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Wednesday, April 6, 2022

Ann Arbor, Michigan

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VP of Student Life Martino Harmon talks housing investigation, activism In an exclusive two-part installment, The Daily sits down with campus leader to discuss RHA demands, virtual fraternity and sorority rush RONI KANE, CARLY BRECHNER , & SEJAL PETIL

Daily News Editor & Daily Staff Reporters

The Michigan Daily sat down with Martino Harmon, vice president of student life, to discuss supporting MHousing and MDining, RHA experiences and the impact of student activism. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Residence Halls Association (RHA) TMD: In light of the recent Daily investigation into University Housing and the experience of RHA student workers, does Student Life plan to make any changes to the structure of University Housing? MH: I don’t know that I have any particular structural changes that I can share at this time. But at the same time, I was personally very concerned at the reports that I heard and we’ve been in a number of discussions about what we need to do moving forward to improve the culture, improve the support, training, communication — making sure that staff understand their roles and what they can do — and how to best guide and support students. We want to make sure that students feel safe, that they feel valued, that they know that the support is there — that’s critically important. The recent situation just amplifies the importance of that even more. TMD: How does Student Life plan to work with ResStaff to rebuild trust and protect Resident Advisors in the coming semesters? MH: I know that Michigan Housing staff have been taking a careful examination of their training to see how they continue to work with campus partners. I

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think one of the things that we need to do is make sure when we’re talking with staff about how they support students, that we also make sure they know how Student Life supports staff. Our goal is to make sure that the staff are very aware of the cultural conditions, and we are doing all we can to enhance and improve the culture so everyone feels safe and valued. TMD: Why are ResStaff encouraged to report allegations of sexual misconduct to Hall Directors instead of to the Equity, Civil Rights & Title IX Office directly like other mandatory reporting policies on campus?

BUSINESS

Pilar’s Foundation, hosts first fundraiser in support of Washtenaw Afghan refugees Family-owned tamale shop raises money to provide services to county immigrants CECELIA DURAN

Daily News Contributor

Pilar’s Foundation hosted a fundraiser at the Zion Lutheran Church Sunday to support the resettlement of Afghan refugees in Washtenaw County. Pilar’s Foundation, the nonprofit arm of Pilar’s Tamales that partners with local and international organizations to provide vital services to immigrants and refugees in the Washtenaw County area, collaborated with Jewish Family Services (JFS) on the fundraising event. The fundraiser was Pilar’s Foundation’s first “official” fundraiser since acquiring taxexempt 501(c)3 status. Although the new status allows them to expand their fundraising efforts, the foundation has been operating for over 20 years and has been committed to “working locally to make the world a better place,” according to their website.

Attendees could order meals that included either two, six or 12 tamales, accompanied by curtido (cabbage slaw with onions, carrots, oregano and apple cider vinegar), casamiento (a mix of black beans and white basmati rice) and Pilar’s tamale sauce. The restaurant donated all the proceeds to the foundation’s charitable efforts. In order to adapt to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, customers were able to place orders in advance, and they were available for curbside pick-up, if preferred or walk in. Sylvia NolascoRivers, owner of the restaurant and president of the foundation, said Pilar’s has been giving back to the community for the past two decades. “Every event that we have done continues to help us to do our work better,” Nolasco-Rivers said. “The work that we’ve been doing for the past 20 years has been really a labor of love.” Read more at MichiganDaily.com

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MH: Let me clarify, that any ResStaff member can report anywhere. We don’t prevent a student from reporting to ECRT for any type of incident. It’s my understanding that the role of Housing staff is to support students. We want them to know that they should definitely report to Housing staff and not to think that they can’t, but we don’t prevent them from working with ECRT directly as well. It’s my understanding that both options are available. TMD: Does Student Life have any plans to increase support for the mental health of Student Life workers, particularly Resident Advisors?

MH: We want to make sure ResStaff knows that we’re also supporting them, not just the residents they serve. We also have to make sure that training for our campus partners — whether it’s a SAPAC (Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center) or CAPS (Counseling and Psychological Services) — is reflective of the needs of ResStaff and our students. We are linking this to broader efforts to expand and enhance how we address mental health on campus for all students. We’ve focused this year on a more holistic, institutional approach

to addressing mental health. Whether it’s Wolverine Wellness, UHS (University Health Services), peer support, resource navigators or helping faculty to understand the signs of mental health distress and knowing how to refer students, we want to be effective in reaching students — particularly those we don’t believe are connected through support programs and those underrepresented or marginalized. We’re really looking at a number of different ways and want to make sure the ResStaff members are part of that. Student organization engagement TMD: From your perspective,

U-M community celebrates 50 years of multicultural lounges in residence halls Event commemorated a time capsule to be opened in 25 years

RILEY HODDER

Daily Staff Reporter

University of Michigan community members gathered at the Michigan Union Tuesday to celebrate the 50th anniversary of multicultural lounges in University residence halls. Current students, alumni and legacy groups were in attendance for the event, which featured the commemoration of a time capsule scheduled to be opened in 25 years. The event also featured several speakers and musical performances from the Women’s Glee Club. Multicultural spaces in residence halls serve to

commemorate activists from underrepresented communities. These lounges were created following increased activism from the Black Action Movement — a coalition of Black student organizations in the 1970s that fought against injustices and advocated for Black student rights. These spaces were formed in hopes of supporting students of Color. The first lounge, the Abeng Lounge in East Quad, was established in 1971. Since then, the program has expanded to encompass 16 lounges across the University’s dorms. Martha Cook, Betsey Barbour and Henderson House do not currently

have multicultural lounges. Speakers at the event honored many contributors to the original lounges. One of the speakers was Lee Gill, a former U-M student and the current special assistant to the president and chief diversity officer at Clemson University. Gill explained that the importance of this event was not just to remember the history, but to keep educating students on that history. “We need to keep beating the drum,” Gill said. “Let’s continue to build an inclusive institution of higher education … these great institutions, they have stories that we need to share with incoming students.” The celebration of 50

years of these spaces comes at a time when conversations about safe spaces on campus for underrepresented groups have been deepened by a recent letter to the Board of Regents entitled “White Students Colonizing Trotter.” The letter advised administrators to work on preserving safe spaces for students of Color, specifically the Trotter Multicultural Center, which was founded in 1972. While smaller in size than Trotter, multicultural lounges have also acted as safe spaces for students of Color.

SYDNEY HASTINGS-WILKINS/Daily A 50-year celebration for multicultural lounges occurs at the Michigan Union ballroom Tuesday night.

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Daily Staff Reporter

Nelson and Burgaj did not respond to The Daily for comment in time for publication. The EnvisionBlue platform ran on 30 policy action items and 15 advocacy initiatives centered on themes including accessibility and affordability for all students, addressing the University’s history of sexual misconduct and increasing student engagement with CSG initiatives and elections. Zimmerman and Hillman are planning to reorganize the CSG executive branch before tackling their specific initiatives. “We think that the best way for our executive branch to operate efficiently and get any of the projects, any of the advocacy that we want done is to make sure that we’re having the organization and structure within our team to be able to adequately do that,” Zimmerman said. In addition to electing executives, students voted for representatives to CSG for their college — 15 for LSA, seven for Rackham Graduate School, six for the College of Engineering, three for the Ross School of Business, and one for each of the remaining undergraduate and graduate schools. Students also elected 19 LSA assembly members and the University of Michigan Police Department (UMPD) Oversight Committee student representative. Below are the preliminary results for the top-voted representatives: LSA: Emma Sklar Law School: Ewurama Appiagyei-Dankah

Rackham Graduate School: Hayden Jackson School of Dentistry: Palak Shah School of Public Health: Sarah Cieslak School of Public Policy: Divya Periakaruppan College of Architecture and Urban Planning: Tara Mehta College of Engineering: Maria Liberty Fields College of Pharmacy: Yuan Hang Medical School: Curtis Kuo Ross School of Business: Sophie Peretz School of Art and Design: Santana Malnaik School of Education: Stephanie Vuylsteke School of Information: Tobias Roth School of Kinesiology: Ember Larson School of Nursing: Estrella Escutia School of Social Work: Matt Dargay School of Music, Theatre & Dance: Emelia Piane UMPD Oversight Committee: Eli Merren This year, 1,912 total ballots were submitted to the University-wide election, almost 100 more total votes from the Fall 2021 semester election. 1,057 voters supported the addition of a sustainability requirement into the academic curriculum, while 804 did not. Additionally, 1,611 students supported a non-voting student seat on the Board of Regents, while 240 did not.

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UMich experts, community members react to Supreme Court nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson Faculty call out coded racial language in confirmation hearings, celebrate increased representation in judiciary

IRENA LI & VANESSA KIEFER

Daily Staff Reporter & Managing Investigative Editor

U.S. President Joe Biden nominated Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court on Feb. 25. If confirmed, Jackson will be the first Black woman to sit on the nation’s highest court. The Michigan Daily sat down with University of Michigan experts and students to discuss the significance of Jackson’s nomination and last week’s confirmation hearings. Campus reaction to Jackson’s nomination Law Students Nia Vogel and Dashaya Foreman are the managing editor and editorin-chief, respectively, of the Michigan Law Review and are the first pair of Black women to lead the law journal in its 121-year history. They are also members of the Michigan Black Law Student Association. In an interview with the Daily, Foreman said she felt encouraged

to see someone who shares her identity nominated to the Supreme Court. “I’m taking a lot of pride in this moment,” Foreman said. “Now being in law school and seeing her be nominated, and hopefully (being) confirmed very shortly, (she is) very inspiring for me. I think it’s long overdue, but I definitely think it’s a step in the right direction for students of Color who are interested in being legal advocates.” Jackson’s qualifications for the associate Supreme Court justice position –– which include a degree from Harvard Law, a federal courtship position and a history of public service, as well as her background having grown up in a major city and attended a public high school — would make her a historic addition to the Court. Jackson also served as a federal public defender from 2005-2007. During that time, she represented four Guantánamo Bay detainees following the landmark 2004 Supreme Court decision that detainees in the military prison could

challenge their detentions in federal court. If confirmed, she would be the first former public defender to serve on the Supreme Court. Jackson would also join Justices Samuel A. Alito and Elena Kagan as the only Supreme Court justices to have graduated from a public high school. Vogel reiterated Foreman’s excitement at the prospect of Jackson’s appointment. As someone who is an advocate for criminal justice reform, Vogel said she is inspired by Judge Jackson’s background in criminal defense. “Symbolically, (Jackson’s nomination) definitely shows Black women … that they are accepted and can work towards their goals, no matter what the capacity is,” Vogel said. “It’s really great seeing someone coming from a criminal defense background on the Supreme Court … and bringing that perspective to the criminal jus-

tice cases that the court will see.” Law professor Richard D. Friedman specializes in constitutional law and the U.S. Supreme Court at U-M Law School. Friedman has argued two cases before the Court, Briscoe v. Virginia (2004) and Hammon v. Indiana (2006). Friedman spoke with The Daily about Jackson’s nomination and reflected on her four days of testimony in front of the Senate. Though Jackson’s work as a former public defender is admirable, Fried-

man said, it likely would not have much of an impact on her decisions as a Supreme Court justice. “I wouldn’t overplay the significance of (Jackson’s

public defense background),” Friedman said. “When (judges) take on the judicial role, they realize that they’re no longer advocates — they’re judges. Her job on the Court will not be to be the defendant’s representative on the Court, it’s to be a judge … I would guess that she’ll be somewhat readier than most of the other ( justices) to recognize defendants’ rights … But we’ll see over time.” LSA junior Julia Schettenhelm, communications director of the University’s chapter of College Democrats, wrote in an email to The Daily that the organization supports Jackson’s nomination to the Supreme Court. Read more at MichiganDaily.com

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VP From Page 1 Overall, we’re pretty pleased with how the FSL rush went in terms of growth. MHousing and MDining The Michigan Daily: What led the University to decide to demolish the Northwood III apartments and build new living spaces for students? Martino Harmon: The housing experience is a big part of the overall student experience. It’s really important that we create the best environment possible and certainly Northwood’s been around for a while. Planning (started) before the pandemic, and it was really time to — with Regent approval — introduce a 1,200-bed facility. I don’t know that it will be called the “Northwood Apartments,” but it’s a new facility that will provide more opportunities for engagement. So

that was really the main reason for this, and I’m just thrilled that we’re able to move forward with that project. TMD: Will the new residence buildings be apartment-style living or similar to the larger residence halls on campus such as South or West Quad Residence Halls? MH: It’ll definitely be different than the current Northwood Apartments. It’ll be a large residence hall, but it will be a suitestyle arrangement. So it won’t be the standard double (dorm) rooms throughout, but it will be a lot of suites and a lot of lounges and study spaces. TMD: What student demographics — such as undergraduate or graduate students — will the new residence hall primarily serve? MH: We haven’t exactly spelled that out yet. Our typical philosophy — other than maybe (Munger Graduate Residences)— is

that our facilities will be open to students that apply (for housing). Our priority is to house all new (first-year) students, and then whatever space we have left can go to sophomores, juniors, transfer students, maybe graduate students. Right now, we haven’t specified that this new facility is just for one particular group of candidates. TMD: With the return to an in-person MDining experience this year for students, how has Student Life worked to ensure all residence and dining halls are adequately staffed, particularly after the University experienced campuswide staffing shortages? MH: The dining experience, much like housing, is an engagement experience. It’s not just about eating. It’s about the opportunity for students to engage, to learn, to have a full experience. But we have been challenged by the labor shortages — just like restaurants in Ann Arbor and

places all over the nation. Our goal has been to keep everything open, and we’ve accomplished that goal — we don’t want to close any dining facilities. We’ve also been able to make adjustments to make sure we have enough service: where we knew we couldn’t hire enough students, we made opportunities available for (University) staff who were not working in dining and wanted some additional work. We’re also focused on addressing labor issues. We were able to make a slight increase in the average wages by about $1 across the board, but we know that we need to do more to be competitive. The labor shortage is a real challenge, and that’s why it’s important for us to keep looking at ways to address that challenge. TMD: Student activists and campus leaders have been discussing the possibility of a $15 minimum wage for student workers this semester. Does Student

Life have any plans to explore a $15 minimum wage for student workers? MH: I can only really speak for Student Life workers in areas like dining or in mail facilities and residence halls. We have been looking at how we can make our wages more competitive. We’re still doing an analysis of that and I’m optimistic that we’ll continue moving forward. I know the regents are also looking at competitive wages across campus. TMD: As the Vice President of Student Life, you’re part of the U-M administration, but you also oversee the different student organizations and different voices on campus. So in regards to different forms of student activism, what do you feel like the administration is most receptive to? MH: Student activism is an important part of the culture of change at the University of Michigan — it has been for

years and it always will be. The administration respects that and we actually embrace that. I think it’s important for students who are involved in activism to be able to get information to understand the issue, to understand what you want to change, understand what’s currently here and then move forward with what you want. That doesn’t mean that everyone will always agree, but that means that we need to have a dialogue, to create change together. Sometimes you can change the institution and make progress — even though it may not be to the extent that students want — over a period of time. We want students to understand that they do make a difference with everything that they do. Daily News Editor Roni Kane can be reached at ronikane@umich.edu. Daily Staff Reporters Carly Brechner and Sejal Patil can be reached at cbrech@umich.edu and sejpatil@ umich.edu.

Arts

4 — Wednesday, April 6, 2022

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Serving wins on social media with Michigan Waffle House MADDIE AGNE Daily Arts Writer

“WAIT, WHY DO you look so familiar?” Before I could even ask a question, LSA senior Cam Turner was interviewing me instead. I have to laugh because I know exactly why I look so familiar to him — he was an RA in my freshman dorm. It’s not the only thing we have in common, either. We’re both from the South, him from Georgia and myself from Tennessee, and we’re both passionate about the one thing that binds all Southerners together: Waffle House. “This all started with Dr. (Eric) Fretz’s Entrepreneurial Creativity class,” Turner said in an interview with The Michigan Daily, “we needed a project … then that one kind of stuck for whatever reason.” He’s referring to Michigan Waffle House, the Instagram campaign to “bring the state of Michigan its first Waffle House franchise.” Turner is one of five

founding campaign members: Zach Simpson, Leo Samba — whom he called “the other (Southerner)” — Harshith Vempati and Nikhil Tangella round out the team. Back in the fall of 2020, the five were charged with designing a movement or campaign that solved an issue on campus, and Michigan Waffle House was born as a solution for two things: the absence of a Waffle House in Michigan and the lack of affordable late-night food on campus. The movement exists largely on Instagram, and it’s only grown since its conception. In December of 2020, the page had 650 followers, and at the time of the interview, that number had grown to 1,180. When asked about that growth, Turner said that “hitting 1,000 followers is like a milestone … that’s a decent following.” The group has expanded into selling merchandise (“waffledrip”), producing Waffle House parodies of pop music (“waffletunes”) and, most recently, hosting Waffle Day in campus dining halls. Waffle Day, the Waffle House–inspired

dinner at every dining hall on campus, was “a fever dream” for the group. “It was initially supposed to be only MoJo,” Turner said, “but we were able to hype it up and get every dining hall on campus.” Waffle Day included waffles, topping bars and an assortment of other breakfast foods all served in the dining halls. The event was a huge success. “Turnouts were great … we’re spreading awareness that we don’t have a Waffle House … and people seemed to enjoy it,” Turner said. Instagram posts captured lengthy lines and large groups of students partaking in Waffle Day, and it was promoted on the University’s student Instagram page. Turner cited posters around campus and social media as major promotional tools for Waffle Day, adding that these allowed students to “engage in some of the hype that we’re trying to build.” When asked what had been more crucial to their growth, social media presence or events like Waffle Day, Turner said that it was “100% social media.” He referenced their popular

photoshopped pictures of celebrities wearing Michigan Waffle House merch, which Turner called “super effective in terms of repost value,” and graphics and artwork inserting Michigan Waffle House into various U-M locations like the Big House. “It’s the language of Gen Z,” Turner said about their use of social media as the campaign’s primary catalyst. “So we knew that that would be our main attacking strategy.” The strategy has been successful: Michigan Waffle House has been featured on the University’s Barstool page and reposted on the University Instagram. The campaign’s meteoric growth and endorsements have led Turner and crew to consider pitching the idea of a Waffle House in Michigan to the corporation itself and just how much of a role their online presence would play in such a proposal. “Social media would 100% play,” Turner said. Referring to the artwork and parody celebrity endorsements on their Instagram, he added, “It’s kind of a cool, new form of marketing and

cool way of using our social media platform … and as much fun as we’re having, we’re actually serious.” Turner said that “our goal this year was just to make enough noise, to build a bigger following so that … they can’t ignore us.” And because I am also a student and a selfadmitted nosy person, I couldn’t leave the call without asking what score they received on this project. “Not to brag here,” Turner said, “but I think we were the second highest rated project in the group. We did win people’s choice award in the class, though, so that was pretty cool. I think people really fell in love with the freshness, and the newness and the creativity behind it.” He was, as he had been the entire call, spot on about how the University community has received Michigan Waffle House. “People want to be together,” Turner added before we hung up. “And want to have a similar thing that binds them together, and for us, it would be waffles.”

Holly Humberstone proves she is so much more than an opening act CECILIA DURAN Daily Arts Writer

LIKE FINDING A dollar bill on the ground, like the rainbow after a summer afternoon rainfall, like the perfect ointment to a wound that won’t heal; as soft as a forehead kiss, as captivating as a cloudless night sky, as soothing as a spoonful of honey running down your throat when that brief rainfall soaked your clothes, and you caught a cold… Holly Humberstone is all of that. The pandemic turned days into nights and nights into days, in what felt like an endless cycle of nothingness. In those monotonous months, I took the time to dust off the shelves of my room — for every book I picked up, I made sure that the music playing in the background was fitting. I found that Humberstone’s music never necessitated me putting down my book to skip a song. Fast forward two years later, there I was — second row, close enough to mouth “thank you,” but far enough to still be a

Lila Turner/Daily

fan among a predominantly young and female crowd. On the 12th night of the “if i could make it go quiet” tour led by girl in red, Humberstone put on a show superior to that of the average opener. In the heat of excitement mixed with excessive

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As expected, The Oscars were a complete trainwreck … and I loved every minute of it

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leased song before explaining that she had spent a nauseous, restless night after eating a salad from a deli in Toronto. Despite the incident, Humberstone’s eight songs left the audience wanting more. To curb that hunger, she stated that she would send a secret demo of an unreleased song titled “Room Service” to anyone who messaged her on Instagram. A link to a SoundCloud song with under 2,000 streams seemed not only a sweet treat but also a good marketing strategy — I am positive at least 50 of those are mine, and it has only been a day. With her soft-spoken, endearing voice, Humberstone found the perfect balance between linking tunes consecutively and making small confessions about her songs. She explained that her debut release, “Deep End,” had been an attempt to appease her younger sister, who was struggling at the time. I myself have found comfort in this song in times of distress.

Release Date: Wednesday, March 30, 2022 Release Date: Wednesday, April 6, 2022

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clothing from a prolonged winter, I was ready to sing along to every lyric. The concert began with “Overkill,” a song off of her first EP. In the confines of a one-man setup, Humberstone emulated the performance style of artists such as

Tash Sultana or Bon Iver. A pair of light blue jeans, a ‘90s tee and a white Stratocaster were enough to make Humberstone a magnet to the hundreds of eyes in a sold out Majestic Theater. The 22-year-old artist stunned the crowd with every movement — swaying gracefully between two keyboards and three mics, blending the rawness of her sweet tone with melodies distorted by a vocoder in a manner evocative of Imogen Heap. With the click of a pad, a backing track became the ground from which the seeds of her essence bloomed. Lyrics pickled with a bitterness familiar to adolescent heartbreak, friendship fallout and self-found solace, Humberstone becomes the intermediary between one’s unspoken thoughts and the comfort of saying nothing at all. She writes songs for someone else, yet you’re left with the conviction that they could well have been made for you. A perfectly tailored suit, a minutely planned day, finally growing into the shoes you inherited from your older sister. Humberstone went on to sing an unre-

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MITCHEL GREEN Daily Arts Writer

THIS YEAR’S ACADEMY Awards, from top to bottom and in every conceivable facet, were a complete disaster … and it made for some invigorating television. Unsurprisingly, a bunch of producers desperately trying to keep an irrelevant awards show relevant led to an amalgamation of appeals to different audiences, none of which actually want to watch the Oscars in the first place. If the Academy Awards is supposed to be a show for film lovers, it probably wasn’t a good idea to wait until 20 minutes into the show to actually start talking about movies. Instead, the telecast began with a performance by Beyoncé of her song “Be Alive,” a song that does not appear in “King Richard” until the end credits and was recorded for the sole purpose of getting nominated for this award. Sure, having Beyoncé perform during the broadcast might entice more viewers to watch, but is it really worth cutting numerous important categories to make room for the performance of a song with about seven million listens on Spotify? By turning the Oscars into the Grammys, all the musical numbers meant that the producers of the show cut major categories like Best Editing and Best Visual Effects — both categories that typically recognize movies that a broader audience has seen — in order to save time. And yet, the broadcast went on for over 20 minutes longer than last year’s. Thanks to the reintroduction of a host to the ceremony — in this case three: Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes and Regina Hall — the broadcast stole time from the count-

less behind-the-scenes crew members who won awards and the likes of Best International Feature winner Ryusuke Hamaguchi, who could only get a measly 52 words in before they tried to play him off. All so the three hosts could tell bad jokes about one of the better Best Picture nominees being boring and do terrible bits like calling famous actress and Best Supporting Actress nominee Kirsten Dunst a seatfiller. If the Academy was going to go back to having a host despite three years of positive reviews regarding the lack of a host, perhaps they should have gone with one that actually likes and cares about the art of film. But maybe that’s asking too much of an awards show honoring the art of film. Another bizarre decision was to include two “fan-voted” categories: One for the “Oscars Cheer Moment” and one for the “Oscars Fan Favorite.” Fans voted online for their favorite in each, and the results were as moronic as you would expect. The cult of Zack Snyder came out in full force to claim both prizes for “Flash Enters The Speed Force” in “Zack Snyder’s Justice League” and “Army of the Dead” in both categories, respectively. Other films included in the so-shortit’s-not-even-worth-showing top five montages were Marvel movies galore, “Dreamgirls,” Camila Cabello’s “Cinderella” and the Johnny Depp-led “Minamata.” Give the internet an inch and it will take a mile. These categories were treated as nothing but a joke by viewers from the start, reeking of desperation from the producers of the show to pander to new viewers who are not at all interested in being catered to.

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Wednesday, April 6, 2022 — 5

Why we tell the story: MUSKET’s production of ‘Once on This Island’ CONSTANCE MEADE Daily Arts Contributor

Editor’s Note: A Daily staffer contributed to this production, but they were not involved in the creation, production or publication of this piece. THIS PAST WEEKEND, The University of Michigan’s “Michigan Union Shows, Ko-Eds, Too” (MUSKET) produced “Once on This Island,” a stunning one-act musical by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty. Performed in the Power Center, “Once on This Island” is based on a book by Rosa Guy entitled, “My Love, My Love, or The Peasant Girl.” In it, an orphaned peasant girl, Ti Moune (played by the radiant Simone Clotile, a Music, Theatre & Dance junior) lives on an island in the French Antilles and falls in love with a “grande homme” (or “beautiful man”), a wealthy, lighter-skinned man named Daniel Beauxhomme played by the brilliant Myles Mathews, a Music, Theatre & Dance freshman. Though her love for Daniel is so strong, Ti Moune will never be able to marry him because of where she is from. Directed and choreographed by Music, Theatre & Dance juniors Chloe Cuff and Brooke Taylor, and Music, Theatre & Dance sophomore Cristina Benn, MUSKET’s “Once on This Island” uses community and love to com-

bat colorism and classism. While audiences were filing into the vast Power Center, the cast was already on stage, playing with soccer balls, dancing to drums and socializing with each other. This pre-show created an opportunity for the audience to see a glimpse of life in the French Antilles and estab-

story, but the set, designed by Music, Theatre & Dance junior Laurence Vance, was incredibly intimate, made of vibrant vines, flowers and string lights that one would see in a backyard. Additionally, the creative team chose to set the band on stage as well, furthering the strong sense of togetherness. The visual of the com-

lished a powerful sense of community that was carried throughout the rest of the show. Not only did the pre-show immediately bring the audience into the

munity on stage in such an intimate and familiar setting made the Power Center feel three times smaller and made it practically impossible not to become com-

Courtesy of MUSKET, photos by Jessica Zhang

pletely immersed in Ti Moune’s story. Music, an important part of the culture on the island, was something that bonded the community. It connected the peasants to each other as well as to the gods. For instance, in Ti Moune’s first solo, “Waiting For Life to Begin,” she sings “Oh gods, oh gods hear my prayer,” asking them to show her her purpose. In fact, the very first musical number of the show starts with the lyrics, “Asaka, grow me a garden, please Agwe don’t flood my garden, Erzulie, who will my love be, Papa Ge, don’t come around me,” signaling that the people use music as a way of communicating with the gods, which are at the core of their community. The music would not have been so central to the story without the thoughtful work of the Music Director Dominic Dorset, a Music, Theatre & Dance senior. Similarly, dance is used throughout the show to signal community. Taylor’s choreography had heavy African influences, a nod to the characters’ ancestors and culture. This was highlighted in one of the most beautiful moments of the show, in which Ti Moune is asked to dance at the ball. She looks down at her feet, removes her city shoes and begins to dance the way she would at home. Eventually, two peasant servants join Ti Moune in her dance, immediately familiar with its steps and rhythm, showcasing

their communal ties and unity surrounding dance. This moment was incredibly unique to MUSKET’s production. Not only does dance ground the community, but so does their connection to the earth. Through a gorgeous and thoughtful set, costume design and direction, the creative team displayed the intersection of the earth and spirituality. Each god had an eye makeup design symbolizing what they represented. For instance, Agwe, god of water, played beautifully by Rackham student Algernon Robinson, wore blue highlights around his eyes, while the other gods wore their respective colors. Cuff brilliantly chose to have ensemble members play birds, trees and frogs, illustrating their close connection and appreciation for the earth. This was complemented by the beautiful lighting design by Music, Theatre & Dance junior Abi Farnsworth. What was the most striking, however, was that at the end of the story, when Ti Moune sacrifices her life for Daniel because of her love for him, she becomes a tree that watches over Daniel and is welcomed back into the earth by the gods. MUSKET’s “Once on This Island” teaches audiences that love prevails. In the face of hate and discrimination, love and community are what allow us to thrive.

Ben Affleck has a better relationship with snails than Ana de Armas in ‘Deep Water’ ALVIN ANAND Daily Arts Writer

IF THERE IS such a thing as a libido for cinema, then I will say the 2022 film “Deep Water” actively makes my desire to watch movies plummet. Which is ironic, because this so-called erotic thriller clearly wants to make its audience horny. But even Ana de Armas (“No Time to Die”) can’t save the movie equivalent of lathering your tastebuds with mayonnaise for two hours. It has a decently-sized budget and was funded by a major studio, but there is no real desire or spark onscreen from the cast or crew. Everyone involved seems solely interested in filler movies to buff up their IMDb profile; it’s as generic as it gets. It’s so vanilla that it’s difficult to come up

with interesting words to describe it. The film is about couple Vic (Ben Aff leck, “Gone Girl”) and Melinda (de Armas), who are in a precarious agreement to keep their marriage intact (ironically, the actors could not keep their relationship intact long enough for this movie to be released, since they got together and subsequently broke up between the movie being made and distributed). In order to keep the family together, Melinda is allowed to have affairs with whomever she wants. Naturally, this ends up bothering Vic, and he becomes the object of suspicion when things start happening to Melinda’s lovers. Because of this relationship, the audience is treated to a constantly sulking Aff leck, which is at first quite amusing, but eventually, like almost everything else in this film,

becomes deliriously dull. De Armas is unhinged, and her character is very unlikeable, with her constantly making irrational decisions. They have a daughter, who one might imagine would be Vic’s primary object of affection if he wasn’t so obsessed with snails. Yeah, Vic has a garagesized collection of live snails — which brings me to the parts of the film I was most invested in: multiple scenes of Ben Aff leck carefully caressing these pans of snails. Even though they were by far the most exciting aspect of the movie, the snails were not what elicited the rawest emotion in me. That award goes to the jump cut from the movie’s most intense sex scene to a little league soccer game. The film is supposed to have loads of suspense and psychological tension, but it’s difficult for the suspense

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to work if the most thrilling scene in the film involves an SUV and a bicycle in a generic park. And there can’t be psychological tension if both lead characters can be figured out in the first few scenes. After the first halfhour or so, Vic and Melinda’s behaviors can be predicted very easily, which makes the remaining 90 minutes a snoozefest interspersed with the occasional Aff leck-approved sulk or snail. The ending is double-take-inducing; I was genuinely baff led by the swift whimper that was the climax and resolution. The established character traits and motivations f ly out the window. The last few minutes are so anticlimactic that I actually cackled when the credits started rolling. There is pretty much no buildup or logical continuity that really explains

this ending. The biggest issue with this movie is just how unexciting the viewing experience was. It wasn’t bad in the sense that it was bizarre or abrasive, and it certainly wasn’t so off beat that it was funny. It was just bland. There was no risk at all. I would much rather have watched a poorly-staged, low-budget camp-fest than something like this, which was technically well-made and technically well-acted. It was made with all the current technolog y, and you can definitely see the money on screen, but there is no f lair, no passion at all. It feels like it was made for a paycheck, which is sad because it was director Adrian Lyne’s (“Fatal Attraction”) return to directing features after a two-decade hiatus. Honestly, he should’ve just made the whole movie about snails.

‘Nasty, Brutish and Short’: Professor Scott Hershovitz on why the best philosophers are children SAM MATHISSON Daily Arts Writer

This interview was edited for length and clarity. IN HIS NEW book “Nasty, Brutish, and Short: Adventures in Philosophy With My Kids,” Scott Hershovitz, professor of law and philosophy at the University of Michigan, shatters the notion that philosophy should be reserved for the ivory tower. Some of the best philosophers, he explains, are children. Naive and unabashed, children are unafraid to question things we as adults take for granted. Hershovitz’s own precocious sons, Rex and Hank, are certainly unafraid to question things — especially their father’s authority. As Rex and Hank pose philosophical questions (Does the number six exist? Do I have rights? etc.), Hershovitz uses these funny anecdotes as means to explore weighty matters ranging from racial and gender equality to the nature of truth. Often lighthearted (and frequently hilarious), “Nasty, Brutish and Short” pairs the boys’ observations with compelling arguments from contemporary philosophers to provide an accessible intellectual survey of many of philosophy’s greatest questions. On a dreary Thursday morning, I interviewed Professor Hershovitz. Our conversation ranged from Taylor Swift’s beef with Kanye to Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s appointment, from recapturing the wonder of childhood to the goals of studying philosophy. Here’s what Hershovitz had to share: The Michigan Daily: The central premise of this book is that kids are great philosophers. What makes kids such great philosophers? How can adults be more like kids in this regard? Scott Hershovitz: I think kids are really good philosophers for two reasons. First, I think they just find the world a really puzzling place. They’re dropped in, and they don’t understand a

lot of what’s going on, and they have questions about it. Often the things they’re questioning are things that grown-ups take for granted. There’s this line from a philosopher who spent a lot of time studying kids, Gareth Matthews, who said, “The adult must cultivate the naïveté required for doing philosophy, but to a child, such naïveté is entirely natural.” So I think that’s the first reason kids make really good philosophers. The second reason is they’re not worried about seeming silly. They’re willing to ask questions that a lot of adults wouldn’t ask out loud, or signal to other people that they were thinking about, or maybe even think that they should think about themselves. So they’re willing to ask questions like, “Am I just dreaming my entire life?” or “What is time?” I think we actually get socialized out of that pretty fast, somewhere around age eight or nine years old. As to the second question: How can adults be more like kids in this regard? Well, part of what I’m hoping to do through this book is encourage adults to talk to kids. Conversations about philosophy with kids can be really cool because they can be collaborative. There are not a lot of conversations you can have with kids where each person is bringing something to the table. Usually you’re teaching a kid something, telling them something that they don’t know, but if you talk to kids about philosophy, they’ve got questions that are going to push you past your understanding. And I think just taking up the conversation with them and seeing where things go is a way of recapturing some of the wonder they have about the world. TMD: I have another serious question queued up, but maybe we’ll come back to that and mix it up a little. So the next question is: Was there a single moment that inspired you to write this book? It seems like you have so many hilarious and moving anecdotes stored up from over a decade

worth of parenting. Why wait until now? SH: Around when my oldest, Rex, was about a year old, I started to talk about him when I was teaching. He would say or do something at home that would raise a philosophy issue that we were talking about in class. And I just discovered that if we start talking about the reading I assign, sometimes it’s difficult to get a conversation going. But if I come into class and I say, “Hey, let me tell you about this thing my kid did,” everyone finds it relatable and fun to talk about. And we can talk about Rex for a few minutes, and then I can say, “Ah, now how does this relate to the reading that was assigned for today?” One evening I was at another university presenting a paper, and I was having trouble getting people there to see what the problem was. And I did it with them. I said, “Hey, let me tell you a story about my little guy, Hank. And here’s something he said, which kind of illustrates this issue.” Almost immediately, people understood the formerly confusing issue. And then a friend of mine, who published a popular book in philosophy, Aaron James, leaned across the table, and he said, “That’s your book right there.” That was what really got me thinking that, “Oh, this thing I do with my students, and now sometimes with my colleagues, I could just do with a broader audience.” I really love philosophy, and I want more people to get engaged with it. I realized these stories are a way of helping bring people in. TMD: Your book addresses serious ethical questions around transgender rights and racism, authority and revenge. Each of these discussions begins with a conversation you had with one of your kids. How young is too young to learn about evil in the world? How can you balance preserving their innocence with producing moral, compassionate children?

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6 — Wednesday, April 6, 2022

STATEMENT

Our Uncanny Reality LANE KIZZIAH

Statement Correspondent

Recently, I learned that the animatronics in the “It’s a Small World” ride at Disneyland never turn off. After all the park visitors go home, all of the lights turn off; after the music stops and the gates are locked, the little dolls don’t stop moving around the track. The tiny, smiling figurines keep waving and dancing and swinging around their fake little lassos. In the dark. In total silence. In one word: scary. In three: really fucking scary. That sense of unease we feel isn’t novel — it’s derived from a phenomenon known as the uncanny valley, a term used to describe that eerie feeling we get when we see something notquite-human. Japanese roboticist Masahiro Mori coined the term in 1970 after realizing that the more a robot resembled a human being, the more empathy a person would feel toward it. But, once it passed a certain threshold — once the robot looked practically identical to a human without being quite indistinguishable — people started feeling unnerved. It’s that not-quite-rightness that makes the animation of “The Polar Express” just a little creepy, and sends a shiver down your spine when you answer the phone to a particularly life-like automated voice. Think of the movie “WALL-E” in contrast — he doesn’t attempt to look human and in fact looks classically robotic. So, we feel none of the same eeriness we feel toward the characters in “The Polar Express.” The animatronics in “It’s a Small World” don’t look all that realistic. Their bodies are fairly small, all of

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their facial features are extremely rounded and their movements are simple and isolated — an arm going up and down to hit a drum, hands clapping. What’s uncanny about them, though, is that they continue to perform, even when they don’t have an audience. I learned about the ride’s eerie fact on Instagram — where I consume the ultimate mix of pictures of people I know, pictures of people I wish I knew and loads of useless information I’ll never have an application for. But the uncanny valley isn’t restricted to animation and robots. As technology creeps more and more into our lives — and our lives creep more and more into the realm of technology — aspects of our reality may begin to feel uncanny — mainly social media. Think about the act of posting on Instagram: You craft a post aimed at no one in particular and send it off to a faceless mass of followers to judge your digital footprint. But, just like the “Small World” ride, you have no idea whether your online audience is there. Hundreds of people might be looking at your photo at any given second. Or none might be. Either way, it becomes part of your profile, the digital approximation of “you.” Just like the dolls engaged in their ceaseless dance in California’s Disneyland, still dancing as I’m typing this, there is no “off” button for our digital personas. Our digital selves work around the clock. I know plenty of people who have taken “social media breaks” to temporarily escape the pressure of that online image. But even when people have checked out and deleted the app, their digital approximation is still there. Unless they fully delete their account, their public image

remains published, waiting to be looked at, judged. Just like the tiny, spinning animatronics, our profiles are always performing, regardless of whether or not anyone’s there. Still, this reality doesn’t give me the same chills as poorly done CGI or hyper-realistic baby dolls. If social media functions in a way much similar to the characters in the “It’s a Small World” ride, why doesn’t it feel as unsettling? Maybe it’s because we’re able to distinguish between social media and real life fairly easily. I cannot count the number of times I’ve read or heard something telling me not to trust the things I see on social media. It’s a highlight reel. It’s touched up. It’s a competition to see who has the most friends, whose life is the most aesthetically pleasing, who looked the best on Spring Break. Or, maybe, social media has become so entrenched in our perception of reality that it’s become indistinguishable from real life. While in the past, we could always see the unsettling delineation between social media and reality, we’ve evolved past the awareness of the uncanny valley. There’s a calculated casualness to our social media presence — photo dumps and seemingly random posts aimed at making our profiles reflect a beautiful life. In the throes of the pandemic, I used to do YouTube workout classes made by an Australian influencer named Chloe Ting. She had the most defined abs I’ve ever seen, but there was always some indefinable quality about her that felt off. People heard that she was a robot or an animation or some kind of AI. But, in a video

New York Times’s Spelling Bee and, of course, Wordle and its many variants. Everyday, I go through the same repertoire of puzzle games: Wordle before bed, sudoku while I eat breakfast, The New Yorker crossword to kill time in class and NYT’s mini crossword in the evenings. The one thing I do know about the LSAT is that there’s an analytical reasoning section, better known as “logic games.” Peers, typically those who are not familiar with the LSAT, will occasionally make remarks like “the LSAT is basically all just puzzles.” I’m sure they don’t mean that literally. But on some level, I must’ve internalized that notion. And thus, my delusional confidence that I’m destined for a perfect LSAT score was born. I wasn’t serious the first time I pronounced my belief. My roommate was talking about their upcoming LSAT test day, and I jokingly told them I thought I could get a 180. It wasn’t something I had thought about before, but when I said it, it felt right. Other people score 180s for all sorts of reasons — studying hard, natural ability, etc. Why was a dedication to puzzles any less of a justification? And just like that, a delusion was born. Perhaps many delusions are born everyday without us realizing. In my experience, University of Michigan students are particularly susceptible to them. We go to a top school but not the top school. A lot of us do well in our classes but don’t have perfect grades. Many Wolverines might not get into their first-choice graduate program or land their top internship, but they usually manage to come out relatively successful. I think this phenomenon of excelling without ever being number one — making the podium but always scoring bronze — is a recipe for delusion. In 1954, psychologist Leon Festinger developed social

comparison theory, which holds that humans have an innate drive to compare themselves with others. Within this theory are two types of comparison: downward (comparing yourself to someone “worse” than you to boost your self-confidence) and upward (comparing yourself to someone “better” than you to motivate yourself). Festinger had clearly never met a University of Michigan student, or at least a delusional one, because many of us seem to do the opposite. When the typical Wolverine doesn’t land the internship they wanted, they don’t seriously reflect on how much effort they put into their résumé or if the position was even a good fit. Instead, they convince themselves that they never wanted it in the first place, or that the company isn’t even that good, or any number of justifications designed to protect their sense of self. To the delusional mind, upward social comparison isn’t about motivation, it’s about re-calibration. If you’re literally incapable of comprehending that someone might be better than you, then you need to upwardly adjust your perception of yourself accordingly. Our collective status as underachieving over-achievers, as students of a “Public Ivy,” means that our lives are packed with downward and upward social comparison. But constantly comparing yourself to others and feeling uncertain where you stand relative to your peers can shake a person’s sense of self. Cognitive dissonance theory, another idea of

titled “Answering Your Assumptions About Me,” she addresses the rumor, claiming to be real. Still, it wouldn’t have been all that surprising if she wasn’t. Lil Miquela, “19-year-old Robot,” has racked up over 3 million followers as a CGI influencer. Her account, which started in 2016, features hyper-realistic photos of her taking trips to Los Angeles, getting ice cream and reading. She posted a picture last month wearing sweatpants that say “I (heart) real life.” The funny thing is that, as someone who interacts with the two influencers only on social media, their robotic status does not dictate the ways I interact with them online. I consume their content in the same way I consume a real person’s. I see the things on their profiles that they — or in the case of Lil Miquela, her creators — want me to see. I have my own perception of who each of them is, even though one of them doesn’t exist in a human sense. Even though one is decidedly real and the other not, they occupy the same space for me as a viewer. As someone who’s never going to meet either in real life, their online personas are my only point of reference. It doesn’t matter to me whether they’re out walking around in the world or not, because their profiles are always up, proof of their existence. Does a physical

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me, standing in my kitchen wearing my outfit for the last day of school. Also heavily edited.

footprint mean much when our digital ones can cover so much more ground for longer, even infinite, periods of time? 20 — or even 10 — years ago, questions like this would be nonsensical. Gen Z has been around since the very start of social media. The first recognizable social media site, called Six Degrees, was created in 1997. MySpace launched in 2003. Facebook came out in 2004. Twitter followed in 2006. In both their design and function, the original social media sites served an entirely different purpose than they do today. I remember when I first downloaded Instagram in 2012, about two years after the app first came out. I was finishing sixth grade, and the first thing I posted was an oversaturated picture of a Pez dispenser shaped like Ferb from “Phineas and Ferb.” I think my next photo was posted later that same day (there weren’t yet any rules advising against multiple posts):

Before Instagram became widely used enough to spawn its own conventions — ideas of what’s an acceptable number of likes, what your followers-to-following ratio should be, how frequently you should or shouldn’t be posting — there wasn’t much stake in what was on your profile. Instagram was more of a mindless game and less of a projection of one’s entire essence, or what they wish their essence was. While this was the origin of our never-ending performance, it didn’t resemble reality enough to fall under the uncanny valley. No one could mistake my Pez-dispenser post as an approximation of my real life. It was an online forum to display what you were up to and the kinds of things you liked, not who you were at your core. Now it feels like the things we post have some sort of bearing on who we are in “real life.” Posting is no longer a way to tell people what you’re doing but to curate a certain brand or aesthetic.

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Delusional logic: My puzzle-based LSAT strategy HALEY JOHNSON Statement Columnist

One out of eight men believes that he could score against Serena Williams in a tennis match. This, to me, is the epitome of delusion. Saying that someone is delusional often conjures up images of raging schizophrenics, completely absorbed by illusions of grandeur and hallucinations of voices from nowhere, people who don’t exist and events that never happened. But in reality, self-delusion is more subtle and ordinary. It’s the belief that you “totally could’ve gone pro if it wasn’t for your knee injury” or “definitely could’ve gone to an Ivy League if I cared in high school.” It’s that little voice telling you that you’re on the precipice of being great at whatever thing you’re mediocre at. It’s the voice telling one out of eight men that he could outplay Serena Williams. According to this definition I, for one, am highly delusional. This diagnosis rests on the fact that I wholeheartedly believe that I could get a 180, a perfect score, on the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) with no preparation. To most, this may seem insane and completely unfounded given that (A) I have no intentions of ever going to law school, let alone taking the LSAT; (B) 0.1% of LSAT takers score a 180; (C) at the time of writing this, I have no familiarity with the sections of the LSAT and (D) I have embarrassingly limited knowledge about the inner workings of the U.S. legal system To these limitations, I offer one rebuttal: puzzle games. I am excellent at puzzle games, and I say this objectively. Sudoku puzzles were my first love in the fifth grade; my teacher used to assign them in lieu of extra credit. From there my obsession spiraled into Words with Friends, The New Yorker’s Cryptic Crosswords, The

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Leon Festinger’s, “postulates that an underlying psychological tension is created when an individual’s behavior is inconsistent with his or her thoughts and beliefs.” This tension motivates people to adjust their actions and beliefs to be consistent with one another. For example, a more psychologically grounded student might improve their study habits to align with their belief that they are a successful student. But it seems that my fellow delusional Michigan students and I have chosen to adjust just our beliefs. It’s easier — and more comfortable — to overinflate your self-perception than to genuinely work at bettering your abilities. Increasing your abilities means confronting your actual skill level and trying to bridge the gap between your constructed and actual self. Self-delusion, on the other hand, requires no such negotiation. Moreover, positive selfperception can quickly become arrogance, as evidenced by forum posts deliberating whether or not Michigan students are actually “stuck up” and “toxic.” For

Michigan students, this arrogance often stems from their inability to see themselves clearly. Our sky-high self confidence comes off as delusional, arrogant and untethered from reality. Like the onset of my LSAT belief, it takes only one comment, one moment of fantasizing, to internalize an absurd belief. Rather than concluding that other people have different professional goals or aptitudes than me, I decided that I must be equally as skilled as those dedicated to scoring well on this rigorous test. In acknowledging my delusion, I set out to see just how unrealistic scoring a cold 180 actually was. My LSAT delusion was not well received by those familiar with the test. Law School student Ryan Comrie began studying for the LSAT before his senior year of college and bought multiple test-prep materials. Beyond gaining familiarity with the test format, he learned that “the time component is a huge part of (the LSAT).” Each section is just 35 minutes, so being able to solve problems quickly is crucial for scoring well. “The first time that I

did a logic game, I took as long as I needed,” he explained. “Then, the challenge is figuring out how to do them quickly.” Comrie was skeptical of my puzzle-based strategy, saying, “I guess if you were really good at puzzles, like really good, like historically good, you could do really well (on the LSAT) on the first try, in that time constraint.” He did say that my natural talent would give me a leg up on the logical reasoning section … if I were to actually study. My roommate, who is applying to law school next year and has taken the LSAT, put it more bluntly in a text: “Getting a 180 on the LSAT would be like me performing a quadruple bypass and nailing it because I watched ‘Grey’s (Anatomy),’” he said. My boyfriend let me down the most gently. “I know you test well,” he said. “But I think that you thinking that you can get a perfect score on the LSAT without any practice is unfair to lawyers who spend half a year studying — those

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Wednesday, April 6, 2022 — 7

STATEMENT

Can love overcome language barriers? KAVYA UPPALAPATI Statement Columnist

Can language barriers within a relationship inhibit true connection? Popular media begs to say “no.” The highly acclaimed “Love Actually” features characters Jamie and Aurélia — a couple where the former speaks English and the latter Portuguese. “The Little Mermaid” tells the storybook tale of Prince Eric and Ariel, the mermaidturned-human devoid of a voice. Such media romanticizes the idea of falling for your one true love despite being unable to communicate with one another. But can love truly surpass the bounds of language? While many Hollywood movies have a wholesome ending at face value — with love triumphing over all obstacles — this clean-cut conclusion is a shallow portrayal of romantic relationships. Rather than falling for each other because of shared conversation and mutual interests, oftentimes, the characters pursue physical attributes and overall aesthetics of the other person. When watching such movies I often find myself wondering why this less-chatter-more-chemistry mode of love is glorified. I struggle to find the romanticism in being unable to speak to your significant other. As someone who grew up not speaking the same language as my extended family, I almost see the beauty in the connection that comes distinctly with a communicationless love. However, I also acknowledge the sheer struggle of it, of attempting to relate to and connect with loved ones while tripping over mismatched tongues. The only family I have in the United States are my parents and brother, the rest being 8,000 miles

away in India. Physical distance is isolating enough, but my sheer inability to speak to older family members makes it all the worse. While they barely speak English, I speak broken Telugu — their native language. Although I am blessed with technology like WhatsApp and FaceTime that facilitates international calls and texts, these resources provide little help when I physically cannot articulate my thoughts. Conversations with my extended family — my grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins — hover at a surface level: “How are you?” “What are you doing?” “How’s school?” “What have you done today?” Anything beyond this designated, elementary dialogue travels into unfamiliar territory. If I try to delve into more intricate sentences, I will end up jumbling English and Telugu words together, leaving my grandparents confused. Or, if I ask them a question, like “what fun things did you do today?” I often get a “yes” or “no” response (despite my question not having a “yes” or “no” answer to it). So, when I spent time with my grandparents and wanted to indulge in complex conversation during the rare occasions in my life when they came to the U.S. or I visited India, I need someone else to translate. Thus, we struggle to develop a truly genuine understanding of one another. My grandparents have all lived such rich lives, raising families of their own, growing up in a generation post-colonization and participating in social movements. They could provide insight into who I am and where I come from. Such perspective is something I want to learn from; something that seems so desperately impossible to access. But however impossible the process of overcoming a language

barrier may seem, I’ve found that it can foster a whole new kind of connection I’d never encountered before. My grandparents and I have an intimate relationship because we know that our love for one another is unbounded. In some ways, it is a closer bond than I have with most people in my life solely because we are family. Yes, we struggle through our broken sentences when talking to each other. Often a conversation that could have taken five minutes will end up taking 10 minutes. But, however frustrating these moments are — especially when the conversation ends in a mutual acceptance of misunderstanding — the process of giving up is representative of our determination to maintain our relationship. When we sit next to each other silently after many failed attempts of conversation, there is a sense of connection, of mutual hardship. But, I can’t help but think about what would be the case if we weren’t family. If we were simply family friends instead, would we feel the same way about each other? Would we keep trying to talk our way through broken speech? I think not. My experience communicating with my grandparents is unique and gratifying in some ways, yet it seems wholly unfavorable in others. When I see my friends on the phone with their grandparents, chatting away as if they were any other family member or friend, I feel a sting of envy. There is some resentment within my own family as well. My older brother grew up speaking Telugu, allowing him to fluently talk to family members with ease. While he feels a sense of comfort at family

gatherings, I often feel like an alien. Seeing him effortlessly converse with family and family friends makes me feel a constant sense of inferiority. People always tell me: “There’s so much time to learn!” “If you go to India you’ll pick up Telugu in no time!” And, yes — this is true that my Telugu improves when I am constantly surrounded by family. But, it is simply too difficult to fully learn a language after I have already been trying — and failing — for the past 18 years. And, when I would try to speak in Telugu during family functions, I would be ridiculed for my American accent and choppy sentences. All the while, my family and family friends would praise my brother for his charisma and speaking skills. The more I tried to speak Telugu, the more I was mocked for it — causing me to speak less frequently and lose what little Telugu skills I did have. Now I inadvertently present myself as aloof and disinterested during large family gatherings, which is something I wish to change. I repeatedly asked my parents for some explanation as to why they never taught me Telugu like they had for my

brother. The answer was always the same: My brother had a hard time finding friends in preschool and early elementary school due to his limited English abilities, and my parents didn’t want me to struggle in the same way. So, they taught me English as my first language; but, once I started effectively and comfortably communicating with my parents in English, there was no longer a sense of urgency to learn Telugu. I always felt that I would have rather struggled socially as a toddler than be unable to speak to my own family now. But, rather than assume the offensive, I know that I must also be sympathetic toward my parents. As Indian immigrants, it is difficult enough for them to navigate the extent to which they assimilate into their new culture. This difficulty is compounded when one has to decide how to raise their children, teetering the line

between one’s home culture and the culture they’ve immigrated to. As a first generation American, I often think about how my own children will teeter this line. Truthfully, they will have no need for me to pass down the language skills of Telugu; the only people in my family who cannot speak English are older members. They will never have to struggle through painful, choppy conversations with their own family. For that I am both glad and envious. So no, movies like “Love Actually” are wrong in their depictions of a communication-less love as being fun, fresh and simple. This type of love is anything but.

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When spring comes

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TAYLOR SCHOTT

Statement Deputy Editor

When spring comes, everything will be easier, I tell myself. When the sidewalks are again crowded with the overhang of returning leaves, I won’t dread the walk to class, heading north on State Street and navigating through the intersection that smells permanently, but also sort of deliciously, of pizza and cigarettes. When I am eating breakfast to the chorus of birdsong, I won’t be so irritable, my coffee will taste better. Maybe, I tell myself, maybe I’ll finally stop needing to drink coffee. I wish I could say that I know by now not to fall for this plot every year. But after an especially long winter, I’m willing to believe almost anything. Spring, as a concept, is hope itself. We’ve all read — or were forced to read by a surprisingly passionate high school teacher — “How to Read Literature Like a Professor” by Thomas C. Foster. Didactic, a bit patronizing, the book lends insights such as these: “For about as long as anyone’s been writing anything, the seasons have stood for the same set of meanings: spring; childhood and youth, summer; fulfillment and passion, autumn; decline, middleage and tiredness, but also harvest, winter; old age, resentment and death.” Foster continues, “We know

these patterns because they’ve been with us for so long. How long? Very long.” I’ll lay this winter’s problem out flat: if left undisturbed, I can and will sleep into the deep afternoon. Most mornings I find it near impossible to wake up — worse yet is when I’ve had the requisite amount of hours needed (seven, it’s been said), but with a determination that I can only describe as self-preserving, I angrily switch all of the alarms off as they ring, each one its own annoyingly unique sound: Bulletin. Sencha. Marimba. If I need to get up at, say, 7 a.m., I will set the first alarm for 6 a.m. I will then set at least 6 more, in intervals of 10 minutes, leading up to 7 a.m. It by no means ends there: I will set about five more past the top of that hour to ensure that I get up. And it’s usually the very last alarm that does it. To put it simply: If I need to get up at 7 a.m., I will get up at 7:30 a.m., and it will take at least 20 alarms. Rollaway alarm clocks, light therapy, melatonin tabs taken at strategic hours; there are many such solutions to the problem(s) I’m describing here. Healthline says there are various reasons one could always be tired: nutrient deficiencies (of which it could be iron, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine, folate, vitamin B12, vitamin D, vitamin C or magnesium), stress,

“certain” medical conditions, dietary imbalances, too much caffeine, inadequate hydration, obesity, “certain” medications. I’m drudging through a sea of ambiguous and thoroughly unhelpful medical knowledge. So now what? It’s April, winter’s ugly last leg, and I’m still as exhausted as I was when this season started. The skies overhead are a dull gray, even duller, it seems, than gray ordinarily is — nothing promising ahead except lunch. I loll my head back existentially. Everybody I know and like is abroad. I can’t stand the sympathy theater that professors put on during this season: “I know, it’s that time of year, but hey — listen — I’ll let you out five minutes early. How’s that?” Oh, the gratitude I force myself to feel as I step out onto a marsh that yesterday was a snowcovered Diag. And I don’t particularly care to hear about truth-functional language, or atomic sentences, which sound — at the outset — incredibly interesting, but are in fact incredibly boring. Everyone has to be faking it — faking that they actually understand what the professor means when he says, “If a valuation in this row is truth functional it is not necessarily true tautologically but using

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Michigan in Color

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My name is SARAH OGUNTOMILADE

As a Christian, my favorite verse in the Bible is Mark 9:24. “Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, ‘I believe; help my unbelief!’” This is my unbelief: My name is Sarah Olumayowa Olamide Oguntomilade. I come from a Christian, Nigerian family where names are very important. It is believed that when you call someone’s name, you are declaring or prophesying something about them, because the words we say have power. Because of this, my parents gave me the biblical name of Sarah:, a woman whose womb was blessed by God, a name that means princess. I believe that my love for children and my desire to be a children’s educator was derived from this name, while my parents argue that my love for the finer things in life was brought about by them naming me princess. My two middle names are in Yoruba, the language spoken in my home and amongst millions of people in Nigeria and other parts of West Africa. Olumayowa and Olamide. Olumayowa meaning “God Brings Joy” and Olamide meaning “My Wealth Has Arrived.” You see, these aren’t just names found in a BuzzFeed article or in a book of a hundred cute names for girls. My parents truly believed that by naming me this,

they were telling God the desires of their hearts. Every time they call my name, it’s a prayer. A prayer for joy and wealth to enter their household. I wonder how good God’s Yoruba is?. My last name comes from a bit of a different place. It was not one chosen but rather given, a name that has conquered the test of time. You see, before the missionaries arrived at Cape of Good Hope, before the Portuguese arrived in Western Africa, before Great Britain drew the lines of Nigeria at the Berlin conference, the Yoruba people believed in a series of gods. The god of war, Ogun, is one of them, hence my last name: Oguntomilade. A last name that has almost been changed a good number of times because “we no longer subscribe to those beliefs” and “we don’t want people to think we are violent people who enjoy war or revenge.” Nonetheless, my name is Sarah Olumayowa Olamide Oguntomilade. The first prayer that I learned was a classic. “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.” My little preschool mind struggled to understand how I had a father in heaven when my dad was the one to drop me off at Sunday school that day. Regardless, every day after that, one could hear me pray, “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.” In 2015, I moved to the beautiful city of Maputo, Mozambique. Now on the

southern shore of Africa, a former Portuguese colony, I marveled at the number of women I met while working with the United States Agency for International Development, who mainly spoke their native tongue of Xangana. Yet what they could say in Portuguese was the Lord’s Prayer. Pai Nosso que estais no céu, SanI wondered how good God’s Xangana was?. Two years ago, my mom sent me an article via WhatsApp (the home of facts true and untrue) titled “Yoruba is now an official language in Brazil and can be taught in schools!.” The article described how there are enough descendants of West African slaves in Brazil who retained their maternal tongue of Yoruba that it can now be considered one of their official languages. “How cool is that?” my mother says. While I understood her amusement towards the idea that she could communicate with a significant number of people in Brazil in her mother tongue, I struggled to find the “coolness” in this fact. I began to wonder what it sounded like when my people were on the ships on their way to Brazil and Southern America. Did they sing:

Aribiti

Courtesy of Sarah Oguntomilade

Arabata

Oluwa (God you are the most high. God you are the most high. You see near and far, God you are the most high.) I wonder if God heard their cry. I wonder if God would have understood it better in Portuguese. As I wondered, I began

to wander in my studies and I found myself in a class last semester entitled “History of the Spanish and Portuguese Speaking World.” I began to contemplate how good God’s Nahuatl, Quechua or Taino was. I began to contemplate how good God’s Yoruba, Twi, Igbo or Creole was. Perhaps the god of war would’ve been more beneficial to them. Perhaps the god of war would’ve avenged them. Perhaps the god of war would’ve understood their cries. My name is Sarah Olumayowa Olamide Oguntomilade.

Self-sabotage over spring break YUNSEO CHO

I rejoiced on the evening of Friday, Feb. 26 — I could finally escape the clutches of my unfinished assignments and email drafts by basking in the light of 11 glorious letters: Spring Break. After struggling through two months with a “just get through this week” mindset, I was more than ready to kick back and relax for a week. During break, I woke up at noon, answered some texts and then went back to sleep for a few more hours. After finally getting out of bed, I would eat a late lunch before watching some Netf lix or aimlessly going through the same three apps on my phone. I saw a few friends

—

health issues,

tthe rest of the

who were still in town, but I spent the majority of the week staring at a small, glowing screen while hugging my old Hello Kitty plushie in bed. I had made plans for this highly anticipated week: I was supposed to

dust off my cello and give Dvo ák’s Cello Concerto in B Minor a quick whirl, open the piano at home and practice some Jay Chou and dig around my closet for some acrylic paints to mess around with. But the first day of break was for de-stressing, and so was the second, the third . . . until break had melted away like the snow. I wish I could say the week did me a lot of good and that it was nice to rest so much, but the reality was that for an entire week, what I had intended to be a well-spent vacation had turned into an extended depressive episode. The worst part was that after prolonged fatigue from months of work, not only was I unable to truly relax, but I allowed myself to dismiss the ways my depression had wreaked havoc, instead opting for avoidant efforts of “taking a break” under the guise of “practicing self-care.” I had given myself a week to fix my problems — to “solve” my mental health issues, restoring it to a condition just good enough to last me the rest of the term. I had somehow duped myself into believing that a week would be enough to placate my depression for the remaining month and a half of school, despite the fact that it had plagued me for a decade. At the end of spring break, when I was supposed to check Gmail and Canvas in order to make my transition to the latter half of the term easier, I instead did what I had done for the other eight days of spring break — absolutely nothing. As a result, the first Monday back from break was agonizing. I skipped my classes, unable to find the energy to get out of bed, and forced myself to nap and try to forget about the assignments I still hadn’t completed — or even started — yet. When I couldn’t fall back asleep, I laid in bed and mourned the time I had dedicated to rest and recovery, which had instead been wasted.

But it’s alright, I would think. I can chug through this term. I did it every other term, so why not this one too, right? The rest of my first week back from break consisted of me hardly eating a meal a day, continuing to skip most of my classes and randomly bailing on plans with friends in order to stay in my room for the rest of the week. As

professors after checking the printed syllabi in my folders. It was like an apology tour, except my set list consisted of songs like, “I Apologize for My Recent Absences,” “Would It Be All Right to Receive an Extension” and of course, the number-one hit single “Thank You So Much for Your Understanding.” Writing the emails took time, too — it wasn’t that writing them

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the days went by, my self-destructive habits made me realize how burnt out and depressed I was — how the “rest” that I had taken over the previous week had not been true rest or self-care. By never prioritizing self-care and always putting every other responsibility first, I had never gotten around to taking care of myself. As I had put aside this ‘task’ of self-care further and further until spring break, it was only until after the break ended that I realized self-care can’t and shouldn’t be an isolated event. Rather, it must be something that I constantly integrate into my life every day. When I had skipped enough classes, I decided to start with reaching out to

was difficult, but that I had to first set aside the feeling that I was no longer a good student and that my professors were disappointed in me. I won’t lie: a few of them were. Reading their responses and immediately picking up on their disappointed tones made me feel like my heart was getting steamrolled, but at the same time, I knew it meant that I had at least made small progress. On the other hand, when professors expressed empathy and extended kindness to me, I felt almost empowered to return to class. Knowing that they were at least aware (or at best, understanding and compassionate) of why I had been a completely different student than I was

at the beginning of the term made the prospect of going to class easier — I felt like I no longer had to hide. Despite spring break having ended several days before, after emailing my professors and then going to class, the burning feeling of shame from missing class had eased up a bit. Simply being in the classroom helped me feel more like a student than I had in weeks, and going back to class started to help me with the other parts of my life as I started to get back into a routine. Now, at the end of March, I am still catching up on assignments. I am still finding the need to go back to play my professors a few of my old hit songs, and there are still days where I am unable to get out of bed. On these days, I think of my stomach growling over spring break because I couldn’t find the energy to grab a bite to eat, or the agony of having to send my professors another slew of emails about my mental health while determining where the line between honesty and trauma dumping is. While stewing in my agony, I hug my faded Hello Kitty plushie, let my steamrolled heart ache a bit and swallow back the nausea I had felt from the shame of walking into a classroom I hadn’t seen in a month. Now though, while I process the nausea, I roll around in bed and let myself answer a few texts before forcing myself to at least sit at my desk. I sit there, staring vacantly at the wall for a good 10 seconds before slowly opening my laptop. I open Gmail and log into Canvas before starting to write a to-do list. Even if I only finish one assignment or even if all I do is sort through my emails, I know it is better than staring listlessly in bed for hours. Sitting at my desk is enough of an accomplishment for me, and even though getting out of bed doesn’t mean my GPA will go up, it means that I have at least taken one more step in actually taking care of myself.

What Trotter means to us UDOKA NWANSI

Special thanks to Karla Bell, Suba (HisThe William Trotter Multicultural Center recently celebrated its 50th anniversary in February and with each passing milestone, there comes an even greater need to preserve the history and purpose of this building so we do not lose sight of the communities Trotter is supposed to serve. To learn more about Trotter’s history and its significance to Black students at the University of Michigan, I had the opportunity to sit down with Business senior Karla Bell, who serves as the Suba (Historian) on the Black Student Union 2021-2022 Executive Board. Trotter was originally called Trotter House and was colloquially known as the “Black House” amongst Black students. Directly resulting from the actions of the first (of three) Black Action Movements, Trotter House was built in 1971 as a Black Student Cultural Center to meet the needs of Black students on campus. When talking about the early beginnings of Trotter, Bell said, “Black students really only had Trotter, and it was neither in a safe location on campus nor well funded. Trotter was funded and built at the hands of student labor.”

Trotter House was the host building for events for Black students, but they had to risk their safety to be able to use the space. Bell said, “At the time, Black people on campus were susceptible to violence and danger because (Trotter House) was off-campus in a poorly lit

student center. By 1981, Trotter House would expand its scope to become a multicultural student center. As the Trotter House expanded to include programming for students of all racial minorities on campus, Black Student Union executive board members tried to appeal for

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area. Yet still, they risked their wellbeing to be there.” In 1972, the original Trotter House burned down in a kitchen fire so the University bought a building on Washtenaw Avenue to house the

increased funding from the University to expand their efforts in promoting equity on campus. In 2013, undergraduate and graduate students began “A New Trotter Initia-

tive,” a plan to have a new multicultural center be built at the center of campus. After three years of advocating to the University of Michigan administration for a new building, a $10 million budget was finally approved in 2016 for the building of The William Trotter Multicultural Center. By 2019, Trotter had officially found a new home on South State Street and was open for student use. Currently, less than 4% of the U-M undergraduate population is Black, making it easy to feel like an outsider in most spaces on campus. Because of this, Trotter is an essential space for Black students. It exists as our place to congregate; it’s one of the only buildings on campus that feels as though it belongs to Black students — a home base of sorts where we can build fellowship, work together and exist in the comfort of our own community. This is why Trotter is frequently used by organizations like BSU and HEADS (Here Earning A Destiny through Honesty, Eagerness, And Determination of Self ) to hold their meetings. Students of Color, and specifically Black students, commonly frequent the multicultural center, which speaks to its necessity in the community. For me personally, I find myself in Trotter after a day of classes more often than not. I always know I’ll run into at least a few of my friends every time I step

into the building. Between homework assignments, I’ll usually take a break from my work to make conversation with them and joke around. If I’m not doing homework or hanging out with friends, then usually I’m somehow finding my way into the activities that might be going on in Trotter that day, like a game night or a cultural event. There is such an intrinsic sense of community in Trotter, which makes it unlike any other building on campus. “If you’re coming into Trotter, learn the history of the space and respect the effort that it took to have this,” Bell said. “(Black) students lost their scholarships for this and faced consequences to have Trotter as a space.” Everyone who comes into Trotter, whether it be for personal use or for an organization, should be mindful that such a space came directly from Black activism. There is a rich history behind how Trotter has transformed into the multicultural center that we know it as today and this history is intertwined with the Black Action Movements. I’m grateful to the Black students who fought to have a building like Trotter on campus and as we use the space to build fellowship amongst underrepresented groups on campus, it’s imperative that we continue to pass down the history as well.

Opinion

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Here’s why we should pump the brakes on universal Daylight Saving Time EVAN STERN

Opinion Columnist

s war rages in Ukraine, inflation skyrockets to unprecedented highs and businesses brace for possible cyberattacks, Republicans and Democrats alike have their work cut out for them. While solutions to these issues remain elusive, Congress has been able to take action on a seemingly less urgent topic: daylight saving time. In a rare show of bipartisanship, the Senate unanimously passed the Sunshine Protection Act. If signed into law by the House of Representatives and President Biden, the bill would permanently move the entire country (except for Arizona and Hawaii) to Daylight Saving Time (DST) and do away with the fourmonth annual period of Standard Time that moves clocks one hour earlier from November to March. The Sunshine Protection Act, sponsored by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., has obvious appeal. It would end the decades-long custom of “springing forward” every March and “falling back” every November. This practice, which is disruptive to sleep schedules and may even be bad for our health, forces people to groggily adjust their internal clocks twice a year. The bill, as its name suggests, would also “protect” the country’s sunshine by delivering another hour of daylight every afternoon during the fall and winter months. On Dec. 21, 2021 — the shortest day of the last calendar year — the sun set in Ann Arbor at 5:05 p.m., before most people usually eat dinner. Night fell over New York and Chicago even earlier, by around 4:30 p.m. Under the Sunshine Protection Act, sunset would have come a full hour later, giving people more daylight in the evening for outdoor activities and commuting home from work or classes. But the Sunshine Protection Act isn’t all good. The bill has a dark side that most people either don’t understand or fail to acknowledge. Despite its broad support, passing this bill into law isn’t in the best interest of the American people. The Senate has jumped the gun on protecting our sunshine without weighing the massive drawbacks such a move would entail.

What’s the problem with the Sunshine Protection Act? First and foremost, its supporters only tell half of the story. While the sun would set an hour later every day between November and March (when we revert to Standard Time under current law), the Sunshine Protection Act wouldn’t actually protect our sunshine at all. It would merely shift our daylight from the morning to the evening, effectively pushing the sunrise each morning an hour later. Later sunrises might not seem like a huge problem at first. But a closer look at the impacts of one hour less of sunlight every morning reveals deep problems with this bill that should have prevented it from passing in the Senate. Instead of rising on Dec. 21 at 8:00 a.m. here in Ann Arbor, the Sunshine Protection Act would’ve pushed sunrise to a startling 9:00 a.m. For a student or worker here who wakes up at a traditional time like 7:00 A.M. they’d be greeted by two full hours of complete darkness before the sun comes up. The problem is exacerbated for communities located on the western edges of their respective time zones. In Marquette, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, sunrise on Dec. 21 wouldn’t have come until 9:30 a.m. Some communities in western North Dakota, which is located in the Central Time Zone, wouldn’t see daylight until almost 10:00 a.m. Rather than protect sunlight, the Sunshine Protection Act guarantees that people near the western edges of their time zones around the country wake up every day in darkness. This isn’t just irritating and inconvenient for the people in these areas who wake up at a reasonable hour. It’s deeply problematic for the health and safety of society. Perhaps the group that will be most disadvantaged by the Sunshine Protection Act is students. School starts at 8:00 a.m. at the average public high school, and many schools start even earlier. Proponents of the Sunshine Protection Act cite the benefits of universal DST for students, such as the added daylight in the afternoon for after-school sports and extracurriculars. But these benefits are unclear since most activities are already held indoors during the winter months outside of some southern states like Florida where the weather is warm enough for them to be held outside.

PALAK SRIVASTAVA

Even if a successful case can be made for the health benefits of the additional afternoon sunlight, these benefits are far outweighed by the safety hazards students would face every morning walking to school or waiting at the bus stop in total darkness. We need not look far back in history to see that this bill would put students in harm’s way on a daily basis. In the 1970s, America tried the same thing proposed in the Sunshine Protection Act, and the results were disastrous. Children heading to school were, on numerous occasions, struck by cars on dark winter mornings, resulting in injuries and deaths. In Florida alone, eight children were killed in accidents soon after the change took effect. Between December 1973 and February 1974, public support for the nationwide experiment nearly dropped by half, from 79% to 42%, leading Congress to repeal the measure and return the clocks to normal. Fast forward 50 years, there’s no reason to believe anything will be different the second time around. While students would face unacceptable risks under this proposal, they’re far from the sole group affected. A growing number of experts are sounding the alarm over the health impacts of permanent DST for people of all ages and backgrounds. The current practice of “falling back” and “springing forward” is already bad for our health, but doctors argue the Sunshine Protection Act would make matters even worse. Researchers say permanent DST could lead to “a more sustained negative health impact” and greater risks of cancer as well as metabolic and cardiovascular disorders, according to the Wall Street Journal. If one of the primary aims of universal DST is eliminating the dreaded biannual time change, it’s unclear why the Senate hasn’t considered permanent Standard Time instead. This option hasn’t received enough attention and deserves serious consideration. Ultimately, daylight saving time may have some benefits, but the drawbacks of switching to DST permanently are overwhelming and clear. Before the Sunshine Protection Act becomes law, it’s critical our lawmakers pump the brakes on this legislation and weigh the real costs of transforming how we keep time.

here is a lot of fiction to the NBC comedy The Good Place. If you are unaware of the plot of the show, it is essentially a testimony to one theory of what happens after we pass. The show begins with the main character, Eleanor Shellstrop, believing she has reached “The Good Place” (i.e. heaven) by mistake, and in a desperate attempt to fit in, she asks an ethics professor named Chidi Anagonye to teach her how to be good. Though there are a lot of humorous aspects and storybook elements to the show, one aspect of it that I thought was pretty realistic was the emphasis on people’s capacity to change. Perhaps you feel a television show is not a good testament to real life, and I completely agree. But watching Eleanor over time grow to be a morally better person still made me think about the way our society is structured. Is it impossible to teach people how to be a good person? If we spend years learning math, science, history, English, etc. in school, then why can’t we spend a little more time learning about morals? Thinking about this concept led me to do some self-ref lecting. When did I learn the difference between good and bad or what doing the right thing even means? I certainly was never given a PowerPoint presentation describing different scenarios and testing me on what the “right thing to do” was, so when were those values instilled in me? Personally I think it has a lot to do with how we are raised. In the debate of nature versus nurture, studies of genetic twins have shown that anywhere from a quarter to a half of our tendency to be giving and caring is inherited;

that still leaves a lot of the responsibility on nurture. Some studies attribute it to the parents’ or legal guardian’s sense of empathy and injustice, while others believe it has to do more with modeling and how the guardians act and respond to certain situations. On the other side, there are those who don’t believe the responsibility lies on the parents at all and that some kids are just simply bad seeds. Whichever theory you believe, it is hard to dispute that to some extent, what you learn as a child definitely plays a part in your morality. So doesn’t it follow that if your immediate environment doesn’t teach you those important things there is the potential to learn it elsewhere? This question of whether teaching ethics would be effective at achieving any good is one that I have grappled with for quite some time. This is also the exact question a Stanford Panel sought to answer. Reading about their debates within the panel, it became clear that there are definite benefits but also valid reasons to be cautious about teaching ethics to kids. For one, many scholars participating in the panel “expressed discomfort with the idea that they have any moral authority over their students.” The professors’ perspective is that they are in no position to tell their students what is morally virtuous and what is not as it would imply that they are on some higher moral ground when in reality, many view their students as just as virtuous, if not more virtuous, than them. Therefore, to have that control over their behavior is seen as an abuse of power that many dislike. Moreover, it is definitely difficult to understand how one college course has the power to magically transform students into a more virtuous version of themselves in only one semester. But, in the end, I

would argue that making ethics a mandatory class could only positively benefit students. From that same panel, many of the professors agreed that such classes help teach students how to engage in ethical dialogue, assist in widening their tolerance and create a space where they can talk about their moral disagreements. And through such discussions, the Stanford professors admit that the impact on students can be huge: including helping them understand more about themselves while also improving their critical thinking skills and academic performances. Again, though the chances of one throwing their previously held mindset out the window after one ethics class is unlikely, opening up the floor for such conversations has the power to broaden peoples’ minds. Linda Flanagan, an advisory board member for the Ethics Institute at Kent Place School has said that by posing students with ethical dilemmas they must reflect on, it forces them to answer tough questions and as a result adapt better ethical decision making. In the process, by being forced to explore an issue from different sides — as Flanagan encourages kids to do — it also works to help kids understand and become more empathetic toward others as well. Such evidence shows that while ethics can be a hard topic to address, if done correctly it can be very beneficial and effective in shaping people’s minds. If you are still feeling doubtful, I will end by leaving you with a simple question: to some extent, people are just the products of their environments. And so doesn’t it stand to reason that if we force people out of their comfort zone, away from the mindsets they are used to, and make them engage with new perspectives, a new product might emerge?

Roommate woes

Design by Opinion Cartoonist Maddy Leja

Perhaps not all men, but certainly all women REBECCA SMITH Opinion Columnist

Content warning: this article contains mentions of sexual assault ome to the back room, girls, I’ll show you around.” Right away, his words set off a thousand different alarm bells in my head. My gut is telling me to get out, but he’s holding the ice cream we just ordered, and we can’t really leave without looking crazy, or possibly offending him. He keeps talking, asking us questions about where we go to school, how old we are and what our plans are for today. I make eye contact with my friend, praying she picks up on my panic. Thankfully, she does, and we manage to pay and leave without a problem. Still, I’m shaken up. Every woman on this campus can probably think of a situation bearing some similarity to that one. When a woman — or anyone female presenting — is out in public, there’s a lot they have to keep in mind: travel in groups, carry pepper spray, share your location with your friends and don’t leave your drink unattended, to

name a few. The fear is omnipresent, a background hum in the music of our lives, and even if you check off all those boxes, the danger remains. Last March, 33-year-old Sarah Everard was raped and killed on her walk home in London. She was on the phone with her boyfriend, wearing bright clothing and walking in a welllit neighborhood. Not only was she familiar with her surroundings, but several people knew her whereabouts. Seemingly, she did everything right, but it wasn’t enough. Tragic cases like these make it hard not to assume the worst. As a woman, letting your guard down can have disastrous consequences. A recent study by anti-harassment organization Hollaback! and Cornell University showed that 85% of women reported their first experience of harassment before the age of 17, and a shocking 12% reported harassment before the age of 11. Seventy-seven percent of women reported being followed at some point, and — perhaps most concerningly — half of U.S. women under the age of 40 reported being groped or fondled in public. These statistics speak volumes

about the disturbing reality women face in places such as public transit, parks and college campuses. It’s not a choice. From a young age, we are forced to be wary of the men around us, and when incidents of harassment and assault do occur, the blame is often pinned on the woman herself. Questions like, “why didn’t she fight back?” or “why didn’t she say no?” get tossed around without ever actually addressing the problematic double standard at play. Women are socialized to fear strange men, yet are also expected to ignore this fear and be assertive and aggressive when targeted. By the time a woman has reached adolescence, she has most likely internalized one important fact: You should never intentionally make a man angry. Be polite and understanding, even when you feel unsafe, because you do not know how they will react. We avert eye contact with those catcalling us so as not to encourage them, and we certainly don’t holler back. We tell men who hit on us that we have a boyfriend, not that we’re just not attracted to them. When the man in the ice cream store began to make me feel

uncomfortable, I found myself scrambling for a way to escape the situation without coming off as rude. Not a single part of me ever considered telling him off or storming out of the store, simply because I feared his reaction — and rightly so. Aggression can have violent consequences. Just recently in Detroit, 27-year-old Mary Spears was approached by a young man hoping to get her number. She rejected him several times before her fiancé intervened. The encounter eventually ended in a shootout that left Spears dead and five others wounded. These incidents are obviously rare. It is a minority of men who harass and assault women, let alone who commit murder. Still, these stories send a message to women everywhere about what could happen if they choose to stand up for themselves in the face of harassment. A Tumblr page entitled “When Women Refuse” is dedicated to sharing the stories of those who have faced violence after rejecting sexual advances. Take just one minute to scroll, and you’ll find story after story of harassment and assault directed at women who simply said no. How

can women be expected to shrug off these advances if these are the possible consequences? Many want to chalk up women’s fear in public to sheer paranoia. Some even believe that women should take forms of sexual harassment like catcalling as a compliment. I mean, why be afraid? Most men are great, right? Except the ones that aren’t. A study from The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence found that one in three women have experienced abuse from an intimate partner, and that one in seven women have been stalked by an intimate partner to the point that they feared for their lives. If the people closest to these women are capable of that, why would wariness of absolute strangers be deemed paranoia? Maybe the man in the ice cream shop was harmless, but even if he was, I cannot say that I would react differently a second time around. Though it’s amusing to entertain the idea of telling him off, it is much more likely that my fear of the consequences would prevail, and the same is true for many women around the world. We are taught to pacify the men who are a threat to

our safety because standing up for ourselves poses a greater risk than benefit. Women everywhere are forced to reconcile with the idea that when alone in public, some men — even if only just a fraction — view them as something to be objectified, and they must navigate the world accordingly. Our wariness isn’t a personal insult to all men, but instead a defense mechanism. All of society — men in particular — have the power to change this. Many do not realize that they are inadvertently making women feel unsafe, but there are things that can be done to prevent this: keep your distance, don’t flirt if the woman is not showing interest and recognize that their reserve is most likely not a reflection of you, but instead a reflection of their desperation to get home safe. Perhaps most importantly, teach boys and young men that women in public spaces are not public property, but instead people who are just trying to go about their day. Constantly living engulfed in a cloud of fear is exhausting, but together we can begin to ease this burden and make women everywhere feel safer.

Opinion

10 — Wednesday, April 6, 2022

Fridays at Ann Arbor’s Necto GISELLE MILLS Opinion Columnist

ecto, a club located on Liberty Street in Ann Arbor, is a popular destination for Queer students at the University of Michigan on Friday nights. This is partially to do with the 18 and up age requirement, and mostly to do with their infamous Pride Fridays, which have existed since 1984. Pride Friday (also known as “Gay Night”) sees high amounts of traffic — almost as soon as Necto opened back up in July 2021, there were lines down the sidewalk to get in. Clubs are popular on weekend nights, but Necto is particularly known around campus for Gay Night. During my freshman year, on Oct. 3, 2019, my friends and I went to an Icona Pop concert at Necto (they wrote “I Love It (feat. Charli XCX)”, a very popular song from 2012). I dyed my hair temporarily pink and danced the entire night. A friend told me that one performer of the duo stared at me when they entered the crowd. I still don’t believe her. I did not go to Necto again until last semester when I went to a Friday Gay Night. While there was no official concert that I was waiting for and it was some random Friday night in October, the atmosphere held the same excitement and anticipation as I entered the club. Many of my Queer friends still love to go on Fridays, even as they are over 21 and can go to other bars. One of Ann Arbor’s most popular gay bars, Aut Bar, closed during quarantine in June 2020. Drake George, a Statement columnist at The Michigan Daily, wrote in February about the decrease in Queer bars over the last few decades. Aut was not a singularity, and Necto stands today as one of the only 18+ Queer-friendly bars within a walking distance for University of Michigan students. I sat down with Business freshman Maddie Wilson, a member of the executive board in the Out for Business organization at the Ross School of Business (though it is not Business School-exclusive). She estimated that she goes to Necto’s Gay Night almost every other Friday since joining the club, a popular event to bring members together. During our interview, she told me, “Personally I love Friday Pride Nights, just because it’s just a different atmosphere than

a frat party.” She emphasized the community of Necto itself and the importance of going with people that you like, as well as her comfort going alone. For Wilson, Necto is not just a place to dance and listen to music with her friends, but also a place to meet people (we both have crazy bathroom stories). She said that she mainly goes on Fridays, but she tries to go on Saturdays with her sorority sisters, too. When I asked if she went anywhere other than Necto, she said, “I think Necto is the main place we go out … I don’t think there’s any other place, at least to my knowledge, that is a going-out club-type of feel, that has a Pride Night.” I also asked Engineering junior Erdem Ozdemir about his experiences at Necto. He told me that he started going to Necto this past summer, but he has since been going more often, about once a month. When I asked about a favorite Necto memory, Ozdemir told me about an event two weeks ago — Kylie Sonique Love’s drag performance on Pride Friday. He expressed an interest in going to Live on their bi-weekly Thursday Pride nights after classes are over in the summer, but he currently only goes to Necto for specific Queerfriendly events. “It also doesn’t help that there aren’t a ton of commercial Queer spaces in Ann Arbor, I know there was Aut Bar, but that closed over the pandemic,” Ozdemir said. “For now, it’s mostly Necto.” He told me that he only goes to Necto on Gay Night — “I’m usually there because I want to be around other Queer people … the energy there is really good, it’s a lot of fun, and there’s a sense of understood community there … Plus, the music is better.” Necto stands as one of the only University student-accessible nightclubs (for both age and location) within Ann Arbor. It is distinctive in its specific openness, though there generally is a cost for attendance — $10 for anyone 21 and up, and $20 for 18- to 20-year-olds, but it’s free before 10 p.m. for anyone with a college ID. It may not be the only place to meet people or hang out, but it is wellknown for its feeling of community and fun atmosphere. Ann Arbor needs more Queer establishments, like most cities; for now, Necto seems to work for a lot of LGBTQ+ students. If you are looking for a club to go to on a Friday night, consider going to Necto for free before 10 p.m. Do NOT forget your MCard.

The false allure of term limits DEVON HESANO Opinion Columnist

erm limits on members of Congress have turned into one of the mainstay bipartisan policy appeals. Polls have shown as much as 80% of the country supports them. Politicians ranging from former President Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, to former President Barack Obama and progressive Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif. have backed the policy. Proponents of the idea like the aforementioned politicians suggest that they could improve our democratic system by rooting out corruption, modernizing Congress and implementing fresh leadership. Younger candidates for the upcoming November 2022 midterms especially have clung to the idea, such as Iowa Democratic Senate candidate Abby Finkenauer, who has made term limits a main component of her campaign, likely in a direct attempt to attack veteran Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, who is currently running for his eighth term in the Senate. However, congressional term limits are not as great as they may seem. Foremost is the fact that they are inherently undemocratic, and go against much of what American

Opinion Columnist

veryone wants to be “that girl.” You know who she is, the one who “has her life together,” who wakes up early, works out in a chic set, drinks colorful smoothies, has pretty, shiny hair and glowing skin — all effortlessly of course. I’m sorry to tell you that this is not actually a tutorial on how to be her, in fact, I’m here to tell you instead that you can’t be her. She isn’t real! But you are, and you can be just as happy as her. Social media is full of trends: things that rapidly gain popularity and lose it just as quickly. It seems weekly, sometimes even more frequently, there is something new that we absolutely must try. Alarmingly, lifestyles have become part of these trends. The two are almost antonyms, making it unproductive to turn a lifestyle into a trend — or a trend into a lifestyle. Trends are fleeting, something that comes and goes almost too quickly to keep up with. A lifestyle, however, is something holistic, a way of living that influences everything one does, every day. A lifestyle cannot be adopted as quickly as or as fleetingly as trends are. Influencers all over social media masquerade as “that girl” for millions to see. Instagram is full of men and women alike carefully posing in their expensive gym outfits to show off their fit lifestyle. This is problematic as a second captured in time, with contorted angles, flattering lighting and subtle editing, is presented as a perpetual state of being. Tik Tokkers post 10-second videos of the best 10 seconds of their day, and YouTubers 10-minute videos of the best 10 minutes of their week. This is problematic because

that’s all those videos are: their best moments represent their entire lifestyle. It sets unrealistic standards of not just how to look, act or be, but how to live. That isn’t real life. In reality, people struggle, and that’s okay. The lifestyle that is presented is not the problem, but the way in which people try to achieve it is. It is great to have goals of eating well, of taking care of your body through exercise, of maintaining a good schedule and other healthy things. However, it is important to realize that these types of significant changes don’t happen overnight and that it is not realistic to maintain such a “perfect” lifestyle all of the time. I might have misled you a bit. While I can’t tell you how to be “that girl,” I can help you to implement the lifestyle characteristics that she represents — with science. Leading a stable lifestyle is all about forming consistent habits. In “Atomic Habits” by James Clear, he notes that “your habits can compound for or against you.” He explains that productivity compounds, but so does stress. Completing one small task a day, for multiple days will result in lots of things accomplished. However, the opposite is also true. Multiple stressors can come together to create high-stress situations. If these situations persist for weeks, months or even years, they can create serious health and happiness problems. Knowledge and relationships can compound as well, but so can negative thoughts and anger. What all of this means is that everything you do must be done intentionally. Habits are most successful when there is some level of commitment behind them. Now, your situation is not going to change immediately because you decide it will — but over time it might. Practice the life

democracy stands for. A core ideal of democracy is that those who are elected are a reflection of the will of the people. If a majority of a district or state wants someone elected, voters can reflect that preference on the ballot and elect them. Congressional term limits would take this all away. A congressperson could have done fantastic work for a district or state, be immensely popular and have a constituent base ready to support their re-election, only for the government to turn around and tell said constituents their candidate of choice is no longer valid. It makes little sense. While proponents of term limits decry a lack of new leadership, a cohort of extraordinarily old individuals and entrenched politicians, they fail to mention that there is a perfectly functional mechanism to rectify these issues, if indeed they fail to represent the majority of constituents, and that is for them to be voted out. Whether in office for three, 10 or 50 years, every congressperson is held to the same standard of re-election: win the most votes. Additional problems include the fact that term limits, when they have been tried in state legislatures, have been shown to increase polarization, decrease familiarity between congresspeople — therefore hurting the chance to form

you want, and it can become the life you have. This may all sound very exhausting, and honestly a lot of work. But, habit forming doesn’t have to be a burden. In “The Power of Habit” by Charles Duhigg, he describes the way habits are naturally formed. First, there is a cue, a desire for a result. Following that cue, a routine develops and finally, a result is obtained. The result is like a reward, it’s what was desired. This in turn provides subconscious motivation to repeat the routine or habit to continue getting the result or reward. Studies have found that it is the reward part that makes us continue the habit. If you are struggling to form a habit, you can accelerate this process a bit by rewarding yourself for completing the behavior you are trying to turn into a habit. For example, if you want to start waking up earlier, you might reward yourself with your favorite coffee or breakfast. This teaches your brain that waking up earlier results in something yummy. If you want to start studying for an hour each day, you could reward yourself with some television time afterward. I like to reward myself for cleaning my apartment with fresh flowers to put in the kitchen. If the result is sufficiently rewarding, the habit will form. While not perfect, habits are consistent and will deliver results. This can make change much easier and less of a chore. Being “that girl” is unattainable because it suggests that people live incredibly productive, healthy and well-balanced lives effortlessly. The truth is that none of those things are effortless. They require commitment, dedication and persistence, but they are achievable with good habits. If you start today, you can be anything you want.

bipartisan working relationships — and that legislative branches grow increasingly powerless in comparison to the executive brand and their underlying bureaucrats. There is no reason to believe that new candidates would be any less corrupt, have any better intentions or be any better leaders than those who have steady, proven support among those they represent. This is the most popular reasoning invoked by proponents of term limits, yet there is little if any congruent evidence this policy would work as desired. Many term-limited members of Congress would simply go into occupations that cause the same problem most proponents are concerned about, such as political lobbying and advocating for shady special interests. It has become popular as of late, spurred on in part by prominent republicans, to critique experience. Somehow having extensive knowledge and familiarity with government has become a bad thing, and being an ‘outsider’ with little if any government or political experience has become desirable. While in almost every professional field experience is looked at as a benefit, for politicians it has become somehow an inherent evil. Moreover, were politicians to be limited to shorter terms, they would be less effective at crafting

The honorable

Design by Libby Chambers, Opinion Cartoonist

How to be “that girl” AMY EDMUNDS

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

legislation and struggle more to navigate the complexities of congressional action. A harsh reality of those in favor of term limits is that their support is often rooted in ageist thinking. Some feel that those who are, for example, 75 years old and have been in Congress for decades no longer can be capable in their positions. While it is reasonable, and quite common, for individuals to prefer candidates based in part on their age, it is unfair and inaccurate to automatically surmise that those who are high in age are not competent or able enough to maintain their posture in Congress. Even if that were the case, there is a perfectly good system to remove these officeholders, through the democratic feature of voting. Congressional term limits are a solution for a made-up issue and insult voters by insinuating that the electorate is not competent enough to hold its elected leaders accountable. Proponents of term limits exacerbate some of the exact issues they aim to rectify, and many of their ideas are often rooted in an immoral, ageist philosophy. While it is fair to be concerned about entrenched corruption and a lack of diverse generations in Congress, the solution is to elect better candidates, not take away the will of the people to vote as they please.

Op-Ed: The Michigan Review publishes article bashing student as opposed to addressing over-arching racial issue BENJAMIN COLDING Opinion Contributor

Charles Hilu was contacted in advance of this Op-Ed’s publication. He voiced no major concerns about material misrepresentations of facts or events. The Michigan Daily is committed to publishing a variety of Op-Eds & Letters to the Editor. n March 25th, 2022, an article titled, “Too Many White People in Trotter Multicultural Center, Graduate Student Claims,” was published by The Michigan Review’s Charles Hilu. This article poorly attempts to speculate the thought process of the Black graduate student at the University of Michigan, Byron Brooks. Brooks notably wrote a letter to the Board of Regents in which he claims that the presence of whiteidentifying students in Trotter Multicultural Center is threatening the building’s utility as a safe space for people of color. Though this subject may be a touchy one to be analyzed and debated, Hilu, in his article, goes so far as to tastelessly disrespect and disregard the concerns of Brooks and other students of color at the University of Michigan. At the beginning of the article, Hilu very aggressively coins Brooks as a “racist.” Though the coining of Brooks as a “racist” is open to debate, before even articulating his reasoning Hilu demeans the valuable thoughts of a student who is, rightfully, concerned with his community’s well-being. In the third paragraph of this work,

Hilu also writes that a “common sense of decency” is uncommon in U-M students. Hilu demonstrated a lack of genuine intellectual rigor; instead of honestly contending with the argument Brooks was making, Hilu depended on tired dog whistles to whip his audience into a frenzy. Hilu has destroyed his own credibility by shutting down Brooks’s attempts to facilitate an honest conversation about privilege and security for people of color on our campus. The point of Brooks’s letter, and very explicitly, the core of his requests at the end of his writing, is ignorantly thrown away by Hilu. Later in the article, Hilu writes — in regards to Brooks’s suggestion that the University of Michigan Board of Regents take action and uphold their equity — that “His words are vague because he knows the only thing that would remedy his concerns is some form of racial segregation or privilege.” First and foremost — though one could perhaps infer based upon the tone of the letter that Brooks would prefer the segregation of students — the only thing that Brooks explicitly asks of those in power at the University is that they address this issue formally on campus and “set up a meeting with student leaders of color accross [sic] campus to ensure that true equity is being upheld.” Secondly, a productive article would suggest possible solutions as opposed to simply bashing a student for speaking out. Though Brooks’s ideas are debatable, this article has misused and misconstrued

the meaning behind Brooks’s original letter and ultimately demonstrates to all students that if they genuinely express themselves to those who have the power to make change, they will be publicly ridiculed instead of worked with. The vicious attacks Hilu instill in his article only reinforce the feelings of discomfort that students may feel on campus and the doubt that students may have in the willingness of policy makers to address their needs. Through and through, Hilu’s article only stains his reputation as a writer and the University of Michigan’s image as an institution. Hilu, in his article, also teases and disrespects Brooks when he infers that Brooks has a fear of white people. Racial trauma is described as “mental and emotional injury caused by encounters with racial bias and ethnic discrimination, racism, and hate crimes.” This is an issue much more abundant in today’s younger generation than one would think, and it is an adversity to be taken seriously, yet Hilu makes fun of this concept. Making fun of a topic that’s significant in the lives of many people of color all across the nation is simply inappropriate. Again, Brooks’s ideas on the occupancy of white individuals in the Trotter Multicultural Center should be debated, but Hilu disregarding the legitimate and real racial trauma that many people at the University relate to is no better than openly spitting on the mental health of students.

Read more at MichiganDaily.com

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Wednesday, April 6, 2022 — 11

SportsWednesday: Michigan’s dominant season is one more step in a culmination of excellence In the 46 years before 2021, Mich- Worth.” igan women’s gymnastics never Michigan won the National passed the 198-point mark, though Championship last season and it’s it had come close a couple not slowing down, provtimes in the years leading ing itself to be even better up to it. 197.950 in the 2020 at both the individual and Elevate the Stage meet, then team level. six days later it put up a 197.9 Let’s run through some against New Hampshire. numbers. But, since eclipsing the Junior Sierra Brooks 198 mark — a mark which is averaging a 39.562 allmeans, on average, everyaround score. The program one on the team needs to get KENT SCHWARTZ record is 39.526, set by a 9.9 or better in every event Natalie Wojcik in her fresh— it hasn’t looked back. The Wolver- man year — Wojcik is still on the ines surpassed it four times in 2021 team, with a 39.328 all-around score. and thrice in 2022, including setting Junior Gabby Wilson has an alla new record of 198.525. Over the last around score of 39.465, good enough two years, the program has elevated for third in program history. Sophoitself to another level. more Naomi Morrison’s 39.436 will “We want to walk in there being also be a top-10 score. confident, being aggressive and feelSettling further into the details. ing like, I always quote a saying I got Wilson’s vault average of 9.910 is fifth from Lloyd Carr years ago, ‘Know in program history. Her bars average the outcome before you begin,’ ” is sixth in program history. Her floor Michigan coach Bev Plocki said routine average of 9.955 is best in Saturday. “That’s my definition of program history. Brooks’ floor averconfidence and we have used that age of 9.943 will settle into second a lot and that’s how we want to feel place behind that and Morrison’s about how we’re going to go into Fort will plummet all the way down to

fourth in the record books once the season ends. Wojcik, who won the individual national championship in beam in 2019, is averaging a 9.915 — a standard of excellence that falls only behind her own scoring average from when she won the title. By the time Wojcik’s career is over, she will hold three of the top four spots in Michigan’s record book for average beam score. Each of these individual levels of

ANNA FUDER/Daily This season, Michigan women’s gymnastics has eclipsed many statistical milestones of last season’s national championship squad.

Mikaela Schulz carves her own path amidst dominant family legacy

female golfer in Schulz’s family. Her mother, Rachel, is an experienced golfer as well who also competDaily Sports Writer ed as a Wolverine from 1982 to 1983. Many athletes who come from Naturally, Schulz went through her families with accomplished relatives childhood with the desire to play golf feel stuck in the shadows, unsure of at Michigan, declaring her dream at how to forge their own identity. the mere age of nine and a half. But Mikaela Schulz, a junior on In a typical mother-daughter the Michigan women’s golf team, dynamic, it took until high school never had that problem. for Schulz to accept that her mom’s Her cousin, LPGA golfer Morgan advice could go beyond inspiration. Pressel, has been a role model for as “She would give me something to long as Schulz can remember. Pressel do and it would work,” Schulz said. “I definitely set a high bar: she went pro- would be surprised, realizing that she fessional straight out of high school, knows what she’s talking about.” appealing to join the LPGA tour in Mikaela spent countless hours 2005 as a 17-year-old. Then in 2007, throughout high school and leading an 18-year-old Pressel won the ANA up to college in order to earn her spot Inspiration to become the youngest on the Michigan golf team. She battled winner of a modern major champi- burnout and low motivation and even onship at the time. considered quitting altogether. But her “I had a lot of interactions with determination and grit carried her to touring professionals,” Schulz said. the elite level she is playing at today. “It inspired me to live that lifestyle as In her first few years at Michigan, well and be really good at golf.” Schulz has been named an Academic Growing up, Schulz was constant- All-Big Ten (2021), contributed to ly surrounded by golf, female players the 14th NCAA regionals and fourth especially. She was taken behind the NCAA finals (2021) in program history scenes to see locker room set-ups, sat and came in first place at the Wolverine on her cousin’s lap during interviews Invitational this past September. and even got an up close perspective “You get people who are like, ‘No into professional training. wonder you’re good at golf; you’ve got “If you golf with them, you get to the genes,’” Schulz said. “It’s challenging see the different levels of playing and becauseit’sthehardwork,notthegenes.” how you don’t have to be perfect to To balance her rigorous golf schedbe at that level,” Schulz said. “Being ule, Schulz has adopted and prioritized exposed to that world has led me to other passions. She plays the ukulele work hard and have a dream to play and practices tae kwon do and yoga. on the tour as well.” These hobbies and passions help Pressel is not the only successful Schulz distinguish her own identity. “Golf is a huge part of my life, and finding time to also have other passions while maintaining my golf practices is really essential to creating my own path,” Schulz said. The Michigan winters also help give Schulz and other northern golfers the break they need but would not take in MADELINE HINKLEY/Daily other climates. In the offseason, with playing Mikaela Schulz’s family, teammates and coaches have helped her grow as a golfer. outside not an option, KATELYN TURNER

excellence compound themselves into a team that can compete at the highest level. The Wolverines are the best floor team in program history, outpacing the second highest by nearly two 10ths and their beam score is the best in program history with a 49.321. Their vault score, despite an uncharacteristically poor performance against Nebraska, will be second highest in program history and their bars performance is also sec-

she is forced to work on her swing and look at the more technical side of her game, which pays off once the weather turns warm and the spring season starts. “Having the winter time to rest and not really play gives me that exciting spark when we’re able to start up again,” Schulz said. “That’s a big advantage.” Despite the grueling training regimen of playing at an elite level, Schulz does not anticipate an end in sight to her golfing career. With an extra year of eligibility due to Covid-19, she plans to take a fifth year at Michigan to further develop her game and mindset. It is because of her coaches in the area and at Michigan, her teammates’ encouragement and her mother and cousin’s inspiration that Schulz has reached such heights; it’s because of them that she hopestoonedayturnprofessional. In one way, the overwhelming female presence has impacted Schulz’s perception of the male dominated sport, but at the same time, it has caused her to barely acknowledge that aspect. “It influenced it to the point where I didn’t think about it that way,” Schulz said.“Growingup,wealwayshadfemale golf on the TV more than men’s golf.” While male golf is more popular, Schulz points out that the games are merely different. Men, for the most part, hit the ball further, which attracts the attention of many spectators. They are also more prone to spray the ball, while female golfers typically hit the ball straighter. Neither the male nor female way of playing is better or worse — they are merely different. “If you are just a spectator, you may not be able to appreciate the delicacy and precision of female players,” Schulz said. “I’ve learned to appreciate the beauty of the game and how it’s played by females and males as well.” Her stellar family lineage may have conditioned her to dream big and set ambitious goals, but it is Schulz’s own passion and perseverance that has led her to accomplish what she has thus far. And as long as she continues down her tenacious path, she will continue to flourish for years to come.

ond in the country. Both of those are second-best only to last year’s team. Michigan’s season-average score of 197.841 is tied for first in the country with No. 2 Florida and, if the season ended today, would make this the best team in program history. Second-best is 2021 and third is 2020. It’s hard to follow up a national championship season with one that can match that level of success. Throughout the season, the Wolverines have proven they can be even better than last year. This weekend, they showed an ability to battle through adversity to match these numerical advancements. Coming in second during the second round, they didn’t coast into the regional finals — it was just their second time all season not winning a meet. They struggled on bars, along with a logistical default costing them a 10th of a point. The best vault rotation in the country struggled as well with a 49.375. On Saturday, Michigan fell behind UCLA for first place in the meet after two events and headed

toward a knockout battle with Missouri for the final spot in the NCAA semifinals. By the end of it, though, the Wolverines forced a nearly halfpoint swing to comfortably win the regional. Their vault and bar scores — the two weak points of the second round — were the class of the region, exuding a confidence and surety that only those with experience in excellence can display. “For our team… when there’s some type of adversity or something that they know they need to step up for, I think that’s when they’re at their best,” Plocki said. There’s still plenty of opportunities for Michigan to falter as it tries to go for a repeat national championship. There’s still plenty of chances for a fall or a step out of bounds. But the Wolverines have one of the best teams in the country, the mental toughness to overcome a mistake and the experience to take them back to the finals. And maybe, just maybe, give Michigan its second title in as many years.

Jack Glanville: Retire 00

Naz Hillmon’s number deserves to be retired. Five banners hang amongst said after the Wolverines beat Vilthe rafters in the north end of the lanova in the Round of 32. “We always talk about the Crisler Center, forever house that Cazzie built, immortalizing Bill Buntin, but we sometimes talk Cazzie Russell, Phil Hubabout the house that Nazbard, Glen Rice and Rudy zie built on the women’s Tomjanovich — players I side.” never had the privilege to There’s a million watch, but as a student at excuses as to why the few Michigan, am required to exceptional players that know. came before Naz haven’t The Michigan wom- JACK seen their jerseys retired. en’s basketball team has GLANVILLE Throughout the pre-Naz been playing in Crisler for era, the women’s program almost 50 years, though, and not a single jersey hangs to at Michigan never experienced a honor the women that molded the great deal of success. It never produced a Big Ten player of the year, program. never posted an All-American and Five men. No women. With Naz Hillmon’s career as a never reached the Sweet Sixteen. Wolverine recently coming to an That’s a lot of nevers. Hillmon came to a program end, Michigan can continue to follow the precedent of slighting the devoid of historical success and women’s program, or make sure completely renovated it. She coher jersey ends up where it belongs. captained the Wolverines to their Hillmon is inarguably the best first Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight. player to lace up for the Michigan She helped Michigan to its highest women’s basketball team, and if ranking in program history at No. her jersey never sees the rafters in 4 in the AP Poll and she launched Crisler, the University of Michigan the Wolverines to their best season ever in terms of winning percentathletic department has failed. “I mean, if there’s anyone — and age. In addition to her contributions I think there are a few that came before her that we were trying to the team, Hillmon has accumuto work on — I think she belongs lated an absurd list of accolades in the rafters of Crisler for sure,” and records. She is the only WolMichigan coach Kim Barnes Arico verine, man or woman, to finish

JULIA SCHACHINGER/Daily with over 2000 points and 1000 rebounds. Hillmon became one of four women to score 2000 points, became the first and only All-American in program history, became the only Big Ten Player of the Year in program history, set the program record for most rebounds and double-doubles and was named to the All-Big Ten first team in each of her four years. If that doesn’t warrant a jersey retirement, what does? As Barnes Arico mentioned, there are players that came before Hillmon who helped to pave the way for her success. Katelynn Flaherty, Hallie Thome, Diane Dietz and Stacey Thomas all have a case to see their numbers retired. All of these women were immensely talented players and helped propel the program to where it is today. But this isn’t about them. It’s about Naz Hillmon, who over the past four years has proved herself to be the best player in program history. As corny as Barnes Arico’s comment might be, she’s right. To the women’s team, Crisler is the house that “Nazzie” built, and the University of Michigan athletic department needs to acknowledge that. Hillmon is the first player to wear 00 in program history, and she should be the last. Retire 00.

Late scoring explosion guides Michigan past Northwestern, 8-3 CHARLIE PAPPALARDO

Daily Sports Writer

EVANSTON — In the final game of the No. 23 Michigan softball team’s series against No. 9 Northwestern, the Wolverines desperately needed a win. After dropping two straight to the Wildcats in similarly heartbreaking fashion — and on the heels of a shocking 0-4 start to the Big Ten season — there was little room left for error. An 0-5 record in Big Ten play would be a deep hole to climb out of, and a 4-8 record against ranked teams could spell disaster for their RPI. Michigan needed to respond. Quickly. And it did. Propelled by a fiverun seventh inning, the Wolverines (20-11 overall, 1-4 Big Ten) secured a crucial 8-3 victory over Northwestern (24-5, 5-1). Like in the first games of the series, the Wolverines struck first,

notching two runs in the first inning on contributions entirely from their veteran players. Graduate outfielder Kristina Burkhardt opened with a double and was brought home on a single to left center by graduate utility player Melina Livingston. The inning’s scoring closed with a deep blast from fifth-year third baseman Taylor Bump that made it three-quarters of the way up the wall. Following Michigan’s outburst, the game cooled down and settled into a rhythmic pitchers’ duel between graduate left-hander Meghan Beaubien and Northwestern’s ace lefty Danielle Williams. Both teams made contact with the ball consistently and frequently put themselves in scoring positions. But a combination of unfortunately placed drives, athletic infield plays and timely strikeouts prevented any runners from reaching home. In the bottom of the fourth inning, Beaubien looked shaky for

the first time, hitting consecutive batters to put a runner in scoring position. But two grounders and a pop-up got Michigan out of the inning scot-free. Still, Beaubien’s luck didn’t last. After she allowed runners to take first and second on a single and a walk, Wildcats’ catcher Jordyn Rudd finally broke through with a drive up the middle to take a 2-1 lead. But unlike the previous two games, the Wolverines responded — led again by their veterans in a strikingly similar fashion. With Livingston on first, Bump again hit a blast most of the way up the outfield wall for an RBI double. For most of the weekend, the upperclassmen were average. But with their backs against the wall, they finally showed up in the last game. Of Michigan’s ten total hits, Burkhardt, Livingston and Bump accounted for six of them. “I told the upperclassmen to start

taking ownership of this team,” Hutchins said. “And I thought they did.” Northwestern wasn’t done, though, as infielder Nikki Cuchran crushed a ball over the scoreboard for a solo home run in the sixth inning. Another double late in the inning ended Beaubien’s night in favor of freshman right-hander Lauren Derkowski. She made it out of the inning unscathed, and the Wolverines moved into the seventh inning clinging to a one-run lead. But in the seventh, Michigan definitively took control. After two quick outs, the Wolverines were jump started by a double from freshman outfielder Ellie Sieler and an RBI single from Livingston. And that was only the start. Two batters later, with the bases loaded, junior first baseman Lauren Esman drilled a ball to deep right that ricocheted off of the top of the outfield wall, bringing three runners home. Another single from junior outfield-

er Audrey LeClair brought Esman home, making the score 8-2. The Wildcats tacked on one more run in the seventh inning but couldn’t rally, and with that, Michigan finally survived a full game against Northwestern. And while they prevented a sweep and averted disaster, the Wolverines are still nowhere near the team they’d like to be. A 1-4 Big Ten record absolutely won’t cut it for Michigan. If it wants to win another Big Ten title and make it to the Women’s College World Series, there still isn’t much room for error. The performance in the final game was Michigan at its best: athletic, dynamic and led by veterans who fight and put the team on their backs. When the Wolverines perform like they did in Game Two , they can beat elite teams. Now the question becomes whether or not they can do that consistently, and so far, they haven’t been able to.

“We’re 1-4 in the Big Ten,” Hutchins said. “If we don’t fight, it’s not acceptable.”

ANNA FUDER/Daily The No. 23 Michigan softball team ended its weekend in Evanston with a muchneeded win over No. 9 Northwestern.

SPORTS WEDNESDAY

Michigan wins regional title, advances to National Semifinals TAYLOR DANIELS Daily Sports Writer

ollowing a second-place finish in its regional second round, the No. 3 Michigan women’s gymnastics team had something to prove. And Saturday night, the Wolverines proved why they were the Raleigh region’s No. 1 seed. A dominant final two rotations propelled the Wolverines (26-2, 9-0 Big Ten) to their 14th NCAA Regional Championship win — and their 26th Nationals appearance — over No. 11 Missouri (13-5, 3-4 SEC), No. 14 UCLA (5-6, 3-4 Pac 12) and No. 22 Iowa (18-12, 5-5 Big Ten). With an overall score of 197.800, Michigan topped Missouri’s — who also qualified for Nationals — 197.425, UCLA’s 197.400, and Iowa’s 197.075. “Thursday was definitely a little bit of a shakier day for us,” senior Natalie Wojcik said. “But coming into today, we really wanted to reset and focus on confidence and holding our heads high, walking into the meet and knowing that we deserve to be here.” Saturday night, Michigan came

to play. In the first rotation, each of the Wolverines’ scores were 9.850, leading to a respectable 49.250 after the first rotation on the balance beam. But trailing UCLA by 0.300 heading into the second rotation, on paper, it seemed like Michigan might be headed for a Thursday night repeat. The Wolverines made sure that wasn’t the case.

Michigan then headed to its first-ranked floor exercise, where it was missing two of its usual six members of the rotation. In preparation for Nationals, the Wolverines rested the Big Ten Gymnast of the Year — junior Sierra Brooks — while Heiskell sat with a sore heel. So they needed either sophomore

If they have the same confidence and execution as Saturday, they’re sure to have a shot. Thursday, Michigan was flat, lacking their characteristic jumping and yelling after each routine. Saturday night, they returned to their usual selves, complete with fistpumps after senior Abby Heiskell’s stuck landing, even after a belowaverage team score on the event. “When there’s some type of adversity that they need to step up for, I think that’s when they’re at their best,” Michigan coach Bev Plocki said.

Reyna Guggino or sophomore Jenna Mulligan to step up and deliver a countable score. Mulligan had exhibitioned on floor multiple meets during the season, but had never had a score counted for the Wolverines. Senior Abby Brenner delivered a 9.850 for the Wolverines to start off that rotation, and her performance was met with resounding cheers, hugs and high fives from

her teammates. Then, Mulligan delivered the 9.825 the Wolverines needed, and behind Wojcik’s 9.950 event titlesharing score, they closed the gap to 0.200 behind UCLA heading into their first-ranked vault event. Wojcik started off the rotation with a 9.875, followed by Heiskell’s 9.850 and sophomore Naomi Morrison’s 9.900. With the momentum building for the Wolverines, Brooks notched a near-perfect vault with a stuck landing, earning a 9.975. Up next was junior Gabby Wilson, Michigan’s star on the floor exercise, having earned two perfect 10s on that event this season. Wilson hit off of the vault, twisted in the air and landed her vault with a picture-perfect stuck landing, securing her first career vault perfect 10 that tied the Wolverines with the Bruins headed into the final rotation. “It was definitely great to have that 9.975 from Sierra and the 10 from Gabby, but it was a great vault rotation from the first five,” Plocki said. “And that brought a lot of energy for us to go in and close out the meet strong. We know we’re a good bar team. We’re confident in our ability to be able

to hit the handstands and stick the dismounts.” And Michigan did. Heiskell led off the final rotation with a stuck landing, earning her an event title-sharing 9.950. Brenner followed it up with a 9.900, matched by Brooks two gymnasts later. Wojcik hit a 9.925 with a near-perfect Yurchenko and stuck landing to earn the all-around title with a score of 39.600. Freshman Jacey Vore, who was pulled from the lineup last-minute Thursday night, stepped up to the springboard with a chance to clinch the Nationals berth for the Wolverines. Capping the Wolverines’ 49.525 overall final rotation, Vore hit a 9.850 to send Michigan to Nationals with a first-place finish in the regional final. “This just proves that we’re doing exactly what we need to do, we’re where we’re meant to be,” Wojcik said. “And we even know that we have even more potential than what we showed today, and that we can go into Nationals in Texas and hopefully get a repeat.” If they have the same confidence and execution as Saturday, they’re sure to have a shot.

RUN

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