Don Ritenburgh Business Adviser ritenbur@oakland.edu 248.370.2533
GUESS THE IMPOSTOR Students play a social deduction game at the Sociology club’s first meeting of the semester to kickstart conversations about current events.
PHOTO BY JENNIFER THOMASMA
Bringing the world to OU: ESL Institute
ADRIAN JIMENEZ MORALES Editor-in-Chief
The Oakland Center’s Habitat—Oakland University’s social and gaming hub—became the epicenter of an immersive experience for international students in the English as a Second Language (ESL) program at OU on Jan 16. Like every semester, students from Vietnam, Saudi Arabia and all over the world spent some time at the “ESL Fun & Games” event to mingle with other Grizzlies and practice their English language skills.
For almost 20 years, the ESL institute, as part of the Global Engagement Office, has supported international students in improving their language proficiency, whether it is to take back home or pursue careers in Michigan.
“Today’s event was put together to develop a sense of belonging for our new students,” Elizabeth Adams, ESL coordinator and international adviser, said. “Since we have a seven-week program, sevenweek terms, students come and go so it’s nice to re-establish a sense of classroom culture.”
The crowd this year was on the smaller side, eight as opposed to the almost 20 students enrolling per term. Office of Global Engagement Executive Director Adem Althor explained that this reduction in participants responds to international trends.
“If you go back 10 years ago, we, as well as many other English language institutes, had a lot of students coming from China, coming from Saudi Arabia for language learning,” Althor said. “Those
markets are sending fewer students these days, but we have students from Vietnam, students from Korea and other countries.”
The support has remained the same regardless of class size or language level, with most students finding new friends at OU’s residence halls, where most stay for the duration of the program.
Jack Coyle, a political science major, attended the Friday get-together with Khoi Tran after they met at Hillcrest.
“Khoi is my suitemate, we go everywhere, we play pool, go to the dining hall, go to the gym,”
Coyle said. “He brought his Vietnamese snacks over to the dorm and we traded. I gave him Goldfish and Sun Chips and he gave me his snacks, which I liked better—Vietnamese snacks.”
Like for Coyle, the cultural exchange is bilateral,
with many American students invested in welcoming ESL students to the culture at OU.
“We’re bringing the world to our campus here,” Althor said. “It’s really exciting when our American students get to know the language learners and learn about their country, learn a few words in their language, partake in their holidays and festivals. ”
Back in the classroom, the ESL Institute provides participants with pathways to pursue a degree at OU. Aside from full access to all on-campus resources, students find support getting F-1 and J-1 student visas to extend their academic experience.
“Students go on for a degree and finish up with their level seven courses, so that’s very exciting,” Adams said. “They come back and they talk about their program and I help them with that application process for an academic degree.”
As diverse as the students, the institute also offers custom programs where professionals also find themselves practicing through casual conversation.
“We had a group come twice from Japan to visit and improve their English language skills,” Adams said. “We had a local company in the Detroit Metro area take classes with us as part of a customized program and they were an automotive supplier.”
With support from the office of the Registrar and Housing, Adams and Althor have been looking for more allies to enrich the experience of international students beyond university grounds.
“In the past, we’ve done Mackinac Island, certainly Detroit, we went to the DIA,” Althor said. “We are always looking outside of our main campus. What can we show students?”
Sociology Club Welcomes New Members as Winter Semester Begins
JENNIFER THOMASMA Campus Reporter
Student organizations at Oakland University are resuming meetings and planning events for the winter semester, offering students new opportunities to get involved on campus. With the start of the new term, many student-led groups are focusing on recruitment, campus engagement and awareness initiatives. Among them is the Sociology Club, a student-run organization that explores social issues and encourages discussion tied to sociology and everyday campus life.
Dwaine Watkins, a senior majoring in sociology and president of the Sociology Club, said the organization is working to expand its presence on campus as it continues to grow.
“We’re just trying to get our name out there,” Watkins said. “A lot of people don’t really know about sociology, so we’re just pushing awareness.”
Watkins said the club aims to provide a consistent space for students to talk through current issues and better understand how sociology connects to daily life. Discussions can range from broad social concerns to topics that affect students directly, including inequality, education and community involvement.
The Sociology Club meets every Tuesday from noon to 1 p.m. in Varner Hall, conference room 515. Meetings are open to all students, regardless of major or academic background.
“You don’t have to be a sociology major,”
Watkins said. “You don’t have to know about sociology at all. It’s just good to have new people who want to learn.”
At a recent Tuesday meeting, Watkins shared upcoming plans and goals before the group wrapped up with “Guess the Imposter,” a social deduction game that sparked laughter and interaction among members.
In addition to weekly meetings, the Sociology Club is planning initiatives this semester designed to increase student engagement and bring attention to issues that can be overlooked on college campuses.
One upcoming effort includes a banner campaign focused on student hunger, an issue Watkins said impacts more students than many realize.
“We’re trying to connect sociology to what students actually experience,” Watkins said.
The club plans to participate in Hope and Honor on Jan. 27, an event featuring a speaker discussing Jewish resistance during the Holocaust that aligns with its focus on social justice and how history shapes current conversations.
“We’re trying to do things that connect what’s going on in the world to being a student,” Watkins said.
Watkins said student organizations play an important role in college life, particularly for students seeking community beyond the classroom. He said clubs help students develop leadership skills, meet new people and find support on campus.
Watkins added that the Sociology Club strives to make meetings approachable for students without prior experience in sociology, welcoming diverse perspectives and encouraging questions.
The club’s plans for the semester reflect a broader push across campus, as student organizations begin recruiting and setting goals for the months ahead.
With dozens of active groups at Oakland University, from academic and professional to cultural, service and social organizations, students have plenty of opportunities to get involved.
“You never really know what you’ll like until you try it,” Watkins said. “And once you find something you enjoy, it makes the campus feel smaller.”
PHOTO BY JENNFIER THOMASMA
PHOTO COURTESY OF ELIZABETH ADAMS, ESL institute coordinator
OUCARES celebrates over 20 years of autistic community building
ADRIAN JIMENEZ MORALES Editor-in-Chief
With karaoke, boardgames and dancing, the Joanne and Ted Lindsay Foundation Autism Outreach Services (OUCARES) hosted a Holiday Party on Jan. 17 to celebrate the autistic community at Oakland University. Now a tradition for OUCARES, the occasion drew new volunteer participants and returning visitors from Lansing and Ann Arbor.
“We’ve been having it for over 10 years,” Kelsey Kobylarek, OUCARES facilitator and coordinator, said. “A good portion of people are returning people too, so it’s their tradition to come to this every year. They’ll be calling months in advance, reminding us that we are having the event.”
Since 2004 — as part of the OU Center for Autism — OUCARES has provided outreach services, social groups and learning programs for the autistic community. From 20 families in the early 2000s to over 2,000 participants last year, OUCARES has created a growing home for kids, teens and adults of all ages.
“We’ve had a lot of the same facilitators and coaches for as long as the participants have been participating,” Kobylarek said. “[Participants] have been coming to this program for 20 years, you know? So it’s just their life and their routine, but I think that’s what makes it so special, is that we’re a home base for a lot of people.”
With over 60 participants attending the event, OUCARES provided new and familiar activities for decade-long friends and fresh faces in the programs.
“I came to have a great time, to party,” Haile Reime,
OUCARES participant, said. “I used to do the training program for employment, to help you get jobs.”
Like Reime, a majority of the attendees were autistic adults who met in the teen or adult groups. Mixing life skills and hobbies, these range from basketball and gaming to cooking and social connections workshops, fostering a holistic sense of community. With new initiatives each year, like the Women on the Spectrum Connect program or the athletic club, OUCARES has been working to meet the needs of all members.
“It makes me feel like I’m unique and special in my own way,” Reime said. “Just embrace it and enjoy life and have fun.”
Katie Oswald, facilitator of the skills for healthy relationships program, highlighted the importance of having the voices of people on the autism spectrum at the forefront of the conversation. With that goal in mind, she attended the celebration as part of the Full Spectrum Agency for Autistic Adults (FSAAA).
“I also lead Full Spectrum Agency for Autistic Adults. It’s an autistic led nonprofit and we’re doing a survey designed by autistic people, for autistic people,” Oswald said. “We’re working with the Michigan Autism Council, so we want to get as many responses as we can so that autistic voices are being heard at the state level.”
Launched at the end of 2025, the survey is expected to run for a year across the state, for the first time, to enrich and inform the insight behind support groups and resources for the autistic community.
“For a long time, a lot of the decisions have been made about autistic people without hearing from us and what we really need,” Oswald said. “People are hearing
from a lot of clinicians, educators, practitioners, parents and those perspectives are important as well, but it’s not as important as making sure that we’re hearing from autistic people when we’re making decisions about us.”
Under the slogan of “nothing about us without us,” Oswald and FSAAA have created spaces for people who have felt isolated, who are looking to unpack trauma and foster a community advocating for their needs.
“It’s really important for people to understand that it’s not something that’s broken about us, it’s not something that needs fixing,” Oswald said. “Yes, it does come with its own set of challenges that we need support with. So the support we need might be a little bit different than what’s expected, but we don’t need to change who we are.”
As the event came to a close after karaoke, attendees highlighted the importance of community building through inclusion. Unanimously, volunteering was the number one way to support those efforts.
“There are allistic people involved in this and there are probably people who get involved in this that have never interacted much with autistic folks before,” Oswald said. “That’s how we get to acceptance, by getting together in spaces like this.”
For more information about OUCARES, please visit oakland.edu/oucares/.
Oakland University’s implementation of new digital accessibility regulations
MARYAM SOMO
Marketing Assistant
On April 24, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice issued final regulations under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The final rule requires state and local government entities, including public colleges and universities, to ensure web content and mobile applications are accessible to people with disabilities.
Oakland University students can expect changes to campus accessibility following a Jan. 13 email announcing updates to meet new federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements by the end of April 2026.
“The communication clearly outlines the university’s intent to strengthen accessibility, particularly around digital course materials and ADA compliance, which is an important and necessary step,” Marcus Johnson, president of Oakland University’s Student Congress, said. “That said, many of these concerns are not new to students and it was encouraging to see them formally acknowledged at the institutional level.”
To meet these mandates, public colleges and universities are required to adhere to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) establish globally recognized standards requiring public institutions to provide digital content, applications, services, programs, products and communications in accessible formats.
The implementation of Title II regulations at OU will enhance digital accessibility across campus, improving
access to online content for all students, including those with disabilities who encounter barriers to technology.
Oakland University has implemented new updates to its support and resources to help the campus community meet these requirements.
“For students, these updates have the potential to meaningfully improve the academic experience by minimizing delays, inconsistencies and barriers to learning,” Johnson said. “Improvements to captioning, accessible course materials and physical navigation of campus spaces can help ensure students can fully engage in their education without unnecessary obstacles. Continued transparency around timelines and implementation will be important so students can better understand what to expect and where progress is being made.”
To ensure accessibility across Oakland University’s websites, documents and files the university is collaborating with its communications and marketing team to manage front-end digital content, providing guidance, tools and ongoing support.
• ADA Compliance Web Page offers information for staff and faculty on how to ensure content aligns with accessibility requirements
• ADA Compliance Help Videos demonstrate accessibility best practices in action
• Available contact to account managers provides clarification, resources, or one-on-one support for questions or guidance related to accessibility
• Public Accessibility Statement – “Report an Issue” allows users to report an accessibility issue directly Guidance and support are also provided to guarantee
accessibility on technology software supplied to students, such as Moodle, eSpace, Zoom, Panopto and YuJa.
• ADA Title II Compliance QuickStart in eSpace provides guidance on how to make materials accessible and compliant within these apps and spaces
• Digital Accessibility and Title II Compliance Workshops are open to staff and faculty
• Instructional Designer (ID) Services offer faculty one-on-one discussions on digital accessibility
• Digital Accessibility Web Page is a self-guided resource with help documents that provide information on how to make digital resources accessible and compliant
Oakland University is providing these resources and support to help staff and faculty ensure they work towards adapting digital spaces to create an inclusive community for all students. For student support during these new updates, the Disability Support Services (DSS) will help answer questions or concerns. Students are also encouraged to play a role in guaranteeing digital accessibility by completing the Accessibility Issue form when encountering any barriers.
“Looking ahead to the 2026 ADA digital accessibility updates, my hope is that these changes contribute to a long-term shift toward proactive accessibility rather than reactive accommodation,” Johnson said. “When accessibility is embedded into infrastructure, course design and technology from the outset, it reduces the burden on students to continually advocate for basic access and creates a more inclusive campus culture overall.”
Senioritis, growing pains and graduation
MALLORY WALIGORA
Content Editor
This January, I entered my final semester at Oakland University, which has been equal parts exciting, stressful and tumultuous.
Throughout the first few weeks of the semester, I’ve had this weird thought that I cannot get out of my head: My real life is happening miles away from Oakland University.
Graduation inherently means moving on. You enter a new chapter of your life. You find a job, you are no longer tied up in lectures and you finally get to enter the real world.
However, my experience this semester has been less of a reflective transition and more of an overlapping Google Calendar fight between the two versions of my life. My student life and my post-graduation life are both happening at the same time – and honestly, neither of them seems particularly interested in waiting around for the other.
This semester, I’m only on campus two days a week for classes, which honestly makes me feel more disconnected than ever. In my freshman year, I had classes every day, a vigorous optimism and a sincere desire to see and do everything on campus.
Now, I wave hello to Elliott Tower once a week like an estranged family member – banished to night classes and long, silent walks back to my car at 9:55 p.m. The one perk of night classes is that I can find my car because the parking lots are so empty.
Sometimes I sit in lectures and genuinely wonder what I’m going to do with all of this information. I stare into the abyss of fluorescent lights and hear my professor say, “This will be useful later.” I think about what “later” means and
decide that maybe that’s not the point. I’m technically here to learn, so I snap out of my void and try to get something out of my education.
I spend the rest of my week in downtown Detroit, writing and working for Click on Detroit. I drive down I-75 and pass the Cobo Center (no, I will not be calling it Huntington Place.) I get coffee at a boujie café downtown. For a few hours, I forget that I’m still technically a college student. I work 31.4 miles away from my classes, and that distance feels symbolic.
Growing up, Detroit was reserved for Tigers games and nice meals. But now, at 21, I finally have the freedom and luxury to work a job downtown. I have saved places on my Instagram account of restaurants and cafés to visit. I have friends who live there whom I try to see when I’m in the area.
One of the only times I’m on campus during a normal hour is on Mondays, when I help out with the newspaper. I don’t even have to be at OU for a class, but I show up anyway – to see my friends and to be part of something that has shaped my college experience. Ironically, it’s the thing that makes me feel the most connected to campus. I hear what’s happening on campus, what reporters are writing about and what everyone is talking about this week.
This is not what I pictured my last semester of college to look like.
My life outside of OU has been tugging aggressively at my responsibilities. I’ve skipped classes multiple times for job interviews. I’ve rushed into lectures 20 minutes late after a long meeting with a professor who is helping me apply for a program months from now.
Recently, the Japanese Embassy contacted me and offered a fully funded trip to Japan. I didn’t hesitate to say yes, even
“The ‘90s are here to stay”:
MADDIE SHORT
Features Reporter
Fashion gives individuals an opportunity to express their personalities, whether they are going to work, class, out for a walk or staying home. You may have heard the often-used expression, “when you look good, you feel good,” a sentiment many people live by daily. As the new year begins, several fashion trends have resurfaced, taken the spotlight and made a comeback.
“The 90s have proven that their influence is here to stay,” Laila Carlson, president of Oakland University’s fashion magazine BeGolden, said.
Carlson reflected on the omnipresent “moodiness” and unpredictability of 90s fashion, noting that its influence has prompted a rise in prominence for certain clothing pieces today, with casual items such as capris and baggy jeans making a full-force return.
“I’m hoping to see the 2010s make their full comeback,” Carlson explained.
Maria Magnoli, Editor-in-Chief of BeGolden, believes 2016 clothing culture will see a major comeback in 2026.
“The choker necklaces, top-knot buns and Snapchat filters were not exactly what I was expecting or looking forward to, but here we are,” she said.
Fashion is constantly changing because of how personally it is perceived. Trendsetting, once reserved for high-profile designers and celebrities,
though that meant missing a few days of class. Sorry, OU. I’ll be trading lectures for sushi and government work, which I guess is a fair reflection of where my priorities are right now.
I also want to recognize that Oakland University is important to me. I wouldn’t be here without the guidance and support of my professors. I willingly chose the career path and the schedule that has pulled me farther from campus than I expected.
But still, I find myself twitching in lectures and mentally drafting emails to my boss. The senioritis has never been more real – not because I don’t care, but because one foot is already out the door.
What OU fashion leaders predict for 2026
is now accessible to anyone with a social media profile and the drive to exert influence. Something that may have seemed unappealing last year can be manipulated and altered into this year’s biggest hit.
“I love seeing older trends resurfacing and being turned into something brand new,” Carlson said. She noted a particular fondness for the rising prominence of low-rise bootcut or skinny jeans from the 90s and 2000s.
Only a few years ago, many would not have thought twice about buying low-rise jeans, yet their popularity has increased drastically due to alterations and adaptation in popular style.
“It’s so fun to see in real time how trends are able to pick apart pieces from other trends and still come
out with something distinct,” Carlson said.
Magnoli and Carlson both emphasized the importance of experimenting with different textures, colors and accessories without completely straying from their chosen style.
“I feel most confident in professional workwear, as it gives me the power I need to get through my day,” Magnoli said. “In 2026, I plan to maintain this look but hope to do so by finding new colors that I enjoy.”
Fashion is inherently individualized; geared toward what makes someone feel confident. Knowing what feels best can make it easier to try new things and expand a personal style.
“Dipping my toes into multiple styles is always exciting to me, but it also means I’ve never really had my own personal style,” Carlson explained.
As some find themselves in a cycle of chasing the next big trend, believing they need an item simply because everyone else has it, they can easily overlook the confidence that developing a uniquely personal style provides. Carlson hopes to change those habits this year.
“I’m learning what bits and pieces work best for me and make me feel most confident heading into the world,” she said.
Fashion constitutes more than what occupies one’s closet or which brands they wear. It reflects the wearer’s interests and thoughts and provides unique insights into their personality and preferences. Even without words, style can speak volumes.
“Fashion has allowed me to have a voice louder than my own at times,” Carlson said.
PHOTO COURTESY OF UNSPLASH
Do students read The Oakland Post? How OU students get campus news
JENNIFER THOMASMA Campus Reporter
While Oakland University students stay connected through social media and conversations with friends, some say campus news is not always part of their routine. With busy class schedules, work commitments and extracurricular activities, students rely on a mix of digital platforms, peers and university channels to stay informed about campus life — often leaving traditional student journalism out of the picture.
For some students, awareness of The Oakland Post itself is limited. Kara Bryant, a third-year criminal justice major, said she had not heard of the publication prior to being interviewed.
“I have not heard of The Oakland Post,” Bryant said.
Bryant said she primarily gets campus news through social media, especially Instagram, where she sees OU-related posts and updates shared by others.
“I usually find out what is happening on campus by looking at the Oakland stories on Instagram,” Bryant said. “I mostly come across news on social media.”
Despite not regularly reading student news, Bryant said she still believes student journalism plays an important role on a college campus. She said the information most valuable to her includes weather-related class cancellations and campus events, adding that coverage of student organizations would make her more interested in reading campus news.
“I do think that student journalism is important on a college campus,” Bryant said.
Other students said they are aware of The Oakland Post but engage with it more casually. Jade Reeder, a senior majoring in human resource development, said she has picked up copies of the newspaper during her time at OU, though she does not
regularly read it cover to cover.
“I have never really sat down and fully read The Oakland Post, but I have taken some home as souvenirs for memories of each school year,” Reeder said.
Reeder said she occasionally visits The Oakland Post website when searching for information about campus events. She also relies on bulletin boards around the Oakland Center and Oakland University’s social media accounts to stay informed.
“Either through bulletin boards around the OC, the Oakland Post cover page or Oakland social media like Instagram,” Reeder said.
For Reeder, coverage of campus events and opportunities for involvement is most valuable. She said student journalism plays an important role in representing student voices and fostering a sense of connection on campus.
“You have to hear back from the students and really understand what they’re getting out of Oakland and what they can give to Oakland,” Reeder said.
Reeder also noted that design and presentation can influence whether students engage with campus news.
“If the cover is aesthetically pleasing, if it’s bright and colorful, it’s pretty inviting,” she said. “It makes me want to read more.”
Johanel Steenkamp, a junior majoring in graphic design, said she became aware of The Oakland Post through other students involved with the publication.
“I have heard of The Oakland Post through other students that have been interviewed as well as students who participate in either photography or writing for the Oakland Post,” Steenkamp said.
Steenkamp said she initially assumed the publication was primarily a print newspaper available in the Oakland Center and did not realize it had an online presence until last semester.
“I didn’t even know that there was an official website until a
friend showed me a post,” she said. “Now on occasion I look at the website through my computer.”
Like other students, Steenkamp said she learns about campus news through a mix of friends, emails and social media but has recently begun paying more attention to The Oakland Post. She said she tries to be more intentional about the news she consumes and limits her exposure to social media.
“I usually try to avoid news on social media because it can become quite exhausting when the feed is just filled with spiraling news,” Steenkamp said.
For Steenkamp, safety updates and campus events are among the most important types of information student journalism can provide.
“I think it’s important to provide a voice for all students at OU,” she said. “The campus also feels less disconnected when you can read about what happens around the parts of OU you don’t usually visit.”
Steenkamp said simple reminders could help increase student engagement with campus news.
“Areminder email with a link to the website would be helpful,” she said. “The semester can get quite busy, so I forget that other things exist on campus aside from exams and projects.”
While students differ in how they consume campus news, their responses reflect a broader shift toward digital platforms as primary information sources. At the same time, they suggest student journalism continues to matter when it highlights timely information, campus safety and opportunities students say are most relevant to their lives.
Although some students still associate The Oakland Post mainly with its print edition, the publication also maintains an online presence. Stories are published on the Oakland Post website, and the newsroom shares updates through social media platforms, including Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn.
Behind the Detroit Auto Show: Careers beyond the assembly line
MADDIE SHORT
Features Reporter
For Oakland University students interested in careers in marketing, communications, event management or the automotive industry, the work of firms like Gail & Rice Connex offers a look at how Detroit’s auto economy extends beyond engineering and manufacturing.
Large events such as the Detroit Auto Show depend on extensive staffing, planning and media coordination, drawing on skills taught in business, communications and liberal arts programs. As the region’s auto industry shifts toward electric vehicles and a global audience, these behind-the-scenes roles highlight career paths that are often overlooked but remain central to Detroit’s economy.
One such company is Gail & Rice Connex, a Detroit-based experiential marketing firm that provides staffing, logistics and event support for automotive manufacturers at major gatherings, including the Detroit Auto Show.
Auto shows and launch events have become multiday productions involving international media, live demonstrations and large temporary workforces, creating steady demand for specialized event firms.
Founded during a period when automakers emphasized live demonstrations and consumer interaction, the company works with brands to present vehicles in ways designed to engage the public.
“Our company builds teams of people that represent a number of OEM’s [original equipment manufacturers] at automotive events around the country,” president and co-owner of G&R Connex, Marci Rice, said.
These teams often include short-term and contract positions in communications, hospitality, public relations and brand management — roles that attract recent graduates and students seeking experience. Staff members often serve as the main point of contact between manufacturers and attendees, helping explain vehicle features and technology.
“We recruit, train and wardrobe them and do all the logistics to get them to their location,” Rice said.
The work involves coordinating staff across multiple brands and event spaces. The company also employs “trained product presenters and specialists as well as local brand ambassadors working for the majority of brands,” at the auto show.
In addition to on-site staffing, a separate division, Gail & Rice Inc., has supported manufacturer meetings and media programming alongside the show.
“New Bronco RTR and Mustang Darkhorse SC, tours of the archives, Henry Ford museum simulator, WEC Hyper Car and F1 briefings,” Rice said were part of the show week’s schedule.
The programming accompanied vehicle launches and technical briefings. During that time, the company handled registration and hospitality for more than 700 participants.
“The company managed media travel, transportation, hotel, and hospitality for media for the entire program,” Rice said.
That work included coordinating with international media groups from China, Europe, Australia and South America, reflecting how Detroit auto events now reach a global audience.
As automakers place greater emphasis on live
experiences, firms like Gail & Rice Connex operate at the intersection of planning, branding and consumer interaction, supporting both in-person and virtual events with staff who guide attendees through vehicle features.
Gail & Rice Connex has supported promotional campaigns and vehicle launches tied to electric and hybrid vehicles across North America. Past projects include launches for the Audi E-Tron Sportback and the Ford EcoSport, as well as work with Electrify America, Kia and Lincoln.
As automakers introduce new technology, launches often require more explanation and public education than in the past, changing how vehicles are presented at shows.
Following the 2026 Detroit Auto Show, firms like Gail & Rice Connex remain part of the structure that supports automakers as they introduce vehicles and technology worldwide.
These operations highlight how Michigan’s automotive identity continues to support a wide range of careers beyond vehicle design as the industry adapts to new technology and changing audiences.
Addie’s Albums: Son Of Spergy
ADDISON KOCH Campus Editor
Daniel Caesar has never been afraid of vulnerability, but on his latest album Son of Spergy the Canadian R&B singer turns inward more deeply than ever before.
The album, released Oct. 24, 2025, through Republic Records, is a reflective, gospel-inspired body of work centered on reconciliation with faith, love and most notably family. The album reflects a “grassroots” approach, featuring acoustic guitars, gospel arrangements and minimal production give the album an intimate, almost confessional feel.
Following the massive success of his 2017 debut Freudian and a Grammy win for “Best Part” Caesar said he has spent much of his career grappling with expectations, both internal and external. On Son of Spergy, named after his father’s nickname, Caesar embraces growth rather than perfection, exploring what it means to inherit traits, mistakes and love from the people who raised him and those he has found along the way.
The album opens with “Rain Down” featuring Sampha, a haunting gospel and piano-led track. Caesar’s soft vocals and church-like harmonies immediately set the tone, introducing faith as a recurring theme. References to God, blessings and surrender appear throughout the album as questions rather than statements.
“Have a Baby (With Me)” the album’s second track and one of its most emotional, is a desperate plea with a delicate piano sound. Caesar sings to a partner who is already emotionally gone, asking her to commit to a future even as the present falls apart. It’s vulnerable, uncomfortable and honest. The song feels less about having a child and more about clinging to love before it disappears.
“Call On Me” shifts slightly in sound, introducing electric guitar and subtle Africaninspired background vocals performed by
Caesar’s father, Norwill Simmonds. It explores unconditional love, the willingness to give endlessly, even at a personal cost. This theme of sacrifice appears repeatedly, especially when love and faith intersect.
One of the album’s most touching moments comes with “Baby Blue” featuring Simmonds. The track could be compared to a love letter, to a partner, to peace and even to God himself. Caesar sings about being seen during his lowest moments and finding calm in someone else’s presence. Like most of the outros on the album, gospel harmonies close out the song.
“Root of All Evil” takes a different turn. With layered instrumentation and selfanalyzing lyrics, Caesar confronts his own ego, temptation and moral conflict. Lines like “Am I a man or a beast?” feel like pages pulled straight from a journal, as he questions whether fame has pulled him away from who he truly wants to be.
My favorite track on the album, “Who Knows” strips everything back. Soft guitar, piano and background vocals accompany Caesar as he reflects on uncertainty in love, commitment and himself. He admits his flaws without defensiveness, asking whether it’s a crime to be unsure, while further questioning what the future holds and whether he is deserving of the love he hopes to keep.
“Moon” featuring Bon Iver, continues the album’s existential questioning. The song shifts halfway through, trading instrumentation for isolated vocals and an echoing guitar. Caesar grapples with faith, identity and the meaning of love, sounding both lost and hopeful at once.
“Touching God” with Yebba and Blood Orange, may be the album’s most overtly religious track. It captures a crisis of faith, the feeling of believing in God while also feeling
abandoned by Him. Choir-like harmonies from Yebba, Blood Orange and of course Caesar provide him with reassurance in a biblical reference about spiritual growth and maturity.
“Sign of the Times” reflects on aging, loss and gratitude. The song considers love, mortality and the desire to build a future with someone. It continues Caesar’s search for meaning through faith and personal growth.
“Emily’s Song” stands out as a thankful goodbye. It acknowledges a past love for the clarity it provided, even if it couldn’t last. The track feels like acceptance rather than regret.
“No More Loving (On Women I Don’t Love),” featuring 646yf4t, takes a darker and more conflicted turn. The track explores emotional detachment and exhaustion from relationships that lack real connection, as Caesar reflects on his own inability to fully commit. The song highlights the desire to break free from patterns that no longer serve him.
The album closes with “Sins of the Father” featuring Bon Iver, bringing the project full circle. Caesar confronts generational trauma, inherited flaws and the complicated relationship he has with his parents, specifically his father. Rather tvvhan assigning blame, he chooses understanding, growth and forgiveness, for his father and himself.
Son of Spergy isn’t an album chasing hits. It’s slower paced, reflective and emotional. But in embracing uncertainty, Daniel Caesar delivers his most personal work yet, one that feels less like a performance and more like a conversation.
PHOTO COURTESY OF PITCHFORK
The first of four teasers for “Marvel’s Avengers: Doomsday” debuted ahead of the opening weekend of “Avatar: Fire and Ash” on Dec. 23, more than a year before the film’s planned Dec. 18, 2026 release. The campaign has reportedly amassed more than one billion combined views, drawing divided reactions.
The teaser campaign presented an opportunity for the studio to reassert confidence in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, capitalizing early on remaining audience goodwill.
But with this promotion, things feel different.
Nearly seven years have passed since “Avengers: Endgame” shattered box office records. Though a portion of the public remains invested in the sprawling saga, passive speculation abounds over genuine interest. It has become increasingly clear that the MCU is no longer the cultural juggernaut it once was.
Marvel co-president Louis D’Esposito acknowledged as much in 2024, conceding the studio had oversaturated audiences with too many films and television projects released too quickly, diluting interest. Continuity bloat is just one aspect of Marvel’s failure to retain
a consistently dedicated audience, relegating the reliable billion-dollar box office successes of the studio’s pre-pandemic peak to the past.
Standalone MCU films remain in development indefinitely while tieins are pushed out the door. Budget overruns, uncompelling writing, rushed visual effects and production, reductive fan service and a steadily growing consensus of superhero fatigue have facilitated further erosion. Marvel’s fading dominance continued into 2025 with a series of disappointing premieres at the box office.
“Captain America: Brave New World” was both a critical and financial disappointment, drawing criticism for its story, editing and effects, ranking among the MCU’s lowest-performering entries. “Thunderbolts*” earned stronger reviews but still fell roughly $65 million short of breaking even. “Fantastic Four: First Steps” was expected to perform strongly, but also missed projections. Recently, it was reported that the film is underperforming in streaming as well.
As the first release of the MCU’s sixth phase, “First Steps” underscored a worrying trend, contextualizing Marvel’s increasingly desperate
marketing push for “Doomsday” and the distant “Avengers: Secret Wars.”
The initial “Doomsday” teaser leant heavily on baiting nostalgia, revealing the return of Chris Evans as Steve Rogers alongside a newly introduced infant son. Rather than an organic plot development, the teaser reads as a creative compromise; Marvel, eager to put the failings of “Brave New World” behind them, scrambles to elevate Evans back into the spotlight as a revived, marketable Captain America, undercutting the character’s cathartic conclusion during events in the previous installment, “Avengers: Endgame.”
A second teaser followed days later, presenting a stern, serious Thor Odinson also anchored by familial stakes: an adopted daughter. While “Thor: Ragnarok” (2017) was praised as another success of Marvel’s golden era, “Thor: Love and Thunder” (2022) was widely regarded as a misfire, criticized for subpar visuals and uneven tone. The teaser suggests that “Doomsday” may abandon the goofy and lighthearted sensibility of the Taika Waititi-directed era in another attempt to reengage lapsed audiences.
A third teaser introduced several
members of the X-Men. While the franchise has enjoyed prominence preceding the MCU’s inception, its final entries under 20th Century Fox – “X-Men: Apocalypse” (2016) and “Dark Phoenix” (2019) – were critical and commercial failures. Whether “Doomsday” can sufficiently reboot the X-Men, or justify their recent integration into the MCU to begin with, remains uncertain.
The final teaser boasts an unexpected crossover between characters from the “Black Panther” films and “Fantastic Four: First Steps.” Though the “Black Panther” franchise has never fully recovered from the 2020 death of lead actor Chadwick Boseman, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” was fairly well received, becoming the sixth highest-grossing film of 2022. Considering “First Steps’” muted reception, pairing the Wakandan corner of the MCU with the newly introduced Fantastic Four seems an unlikely fit, despite the characters’ shared comic book history.
Perhaps most frustrating to fans is Marvel’s decision to cast Robert Downey Jr. as the film’s primary antagonist, Doctor Doom, following his defining role as Tony Stark. Though
Doom has deliberately not appeared in the teasers, recycling one of the franchise’s most recognizable faces reads as another calculated nostalgia play rather than a confident creative choice.
Doom’s abrupt characterization as an Avengers-level threat comes as a recourse following the 2024 cancellation of the “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty” film.
The 2023 film “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” intended to establish Kang as the phase’s overarching villain, flopped critically and financially yet again, suffering the steepest second-weekend drop of any MCU film.
Actor Jonathan Majors, who portrayed Kang, was also convicted of domestic assault in late 2023.
Faced with public scrutiny, Marvel subsequently fired Majors and restructured Phase Six, moving “Doomsday” into the vacated release slot while erasing the planned central antagonist from the continuity and dismantling significant narrative buildup.
Taken together, the teasers and tumultuous development inspire little confidence that “Doomsday” will deliver
the critical or commercial redemption Marvel needs to sustain momentum through “Secret Wars.” The studio’s inability to introduce compelling new characters, subsequent pivot toward reliance on legacy cast members and lack of any clear, unifying direction for the MCU reflects a broader creative stagnation.
Marvel moves ahead with “Doomsday” as a calculated attempt to stabilize a franchise in flux. The film, marketed as a narrative turning point, will prove a referendum on whether the studio’s past success can adequately substitute for missing momentum. If it fails, the consequences will cast a shadow over the future of the franchise as a whole, calling into question the sustainability of cinematic reliance on revisiting what once worked rather than defining what comes next.
story by Cael Tanner graphic by August Wicker
OU SMTD brings AI to opera
MARIA MAGNOLI Arts Reporter
In the Oakland University School of Music, Theatre and Dance (SMTD), Oakland Opera students took George Frideric Handel’s “Alcina” and readapted it with a modern twist in Varner Hall.
The 18th century Baroque work is a fascinating fntasy: a beautiful island belonging to an enchantress who turns any seduced onlooker to stone. Despite its many fictional elements, themes of deception, reality versus illusion and love versus lust leave the audience in deep rumination.
Drake Dantzler, professor of music and voice opera program coordinator, began a quest in June of 2025 to update the opera in collaboration with ChatGPT, placing extra emphasis on the real versus fake message as it relates to modern-day contexts. He found social media to be a key example of this dichotomy.
“I was trying to think, ‘What are things that are really important to artists right now, especially young artists?’ And so we incorporated social media topics and AI topics to engage with modern performers and audiences,” he said.
The libretto was translated from Italian into English via AI-assisted text generation, and the phrases were updated in particular sections to fit modern-day lingo. Who would have thought “you toxic wrecking ball” was used in 1735?
A storyline that could have been distantly related to “Clash of the Titans” or “The Witches” rapidly transformed into an influencer house, “The Curio.” Actors walked around the stage taking selfies, hosting lives and interacting with viewers. Sitting in front of a greenscreen, characters projected themselves to viewers with picturesque backdrops, illustrating an expansively luxurious mansion.
One of the first characters spotted was Morgana (Charlotte Jiang), Alcina’s sister, whose love interests are Ricciardo (Trinity Green-Conner, Andrea Valenzuela-Lazcano) — Bradamante in disguise — and Oronte (Maximilian Ulrich), whom she eventually abandons.
Assuming the role of Alcina was Mila Pitman, junior Vocal Performance major (portrayed by Carys-Rees Baker on alternate nights). This was Pitman’s second lead role as a student in SMTD. Alcina could be seen fighting and reconciling with a myriad of lovers, including the knight Ruggiero (Sarah Lawlis, Paige Colby), and her general and former lover, Oronte.
Pitman delivered it all: volume, vibrato, diction and tremendously natural acting. The emotional outbursts in her arias were nothing short of extraordinary. The way characters interacted with each other on camera versus off mimicked
that same relationship that consumes today’s society.
Pitman expressed the viewpoints she had developed about Alcina after playing her in the production’s first performance.
“I feel like every villain has a backstory, and Alcina being so incredibly famous online works in the same way, knowing how our real-life influencers have grown to become famous,” Pitman said. “When she first began gaining traction on social media, people loved her for her authenticity and relatability, but when that number of followers started to plateau, she had to try new ways to gain people’s attention, costing her to lose her own sense of self.”
She went into further detail, divulging the complex association between the self on and off the internet.
“She isn’t consciously lying all the time; she’s performing the version of herself that gets rewarded. Over time, that performance replaces her real identity,” Pitman continued. “As an actor, that meant constantly asking who she was when the camera is on, and who she was when it’s off. The tension between those two selves really heightened the theme of real versus fake for me.”
Well done to Oberto (Lauren Hummer) and Melisso (David Glazkov) for such spectacular vocal technique.
The orchestra was led by Victoria Shively, OU SMTD professor and conductor/music director of “Alcina,” who assisted Dantzler in the creation of this endeavor. In the process, they recognized the irony and caution that must be taken when merging AI with the arts. They hope the audience left the performance reflecting on that liaison.
“Where does AI fit in the world of art? It’s a very complicated, very nuanced question. Evaluating what is a tool and what is not a tool, and what’s human and what’s not human when working with AI is a new, complex endeavor,” Dantzler said.
Lincoln Street Art Park: Trash turned treasure
MARYAM MOSS
Political Reporter
The debate over what qualifies as “a work of art” traverses centuries. For the visitors and sponsors of the Lincoln St. Art Park in Detroit, pride is found in what can be created in castaways and the novelty of human signature upon the “built environment.”
Lincoln St. Art Park, on 5929 Lincoln St. near the Northwest Goldberg neighborhood in Detroit, was opened to the public in 2011 by Matthew Naimi, also founder of Recycle Here!” a recycling center adjacent to the park.
The vision for the park was born out of a community cleanup effort to transform an industrial lot, once the site of an auto plant managed by Warren Motor Car Co., and, later, Ford Motor Co. The center, described by Naimi as “Detroit’s destination for recycling for 15 years,” encourages a public participation in patronizing and creating sustainable art, after the “take something, leave another behind” ideology of the Little Free Libraries found across U.S. communities.
The recycling hub offers a variety of materials for no cost including colored glass, plastics, recycled paper and scrap metals in collection bins around the facility. To complement the communally involved vision of Recycle Here! another corridor advertises personal-use goods including vintage books, household items and other educational materials. As such, there is a special souvenir for every visitor.
The park features mounted mural art, graffitied sections of brick and sculpture installations as part of an outdoor walk-through gallery where bright swaths of paint contrast against the rugged brick interior and uneven lawn. A flight
of stairs escorts visitors to an upper plane where the park’s resident artists work.
Park visitors are welcomed into their studios to witness the creative process as they paint in real-time or browse through the handmade relics on display of bizarre stickers, crochetwork and prints of original canvas works.
“This project is about reimagining old structures in new ways and contributing to Detroit’s reinvention of itself and its icons,” Naimi said when speaking on urban renewal and trendsetting for the arts.
Near the entryway of this “junkyard” of treasures, two wall-murals stand out in particular. The first, a dramatic rendition of a pair of red and black Nike Jordans are ablaze with spray paint around the soles. At second glance, the
shoes almost appear to be posing, the higher one tilted away from the inspector in a show of flair. The other, imbued with the city’s industrial legacy, bears the slogan: “Life is a Dreamtroit” against the grit of tarnished sheet metal.
The phrase refers to a completed project that would bring together artists and patrons, retailers and community into one space. This vision came to life when, in Sept 2024, Naimi and project developer of Dreamtroit, Oren Goldenberg, welcomed the opening of the redeveloped commercial lot. While originally an exhibition park and recycling center, it would now function as a mixed-use retail and commercial space with parking, 17 affordable housing units, and a drop-off facility-turned creator’s market for recyclables.
The mixed-use property is an example of locals reclaiming space and creators staking out a path for themselves in an art scene that selectively rewards.
Professor Joanna Woronkowicz of Indiana University writes in an article that “volatile income, limited benefits, and few protections against technological and market shocks” are among the many challenges American artists face. Many freelancers find themselves working multiple jobs — often in teaching or the service industry—to supplement the income made from art sales.
The Lincoln Street Art Park, however, reimagines the future as one where artwork isn’t simply marveled at and then passed by, but where the individuals behind it are entitled to the same attention their work receives. Naimi describes this envisioned trend in terms of a “live/make artist community” where artists reside, create, and showcase their products. He believes offering affordable housing for rent to these new creatives gives them full license to earn a namesake, helping to offset financial uncertainty.
PHOTO BY MARYAM MOSS
PHOTO BY CRYSTAL ORSER
Standout fashion from the 83rd Golden Globes
MARIA MAGNOLI Arts Reporter
The 83rd annual Golden Globes on CBS, held on Jan. 11 at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California celebrated famous film, music and podcasts of 2025. This year’s host was comedian Nikki Glaser, who also hosted last year’s awards.
Award show viewership has declined in recent years, and this was no exception. The Los Angeles Times noted a 7% drop in comparison to last year’s Golden Globes. Despite that, thousands of images circulated the internet of the fabulous fashion.
A young crowd was drawn to a glowing Kylie Jenner and the talented Timothée Chalamet who attended for the third consecutive year as a couple. The “Wonka,” “Dune” and “Little Women” star won Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical Comedy for his role in “Marty Supreme” — a biopic based on the legendary table tennis player Marty Reisman.
Chalamet, enveloped in a full black velvet Chrome Hearts ensemble, stuck with a brand he has worn on countless occasions. His partner Kylie Jenner, a face the camera frequently visited, donned a strappy gold, custom sequin and figure-hugging Ashi studio gown. Her bling, courtesy of Lorraine Schwartz, was adorned on her ears and hands with the earrings alone totaling up to 75 carats worth of diamonds.
In Chalamet’s acceptance speech, he thanked “Mr. Wonderful” (Kevin O’Leary from the television series “Shark Tank”) who had a small feature in the film, and as many viewers anticipated, he also
thanked his lovely partner.
Teyana Taylor won Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture for her performance in Paul Thomas Anderson’s film, “One Battle After Another.” Perhaps one of the most eye-catching looks of the night, she was draped in a black Custom Schiaparelli Haute Couture gown. Striking asymmetrical cutouts from the front and a silver rhinestone bijou thong from the back.
The actress ended her speech with a message to black women and girls.
“Our softness is not a liability, our depth is not too much,” Taylor said. “Our light does not need permission to shine. We belong in every room we walk into, our voices matter and our dreams deserve space. Thank you so much, everybody.”
Undoubtedly a showstopping appearance: Kate Hudson in Giorgio Armani Privé. A 1930s inspired dress to match the 1930s drama of “Song Song Blue,” featured a diamond encrusted halter neckline with crystal and silk fringe in a gorgeous gunmetal. The icing on the cake: Garatti diamond earrings.
A mix of tiny silver and pastel flowers were sewed onto Elle Fanning’s gown by Gucci. Mimicking a Norwegian flower, it connected to Joachim Trier’s Norwegian film “Sentimental Value” — her fourth Globes nomination. A V-neck necklace to match with the V-neck bodice was planned to perfection.
Hudson Williams of “Heated Rivalry” swept the men’s division, both on the ice and off. Williams wore a white Giorgio Armani peak-label jacket with a white silk shirt and a white grosgrain cumberbund. A Bvlgari Serpent necklace added a unique touch
along with his patent square-toe dress shoes. Amal Clooney continued to be the epitome of old Hollywood glamor. The human rights attorney supported her doting husband in a scarlet red vintage Balmain gown with a matching box clutch.
Golden Recommendations: An acoustic atmosphere
SARAH WASIELEWSKI & MARISSA GETSCHMAN
In a world where everything is overproduced and consumerism is at its highest, the ability to take a step back and enjoy a raw, unfiltered playlist of music is a privilege in and of itself. Enjoy this 36 minute playlist of acoustic songs.
“If You Love Her” by Forest Blakk
Released in 2020, “If You Love Her” by Canadian singersongwriter Forest Blakk feels like a quiet conversation late at night. With gentle vocals and heartfelt lyrics, the song encourages listeners to slow down and cherish the smallest details of the people they love, wrapping sincerity and warmth in every note.
“Eastward of Eden - Acoustic” by Amelia Day
“Eastward of Eden” is already a powerful song in its natural state, but strip down the elements to leave only the voice and guitar and suddenly the message is unavoidable. While the commentary is on the current state of U.S. politics, the song also serves as an excellent edition to Dungeons and Dragons playlists thanks to the brand of metaphor.
“Northern Attitude” by Noah Kahan
Noah Kahan uses his background growing up in Vermont as the backdrop for this song from his 2022 album, “Stick Season.” Supported by the driving thrum of a mandolin, the singer asks for patience as he learns to soften and warm his heart as he tries to overcome emotional guardedness shaped by an upbringing in a cold, isolating environment.
“Soft (Voice Memo)” by Molly Grace
Written and recorded in the safety of her own bedroom, “Soft (Voice Memo)” is just that; soft. Molly Grace chose
to release the song in its purest form, and it feels like a warm hug on a breezy summer morning.
“This Town” by Niall Horan
The lead single off his 2017 debut album “Flicker,” “This Town” marks Niall Horan’s transition from One Direction member to solo artist. This gentle, guitar forward ballad reflects on lingering feelings and all the words left unsaid after a former lover has moved on with someone new.
“Constellations” by The Oh Hellos
As the name suggests, the song paints the picture of stargazing around an everchanging campfire. Parts of the instrumentalization even sound as though they would be played by the same fire with close friends beside to sing along. The course of one’s life is impossible to plot exactly and the Oh Hellos describe the phenomenal perfectly.
“Photograph” by Ed Sheeran
Written in a hotel room while on tour, “Photograph” was inspired by Ed Sheeran’s long-distance relationship with his then-girlfriend. The stripped-down production and emotional honesty make it feel deeply personal as the ballad discusses preserving love like a cherished photograph that can be carried around.
“thumbelina” by Lizzy Hillard
Lizzy Hillard’s “thumbelina” beautifully reflects the childhood nostalgia that is stirred up by the beloved story. The song puts the singer in the shoes of the titular Thumbelina, a very small girl with very big dreams. The soft melody sounds like a bedtime story and lullaby wrapped into one lovely package with a pretty little bow on top.
“Love Her” by Jonas Brothers
With their post-hiatus comeback album “Happiness Begins,” the Jonas Brothers reflect a more mature perspective on love. “Love Her” is a love letter to the trio’s respective wives, acknowledging the compromise, growth and dedication required to build a lasting relationship.
“Hey, Runner!” by Arcadian Wild
The quickest song to grace this playlist, “Hey, Runner!” uses two string instruments in a complicated and intriguing introduction that prepares the listener for what they’re about to hear. The dynamics are vast and exciting throughout the entire song with interesting lyrics to match.
PHOTO COURTESY OF GETTY
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ARCADIAN WILD
The U.S. and Denmark’s tug-of-war over Greenland
SOPHIA CURRAN Political Editor
President Donald Trump’s eye on Greenland may just deepen a rift with close allies.
On Jan 17, Trump announced in a statement on Truth Social that the U.S. will be charging a 10% import tax on goods from the eight European countries that have been openly discouraging U.S. control of Greenland.
Countries that will now run the risk of being unsubsidized include Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, The United Kingdom, The Netherlands and Finland. The tariff is expected to start at the beginning of February and if these countries do not surrender their standing, then the tariff will raise to 25% on June 1. The tariff will be lifted when a deal is reached for the “complete and total purchase of Greenland” from Denmark.
“This is a very dangerous situation for the Safety, Security and Survival of our Planet,” Trump said in the statement released on Truth Social. “These Countries, who are playing this very dangerous game, have put a level of risk in play that is not tenable or sustainable. Therefore, it is imperative that, in order to protect Global Peace and Security, strong measures be taken so that this potentially perilous situation end quickly, and without question.”
Trump has warned that if the U.S. does not gain protection over Greenland, then China and Russia may possibly gain control over the territory, putting Denmark in a vulnerable position.
Greenland is a mineral-rich island that any country would love to have in their grasp for purely economic and political reasons. Trump argues that if China and Russia seize control of Greenland then they will not only
grow as rich global-power, but they will also get their foot into the North American dome — a global region where the U.S. already dominates.
However, a possible fallout for the U.S.’s closest allies and the NATO alliance may create more harm than good.
French President Emmanuel Macron has already threatened the U.S. with the Anti-Coercion Instrument (ACI), which he nicknamed EU’s “trade bazooka”, that would cause these countries to release counter-tariffs, restrictions to the Single Market and block applications for EU contracts.
Greenland is a semi-autonomous territory that has been under the control of the Kingdom of Denmark since 1721. The population comprises of people from the Arctic region. However, they still are citizens of Denmark, and they intend to keep it that way.
Protestors in Denmark and Greenland have been vocal about their disapproval and disdain towards U.S. control. Citizens have been seen waving flags stating “Yankee go home,” and “make America go away.”
Greenland has stated that it “cannot under any circumstances accept” Trump’s offer. Denmark has instead increased military presence and training across the territory, including deploying NATO troops.
“I will not go into any political thoughts, but for me, if you are going to defend the Kingdom, going to defend NATO’s northern flank, you simply have to train,” Major General Soren Andersen of Denmark Joint Arctic Command in Greenland said when asked if the increase in military training was to “send a message to Trump.”
Andersen was asked if there had been any spotting of Russian or Chinese ships around the territory, for which he replied with a simple “no.”
“We see Chinese and Russian ships in the Arctic Ocean. I have been a commander up here for two-and-a-half years and I haven’t seen any,” Andersen said.
However, the overall success of their mission is that “Russia keeps away,” partnering with the U.S., Canada and other NATO allies to guarantee it. He ensured though that there is no current threat to Greenland.
Following Trump’s announcement, EU ambassadors from the eight countries impacted by the tariffs held an emergency meeting to discuss the tariffs, warning that it will “risk a dangerous downward spiral.”
President of the European Commission António Costa and President Ursula von der Leyen released a statement following the meeting.
“The EU stands in full solidarity with Denmark and the people of Greenland. Dialogue remains essential, and we are committed to building on the process begun already last week between the Kingdom of Denmark and the US.,” President Costa and von der Leyen declared.
Denmark and the U.S. are both a part of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which would lead to a complex and divided predicament within the security alliance if the U.S. decides to invade Greenland.
Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, considered the most “fundamental” principle, states that if there is an armed attack on a member of NATO, then that shall be considered “an attack against them all.”
“If the United States chooses to attack another NATO country militarily, then everything stops… including our NATO,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned.
Frederiksen has been adamant that Denmark will not be surrendering Greenland to the U.S.
“We’re not the ones looking for conflict,” Frederiksen said. “At the same time, it is now even clearer that this is an issue that reaches far beyond our own borders.”
Denmark will continue to hold strong on this game of tug-of-war with the U.S. as the European Commission helps pull the rope closer towards Europe.
Detroit reparation’s plan: What could it look like?
MARYAM MOSS Political Reporter
At the end of October, the Detroit Reparations Task Force released a 558-page report of policy recommendations to repatriate black Detroiters for generational harms.
The Taskforce, officially created in 2023 by City Council to measure the scope of historic inequity caused to black residents by systemic racism, disbanded in December as the incoming mayoral administration prepared to take office.
Mayor Mary Sheffield, at the forefront of the 2021 resolution that motivated the creation of a reparations task force, would now be responsible for picking up where it left off. That was, precisely, a series of items published in an Oct. 31 report titled “DRTF Report of Recommendations,” which begins with an acknowledgement of the exploited labor on which the city’s wealth and American industry were built.
The report, which sets out a timeline of historical harms, is divided into broad sections that each contain guidelines for offsetting inequity; these areas include economic development, education, utilities, law enforcement, and cultural life.
Most notable, though, is the commitment to help rebuild denied generational wealth, a vision challenged by the current wealth disparity between black and white American households, estimated in 2018 to be at $325,000.
Under the heading “Wealth Extraction: How Much Was Stolen? How Much is Owed?” the authors of the report grapple with the question of how to estimate the amount in reparations owed across all disbursements and programming.
Scholars William Darity and Kirsten Mullen, among the academics cited in the report, explained
their perspective on the wealth gap, believing arguing that it can capture, perhaps better than any indicator, the abiding harms suffered by African American descendants, who were denied compensation following their emancipation. Wealth disparity, in their view, can be used to produce a financial estimate of bondage, the debt of which is estimated to be between $1.6 to $97 trillion. However, the report acknowledges that the devastating human costs can never be measured.
The proposals for economic development outline plans to support black-owned enterprises, protect community wealth and promote financial stability beginning from the K-12 level to retirement age.
One of these programs, a guarantee for housing rehabilitation support, would prioritize senior citizens to receive home renovations covered by grants. Early-career readiness courses are suggested for implementation in the curriculum of Detroit Public Schools, although a vision for execution is not laid out in the report.
According to descriptors, black business owners would be entitled to competitive grants and free-of-rent tenancy in a planned commercial zone. Tax-increment financing (TIF) zones, introduced as a tool to protect wealth, would see the reinvestment of locally collected taxes into business and community services.
The idea is adapted from the 1996 Brownfield Redevelopment Financing Act, which reimburses the developers of historic, or other infrastructural challenges of properties in recaptured taxes. If realized, TIF zoning could help preserve wealth within a community circle, allowing it to reap the prosperity and ingenuity of local enterprise.
Together, zoning, supportive measures for businesses, and workforce education seek to sustainably rebuild the wealth lost to independent black communities — like that of the Greenwood
Neighborhood in Tulsa Oklahoma, which was ravaged by organized mob violence in 1921.
Although an important and symbolic move, the report has received criticism over its lengthy list of goals which, according to some, do not declare priorities decisively enough. Keith Williams, cochair of the volunteer-led Task Force, expressed his concerns that the range of items listed would prove unsustainable in the long-run, citing California as an example.
“You know what I’m afraid of? California did this 1,000-page report and now they cannot fund it, and it’s sitting on the shelf,” Williams said.
In Providence, RI and Tulsa, OK, other precedents for reparation planning have been met with both praise and criticism.
In 2023, Providence announced a “race-neutral” reparations plan that would distribute funds across business grants, housing assistance and workforce education programs to historically marginalized groups. The plan became a subject of controversy due to extending benefits to white low-income residents, which led some to see it as poverty alleviation rather than targeted reparations.
Meanwhile, in Oklahoma the $105 million Greenwood Trust, created to distribute reparations for victims of the Tulsa race massacres and their descendants, was celebrated by the community. Like the Providence and Detroit plan, it distributes funds across several areas — but has a more targeted focus on cultural preservation and economic development. Despite criticism, the Detroit Reparations Taskforce report candidly voices both its determinations and the foreseen challenges of executing a comprehensive reparations plan. As a final note, it acknowledges that compensations by the city cannot reconcile the involvement of the state, nation and private sector in structural racism.
Adrenaline and elegance: The 2026 Winter Olympics
MARYANNE SANFORD Sports Reporter
The Olympics have stood as one of the most celebrated sporting events around the world, bringing together the best athletes from opposite sides of the globe to compete in one place.
This year, the Winter Olympics will take place in Italy from Feb. 6 to 22.
The Winter Games were first held in 1924 in Chamonix, France, to showcase sports that could not be included in the Summer Games. Over the years, the event has grown in popularity, scale and cultural significance. It has evolved alongside advancements in sports, technology and global media.
By the time the 2026 Games begin, it will once again reflect not only its deep‑rooted traditions but also its openness to change.
The Olympics have always balanced history with progress and nowhere is that more evident than in the contrast between women’s figure skating and men’s snowboarding — these two sports highlight the diversity of the modern Winter Games — one grounded in decades of tradition, the other born from innovation and youth culture.
Women’s figure skating has been part of the Winter Games since the early 20th century, and it remains one of the most iconic events. Known for its combination of athletic skill and artistic expression, the sport has continually evolved.
At the 2026 Winter Olympics, the women’s singles competitors will include familiar faces like Japan’s Kaori
Sakamoto, a multiple world champion applauded for her technical precision and artistry on the ice.
For American favorites, fans will see Alysa Liu, Amber Glenn and Isabeau Levito, each bringing their own strengths and Olympic medal potential to the competition.
In 2022, Liu announced her retirement from figure skating when she was just 16 years old. She wanted to experience a more “normal life” and spend time with her friends, but in March 2024, she announced she was coming back — on her own terms.
She wanted more control over her routines and training schedule, and once she was promised those conditions, she began her comeback, ultimately earning a victory at the 2025 World Championships and securing her place in the 2026 Olympic Games.
Amber Glenn, however, stands out the most. She has secured her spot as a 26‑year‑old competing in a sport where most athletes peak anywhere from 15 to 18 years old.
She is the perfect illustration that with hard work, age does not matter.
“I hope I can make myself and my country proud,” Glenn said.
Modern women’s figure skating demands extraordinary versatility. Athletes must execute complex jump combinations such as triple-triples and quadruple jumps while seamlessly adding spins, footwork and choreography.
The sport also includes experienced and rising talents from a wide range of countries, guaranteeing that the women’s event will be fiercely competitive and captivating.
The judging system rewards not only technical difficulty and execution but also skating skills, composition
and performance quality, encouraging a well-rounded approach to competition.
In recent Olympic Games, the sport has seen rapid technical progression, often driven by younger competitors. However, the 2026 Games are expected to emphasize balance, highlighting skaters who combine athletic power with maturity, consistency and artistic identity.
Beyond competition, women’s figure skating remains a platform for self-expression, with costumes, music and choreography reflecting a wide range of cultures and personal stories.
In contrast, men’s snowboarding is defined by constant progression.
Snowboarders perform enormous aerial tricks involving multiple spins and flips to combine technical difficulty with creativity and style.
Among the athletes expected to compete this year are Red Gerard, the American Olympic gold medalist in slopestyle from 2018 and a perennial contender in big air and slopestyle, along with other top snowboarders who have secured their Olympic spots through World Snowboard Points rankings.
What sets snowboarding apart is its emphasis on individuality; athletes are encouraged to innovate, bringing personal flair to each run.
Judges reward originality, execution, flow and amplitude, making every performance unique.
The culture surrounding men’s snowboarding reflects a shift in Olympic values. While competition is intense, there is a strong sense of camaraderie among athletes, who often celebrate each other’s success.
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Red Wings’ surge signals a new identity
MATT LEWAKOWSKI Sports Reporter
From the start of December 2025 through the current stretch of the season, the Detroit Red Wings have experienced one of their most defining runs in recent years.
What began as a crucial month to stabilize playoff positioning evolved into a stretch that reshaped the team’s identity, confidence and trajectory as the calendar flipped to 2026.
December has long been viewed as a litmus test in the NHL, separating teams still finding their footing from those ready to contend. For Detroit, the month demanded resilience. The Red Wings faced a dense schedule that tested depth, health and mental toughness. Rather than fading, they responded with a more structured brand of hockey, emphasizing responsible play through all three zones. Defensive consistency improved, transition play became sharper and the team showed an ability to close out tight games — something that had haunted them in previous seasons.
A major storyline during this period was Detroit’s improved balance. Scoring was no longer dependent on a single line or moment of brilliance. Contributions came throughout the lineup, with role players stepping into key moments while top forwards continued to set the tone.
That balance gave the Red Wings an edge in close contests, particularly against division rivals, where points often swing playoff races by the narrowest of margins.
Goaltending also emerged as a stabilizing force. While not always spectacular, it was dependable — arguably the most important quality for a team pushing toward postseason relevance. Timely saves in lategame situations allowed Detroit to protect leads and survive stretches where momentum briefly shifted.
Combined with improved defensive zone coverage, the Red Wings began to look like a team capable of winning in multiple ways rather than relying on highscoring shootouts.
As December gave way to January, the Red Wings carried that momentum forward. Confidence was evident in their puck movement and decision-making, especially at home.
Little Caesars Arena became increasingly difficult for opponents, with Detroit feeding off energetic crowds and embracing the pressure of meaningful games. The team’s ability to respond after losses was
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another encouraging sign, showing maturity and focus rather than prolonged slumps.
Coaching adjustments during this span also played a role. Line combinations showed flexibility, special teams execution sharpened and in-game responses became quicker. Detroit’s power play found more consistency, while the penalty kill demonstrated improved structure and discipline. These incremental gains, while not always headline-worthy, added up over the course of weeks.
Perhaps most importantly, December through the current day reinforced a belief that the rebuild has transitioned into something more immediate. The Red Wings no longer feel like a team simply gaining experience; they look like one learning how to win.
Younger players embraced responsibility, veterans provided steady leadership and the collective identity began to solidify around competitiveness and accountability.
As the season moves deeper into 2026, questions remain — Can Detroit sustain this level of play against elite opponents? Will injuries or fatigue test their depth? Those answers will come with time. But what is already clear is that December 2025 marked a turning point. The Red Wings didn’t just survive a critical stretch — they grew from it.
For a franchise defined by tradition and championship expectations, this period feels significant. Not because it guarantees postseason success, but because it signals progress that is real, measurable and earned. The Detroit Red Wings are no longer chasing relevance; they are actively building it, one month at a time.
NFL Divisional Round lives up to the hype
JAMES ELLING Sports Editor
For the NFL fan, the divisional round might be the best weekend of the year. Eight teams, all of them contenders. Four games, all of them consequential — superstar plays, signature moments and season-ending stakes.
The NFL divisional round whittled the field down to four teams — the Denver Broncos, Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams.
The weekend started in dramatic fashion on Saturday afternoon, when the sixth-seeded Bills and top-seeded Broncos kicked off in Denver.
The first half was tense, and the score remained tight — until the Broncos scored 10 points in the final 22 seconds of the second quarter, opening up a 20-10 lead.
The second half began the same way the first ended: a Josh Allen fumble that the Broncos turned into three points, putting the Bills down 23-10.
Allen remained calm despite his turnovers and led the Bills to 17 unanswered points and a four-point lead in the fourth quarter.
A Bo Nix-to-Marvin Mims touchdown for the Broncos and a last-second Bills field goal tied the score at 30 apiece and sent the game to overtime — where a defensive stop and a long, penalty-aided drive that culminated in a short field goal gave the Broncos the win.
Superstar Bills quarterback Josh Allen faces yet another disappointing playoff elimination, and this time, the blame falls partially on his shoulders.
The excitement was quickly mitigated for Broncos fans, as it was reported moments after the game that
Nix, Denver’s emerging star quarterback, broke his ankle on one of the final plays. Nix will miss the remainder of the playoffs.
The chaos seamlessly carried over into the Saturday night game between the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers, as Seattle’s Rashid Shaheed took the opening kick 95 yards for a touchdown.
Seattle, the NFC’s No. 1 seed, looked the part in extending its lead to 17-0 by the end of the first quarter, going into halftime with a 24-6 lead and pitching a secondhalf shutout to win 41-6.
The Seahawks’ division rival and sixth-seeded 49ers couldn’t get much going, as San Francisco fell flat in the loss. Injuries derailed the 49ers, but Seattle ultimately executed its game plan to a T and would have proved a near-impossible task for any team.
Sunday action kicked off in Massachusetts, where the five-seed Houston Texans faced the two-seed New England Patriots.
The game was a defensive masterclass, with the two defenses combining for six takeaways in the first half alone — Houston’s C.J. Stroud threw four interceptions, and New England’s Drake Maye lost one fumble and threw a pick on a Hail Mary to end the half.
While both defenses shined all game long, the Patriots were able to capitalize on the glimpses of imperfection the Texans’ defense showed, while the Texans’ offense sputtered out completely, giving New England a 28-16 win.
The final bout of the divisional round kicked off Sunday at 6 p.m. in Chicago’s Soldier Field, with the five-seed Los Angeles Rams visiting the Chicago Bears.
In a slow but tense back-and-forth, the first half ended
tied 10-10, with touchdowns by L.A.’s Kyren Williams and Chicago’s DJ Moore.
Williams’ second TD of the day gave the Rams a 17-10 lead with 8:50 remaining in the fourth quarter.
With 17 seconds left, Bears quarterback Caleb Williams retreated almost 30 yards backward before heaving a touchdown pass to tight end Cole Kmet to send the game to overtime.
A quick stop by the Bears’ defense only amounted to a Caleb Williams interception — and the Rams’ offense in turn drove into field-goal range and secured the win with a 42-yarder.
The Broncos, Seahawks, Patriots and Rams are each one game away from punching their ticket to the biggest stage in American sports: the Super Bowl.
In the AFC Championship, the Patriots will head to Denver to play the Jarrett Stidham-led Broncos.
Stidham has only started a handful of NFL games, and he hasn’t taken a snap since 2023, so the dominant Patriots defense will present a tall task for the Broncos and their backup quarterback.
Maye will also face one of the NFL’s top defenses, and for the second consecutive week he’ll have to find a way to take advantage of rare opportunities to come out on top.
The Seahawks and Rams will face off for the third time this season, this time for the NFC title.
The Rams are one of the most complete teams in the NFL, and the Seahawks are a buzzsaw when Darnold is hot, making the NFC title game a must-watch.
While the 2026 NFL playoffs have already provided fans with a buffet of wild moments, the chaos is just beginning.
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Lions shopping options at offensive coordinator
MATT LEWAKOWSKI Sports Reporter
As the Detroit Lions season has come to a close, changes are being made. The biggest of these is the offensive coordinator position on the Lions’ coaching staff.
On Jan. 30, 2025, John Morton was hired to replace now–Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson. Under Morton’s playcalling, the Lions went 6-3, averaging 29.9 points per game and 373.2 yards per game — top five in the NFL.
Dan Campbell ultimately decided the playcalling was not up to snuff and took over duties in Week 10. Other sources and journalists stated that Morton’s offense was “prolific.”
When Campbell took over the offense, the Lions were 2-6. However, the offense averaged 26.9 points per game and 419 yards per game, with 226 of those yards coming on the ground. The team ranked first in total yards and yards per play and third in points per game.
However, because of injuries and chaos on defense, the Lions ended their season 8-9 and missed the playoffs.
Now, with Morton fired, the Lions need to find another coach to bolster their offense and make a Super Bowl push for the 2026-27 season.
The Lions have interviewed or intend to interview several candidates, including:
Mike McDaniel, former Dolphins head coach McDaniel enters the conversation as the most accomplished offensive mind among the candidates. During his tenure as head coach of the Miami Dolphins, McDaniel built one of the NFL’s most explosive offenses,
emphasizing pre-snap motion, spacing and misdirection to create favorable matchups.
McDaniel’s system is structured and quarterbackfriendly, a trait that could benefit Jared Goff, who has thrived in rhythm-based offenses. Detroit struggled with predictability late last season, and McDaniel’s creativity could help address that issue.
The primary concern is fit. McDaniel has operated with significant autonomy and would need to adapt to the collaborative leadership style of Campbell. Even with that consideration, McDaniel’s offensive résumé gives him the highest ceiling among the group.
Mike Kafka, Giants interim head coach
Kafka brings coordinator and head coaching experience, having served as the New York Giants’ offensive coordinator and interim head coach. Kafka is regarded as adaptable, adjusting schemes based on personnel and game situations.
Kafka’s offenses have generally been efficient rather than explosive. While his playcalling demonstrated situational awareness, his units rarely ranked among the league’s elite in scoring or yardage. For Detroit, Kafka would likely provide stability and structure, raising the offense’s floor but not necessarily its ceiling.
Still, his experience managing offenses under pressure makes him a credible option for a team seeking reliability after offensive regression.
Zac Robinson, Falcons offensive coordinator
Robinson offers familiarity — both with Goff and with offensive concepts stemming from the Sean McVay coaching tree. Robinson’s background emphasizes playaction passing and balance, elements that align with Detroit’s personnel.
However, Robinson’s recent results are mixed. His offense with the Atlanta Falcons struggled to generate consistent scoring, particularly in the red zone. While familiarity may ease the transition, Detroit must weigh whether continuity outweighs the need for innovation.
Robinson’s candidacy reflects a lower-risk option with modest upside.
Arthur Smith, Steelers offensive coordinator
Smith brings extensive NFL experience, including success as offensive coordinator with the Tennessee Titans, where his run-heavy approach helped maximize personnel such as Derrick Henry.
Smith’s later work as head coach of the Falcons complicates his evaluation. Atlanta’s offense often failed to capitalize on talent, leading to questions about Smith’s adaptability in a league trending toward versatility and creativity.
For Detroit, Smith could offer structural discipline, but his conservative tendencies may limit offensive growth.
Tee Martin, Ravens quarterbacks coach
Martin is known for his work in player development, particularly with quarterbacks and receivers. His leadership and communication skills are viewed positively across the league.
Still, Martin’s experience as a primary play-caller is limited. During his previous coordinator stint, playcalling duties were reassigned, raising concerns about in-game management. Martin may project better as a position coach or assistant rather than the lead offensive architect.
previous coordinator role at the college level produced mixed results.
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Golden Grizzlies dominate Milwaukee and Green Bay
MIKE OKORONKWO Sports Reporter
GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Oakland Golden Grizzlies return to Rochester after a perfect 2-0 weekend in Wisconsin, securing their status as one of the Horizon League’s most dangerous teams. Following a gritty 7360 win against Milwaukee on Thursday, Greg Kampe’s squad capped the trip with a commanding 88-63 victory over Green Bay on Sunday afternoon. Now sitting at 11-9 overall and 7-2 in conference play, the Grizzlies are showing the poise of a team hardened by a brutal nonconference schedule.
Frontcourt dominance: Naivalurua and Garrett shine
The story of the weekend was the massive bounceback performance from Tuburu Naivalurua. After struggling with efficiency against Milwaukee — shooting just 2-for-9 from the field — Naivalurua looked like a completely different player against the Phoenix. He exploded for a career-high 26 points on Sunday, shooting an efficient 9-for-15 from the floor and a lightsout 3-for-3 from 3-point range. This added spacing is a vital development for the Oakland offense. He added 10 rebounds to complete a double-double.
Naivalurua wasn’t the only force inside; Isaac Garrett also secured a double-double against Green Bay, tallying 17 points and 10 rebounds. Together, they led a frontcourt that outscored Green Bay 50-26 in the paint.
The Robinson engine and Wells’ efficiency
Senior guard Brody Robinson continues to be the primary engine of the Oakland offense, using his twitchy athleticism to create havoc in transition. While his scoring has cooled off since his 35-point explosion against Wright State, his ability to draw contact remains elite.
Against Milwaukee, Robinson recorded an extremely high free-throw rate of 2.00, shooting 14 free throws compared to just seven field-goal attempts. Despite shooting a mere 2-for-7 from the field and struggling with a negative assist-to-turnover ratio of four assists to seven turnovers in that contest, he relied on the charity stripe to finish with 17 points.
The backcourt also received a massive spark from Ziare Wells against Green Bay. Wells provided an impressive and energetic performance, finishing with near-perfect 6-for-7 shooting from the field. He balanced his scoring with three assists, three steals and only a single turnover, providing exactly the kind of efficient secondary playmaking Oakland needs.
Hardened by the fire
One of the most notable takeaways from this road trip is how relaxed and ready this team appears in tough situations. Even when games get hectic or they find themselves in a tussle, the Grizzlies finish comfortably.
This poise likely stems from Oakland’s incredibly tough nonconference schedule, which seems to have prepared them for the rigors of Horizon League play.
However, areas for improvement remain. Outside of Robinson and Brett White, the team still lacks a high-level, consistent shot-maker from deep. Three-point shooting remains heavily inconsistent, as seen in the horrific 25.0% mark against Milwaukee.
Against Green Bay, the team improved to an elite 40.0% from deep. While that 40.0% is a top-tier mark, it came on a relatively low volume of only 15 attempts, suggesting the team is still not entirely comfortable hunting those shots consistently.
Defensively, there are still concerns regarding rim protection. Despite Oakland having the more talented roster, Green Bay actually recorded nine blocks compared to Oakland’s three on Sunday.
Defensive intensity and the Green Bay struggle
Oakland’s defense was stifling against Green Bay, particularly against Michigan guard Stevie Elam. Elam was frequently rushed off his spots and forced into difficult looks, finishing a horrific 2-for-10 from the field.
The Phoenix simply had no reply for the Grizzlies’ pressure; only one player on the Green Bay roster, Ramel Bethea, managed to score more than 10 points.
While the Grizzlies were out-blocked, they made up for it with active hands, recording seven steals compared to Green Bay’s two. There were still moments of concern — specifically late closeouts in the second half that a better shooting team might have punished — but the result was never in doubt.
Oakland blew the Green Bay game open with a 51-point second half, following a wire-to-wire performance against Milwaukee where they led for 39:33 of the 40-minute contest.
Next up: Previewing the Jaguars
Oakland returns home to the O’Rena this Wednesday, Jan. 21, for a 7 p.m. matchup against IU Indy. The Jaguars enter the contest as one of the struggling programs in the Horizon League, currently sitting at the bottom of the standings with a 1-9 conference record and an overall mark of 5-16.
IU Indy enters the O’Rena following a difficult offensive showing against Detroit Mercy, where they struggled significantly with their shooting, particularly from beyond the arc.
Despite their record, the Grizzlies must remain focused on containing standout Kyler D’Augustino. D’Augustino has been a high-level force for the Jaguars, averaging 18.7 points, 3.4 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game while carrying a heavy offensive load with a usage rate of 24.4%.
He is coming off a stretch where he scored 20 or more points in four of his last five outings. D’Augustino is one of only two double-digit scorers for the Jaguars, alongside senior Jaxon Edwards. However, Oakland should also keep an eye on Finley Woodward, who is coming off a strong performance and stands 6-foot-7.
A key advantage for Oakland in this matchup will be in the paint. The Jaguars lack significant size, with their tallest players being Gabe Stewart (6-foot-9, though not a consistent rotation piece), Aiden Miller (6-foot-8) and Reece Hagy (6-foot-8).
Oakland’s bigs should match up well against this interior, though the Grizzlies must remain disciplined; despite their size limitations, the Jaguars managed to find productivity inside by scoring 42 points in the paint during their recent matchup against Detroit Mercy.
Both teams currently average an identical 3.4 blocks per game, setting the stage for a physical battle at the rim. Maintaining focus against a “trap” team like IU Indy is essential; Oakland cannot afford a letdown performance against a bottom-tier opponent if they want to maintain their current momentum near the top of the conference standings.
