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ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-NINE YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM

Tuesday, April 21, 2020

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University freezes faculty salary, hiring

‘U’ projects $400 million to $1 billion in losses JASMIN LEE

Daily Staff Reporter

U-M medical students help hospitals with COVID-19 crisis DESIGN BY MICHELLE FAN

Many students contribute as volunteers at testing, health facilities VARSHA VEDAPUDI Daily Staff Reporter

Third-year Medical student Paris Rollins was in the middle of clinical rotations at Henry Ford Hospital, working 9-hour shifts in the Emergency Medicine Department, when she found out that the University of Michigan’s Medical School would be pulling all students out of rotations. “I felt this dread in the pit of my stomach,” Rollins said.

“(The announcement) felt unprecedented in what could happen next.” Two days after the announcement, Rollins’ classmates were already looking for ways to get involved with the response to fight COVID-19. She received an email detailing that the Detroit Health Department would be rolling out massive numbers of tests through a drivethru at the State Fairgrounds and would need volunteers to call

patients with their test results. “Medical students don’t like to be idle for very long,” Rollins joked. “It seemed like an awesome opportunity to speak with people when they are getting this big relief, or potentially stressful news and I thought that is how I want to be able to help people.” Though Rollins had learned how to deliver bad news to patients in medical school, giving people their results was a difficult task. See COVID-19, Page 3

Mark Schlissel, president of the University of Michigan, released a statement regarding the University’s financial situation. According to Schlissel, the University is expected to lose between $400 million and $1 billion due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The University is taking immediate action to this expected loss in revenue by restricting pay in nonessential University business. These financial restrictions apply to all three University campuses and Michigan Medicine. “We must work to preserve financial resources wherever we can,” Schlissel said. “Some of the actions below are amplifications of previously announced plans, or they draw a clearer line for how we will proceed in the coming months. These actions apply to all three campuses and Michigan Medicine.” In response to the expected loss of revenue, the University is freezing new hires, faculty and staff salaries and reducing hours. The University is also going to begin implementing voluntary

furlough programs for “regular staff in non-critical operations.” Research and employment critical to COVID-19 relief will continue to be funded by the University. University leaders are also cutting their own salaries, with Schlissel, U-M Flint Chancellor Debasish Dutta and U-M Dearborn Chancellor Domenico Grasso to receive a 10 percent pay cut to their monthly income. Other members of University leadership are cutting their salary by 5 percent. Campus construction projects will also be discontinued. According to Schlissel, financial changes will determine the continuation of these projects in the future. University spokesman Rick Fitgerald told The Daily in an email they had no additional information and urged those interested to look at the University’s FAQ section about COVID-19 for more details on the University’s response. Schlissel said the University may have to take additional measures in the future to secure the safety of its students, faculty and staff, but nothing is confirmed as of Monday. See FINANCE, Page 3

Despite transitioning to online learning, campus organizations carry on with end-of-year projects Virtual platforms provide space for members to hold groups meetings, plan events, execute goals IULIA DOBRIN

Daily Staff Reporter

“Was supposed to” seems to have become one of the most commonly used phrases of this semester. The Prison Creative Arts Project was supposed to put on an exhibition of prisoner art from mid-March to early April. Shift, a creator space for University of Michigan students, was supposed to have a project showcase. The Michigan Journal of International Affairs was supposed to print and distribute their journal. Yet in spite of a global pandemic and unprecedented changes to daily life, all three of these student organizations, along with other groups across campus, found ways to modify their plans to finish out the semester. PCAP Interim Director Nora Krinitsky oversees all of PCAP’s

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programs, which include weekly creative art workshops inside prisons and the final performances put on by those workshops, which range from theater performances to literary reviews. In early March, the Michigan Department of Corrections suspended all in-person volunteer programs. This meant the end of weekly workshops and forced the cancellation of PCAP’s annual art exhibition. According to Krinitsky, this exhibition is the largest curated show of prisoner art in the world. Until they are able to host the live exhibition, PCAP created an online preview of the art show, where people can view some of the art slated to be in the exhibition and leave feedback for the artists. “We felt that creating an online preview would enable us to fulfill our mission of community

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outreach and prisoner support and engagement, even though we can’t

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do our normal programming right now,” Krinitsky said.

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Governor emphasizes addresssing racial disparities in COVID-19 related deaths, flattening the curve, rising cases in rural areas LIAT WEINSTEIN Daily News Editor

At a press conference Monday afternoon, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced the creation of a task force dedicated to addressing racial disparities in COVID-19 related deaths. 40 percent of reported coronavirus deaths in the state are Black residents, though Black people make up only 14 percent of the state’s total population. Whitmer said while statewide cases are decreasing and the curve of cases is f lattening, numbers are rising in rural areas that were previously unaffected. She also announced increased testing capabilities throughout the state and a more robust contact tracing program that will alert residents when they have come into contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19. “Statewide, the number of patients who are in the hospital with a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 has declined from a high point about 10 days ago,” Whitmer said. “In fact, we have seen a 15 percent reduction in the last 10 days … Utilization remains high in some places but we do see some decreases emerging.” Whitmer spoke alongside Joneigh Khaldun, chief medical executive and chief deputy director for health, and Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist. She said the task force will consist of politicians and health care experts focusing specifically on coronavirus risks in communities of color. “They will recommend actions to increase transparency and reporting data regarding the racial and ethnic impact of COVID-19, removing barriers to accessing physical and mental health care, reduce the impact of medical bias in treatment and testing, mitigate environmental and infrastructure factors contributing to increased exposure during pandemics

resulting in mortality and develop improved systems for supporting long-term economic recovery and physical and mental health care during a pandemic,” Whitmer said. Khaldun said medical professionals across the state must be conscious of these disparities in order to reduce bias and effectively serve areas with large numbers of cases.

Once we get to the other side of this, I think we’re going to be more mindful of how we treat and spend time with one another.

“We’ve talked about racial disparities in COVID-19 deaths that we are seeing across the state with African Americans being disproportionately impacted,” Khaldun said. “Today, I sent a letter to our medical community to make sure they are aware of these disparities and giving them the tools they need to be able to appropriately address them.” Gilchrist, who will lead the task force, said the disproportionate impact of coronavirus in communities of color is the result of generations of systemic discrimination. As a result, he said the task force’s work will require them to think of systemic solutions that address both immediate health risks and deeper societal issues. “Despite the progress that has been made for generations in terms of bending our arcs toward justice, we still have to respond to

generations of racial disparities and inequity that have impacted communities of color across our state and across the country,” Gilchrist said. “Our administration has put in place several measures and pieces of infrastructure to try to address these disparities.” These same disparities in the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak are present inWashtenaw County. In an interview with The Daily earlier this month, Susan RinglerCerniglia, communications and health promotion administrator at Washtenaw County Health Department, said the department is working to help vulnerable communities as the virus spreads, which they’ve done prior to the pandemic as well. “This isn’t something that we see only with coronavirus. So it’s part of what we, as a public health department, are striving to do and improve all the time,” Ringler-Cerniglia said. “We have long-standing efforts to work with community members and with organizations to identify where we see these types of impacts and work to approve that to improve them.” At the press conference, Gilchrist said the task force’s work and state’s response to the pandemic will not only affect infection and mortality rates but also the ways in which individuals interact with one another in times of crisis. “Once we get to the other side of this, I think we’re going to be more mindful of how we treat and spend time with one another,” Gilchrist said. “We’re gonna call a little more often. We’re gonna say ‘I love you’ a little more forcefully. We’re gonna have more meaningful interactions and conversations. And that connection, that will be the legacy of this pandemic. How we came together, how we worked today, how we stayed together and how we stand tall for one another.” Daily News Editor Liat Weinstein can be reached at weinsl@umich.

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Whitmer announces increased testing, tracing program

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FINANCE From Page 1 “In the months ahead, we may have to take additional measures to address growing consequences of the pandemic,” Schlissel said. “For instance, work that is available now under the current conditions may not be available in future months. We also must keep in mind the operational and resource needs

COVID-19 From Page 1 “The first few might be positive, then the next ones are negative,” Rollins said. “It’s really hard to switch emotions … these calls only last five minutes, so to connect with them in that time was definitely a challenge.” Third-year Medical student Majd Mokbel also volunteers at the Detroit Health Department and makes some of the 800 outgoing calls informing people of their test results every day. “People have a varied range of emotions when they’re told their results — excited, happy, relieved with the negative results and acceptance and being scared with the positive,” he said. “But pretty surprisingly, many people we have talked to have been brave about their results.” Second-year Medical student Rebecca Goldberg, who was rotating around Henry Ford Hospital, has also found a way to support the hospital’s response to COVID-19 remotely. Goldberg is a lead on the patient outreach initiative, which involves calling Ypsilanti Health

ORGANIZATIONS From Page 1

“So what we’re able to do is educate the public about creative arts that are happening inside prisons.” In addition, students involved in PCAP organized correspondence to people who are incarcerated, among other forms of activism and engagement. Executive board members for PCAP also created a mutual aid fund for formerly incarcerated people who are dealing with crises amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The fund has raised more than $14,000 and helped more than 30 people so far. “It has been so successful and other students have been helping to fundraise for that effort to get the word out about it,” Krinitsky said. “It’s just been a really, really positive outcome.” LSA senior Hannah Agnew served as president of PCAP’s student executive committee this year. According to Agnew, it was difficult for her and other students in the organization to find out they could no longer run the in-person workshops. “The point of it is bringing joy into very difficult and dehumanizing spaces,” Agnew said. “It’s

News

Tuesday, April 21, 2020 — 3

when we are able to ramp back up. This will depend on state orders and federal guidelines, and it’s important to note that it won’t be like flipping a switch.” Earlier this month, U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., announced the University’s Ann Arbor campus would receive a total of $25,244,052 in emergency grants to cover “significant” financial losses due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Of that, a minimum of $12,622,026 will be allocated for emergency

financial aid grants to students. The University of Michigan-Dearborn will receive $6,989,129, with minimum of $3,494,565 going toward emergency financial aid grants to students. While the status of in-person classes resuming in the fall semester is still unknown, talk of canceling on-campus instruction has become more frequent among university administrators as coronavirus infections grow. Schlissel noted in his email that there

are no clear answers on the status of fall classes, but he hopes in-person courses will be able to resume. “We’re already working to plan for a more gradual return to normal activity, informed by strong public health guidance,” Schlissel wrote. “I remain cautiously optimistic that we will be able to deliver a public health-informed Fall semester on our three campuses.” Daily Staff Reporter Jasmin Lee can be reached at itsshlee@umich.edu

Center patients who are not currently enrolled in the online health portal and helping them navigate the system to access video visits online. “For me, it was kind of a no-brainer (to help out),” Goldberg said. “To be able to help patients in trying times like these, that’s how I’d rather spend my time any day.” Third-year Medical student Tom Hester was rotating with Dr. Theodore Iwashyna in the Veterans’ Affairs Center when Iwashyna realized that a shortage of staff to care for patients would become a large issue. This led to the conception of the role of a Respiratory Therapist Extender. Hester and a team of four other classmates have been trained to provide basic respiratory care like patient assessments, oxygen rounds and restocking equipment so that the therapists can focus their efforts on patients on ventilators. “Our job is to alleviate the workload of the respiratory therapists, so they can focus on treating the critically ill,” Hester said. The plan moving forward is to share the concept with other institutions in an effort to crowdsource continued improvements to the program.

Quintin Solano, a member of student council and second-year Medical student, had been working the Pediatrics rotation at Michigan Medicine from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. and had seen the respiratory ICU being set up in the weeks leading up to the pandemic. After a discussion with the Student Council President Ali Hammoud, he realized the shortage of personal protective equipment had to be addressed. “I like the idea of being able to help our colleagues who are going to be on the frontline, and help give out the equipment that they need,” Solano said. After seeing Michigan Medicine’s social media push for personal protective equipment donations, Solano and a number of his fellow classmates began volunteering to help count, inventory and repackage the donations in a way that would allow the hospital to actually use the supplies. “Donations were just flooding in from hospital laboratories, University laboratories, local businesses, hair salons, nail salons,” Solano said. “(As medical students) our hope is, you know, to be in the clinical environment, but if we can’t,

then we’re gonna do everything we can outside of it to help everybody (in) there.” In addition to his presidency of the Student Council, Hammoud is also co-director of the M-Response Corps, a medical student-led initiative to fight the COVID-19 crisis. From providing remote prenatal care to delivering groceries, students have found a multitude of ways to contribute. Hammoud said he sees this time as an opportunity to get as many students involved without coercion. “We put together a survey that we sent out to all students before students were sent out. We just got so many students who are like, please don’t make us leave (to go home). We want to serve. We want to help,” Hammoud said. Hester said he was inspired to see how his fellow classmates mobilized to support the health care system during this state of emergency. “There are so many ways to help with the pandemic response that doesn’t involve patient care, (and) those ways are just as important,” Hester said. Daily Staff Reporter Varsha Vedapudi can be reached at varshakv@umich.edu

definitely a struggle of feeling really helpless about what we can do as a student org and knowing that we just have to sit back while a lot of the suffering is happening.” Agnew worked to advance the organization’s mission by trying to help improve conditions for incarcerated people, who are at high risk of contracting COVID-19. “The goals have shifted from finding support for our membership more so to finding support for the folks that we would usually be facilitating with inside,” Agnew said. “Right now, because we can’t engage in the community, (the goal) has really changed to how can we spread awareness about this issue? How can we find ways of rallying folks around the release of certain incarcerated populations during this difficult time?” For smaller groups that are more focused on the campus involvement, such as Shift, having regularly scheduled meetings throughout the semester played a big role in maintaining a sense of community. According to co-director of Shift Julia Averbuch, Business and Engineering freshman, the group has about 40 students involved. The organization also has a house where the members would gather for meetings and where projects from past members are on display. “It has a really homey environment,” Averbuch

said. “Losing that was a big deal to a lot of our members because it was such a space a lot of people felt like was a second home to them.” To try and maintain that environment, the group shifted to hosting weekly virtual meetings, where members could discuss their personal projects. In addition, members created a website to virtually display their projects, since they could no longer host their regular end of year showcase. “We thought having something static, that stays as similar as it could to pre-COVID, would be really beneficial for the organization,” Averbuch said. “That way, not everything’s changed. Seniors aren’t missing out on the last couple months of their experience with this organization and new members are getting the full experience as well.” The MJIA, which holds weekly meetings, has now moved to online communications to complete the process of editing their journal, which typically publishes once a semester. According to Public Policy senior Brooke Bacigal, who is editor in chief of the publication, the group was still able to get a majority of their editing process done in-person during the first half of the semester. However, rather than printing about 1,000 copies of the journal to distribute, as they usually do, they are running the entire publication online, printing only a few copies for writers of the journal.

“Fortunately, there are a lot of collaborative ways that you can edit remotely,” Bacigal said. “(It’s) a very exciting process that’s super dependent upon feedback and engagement, which was difficult to be able to transpose to online work … but through Google Forms, videos, recorded videos and chat options through Slack, we’ve been able to keep up communication and engagement with our staff writers and allow for that tutorial process to continue.” Since a majority of their funds go towards the printing of the journal, according to Bacigal, the general membership unanimously voted to have that funding allocated to COVID-19 relief. “We were able to buy, I think, close to 1,000 masks and donate to a fund that is going directly to Detroit-based hospitals for personal protection equipment,” Bacigal said. While Bacigal said it was disappointing not to be able to print and distribute the journal around campus, she felt that current events have reinforced the need for the journal. “The entire circumstances surrounding COVID-19 have really pushed the reason why we have this journal, in a lot of ways,” Bacigal said. “It’s giving an additional challenge, but still allowing people to share their voice.” Daily Staff Reporter Iulia Dobrin can be reached at idobrin@umich.edu.

Political campaigns balance policy, fundraising

Politicians up for re-election must decide whether to focus on outreach or legislation in the time of COVID-19 JULIA FANZERES Daily Staff Reporter

During the COVID-19 crisis, the state and national governments have been attempting to work together to provide medical supplies and implement shelter-in-place guidelines to slow the spread of the virus. Yet with the general election less than 200 days away and the 12th Congressional District primary only 106 days away, the congressional campaigns in the state of Michigan are faced with the difficult decision of whether to start fundraising or to stay focused on the coronavirus pandemic. Campaigns have had to get creative during the pandemic as they move online. With door-to-door organizing out of the question and gala fundraisers unable to take place, the

question becomes: How do candidates bring in donations? In March, U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., who is facing a primary opponent in August, told The Daily campaigning was not her priority and her primary focus continues to be on serving Ann Arbor residents during the pandemic. While speaking with The Daily on Wednesday, she said she is still committed to serving and communicating with her constituency. “I am not focused on fundraising right now. I think we need to be focused on killing this virus once and for all,” Dingell said. “I’m trying to make sure (constituents) know about the issues, that we’re educating them. Reaching out to people. Getting people that I work with

to do neighbor checks, to check on people in their community, to reach out to seniors that feel alone.” Dingell acknowledged that she will need to get back on the campaign trail. “At some point, I’ll have to start to campaign again because the primary is in August,” Dingell said. “But I have not felt it was appropriate or the right thing to do and therefore, I’m not. I will at some point, but I won’t right now.” Solomon Rajput, the 27-year-old medical student who is challenging Dingell in the Democratic primaries in August, has moved his entire campaign online. He said it’s a challenging time to fundraise when the U.S. is experiencing a surge in unemployment and the economy is headed toward a recession. In

order to keep his grassroots campaign afloat, the millennial progressive has taken to social media for fundraising. “We are on our Twitter, Instagram and Facebook regularly,” Rajput said. “We’ve been making fundraising ads over social media and posting on them just making really small, small dollar ads, like $5.” Additionally, using these social platforms, the Rajput campaign also contacts people individually by sending them direct messages explaining his campaign platform and sending them a link to donate to the campaign.

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SHOSHANNA WEINSTEIN, CORA GALPERN, AARON LEV | OP-ED

A new crisis in Gaza

hile many parts of the world are now experiencing emotional darkness and instability, Israeli occupied territory is uniquely vulnerable to a coronavirus outbreak. With only four hours of electricity available each day, the lights have been out in Gaza for 13 years. In 2007, Israel and Egypt imposed a land, air and sea blockade of the Gaza Strip after Hamas took control of the territory, leaving Gaza’s approximately two million residents isolated from the rest of the world. The economic and social realities on the other side of the blockade have dangerous implications. More than 70 percent of Gazans receive humanitarian aid and 50 percent are unemployed. These statistics, coupled with poor health infrastructure, leave Gazans illequipped to tend to the economic and public health consequences that are sure to ensue. The first two recommendations from the World Health Organization regarding protective measures against the coronavirus are to wash hands frequently and to maintain social distancing. These recommendations have been a nuisance to all, but have highlighted long-standing social inequity for many marginalized communities. In Gaza, social distancing and hand washing may be some of the least accessible practices for residents. Less than 4 percent of freshwater is drinkable and with a population of two million people living in a territory the size of Detroit, Gaza is the third most densely populated polity in the world, making it ripe for an outbreak. In the wake of a global pandemic, it is important to recognize the parallels these new circumstances present in relation to pre-pandemic living for so many Gazans. While the wealthy have access to savings and health care, unemployment and steep medical care costs can be just as deadly as the coronavirus for the working class. This pandemic is disproportionately impacting underprivileged groups — and that’s why anyone who’s been monitoring the situation of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank has cause for concern.

Leaders in the Palestinian Authority have claimed that Israeli police purposely dropped off a Palestinian worker showing symptoms of coronavirus at a checkpoint, instead of treating them, as agreed upon. Furthermore, Palestinians have accused Israeli Defense Forces soldiers of spitting on them to infect them with the virus. There have also been reports of increased violence among settlers in the West Bank against Palestinians. While Israel has succeeded in slowing the spread of COVID-19 thus far, existing Israeli policies in the West Bank and Gaza will have a disastrous effect once the virus inevitably spreads. The Israeli blockade of Gaza continues to undermine living and economic conditions, which make the spread of coronavirus — and human suffering — all the more likely. For instance, due to the blockade and frequent conflicts with Israel, as of April 6, there were only 70 ICU beds for all of Gaza. Simply put, Gaza does not have the health infrastructure or supplies to deal with this crisis alone. With the virus quickly spreading, it is imperative for authorities to take action now. As a longtime ally of Israel, the United States is in a position to exert some amount of influence over the situation. Last year, Congress voted to send $75 million in aid to Palestinians living in the occupied territories of Gaza and the West Bank. However, the Trump administration has blocked that aid from being delivered at a time when it is most needed. The Trump administration recently announced it will give $5 million in humanitarian assistance to hospitals in the West Bank. This is an encouraging step in the right direction, but it’s not nearly enough. Five million dollars is a drop in the bucket and Gaza continues to receive no aid from the U.S. despite its severe shortage of medical supplies. There are other actions that Israel can take to combat the spread of the virus in Gaza and the West Bank. The blockade restricting the passage of goods and people into Gaza will make it difficult for residents to access much-needed medical supplies

and personnel. For years, the United Nations has called the blockade a “denial of basic human rights.” Now, more than ever, Israel must allow Palestinians access to basic medical necessities. Human rights watchdogs — including the UN and Human Rights Watch — have also condemned Israel in the past for detaining thousands of Palestinians without access to legal representation, health care or proper sanitation. Now, those detainees pose an enormous health risk and must be released from detention. Additionally, Israel must address the immense shortage of COVID-19 test kits available in occupied territory. The U.S. is not without power. The unconditional military assistance which the U.S. gives to Israel helps fund the continued occupation and oppression of Palestinians. The U.S. must demand that Israel address the oncoming health crisis in occupied territory and put an end to its long record of human rights abuses. Attaching these conditions to U.S. military aid, along with releasing the promised $75 million in humanitarian aid to Palestinians, are preliminary steps that our country can take to begin to address Israel’s human rights crisis. As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, it is of utmost importance that we demand our lawmakers move to the right side of history. As Jewish people, we feel a shared responsibility to oppose the Israeli occupation and work toward a peaceful two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In this frightening age of COVID-19, we share a heightened concern for Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank with all who are concerned for the state of human rights in Israel. The three of us are members of J Street, an organization rooted in the American Jewish community and advocating against the occupation. You can sign the J Street petition to unfreeze aid to Palestinians at jstreet.org. Shoshana Weinstein, Cora Galpern and Aaron Lev are first-year students in the College of Literature, Science & the Arts and can be reached at shoshlw@umich.edu, cgalp@ umich.edu and aalev@umich.edu respectively.

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COMMUNITY CULTURE NOTEBOOK

The simplicity of citrus ROSE SOFIA KAMINSKI Daily Arts Writer

The funny thing is, oranges aren’t really even in season right now. Yet lately I can’t seem to get enough of them. My family has been buying sacks and sacks of oranges; I grab one every time I head out on a walk, the juice making my fingers freeze in the brisk Northeastern April air. Or I have one at 2 a.m., the orange residue working its way under my fingertips as I wonder why I’m still up. Or my sister drops one off for me when I wake up, the citrus bursting on my tongue, forming my first impression of the morning as I lie still neatly tucked beneath my sheets. Oranges have always seemed like such a normal fruit to me. Orange juice is a staple in any diner and numerous households, and every shitty continental breakfast at a Marriott near the airport has some hardened oranges that you would need a knife to take apart. But really good oranges, truly sweet and never too soft, those seem new every time. Somehow, every orange I’ve eaten in quarantine seems like the perfect one. Reading a book of poetry in the sun, or listening to the midnight rain on my porch by candlelight, they are a taste that I can anchor these moments to. Tastes have an ability to carry moments with them. Sometimes I ask myself, is this quarantine a time worth remembering? But these oranges allow me to contain the best memories of quarantine, the ones where I dropped whatever piles of online homework I was working on to pursue exactly what I felt like doing, accompanied by an orange. Oranges have the ability to save a moment. Their sweet citrus contains such sunniness within them that it’s almost impossible to feel sad while eating them; from the first fresh waft of their smell, spurting from the peel as it comes apart beneath my fingernails, the corners of my mouth start to lift. They uniquely recall the Floridian sun beneath which they emerge. All my life, I’ve been someone who has

taken pleasure in the little details of life, the extra strokes that seem especially added on. Admittedly, obsessing over the little things is not always good, sometimes making me overanxious. It has also been my saving grace in these times. I notice how the pulpy extracts of the orange make the sides of my fingers stick together with sweetness. An orange often doesn’t break into neat pieces; the papery skin splits easily, and you have to quickly shove it in your mouth to keep the juice from dripping onto your T-shirt. And yet, the slices they are created in make them the perfect fruit to share. So often, at the end of the night, my mother and I will split one as we lie back on the couch, pondering what quarantine still holds for us. What new challenges will make us weep from frustration? What new flower or sunny day or text from a friend will make us huff with unexpected laughter? While I know this whole piece might read as some weird late night infomercial praising the virtues of The Orange (now just $1.25 a pound!), it’s really just a small thing that brings me flickers of contentment in these times. Quarantine leaves room for the small things. In place of the wild ecstasy of dancing at concerts, I fling myself around my room to angry music I listened to at 16 (and laugh in nervous embarrassment when a family member walks in on me). Instead of treating myself to Kosmos or Chela’s, I try my own hand at cooking (and bite back tears and long strings of expletives when the olive oil jumps out of the pan, burning my inattentive hand). Instead of spending these increasingly warm and sunny afternoons on long hikes with friends, I eat oranges and lie on the grass (and simply smile when I stain my sleeves with a clumsy peeling of the fruit). Yes, every day I continue to dream about what will be when quarantine ends. But in these instances I am peaceful, acknowledging that, regardless of quarantine, this is a good moment.

While I know this whole piece might read as some weird late night infomercial praising the virtues of The Orange (now just $1.25 a pound!), it’s really just a small thing that brings me contentment in these times.

PIXABAY

FILM REVIEW

ALAMO RECORDS

The escapism of comedy and horror in ‘Ordinary’

people, or try their best to right wrongs, look after loved ones or just be plain petty? Daily Arts Writer “Extra Ordinary” is horror combined A driver’s ed. instructor, a hair stylist, a with realistic, utterly dry humor — magpie and a rock star meet in a haunted “The Conjuring” meets “Curb Your mansion during a Satanic ritual. This Enthusiasm.” It shouldn’t work, but it sounds like a bad joke, right? Wrong. It’s does. The writing is stupendous, and “Extra Ordinary.” always has a punchline or a plot twist up In “Extra Ordinary,” everyday people its sleeve, right up until the last line. When encounter the spirit world. There is no all is said and done, though, what will be professional exorcist, no medium with a remembered are these characters. It’s a tortured psyche, no photon blaster-touting shame when the credits roll, because you’ll Ghostbusters. There’s just Rose. She’s a wants to keep watching these people and driver’s ed. instructor by day, spiritual their hilarious, ghost-filled lives. Higgens advisor by night. Maeve Higgins’ (“The and Forte are scene stealers, and their Rainbow Bridge Motel”) performance absurd characters sing with authenticity, as Rose is astounding. She can fill a which makes their hijinks all the funnier. single scene with more laughs than most Usually, horror movies are only funny A-list stars and you’re bound to love her when they’re quite bad: think 2006’s “The character from Wicker Man,” the start. the recent Rose is a bit “Color Out of out of practice Space” or pretty exorcism-wise, much any time, though, because come to think of of a disastrous it, that Nicholas accident with Cage is involved. her father, her Not in this old partner on case, though. the ghost beat. In “Extra She’s pulled out Ordinary,” the of retirement by two genres Martin, played complement Cranked Up Films by Barry Ward one another. (“The Fall”), The comedy is Virtual State Theatre whose daughter funnier when may or may juxtaposed not have been with terror, and selected for a the horror is Satanic sacrifice. scarier when This sounds it interrupts a like typical comedic moment horror fare, that lets your but the story’s guard down. The supernatural movie is also tropes are unafraid to get wrapped in brutal, which deadpan comedy. keeps things During a Satanic prayer, Will Forte’s edgy and adds some insane, gore-filled (“Booksmart”) Christian Winter, the slapstick. aforementioned rock star, keeps getting “Extra Ordinary” seamlessly blends interrupted by his wife talking about her two of the best genres for escaping reality. Chinese food. Watching this movie is a great way to The spirits are ordinary, too. They distract oneself from the terrifying, haunt recycling bins, potholes: even a comedy-starved real world. If you don’t toaster. Unlike most hauntings, though, like horror movies, or thumb your nose these shades aren’t out to get anybody. at comedies, you should give this a try. They’re just souls who have lost their way. There’s something in it for everyone. “Extra Ordinary” is more realistic than There’s even a scene where Will Forte most horror movies, in a way. What’s a sings “Satan … Satannnnn,” while twirling dead person more likely to do: spend years around in a kimono and playing an organ. coming up with sinister ways to frighten It’s fantastic. ANDREW WARRICK

Extra Ordinary

Arts

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Tuesday, April 21, 2020 — 6

ALBUM REVIEW

‘SAWAYAMA’ lies at the crossing of identity and family DYLAN YONO Daily Arts Writer

Before her debut, Rina Sawayama was the kind of low-key singer you’d come across on Spotify and think, Holy shit, she is going to have a career. Her first EP, RINA, remains one of the best musical projects of 2017. She burst onto the scene with a fresh pop sound that was in-your-face, uniquely undiluted and over-ornate. Her writing was breathtaking, her voice was sublime and her beats were out of this world — thanks to her producer, Clarence Clarity. He brought the best out of her, and she brought the best out of him: a musical match made in heaven. There was no reason SAWAYAMA couldn’t continue the rich aesthetic of RINA and still make for an unparalleled debut. But Rina would not settle for doing what was working. Her sound was destined to be built upon further. On SAWAYAMA, it transcends. It was clear SAWAYAMA would be something different from “STFU!,” the first left hook Rina threw back in November. The ripping nu metal track was followed in January by left hook number two, “Comme Des Garçons (Like the Boys),” a sleek and sexy dance pop banger that was built for the club. They weren’t just different from Rina’s music of 2017 and 2018 — they couldn’t be more different from each other. Where “STFU!” was a simultaneously hilarious, frightening and enraging attack on microaggressions, “Comme Des Garçons” put toxic masculinity through a woodchipper, shredded beneath a beefy bassline and thumping kicks. By the time “XS” dropped — a critique of overconsumption — I was certain the rest of SAWAYAMA would consist of Rina leaning into her talent for satire. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Literally every other track on the album is deeply personal. Vulnerability is nothing new to Rina, yet SAWAYAMA is especially intimate, a lens into the intricacies of Rina’s identity. Album opener “Dynasty” is a regretful reflection on Rina’s troubled childhood and her struggle to cope with her parents’ resentful relationship. Rina lays her heart bare, singing “Mother and father, you gave me life / I nearly gave it away for the sake

of my sanity.” She continues to meditate on the role family plays in her identity throughout the entire record; titling it after her surname is no coincidence. SAWAYAMA is the most Rina has ever grappled with her cultural identity over the microphone. She was born in Japan and moved to London with her family when she was five years old. On “Akasaka Sad,” written during a visit to Akasaka, Tokyo, Rina expresses feeling like she doesn’t belong in London or Tokyo, resonating with her parents’ own struggles as Japanese immigrants in London. Later, on “Bad Friend,” Rina sets the stage in Tokyo again, this time reminiscing about singing karaoke with a close friend during a fleeting summer getaway, a friend she would later fall out with. Rina revisits this Tokyo hotel setting a third time on “Tokyo Love Hotel,” a reference to Japanese hotels where rooms are paid by the hour, allowing couples a private space for sex. Here she compares foreigners’ blind idolization of

SAWAYAMA Rina Sawayama Dirty Hit

Japan with a stay in a love hotel, leaving with no true appreciation or understanding of Japanese culture. But at the end of each chorus she sings, “I guess this is just another song ’bout Tokyo,” acknowledging that she herself is guilty of the same thing when she escapes to Tokyo in “Akasaka Sad” and “Bad Friend.” Her complicity in “using” Japan complicates her torn identity, and her wry self-awareness compels empathy. Rina eschews delicacy for candor, both lyrically and sonically. “Paradisin’” is blatantly bubblegum

DIRTY HIT

pop, hyper-exciting, sparkly and glitzy. It’s the opening theme to a SAWAYAMA sitcom, or the soundtrack to an ’80s film montage of teen girls sneaking out to go shopping at the mall. Rina unabashedly delights in the trouble she got into as a teenager, the juicy electropop tune embracing overjoyed rebellion against her single mother. Rina sings, “Then you threaten to send me to / Boarding school for the seventh time / I know we can’t afford that, so I’m fine.” These lines are a gut punch, revealing layers of malice and immaturity in teenage Rina’s attitude toward her mother beneath the song’s bubblegum exterior. Two thematic cornerstones of the album are “Love Me 4 Me” and “Chosen Family.” The first track deals with Rina’s struggle to love herself. The second is about the solace Rina has found in her chosen family, emphasizing an important form of interpersonal support for many queer people whose relationships with their biological families become strained or broken (Rina came out as pansexual in 2018). Unfortunately, both songs lack the lyrical depth of the rest of the album. For such heart-wrenching topics, they’re addressed with unremarkable simplicity; reading the title of each track is enough to understand the point of each song. For the most part, neither track is strong enough instrumentally or interesting enough structurally to warrant such simplicity. Despite this, “Chosen Family” is a compelling climax to

the album’s overarching theme of family. The final track, “Snakeskin,” is a feverish closer, terrifying yet beautiful, solemn yet heartracing. The metaphor of a snakeskin handbag, used and abused and destroyed, is one of the most cryptic. But at the end, it returns to Rina relating to her mother. As Rina tells Apple Music, she samples Beethoven’s “Sonata Pathétique” because it is the only song she can remember her mom playing on the piano, and a quiet sample of her mother’s own voice says in Japanese, “I’ve realized that now I want to see who I want to see, do what I want to do, be who I want to be.” Recalling Rina’s reference to her father’s infidelity on “Dynasty,” her mother as the snakeskin — used and abused and destroyed — is an intriguing thought with which to close the album. SAWAYAMA rolls a staggering number of concepts into the complicated intersection of Rina’s identity in its 43-minute runtime. Toxic masculinity, parental rebellion, adolescent depression, microaggressions, broken households — Rina does each of them justice through her music. Interspersed within the record’s familycentric narrative is self-aware criticism of overconsumption and cultural objectification. Lyrically, there’s so much to unpack in this album that it’s almost overwhelming. By the time I’ve truly understood the depth of SAWAYAMA, the once little-known singer will be filling stadiums.

FILM REVIEW

‘Selah’ is a weirdly Shakespearean high school drama JACOB LUSK

Daily Arts Writer

Tayarisha Poe’s debut feature film “Selah and the Spades” is an ancient, familiar story. It’s about legacy and vice. It’s about power — how you get it, how you keep it, how you lose it. It’s stylish and Shakespearean, featuring crime kingpins, bootleg rackets, snitches and plenty of stitches … but also prom, senior pranks and AP bio tests. As it so happens, “Selah and the Spades” is a mob movie wearing the clothes of your standard high school drama. Set in Haldswell School for Boarding and Day Students — the sort of magical private school that

AMAZON STUDIOS

only exists on TV — the titular character Selah Summers (Lovie Simone, “Share”) is queen bee, a matriarch of matriarchs. A straight-A student, the cheerleading captain, possessor of wicked style and, of course, the ice-blooded, iron-fisted leader of a drug-dealing racket, Selah’s got a lot on her plate in addition to the looming approach of graduation. As an expository narrator tells the audience at the beginning of the film, Selah’s drug ring, the Spades, peddles in “booze, pills, powders, fun,” but is just one among many factions that facilitate illicit activities for the Haldswell student body. The Sea provides cheating services, the Skins regulate gambling, the Bobbys throw parties and

the Prefects act as middlemen with the school I’d be lying if I didn’t say it was all a bit administration. If Selah doesn’t find a successor ridiculous at times. I’d also be remiss to deny the soon, her drug empire is wont to be absorbed by film’s flair and earnestness. Scenes are delicately one of these competing factions, and her legacy shot, costumes are fun and stylish, and the prop hangs in the balance. department clearly Remember, this had a blast designing is high school. It’s the opulent campus Shakespearean, but and ornamented dorm weirdly Shakespearen, rooms of Haldswell like “Bring It On” Boarding. Simone’s meets “Macbeth” performance as meets “The Godfather” Selah is gentle and meets an angstier Wes yet commanding, Amazon Studios Anderson. It’s not like and performances Now Streaming HBO’s “Euphoria,” a by her right-handshow that similarly man Maxxie (Jharrel tried to represent Jerome, “Moonlight”) the underbelly of the and protégé Paloma American teen’s life, complete with an unblinking (Celeste O’Connor, “Wetlands”) are equally vision of drug-addled and sex-infused strife believable and ooze that hallmark teenage and recklessness. No, it’s an altogether different commixture of angst and bravado. brand, one that’s engorged with self-seriousness The Machiavellianism and shadow politics of and overdramatic to an almost laughable degree. a prep school underworld are ultimately a hard Cliques have mottos and sign actual, written sell. They come off a little like that high school treaties with one another. Posters on the wall production of “Romeo and Juliet” you saw while scream “FACTIONS are GANGS; GANGS are visiting home last summer, where the Capulets against SCHOOL POLICY.” In response to and Montagues are competing coffee shops, the cancellation of prom, one mousy character Mercutio has a skateboard and Tybalt rocks a stammers, “This is insane that they’re doing letterman jacket. It’s a little uneven, a bit overthis. I mean, this is America!” to which another indulgent, but a decent enough way to kill a few character soberly replies, “No, it’s not America hours. And considering the nature of the world at when you’re on school property … it’s the United the moment, plenty of us have hours in — yes, I’m States of Haldswell.” going to say it — spades.

Selah and the Spades

Sports

7 — Tuesday, April 21, 2020

ZAKYI, OSMAN From Page 8 Zakyi knows this easily could’ve been him. “I was one of the luckiest that went through and got selected,” he said. “I know there are a lot of talents back home that have so much potential. I know a lot of the guys that went through the tryouts, they all went back home and they go home to nothing. “That’s why it’ll always be my motivation, that I’m going to give back no matter what.” Before staying at Michigan for summer classes last year, Zakyi would spend his summers in Ghana. During his first week at home he’d volunteer at the Academy: talking with younger kids, offering up

advice, telling tales about America, helping out in the classroom. He wanted every kid to know that he’s still a part of them, “part of their family.” “Whether it’s with my success, my knowledge or my experience, I know I can always have an impact on someone’s life,” Zakyi said. “I want to be able to put someone in a better position just like I was given a better life, too. It’s something that I owe to my community, that I owe to people who aspire to be great people. I want to be a part of their journey. I want to help them achieve their dreams.” Osman has been back once, the summer between his senior year of high school and freshman year of college. He called it “very different,” returning to the

Academy and seeing all the younger kids in the shoes he once wore. “I had just won the Gatorade National Player of the Year, which was talked about at the Academy,” Osman said. “So when I went back, a lot of the kids knew of me. “I always value the idea of giving back. Right to Dream gave me something special, so in the future I hope that I’m going to go back to my village and help give back and inspire young kids to follow their dreams.” As for their own dreams, Osman and Zakyi are living them, preparing to leave Michigan next spring with four years of collegiate soccer under their belt and, more importantly, college degrees. Their roots — from the clay streets of Tamale to the Academy

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MADELINE HINKLEY/Daily

Senior Umar Farouk Osman hopes to go back to his village and inspire the children.

— are with them every step of the way. “Looking back home and the situation my family and everyone is in, it just gives me motivation

to keep pushing to get to my goal,” Osman said. “Then one day, all this hard work, all these sacrifices that I’ve made will pay.”

No. 3 Michigan survives defensive scare WRESTLING Wolverines look strong against Maryland, remains undefeated with returning redshirts BRENDAN ROOSE Daily Sports Writer

After a lackluster offensive performance against Arkansas State last week, first-year coach Stanford Lipsey hit a crossroads in our NCAA 14 simulation of Michigan football. Defenses clearly figured out how to slow down the “throw it to Nico Collins” philosophy that worked so well in the opener against then-No. 4 Washington. The Wolverines will need to find other ways to move the ball, especially when the toughest part of the schedule arrives in November. Luckily for Michigan, it opens up Big Ten play with three of the conference’s bottom feeders — Northwestern, Maryland and Rutgers — offering ample opportunity to experiment with new looks and get the offense back on the right track. Game 5: No. 3 Michigan vs Northwestern Over the years, this particular matchup has developed a special talent to age viewers by decades. What I mean is, games between the Wildcats and Wolverines are terrible. How can we ever forget the 2014 meeting, forever enshrined as the M00N game because of the scoreboard’s endless display of 0-0? Or the previous year’s matchup, where Michigan won in overtime after neither team scored a single touchdown in regulation? This game was no exception. It felt like a Michigan v. Northwestern game from the very first drive, when redshirt junior quarterback Dylan McCaffrey fumbled the ball on a scramble at the Wildcats’ 15-yard line. The horrors continued three minutes later, when Lipsey inexplicably

elected to punt on a fourth-and-1 at Northwestern’s 40-yard line. But the Wolverines’ luck turned late in the second quarter. After McCaffrey found sophomore wide receiver Mike Sainristil in the endzone to open the scoring with 54 seconds remaining, Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald decided to be aggressive and go for a game-tying touchdown, a strategy unheard of between these two teams. Sophomore cornerback Vincent Gray intercepted the pass and a touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Nico Collins followed moments later. It was the last touchdown of the day and Michigan won, 17-6. Stat of the day: On eight combined red zone trips, the two teams totaled two touchdowns and one field goal. Game 6: No. 2 Michigan at Maryland The Wolverines’ offense did its job. Sophomore wide receiver Giles Jackson cut through the defense, notching 139 yards and two touchdowns on eight catches. All season long, he’s been a huge part of a deep receiving corps that’s earned Michigan the secondbest passing offense in the country. This time, it was the Wolverines’ defense that prevented a blowout victory. Michigan won, 34-29, but the Terrapins’ 460 yards of offense — 360 of which came through the air — kept the game close throughout. Maryland wide receiver Brian Cobbs torched defensive backs all game, pulling in nine catches for 141 yards and two touchdowns. After 55 minutes of being straw men, the defense finally stepped up on the final drive of the game. Led by quarterback Josh Jackson, the Terrapins made their way into Michigan territory before a third-

MILES MACKLIN/Daily

Sophomore wide receiver Giles Jackson caught four touchdowns against Rutgers.

down sack by senior defensive end Kwity Paye shut down any hopes for a comeback. It was an ugly win, but the Wolverines are still undefeated halfway through the season. They’ll be fine. Game 7: No. 2 Michigan vs Rutgers On the first play from scrimmage, McCaffrey found Collins for a 75-yard touchdown. The next drive, he threw another touchdown to Jackson. The drive after that, Jackson again. Michigan won, 52-14, on a Heismanlevel performance from McCaffrey. His 21-for-31 passing night resulted in 430 yards and five touchdowns. Four of those were caught by Jackson, tying the record for most receiving touchdowns in a single game in school history. Across the board, the Wolverines put up similarly ludicrous numbers. Rutgers totaled 283 total yards, but only 45 of them came on the ground. In their six trips to the red zone, the Scarlet Knights scored just two touchdowns and no field goals. Even Michigan’s punting was dominant — each of its punts went for 52 yards and no return. In the end, the No. 2 team in the country was playing Rutgers. You can fill in the rest of the equation. Around the country Last week, I called the situation around the country “markedly ordinary.” That take aged poorly. I’ll get right to it: Indiana is ranked seventh. The team it replaced? Ohio State, which dropped to No. 13 after losing at home to now-No. 11 Cincinnati. Arizona State snuck up to No. 9 after a big win against No. 25 Colorado, which is, in this game, still coached by a virtual Mel Tucker who follows through on his promises. LSU dropped out of the rankings, after losing three consecutive games to No. 14 Mississippi State, No. 3 Florida and Tennessee. McCaffrey’s performance against Rutgers propelled him to third in the Heisman watch, behind Alabama running back Najee Harris and Boston College running back David Bailey. Michigan’s pretty happy with 7-0 right now, but it can’t get too comfortable. Its next three games, against rival Michigan State, Penn State and the seventh-ranked Hoosiers, will be a real test of the team’s toughness.

ARIA GERSON

Daily Sports Editor

Sean Bormet had everything perfectly planned out. Three of his top wrestlers would redshirt the 2020 season to prepare for the Olympics. They’d compete in Tokyo this summer. Then they’d come back for their final season at Michigan, joining a team loaded with talent and primed to contend. It was an arrangement that should’ve worked for everyone. Instead, all of it is in flux. First, COVID-19 canceled the NCAA Championships. Then it pushed the Olympics back to 2021. Now, Bormet and the Michigan wrestling team must adapt again. Fifth-year seniors Myles Amine, Logan Massa and Stevan Micic, all of whom took Olympic redshirts last year, plan to return to the Wolverines for the 2021 season while simultaneously training for Tokyo. According to Amine, the Wolverines haven’t received official word from the NCAA on whether they will be able to take a second Olympic redshirt. But all three are already sold on coming back. If Amine, Micic and Massa — all former All-Americans — returned, they knew they would join a team with four additional 2020 All-Americans in junior Mason Parris (ranked No. 2 in the country at heavyweight), fifthyear senior Kanen Storr, redshirt sophomore Will Lewan and redshirt junior Jack Medley, as well as a two-time cadet world champion in redshirt freshman Kurt McHenry. That’s eight top competitors of 10 lineup spots. For Massa, going so long without competition left him restless. Micic, who is 24 years old and was already on his second Olympic redshirt, is just ready to finish out his college career. And for Amine, it was already tough spending one year on the sidelines, not being able to travel or wear a Michigan singlet. “I don’t want to be in college forever, as much as that sounds like everybody’s dream,” Amine said. “I’m going on six years this next year, so I’m ready to move on to the next stage and graduate, get that all over with.” So although the circumstances

aren’t ideal, all three are excited to get back to competing with the Wolverines. Amine, who competes for San Marino, and Micic, who competes for Serbia, have already qualified for the Games, taking much of the pressure of a pre-Olympic year off. That isn’t without its complications, though. There are just six weight classes in the Olympics compared to 10 in the NCAA. That means all three wrestlers have a variation in the weights they’ll compete at in college and international competition, leaving the question of whether some may move up or down weight classes next season. “Part of the conversations for that is trying to strike the right balance for the right college weight and I think the right college weight is our No. 1 priority and in the process of making those decisions,” Bormet said. “There are some considerations for how they may impact any of our athletes’ international weights.” Amine previously wrestled at 174 pounds, but with his international weight at 189, he knows he’ll realistically have to move up next season — though it has yet to be determined whether that will be to 184 pounds or 197. Massa plans to move up to 174 pounds from 165, filling Amine’s void. Micic’s international weight is 125 pounds, but he doesn’t plan to move all the way down to that class at Michigan (Medley, the Wolverines’ starter there last season, was an AllAmerican honorable mention and qualified for NCAA Championships). Instead, Micic says he will wrestle at 133 or 141 pounds, keeping in mind that the more weight he has to cut for the Olympics, the harder it will be on his body. Micic and Amine have also considered wrestling a limited schedule during the regular season, competing in only the most important duals and sitting out others in order to keep their bodies fresh. That could also give some of the Wolverines’ younger wrestlers, who may have anticipated a lineup spot in 2021, a chance to compete.