CELEBRATING OUR ONE-HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIFTH YEAR OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM Thursday, March 26, 2015
Ann Arbor, Michigan
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HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
Top CSG positions see ongoing lack of diversity
IRENE KIM/Daily
Dwight Wilson, a member of the Human Rights Commission Subcommittee, discusses a potential civilian police oversight board at City Hall on Thursday.
St. Fratty’s Day festivities prompt police attention
Ten MIPs were issued over weekend in the downtown area By GENEVIEVE HUMMER Daily Staff Reporter
The weekend that follows St. Patrick’s Day, frequently dubbed “St. Fratty’s Day,” is widely celebrated at the University.
In recent years, University officials, student organizations and law enforcement agencies have aimed to increase student safety on St. Fratty’s Day. According to Diane Brown, the spokesperson for the Division of Safety and Security, the University of Michigan Police Department made just four alcohol-related arrests this past weekend. Three of the arrests, of which one was a University student, were for minor in possession of alcohol, and one was for operating while intoxicat-
ed, issued to a visitor. The Ann Arbor Police Department issued six minor in possession of alcohol tickets, two open container tickets, four disturbing the peace notices and made one drunk driving arrest. The Ann Arbor crime map confirmed that between 11:36 a.m. and 4:32 p.m. on Saturday, March 21, the AAPD issued three citations for disturbing the peace — one on the 1000 block of Hill Street, another on the 800 block of East University Avenue and another on the 800
block of South Forest Avenue. “From a law enforcement perspective, activities this weekend went well,” University Police Chief Robert Neumann said. “We believe the strong planning efforts in advance of St. Patrick’s Day and the activities to educate our community and provide resources were very helpful.” LSA sophomore Sydney Brown, president of the University’s chapter of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority, said Panhellenic sororities met See POLICE, Page 3A
Data analysis shows representation not consistent with class demogaphics By RACHEL PREMACK Daily Staff Reporter
This year’s Central Student Government election will set a record — though perhaps not the most progressive sort. For the first time in recent decades, regardless of Thursday’s results, seven men in a row will serve as president of Central Student Government. That’s one of the findings of a Michigan Daily analysis, which detailed the racial and gender identities of each CSG president and vice president since 1993. Each incumbent disclosed his or her racial and gender identity to the Daily. In limited cases, where the executive could not be reached, their gender and racial identity was considered based on membership in cultural organizations or other information listed
on the individual’s social media profile, or through colleagues who said they were comfortable confirming how the individual identified. Highlights Students from a range of backgrounds have represented their classmates as CSG president and vice president. In 2000, a 26-yearold Japanese international student was elected president after holding signs on the Diag reading, “Tell me your concerns.” Other highlights from the last few decades, which have witnessed the end of affirmative action, include the first gay president in 2011 and first Black female president in 1993. Former CSG leaders interviewed by the Daily, however, agreed on the need for increased diversity. “The purpose of CSG is to represent all 42,000 students on campus,” Business graduate student Omar Hashwi, CSG vice president during the 2012-2013 academic year, said. “By not having an adequate amount of representatives or leadership on CSG, See CSG, Page 2A
Senate Character of South University, Tappan areas influenced by student nightlife, gamedays explores Popular attractions include Rick’s, rules for Charley’s and the SOUTH UNIVERSITY Blue Leprechaun Uber GOVERNMENT
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Sen. Rick Jones seeks to increase regulations on ridesharing services
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Home to some of the University’s most recognizable buildings and an array of popular student hangouts, the South University and Tappan neighborhoods illustrates much of the influence of students on Ann Arbor’s landscape. South University Adjacent to Central Campus, the South University area includes University Towers, and several other high rise apartment buildings. Bisected by Washtenaw Avenue, the neighborhood’s borders are typically considered Geddes Avenue, Church Street and South University Avenue. The neighborhood is also near the C.C. Little bus stop, the Central Campus Recreation Building and the Hill area. These attributes make the neighborhood a frequent choice for students who wish to live close to Central Campus. The core street of this neighborhood is South University Avenue. On any given day, students See TAPPAN, Page 3A
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Controversy in Michigan over ride services such as Uber and Lyft continued Wednesday afternoon as the Michigan Senate’s Regulatory Reform Committee discussed two bills proposing to regulate similar companies in the state. The two proposed bills seek to regulate the companies by requiring them to follow taxicab regulations. One bill would require the companies to complete the same safety inspections and carry the same insurance as taxicab companies. The second would mandate background tracks and require drivers to hold chauffer licenses. See UBER, Page 3A
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the b-side A look at the beginning of the University’s dive into screenwriting
» INSIDE WEATHER TOMORROW
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INDEX
Vol. CXXIV, No. 88 ©2015 The Michigan Daily michigandaily.com
NEWS......................... 2A OPINION.....................4A SPORTS......................6A
SUDOKU.....................2A CL ASSIFIEDS............... 5A B-SIDE ....................1B
News
2A — Thursday, March 26, 2015
MONDAY: This Week in History
TUESDAY: Campus Voices
WEDNESDAY: In Other Ivory Towers
ART EXHIBIT
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
THURSDAY: Twitter Talk
FRIDAY: Photos of the Week Each week, “Twitter Talk” is a forum to print tweets that are fun, informative, breaking or newsworthy, with an angle on the University, Ann Arbor and the state. All tweets have been edited for accurate spelling and grammar.
Ann Arbor resident Julie Weatherbee tweeted a takeaway from a meeting. “Quote from a meeting yesterday: “The University of Michigan is 10,000 different businesses, united by a football team.” — @juliewbee
“
U.S Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) tweeted about a University event in Washington, D.C.
“Enjoyed today’s @umich Congressional Breakfast! U of M research makes our state a magnet of migration and opportunity”. — @SenGaryPeters
DELANEY RYAN/Daily
Art & Design Prof. Janie Paul, founder of the Prison Creative Arts Project, gives a tour of the 20th annual Art by Michigan Prisoners exhibit at the Duderstadt Gallery Wednesday.
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@michigandaily Ross School of Business tweeted about their upcoming program in Detroit
“Our faculty members are partnering with #Detroit Public Schools to reinvent the district’s business operations.” — @MichiganRoss
CAMPUS EVENTS & NOTES
Training for Treatment
Publishing industry
WHAT: The brothers of Tau Kappa Epsilon will pump out 13,5000 push ups to represent the number of children diagnosed with cancer anually. All proceeds will go to St. Jude’s Hospital. WHO: Tau Kappa Epsilon WHEN: Today WHERE: The Diag
WHAT: Alum Kevin Sullivan will hold a presentation to share his knowledge about the publishing industry. Sullivan has 13 years of experience in the field. WHO: The Career Center WHEN: Today from 1:30 p.m. to 4:25 p.m. WHERE: The Career Center
Taste of Tea
Linguistics information
WHAT: For fans of tea or those who are interested in tea sampling, a tea tasting event is being held. Participants can decorate a mug, eat scones and learn about the tea brewing process. WHO: Center for Campus Involvement WHEN: Today from 5 p.m to 7 p.m. WHERE: The Michigan League
Storing data
Combustion
WHAT: Henry Neeman, the director of the Oklahoma University Supercomputing Center for Education and Research, will give a presentation on why storing large data is difficult. WHO: Michigan Engineers WHEN: Today from 2:30 p.m to 3:30 p.m. WHERE: Cooley Building-G906
WHAT: Aerospace engineering prof. at Princeton University Richard Miles will give a lecture on new ways to anaylze combustion. WHO: Aerospace Engineering WHEN: Today from 4 p.m to 5:30 p.m WHERE: Boeing Lecture Hall, Room 1109
Fiction reading Shakespeare performance WHAT: Kazuo Ishiguro,
WHAT: Students interested in linguistics classes should participate in the department-wide backpacking session. Pizza, pop and advising will also take place. WHO: Department of Linguistics WHEN: Today from 5:30 p.m to 7 p.m. WHERE: Lorch Hall, 403
the author of seven novels, will give a book signing and reading. His work has been translated into more than 40 language. Two of his books were adapted into highly acclaimed films. WHO: Helem Zell Visiting Writers Series WHEN: Today from 6 p.m to 7 p.m. WHERE: Museum of Art, Apse
WHAT: A performance that combines songs and Shakespeare prose. WHO: School of Music, Theatre & Dance WHEN: Today at 7:30 p.m. WHERE: Duderstadt Center Please report any error in the Daily to corrections@ michigandaily.com.
Committee discusses police oversight recommendations Members agree to ask city for funding in upcoming budget By ANDREW ALMANI Daily Staff Reporter
The Ann Arbor Human Rights Commission’s Subcommittee on Civilian Police Oversight continued deliberations Wednesday evening about the proposed creation of an oversight board for the city’s police force. Subcommittee Chair Dwight Wilson, a HRC member, led the meeting, focusing on questions about the Ann Arbor community at large, the operations of the police department and how a civilian police oversight committee would function if established. Over the past few months, the subcommittee conducted research on police oversight organizations across the nation
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to better understand their logistical difficulties and effectiveness. The committee was started in response to broad community concerns about the role of police in the Ann Arbor community. One of the experts who has provided advice to the committee is Barbara Attard, an oversight and police practices consultant recommended to the board by the ACLU. In a written statement from Attard shared with the subcommittee Wednesday, she highlighted the dynamic nature of police oversight committees. “Oversight is not a static process and should evolve over time to incorporate effective practices learned from others, and to be continually responsive to changing community needs,” Attard wrote. “In order to succeed, the oversight body must be independent from special interest groups, police … and government
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officials. The community, as well as the police officers under oversight scrutiny, must trust that the oversight agency and its leadership are fair and unbiased.” The subcommittee has also spoken with Richard Jerome, the deputy police monitor of the NYPD’s stop-and-frisk program. Wilson said Jerome indicated that all police oversight committees prompt opposition from police unions until the committee proves to be fair and competent. Jerome also said that on the other end of the spectrum, oversight committees are often criticized by police activists who doubt the effectiveness and impact of the committee’s efforts. The best way to counter this is via community outreach, and surveys or publications assessing the committee’s work, he said. The fatal shooting of Ann Arbor resident Aura Rosser by police last November sparked discourse in the community about the use of force by law enforcement. In relation specifically to that incident, the subcommittee also discussed suggestions of embedding mental health workers within the police department. In the agenda presented to the subcommittee, Wilson highlighted Washtenaw County’s Project Outreach Team, a program that aids police in dealing with mentally ill residents, as an already existing resource. “PORT has a 24-hour crisis intervention line, which comes in handy because the chief of police says the majority of people with whom they come in contact have mental challenges,” he wrote. Subcommittee members who were present included fourthyear Medical student Mohamad Issa, Law student Nick Kabat and Human Rights Commissioner Pamela Dent. Read the rest of this story online at michigandaily.com.
THREE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW TODAY
1
The black box from an airplane that crashed in the French Alps on Tuesday was recovered, the BBC reports. The black box has usable information about the flight, which reportedly contains a cockpit voice recording.
2
In this week’s B-Side, Daily Arts Editor Karen Hua looks at the screenwriting industry at the University through the stories of several faculty members. FOR MORE, SEE THE B-SIDE, PG. 1B
3
Companies Kraft Foods and Heinz will merge, Buisness Insider reported. The two companies will become Kraft Heinz Co. The new organization is expected to generate $28 billion in revenue each year.
CSG From Page 1A CSG absolutely cannot fill its purpose. It is not possible for CSG to fill its purpose if it can’t represent its students. There are certain needs that the different communities require and if those people are not on student government, it’s really hard to identify those needs and execute on the appropriate strategies to fulfill those needs.” Comparing CSG presidential and vice presidential representation to the student demographic breakdown reveals disparities in almost all categories but white students. “The environment is not always created on CSG to be welcoming of very different perspectives,” said LSA junior Meagan Shokar. Shokar served as secretary during her freshman and sophomore years and as vice president earlier this year before stepping down due medical purposes. The student demographic breakdown was obtained through averaging racial identities of the student population from 1993 to 2015, using the years 1995, 2000, 2005, 2014. Data was obtained from the Office of the Registrar. Numbers prior to 1993 were not available in accessible formats, constricting the comparison years to after 1993. The comparison was also limited because the University does not recognize certain nuances in ethnicity and gender. It does not report how many students do not conform to the gender binary, nor the ethnicity of international students (called “non-resident aliens” in the Registrar’s data), nor how many Arab students attend the University — who are classified as white. Asian students are grouped into one category despite the differences among, say, Pakistani, Malaysian or Korean communities on campus. Also complicating the concluding analysis is an “unknown” category, totaling 7 percent of the scope between the four years averaged between 1993 and 2014 . The Daily’s analysis found that Asian American and Black students on campus are well represented compared to their respective populations on campus. Black presidents and vice presidents have accounted for 10.7 percent of presidents and
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7.1 percent of vice presidents in the last two decades, 66 percent higher than the Black population. As international students are not ultimately sorted into racial categories, it may be that Asian students in general are actually under-represented as CSG executives due to the large proportion of international students from Asia. LSA senior Alex Abdun-Nabi, CSG treasurer, attributed these groups’ proportionally large representation on CSG to their legacy as activists campus wide, particularly the Black Student Union’s activity in the past year. “It doesn’t surprise me that they’re involved in CSG because it’s a prime way to make change on campus,” Abdun-Nabi said. Other groups have less vigorous representation. No CSG president or vice president for the last 20 years have identified as Hispanic or Native American. These groups have comprised, respectively, 4.18 percent and 0.53 percent of the student body on average. Three Latina students noted the general lack of Hispanic students as a barrier for greater CSG representation. “I don’t think it’s lack of interest in CSG, it’s the lack of support,” Nursing junior Anna Pokriefka said as to why more Latinos were not leaders of CSG. “They don’t feel a sense of community or feel discriminated by the majority population.” LSA senior Sarah Ballew, cochair of the Native American Student Association, wrote in an e-mail interview that she does not think CSG is representative of her and others. “I don’t think it is representative, exactly, because it doesn’t have an adequate number of members that are WOC/Native American,” Ballew wrote. “This would inhibit representation because that viewpoint is missing.” Abdun-Nabi noted that, of the hundreds involved in CSG, there is representation at levels other than president and vice president. “President and vice president are not the only people,” he said. “Sometimes they’re not the people doing the most work.” One-fourth of presidents and less than one-third of vice presidents have been females, who comprise 52 percent of the student body. “I would argue very strongly that we have amazing female leaders on this campus with all sorts of
racial identities and sexual orientations, so why are none of them running for president or vice president seat this year?” Public Policy senior Carly Manes said. She was a representative in the 2013-2014 academic year and ran for CSG president. Students of similar identities tended to succeed each other as CSG leaders. For instance, from 2002-2006, every vice president was female. In 2009, 2010 and 2013, every president identified as Asian. Similar trends applied for other identities, indicating that students could set trends for representation on campus or bring their own social networks into CSG. Many former or current CSG members who were interviewed pointed to that trend in particular, framing it positively or negatively. Party politics The process for earning the CSG presidency or vice presidency often starts with being identified by existing CSG members as a candidate. Often, that’s done with a political party, not unlike national politics. Business graduate student Michael Proppe, who was CSG president during the 2013-2014 academic year, said CSG parties generally last about two years in name and are grouped by two ideologies. According to Proppe, one is typically based on tangibility, accomplishing goals that are feasible during the candidate’s one-year term. The other, he said, is typically more idealistic. Members of this party may, for instance, focus on making campus climate more comfortable rather than things more easily measured when reviewing the year. Abdun-Nabi, who is not affiliated with a party, described these parties as a good way to enter and lead CSG. “A lot of the gatekeepers in CSG are not exercised by CSG,” AbdunNabi said. “They’re exercised by the party.” Proppe, who ran with Make Michigan, a party that has won the presidency two years in a row, said the groups are generally positive. He said they promote diversity, and to win the election, candidates must have a diverse slate of representatives. “The parties are actively recruiting people and talking them into running, either because they think they’re very intelligent and hard workers or they think they have See CSG, Page 3A
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TAPPAN From Page 1A flock to South University from surrounding neighborhoods to dine at food establishments like The Brown Jug and Good Time Charley’s, to shop for University apparel or grab coffee at Espresso Royale between classes. At night, bars along South University Avenue fill with customers who often opt to bar hop from one place to the other. A night could begin at the Blue Leprechaun, continue at Cantina and end up at Rick’s American Cafe. As a result of the street’s location, it is not only a cemented student destination, but also a significant economic engine for the city. Perry Porikos, who graduated from the University in the early 1980s and owns The Blue Leprechaun, The Brown Jug and Study Hall Lounge on South University Avenue, as well as The Back Room on Church Street, said the area has consistently been a focal point of the city. “It’s hard to duplicate something that South U. has,” he said. “It’s already established. It’s a walking distance from the majority of the student body. And you cannot duplicate that. People have tried but it doesn’t work.” While the nightlife is part of the South University neighborhood’s popularity, it can be an inconvenience to those living close to the area. LSA junior Jona Hoxhallari, who lives in University Towers, said the weekends can sometimes be a problem. “Being so close to the bars, it’s really loud on the weekends if I am trying to study or sleep or anything,” she said. Hoxhallari said she chose to live there due to the very central location, which she said is excellent because it is close to restaurants and her friends, and is less than five minutes away from her classes. However, she also noted that the rent is excessive and is a main reason why she would move away from the area. In 2012, the average rents prices in the area ran about $700 per month. Porikos identified three main profit sources for both the city and for the South University’s neighborhood specifically — the University, the University of Michigan Hospital and
CSG From Page 2A a great network that will go otherwise untapped,” Proppe said. “And so, the party leaders try to tap into as many networks as possible, which leads to a greater diversity of candidates. If you did not have the party system, you would see similar types of people running for CSG because no one would ever talk them into running.” Shokar said this practice can be dangerous because students begin to be “tokenized,” valued for their networks rather than their talent. “Tokenism is a big thing that happens on this campus,” Shokar said. “It’s an exciting thing when a person of color runs, or a woman runs, or a woman of color runs. It’s the most exciting thing for a lot of people, but that’s so sad that we should be excited that that’s so far from the norm.” Moreover, though parties may allow diversity at the representative level, they do not guarantee that the executive committees are diverse. Both Proppe and Public Policy senior Carly Manes agreed that executive committees are often comprised of like-minded associates of the president and vice president. Though Proppe said he didn’t find this problematic, Shokar felt differently. She discussed how, as speaker her sophomore year, she was the sole woman of color in a committee of white men and women. Her views were not always affirmed by her peers. “Something I experienced time and time again in my two and a half years very involved in CSG, I’m in a room with four guys and we’re meeting and I’m the only woman and the only person of color. We’re all sharing our perspectives and I’ll share something and the response is, ‘That’s great, that’s interesting, but this is how we think and this is how we’re going to proceed.’ And it’s like, okay, so I’m interesting, but I’m not actually worth taking into
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Michigan football. He said he noticed a decline in the amount of business in the area during the past two years due to the recent performance of the Michigan football team. “Business started going up when Jim Harbaugh came in,” he said. “I’ve seen right away that the culture, the attitude, the atmosphere already changed. It’s a positive energy that I felt right away as soon as I heard the announcement.” Porikos noted that his overall clientele is about 60 percent students, while the rest are University faculty and regular customers. He said the daily clientele varies depending on the time of day, with lunches dominated by University faculty and more regular customers. “When you work with, in majority, the student body, you never have the regular restaurant lunch time which is going to be 11 to 2. You might have people coming in from 3 to 5 as a group. That fluctuates a lot and that hurts you a little bit with the labor because you never know,” he said. He added that the strongest period of the year is football season and that the weakest is usually July to the end of August. The heavy student presence of these areas is another reason why Porikos went into business on South University Avenue, as he wanted to be working with young people, which makes him feel young. He noted however that there are difficulties that come with this environment. “Some of them you get really close (with). You start with them as a freshman. You become a friend or a father figure, whatever you want to call it, and then in four years they are gone. And then I have to start again. So it’s a challenge, too.” South University Avenue is also the connecting corridor between the South University and Tappan neighborhoods. Tappan In many ways, the Tappan neighborhood exemplifies the often unclear spatial lines that separate the University and the city. East Quad Residence Hall is across from Rick’s American Café; the Ross School of Business and the Law School are a few steps away from Dominick’s; and the School of Social Work is right on South University Avenue. The area also includes the Ford School of Public Policy and main city thoroughfares such as State
Street and Packard Street. Other important University organizations can also be found throughout the Tappan neighborhood, including University of Michigan Hillel on Hill Street and a variety fraternities and sororities. LSA junior Olivia King, who lives in the Tappan neighborhood, said the location is convenient due to its close proximity to campus buildings like the Law School and the Business School, as well as the Intramural Sports Building. One of the benefits she finds is the mix between student residents and permanent residencies. “I like the location a lot because it feels safer because it is so close to campus,” she said. “I am always sure that (DPSS) will be just a block of my house. I think that was an attraction for me and my parents.” King noted that sometimes the area gets a bit noisy, but beyond this small issue she hasn’t experienced many problems living in the neighborhood. The large size of the Tappan neighborhood means that benefits and drawbacks of the location vary depending on the exact location. LSA junior Emily Carl who lives in the Tappan neighborhood near Hill Street, also noted the location was a big plus. She said her house is about six minutes from her classes and has easy access to State Street, South University Avenue and Main Street. “We are definitely paying for location,” Carl said. “The rooms are decent-sized and we have a huge kitchen and living room, but it is more expensive when I hear other people talking about their rent, who live a little bit farther off campus.” In 2012, rent prices in the area averaged $700. Tappan has also seen a significant amount of the high-rise apartment building construction over the past five years. The Landmark and Zaragon Place high rise buildings are more luxurious and pricier than other apartments and houses in the area, and the self-described “luxury-student housing” ArborBLU apartments are currently under construction above Pizza House on Church Street. With the heavy student presence, several traditional meeting spots and a changing skyline, the neighborhoods are likely to remain a center of student life off campus.
account? That’s what it feels like.” Campaigning pains Some have found success running without a party backing. University alum Manish Parikh and Business graduate student Omar Hashwi, president and vice president in the 2012-2013 academic year, were independent candidates. Hashwi said his and Parikh’s campaigns, while ultimately successful, was marred by slander and racism that a white candidate might not experience. For instance, he said a member of the Delta Phi Epsilon sorority sent a sororitywide e-mail accusing the two men of color of homophobia and antiSemitism. It was released to the rest of campus, requiring the candidates to clear their name. “When I say it’s difficult for minorities to attain these high-up positions, I mean it, and mean it based on previous experiences,” Hashwi said. “It all had to do with my race and my religion, not my political beliefs or my beliefs on how to improve campus.” Hashwi said the pushback he faced was often not based on his views, rather his identity as a Muslim Arab American. He credited his support from Jewish, LBGTQ, Muslim, Arab and other communities to clear his name. “It sounds cliché, but this was one of the moments where I realized love truly is greater than hate,” Hashwi said. During her candidacy in 2014, Manes found similar resistance as a result of her and her running mate’s, LSA senior Pavitra Abraham, female identities. Within CSG and as president of Students for Choice, she has led campus-wide discussions on sexual health work. This work, she said, was minimized and mocked during the campaign. Manes said she and Abraham were also called “the feminist candidates” in a derogatory fashion. Other coded language poked at their accomplishments and platform; they were called idealists without a proven track record, not pragmatic.
“Holding liberal ideals and being a female is perceived as being idealistic, fluffy and intangible,” Manes said. Such barriers might explain why there’s a negative 48-percent disparity between numbers of females on campus and those leading CSG as president. With current Vice President Emily Lustig replacing Shokar, 2014-15 is the first academic year with a female vice president since 2006. However, there’s indication that CSG has been more inclusive of females in the past. Females — two Black, one Asian and three white — held the vice presidency every year between 2002 and 2006. What’s missing now, according to the data, is the lack of a pattern of female representation. Until Shokar was selected by Make Michigan to run along current president Bobby Dishell, winning parties had not been in the habit of selecting female leaders, and students have not voted in women. Yet there was a consensus that a more diverse student government is the most effective sort. “We have a way to go in terms of gender diversity,” Proppe said. “The University of Michigan is a fairly diverse place, and I think people see a lot of value in electing somebody is a minority. So much of what we talk about here at Michigan is diversity, and how do we recruit more minority students to campus. Who better to talk than a minority student? I’m a white male, I can’t talk about how to get more Black students on campus, I don’t know that.” Potential for change? In favor of more diversity on CSG, Shokar said, “Disagreement can be a really beautiful thing.” She and Manes both expressed their belief in the power of CSG, despite its flaws as an institution. It is what inspired them to run initially. “I think when the student government has a lot more voices of people from different backgrounds, who have grown up differently, have experienced different challenges in their lives, you just come together as
UBER From Page 1A Neither bill was brought to a vote Wednesday, meaning both remain in committee and will not be voted on by the full Senate at this time. In an interview Tuesday, State Sen. Rick Jones (R–Grand Ledge), one of the sponsors for the bills, said the delay is not uncommon. He added that he expected a vote at a future committee meeting. When Uber came to the Detroit area in December 2013, the Michigan Department of Transportation notified the companies of transportation laws in the state. However, Uber has stated that it doesn’t think their model is bound by those laws, causing complaints from both lawmakers and traditional taxi services. Jones said his bill was designed to correct several discrepancies between taxicab services and ridesharing companies, namely those concerning insurance. According to Uber, drivers are currently covered by a commercial insurance policy capped at $1 million per accident. A minimum $1 million insurance policy is also required for traditional taxicabs, but under state licensing rules, cabs have to provide documentation of that to the state. Ridesharing companies currently do not. Jones said it’s problematic that Uber is not mandated to provide proof of appropriate insurance coverage. “What I’m looking for is a solution to a problem,” Jones said. “Also, what I’m seeking to do is to get Uber to carry proper insurance.” Taxicabs are also required to have their vehicle inspected, to register vehicles for $50 and to pay a one-time fee of $300, along with
POLICE From Page 1A three weeks before the festivities to develop precautions. “Given the amount of scrutiny of Greek life in the recent events in this past semester, both the Panhel President Maddie Walsh and all the other presidents of all the other Panhellenic sororities, myself included, feel as though we need to ensure better responsibility and safety of all of our members,” Brown said. She said the measures included offering breakfast and lunch at several of the sorority houses and creating “accountability partners,” matching girls to watch out for one another throughout the weekend. However, efforts to ensure the weekend went smoothly extended beyond Greek life. Joy Pehlke, a health educator at Wolverine Wellness and University Health Services, co-coordinated a St. Patrick’s Day committee. The
a stronger student government,” Shokar said. “There’s so much more you can do because you have all of these different perspectives.” Hashwi, who said he comes from a low-income background, said students like him might be unable to work in CSG and represent a unique while supporting themselves in school. A lack of communication CSG and campus organizations may also be at fault. Candace Curtis, presi-
Thursday, March 26, 2015 — 3A a renewal fee of $50, to receive a Certificate of Authority. Uber has not supported passage of these bills, but in an interview Wednesday, Uber Michigan Manager Michael White said Uber is open to having a regulatory structure that more closely follows their business model, citing commercial insurance policies in particular. “We want to make sure every trip is covered by commercial level insurance by order of regulation that codifies that at the city or state level,” he said. Jones said he wants to ensure that passengers are legally insured by Michigan auto insurance policy. He noted that he does not want Uber to stop business, just to follow the laws that will allow for fair competition. “We’re not trying to put Uber out of business,” he said. “We want them to prosper, but they just need to play by the rules and be responsible corporate citizens.” A previous bill was introduced during last year’s lame duck session that was supported by Uber, but failed to reach a vote in the State House. John Etter, president of Blue Cab Company, expressed similar views. He said these bills would foster public safety and bring order to Uber’s “chaotic” business model. “I think it’s a good development and I hope it passes and then Uber can continue competing, but without the massive, pretty unfair advantages they currently enjoy, such as not paying insurance, which, of course, is one of my biggest expenses,” he said. Merlyn Wade, owner of Ann Arbor Cab, said the taxicab companies are not concerned with the competition presented, but rather believe Uber should be subject to the same laws. “It’s not about the competition,” he said. “They need to follow the
same rules everyone else is following. What makes Uber better than you? Why should you have to follow the rules and Uber doesn’t?” Wade cited incidents in San Francisco and Boston in which Uber drivers harmed their passengers. He said the incidents demonstrated that increased regulation would improve the safety of passengers and hold Uber to the same standards as other transportation companies. Another common issue taxicab drivers highlighted in regards to ridesharing companies is surge pricing, a pricing model Uber uses to increase fares when there is high demand. State law doesn’t allow taxicab drivers to do this. Jones said the bills don’t specifically address surge pricing, but added that surge pricing does need to be addressed eventually. Uber’s website says surge pricing “encourages drivers to become available,” and notifies the customer of the price. Overall, White said, Uber feels it is primarily a technology company because the app connects part-time drivers with passengers, instead of arranging rides directly, meaning it should not be subject to the same regulations as traditional taxicabs. “The drivers are not our employees,” White said. “We’re partnering with them and they’re using our platform to connect with their passengers, who are the people who have signed up to use our platform to connect with these drivers.” Jones disagreed. He said the services provided are similar enough to warrant regulation. “We’re not trying to control your app, but you are providing rides through a system,” Jones said. “There needs to be some form of licensing, appropriated insurance. (There) needs to be appropriate background checks on drivers.”
committee included representatives from the Dean of Students Office, the Center for Campus Involvement, Greek life, Recreational Sports, Dance Marathon, Beyond the Diag, Residential Life, the University Department of Public Safety, the AAPD and local bars and restaurants. “Every St. Patrick’s Day, a number of different units on campus get together in a proactive measure to make sure that there is a coordinated effort around some of these times that can be higher risk,” Pehlke said. “So St. Patrick’s Day for us is not any different, necessarily, than Halloween can sometimes be, football tailgate Saturdays.” Pehlke said the committee began meeting two months prior to St. Patrick’s Day to plan events for both the weekend before and the weekend after the holiday. This year, the committee developed a theme for the activities surrounding St. Patrick’s Day — March Radness. The initiative spanned from March 13 through March 21
and included a canoe trip, obstacle course and rock climbing, among other activities. Pehlke said the studentdesigned Stay in the Blue app, which was launched in partnership with the University Health System’s alcohol safety program in 2013 to help students track their drinking, recently saw a dramatic rise in downloads. She said the app, which has been downloaded over 7,000 times to date, was downloaded 159 times in the week leading up to March 21. Pehlke added that the initiatives put forth by the committee this year were not very different from those in past years. “I don’t feel like anything we coordinated was vastly different … I think it’s more that every year it’s a little more of a moving target with different pieces of predictability and unpredictability,” she said. “There are so many factors — the date, the weather, all sorts of things. We do the same proactive measures every year.”
dent of Latina sorority Delta Tau Lambda, said she’s never been contacted by CSG, despite serving as a leader in seven different Latina organizations. “I feel like we’re put on the back of priority list because there’s so little in number of us,” Curtis said. In a potential explanation, Proppe said he was not aware of any unified Hispanic student organization. Nevertheless, CSG is students’
gateway to student organization funding and the administration. “They may not represent them but the student gov does represent them,” Proppe said. “...If you don’t like it, you can work to change it. And that’s really the beauty of democracy. If you look at the current CSG leadership, and you say they don’t represent me, well, there’s a process to get involved and you can work to change that.”
Opinion
4A — Thursday, March 26, 2015
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@michigandaily.com JENNIFER CALFAS EDITOR IN CHIEF
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LEV FACHER MANAGING EDITOR
Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily’s editorial board. All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.
A
How to never leave college
s a freshman, I looked at the four years ahead of me. At the time, they seemed like an eternity, and I wondered what that time might bring. Then my years left at Michigan turned into months with cunning speed, and now in just five short weeks I’ll be graduating. After last-ditch efforts to “forget” to sign up for classes I need to graduate failed, I face an almost certain catapult KATIE into the real world incredibly soon. But I decided that’s KOZIARA tolerable, because I devised foolproof ways to never really give up college: I’ll never stop learning. As the resident geek who counted down the days to the first day of school each September, I know I’ll continue my education after college, even if I don’t return to a formal college setting. Trading in my talented professors for Rosetta Stone may be a bit of a letdown at first, but deciding to learn to code without having to factor in the impending doom of a failing grade bringing down my GPA will allow me to explore more than just what’s comfortable and known. I’ll never stop cheering on the Wolverines. After a controversial Big Ten expansion last year, I silently hid my excitement while others around me grumbled. Yeah, Maryland may be another imposter “U-M” we now have to deal with, but fortunately, College Park is located just a few metro stops away from the District of Columbia. You’ll find me singing The Victors in Byrd Stadium this October as Harbaugh gets yet another ‘W’ under his belt. I’ll never stop making a few poor decisions each week. Laundry can still wait until the dirty clothes pile becomes a mountain with a mind of its own. Going to happy hour instead of the gym will seamlessly replace the “Skeeps over studying” lifestyle pattern. Scrolling through my Twitter and Facebook feeds will forever remain my preferred procrastination technique. I’ll never stop feeling awkward as I attempt to dodge people passing out flyers. A recent estimate calculated 80 percent of a student’s time at Michigan is spent avoiding those passing out flyers in the Diag (joking). It’s now second nature for me to slip by the people at the grocery store handing out coupons, and if I substitute Central Campus for a busy intersection in Washington D.C., I’ll realize just how transfer-
able this skill is when I get approached to sign a petition while heading to work. I’ll never stop walking everywhere. The onemile commute I became accustomed to while living four blocks down Washtenaw was rough at first, but it ended up being a great way to get outside and enjoy fresh air before being cooped up in a classroom for hours. After working 9 to 5 each day, I’m sure I’ll look forward to walking home rather than riding in a packed metro car. I’ll never stop being overcommitted. While I might not have Festifall as an option to discover new organizations and causes, finding an outlet to give back will remain important to me. When my coworkers ask me to join their dodgeball team, my name will be on the sign-up sheet even though I’m fairly awful at sports involving a baseball diamond. I’ll never stop watching a surprising amount of television shows. Some people love music. Some people love sports. I love Netflix. I’ll never stop taking pictures of the frothy designs on the top of my lattes when I go to coffee shops, then immediately feel the barista’s judgmental glare and pretend like I’m just using the calculator on my phone. If they didn’t want it photographed, they shouldn’t have made such a perfect little fern out of milk. I’ll never stop consulting my friends when making every life decision, from what to wear to dinner to how to reply to an e-mail. My best friends will be the ones I talk to when one of us is having another quarter-life crisis. They’ll be the ones I send pictures to when I see something that makes me think of Michigan. They’ll be the ones who remind me that even though our time here is over, the things that made the last four years so great don’t really end when we leave Ann Arbor. Whenever I’m reunited with them I’ll be back at school, because it’s not the physical place that is making Michigan so difficult to leave (although I will miss you dearly, Zingerman’s). It’s the people. I’ll never have to say goodbye to my college friends, because I don’t have college friends anymore. I have confidants and mentors, secret-keepers and partners in crime. We share inside jokes and memories that will remain long after we leave this city. So it’s not “goodbye” I’ll be saying as we walk out of the Big House on May 2. It’s “see you soon.” And I’ll keep convincing myself of this in order to make it through the next five weeks. — Katie Koziara can be reached at kkoziara@umich.edu.
J
If you had asked anyone who knew me in high school what I would major in, they would have told you political science. That, or women’s studies. I was (and still am) aggressively liberal, outspokenly feminist and always ready to debate with my classmates and teachers. I was confident, loud and transparent. But when I got to college, something shifted. I was still energetic with my friend group, and I still posted all my political beliefs on social media, but I found myself withdrawing in the classroom. I participated, but by second semester, I rarely said anything particularly opinionated, and I usually diluted my beliefs in order to seem normal. All my public speaking skills seemed to vanish, and during group projects, I let others take leadership roles that I once would have thrived in. Keep in mind, this all happened in LSA. The decision to major in business came in waves. The first wave came by accident when I ran into Ross for shelter from the rain on the way home. It was late, but the Winter Garden was still bustling with well-dressed people who all looked busy, confident and important. Comparatively, I was a drenched and exhausted mess. It was all I could do not to stare in awe at the elegant architecture and sleek interior. The second wave came when I met one of my really good friends, who helped shatter my image of the Ross student. The Ross Student is, according to many, arrogant, conceited and confident in his ability to make other people feel like idiots. But with every word of encouragement and helpful guidance, my friend punched a hole through the picture of the Ross student. The third wave, though, was a sort of revelation. All my life, I was sure I would end up in government. It was just sort of assumed. But at some point early second semester, I realized that I had none of the in-between filled in. I had no idea how I was going to get from college to my end career. This might seem like the usual college crisis, but for someone who was so sure she knew who she was, it was terrifying. So I forced myself to imagine what the blank decades should look like. And for the first time, I allowed myself to think about what I would want to do besides working in the government. Obviously, the answer I came to was business. So I applied to Ross, and was accepted. The day that application results came back will
always be one of the happiest days of my life. Armed with my bursting excitement and terrified nerves, I walked into the first day of orientation. I was ready both for new experiences and to tease out the confidence that I felt I had lost during freshman year. I had a very different experience than the students interviewed in Zach Shaw’s article, “Rethinking Ross.” Yes, there were many opinionated students in my section who all wanted a piece of the action during our brainstorming sessions. But this wasn’t alienating — it was inspiring. We quickly appointed a moderator who called on people so that we didn’t speak over one another, and soon found ourselves developing a series of great ideas. We didn’t win the video contest (in fact, we didn’t do nearly as well as we thought we would), but I think we all had a good time doing it. It was a bonding moment, not one for needless competition. Speaking of competition, Shaw’s article made it a point to mention the Ross curve. The Ross curve has been a huge source of anxiety for me, and I’m sure that many others would agree. But the thing is, it’s the industry standard. More importantly, I completely disagree with the idea that it pits students against each other. I have never been turned away when I have asked for help and I have always been happy to give help even when it could, in theory, negatively impact my grade. We’re a community, one of interesting and diverse people. Being competitive is part of the game, but it doesn’t necessarily get in the way of that sense of community. The majority of my professors are intelligent and charismatic women who I see as role models, and at every turn I find new viewpoints and inspiration. The Business School isn’t flawless — as Shaw points out, our African American enrollment is low, we have more anxiety than we should and some of the students are, in fact, so arrogant that they make me want to pull out my hair. But, in the short time I’ve been a Business student, my confidence has skyrocketed, and I have developed real skills that I find myself using in everyday life. Ross isn’t perfect, but I’m proud to call it my school. Rachel Tucker is a Business sophomore.
The narrative of Detroit
ust before Spring Break, I had the opportunity to see Detroit — a city I have been familiar with my entire life — from a fresh perspective. Born and raised on the west side of the state, for me, Detroit has consisted of trips to the Joe Louis Arena or Tigers games, and noth- LAUREN ing more than a MCCARTHY temporary destination. However, for the past year and a half my sister has been working for Teach for America, teaching 10th and 11th grades at a charter school in Midtown. The other weekend, I finally had the opportunity to head west and experience Detroit through the eyes of young teachers immersed in the growth of the city. As I sat nestled under a heat lamp in the urban oasis that is Midtown’s 3rd Street Bar, my sister and her colleagues — many of whom had come from out of state — shared their experiences as postgraduates in an unlikely postgraduate destination. Making conversation, I asked their thoughts on the recent media coverage of James Robertson. In mid-February, The Detroit Free Press published an article detailing the resiliency of Detroit native James Robertson. The piece explained how Robertson, now 56, has spent that last decade getting to and from his factory job 23 miles away in Rochester Hills. Since his 1988 Honda Accord quit on him 10 years ago, he has been taking a bus part way there and partway home. In total, Robertson walks about 5,000 miles per year, a sum equivalent to two trips around the Earth. Quite obviously, Robertson was revered for his remarkable mental and physical toughness, as well as his dedication to a perfect attendance record at work. In the weeks following the piece’s publication, Robertson’s journey to work became predominant in the spotlight of Detroit media. A GoFundMe page was set up to help Robertson financially, eventually reaching around $360,000, and Suburban Ford in Sterling Heights donated a 2015 Ford Taurus to him after Robertson mentioned to the press he would like a Taurus because it’s like him: “Simple on the outside, strong
on the inside.” I remarked on this article to my sister and her colleagues, saying I thought Robertson provided a delightful representation of Detroit’s enduring spirit and how nice that a story like his was receiving so much media attention. To my immediate surprise, the table became a caucus of scoffs and exasperated laughs, my comments provoking each to take another lengthy sip of their drinks. My naïveté was shattered as they begun sharing with me their insights: “This is the worst thing that ever happened to him;” “The coverage was far from representative;” “Did you see the other comments on the Go Fund Me page?” I gave Robertson’s story a second look. The Detroit Free Press’s story, “Heart and sole: Detroiter walks 21 miles in work commute,” made mention of the larger underlying issues, but I would argue it failed to drive home (no pun intended) or fully elaborate on the broken systems that subjected Robertson to 10 years of an extraordinarily arduous commute. Similarly, what resonated with the numerous readers from the community who felt compelled to donate to Robertson were his individual journey and his personal triumphs — but Robertson is not an anomaly. The GoFundMe site is now closed, but while the comments on the page were still visible there was a clear trend: about every other comment asked, “But what about me?” Between the comments commending Robertson’s spirit, there were just as many recounting their daily struggles, the ways in which the systemic insufficiencies of Detroit have inconvenienced them and the money from which they could benefit. In fact, after all of his media attention, everyone knew about Robertson and everybody wanted something from him. They had similar struggles and they wanted their cut. The neighborhood started showing up on his porch with requests, some threatening, and Robertson was forced to move to a private, undisclosed location in the suburbs. The subsequent articles covering Robertson’s newfound wealth, happiness and Ford Taurus are uplifting, yet unfinished. Their coverage both features and inherently praises the skewed, misappropriated fix to one man’s problems, while essentially
omitting mention of the larger systems that failed him (and continue to fail many citizens of Detroit) and excluding proposals for more expansive aid solutions. Robertson made this trek for 10 years and, throughout the course of that decade, could not save enough to buy even any skeletal form of inexpensive transportation. Making approximately $2 above minimum wage at $10.55 an hour, Robertson clears no more than $320 a week. His previous landlord charged him $220 a week for a room, and auto insurance alone can top $5,000 a year in Detroit — some of the costliest in the United States. Despite his dedication to not only maintaining his factory job, but also excelling at it, Robertson could not even save enough for a car over the course of 10 years. What’s more is that the broken metropolitan bus system not only fails middle-aged workers like Robertson, but they are also a disservice to Detroit’s youth. Many high schools do not even have bus systems for their students, so if their parents are unable to take them to school, they have to rely on the same broken bus system that could only complete a fraction of Robertson’s commute. An article for The Detroit Free Press mentions that, “For low-income commuters like Robertson, getting creative about bus service could help. Detroit’s bus system recently signed on to the federally funded Job Access and Reverse Commute, which provides door-to-door transportation for low-income workers to their jobs.” Why would we choose to “get creative” about the bus system instead of creating solutions? In the wake of Robertson’s good fortune, let’s not forget to address the underlying factors. The entire Detroit community came together to aid one man and to rewrite his narrative — and they did so because, in the word’s of one young teacher, they are “taken with Detroit.” They know they live in a vibrant, rejuvenating city in which loyalty runs deep, and sheer grit runs deeper. So what if instead, that same generous community could broaden their impact and bind together to begin reworking the larger narrative of Detroit itself? — Lauren McCarthy can be reached at laurmc@umich.edu.
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS Claire Bryan, Regan Detwiler, Ben Keller, Payton Luokkala, Aarica Marsh, Victoria Noble, Michael Paul, Anna Polumbo-Levy, Allison Raeck, Melissa Scholke, Michael Schramm, Matthew Seligman, Linh Vu, Mary Kate Winn, Jenny Wang, Derek Wolfe
RACHEL TUCKER | VIEWPOINT
In defense of Ross
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
A
Tomb Raider, doom evader
ngelina Jolie Pitt, since publicizing her decision to undergo a prophylactic double mastectomy around two years ago, has become a fascinating cypher between the medical field and the lay world. Found through genetic testing to carry a mutant of the ELI tumor suppres- CAHAN sor gene BRCA1, Jolie’s estimated risks of breast cancer and ovarian cancer were 87 percent and 50 percent, respectively. In the face of such overwhelming risk, and having witnessed her mother ultimately succumb to these devastating conditions, Jolie refused to sit idly by while the demons of her past and potential future festered within her. In Tuesday’s New York Times, she wrote another tender, intimate and inspiring piece titled “Diary of a Surgery.” In it, she discusses her second bout of preventative intervention — this time, a laparoscopic bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. In other words: the complete removal of her ovaries and fallopian tubes. Her assumption of this role, of matriarchal medical translator to the masses, is far more profound than simply following in the cancerfighting footsteps of health activist Mary Lasker. Long perceived as the very social symbol of feminism, estrogen is the fundamental “female” hormone that is produced in the ovaries. Jolie, in this recent procedure, has had the primary endocrine essence of her womanhood removed: estrogen. So, in the wake of her procedure, Jolie asks us: What does it really mean to be female? This is a tremendously difficult question; one that doctors
and patients have struggled with enormously. William Halsted, as a stalwart advocate of the radical mastectomy, at the break of the 20th century, represented one side of the continuum. The surgery, which called for the complete eradication of cancerous tissue in the breast, often resulted in horrifying disfigurement of the female body (given the uncertain anatomical proliferation of the cancer). Halsted thus submitted that womanhood was a virtue that was to be declared under the microscope. The alternative end of the spectrum surfaced with the May 1960 FDA approval of the first oral contraceptive drug, Enovid. The drug had been previously approved by the FDA for menstrual disorders. “The Pill,” biochemically, is a humble combination of the two essential female hormones, estrogen and progesterone. It acts by manipulating the menstrual cycle to prevent ovulation. In other words, women could now elect to alter their chemistry to control their biology, causing a revolution in sexuality. In contrast to Halsted’s thesis, women were much more than how they looked under the microscope. Now, back to Jolie’s question: What does it mean to be female? Her answer is subtle. I read it as the following: so long as you feel female and are comfortably so, you are female. In any case, the interpretation is subjective — a sea change in the history of social medicine. This is quite a message from the sex icon of a generation. One imagines that this resonates with the cohort of those who have felt the need to change their gender. I would, however, be remiss if I did not extrapolate the themes of this piece out a little further, such that they may also apply to my own life, and to that of my fellow males. (Actually, I feel there is an entire library of books to be written on the
themes here, but I’ll do my best.) I read Jolie’s broader question to society is as follows: If you knew a piece of information that could change your future, would you do something about it? What cost would you bear? This too is an extraordinarily important question. As advancements in genetic medicine give us the potential to know more about ourselves than we ever thought possible, we must ask such difficult questions. If you were at risk for diabetes, would you change your diet? If you were at risk for lung cancer, as I am, would you stop smoking? If you were at risk for prostate cancer, would you do the extra colonoscopy? And yet, among these immensely hard questions, perhaps the most profound of all of them are the three Jolie alludes to at the end of her article: Who do I want to be in the future? Who do my genes say I am going to be? What can I do about it? If nothing else, Jolie illustrates that there is something to be done to be who you want to be. The landscape of medicine is changing dramatically; we, as patients, will be more informed and more capable to make our own decisions than ever before. “Fate” is more malleable than it has ever been. Medical options have never been greater. Genes have never been more visible. They have also, in some sense, never been less powerful. What a wonderful thing. It’s our prerogative to learn about our medical options in order to carve out the futures we desire for ourselves. As Jolie says, “knowledge is power.” How very sweet this irony is, given that the power to know and shape the future is the very fulcrum of the first “Tomb Raider” movie. Truly, the good guys can win after all. — Eli Cahan can be reached at emcahan@umich.edu.
Arts
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
ARTIST
IN
PROFILE
Thursday, March 26, 2015 — 5A
A2’s musical legacy
By BRIAN BURLAGE
By GREGORY HICKS
Daily Arts Writer
Daily Arts Writer
The first thing you should “Everybody’s in shorts? That know about English lecturer and sounds like Ann Arbor.” renowned Ann Arbor musician The city is hitting the 50-degree Randy Tessier is that he’s full mark, and Martin Kierszenbaum of life. He’s probably more knows just how University of passionate than you. He’s also Michigan students react to the got probably got a better sense of slightest hint of the new season. humor than 90 percent of people Kierszenbaum is the Grammyon campus — and he’s intelligent nominated producer and songto boot. But the second thing writer known as “Cherry Cherry you should know about Randy Boom Boom,” the founder of CherTessier is that he’d never rytree Records, the senior A&R make you feel like you’re being executive of Interscope Records preached to. He cares about his and, most importantly, a fellow students too much for that — and Michigan Wolverine. more pointedly — he cares about Well, perhaps not most importheir deeper understanding of tantly. That’s quite a list of achieveVIRGINIA LOZANO/Daily books, language, music, college, Randy Tessier is a noted Ann Arbor musician. ments to compete with, after the world. If there’s one thing do obscure stuff, too. Danceable in full, it’s been gone for eight all. The alum has done A&R for Randy Tessier seems to say songs. But not stock stuff. No years. Enrique Iglesias, Sting, Marilyn with his thoughts and actions, “Stairway to Heaven,” and if TMD: I wanted to ask about Manson and produced nearly one it’s this: Don’t be afraid to we were to do Led Zeppelin, it the song “Chemotherapy” on third of Lady Gaga’s first record, experience things. would be from Physical Graffiti. your solo CD, Hold Me Close. The Fame, which was released on Tessier is as much a part of But there are a couple songs we What has that song meant to you? his label, Cherrytree Records. the Ann Arbor music scene as do by Love, Arthur Lee’s group. RT: Well, I decided I wanted Cherrytree Records — home to he is a seasoned, well-respected There’s a difference between being to write a song about my artists Ellie Goulding, LMFAO, La lecturer at the University. He derivative and being influenced, experience, and I wanted it to Roux, Sting and more — celebrated curates and facilitates the music you know, so we try to do a range have disturbing, real lyrics with its 10th anniversary this past year, of several venues in the area, and of things. I love the ‘60s sound, and an up-tempo sound to reflect and while the label has officially he fronts a handful of talented I love songs that are complicated. the disconnect I felt. You have to been up and running for more bands, like the Joe Cocker TribTMD: Joe Cocker’s influence listen to the lyrics to understand than a decade now, the concept ute Band and FUBAR. A gifted has a place there, too, right? it. It’s about me sitting there in began many years prior, right here bassist and vocalist, Tessier RT: Well, I love Joe Cocker, but the hospital bed observing the in Ann Arbor. While at the Univercan play anything from R&B to someone came to me with the Joe people around me – a beautiful sity, Kierszenbaum earned a triple jazz, and he does so with twice Cocker Tribute Band idea. And he woman, a diva, a guy without an major in music, communications the flaming, hypnotic energy of said my voice suited it well. I can eyelid, someone who’d broken his and Spanish literature. musicians that are half his age. also sing Creedence Clearwater ribs by rolling over in bed. Of those three degrees, music Michael Betzold, in review- Revival, Rod Stewart, there are I never play it live. And I sits at the forefront of the alling a FUBAR performance for a few voices in my wheelhouse, thought I’d write more songs star alum’s career. At the age the Ann Arbor Observer, noted, so to speak. But the Joe Cocker that came out of that experience, of eight, Kierszenbaum met the “Seeing FUBAR is like sitting in idea fell into my lap, and it’s been but there’s a period in it where musical instrument that would on a jam session among discern- a gas. That’s something you can you’re not doing much of lead him to his interest in the ing pop-rock veterans. They play practice in the car. Each time I anything. Just dealing with it. industry: the piano. with energy and skill that would listen, I understand his nuances Cancer changed me in many “I was lucky that I grew up in be the envy of far-better-known a little more, and I’m getting it ways. I come from that old “Mad East Lansing and had a great piano bands.” Betzold later added, down. We’re going to be playing Men” generation, insensitive, teacher in the neighborhood,” “Tessier is a wild man – like a again soon, you’ll have to come Alpha Male, you know. Cancer Kierszenbaum recalled. “She caged animal shaking his cell see us in town. took it away, all that control, and required us to take theory concurbars – and he’s put together a TMD: Absolutely. I actually that was good. The important rently with our piano lessons, so I band of musicians’ musicians.” wanted to touch on your live thing is that I never thought I had a theory class and playing class On both Tessier’s group performances and the talent you was going to die. And now I’m in every week ... I started to underand solo albums, a keen bring to a venue. Do you have a the best health I’ve been in in a stand the building blocks and how eclecticism emerges, the kind strategy when you play? long time. it all related to each other. That got of resourcefulness and respect RT: I actually don’t like to sing TMD: How did it affect your me into writing music, and I was for music history that’s fading a song the same way twice, in any music? really drawn to pop music.” in the medium. The sound of capacity or over any amount of RT: I play better now than I Kierszenbaum’s achievements ’60s heavyweights like Love, time. I like to improvise with my did before I had it, how cool is could easily be credited to his the Yardbirds and the Kinks voice. Improvisation just grooves. that? That’s one of the beautiful parents for tolerating the hectic can be heard in his carefully When I think about it within the things about music, something household that became something arranged horn sections, rhythm rock genre, I think about the very I really love. With practice, of a musical tornado alley for the progressions and themes. Above best – “Dark Star” by the Grateful dedication, and time, you can be children of the family. all, his group of musicians seems Dead, Frank Zappa’s Hot Rats, the better at 60 than you were at 30. “I don’t know why, but my parto play with a preternatural Allman Brothers. It’s grooving. And that’s how I hope to stay. ents let me set up my band and understanding of one another’s I love to mix it up between jam tendencies and strengths and of songs and tight two-or-threethe music they cherish, exuding minute songs. chemistry and cohesion. Many TMD: How important is it to of the songs are upbeat and full engage with the audience? of sound, distinguished in their RT: The audience feels like romping grooves that make you part of the band, especially with want to move a little (or a lot). FUBAR. I don’t see the audience This sense of buoyant optimism and band as separate. I know a isn’t limited to Tessier’s music, lot of musicians that don’t make RELEASE DATE– Thursday, March 26, 2015 however: He’s built his life that distinction. When I play, I’ll around it. go out into the audience, I’ll have After being expelled from people come up to play, stuff like Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis high school in 1968 for creating that, you know. It’s a tribal, primal ACROSS 57 Only reigning 39 Winning football 21 Cork’s location and publishing an underground stomp that everybody participates pope to write an 22 Opposite of 1 Big name in coach’s surprise news publication, Tessier in. I don’t want to sound like Jim autobiography 42 Airport screening attract ATMs 59 Tiny bit org. 26 Chi follows it traveled around the country and Morrison, but it’s got cadences and 4 Ten to twenty? 60 Gun, as an 45 Persian for “king” 30 “Just a few __” 8 On fire lived the counterculture. He all that jazz. engine 48 “Of course!” 31 Dwyane of the 14 Worldwide came to Ann Arbor to play music TMD: Do you think that alters 61 Most irritated 52 Greek finale Miami Heat workers’ agcy. 62 Emptiness 53 Piano keyboard 32 Mathematical 15 On __ with and be active in politics. When the music? 63 T size component process 16 Brooklyn Bridge he had a son, he decided at the RT: Well, Ann Arbor’s always 64 Baby’s outfit 54 Lhasa __ 37 Good thing to features 65 Luncheon ender age of 36 to get his GED. And so been known for its counterculture, 55 Spanish ayes have before a 17 “The Matrix” hero 66 Patriotic gp. since 56 Warning sound meal 18 Utah lily he did. From there, he attended so in some ways no. It’s always 1890 58 His, to Henri 38 Dinero 19 Delivers an old Eastern Michigan University attracted public intellectuals with standard, DOWN in the hopes of going to nursing things to say and who love music. ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE: perhaps 1 Turtle in a 2014 20 *Last president school. But the science courses It’s a very savvy audience, a very film who was a 2 Soccer shoe disillusioned him, so he chose savvy scene. Founding Father feature 23 Not from a Scot English instead. With the TMD: How do you balance 3 *In the low 70s, 24 Fifth-century usually grades and ambition to back your love of music with your love leader 4 Bit of sibling them, he applied to English of academics? succeeded by his rivalry son Ellac Ph.D programs all around the RT: It’s the perfect fit, really, 5 Hypothetical 25 __ Aviv primate country. Michigan accepted it’s not too difficult. I teach 26 Tent holder 6 Titicaca, por him, and five years later, at the writing, and we read stuff about 27 Sportscaster ejemplo Andrews 7 *Feature of most age of 46, Tessier earned his music and social issues and cars nowadays 28 New Deal org. Ph.D and was given a position things like that. Music shouldn’t 8 Honor 29 Hustles 9 Charge for a ride in the English department. He’s be didactic in that sense. If I had 31 Smith students 10 Wall St. news 33 “If only __ been here ever since. to travel and juggle music with 11 *On one’s own listened!” The Michigan Daily: We’ll teaching, though, it might be a 12 Varied mixture 34 Memo words 35 Smartphone buy 13 To be, to Ovid begin with a general question. bit of a struggle to balance the 03/26/15 xwordeditor@aol.com 36 *Limp cause Where did music start for you? two, but that’s the same with any 40 Hold ‘em tell, Randy Tessier: Well, you know, job. It’s been a good blend. I’ve maybe 41 Ingredient in Off! the cool thing would be to say that never really trumpeted my music 43 Top-row poet on I listened to Bo Diddley and Chuck within the University and I never the “Sgt. Pepper” Berry. But I found I could learn felt like I had to. Music is the most album cover 44 Remains at the about those guys by listening to immediate universal language. campsite the Beatles in 1964. They changed TMD: It’s really interesting 46 Misses the mark everything in our generation. to hear an English professor 47 Party person 48 Spillane’s “__ My love for music really started describe music as more Jury” with them, the Rolling Stones, immediate than language. 49 Org. that produces the the Kinks, Animals, the British RT: It’s true. I mean, the best magazines Invasion. Although my mom language is musical. Highroads and had records like jazz and easy TMD: Agreed. I’m hoping we Journey 50 The past, in the listening, and there was always can change gears a bit here, if past music around the house. that’s OK with you? 51 Risk being TMD: You mentioned the RT: Certainly. caught off base 54 Grisham hero, British Invasion. I felt like when I TMD: The first time you and often: Abbr. was listening to FUBAR especially, I met, I remember you told me 55 Fixer-upper, I heard the huge influence of the that in the early 2000s you had a perhaps, and a hint to the Rolling Stones. Do you see that at serious bout with cancer. answers to By Frank Virzi all, or what do you see in FUBAR? RT: Yeah, 2007. Nonstarred clues 03/26/15 ©2015 Tribune Content Agency, LLC RT: I do, and FUBAR likes to Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Recovered
the equipment in the living room, and they didn’t care if it was there for months. They were super cool in that way. They were scientists and worked at Michigan State, but they were really tolerant. My sister was usually with a quartet in the basement, while I was there in the living room with a drum kit — literally there for three months.” Rather than set up his own music conservatory, the Cherrytree Records founder began developing an interest in the commercial music business — even if only to initially preserve his own musical merits. “I was a musician and a songwriter, so I quickly started to realize in high school when I was organizing a band that it was really easy to get ripped off by club owners. I was like, ‘You know, this feels bad. I’m writing a song, I’m rehearsing and then the club doesn’t pay us. I’ve gotta figure out how this all works.’ ” That was when Kierszenbaum began digging for clues. “So I wanted to find out more about where the interaction of music and business is because, if not, I was going to be at the mercy of whomever as a musician and a writer,” Kierszenbaum continued, “and then I thought, ‘Well, it seems like the center of it all is the record label,’ you know? They’re the ones that take a chance on the artist and invest in them … So I thought, ‘I think I want to be in a record label.’ ” A wise thought, surely, but with one major obstacle: There were no record labels in Ann Arbor for the then-college student Kierszenbaum to join. Then, Kierszenbaum decided to create his own record label in the city — Arb Recordings. “We started (Arb Recordings), and were recognized with an office in the Union, which meant we could post banners on the Diag, and we basically used all students to run our label.” Kierszenbaum said. “We had photographers from East Quad, recording engineers and we used the East Quad musical studio … We’d record stuff there and in our dorm rooms.” The label became home to Kierszenbaum’s own rap group, Maroon, as the label sprouted on campus. After Maroon released its first record on Arb Recordings, door after door began opening for
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Kierszenbaum, having acquired this newfound knowledge of label foundation and management — knowledge that is still applied to this day at Cherrytree Records, according to Kierszenbaum. And the label was covered from head to toe with Ann Arbor memorabilia. “I remember naming it Arb because it was kind of like an ode to Prince’s Paisley Park (Records) and I was a big Prince fan, so I was like, ‘You’ve got Paisley Park, we have the Arb, that’s our park.’ ” The logo creation for Arb Recordings was not a story to be ignored either. “Do they still give out tickets like crazy in Ann Arbor?” Kierszenbaum asked. “I used to get ticketed all the time on my car senior year … so I just took the tree from inside the logo on the ticket, and I made that the first label. And then we started getting some attention and I thought we might get in trouble for that … so we changed it to look like a very kind of generic, iconic tree.” There truly is an idea hiding around every corner — or in this case, slapped to every car windshield. And despite being such a small idea initially, the tree concept grew into Kierszenbaum’s future platforms. “Really that’s kind of the genesis of the Cherrytree (Records) logo. When I started the Cherrytree label I thought it was kind of a continuum of the stuff I learned at Arb (Recordings), so I made it look like that.” Kierszenbaum started Cherrytree years after developing a solid musical footing here in Ann Arbor. He took many of the same courses that University students take now (be it History of Opera or Javanese Gamelan Performance). He walked through the same Arb. He posted fliers on the same Diag. He probably lost a fortune in the same parking fees. In his current music and business, you’ll find these bits and pieces of Ann Arbor because Kierszenbaum planted many ideas here — some that he took with him, and others that he left behind. And in this past and present, Martin Kierszenbaum has quite a lot to be proud of, and Michigan is proud to have been a part of his venture to success.
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Sports
6A — Thursday, March 26, 2015
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SOFTBALL
‘M’ uses big fourth inning, routs WMU Wagner’s complete game, two homers power Wolverines By KEVIN SANTO Daily Sports Writer
The Michigan softball team was left with nothing to show for three baserunners through three innings. But Michigan sophomore left fielder Kelly Christner and freshman W. MICHIGAN 2 first MICHIGAN 8 baseman Tera Blanco changed that, starting the bottom of fourth inning with a bang. After three innings of struggling at the plate, the two Wolverines went yard to capture the first lead of the game. And after the fourth inning strike Wednesday at Alumni Field, Michigan (3-0 Big Ten, 29-4 overall) never looked back in its 8-2 victory over Western Michigan. The Broncos (6-14) started with right-hander Erin Binkowski in the circle, and though she put forth a valiant effort through three innings, the Wolverines eventually caught up to her. In the fourth inning, Christner
sent her home run flying to the right-field bleachers, and Blanco tore the stitching off a fullcount pitch, sending it over the center-field wall into Ray Fisher Stadium. Michigan proceeded to bat through the order, scoring four more runs and forcing two pitching changes in the process. “We were trying too hard to do too much with the pitching,” Christner said. “Whenever it’s not as quick as we’ve been seeing (against other teams and our own pitchers), we have to be more patient, looser and let it come to us. And that’s what we started doing in the fourth.” The four-run onslaught featured two more RBI for Christner, one for freshman third baseman Taylor Swearingen and another for senior left-hander Haylie Wagner. Blanco credited Wagner’s reassuring performance on the defensive end for catalyzing the Wolverines’ confidence and motivation at the plate in the fourth. Wagner dealt from the circle, recording seven strikeouts and allowing only one hit to Western Michigan through five innings. “I was just really working my ladder,” Wagner said. “And that’s just making them bite and chase the (pitches) off the plate. I was
trying to move the ball and spin it.” Her only setback came in the top of the sixth inning, when the Broncos showed promise against Michigan’s ace. But Wagner quickly recovered to force a pop fly and end the inning. Junior center fielder Sierra Lawrence further relieved the pressure, roping a two-run homer over the right-field wall in the bottom of the sixth inning, padding the Wolverines’ lead. Wagner went on to strike out the side in the seventh, solidifying her complete game. She posted a season-high 10 strikeouts and allowed just four hits in her seven-inning outing. “She pitched well,” said Michigan coach Carol Hutchins. “She had a number of pop-ups (to the circle) because her curveball jammed them up. I’m going to guess that the pitches they hit to the fence were over the plate. Sometimes that curve ball on righties doesn’t get in on them, and when it doesn’t, it’s dangerous.” Blanco’s home-run ball may be staying in the outfield of Ray Fisher Stadium for the night, but Michigan made sure that was the only remembrance of Western Michigan left behind in Ann Arbor after the first three innings.
SOFTBALL
Wolverines own full counts By CHRIS CROWDER Daily Sports Writer
When the count goes full in softball, a duel ensues. The pitcher and batter engage in a staring contest. The batter chokes up on her bat, protecting the ever-so-important plate in front of her. The pitcher winds up with more pressure on her than any previous pitch. The outcome of the pitch has many possibilities, but the count either remains full or drops back to 0-0 — it’s do or die. Full count is arguably the tensest moment in softball. But when the Michigan softball team faces the high-pressure moment, it doesn’t see it as one to be feared. Instead, the Wolverines hold their nerves and deliver. “Our kids don’t get down when the count isn’t in their favor,” said Michigan coach Carol Hutchins. “It’s a credit to their ability to stay in one pitch.” In Wednesday’s matchup against Western Michigan, the Wolverines had the most success with the count full than any other count. They ended the day 3-for-5 with the count full, including a home run and two walks. The stout average on full count helped the team to an 8-2
victory. After the first two full-count at-bats led to an error and a groundout, Michigan started to show why it’s dangerous on the 3-2 count. None of the three Bronco pitchers could close out a full count in their favor. In the next full-count at-bat, freshman first baseman Tera Blanco got all of the payoff pitch, hitting a home run over the centerfield wall, landing in an empty Ray Fisher Stadium. It might have even hit an outfielder if a baseball game was in action. Blanco’s solo homer came two at-bats after Michigan scored its first run in the fourth inning from another solo blast by sophomore left fielder Kelly Christner. The home runs jolted the Wolverine offense, as it scored six runs in the frame. The next four at-bats that reached full count alternated between singles and walks. Christner and freshman catcher Aidan Falk both rocketed singles up the middle, giving a clinic on how to have quick hands while
swinging the bat. Freshman infielder Amanda Vargas and junior right fielder Kelsey Susalla both earned walks, practicing careful patience at the plate. “Honestly, with a full count, I love it,” Christner said. “(The pitcher) doesn’t want to walk you, for the most part, in any situation. So it’s kind of that confidence approach, like she’s going to give you something to hit, so just attack it.” When the pressure was at its height, Michigan showed poise at the plate. When a Wolverine entered a full count against a Western Michigan pitcher, they made the most of their opportunity and got rid of any tension. The individual victories led to an overall team win. Performing well in full counts may benefit Michigan in the future, especially when it is facing the country’s best pitchers. If the Wolverines can hit this well when they’re in high-pressure situations, they’ll be well-suited for postseason drama.
“Our kids don’t get down when the count isn’t in their favor.”
ALLISON FARRAND/Daily
Senior guard Nicole Elmblad led Michigan with 14 rebounds in the Wolverines’ win over Toledo on Monday.
Michigan hosts Missouri By BRAD WHIPPLE Daily Sports Writer
The Michigan women’s basketball team refuses to let its season end. Monday night, the Wolverines powered through Toledo on the road — Missouri at a dicey affair, Michigan considering Matchup: they had nine Missouri 19-13; losses away Michigan 20-14 from home When: during the Thursday season. 7 P.M. Thursday Where: Crisler night, though, Center Michigan (8-8 Big Ten, 20-14 overall) will get another chance to extend its postseason life when it hosts Missouri (7-9 SEC, 19-13 overall) at Crisler Center in the WNIT Round of 16. It will also be Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico’s 100th game at the helm of the program. “After we lost in the Big Ten Tournament, we refocused,” Barnes Arico told WTKA Radio on Tuesday. “Our kids still want to continue to play, win a championship and hang a banner, something that’s never been done for Michigan women’s basketball.” The winner will move onto the quarterfinals to face either Southern Mississippi or Eastern Michigan, the latter of which the Wolverines routed early on in the season. Against Toledo, Michigan’s underclassmen came through
to score 47 points — only one of which came from a starter. The leading seniors, meanwhile, failed to make much of an impact. Senior forward Cyesha Goree battled foul trouble early in the first half, while senior guard Shannon Smith struggled to keep possession. Though Goree had a strong first-round performance, she was limited to just four rebounds against the Rockets, well below her 10.6 average. Though she failed to be much of a difference maker, senior guard Nicole Elmblad cleaned up around the glass with 14 rebounds. Against Missouri, though, Michigan will need its leading rebounder back in action to pave way for victory. Another key to success in the postseason for the Wolverines is their shooting behind the arc. Monday, freshman Katelynn Flaherty and sophomore Siera Thompson scored 25 and 20 points, respectively. The guards also combined for six 3-pointers, bringing Flaherty’s total to 76 on the season, passing the singleseason record set by Thompson last year. As for Thompson, she became the only player in program history to post back-toback seasons with 70-plus triples. The underclassmen have been finding their stride as practice has become more competitive and the seniors have gotten some rest. “Late in the year, we got a little flat and our seniors got a little worn down, because they were playing so many minutes,” Barnes
Arico said. “The last couple of weeks, the opportunity to mix up practices to give our younger kids an opportunity to get some playing time and have them improve has worked out really well.” This year, the Tigers’ had their best finish to the regular-season since the 1984-85 season, and earned their first postseason win since 2003 with a first-round win over Northern Iowa. “They try to wear you down, they hold it sometimes through the entire shot clock, they’re a disciplined team and they’re used to playing on the road,” Barnes Arico. “They’ll be a tough matchup and a different type of team than we’ve faced recently.” According to Barnes Arico, much of her team’s postseason success will depend on being able to host more games, which is determined by attendance averages at the discretion of the WNIT. If the Wolverines win Thursday, the may even host the quarterfinals like they had in 2010. That year, they hosted each game, eventually falling in the semifinals. As Michigan continues to ride a lot of momentum, though, Missouri is experiencing a postseason high. A win Thursday will cement its longest postseason run in program history. So when the Tigers arrive in Ann Arbor, it won’t matter how much of the postseason has been in the Wolverines’ favor, because Missouri wants a banner of its own.
the b-side B
The Michigan Daily | michigandaily.com | Thursday, March 26, 2015
Returning Home by Karen Hua to Rewrite
Daily TV/New Media Editor
T
hursday 1 p.m. Sixth floor, North Quad, just in time for office hours — except this time, I’ve arrived at the Screen Arts and Cultures Department to pick my teachers’ brains about their stories instead of mine. I arranged to meet with Veerendra “V” Prasad, who I had for my introductory screenwriting class last semester; then Daniel Shere, who is my lecturer for Screenwriting I: the Feature Script; and finally, the esteemed James “Jim” Burnstein, the father of the University’s screenwriting program. There was a certain generational feeling as I walked down the hall, a student of Shere and Prasad’s, who in turn were former students and success-stories of Burnstein’s. I sat up straight and wide-eyed as they each spewed out their insight about the industry — an extensive three-hour synthesis nuanced in ways only decades of experience could have detailed. I first met with Burnstein, who strung on anecdote after anecdote so mellifluously that I became a child at story hour rather than an interviewer with interrogations. During his time as an undergraduate and graduate Shakespeare-infatuated English language and literature student, the University’s screenwriting program was nonexistent. It was only until his professor proclaimed, “If Shakespeare were alive today, he’d be a screenwriter,” and upon reading Polanski’s “Macbeth” script, Burnstein fell in love with creating a visual language — words that could translate into emotions and actions before our very eyes. Consequently, Burnstein taught himself the art of the script and progressed quickly — selling the third screenplay he ever wrote — a fact he recounted with shocking nonchalance, as if the craft were simply second nature. However, just weeks before CBS was to start shooting the TV drama he wrote, they pulled the show to the young Burnstein’s devastation. However, a failed production disseminated Burnstein’s name in the industry. While tipsy at a party, Michigan native and Academy Award-winning screenwriter Kurt Luedtke convinced him to go big, or go home (and later, to go Blue). Thus sprung an idea based on his poignant personal experience teaching Shakespeare to soldiers at the Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Michigan — what became “Renaissance Man” starring Danny DeVito. It was then that Burnstein learned the importance of rewriting — a concept he would later use to construct the University’s screenwriting program — and one he would eventually pass onto Shere and Prasad as students in his class. After three years and four drafts, “Renaissance Man” finally sold, proving the validity of the rewriting tactic. Since, Burnstein’s practice of “what if” galvanized his 2013 wartime romance “Love and Honor” starring Liam Hemsworth, as well as his current
works, “Naked Shakespeare” and “Palio,” original screenplays about a Florida strip club turned Shakespeare theater and a Chinese animation set in Italy —“bizarre” concepts he never would have imagined could come to life. “I never give up. If I have a good script … I have some projects where I say, ‘It’ll get made, maybe not in my lifetime, but it’ll get made,’ ” Burnstein proclaimed. His patience eventually landed him an agent who allowed him to establish a fruitful screenwriting career from his Plymouth home. Conveniently, his alma mater also persuaded Burnstein to return as the creator and director of what is now one of the top screenwriting programs in the country — positions he has now held for about 20 years. Though he has no formal film education at the university level, he still decided to return to revamp his roots, building the program for future students that he dreamed of during his time as a student. I finally bid Burnstein farewell – a chanceful “see you next semester” — as I moved down the hall to Shere and Prasad’s shared office. Despite holding a third full-time job as a father at home with three sick sons, Shere was his usual enthusiastic self — emanating a sophisticated passion from his voice and body language every time he spoke about film. Shere’s fascination with movies started during his childhood days. In our three-hour class every Thursday night, he may spend half an hour raving about the storytelling brilliance of “Star Wars,” the film series that glittered his juvenile memories. “My youth was seeing those movies in the theaters, and then living with them, and having the little play figures and re-imagining it,” Shere noted. A Detroit native in the pre-digital age — an era his son refers to as “the 1800s” — Shere entered the University on a quest for wisdom and answers — a philosophy major provided a theoretical foundation that he channeled into writing, putting his childhood imagination to good use. “(Burnstein’s classes were) where I gained my confidence to try my hand at (screenwriting) professionally.” Shere reflected. “He really challenged us to raise our game. He never coddled us … He really instilled in us this work ethic of rewrite, rewrite, rewrite.” Burnstein’s solid encouragement — and Shere’s brewing interest-turned-obsession with script writing — prompted him to audaciously leap to Los Angeles after graduation where he continued to live for seven years. He laughed as he admitted he was pitifully paid sub-minimum wage at a humdrum agency job “getting coffee for the guy who gets coffee.” He has recounted his tale of toil often to our class, but what sticks out each time is his unrelenting dedication to his passion project — the script he started in Burnstein’s class — arriving two hours early and staying several hours late each day to rewrite. See SCREENWRITING, Page 4B
Design by Mariah Gardziola, Photo by Virginia Lozano
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2B — Thursday, March 26, 2015
MUSIC VIDEO REVIEW The music video for Florence and the Machine’s “St Jude” off of How Big, A How Blue, How Beau- St. Jude tiful is simply a perfect Florce and match to the the Machine slow, mournIsland Records ing sounds of the record. The music video moves fluidly, keeping a delayed pace in keeping with the song, and together they stir up an eerie, yet soothing, feeling. The scene is set at dusk, and if not, at dawn. Viewers follow Florence through several scenes in what appears to be an impoverished rural neighborhood, filled with several New Testament references that I don’t understand, in
TRAILER REVIEW
ISLAND RECORDS
addition to obvious allusions to the cross. While the video might be unclear in regard to what allusions or symbolism is present, just sensing that there is something deep in the
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video makes it all the more powerful. “St Jude” closes as it begins, with a massive swarm of birds moving through the sky. -KENNETH SELANDER
If there’s a checklist for animated movies, “Home,” the latest feature from C+ DreamWorks, does its best Home to check all of them off 20th Century Fox during its first trailer. Outsider trying to make it in a new world? Anthropomorphic animals? An odd-couple pairing of said outsider with someone else, in a relationship from which they’ll both undoubtedly emerge as better people? Check, check, check. The film pairs an isolated alien (Jim Parsons, TV’s “The Big Bang Theory”) and a young girl (Rihanna, “Battleship”) on a journey that apparently may threaten the human race, but at the very least will uproot the Eiffel Tower.
20TH CENTURY FOX
The animation is impressive enough, though it doesn’t appear significantly (if at all) better than anything else recently released. The humor of the film looks like it will ride heavily on the outsider-
unaware-of-human-customs gag, which might just do it for you if you’re a fan of Jim Parsons, but otherwise will most likely seem worn out. “Home” hits theaters on Mar. 27. -CONRAD FOREMAN
Spring Rea treyscouter68@aol.com
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MUSIC NOTEBOOK
Mac Demarco is my dad, my friend, etc. By ANDREW MCCLURE Daily Arts Writer
Mac DeMarco is my dad because he is. Because he’s 24 and I’m not so that makes sense. Because he has a gap in his front teeth and I had braces before. Actually he can stick a cig into the space and I’ve done that with my upper and lower lip when I’m drunk. Mac is my dad because my last name is McClure and those two are too similar for him not to be. Because he showered while pooping and I’ve done both of those things separate-
ly. Because it seems he doesn’t bathe ever and I’m a shower guy anyway. Because he wears knit caps to hide his dirtiness and I used to wear those when the weather called for something else. Mac is my dad because dads — the good ones — are cool and funny and talented and he’s most of those things. He’s my dad because he called his studio Jizz Jazz and I know what one of those means. Mac DeMarco is my friend because a good dad is a friend. He’s my friend because he made “Salad Days” and that record has “Chamber Of Reflection”
on it. That track is good because the verses and refrains are Hemingway-simple. He’s my friend because he knows I like simple because I might be simple. That track is about being alone and I get that feeling sometimes and it’s nice. He’s my friend because he likes friends but privacy too and I do too. He’s my friend because he takes me places like on his China tour or to my imagination or to my weird side. And that’s what good friends do. They take you to China unless you can’t go. Then just go to your imagination or your weird side. It’s fun
Thursday, March 26, 2015 — 3B
and Mac knows this because he’s fun. I think you’ll like him but don’t be alarmed when he farts on your hand. That means he just doesn’t hate you and maybe he’ll like you. He’s my friend because he riffs on stupid stuff until it’s no longer stupid. Mac DeMarco is my relief because he googled Teen Slut when he was eight and I googled something more embarrassing last night. He’s my relief because he tells jokes like Mitch Hedberg did and that dude was funny and weird and unbathed too. He’s my relief because he hates Chipotle and I eat it so often that I should hate it. He’s my relief because he once said he wants to make out with Jerry Seinfeld and I want to make something with Jerry Seinfeld. He’s my relief because he self deprecates and that doesn’t go out of style. Mac is my relief because he made a love song about his smokes and I love love songs most of the time. He says “I’ll smoke you ’til I’m dying” and I think he
means it and admire his commitment. He’s my relief because he says “Obama, man, shit’s fucked up” in a fake stoner voice and it’s funny because he’s probably a lefty. He’s just joking and I too do fake stoner voices. He’s my relief because his music makes me feel like I’m in a hammock and school got canceled tomorrow.
Demarco is not my dad because he never sexed my mom. Mac DeMarco is not my dad because he never sexed my mom. He would but she wouldn’t. He’s not my dad because he’s not ready for a kid or me. And that’s cool. Dads don’t make languorous rock ‘n’ roll earworms; they make din-
ner reservations. Mac wouldn’t make dinner reservations because he likes In-N-Out Burger and that place doesn’t take reservations right now. He’s not my dad because my real dad would probably listen to Real Estate first. Or Kurt Vile. Or The War on Drugs. And those bands rock but Mac makes effortless seem cooler than it already is. My real dad would stop and ask, “Who’s this?” once he learned to loosen up and work less. Mac DeMarco is not my dad because my dad needs to listen to Mac because it would be good for him. Good to relax to. Mac DeMarco is many things but he is not my dad. But now that I think of it maybe he is my friend. A friend is someone you can be weird with. And I always feel that when I’m with Mac and my headphones that my real dad bought me for Christmas. Mac should thank my real dad for buying those headphones. He just can’t sign the card, Your Son’s Dad.
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4B — Thursday, March 26, 2015
MUSIC COLUMN
SCREENWRITING From Page 1B Before Shere knew it, a mere eight months into bumbling around L.A., he sold “Goat Cheese is Dead” to United Artists. Though his script eventually ended up shelved next to with Wheezy the Penguin (much like the fate of Burnstein’s first project), “Goat Cheese is Dead” lodged his foot in the door — and more importantly, it inspired him to continue pushing dark, personal experiences from pejorative to positive. His original script was based on his own heavy metal garage band during high school. “I think a lot of comedy frankly comes from things that were once really painful — so, at the time, playing that gig that no one showed up to,” Shere chuckled as he recounted the experience. “I think there’s a sort of empowerment to that when you can laugh at yourself or experiences that were cruel or demeaning,” he added. Shere has since written commissions for monster studios such as DreamWorks and Sony. Quite recently, he co-wrote the animated feature film “Epic.” Though he had extensive experience in the L.A. scene, like Burnstein, he eventually relocated back to the University where it all began. Now, as a lecturer of more than 10 years, he becomes animated whenever he teaches Michael Arndt’s “Little Miss Sunshine” or talks about “Toy Story 3.” He always makes time in class for personal anecdotes about spontaneous encounters with Dustin Hoffman at L.A . coffee shops and run-ins with Paula Abdul at fro-yo. It’s clear teaching has become an ancillary passion. “Just as Jim was able to guide me into this new world of screenwriting, I think that in my years here, I’ve been able to do that with some students.” Shere said. “There’s always something very special to me about this place.” Looking into the future as a writer, Shere has an array of projects including a new animation, a live-action comedy, a bit of music — and perhaps even a novel. Though he is solely a screenwriting teacher, he encourages all his students to experiment with the multifaceted aspects of film — an openness to a variety of mediums he attempts to emulate himself. “Screenwriting was never the only thing I saw myself doing … I’m open to other kinds of writing, and I just want to continue to explore,” Shere explained. “The main thing is to just develop a wide range of interests and to be able to look at things from different perspectives … I think creativity is a lot more fluid than people maybe assume.” Shere’s main pieces of advice drew from his liberal arts background, highlighting the importance of growth by opening up to new challenges. Especially in today’s fluxing screenwriting world, he stressed how writers only have one thing to fall back on: trusting good stories. “You just have to really follow what excites you, what inspires you as a writer … Don’t just aim at where you think the marketplace is, but aim at what entertains you. The vast majority of people who try their hand at writing or directing fail. You may as well fail being true to yourself,” Shere advised. “For me, ‘Goat Cheese is Dead’ is what I wanted to do,” he chuckled. “The other great thing about being a philosophy major is … you’re pretty much free in terms of exploring,” he finally added. “There’s nothing that sounds crazier when that’s your background. It’s not like I had an engineering degree or anything.” Just then, Prasad entered their office, a perfect segue into his even more egregiously atypical start to screenwriting. Prasad laughed heartily when I brought up his electrical engineering past, an undergraduate major his parents nudged him into. However, his unrelenting Martin Scorsese obsession that stemmed in high school prevailed and carried him through today. Pensive and meditative in nature — Prasad beamed a quieter enthusiasm than his colleagues, but he also unraveled a reel of insight I had never heard before. A graduate of the University’s 1997 class and an alumnus of Burnstein’s first screenwriting classes like Shere, Prasad is now a University lecturer. Indian by
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Hip-hop superiority
VIRGINIA LOZANO/Daily
Prof. Jim Burnstein directs the University’s screenwriting program.
descent and Ann Arborite by birth, Prasad grew up before the emergence of prominent Indian filmmakers, a period he refers to as “pre-M. Night Shyamalan.” “The only Indian people I knew were either engineers or doctors,” he explained. “The only Indian person I would see on TV was Apu from ‘The Simpsons.’ ” It wasn’t until halfway through college when he decided to pursue this elusive passion, with few footsteps to follow except the guidance of a passion rooted from youth. It was his discontent with the stagnation of stability that launched him into the lucrative, but engaging world of film – landing him among the prestigious American Film Institute’s graduating class of 2000. “A lot of people (said), ‘Oh, it’s really brave of you to follow your dreams,’ but it never really seemed that way. It seemed like that was the natural thing for me to do,” Prasad recounted. “The risk would’ve been more staying in engineering and knowing I would’ve been unhappy.” Upon obtaining a degree from one of the most renowned film schools in the world, he was asked by a Michigan doctor to write “Ocean of Pearls,” the feature film that first grounded him into the working industry. “I’m a big believer in bisociation,” Prasad said, “This idea that creative breakthroughs come from putting two things that don’t necessarily belong together, together.” In this respect, he refers to “Ocean of Pearls,” which attempts to find common thematic ground between Sikhism and health care. Prasad, raised Hindu, is interested in his religious roots as creative inspiration. His current projects include “Head on Straight” which is about a gay Indian man’s arranged marriage, as well as a ghost story set in India and another feature linking classical Indian dance and piety — tales which all amalgamate his cultural and spiritual background with other challenging aspects of life.
“Write the story you want to see that no one else will make.” It is this dedication to telling unique ethnic stories that he credits to Burnstein for sparking within him 18 years ago. He recalled his script for his introductory screenwriting class about a taxi driver in a college campus, and how he had initial qualms about creating an Indian protagonist. However, Burnstein motivated him to “write what you know,” giving way to Prasad’s aspirations to blaze an industry trail for his heritage. “There weren’t a lot of people making stories about (Indian characters). I always want to do something that hasn’t been done before — whether it’s telling a story in a new way or telling a story that hasn’t been told before,” Prasad said. In his pursuit of originality, he has since been a story consultant for Lionsgate Entertainment and a features juror for the Traverse City Film Festival, among other achievements. However, after seven years in Los Angeles, the Midwest called him back — with an offer from Burnstein at their alma mater, and with the understanding that Burnstein himself made a successful
career remote of Hollywood. “I love L.A., but I think the one downside of being there is sometimes it breeds this culture of waiting — waiting for other people to tell you you can make a movie,” Prasad says. “If I could go back in time and give myself advice, I would’ve just jumped into making things.” After reading a New York Times article about college students finding sugar daddies to help pay for tuition, he became the director of the featurelength film, “Consideration,” which grew from modest roots into a project that inspired the filmmaking fire within many other students. He recounted his initial mission: “Start writing, shoot it in a year with whatever money we can find, with whatever locations we can find, with whatever script we have.” “Consideration” has since been premiered at the Cinetopia International Film Festival in Ann Arbor and at the Massachusetts Independent Film Festival. The feature will soon be available for streaming rental online. Recently, after bouncing his career between Ann Arbor and Los Angeles, Prasad made the move to Chicago for a fresh community. Just like he once doubled in engineering and screenwriting in college, he now wishes to simultaneously teach and pursue independent filmmaking projects. Despite a lengthy weekly commute, he mentions how he’d like to direct more, perhaps working projects into his curricula or shooting stories pertinent to campus issues. “There’s so much content out there so diversity is survival, Prasad stated. “You need to distinguish yourself in some way. So write the story you want to see that no one else will make.” Burnstein reflected on Prasad’s humble beginnings: “(Prasad’s) first five pages were the first five pages I ever read in that class. I remember reading it and saying to my wife, ‘Holy shit, if they’re all this good ... ’ ” While Prasad and Shere may have been more modest about their accomplishments, Burnstein openly showcased his pride for his students, boasting accolades of achievements he had a part in initiating. For both Shere and Prasad, Burnstein’s introductory screenwriting and rewrite class summed up the entirety of their formal film education. Like Burnstein, they have all taken their winding paths to the intersection between pursuing — and now passing on — their passion for screenwriting. “Most writers are in a hurry to fail, which means they send their first draft out.” Burnstein continued, “If I had sent my first draft out ... I’d never get to meet Prasad, Dan Shere … I’m not teaching at Michigan. If I had not learned that you don’t send something out before you’re sure it’s good …” he trails off in contemplation. It is this drive and perspective Burnstein offers that has paved his speedway to success. His career has soared because of his refusal to submit anything less than his highest potential. He understands how every aspirant must pay their toll to the top. He understands how success in the film industry — or any field, for that matter — is dependent on his patience and perseverance. Burnstein took a breath. He had spoken for about an hour straight. Despite his affinity for loquacity, he uttered one final phrase of wisdom: “Learn to rewrite.”
When people I know say they don’t like rap music, the first artist I usually play for them is Common. It’s not that Common is the greatest rapper of all time, but when he’s at his best, Common is a shining example of how hip hop can be so much more than just a genre of music, and he can serve as a stark ADAM counterpoint to the THEISEN commercial hip hop that many think defines the genre completely. Through socially conscious lyrics and innovative instrumentation, the most intelligent and most ambitious hip-hop artists of today are, by extension, the best artists in all of music. No genre is at the moment more relevant, more transcendent or more important than hip hop. The most obvious example of Common’s transcendence is in the song “Glory,” his Oscar-winning collaboration with John Legend that closed out the film “Selma.” It’s the first end-credits song that I’ve ever seen keep an entire theater in its seats for its entire duration, and it’s the first performance at the Oscars that I’ve ever seen get the standing ovation that it did. Common’s verses on the song aren’t technically incredible, but his clear enunciation gives special emphasis to the issues he raps about, connecting the struggle we’ve just seen in “Selma” to recent protests in places like Ferguson, MO. But Common has been doing this long before “Selma” was released. Back in 1994, he spoke out about the mainstreaming of gangsta rap and the fall of social consciousness in hip hop with “I Used to Love H.E.R.” And though his career has been slightly inconsistent since that breakout song, his best records (led by
2000’s Like Water For Chocolate) stand up as classics of afrocentricity, experimentation and intellectual lyrics. I play Common for people who claim to dislike hip hop because his earnest message and old-school style make him like a more poetic Motown song — learned and likable. I’m not by any means saying that hip-hop artists have to be accessible to all to be valid. Cutting-edge artists like Young Thug or Migos are great because they’re weird, unique and unafraid to hide it. Their songs are relevant not just because they’re bangers, but also because they break down musical boundaries. I mean, have you ever heard any sound that even remotely resembles Young Thug’s voice? What also shouldn’t be lost is that hip hop will always be a Black genre of music, and most people who claim not to “get” it are white. Hip hop shouldn’t have to dumb itself down to appeal to white Middle America — as we’ve seen with artists like Macklemore and Iggy Azalea, those attempts can be painful. However, more accessible artists like Common, The Roots or A Tribe Called Quest — artists who make clear, easy-to-listen-to music but don’t compromise their messages — can serve as gateways to the rest of hip hop, a genre that music fans need to accept and listen to because it’s the most vital and important genre of this generation. I used to think that Kendrick Lamar thought he was too good for hip hop. In the past, he’s insisted on calling himself a “writer” not a rapper, and while yes, he’s undeniably a writer, the “rapper” label is so much more important. By calling himself a writer, Kendrick seemed, in a way, to be disavowing his blackness. It was as if rap wasn’t a valid enough means of expression for one of its brightest stars, and he sought the credibility of a more “respectable” art form. To Pimp a Butterfly changed all of that. From its opening sample of Boris Gardiner’s “Every N*gger is
a Star” and its name-checking of Black icons like Kunta Kinte and Marcus Garvey to its covering of seemingly every aspect of the Black American experience (or at least as many as he could fit in), Kendrick’s latest release is one of the defining albums of our time, made even more important because of its overwhelming blackness. To Pimp a Butterfly completely redefined the most relevant genre in America today, and even if you claim to dislike rap, if you’re a fan of any kind of music, you need to listen to this album. Hopefully, it will lead to your discovery of tons of other fantastic hip-hop artists. From longtime legends like Public Enemy to great turn-ofthe-century artists like Black Star and modern torch-carriers like Killer Mike, hip hop’s political and social relevance has lasted for over three decades now, and even become more powerful as the clout of other genres has waned. It used to be rock music, with protest songs from artists like Bob Dylan or Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, that dominated the charts and captured the nation. But it has been a long time since any band with the ambition and creativity of The Beatles, U2 or even Radiohead in its prime has been on the national radar. Now, with bluesy leaders like Jack White and The Black Keys, rock is a genre that’s constantly looking backwards, where its artists think all the “real” music is. By contrast, hip hop is a perpetually forward-thinking genre that features some of the smartest, most creative minds of today. Even if what you hear on the radio doesn’t strike you as particularly great, you owe it to yourself to dig a little deeper to find the pulse of modern America’s best music. Theisen’s wondering if he can kick it. To assure him, email ajtheis@umich.edu