February 12-19

Page 1

‘Foodture’ opens at Jacobs Gallery See Features, page 6

Jim Sears faces Student Senate

Butterfly exhibit stuns Science Center patrons

See News, page 4

See Features, page 7

WOODYARD STEPS DOWN SEE NEWS, page 4 Claiming Engineering Dean Fatouhi ‘Lacks integrity’, the 20-year professor makes a ‘non-negotiable’ decision SEE NEWS, PAGE 3

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FEBRUARY 12 - 19, 2014 | WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1967 | THESOUTHEND.WAYNE.EDU | DETROIT, MICHIGAN | FREE


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Coke’s Superbowl ad sparks outrage CHRISTINA CLARK Staff Columnist Ah, the Super Bowl: the biggest sporting event in the country, celebrated by a night of football, beer, food and fun. According to Time magazine, “111.5 million people actually watched this year’s Super Bowl, making it the most-watched broadcast ever.” Arguably, even more popular than the sporting event itself are the commercials that accompany it. Every year, a countless number of nonfootball fans settle down to watch the game simply for the commercials, and every year various companies and corporations put together their most creative commercials and dish out huge sums of money to get a primetime slot during the game. This year’s commercials ranged from sweet bonds between animals and the simple delights of the average American family to the thought-provoking and controversial. Among the controversial was a commercial put out by Coca-

Cola. The commercial, which should have been an inspirational and beautiful commercial that paid tribute to the melting pot that is America, caused a huge controversy that unfortunately brought the not-so-nice side out of some Americans. The commercial features presumably American people of different ethnic descents singing “America the Beautiful” in their native languages. Numerous Twitter users posted tweets of outrage. Two tweets in particular, which were reposted by progressive news website Raw Story and also retweeted by other Twitter users, read, “Speak American if you are in America commercials are dumb,” and, “F you coke the national anthem wasn’t made for your gook and Mexican talking. STFU!!! Speak English.” There were various other tweets that lashed out at the Coke ad, but these two stood out the most because apart from a lack of basic grammar skills, the basic knowledge that “America the Beautiful” is not the national anthem, Americans do not speak American

us. This campus is a perfect example of what America is: a melting pot. This campus is full of different people living together to accomplish a goal and create something great. In complaining about, and denying, various people the privilege of speaking how they wish, these people essentially criticized your classmates and friends. Though the negativity is somewhat appalling, not all of the responses to the commercial were bad. There were quite a few people that understood what Coca-Cola was going for and commended them for their bravery and true American spirit. One Twitter user wrote, “Thanks @CocaCola for reminding us that we are beautiful because of and not in spite of our linguistic diversity.” Diversity. It is what America embodies and the sooner people realize it, the better off the country will be. So how about it, Wayne State? Should we all speak our own languages in a melting pot, or should people be criticized for being who they are?

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and Mexicans do not speak Mexican, these two tweets proved that there are Americans out there that still put stock in the way a person looks and speaks. The commercial was clearly meant to be a tribute to America as a melting pot, but that was missed by some people, obviously. This country was built by immigrants, and is made up of a plethora of people, which is something that some seem to have forgotten. It is one thing to be proud of your American heritage, but is another thing entirely to demand someone give up their heritage simply because they want to live in the “land of opportunity.” Think about this: if a native English speaker were to move to Germany, for example, they would learn to speak German, but if given the option, say on the telephone, they will always turn to their native language because it is the one they are most comfortable speaking. Wayne Staters, the criticism bestowed on people because of this “speak American” mentality should really hit home for

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Public questions dean’s integrity at meeting

KRISTIN SHAW/THE SOUTH END

SYDNEE THOMPSON The South End Allegations of integrity violations and animal abuse were raised during the Board of Governors meeting Feb. 7. The meeting, held in the Mazurek Education Commons of the School of Medicine, featured public comments that accuse university officials of participating in harmful, unproductive research and fund mismanagement, among other offenses. James Woodyard, an associate professor in the College of Engineering, said Engineering Dean Farshad Fotouhi “lacks integrity” because of numerous instances of fund mismanagement, harassment and violation of university policy over the past two years. “I regret very much that it is necessary to go public with this issue,” Woodyard said. “I met with President Wilson on Tuesday and urged him to do due diligence on the issue … I am a strong and proud member of this community and I in no way want to tarnish the image of Wayne State University to our community. (Wilson) indicated that I should do what I needed to do. Since I believe in integrity, which is the cornerstone of academia, I feel that I have to come before the board and express my position on this.” Woodyard circulated a list of offenses he alleges were perpetuated by Fotouhi through the audience. According to his statement, in 2012 Fotouhi “consistently made derogatory and abusive statements” to a development officer that led to her transferring to another department. In another instance, Fotouhi approved the installation of more than $200,000 in outdated technology without informing the chair or faculty, and then later denied have any knowledge of the project. Woodyard formally resigned from his position following his comments. “I’m not negotiating this,” he said. “I’ve made a decision that I must leave Wayne State University.” In response, Wilson said he had as-

sessed the situation thoroughly. “I completely recognize that you and other members of this committee feel very strongly about your issue,” he said. “I want to state for the record that after our meeting in November, that I went through every page of that document that you gave me, as well as the provost, and I interviewed other members of the school of engineering. I’m sorry that our final recommendation is not to your satisfaction, but I hope that we can continue to move on … for the betterment of the College of Engineering and the university, and I very much appreciate your service.” “I really want to emphasize that Dean (Farshad) Fotouhi is doing a good job,” Provost Margaret Winters said in a later interview with The South End. “A great deal of what we see going on here is that some older, more established faculty frankly don’t want to see change.” Winters said the allegations were taken “very seriously.” After examining the allegations, the provost said no lack of integrity could be found, but Fotouhi was asked to make some changes, which he has, or is, in the process of doing. “We could find no basis at all for the lack of integrity allegations,” Winters said. “We had the accounts audited twice and found no misconduct.” Before Woodyard spoke, Kenneth Litwak, a veterinarian who serves as the associate director of laboratory medicine for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, asked the board to cease the practice of using dogs in cardiovascular research at the university. Litwak said the experiments are cruel and the results are not valid for use in human research. “Young, healthy dogs are subjected to as many as four surgical procedures on their hearts and blood vessels over a six-to-eight week period,” Litwak said. “Up to twelve different devices are implanted in each dog … each device is prone to failure, causing harm to the dogs … wires and tubes are prone to infection, as seen from many dogs being treated for postoperative infections.” Litwak said dogs who survive the sur-

geries have hypertension or heart failure artificially created for further study. Although the experiments are meant to help researchers understand limitations in humans with heart failure and high blood pressure, Litwak said the results create “redundant” and “erroneous and nontranslatable findings.” “A dog with hypertension created by occluding blood flow and heart failure created by tachycardia poorly represent humans with hypertension and heart failure,” Litwak said. Beatrice Friedlander, a representative of the Animal Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan and a WSU alumnus, also spoke on the issue. She read a letter signed by Animal Law Section Chair Jennifer Pierce that questioned the ethicalness of using dogs in research at WSU. “We are concerned with Wayne State’s practices related to these experiments, in which multiple surgeries are performed on dogs and animals are forced to run on treadmills,” the letter reads. “In addition, we are alarmed by the use and killing of dogs in experiments that are scientifically unsound and unnecessary to improving public health.” According to the statement, WSU has violated the Animal Welfare Act, which requires that discomfort is minimized for animals used in research. “In light of the above, and considering the ethical concerns related to using dogs in highly invasive and deadly experiments and the availability of human-based research methods for acquiring knowledge of cardiovascular disease, the Animal Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan urges Wayne State University’s Board of Governors to compel school leaders and faculty to halt the use of dogs in heart failure experiments,” the letter concluded. In a written statement, WSU’s Director of Communications Matt Lockwood said the allegations were false. “The PCRM is dedicated to ending animal research of any kind, a viewpoint unsupported by many organizations including the American Medical Associa-

tion and the American Veterinary Medical Association,” Lockwood said in the statement. “Wayne State is committed to the protection of animals, but also recognizes the benefits of research involving animals. Animal research has played a vital role in virtually every major medical advance of the last century – for both human and animal health. “The animal laboratories at Wayne State are subject to surprise inspections, veterinary oversight, and intense scrutiny by the United States Department of Agriculture; our record is exemplary,” he said. Lockwood also said the USDA conducted inspections of WSU’s laboratories in 2013 in response to the PRCM’s criticisms. “The USDA found no problems whatsoever,” he said. “The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare also concurred on Jan. 27, 2012, with a Wayne State Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee investigation that found no evidence of noncompliance with the federal policy on humane care and use of laboratory animals.” Woodyard provided what he said documented the offenses leveled against Fotouhi to the governors. After resigning, he left the audience with an anecdote regarding the importance of integrity in a university setting. “On the front of this packet is a photograph,” he said, referring to his documents. “It has the seal of Wayne State University and it indicates integrity. The background shows a sculpture. That sculpture — I chaired the committee that led to that sculpture. It’s in memory of one of our faculty members who was murdered in the classroom. He was murdered over the issue of integrity. He had a student who was not capable of meeting the requirements for the Ph.D., and he declined to be that student’s advisor any longer, and the student murdered him. “That professor is an international expert — had high standards, integrity … we expect the provost to hold that standard and defend it,” Woodyard said.

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Bridging the gap for success JILL LUBAS The South End The Office of Educational Outreach at Wayne State University will be hosting an Open House Feb. 18 for the new Transfer Student Success Center. WSU has around 2,000 students transferring in every fall. The TSSC will “serve as a gateway to all student and academic services,” according to a university press release. “The goal for the TSSC is to help provide a place for transfer students to access support at the university,” said Ahmad Ezzeddine, Associate Vice President for Educational Outreach and International Programs. “We want to make sure we are meeting their needs which are different

then freshmen.” Whether coming from a community college or another four-year institution, beginning classes at a new university creates unique challenges for transfer students. According to a Jan. 16, 2009 U.S. News article, “more than 30 percent of college students transfer between colleges.” Ezzeddine said strong relationships that have been built between WSU and community colleges will help aid in student’s transition. Two of the major challenges that face transfer students are academics and student life. Since academics can be handled prior to attending a new university, student life can be the most difficult challenge for transfers according to Collegetoolkit. com. “It is not uncommon for students to feel

isolated and disconnected from the student body at their new school. Many question if transferring was the right thing to do,” Collegetoolkit.com says. “Still others will focus on simply getting their degree and graduating, denying themselves of one the most important elements of college life — interaction with your peers which often form the basis for long lasting friendships.” Ezzeddine said the TSSC will be somewhere for transfer students to be able to connect to community and campus life. On the academic side of things, proper advising will make sure transfer students are taking the right classes so they can complete their degree on time. “Their (WSU’s) financial aid system is better than any other school I’ve went to and the advisors I met were very helpful,” said Phil Howell, a senior public relations

major. “The only issue was finding my way around campus and learning the parking system the first week.” Whatever the issue, the TSSC offers a variety of services to meet each student’s individual needs. Some of the services provided will include transfer credit evaluation and academic advising, as well as helping students connect to their home department, learning and campus communities. The TSSC open house will offer students an opportunity to meet the staff and learn more about the department. The event will take place Tuesday, Feb. 18 in room 1150 of the David Adamany Undergraduate Library from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Anyone interested in attending the open house is asked to RSVP to events.wayne. edu/rsvp/transfer-student-success-center-

Sears addresses issues raised by senate ELI HOERLER The South End Jim Sears, Vice President of Facilities Planning and Management, addressed the Student Senate Feb. 6 during their semimonthly meeting regarding student-reported issues regarding his office. The senate asked him to discuss various topics one was the university’s winter preparation. He said it’s been a challenging winter for Facilities overall, but he was displeased about recent performances. “We did not respond well to this last storm, and I apologize,” Sears said. “I offer no excuses.” In the future, he plans to examine the causes of the poor response and find ways to keep the campus clearer of snow and ice through more effective salting and plowing regimens. He said this winter’s severity was a contributing factor to the university’s lack of preparedness. Next, he spoke about wheelchair accessibility, and the entrance of the Engineering building was a big point of conversation. It’s fixed now, but accessibility was once non-existent. The university hired a contractor to build a ramp, but the company built it too steep for city code and it had to be re-done. A senator pointed out that a sign at the entrance to the building still directs visitors to use a different entrance. Sears also expressed his concern about accessibility to the Art department building. The building, which houses classrooms and an art gallery, is not wheelchair-friendly, and he said it won’t be anytime soon. “To be honest, there is absolutely noth-

ing that can be done about providing access to folks who are disabled to gain access to the upper floors,” he said. His office has reportedly “studied the daylights” out of the building, exploring options to install an elevator like modifying stairwells, building one on the outside of the building, or modifying the existing freight elevator. Sears said the only real option would be to build one outside the building which would compromise the art studios themselves, and “there’s been no interest in doing that. “Every one of those investigations – and we’ve had multiple engineers and architects look at it – have concluded that it’s simply not feasible,” he said. At the senate’s request, Sears talked about the possibility of introducing ‘no smoking’ signs to campus. He said it wasn’t totally up to him, but he’d “rather not decorate campus with more signage pollution,” and that if it came up for discussion within his department, he “would not vote yes.” One senator asked him about asbestos problems in many campus buildings, notably the Law School. Asbestos is an insulation material widely used despite it’s toxicity to humans. It’s use is now tightly controlled by the government, but in older buildings it is still present. As long as it’s kept out of the air, it’s relatively harmless. In the law school, however, the senator reported exposed sections he worried were hazardous. “Many, many of our buildings have asbestos-containing materials,” Sears said. “My responsibility is to keep it from becoming… airborne. We have a very aggressive management plan in place for keeping

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that in tact. So I would simply suggest ‘don’t worry about it – It’s everywhere.’” Lesser topics of concern were hand sanitizing stations and whiteboard cleaning. Sears said that Director of Custodial Services Donald Wrench reported that he spent $44,000 last year on hand sanitizer alone. Sears’s message on the subject was simple – we’re trying our best, and if you see an empty dispenser, let us know.

As for white boards, he said a big problem has been students using permanent marker on them. The janitorial staff is now armed with a special chemical to help remove such marks. Sears said the problems would be addressed to the best of his and his staff’s ability. “If my staff isn’t doing it, I’ll deal with my staff,” he said.

ELI HOERLER/THE SOUTH END


LEGO blockbuster hits the spot SHAWN BOHN Contributing Writer Films based on toys can often produce a cringe worthy reaction (think “Battleship” and “Transformers”). Critically, they typically rank up there with the dreaded video game adaptation or the ill-advised remake. So just how do you make a LEGO movie successful? You fill it with enough nostalgia inducing references and images to make even the most cynical moviegoer long for those days spent building wonders with tiny interlocking bricks. “The LEGO Movie” centers on Emmet (Chris Pratt), an ordinary LEGO construction minifigure. Emmet unwittingly obtains the “piece of resistance,” an ancient relic believed to have the power to stop Lord Business (Will Ferrell). The evil tyrant is bent on gluing the universe in place with a weapon called the Kragle. As holder of the piece, Emmet is mistakenly believed to be the “Master Builder,” the most extraordinary and special person in the universe. Joining forces with such extraordinary individuals as Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks), Batman (Will Arnett), Superman (Channing Tatum) and the wizard Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman), the fellowship sets out across numerous LEGO worlds to stop Lord Business. A wonderful cast, constant laughs and beautiful animation anchor “The LEGO Movie.” Chris Pratt brings every bit of his rising star talent to the voice of Emmet, cashing in laughs with every throwaway line. Will Arnett is hysterical as Batman. Morgan Freeman might have the funniest character in the blind wizard Vitru-

vius. Liam Neeson (Bad Cop/Good Cop) manages to steal every scene in which his character appears. The film bursts with smart, funny dialogue full of gags for kids and references for older audiences. There’s a beautiful balance between slapstick moments, pop culture references, and nostalgia inducing lines. The world surrounding these characters is just as colorful as they are, with incredible detail given to even the tiniest LEGO pieces. It all looks just as it did when you were a kid building anything and everything your mind could come up with. The Wild West, the skyscraper crammed city, the medieval land — it all pops with such detail you’ll find yourself drifting back to those days. You’ll be mesmerized to see millions of little LEGO pieces make up an ocean of water or a sea of sand. By the end, you might just find yourself heading to the store for some LEGOs. At the center of it all is surprising depth and heart. The film plays with the theme of individuality and the idea that nobody is truly ordinary. Everybody has his or her part in building the world, whether it be ours or the LEGO world in your friend’s basement. What could have been a gooey, overly sentimental theme actually manages to be both poignant and resonant. There’s a Lord Business in all of us, the part that wants desperately to control our world and keep it the way we want it — to resist change. There’s also the part that embraces change, allows for individuality and builds things. “The Lego Movie” wraps a funny, smart and endearing story around this battle of two halves of a whole. That’s pretty good for a movie that could’ve just been a giant advertisement.

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MFA Exhibition celebrates WSU grad students KIRAN SAINI Contributing Writer The James Pearson Duffy Department of Art and Art History held the WSU MFA 1 Thesis Exhibition from Jan. 17 through Feb. 7. In this exhibition, three graduate students displayed their artwork upon finishing their Master of Fine Arts degree programs. The graduate students featured in the exhibition were Emilee Arter, Clara DeGalan and Alex Drummer. Emilee Arter was inspired by a trip to San Francisco when she was 17, where she was mentored by her friend’s grandfather who made his living by selling paintings. They would paint in his studio all day, where he would share stories of his experience as a professional artist. “Until then, I never imagined that I could make a living selling art,” Arter said. “After that experience, I have never doubted fol-

lowing my career as an artist.” Arter previously attended Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids, Mich., where she earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in painting in 2009, and started attending Wayne State to earn a Master of Fine Arts degree. “Ever since beginning grad-school, I anticipated my final thesis show. Building a body of work for my MFA show was in the back of my mind all through the program. Finally reaching this point feels like a finale,” Arter said. Arter is currently teaching drawing and painting at WSU and Madonna University. She has already begun her plan of work for the future by applying for residencies and teaching positions, along with submitting her portfolio to various galleries. Her favorite gallery piece is called “After the Announcement, the Truth was Revealed.”

“It was the first piece I completely let go, surrendered and allowed the subconscious to guide my every move,” Arter said. “I stopped thinking about making an image and just let the painting build on its own.” Clara DeGalan had wanted to become an artist from a very young age. She graduated from the University of Michigan where she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. DeGalan became an MFA candidate at WSU in 2011. She teaches drawing and painting at WSU and Madonna University. She plans to continue to teach and make work. “The thesis show is so beautifully installed,” said DeGalan. “Wayne’s gallery staff are tremendous-and most of them are students! It’s nice to see our work up in a well-lit, beautiful venue.” Although she said it was hard to isolate one favorite, DeGalan said the piece that stuck in her mind was named “Mirror/Stage

1.” “It broke open my current body of figurative work, and captures a powerful moment,” said DeGalan. Alex Drummer graduated from Northern Michigan University in Marquette in Dec. 2007 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Metalworking. Drummer interned at the Smartshop Metal Arts Center in Kalamazoo, Mich. before starting graduate school at Wayne State. Most of Drummer’s works in the gallery feature knitted beards, with both men and women wearing them, in vibrant colors. In his piece entitled “Portrait Beard 2”, the viewer is able to see themselves in a mirror above a suspended knitted beard. Part two of the MFA thesis exhibit opens Feb. 14 in the Art Department Gallery, and will run through March 7. Artists include Laurie D’Alessandro, Kyle Dill, Ani Garabedian, and Hiroko Lancour.

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Jacob Gallery exhibit pokes fun at Monsanto

PHOTOS BY KRISTIN SHAW/THE SOUTH END

LYNN LOSH Features Correspondent The neat and open display in the basement floor of Wayne State’s Elaine L. Jacob Gallery housed in Old Main gives no hint that it is currently home to talking PlantBots. That is until a motorized PlantBot whizzes past you. Foodture, a satirical art exhibit on genetically modified objects (GMOs) created by Canadian artist Wendy DesChene and American artist Jeff Schmuki opened Jan. 31 and will run through April 11. The artist-activist duo got the idea for their PlantBots while doing an art residency in Galesburg, Ill. near a Monsanto research laboratory. “I didn’t know too much about GMOs or what Monsanto did, I just knew I liked the food,” Schmuki said. He and DesChene decided to go undercover to a farmers’ family day held at the lab, where Monsanto gave farmers a big spiel about their new product. They had hot dogs and hamburgers to eat while giving farmers information about GMOs. DesChene and Schmuki listened as Monsanto workers told the farmers that genetic modification was no different than the simple biology of Gregor Mendel, who placed plants of similar genetics next to each other and let them crossbreed. “What the farmers were told was that what Monsanto was doing was no different than what Mendel was doing, I knew that was totally incorrect, because Mendel did not have cellular invasion technology, where they combine non species together,

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like a fish gene and a tomato,” Schmuki said, who is an associate professor of art at Georgia Southern University. The two used this experience as an inspiration for their futuristic parody of Monsanto-like products. The parody, dubbed PlantBot Genetics Inc., plays on the unknown future of GMOs. The PlantBots are a mix of plants and animatronic robots. They can move, talk and even laugh. The artists wanted to use an interactive exhibit so it would be more attention grabbing and engaging than a plain on-the-wall exhibit. “We believe (art) can do many more things and be engaged with culture and people in many more ways than it can when it’s just kind of like sterile in a gallery situation. When we are in a gallery, we try and make it as fun and interactive and playful and unsterile as possible, while still looking like it should belong there,” said DesChene, an associate professor of art at Auburn University in Atlanta, as well as the co-founder of PlantBot Genetics Inc. PlantBot Genetics Inc. has created several PlantBots, the most popular of which is the “Monsantra,” named after Monsanto. “Like a B-movie Godzilla, Monsantra and other engineered PlantBots become a hybrid of imagination, possibility, and reality, asking the question, ‘What will it all become?’” reads a plaque on the wall of the exhibit. The exhibit uses humor to express its message because “humor is an equalizing element and people can choose whether they just want to play with it or (if) they want to learn more,” Schmuki said. The project itself, though sparking

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curiosity about the ‘what if’ factors of GMO in our environment and our bodies, leans more toward educating viewers on the fact that currently in the U.S. we have no way of knowing if we are buying a GMO. “Essentially, if you had to boil down our goal in the project, it’s not to tell people what to eat, it’s simply advocating transparency in food production,” Schmuki said. “So, if the genetic modified companies, like DuPont and Monsanto and a host of others, if they simply would label their food, so we could make a wise decision as a consumer if we want to eat it or not, or buy it or not.” The duo also pointed out that companies who create GMOs have a large financial backing to help shoot bills that propose labeling GMOs down. “They can put so much money into advertising to have the bill go down, where people like us don’t necessarily have the money to counter that and advertise pro-labeling. It’s more of a grass roots movement; it’s much more of an activist movement,” DesChene said. Foodture is a world traveling exhibit. The satirical project has been displayed in Canada, Italy, France, Iceland, South Korea and several states including Nebraska, North Carolina and California. This summer the exhibit will be going to Finland and the Netherlands. “I think that was one of the reasons we were interested in showing our work (in Detroit) is because there is the same concern for overcoming obstacles and the fact that the people can make a difference (and) the community can make a difference. If they work together, things can happen,” Schmuki said.

Another reason for wanting to show their exhibit in Detroit is because of the American-Canadian border. The two have an appreciation for Detroit being so close to the border and having the exhibit available to people from both countries and different cultures. DesChene, as a Canadian finds the fact that Detroit is a border channel to be a big seller for the exhibit. She cites the difference of food laws, for example the U.S. sugar lobby, to be a big difference, yet “things like GMO exploded across the border because stop at a state line or a country border.” DesChene and Schmuki missed the opening reception of their exhibit due to their busy teaching schedule, but they are tentatively planning to come to Detroit for a possible workshop, which may offer students a chance to build PlantBots with the artists. DesChene and Schmuki try to utilize as many recycled parts for their animatronic robotic plants as possible, such as toys from the thrift store. “Recycling helps us to feel like we’re doing the best we can in terms of our responsibilities to the environment as makers because we do produce so much stuff,” DesChene said. The Foodture exhibit shares the bi-level gallery with UMWELT by Ryuta Nakajima, an exhibit comprised of photographs, videos and paintings of Pharaoh cuttlefish. UMWELT is located on the upper level of the Jacobs gallery. Both exhibits will be free to the public until April 11. The gallery is open Tuesday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.


Butterflies migrate to Michigan Science Center

PHOTOS COURTESY MICHIGAN SCIENCE CENTER

CALVIN LEWIS Contributing Writer Since opening its doors on Dec. 26, 2012, the Michigan Science Center has been busy in producing exhibits for its visitors. Its current primary exhibit, “Wish Upon a Butterfly”, offers visitors the chance to interact with and walk among hundreds of live butterflies. The new exhibit opened Jan. 11, allowing visitors to learn about a butterfly’s life cycle and its different habitats, all the while observing caterpillars, pupae and butterflies in a greenhouse structure. “We are working with a butterfly farm in Pennsylvania and they send us the butterflies and other materials, like the plants that are in the greenhouse, which are specifically chosen,” said senior marketing manager Kerri Budde. “In our shipments, we’ll get the butterflies, the caterpillars, and also some butterflies in the pupae stage when they are cocoon-

ing so we can show the entire lifecycle.” “Right now we have monarchs and painted ladies,” Budde said. “In the spring, we will probably introduce two additional butterfly species so that there will be four different kinds of butterflies in the tent. The additional species will be determined by the overwintering schedule.” “Overwintering” is how different butterflies survive the winter. Lke humans, butterflies require warm temperatures during winter. The monarch and red admiral butterflies, which are both found in Michigan, migrate to warmer climates, whereas other butterflies hibernate in one of the other stages of a butterfly’s life cycle. Those butterflies that hibernate require leaf litter, wood piles, hollow trees and other fallen plants for shelter. The food that monarch butterflies feed on not only satisfies their hunger, but it also has an effect on their appearance. “With the monarch’s orange coloring,

they get that because they eat milkweed,” Budde said. “They eat milkweed as their primary food source and that turns them to the orange color. That is also a reason for their suspected decline, however, because there is not as much milkweed around.” Budde also described how the monarch’s primary food source protects them from predators. “Milkweed also makes them taste bad for predators, so predators won’t eat them,” Budde said. “The painted ladies try to mimic them by doing the same thing, so they look similar but they are not the same.” Budde said that having weekly shipments of butterflies helps maintain the number of them in the greenhouse tent. What Budde finds interesting is how the butterflies arrive upon shipment. “They come on ice because the ice puts them in hibernation,” said Budde. “It’s neat to see one as it is warming up; how they come back to life and they all start

flying around all over the place.” To further educate visitors, the Michigan Science Center is now playing, “Flight of the Butterflies” in its IMAX Dome Theatre. The documentary follows scientist Dr. Fred Urquhart’s mission to discover the monarch butterfly’s remote location during its migration, and examines its journey to the secluded mountain peaks of Mexico. The “Wish Upon a Butterfly” exhibit will remain open to visitors until June 1 and is $3 per person in addition to the general admission fee; the exhibit with the IMAX film is $5 per person along with the general admission fee. The Science Center is open Wednesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday noon to 6 p.m. The Science Center will have extended hours during mid-winter break, Feb. 17 through 21, and spring break, April 7 through April 25, opening its doors at 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. weekdays.

/THESOUTHENDNEWS I FEBRUARY 12 - 19, 2014 I 7


SPORTS

Warriors’ 17-game winning streak broken

PHOTO COURTESY ADAM BOUTON

RYAN RAGER & FUAD SHALHOUT The South End The Wayne State women’s hoops team upended Northwood but then fell to Saginaw Valley this past week at the Matthaei. The 18th-ranked Warriors downed Northwood at home Feb. 6, 85-64, improving its record to 18-2 overall and 15-1 in the GLIAC. It was a chance for WSU to exact revenge on Northwood who ended a 10 game winning streak for the Warriors Jan. 16 in Midland. “During the timeouts I would throw in their last meeting against us where they beat us by double digits. We’ve been waiting for this,” Head Coach Carrie Lohr said. The Warriors’ bigs paved the way as the team scored 42 points in the paint and beat WU on the boards 54-34. Junior center Shareta Brown scored a game-high 21 points to go with 10 rebounds and three assists. Senior forward Imari Redfield contributed 17 points and 11 rebounds while junior forward Ashley Wilson added 14 points, seven rebounds and three blocks off the bench. The trio shot a combined 77 percent from the field as they took advantage of Northwood inside. WSU only forced seven turnovers on the night, but their defensive pressure was able to limit NU to 30 percent shooting as they settled for contested looks inside and long jumpers, going 5-26 from three-point range. NU got off to an early 6-4 lead as their

8 I FEBRUARY 12 - 19, 2014 I

guards aggressively drove the ball into the teeth of Warriors’ defense early and often. But the Warriors answered with a fast break layup by Redfield off a pass from sophomore guard Kristen Long thrown three-quarter’s length of the court. Brown converted a layup off a shoulder shake in the post and Redfield drilled a step back jumper from deep to complete a 7-0 run for an 11-6 Warrior lead five minutes into the game. After several minutes of the two teams exchanging baskets, WSU launched a 9-2 run to take a 23-14 lead behind junior guard Ondrea Hughes and junior forward Kayla Bridges. Hughes scored on back-toback possessions with a turnaround down low off an assist from junior guard Jackie Jones and a pump-fake, drive and ball-fake at the basket. Jones finished the first half with eight assists, consistently threading the needle to her teammates for scores at the basket. She would finish the game with 10 assists and zero turnovers. “They just came with the flow of the game. When we run the ball in transition we get more opportunities,” Jones said. WSU went 12 players deep in the first half en route to 38 bench points on the night. Bridges and Wilson were the big contributors off the bench in the first, scoring nine and eight points respectively, both on 3 of 3 shooting from the field to help WSU to a 47-34 halftime lead. Brown came into the second half aggressively, scoring on a put back on WSU’s first possession. On the next trip she found a cutting Redfield for a layup with a no-look

/THESOUTHENDWSU

pass from the post. Two of the next three possessions resulted in four points in the paint for Brown off of Long assists, creating 55-40 lead in the opening minutes of the second. The WSU offense stagnated from there, only scoring six points over the next six minutes, but their defense didn’t allow for WU to get within 10. “Offensively we went three or four possessions in a row where we didn’t get a good look. We tried to force some things and that generated their offense and they went on a little bit of a run. A little bit of that was their defense and a little bit was our lack of focus on executing our offense in the quarter court,” Lohr said. WSU responded with a large line-up featuring Brown, Redfield and Wilson up front that would propel WSU to a 21 point lead with less than six minutes left in the game, combining for 14 points in four minutes. The lead didn’t drop below 17 for the Warriors the rest of the way. On Feb. 8, the inevitable happened. The Warriors’ dominant 17-game home winning streak was snapped in a 85-78 loss to Saginaw Valley State at the Matthaei, Feb. 8. The winning streak dated back to last season. WSU falls to 15-2 in the GLIAC and 18-3 overall but stayed in sole possession of first place in the league, as Michigan Tech fell to Grand Valley on Saturday. WSU took its first lead of the game at the 15:27 mark of the first half after Lavita-Stephens knocked down a triple, giving WSU a 11-10 lead. With the game tied at 16, the Cardinals went on a 14-2 run to go up 30-18

with 8:05 left in the first half. The Warriors then went on a 7-2 run thanks to a three-pointer by junior Ondrea Hughes and a lay-up by Imari Redfield. SVSU again led by double figures after SVSU’s Shelby Herrington converted on a three-point play with 3:05 left in the first half. Freshman Christina Green scored the final six points of the half for WSU, which trailed 45-36 at halftime. Saginaw Valley opened the second half knocking down back-to-back triples as the Cardinals surged to a 57-46 lead. Destiny Lavita-Stephens answered back with a three of her own to cut the lead to eight points, 57-49, with 14:15 to play. But once again SVSU went on a run scoring 19 of the next 26 points to earn a 76-56 lead with 6:28 left in the contest. WSU, as they’ve shown all year, wouldn’t quit and countered with a run of its own, cutting a 20-point SVSU lead down to six points after Redfield’s jumper made it 7973 SVSU with just 1:03 left to go. The Cards would score the next four points and go up 83-73 with 19 seconds left and it would prove to be too much for WSU to overcome. The Warriors shot 50.8 percent from the field and made 12-of-15 free throws. SVSU shot 46.9 percent. WSU had 18 turnovers, while SVSU turned the ball over 13 times and the Warriors had a slight rebound advantage, 33-32. WSU was led in scoring by Lavita-Stephens, who finished with 15 points. Redfield added 14 points, while junior Jackie Jones chipped in with 11 points and seven assists. The Warriors next play at Michigan Tech Feb. 13 for a 5:30 p.m. tip-off.


SPORTS

Tim Koth named new volleyball head coach FUAD SHALHOUT Contributing Writer Tim Koth has been named the 13th head coach in the history of the Wayne State University women’s volleyball program. The announcement was made by WSU Director of Athletics Rob Fournier on Feb. 6. “Tim meets all of the criteria we were looking for in our next head coach -- a proven winner with head coaching experience, familiarity with the conference and what it takes to win at this level, and a coach who has built a program that has ad-

vanced to the NCAA tournament,” Fournier said, according to wsuathletics.com. “With the resources (academic and athletic) we can provide and Tim’s technical, recruiting and strategic strengths, we believe we are well positioned to advance our volleyball program.” Koth is a native of Mt. Clemens, Mich. and previously was the head coach at Northwood University for 10 seasons posting a 175-124 record (seven GLIAC tournament appearances and five NCAA tournaments) and prior to that was at GLVC member Quincy for eight years. “I would like to thank Rob, for extending

this great opportunity for me to join the Wayne State Athletic family,” stated Koth, according to wsuathletics.com. “Going through this process, it became very clear to me that the expectation for the volleyball program is success at a high level, and that the support staff is in place to make this happen. For me – since I have those same expectations – it was a very good fit! “I look forward to getting started, and building a championship caliber culture at Wayne State.” His Northwood teams won two GLIAC Divisional titles (South in 2008 and North in 2012), plus the GLIAC overall regular-

season title in 2012 with a 17-1 league record. That year, his Timberwolves team also won the GLIAC tournament. His first season as head coach at Northwood in 2004, he led his team to the NCAA Great Lakes Regional championship game and the Timberwolves finished that season as the 18th-ranked team. The following year, his squad reached the regional semifinals and was ranked as high as No. 16 nationally during the year. Koth had 60 GLIAC All-Academic honorees during his tenure at Northwood and is a member of the AVCA and USA Volleyball.

Men’s hoops inconsistencies continue MICHAEL LEWIS Sports Correspondent The Wayne State men’s basketball team has had its share of disappointments and triumphs this season. After 20 games, the Warriors are 11-9 following this past week’s loss to Lake Superior State, win over Northwood and then another loss to Saginaw Valley State. Monday’s game (Feb. 3) against Lake Superior State ended in an 84-73 loss for the Warriors. The Lakers came out on fire hitting 8 of 13 threes in the first half. LSSU led by as much as 12 in the first five minutes of the game. But, the Warriors were able to ride on 12 points and five rebounds from senior Gerald Williams-Taylor to cut the deficit to 43-37 at the half. LSSU guard Derek Billing led the Lakers with 17 first half points going 5-7 from beyond the arc. The second half proved to be no different than the first. The Lakers jumped out to an 11-point lead in the first five minutes of play on a 13-8 run. The Warriors were able to even the scoring battle as both teams scored 11 points in the following five minutes. However, WSU was only able to cut the lead to seven before LSSU pulled away for the 11-point victory.

Williams-Taylor led WSU with 20 points and was followed by senior Guard Chene Philips. Philips continued his stretch of exceptional play adding 16 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Thursday night (Feb. 6), the Warriors avenged their January loss to Northwood with an 89-72 win over the Timberwolves. The Warriors dominated from the opening tip jumping out to an 11-2 lead in the first five minutes of the game. The T-Wolves came within three with nine minutes left, but WSU went on a 15-5 run to go up 3219. The Warriors entered halftime with a 44-32 lead led by senior big man Mike Martin. Martin scored eight points and grabbed eight boards through the first 20 minutes. “I think we played with a little bit of rhythm on offense,” Coach David Greer said. “The key is to share the basketball and not throw it all over the gym, and I think we did a good job of that.” The Timberwolves fought valiantly in the second half. In the first 10 minutes, the Wolves were able to slice the lead to five off back-to-back triples from Wes Wilcox. The Warriors fired right back scoring 12 straight and sealing their victory. WSU had four players in double figures and was able to win the turnover battle with only

four. Bryan Coleman dropped 23 points while Chene Philips scored 22 points and added 11 assists. “Every team wants to get everyone involved and I think we did that tonight,” Coleman said. “Clark and Mike played good and I think that really helped us get the win.” Their up and down season continued Feb. 8 as the Warriors lost 70-67 to SVSU at the Matthaei. After the opening tip, the Warriors looked as if they would dominate the Cardinals. WSU took advantage of Saginaw’s sloppy play and jumped out to an 8-2 lead. SVSU cut the lead to six with 11:16 left in the first, but the Warriors responded with an 8-0 run to go up 27-13. However, the Cardinals struck back with an 11-0 run of their own to pull within three at the 4:50 mark. The run was highlighted by Garrett Hall and Calvin Turnage who combined for nine points; both players are true freshman. The Warriors ended the half with a 33-32 led by Chene Philips who had eight points, seven assists, and three steals. After battling for the lead in the opening minutes, the Warriors were able to open a seven point lead (51-44). WSU was in prime position to put the lid on

any hope of a SVSU comeback attempt. The Cardinals were sloppy on offense, but the Warriors were not able to lock down on defense and create better shots. The Cardinals scored four straight points off a transition layup by Damon Bozeman, and a tip in by Turnage following three offensive rebounds. With 11 minutes left and the Warriors’ lead only three (51-48), Turnage and Hall were able to steal the game from Wayne State. The Warriors missed six straight shots and the Cardinals went on a 22-16 run to win the game 70-67. Turnage ended the game with 23 points, three blocks, and six rebounds, shredding the Warriors in the low post. Hall ended the game with 23 points and eight rebounds. This loss dropped the Warriors to a tie with Malone University for eighth place in the GLIAC. Although the Warriors own the tie breaker because of their 66-63 win over them Jan. 4 , the Warriors find themselves in an uncomfortable position fighting for a GLIAC tournament spot. With the GLIAC being so wide open this year, the Warriors will need to close their remaining five games to guarantee a tournament spot. WSU will travel to Michigan Tech on Feb. 13 in an effort to avenge their tough home loss to them earlier this season.

CONTACT DESIGN/MULTIMEDIA EDITOR, JON ADAMS, FOR MORE INFORMATION! THESOUTHEND.WAYNE.EDU I FEBRUARY 12 - 19, 2014 I 9


Tell us how you really feel! Each week we go out and ask you a question regarding current news. Check them all out on our Facebook page! BY JON ADAMS

THIS WEEK’S TOPIC: this week marks two years since singer whitney houston’s tragic death due to drugs. many celebrities have died due to drug addiction — why do you think that is? do you feel bad for them? PAIGE LATHAN

Broadcast Journalism Major

“It’s never a good thing when anyone dies, so it’s not a matter of fact whether I feel bad or good. I think it’s very unfortunate that a lot of celebrities, or just people in general, die from drugs. We live in Detroit, so a mass amount of people die from drugs every single day. I think all we can do, as people looking at celebrities, is take these and use these as examples to better society.”

GABRIELLA PAGAN Broadcast Journalism Major

“I think that celebrity deaths due to drugs has been going on for a long time. Elvis died from an overdose, Whitney Houston died from an overdose, Philip Seymour Hoffman -- it’s a common thing among celebrities. I do feel bad to a certain extent because losing a life is never fair, but at the same time, I don’t personally know what it’s like to be in their shoes.”

PHOTO STORY

FISHER BODY 21 PLANT FIRE | FEBRUARY 11, 2014 | BY KRISTIN SHAW Want to share a photo? Email Jon Adams at ed6239@wayne.edu!

The partially occupied plant, designed by Albert Kahn, burned for several days. One firefighter was injured trying to dodge a collapsing wall. /THESOUTHENDNEWS I FEBRUARY 12 - 19, 2014 I 10


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