease. Every baggage I might make the holidays / I’m flyin’ vocal inflection is unexpected and wonderful, all the time, I done did all the crime / Life, life, perfectly in time with the rumble of an 808. His life made me lose my mind.” Greedo knows he’s dreamy flow provides an interesting contrast to down now, but that’s a part of life’s ebb and lines about his rough upbringing. His unease flow. He’ll be back on top soon. JIM WILSON

Netflix & Deal

Arts

6B — Tuesday, November 26, 2019

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

POETRY REVIEW

The old made new in ‘We Inherit What the Fires Left’ EMELIA FERRANTE Daily Arts Writer

The story of William Evans’s poetry collection “We Inherit What the Fires Left” is one caught not only between generations but also between worlds. He remembers the struggle of growing up in a rough urban neighborhood which left him with scars and trauma, and he cannot help but compare it to the childhood his daughter is living. These comparisons are frank without feeling cheap, because Evans has a real talent for making the mundane special. He excels at showing the reader how the smallest, seemingly insignificant things put an entire life into perspective. Right in the beginning of the book, his daughter’s frequent nosebleeds become a metaphor for the way his life has changed in just a few short decades. For his daughter, the blood is “perfectly natural,” but he does not “remember anything natural about (his) own blood.” In the same poem where he recalls physical punishment for his childhood disobedience, Evans thinks about how older generations would feel about his life now — they would think “we’re too soft.” Evans clearly struggles with trauma from his past and survivor’s guilt about his present. After he “watched cemeteries grow fat on his friends,” how could he live his normal life with his wife and his daughter? His poems are haunted by the ghosts of people he lost in his childhood. He mourns their premature deaths, not by saying “they died still children” but instead “we put enough

potential into / the ground to make a college of prayers.” Honest and poetic, Evans contemplates the effect his childhood has on his life now: “You know / the world wants to hollow you out because you / loved someone that was once your age and now / they no longer have an age.” He has countless ways to describe death like it is something completely new. Evans strips away all of the previous constructions around death and makes it raw again. Despite the emphasis on death, Evans’s book does not deal solely with sadness — it is too full of hope for it to be just a sad book. His deep grief is counterbalanced by a profound wonder and love for his daughter. Where his childhood friends died young, his daughter flourishes with an innocence Evans never had. In a way, she is a channel for Evans to recreate a childhood filled with more joy and less fear than his own. Like any father, he sees himself in her: “she is already my mimic after all, / having taken my nose / and eyes and smile for her own.” In poems full of death and melancholy, his daughter punctures through with radiance and expectation. Evans’s daughter is most often a motif that weaves throughout the poems in this collection, stringing them together, but SIMON & SCHUSTER sometimes she gets a poem all to herself, like “Clean.” This poem, and the others like it, reads like pure happiness distilled into a few stanzas. Evans’s love is so apparent he never even needs to use the word love; instead, he can call her “the atomic girl / who laughs at everything” or “a brandnew sun.” He trusts the reader to understand that his love is

more than a word or a realization and is instead a culmination of many little moments. These poems remind the genre why it continues to write about love and death when those subjects have been discussed millions of times over — because people like Evans continue to make us feel them in new and different ways. Even in a book defined by its skillful handling of emotions, Evans still manages to impress with his mastery of poetic form. He frequently varies his style, switching from long lines with no stanza breaks throughout an entire poem to curt, choppy lines split into small stanzas. The resulting effect is a poetry

We Inherit What the Fires Left William Evans Simon & Schuster March 24, 2020

collection that keeps readers on their toes, never knowing what poetic voice Evans will seamlessly slip into next. He is also able to manipulate form to serve the emotional goal of a poem, from short lines of similar length to create a visual of conformity in “How to Assimilate” to strange caesuras and enjambments to create the scatter-brained visual of raising an infant in “Descendant.” Evans may tackle ambitious subjects, but his dexterous use of language and emotion makes his book stand out. He somehow manages to make anew the timeless topics of race and familial love in a way that deserves to be heard.

FILM NOTEBOOK

Release Date: Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

ACROSS 1 Cigar residue 4 “West Side Story” sides 9 Cul-__: dead-end street 14 Versatile truck, for short 15 Head off 16 Oven emanation 17 Transmission specification 19 Divided island of Southeast Asia 20 Fielder’s mishap 21 Irish watering hole 23 Trucker on a radio 24 Catch one’s breath 25 Stockholm-born three-time Best Actress nominee 28 Barfly 29 Run out of juice 30 Weekend show with Aidy Bryant, to fans 31 “Dig in!” 32 Actress Berry 34 Real estate units 36 Longtime New Year’s Eve bandleader 39 Dalmatian marks 41 Skin irritations 42 PC key near Z 43 Partners for mas 46 Terminate 47 Suffix with Brooklyn 50 Video game series with a Warriors of Rock edition 53 Dashing style 54 Escape key function 55 Comfy footwear 56 Leave the chair 57 Secret Service role 59 Leave the house ... and a literal feature of 17-, 25-, 36- and 50-Across 62 Rodeo rope 63 Bring together 64 Gp. that isn’t gun-shy 65 Welles on-screen 66 Hall of Fame pitcher Ryan 67 Corn serving

DOWN 1 Hole-making tools 2 Den music system 3 San Simeon castle builder 4 Teri of “Young Frankenstein” 5 Gardner of the silver screen 6 Badminton divider 7 Beef 8 Strong ales 9 Not dis? 10 CNN journalist Hill 11 Mariachi’s hat 12 One-celled swimmers 13 Orange veggies 18 Hogwash 22 Keep out 25 Fish organ 26 Move, in realty ads 27 Shone with a nearly blinding light 29 Pampering place 32 Simple shelter 33 Ambulance letters 35 S&L offerings

36 Looked through a home remodeling magazine, perhaps 37 Transvaal settler 38 Florence’s river 39 Arizona cactus 40 Tool that unclogs using suction 44 Chair part for elbow resting 45 Feudal Japanese military ruler 47 “Seinfeld” regular

48 Former Justice __ Day O’Connor 49 Make beloved 51 Lone Ranger’s pal 52 Affordable, in brand names 53 Sci-fi beings 56 British firearm acronym 58 Color like khaki 60 Black gold 61 Hagen of Broadway

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

11/26/19

The Criterion Channel, artmaking and stream culture ANDREW WARRICK Daily Arts Writer

A few weeks ago Disney+ was released. Viewers young and old alike flocked to the streaming service, bingeing everything from “Mulan” to “Avengers: Endgame.” I was one of them. My sister texted the family group chat that morning, saying that she’d purchased it and we were all welcome to mooch. So I powered up my laptop and logged in. Scrolling past the smiling princesses, steeled Jedi and armored heroes, I couldn’t help but feel a vague sense of guilt. This continued as I clicked on “The Mandalorian,” the new Star Wars TV show, and started to watch. As the bounty hunter began an epic stellar quest, my heart wasn’t fully in it. It almost felt like I was cheating on someone. In a sense, I was. Between me, my family and my friends, there have to be at least a dozen streaming services I can use. I didn’t feel bad about neglecting HBO Go, Hulu or Netflix, though. It was the only streaming service that I actually pay for that I felt bad about ignoring — the Criterion Channel. The Criterion Collection, a long running compilation of what its website calls “important classic and contemporary films,” launched this streaming service last summer. It collects movies from across the world and throughout history, and of every genre imaginable. They all share one thing: They exemplify cinema in the best sense of the word. The Criterion Collection restores classic movies to high definition, which blew me away when I saw 1954’s “Godzilla,” the first film I choose to watch on the service. The restoration was immaculate, and the images and soundtrack were pristine. It filled me with wonder, how those seeing it must have felt when it was first released. Next, I chose “Don’t Look Back,” a restored version of D.A. Pennebaker’s famous 1964 Bob

Dylan documentary, which contains one of the first music videos of all time. Next was “Antichrist,” a deeply unsettling experimental film by Lars Von Trier about a husband and wife turning on one another in the middle of the woods. Now, I admit it may be difficult to consider this channel as an entertainment choice. It seems more like education, after all. Outside of a Russian film class, who would choose Tarkovsky’s bleak, impenetrable three-hour “Stalker” over the surefire thrills of “The Force Awakens?” Even I wouldn’t, 80 percent of the time. That isn’t to say the channel is unnecessary, though. Quite the opposite. The Criterion Collection offers a vital alternative to the binge-worthy entertainment offered everywhere else. It invites one to think about what they watch, engaging with cinema as an art form. While most of the movies aren’t the easiest to watch, understand or enjoy, there is much worth seeing. A notable example is “Fitzcarraldo,” the three hour magnum opus of Werner Herzog, a famous German auteur. It’s about an early-20thcentury man who tries to pull a steamboat up an Amazonian mountainside to sail to the rubber fields beyond. While this sounds like a difficult, maybe insurmountable quest, the film’s production is almost worse. The collection also offers a documentary companion called “Burden of Dreams” about the many perils of making “Fitzcarraldo,” such as when a crew member was bitten by a poisonous snake and had to chop his leg off with a chainsaw. At one point, director Werner Herzog notes in his famous German drawl, “The trees here are in misery, and the birds are in misery… they just screech in pain.” Needless to say, you won’t find “Fitzcarraldo” on Disney+.