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‘Big data’ initiative to receive $100M RUBY WALLAU/Daily
LSA sophomore Kyle Johnson plays table tennis on the Diag using tables organized by the UM Table Tennis Club on Tuesday.
IT staff troubleshoot issues with ‘U’ wireless networks Problems reported in several areas of Central Campus By MICHAEL SUGERMAN Daily News Editor
Just in time for the first day of class, University wireless networks decided not to make an appearance on Central Campus Tuesday.
Andy Palms, the executive director of communications systems and data centers, said the Wi-Fi problems — which began at 10 a.m. Tuesday with the MWireless, MGuest and eduroam networks all struggling to connect — should be resolved by early Wednesday morning. “It does not impact the Health System,” Palms said in an interview Tuesday about the intermittent service. “It does not impact the South Campus.
It also does not impact most of North Campus. It’s pretty much a Central Campus issue.” Tuesday’s problems, Palms explained, arose from a bug in the Wi-Fi vendor’s code as a result of heavy wireless use across campus. “Today, by changing configuration and spreading the load out across more equipment, we decreased the impact of the bug,” Palms wrote. Earlier, Palms had noted that the University upgraded roughly
3,000 of its wireless access points over the summer. Doing so, he said, was part of accommodating a yearly increase in network use. This year’s Wi-Fi use rose by 20 percent from last year, a change that Palms said is “well within our specs.” During the day Tuesday, the University’s information technology phone line touted an automated message explaining that the connectivity issues were See WIRELESS, Page 2A
University to hire 35 new faculty members over next four years By TANYA MADHANI Daily Staff Reporter
The University will invest $100 million in a new Data Science Initiative over the next five years with the aim of enhancing learning and research opportunities for students and faculty members. To support the initiative, the University will hire 35 new faculty members over the next four years and launch the Michigan Institute for Data Science, which will lead educational and research opportunities related to big data. Massive sets of data can help researchers produce new insights into a broad spectrum of topics, from learning and medicine to transportation and
social media. “Big data can provide dramatic insights into the nature of disease, climate change, social behavior, business and economics, engineering, and the basic biological and physical sciences,” University President Mark Schlissel wrote in a statement. “With our widely recognized strengths across all of these areas and our longstanding culture of collaboration across disciplines, U-M is in a unique position to leverage this investment in data science for the good of society.” The initiative also aims to expand the University’s computing capacity, support interdisciplinary research on big data and provide opportunities for students interested in careers related to data science. Engineering Prof. Alfred Hero and Brian Athey, a professor of psychiatry and See DATA, Page 3A
At first meeting, Schlissel talks diversity, sexual misconduct CSG discusses Enrollment could show fall priorities progress on Representatives to propose resolution for undocumented student aid By JACKIE CHARNIGA Daily Staff Reporter
At Central Student Government’s inaugural meeting of the school year Tuesday, representatives discussed priorities for the school year and confirmed nominations for executive positions. Priorities CSG President Cooper Charlton, an LSA senior, said his first priority is to ensure the student body understands the University’s Statement of Student Rights and Responsibilities. The statement — which details expectations for student conduct and outlines suggested sanctions and disciplinary measures for violations — is due for revision this year. Students can suggest changes to the statement by the beginning of November, and for that reason, Charlton said it’s
imperative students understand the document. Charlton also discussed drinking culture on campus, particularly the University’s new efforts to curb alcohol abuse. Whether they agree with the new plans or not, he said CSG representatives are in a good position to voice their opinions on the subject. The University’s new initiatives include plans to notify the parents of first-year students after they incur a second violation, as well as an effort to expand the presence of the University of Michigan Police Department off campus. “Welcome Week, I’m sure everyone had fun, but there’s definitely a line and we all know what it is,” Charlton said. CSG Vice President Steven Halperin, an LSA junior, also discussed CSG’s plans to approach sexual assault, citing a new program instituted in Greek life for incoming freshmen pledges. Each incoming student vying for a position in a sorority or fraternity will be subject to a mandatory meeting about sexual assault prevention, Halperin said. The formulation of sexual See CSG, Page 2A
diversity
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University President Mark Schlissel speaks with Michigan Daily reporters at the Fleming Administration Building on Septemer 1, 2015.
Sexual misconduct policy to receive update by Dec. President says updates likely won’t impact consent definition By SAM GRINGLAS Managing News Editor
University President Mark Schlissel told The Michigan Daily he hopes to update the
University’s Student Sexual Misconduct Policy “before the new year.” “The goal of making change is to have the process be as fair as possible to the complainant and the respondent to help us arrive at a decision which is the right one,” he said in an interview. Schlissel previously discussed the University’s intentions to consider changes to the policy at a fireside
chat in April. The policy was last revised in 2013, when it was updated based on a set of recommendations handed down by the U.S. Department of Education. The updated version changed the burden of proof applied when adjudicating sexual misconduct cases. Now, decisions require only a “preponderance of evidence,” meaning an incident is more See POLICY, Page 3A
Ahead of today’s session , Schlissel discusses new initiatives By ALLANA AKHTAR Daily Staff Reporter
After a year of calls for increased campus diversity, University President Mark Schlissel said he expects to see signs of tangible improvement as early as this September. In an interview with The Michigan Daily last week, Schlissel said he hopes this year’s freshman enrollment figures — typically released in the fall — will reflect the impacts of a new University effort to package the delivery of financial aid awards and admissions decisions. “We should start to see See DIVERSITY, Page 3A
the statement
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MSU most dangerous campus Citing statistics from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Postsecondary Education, the website Crime Watch Daily ranked Michigan State University as the most dangerous college campus in the country, the State News reported. Using data from 2013, Crime Watch reported four cases of agggravated assault, 62 motor vehicle thefts, 27 sexual assaults, 120 burglaries, nine cases of arson and four robberies. A note posted on the Office of Postsecondary Education’s website noted that not all reported cases have been prosecuted. “The crime statistics
found on this website represent alleged criminal offenses reported to campus security authorities and/or local law enforcement agencies,” the note said. “Therefore, the data collected do not necessarily reflect prosecutions or convictions for crimes.” University of Pennsylvania community prepares for Pope’s visit A More than 1,000 students, faculty members and staff are expected to sign up for a walk from St. Agatha-St. James Church to the papal mass on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, The Daily Pennsylvanian
reported. Additionally, 240 students are signed up through the Penn Catholic Students Association to volunteer for the World Meeting of Families, a nonprofit that ensures the success of papal visits. T-shirts reading “Penn for Pope” and “Pope is Dope” are on sale for students to promote the visit. Andrea Muglia, a senior at the University of Pennsylvania and vice president of Penn Newman, a Catholic group on campus, said the Pope’s visit to Philadelphia is drawing students from all over campus to preparation activities. —LAR A MOEHLMAN
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LSA junior Michelle Huang and LSA sophomore Saharsh Hajela ballroom dance in front of the Diag to promote the Ballroom Dancing Team on Tuesday.
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CSG From Page 1A assault awareness commission is also under consideration. “Something that we really want this commission to focus on is something that is very surprising to me that the student survey unveiled — that 21 percent of sexual assault occurs from verbal pressure,” Halperin said. Proposal for undocumented student aid Representatives also announced a future resolution to provide legal aid and scholarships to undocumented students at the University. Lamin Manneh, a Rackham student representative, said the issue deeply affects the University population, which he said has a significant immigrant population. “Among these groups of immigrants, there’s a lot of undocumented migrants,” he said. “Our friends, our classmates.” In 2013, the University’s Board of Regents voted to grant in-state tuition fees to undocumented students. The decision followed
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Pride Outside BY TANYA MADHANI
One of the University’s staple Welcome Week events returned this year for the 18th year — but
a multi-year student movement calling for the change. Manneh said the University has a hostile relationship with its undocumented students, and their inability to receive aid limits their upward mobility. “The University has to be pushed to even consider that immigrant students need financial aid,” Manneh said. “They cannot recognize it without student movement to maintain that pressure.” Manneh said that the University should follow in the steps of the University of California, Berkeley, which provides free legal aid and assistance with legal fees for undocumented immigrants applying for national work permits. Elections Officers of the Executive Committee were also elected during Tuesday’s meeting. LSA junior Sean Pitt was confirmed as CSG chief of staff in a unanimous vote. Business senior Kevin Ziegler was elected treasurer. Public Policy sophomore Jacob Pearlman was unanimously elected chief of Student General Counsel. with a new name. Formerly billed as Gayz Craze, Central Student Government’s LGBT*Q Issues Commission organized Pride Outside at Palmer Field on Monday to introduce incoming freshman to the LGBTQ-focused organizations on campus. Read more at michigandaily.com
CAMPUS EVENTS & NOTES
WIRELESS From Page 1A worst in areas including Angell Hall and North Quad. “Somebody may not even get access, but if they try again after a few minutes, they will,” Palms said, later adding that the intermittency could result in networks “dumping (connected students) off after a few minutes.” LSA junior Elizabeth Brennen said the wireless was down for most of the two hours she spent in Mason Hall Tuesday afternoon. “I was trying to pull up the syllabus before class and review it, and I couldn’t, so it was a bummer to not have Internet,” she said. “I would say internet is almost fundamental to my learning experience at this point.”
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aUM Yoga opens second studio on South U. New location held free weekend classes to celebrate grand opening By AMABEL KAROUB Daily News Editor
No longer will students have to twist themselves into a knot to find a yoga studio on South University.
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Yoga instructor Sherryl Perry teaches a Yogalates: Yoga & Pilates class at aUM Yoga’s new location at 1220 S. University on Tuesday.
aUM Yoga opened a new studio at South Forest Street and South University Avenue, above Bubble Island Coffee and Tea. Throughout Labor Day weekend, the studio offered more than 20 free yoga classes and, as of Sunday afternoon, more than 750 students had attended class since the promotion started on Friday. University alum Jessie Lipkowitz, the owner of aUM, opened the studio’s first location at 715 North University Ave. in September 2013.
Now, with the addition of a new location, the North University studio will exclusively house yoga instructor training and meetings for the Michigan Yoga Club. Lipkowitz said the space will also be available to rent out for private events. Lipkowitz, who earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University in 2011, said the South University studio will be more convenient for undergraduates because residences have become more condensed in that area over the past few years, particularly with the addition of several new high rise apartment buildings. “With all of the sororities being in the Washtenaw area, and with Arbor Blu, Zaragon (West) and (University) Towers and all of that, it’s going to be very convenient,” Lipkowitz said. “I think it’s an exciting place to be.” The new aUM is the only yoga studio near South Campus. Other popular yoga studios near campus — including Center for Yoga, Detroit Yoga and aUM’s North University Avenue location — are condensed near the South State Street business district. Business junior Jordan Davis, founder of the Michigan Yoga Club, said it is in a prime location on campus. Though the Yoga Club will hold sessions at the original aUM location, many of its members will also likely frequent the new studio. “It’s in the nexus of campus,” Davis said. “It’s an even better location just because of the foot traffic for kids walking on South U every day as compared to North U.” Davis said when he asked aUM to partner with the club about two years ago, Lipkowitz jumped on
the opportunity. aUM hosts and instructs all of the Michigan Yoga Club’s classes. The new second-floor studio features two large yoga rooms — one with a floor-to-ceiling window — and a reception area. Davis said every class has been at capacity. “It’s by far the nicest yoga studio on this campus,” Davis said. “I’ve been there all weekend, all the classes have been filled and it’s really cool to see.” A huge aim of aUM, Lipkowitz said, is to create a sense of community and fun. She said she hopes to demystify yoga, in part through the studio’s approachable instructors and funky class names. “Just coming up with things that are out of the box makes yoga more relatable to people,” she said. Class names include: “F*** This is Hard,” “All Yin, No Yang” and “Damn! This is Sexy and Slow.” “I’m a little flamboyant in my ideas,” Lipkowitz said. “I don’t necessarily have a filter.” Davis said aUM has played a pivotal role in facilitating a strong community of yogis across campus. He said aUM’s instructors are the most attentive of any he has experienced in Ann Arbor and that he feels a sense of belonging when he is at the studio. “I walk in the door and really feel like I’m part of an amazing community,” he said. “You get a lot out of aUM because you get that sense of community, and belong to something that’s a great place to meet other really cool students of all different ages, all different backgrounds.”
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State rep. admits to misuse of resources State Rep. Cindy Gamrat (R– Plainwell) admitted to misuse of public funds and misconduct Tuesday during a committee hearing stemming from attempts to cover up an affair between herself and fellow state Rep. Todd Courser (R–Lapeer), The Detroit News reported. The House Business Office released a report last week alleging that both Courser and Gamrat misued resources in the process of covering up their affair. The committee is considering several disciplinary options for both representatives including expulsion from the state House.
Detroit councilman drafting ordinance for dispensaries James Tate, a Detroit city councilmember, has been working to create an ordinance that would regulate marijuana dispensaries in the city, The Detroit Free Press reported. The ordinance may be implemented by next week. The ordinance would dictate where the dispensaries could be located relative to schools, parks and churches in the area, and likely require dispensaries to gain a city license to operate. Existing dispensaries will not be grandfathered out of the new requirements, Tate said.
Frita’s voted best burgers in country Local restaurant Frita Batidos was rated as having one of the best burgers in America according to USA Today. The article referred to the Cuban restaurant as “a college-town favorite.” The winning burger, chorizo with a soft egg bun, can have addons including egg and avocado.
DATA From Page 1A internal medicine who chairs the Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, co-direct MIDAS. They said multidisciplinary institutions like the University fuel researching by using data from very different domains. Discoveries in archeology, Hero said, are driven not only by findings by archaeologists at dig sites, but also by archived historical data and language processing machines. The big data MIDAS is concerned with analyzing, Hero and Athey said, has to do with its variety and velocity. “The idea about big data is not just about the volume or the size or how many bytes it is,” Athey
DIVERSITY From Page 1A modest incremental changes in the direction of diversity now,” he said. “We began implementing some of the changes in the admissions and financial aid procedure a year ago, and in September we are going to announce how we did.” The initiative largely focused on closing the gap between the receipt of financial aid packages and admissions decisions, with the goal of helping families and students as they make decisions about college, particularly the costs. Schlissel said he expects the makeup of this year’s freshman class to reflect the impacts of this change. The president has frequently spoken of plans to release a campus-wide diversity initiative. He told the Daily on Tuesday that he expects to launch the full plan by the end of the academic year — not at his summit on diversity
said. “(It’s about) how complex and diverse the data is. It’s about variety … velocity. How fast is it growing? We anticipate there could be terabytes streaming in a minute. It could be that fast.” The DSI will focus on collecting and using big data to strengthen transportation research, health sciences, learning analytics and social science research. “Big data is revolutionizing research in extraordinary range of disciplines,” S. Jack Hu, interim vice president for research, wrote in a statement. “With this initiative, our goal is to spark innovation in research across campus while inspiring further advances in the techniques of data science itself.” Using patient visits, medical histories and DNA sequences, for example, researchers can access
an individual’s risk for certain types of cancer. The University also hopes to use student data to customize teaching to the needs of individual students. Data security will be an important part of the DSI, Hero said. “There is a classic paradigm between data security and data privacy,” Hero said. “That paradigm really starts to break down with big data. Despite all of your efforts to protect your own personal data, it can be eventually used to triangulate down to geography and, in some cases, identity can be compromised. Privacy means more than just protection of your data by the standard identification techniques. It means you have to develop new methods.”
scheduled for next week. That event will instead focus on laying out the broader charge for the initiative. In his inaugural address last September, Schlissel deemed diversity and inclusion a priority of his presidency. In the address, Schlissel said excellence is rooted in a diverse and inclusive student body. Despite ongoing calls for a more diverse campus, both by students and by University officials, the University has struggled to increase the diversity of its staff and student body, as well as address issues related to campus climate. In 2014, Black students made up 4.63 percent of the student body, compared to the state’s Black community, which composes 14.3 percent of the population. In Fall 2011, 63 percent of incoming freshmen reported family incomes over $100,000. Last week, Schlissel also announced a new effort to increase the student body’s
socioeconomic diversity. The High Achieving Involved Leader scholarship will cover four years of tuition for a select group of in-state, low-income students and provide additional resources during the application process. Fitzgerald said application support and college planning resources will be offered to 1,000 students through the program this year. He said it’s too early to tell how many of those students will ultimately receive scholarship money, though all of those admitted from the pilot’s pool will receive the funds. Though optimistic, Schlissel stressed achieving a diverse student body will not happen quickly. He said his universitywide strategic plan will continue on after his presidency ends. “I am convinced my successors are going to be working on this because of how far society has to go to be truly inclusive and diverse society, the kind that matches our ideals.”
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POLICY From Page 1A likely to have occured than not. Tuesday, Schlissel said the Office of Student Life will spend the semester working with Central Student Government to garner additional feedback on the policy. Those forums will begin Oct. 1, according to University Spokesperson Rick Fitzgerald. In April, Schlissel said changes would likely focus on the timeline of the adjudication process and issues, as well as improving University resources provided to students during and after the process. “One thing, in particular, we’re concerned about is there are issues of representation during the process,” he added during the chat. However, Schlissel said Tuesday he doesn’t anticipate changes to the policy’s definition of consent. An April report by Daily raised questions about the difference between language in the University’s official policy, which defines consent as “clear and unambiguous agreement, expressed in mutually understandable words or actions,” and wording in educational materials provided by the University’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center. SAPAC’s more stringent language identifies consent as an explicitly verbal agreement, not satisfied by silence or body language. SAPAC Director Holly RiderMilkovich later announced plans to clarify language around consent on its website and in educational materials. “At the end of the day, we can have really tight definitions,
but we’re still left with an interaction that occurs with the door closed between two adults,” Schlissel said. “So who’s version of what happened forms the basis for moving forward? I think it is important to discuss consent mainly so students can really understand one another when they are in a room with the door closed, but I’m not 100 percent confident that’s going to end up affecting in a very dramatic way the adjudication process.” Still, Schlissel said he’s open to the discussion, and will watch the impacts of laws in other states, like California, that have enacted legislation defining consent in the affirmative. “Lack of protest or resistance does not mean consent, nor does silence mean consent,” California’s 2014 definition states. “Affirmative consent must be ongoing throughout a sexual activity and can be revoked at any time.” “The states that are pushing hard on this will be our laboratories, right?” Schlissel said. “If California all of sudden had a huge drop in sexual assault and misconduct, then oh boy, I’m ready to do that too.” Schlissel said there are other benefits to discussing the University’s definition of consent, even if it doesn’t lead to a change in the official policy. “We like to think there’s an objective reality out there in the world, and as a scientist, I cling to this idea that there’s truth out there, and you know, I’m going to discover it,” he said. “It turns out from the moment you set your eyes on a situation, you’re interpreting it differently than I am. And I think a discussion about consent will help all of us understand what one another are thinking so we can treat one another more respectfully.”
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Indecisiveness and how to treat it
I
was alone in the aisle, looking at Camelbak and Nalgene plastic, where I could not hide that I had a problem. My mom, sister and I were scoping out Target before leaving PAYTON for school. I needed a new LUOKKALA water bottle and my sister wanted a bigger pot for her plant. The discussion in my head was so loud I didn’t hear when my mom entered the aisle, finding me crouched, examining the flip-top lid of my predator, my brain in the fetal position. “I don’t know … I just don’t know.” I don’t remember exactly when it started or what it stemmed from. If I had to guess, I would say a fear of failing, the future or the butterfly effect; I’m dramatic that way. Whatever the cause, I had developed a behavior that fogged my brain: I was indecisive. Indecisiveness can be a destructive behavior if extreme, quite simply because it stops decisions from being made. All my life, I’ve made choices slowly and deliberately. No pros and cons lists, but it took time. After getting my college acceptance letters, I became even slower. Never before had a choice held this much importance. I fell into a haze. If any one decision could be this important, every other decision I made could no longer be taken lightly. I clung to every option I was presented like a child in a grocery store clinging to a stranger that looks like his or her mother. Which brings me back to Target. I had it in my head that a portable container held the key to having a good college year — a good future. With a bottle in each hand, I questioned: Did I want my future to be 20 or 32 oz.?
“Payton, you’ve been here half an hour.” I tire my mother. I grabbed the first one I saw and walked away, though I was tempted to return with each step. Problems only get bigger, choices more important. My palms sweat a little bit just thinking about it. The priority, however, needs to be getting rid of this incessant deliberation when extreme. I, for instance, can no longer decide what to do with my arms when I sleep. While the behavior itself isn’t always threatening, indecisiveness is a symptom of many mental illnesses, including depression and anxiety disorder. In addition, if you can never make a choice, life will never go anywhere. However, there are some ways in which you can help yourself (ways only previously tested by me). First, do not believe in the butterfly effect. What I have for dinner tonight is unlikely to affect the grades of my Spanish class. Second, take the time to remember this, but don’t take the time to make simple decisions. If you finish shampoo, run into the store, grab any bottle and run to the cashier. Test yourself. Third, on the bigger choices, be patient with yourself. Acknowledge when a decision is bigger than most, but be proactive. For example, declaring a major is imperative, but also a decision big enough to spend time on. Finally, give yourself wiggle room. If there are no choices that are entirely appealing, make your own. Consider a double major, because the next best thing to not choosing is choosing two. — Payton Luokkala can be reached at payluokk@umich.edu.
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS Claire Bryan, Regan Detwiler, Ben Keller, Payton Luokkala, Aarica Marsh, Victoria Noble, Michael Paul, Anna Polumbo-Levy, Allison Raeck, Melissa Scholke, Michael Schramm, Mary Kate Winn, Jenny Wang, Derek Wolfe
More likely to listen to Kanye
Y
oung Americans love their celebrities like they love apple pie, Uber and iPods. I say this fondly, as I’m mildly obsessed with a fairly extensive list of celebrities (Ice T is PEGGY in a screamo band, and it’s so KORPELA good, ya’ll). We have less of a relationship with and knowledge of our health and health care. This is partly because of a myriad of complex philosophical, economic and socio-political factors that I will spare you the details of, and partly because of a PR problem. Every 20-something is vaguely aware of the impact of “Obamacare” because it grants them the ability to stay on their parents’ (probably much better) insurance plan for just a tiny bit longer. (If you’re one of the 20-somethings who wasn’t aware, go to HealthCare.gov and study up.) But if you’re unaware, I don’t blame you. The PR for Obamacare wasn’t exactly positive or straightforward. The name of the legislation isn’t even “Obamacare” — it’s the Affordable Care Act. You’ve probably heard about Kanye’s promise to Matt Neal, a 26-year-old Ann Arbor resident and Yeezy fan, to give him a new pair of Yeezy shoes if Neal successfully trades his own pair for a kidney. And while this has raised Neal’s profile in his search for a kidney donor, it’s also a campaign in misinformation. Kanye would have done himself and all of us a favor if he’d also sold a pair of the $16 million sneakers and then donated the money to the National Kidney Foundation. He would have discovered that one in 10 Americans suffer from some level of kidney failure, and that the average wait time on a kidney transplant list is three to five years. Yeezus could have started a campaign about organ and human trafficking. If he had gotten involved in any of these things he would have learned that it’s illegal in all countries for Mr. Neal to trade money, goods or services for organs. The black market is extremely dangerous and exploits a lot of individuals desperate for money. Kidneys can go for up to $300,000 on the black market, while the donor is paid just $650. Wake up, Mr. West, Mr. West! Do you know about Angelina Jolie’s surgery to remove her breasts and prevent breast cancer (known as a double mastectomy)? The odds are good that you do. Did you also know that mastectomies aren’t generally recommended for women? Only those with a specific gene that make it more likely to develop breast cancer are recommended for the surgery. This factoid is much less sexy or inspirational (sexpirational?) than the headline, “Most beautiful woman in the world shockingly sacrifices breasts to prevent death.” While Ms.
Jolie is incredibly inspirational in her work as a U.N. Ambassador, her medical procedure should have come with a disclaimer to her loyal fans — borrow her style, her clothes, her look, but not her invasive surgical procedure. These two examples are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to celebrities influencing health in a three-ring circus that includes everything from Jennifer Aniston endorsing better bottled water to an endless parade of B-list celebrities’ diet and weight-loss products and services. Government, health care and other public health-care organizations are supposed to be the public counterweight to faulty celebrity health claims and misunderstandings, but they struggle to harness the necessary glamour and star power needed to get everyone to pay attention to health insurance or mammogram factoids. However, a notable exception is the NOMORE campaign, a celebrity-filled effort to end sexual assault and domestic violence. This may, of course, be a cost issue. In an attempt to rehabilitate the image of Obamacare, the federal government will spend at least $684 million on promoting it annually. In 2010, $50 billion dollars was spent hiring celebrities to endorse products. Magazine advertisers in the United States spends $15.1 billion each year. So what’s the takeaway? As educated young adults who are independent consumers of the health, health care and diet industries, as well as students at a prestigious medical research University here in the United States, we need to look deeper into what health care messages the media and celebrities are directing at us. While we may feel these things are superficial or trivial, they’re undoubtedly very influential. We should also remember that we have some power to influence what celebrities support and speak about: tweet, donate and e-mail until your favorite celebrity knows about your cause. The same goes for the government, as well: get out and vote, e-mail your congressperson, campaign for your favorite presidential nominee. And finally: as professionals, we should never underestimate the value of a high-profile spokesperson. Health-care and public-health sectors would be very well served to step up their game by attempting to get more celebrities, communications and P.R. professionals involved in meaningful health campaigns, demonstrating an understanding that investing in a great campaign is worth as much as a pair of Yeezy exclusive sneakers. — Peggy Korpela can be reached at kpeggy@umich.edu.
Party with a Christian frat When you see the title of this article, what goes through your mind? A root-beer kegger? Pizza party? Rousing tournament of Monopoly with a few games of Uno on the side? Chances are, you’re picturing a welllit room with several mild-mannered conversations going around, maybe interrupted by the occasional neckbearded kid yelling “YAHTZEE!” This interjection, of course, is met with a few phrases like, “Gosh darnit, Derick,” and “Well I guess we know who’s closest to Jesus today!” Certainly, this would seem like a pleasant time (for your grandma) and you might even stay for a minute or two, but it’s probably not a party you’d walk across campus for. Heck, you might not even walk across the street for it. There’s nothing wrong with rootbeer keggers or pizza parties, and there’s certainly nothing wrong with conversations or neck beards. (Actually, yes, there is something very wrong with neck beards, but you get my point.) Of all the things you thought of, there’s nothing wrong with them; they’re just not the reason you go to parties. You go to parties for the social interaction. You go to parties to forget the things that drag you down the rest of the week. You go to parties because, let’s face it, you’ve got some pretty sick moves and the world needs to see them. There are a million reasons to go to par-
I
so you quickly move on. There aren’t many people in the common area, so you go downstairs to see what this Christian frat party is really like. In a shocking blow to your expectations, this party isn’t happening in a well-lit room at all; the room is only decently lit, with crazy lights like you’ve seen at other parties. Remember Yahtzee-playing Derick from your expectations? As it turns out, he’s actually a masterful DJ with tracks that light the whole house on fire. Confirming an expectation, you notice there are a few conversations happening, but it’s tough to hear them over the noise of a crowd absolutely losing its mind. Looking at this party purely for what it is. It’s a lot like other parties; there’s just a distinct lack of smashed windows and smashed human beings. For those in BYX and for the hundreds who have experienced their parties before, this is the kind of night that’s filled with great memories and great people. For everyone else, you’re more than welcome to join in and find out for yourselves. Either way, you’ll never truly know what it’s like until you party with a Christian frat. Adam Morton is an LSA junior. He can be reached at adammort@umich. edu. The BYX Island Party is open to everyone and will be taking place Sept. 10-12, with details available on the event’s Facebook page.
Talking body
love my body. I really do. Yes, in this moment, my body is awesome, and impressive (how do I still look like this after eating so much Chipotle RACHAEL and chocolate?), LACEY and it’s nothing to be ashamed of. Yet maybe a few words caught your attention in that last sentence: “In this moment.” The thing is, there’s a catch here, and I’m only beginning to realize why. Yes, I love my body. But I only love my body when it reminds me of someone else’s. I only love my body when I feel like the resemblance is strong enough between me and whichever flawless woman is on the cover of this month’s flawless woman-covered magazine. I only love my body when I catch a glimpse in the mirror and see clear skin and straight hair, rather than a community of pimples staking claim to my chin, or a ‘do that’s somewhere between not-quitestraight-but-definitely-not-wavy and “do you ever brush your hair?” (Honestly, not that often.) I only love my body when I feel like it’s close enough to what beautiful is advertised to be. When I feel like my stomach could pass as not big and my boobs could pass as not small. When my legs aren’t too purple and blotchy today, and my face not too red today, and my stretch marks not so angry today — and I say today because tomorrow might be different. Tomorrow, wearing a bathing suit might be the bravest thing I’ve done all day. Tomorrow, I might feel like crawling out of my skin and into someone else’s, please. Tomorrow, my whole being might feel like an eyesore because another purple stretch mark has crawled up my hips (apparently it took my body 21 years to realize it was a woman, and
GABRIELLA MEYER
ties and, in your mind, a Christian frat might only satisfy about two of those reasons. Let me introduce you to BYX — Beta Upsilon Chi. We’re in a new house and we’re having a party. But not just any party. A party would be one night and you’re done. I’m talking more of a festival, a multi-night event. Day one, we’re having a barbeque, because who doesn’t like free food? Day two, we’re having a block party, because who doesn’t like using their bizarre lawn-game talents to win free prizes? And day three, we’re having a rave, because who doesn’t like a hangover-free (yet still crazy) time to end Syllabus Week? Look back at that last sentence and read what’s in parenthesis. “Yet still crazy.” You don’t believe that, do you? Let me paint this picture: You walk up to the BYX House, 407 North Ingalls, and quickly notice there’s no line. “Maybe this isn’t peak time? Or maybe they’re terrible at advertising?” You decide it took a couple minutes to get here, so you might as well take a gander inside. The first thing you notice: the brothers at the front door are welcoming everyone in and thanking them for coming. You’re not too surprised by this, given your pleasant demeanor, golden personality and how your squad is absolutely killing the game tonight, but the greatness of a party isn’t defined by its front door,
it decided to catch up really fast on the hip front), or because another half-centimeter has settled into my waist, or another pimple has decided to show up on my stomach. (Seriously, who gets pimples on their stomach? Me. I do.) I only love my body when I feel like it’s worthy of someone else’s eyes. When I look like something someone else might think looks nice. Especially when someone compliments my body. Sometimes I look in the mirror and think, “Wow, I’m not so bad,” like this recurring revelation. I think sometimes I’m so hard on my body that when I actually see it, I’m blown away by how incredibly not terrible it is. Because in that moment, maybe I almost fit the standard. You see, the problem is not that I don’t love my body; the problem is all of the reasons that I do. Sometimes. Not because it’s my body, my permanent home, my pretty normal-looking human self that has carried me through my entire life and deserves a whole lot of love for that. Not because I have reached the enviable level of self-acceptance where I have come to the realization that I’m stuck in my body forever, and I better love it or I’ll just be miserable my whole life. Not because it looks like my body, Rachael Lacey’s body. But because it looks close enough to someone else’s. I saw an ad the other day that read, “You’re only as young as your neck.” It was for lotion. And to me, it felt like a victory. In my mind, I saw women reading those words and realizing for the first time in their lives that their necks were not perfect — just as I have previously been told by ads that every single part of my body needs some lotion or gel or spray or food or haircut or article of clothing or five-pound dumbbell workout to reach its full, perfect potential that it is obviously
not at right now. But I saw this ad and I laughed. Because for the first time, instead of seeing another reason I’m not beautiful, I saw a page of desperate, neck-shaming bullshit, trying to capitalize on peoples’ insecurities. It’s almost as if they simply ran out of other body parts to criticize. And I will not let neck lotion-makers rule my body. I will not let their “48 Ways To Make Your Summer Bod Feel Sub-Par” get me down. I will pick up the forgotten love for my body that I’ve been leaving behind since nine-year-old me mused that if she had three wishes from a genie, one of them would be to have smaller thighs. (Thank goodness I’ve realized by now that my thighs are awesome and strong and full of stretch marks because they’re so strong. Yes, my thighs are my favorite part of my body and I will let everyone know.) Because even though saying I love my body feels like a lie half of the time, it’s slowly becoming more and more true. I think realizing why my body love has been such a roller-coaster ride has been the first step toward figuring out how to make that love stick around for good. My body deserves a better kind of love than the conditional “approval” I’ve been giving it — no matter how close to or far from the standard it is. Honestly, there are more important things to worry about in life than pimples and stretch marks, and I know that I don’t judge other people for these things, so why am I judging myself? I’m taking the noose from around my young, lotion-less neck, so my voice can say, out loud, to the mirror: I love you. So I can say those words until they are just like my body: perfectly and beautifully mine. — Rachael Lacey can be reached at rachaelk@umich.edu.
E-mail Gabriella at gabsmey@umich.edu
Arts
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Wednesday, September 9, 2015 — 5A
FILM COLUMN
FILM REVIEW
Wes Craven, I’ll see you in my nightmares By JAMIE BIRCOLL Daily Film Columnist
I should be upfront: I am not the biggest Wes Craven aficionado. So maybe I’m not the best person to write about him and the horror genre that he helped elevate into a unique combination of art and commercial filmmaking over a 20-year period. Still, in the few films of his I have seen, I’ve found something creative yet manipulative, self-deprecating but dead serious, terrifying and downright funny. Craven is a unique director for a unique genre, and sifting through the pools of blood and gore that smother his films, I have come to recognize just what it means to watch a horror film. In my experience, filmgoers split down the middle in a loveit-or-hate-it sort of way in their appreciation of horror, but I have more of a hate-that-Ilove-it mentality. I was exposed to horror films at a young age and they messed with my head, really badly. When I was eight or nine, after I saw “The Shining,” I thought every time I turned a corner , some eerie twin girls would stop me in my tracks and stare me down. And after “The Sixth Sense,” I knew I would one day wake in the middle of the night to the creak of a floorboard and slowly open my eyes only to see a sickly pale ghost as she vomits on the floor. These thoughts haunted me, scarred me for years, but still I would watch and shiver and jump, then watch some more. I realized I loved the thrill of it all, the sensation of my heart pounding heavier and faster with each passing second as the protagonist slowly walks down a darkened hallway, floors screeching as if warning him to turn away, the camera still, stalking the character. And I loved the jump scares that pumped me with energy, like John Travolta just stabbed me in the chest with an eight-inch needle of adrenaline. But when the lights come up and the energy dies down, you leave the safety of the theater; it’s the real world now, a world with its own monsters and unexplained phenomenon. And sometimes you feel like you’re being watched, sometimes you feel like you’re being followed. “It’s just a movie,” you tell yourself, so why do you feel so
disturbed? At least, that’s how I felt — still feel — when I watch horror films. They infect my brain like a cancer, send terror down my spine — I’ll feel a hand brush against my shoulder, I’ll hear a faint sound, a whisper. I turn but nothing is there. They mess with my mind: it’s a pretty unique effect. There’s an art to terror, to digging under the skin to tap into a primal fear. The director must take a seemingly ordinary event and twist and deform it into something physically or morally wrong, sometimes both at once, but make it at least somewhat believable. Sometimes that manifests itself in a zombie apocalypse, as in George Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead.” Sometimes it’s a scientist’s experiment gone horribly wrong as in David Cronenberg’s “The Fly,” or a chameleonic alien that invades a settlement on Antarctica like John Carpenter’s “The Thing.”
I can still hear it now: one, two, Freddy’s coming for you ... But with all of those aforementioned films, the protagonists happen upon these monsters and situations: an alien just happens to crash land on Antarctica, the characters just happen to be at the mall when the zombie apocalypse starts. These are all outside scenarios from which, theoretically, you could run. In “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” Wes Craven did something different — something twisted. He made the subconscious, dream itself, the battleground. Think about it: the one safe place in this insane world, the one place where you can find solace and peace and absolute freedom becomes corrupted, cruel, evil. You can neither run nor hide from sleep. Craven turns it against you; every waking hour marks one step closer to sleep, to death. In “Elm Street” the characters’ happiest dreams devolve, descend into Hell
itself, Freddy Kreuger’s boiler room: we feel the heat burning off the screen, the screeching of metal on metal pierces our ears. And suddenly there is Freddy in the shadows, taking his sweet time, toying with his victims, torturing them. And then he tears them apart. In his best films, Craven made the enemy not some unknown, foreign entity like an alien or a zombie. The enemy always lives close to the protagonist in some way: dreams in “Elm Street,” classmates and boyfriends in “Scream.” And that makes it personal, because the protagonist’s safety – our safety, becomes threatened. Those fears remain after the film ends — it’s the stuff nightmares are made on. And though many of his films have lost much of their punch with the desensitization that naturally occurs with the passage of time and the improvement of new effects and techniques, there remains something profoundly disturbing in them. I know this because the night before I wrote this column, I watched “A Nightmare on Elm Street” immediately before sleep; it was not a particularly restful one. Maybe I just scare easily (though I’d like to think not), but maybe the film holds up, too. For better or worse, Wes Craven made films that stuck with me, and that’s all I can really ask from a film. Sure there are days when I need to kill some time, so I watch a run-of-themill action or comedy movie, but in general, if I’m investing my time, I want to gain something from it. Wes Craven didn’t teach me any lessons; he didn’t help me learn anything about myself beyond a tolerance for spilled blood, but he did scare the shit out of me, a lot; those images of a young Johnny Depp being devoured by his mattress and regurgitated as a pool of blood or of a lifeless Drew Barrymore dangling from a tree will forever remain in my mind. I think he would consider that a profound success. I know I do, because I can still hear it now: one, two Freddy’s coming for you … Bircoll is hiding under the covers. To send him pictures of bunnies and sunshine, e-mail jbircoll@umich.edu.
A24 FILMS
“They let ME be David Foster Wallace?!? Are you sure???”
‘Tour’ a tour de force By REBECCA LERNER Daily Arts Writer
“Do what you gotta do,” says David Foster Wallace (Jason Segel, “Sex Tape”) when confronted with the tape recorder of his A interviewer. The recorder is End of a physical representation of the Tour the emotional A24 Films divide between the two men, State Theater as one tries to present a respectable version of himself and the other has an obligation to tear him down. The other man is Rolling Stone reporter David Lipsky (Jesse Eisenberg, “American Ultra”), who chose the assignment of travelling with Wallace for the last five days of his 1997 book tour for Infinite Jest. Based on Lipsky’s memoir, Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself, this tale of two Davids, like both men, is full of beautiful contradictions. Wallace has finally obtained recognition for his work, but with it comes fear and self-doubt. Lipsky, however, has also just published a novel, but the indifferent attention it received
does not compare to the love given to Wallace’s masterpiece. Lipsky’s desire to interview Wallace stems from this jealous admiration, presenting Wallace with a challenge – to prove himself to the world, but especially to his fellow writers. Unsurprisingly, this roadtrip film is mostly dialogue. But with James Ponsoldt (“The Spectacular Now”) as director, the aimless conversation meanders into the most compelling of areas. When Lipsky arrives at Wallace’s snowed-in house in Illinois, they quickly go deep into his fears, loneliness and failure to recognize the greatness he has achieved. In his cluttered house with two big affectionate black dogs, Wallace has built a hiding place from a world that loves him so much that he even unlisted his phone number. When they go out on the road, Lipsky has a chance to immerse himself in his jealousy. He watches as Wallace reads to a packed crowd, appears on public radio and speaks to Lipsky’s girlfriend on the phone for almost half an hour. Instead of basking in this glory, Wallace is haunted by the same sadness and loneliness that would provoke his suicide 11 years later. Segel plays this side of Wallace with contained ease. His elusive mannerisms and
subtlety conveys the power of the man and the tempestuous side that he tries so hard to hide. Playing well off Segel, Eisenberg uses his trademark acrimony to highlight the false friendship of this interviewer-interviewee relationship. But the depth of the relationship goes beyond friendship to admiration, disgust and even close to hatred. Considering the goof-off parts that these actors have chosen in the past, it was a pleasant shock to see them handle these roles so thoughtfully. One of the most interesting parts of this film is how much its subject would have hated it. Wallace’s family has objected to the movie’s creation, stating that “David would never have agreed that those saved transcripts could later be repurposed as the basis of a movie.” To be diminished into a cinematic parody of himself would be embarrassing to anyone, but for Wallace, whose self-consciousness knew no bounds, it would have been crushing. So out of respect for Wallace and his brilliance complemented best by his “regular guy-ness,” we must take this film as a vague adaptation of what he was like. But it’s a fantastic vague adaptation, and it is lucky to have such a great man at its roots.
Arts
6A — Wednesday, September 9, 2015
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
FILM REVIEW
‘Teenage Girl’ is brutally honest
ALBUM REVIEW
Frank sex scenes abound in adaptation of UM prof.’s novel By CHRISTIAN KENNEDY Daily Arts Writer
“The Diary of a Teenage Girl” is raw, in your face and unapologetically uncomfortable. It builds its aura around the dynamB+ ic of what is considered The Diary acceptable and socially unac- of a ceptable and, by Teenage doing so, audiences succumb Girl to watching, Archer Gray following and Productions loving a perfectly casted Michigan Theater story of discov- and Quality 16 ery and social acceptability. Speaking in generalizations, the world has “normal” people and “abnormal” people. However, despite being “normal,” we all have the stray abnormal thought. We might keep it to ourselves and ask “Why did I just think that?” Our normalness certainly outweighs our stray moments of abnormality. “The Diary of a Teenage Girl” is the culmination of those stray, atypical moments. Minnie Goetze (Bel Powley, “M.I. High”), an average suburban girl growing up in 1970’s San Francisco, opens the film with “I had sex today. Holy shit.” Minnie is the movie’s focal point. She, just like most people, can be both extremely self-involved and self-loathing, depicted through scenes in which she documents her diary on a cassette recorder. She has bad bangs and thinks about sex almost exclusively. And the thing with Minnie — viewers have absolutely every right to dislike like her for all of the aforementioned reasons, but it’s the balance of all her flawed
GRAND HUSTLE
“Kanye said vampires were cool this year!”
SONY PICTURES CLASSICS
Never trust the porn stache.
characteristics that allow the audience to connect with her. Moreover, Powly’s portrayal is ethereal, bringing a social awkwardness and light humor to the, at times, extremely dark plot. Following Minnie’s declaration of her non-existent virginity, time lapses back and we learn that she lost her virginity to her mother’s (Kristen Wiig, “Bridesmaids”) boyfriend, Monroe (Alexander Skarsgard, “True Blood”). This point in the film’s synopsis invites a cringe, but the onscreen romance between Monroe and Minnie is nearly the opposite. He may be 35 and she 15, but there’s something behind Minnie’s bangs, something immediately after her self-obsession and immediately before her self-loathing that pushes their love away from deplorable and toward something more tender. Aside from Powly, Wiig is the only standout performance. (Skarsgard does well, but the depth of his character is minimal in comparison.) For the first hour of the film, Minnie’s mother, Charlotte, is drunk and high, throwing parties (which 15-year-old Minnie is delighted to take part in). Even while
Classifieds
Minnie is having sex with Charlotte’s boyfriend, Charlotte is often overshadowed by what is happening on screen between Minnie and Munroe. Charlotte, at first oblivious to the affair, eventually discovers Minnie’s diary and tearfully asks, “How long?” after which Minnie leaves home for several days. Her moment of humanity comes as she embraces Minnie upon her return. She hugs, cries, kisses and chokes out, “I need to never talk about this again.” It wasn’t an “I forgive you” or an “It’s OK” typically said after fuck-ups. Despite the movie circling Minnie’s self-discovery, it’s that line that rings as the most honest throughout the already candid 102 minutes. “The Diary of a Teenage Girl” isn’t kind to its viewers. It says everything we don’t want to hear and does everything we don’t want to do — which is exactly why it’s necessary. If no one ever slept with their mom’s boyfriend, how would we know what would work out? Minnie discovered herself in an unconventional 1970’s fashion, but if it weren’t for her, would we know how to shake someone’s hand and think “I’m better than you, you son of a bitch?”
Call: #734-418-4115 Email: dailydisplay@gmail.com
RELEASE DATE– Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
FOR RENT
Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
ACROSS 1 “Hardball” station 6 McCain’s org. 9 Mardi Gras mementos 14 São __, Brazil 15 Body spray brand 16 Baseball Hall of Famer Murray or Mathews 17 Arrange ahead of time 18 Irish actor Stephen 19 Jeans accent 20 *Competition won by a knockout? 23 Magazine fig. 25 Easily led sorts 26 Seminary subj. 27 Kerfuffles 29 Easily roused crowd 32 Single 33 Highest North American peak, to natives 36 *Certain cutlet 41 Not quite boil 42 Grammar class subject 43 Slide subject 46 Common motel prohibition 47 Turned on 48 With no affection 52 Corp. bigwigs 53 *Nonviolent revolution 57 First name on a 1945 bomber 58 SoCal team, on scoreboards 59 Athenian with harsh laws 62 Race with batons 63 Clean one’s plate 64 Respected church member 65 Deuce beaters 66 Recently retired NCAA football ranking system, and, as a plural, a hint to the answers to starred clues 67 Pitcher’s arm, say DOWN 1 U.S. Army cops 2 Encl. with a manuscript
3 Type of ale 4 *Dressing with Buffalo wings 5 Nightclub of song 6 Brooks of C&W 7 Daisy variety 8 Flower child’s parting word 9 Swiss capital 10 Revise text 11 Sooner or later 12 Semi-filling liquid 13 Come to terms 21 Pearl Harbor’s __ Arizona Memorial 22 Personality with an online book club 23 Carp family fish 24 Prefix with sphere 28 Go off-script 30 2005 Bush Supreme Court nominee 31 *Armstrengthening reps 33 Mil. award 34 L.A.-to-Tucson dir. 35 ATM giant
37 Phishing medium 38 Rollerblading safety gear 39 José’s “this” 40 Loch near Inverness 43 Angels’ slugger Pujols 44 Martin of “Adam12” 45 “Lawrence of Arabia” Oscar nominee
46 1785-’90 U.S. capital 49 Star 50 Newton associated with apples, not figs 51 Exams for future J.D.s 54 Nivea rival 55 Diary pages 56 Old Greek theaters 60 Average grade 61 Food scrap
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Travis Scott still a mystery after ‘Rodeo’ By SHAYAN SHAFII For The Daily
I remember back when Travis Scott first announced himself to the Internet. A few blogs start- Ced buzzing when pictures Rodeo of him with Travis Scott Kanye West started mak- Grand Hustle ing the rounds, and they announced that G.O.O.D. Music had signed “the next Kanye.” Travis did his best to dress like Kanye and Kid Cudi and he would even modify his voice to sound like them on record. At the time, his entire fan base was encompassed by a single thread on a music forum, tellingly titled “KanyeToThe...”
Honestly: who is Travis Scott? Since rap hasn’t been quite as Kanye-centric the past couple years, the hilariously inorganic manner in which Travis has “evolved” should not be overlooked. Just as the music world’s attention turned to Atlanta as a hotbed for bizarre artists (see: Young Thug, ILoveMakonnen, Future), Travis, out of left field, released a mixtape carried entirely by featured rappers and producers from Atlanta. The production credits reveal he’s not the five-beats-a-day-forthree-summers young Kanye protégé he makes himself out to be. Travis only co-produced one track off the mixtape, while four other producers cleaned up after him.This was pre-Yeezus 2013, a time when plenty of fledgling Internet rappers were beginning to piece together parts of Kanye’s identity and construct them as their own. From the onset of his career, Scotty “La Flame” (suspiciously close to Gucci Mane “La Flare”) never even attempted to present himself as a legitimate personality. But hip hop was so deep into the Church of Yetheism that Kanye’s cronies got a pass for aestheticized plagiarism. Travis Scott was born from the ashes left behind by the phoenix on the cover of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, and it has emanated through everything he’s touched in his short and fraudulent career. When Kanye curated a starstudded guest list for Twisted Fantasy, he turned the album into his own tasteful award show of sorts, rather than let it serve as a distraction for him to hide behind. Travis, however, has a proven track record of using high-profile features to play hot potato with the music industry. 2013 saw him birthed into relevance by Kanye and T.I. In
2014, he latched onto dynamic duo Rich Homie Quan and Young Thug, and now on Rodeo he has features from Justin Bieber and The Weeknd, who has been building steam on a year-long hype train packed with great pop records. Is it not suspicious that this guy already has such an illustrious and welltimed list of collaborators without even first building a local following? Why is the music industry trying so hard to make this guy happen? Is Travis Scott an industry plant? His trajectory thus far certainly looks that way. Point being, if rap were a high school, he would’ve been the kid who sat at a different lunch table every day in search of the elusive cool table. It comes as no surprise that the first voice on Rodeo doesn’t even belong to Jacques Webster. In a fashion not too dissimilar from the role of Common on Kid Cudi’s Man On The Moon series, T.I. floats in and out of the album with cringe-worthy monologues about a “young rebel against the system” (ironic, because the powers that be are very clearly working on his behalf ). “Oh My Dis Side” sees Travis go for that hardly-audible-but-expressive type of rapping that codeine-fueled artists like Future and Chief Keef have mastered, but his delivery falls short of the emotion required to make you feel … anything. Even when Future mumbles lyrics in his classic Xanaxed-out daze, it’s at least about something (usually heartbreak) or sung in a way that evokes feeling; Travis spends the track mumbling about nothing, leaving only drab vibes and sonics (two of his favorite words) in place of a legitimate song.
He wants his music to sound as important as the artists he bites. The inconsistency in terms of who Travis works with leaves all of his collaborations void of any chemistry. It’s as if two strangers had to share a studio and made a song while they were at it. When he finally does snag someone from the cool table for a feature, the authenticity of their personality automatically takes the limelight — every time. Migos’ Quavo appears on the latter half of “Dis Side” to give a heartfelt recount of his rags-to-Versace comeup. “3500” is basically a Future song where Travis only stops by for the adlibs (the “straight up” adlib was coined by Future anyways). Travis really outdoes himself on “Pray 4 Love” with bars like “Contemplatin’ fornicatin’ / Might as well fuck up some shit / They lookin’ at me
way too crazy / Got me feelin’ communist.” He doesn’t really make any sense, but how ‘bout those Vibes™, right? The only time it even feels like a real human being is on the track is when The Weeknd closes out the song. The hotly anticipated “Piss On Your Grave” features Kanye himself, who again renegades Travis on his own track. Kanye takes a break from Hampton spouses to use an executive’s face as a urinal, which, although crude, channels the same frustration as 2013’s “New Slaves.” Travis makes yet another forgettable appearance on his own song, with lines like “Told my momma ‘bitch get back in the door’” and “Kamikaze over commas” (another obvious bite from Future’s jargon). The disparity between their verses highlights the fact that context and transparency are supposed to shed light on an artist’s character and identity, which Travis has none of.
Kanye himself again renegades Travis on his own track. For example, Kanye raps about urinating on an executive because of his well-documented struggles in entering the fashion industry (see: Yeezus). For Travis though, there’s really nothing left to say, as his every word is an attempt to recreate a black-rockstar persona that he also stole from Mr. West. More than anything in this world, Travis Scott wants his music to sound as important as the artists he bites, but would he ever really have enough substance to deliver a speech like the one Kanye delivered last week at the VMAs? Or communicate his upbringing through his music, like Chief Keef? Or be as painfully honest as artists like Future and Drake? No, but he can hire their producers. Travis’s identity crisis is the central issue regarding not just Rodeo, but his entire career. He hides behind a legion of Kanye’s sidekicks and Atlanta super-producers to curate something artistically worth much less than the sum of its parts. Yes, Rodeo is packed with high-thread count beats and is one of the best-engineered albums since Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories, but only with the help of names like Mike Dean, Kanye West and Metro Boomin. The album closes with a series of questions from T.I regarding the young revolutionary: “Will he make it? Was it worth it? Did he win? Will he survive the rodeo?” But these are all the wrong questions. By the end of Rodeo, only one pertinent question remains: honestly, who is Travis Scott?
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Wednesday, September 9, 2015 — 7A
Wolverines look inward Driesenga returns for for answers after defeat fifth year at Michigan Extra film, conditioning help Michigan regroup for week two By MAX BULTMAN Daily Sports Editor
Even if its season-opening road loss to Utah went mostly as expected, the Michigan football team was far from content to accept it. Speaking to reporters Tuesday at Schembechler Hall, the Wolverines detailed the ways they’ve tried to rebound from the defeat. Junior running back De’Veon Smith said that as soon as he got on the bus after Thursday’s 24-17 loss to the Utes, he dove into the game film and could tell immediately what went wrong. “I graded out myself and I gave myself a ‘C,’ ” Smith said. “(I was) missing the holes, dropping passes, not getting out quick enough on protections and into your route, it all comes into a factor. … I noticed every little mistake I did.” Smith’s self-evaluation is fair, based on the numbers — he averaged 2.8 yards per carry, and his longest rush of the day went for just seven yards. He consistently broke away from arm tackles, but he wasn’t able to turn them into big gains. Likewise, senior center Graham Glasgow and the rest of the offensive line were able to catch their mistakes on film. But when asked about seeing flashes of the offense’s potential against Utah, Glasgow took an especially positive stance. “I felt better in this loss than
I would after some of our wins last year,” Glasgow said. “I feel that we had some mistakes that we needed to correct, but they’re not like glaring. There are some things, but it’s pad level and things that we can correct right away.” Harbaugh said Monday that Glasgow graded out as the highestrated offensive lineman from the Utah game, a good sign for a player who previously had limited collegiate experience at center. It wasn’t a perfect performance, but the coaching staff easily isolated the areas it felt hurt Michigan the most. This week, the offensive line has been working extra time with chutes in practice to force their pad level low and in position while moving forward and laterally. In practice after the game, Harbaugh instituted an activity called “The Michigan Mile.” Players weren’t given much instruction, simply to run a certain number of laps around the outermost perimeter of the field, which supposedly amounts to a mile. And as is the case with nearly every drill under Harbaugh, its effect has been more competition. Ojemudia and Smith identified redshirt freshman receiver Moe Ways as the winner of this week’s mile, but it didn’t sound like much fuss was made over the winner. “If you win, you get the satisfaction of winning,”
Ojemudia said. “It’s a race if you’re racing it, but mostly it’s for conditioning.” What’s more, Harbaugh and the staff doubled down on film sessions by having them watch film both as an offense or defense and again as a specific position group. For redshirt freshman safety Jabrill Peppers, that meant getting called out in front of the entire room when he missed assignments. When asked how intense the teaching time was, Peppers couldn’t help but chuckle. “It was pretty intense, it was pretty intense,” Peppers said. “I’m not going to go into too much detail, (but) they definitely got after us, and me in particular.” But according to Peppers, he took it in stride, embracing the criticism rather than running from it. “That’s one of the things about being coachable — handling constructive criticism and when you know you can do better,” Peppers said. “So they’re honest with us, and they hold each and every one of us accountable. They’ve seen what I put forth in camp and all spring, and going out there and laying an egg like that on the first game, it’s just not acceptable.”
“If you win, you get the satisfaction of winning.”
For more football coverage Check MichiganDaily.com throughout the week
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Junior running back De’Veon Smith gave himself a ‘C’ grade for his performance in Thursday’s 24-17 loss at Utah.
Finally back on the field, Peppers reflects on play Safety admits to being overeager early, but settled down during game By MAX COHEN Managing Sports Editor
Jabrill Peppers arrived on campus before last season as a mega-recruit, one expected to make an immediate impact all over the field for Michigan. He had committed to the Wolverines in a nationally televised rap as the No. 2 recruit in the nation the year before, and some even compared him to Charles Woodson, the gold standard for Michigan cornerbacks. He stuck by his decision even when other schools attempted to sway him in the midst of the Wolverines’ turmoil. But then things fell apart for Peppers. He suffered a leg injury in Michigan’s opener against Appalachian State and received limited action against Miami (Ohio) and Utah before he was
shut down for the season. So it was natural that Peppers, in his season debut last Thursday against Utah, was overeager. He admitted Tuesday that he attempted to come out of the gate with a bang, reaching for the big play instead of making the safe and correct one. “Once I started to settle in, be patient, read my keys, trust the technique, that’s something they always tell me,” Peppers said. “Sometimes I think that my speed and my athleticism will make that play for me when I should use both in terms of using my technique and then allow my speed or my quickness to make the play for me.” Peppers finished his season debut with eight tackles, including two for loss. Despite mistakes early in the game — he mentioned a time he left his man
open in coverage to attempt a sack of Utah quarterback Travis Wilson — Peppers proved capable of using his speed to seal off screens and his strength to make tackles in the open field. One thing that irked Peppers from the game was the defense’s lack of turnovers, save for redshirt junior Jeremy Clark’s interception on a Hail Mary to end the first half. Turnover margin plagued the Wolverines last season as well. “It’s about playing the way we know how to play,” Peppers said. “Stop feeling sorry for ourselves, and stop making excuses for why we’re not playing the way that we’re capable (of ) playing.” Peppers attempted to remedy that, playing the entire game from start to finish. For someone looking to whet his competitive appetite after almost a full See PEPPERS, Page 8A
“When they call my number, I’m going to be ready.”
Pitcher receives medical hardship waiver after injury last season By CHRIS CROWDER Daily Sports Writer
Through the first two weeks of the Michigan softball team’s 2015 campaign, senior right-hander Sara Driesenga stood out among the threeheaded monster that was the Wolverines’ pitching rotation. The co-captain got off to a 4-0 start with a dazzling 0.78 earned-run average. Boosted by Driesenga’s quick start, Michigan started the season with an 8-1 record. But her dominance was shortlived. While the Wolverines continued to succeed throughout the remainder of the year, Driesenga suffered a seasonending rib injury in the third week of the season. Suddenly, her senior year as one of the best right-handers in the Big Ten was over and her collegiate softball career was in jeopardy. “At first we thought (I would be unable to play for) a week or two,” Driesenga said. “Then I would be good to go. But after the MRI, it showed that it was fractured. I worked hard to come back all season, but the pain was still there in the rib.” Even though Michigan’s co-captain didn’t return to the circle, the rest of the pitching staff — since-graduated lefthander Haylie Wagner and then-junior right-hander Megan Betsa — excelled in Driesenga’s absence. Their success could be partly accredited to Driesenga’s advice and encouragement in practice and in the dugout during games. “As a captain, I wasn’t just trying to help (the pitchers), but the whole team,” Driesenga said. “We always had that pitching time, but when I couldn’t be the one to pitch during that time, I wanted whoever was out there to do their best so we could be successful.” Now healed from the injury,
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Sara Driesenga will return for a fifth year after missing almost all of last season.
Driesenga will have another chance to help the Wolverines next season. Although she graduated last semester, Driesenga was given a medical hardship for last season, giving her another year of eligibility to compete in Michigan’s 20152016 campaign while pursuing her master’s degree in social work. “We first knew that (returning) was an option after the season was over when (the medical exemption) got approved,” Driesenga said. “There was no question in my mind that I wanted to come back. I did all this hard work to keep developing myself and to keep helping the program as much as I can.” Driesenga’s return to the team will once again cement the Wolverine pitching staff as one of the best in the country. Michigan boasted a 1.66 ERA last season, good for fifth in the nation. While Wagner graduated and will be missed, Betsa is ready to cement her place as one of the elite pitchers in the nation. Sophomore first baseman Tera Blanco may see some time in the circle for the Wolverines, and Leah Crockett — an incoming freshman and two-time all-state selection from New York — is in the mix for a spot in the rotation as well. The pitching staff could include two to four pitchers, depending on how well Blanco and Crockett perform in the offseason, and on how coach Carol Hutchins’ strategy develops throughout the season. No matter how it shakes
out, Driesenga will provide leadership, experience and pitching prowess to a team coming off a national runner-up run. “(Hutchins is) definitely excited,” Driesenga said. “She’s publicized that, she’s said it to me. I think it’s an advantage when me and (senior second baseman Sierra Romero) were captains last year, and we’ll keep working hard and keep developing as much as we can. I think Hutch is excited about that as well.” Added Hutchins in an interview with MGoBlue.com: “Last year’s curse is this year’s blessing. … She’s a great pitcher, and she’s going to be great asset to Team 39.” With one year left to finish what she started last season, Driesenga hopes to pass on her wisdom to her teammates, saying she could probably write a book about the subject. She wants her teammates to enjoy their time as Wolverines because, as she knows, it flies by. “I think it’s all about perspective while you’re here,” Driesenga said. “(For me) it’s like, ‘I get to do this another year! I get this opportunity to stay at this great university and be a part of something that is so much bigger than myself.’ … It’s an opportunity that not a lot of people get.” Driesenga will relish the chance to play for Michigan again, hoping to be an integral part of another World Series run. If the Wolverines are fortunate enough to get back to the WCWS next season, she could be the missing piece of the puzzle for Michigan to capture the title.
Sports
8A — Wednesday, September 9, 2015
PEPPERS From Page 7A year away from game action, that was a desirable starting point. Peppers did not know how to name his particular role on defense, saying that it was a combination of safety, nickelback and cornerback. Each week’s game plan will dictate exactly where he plays. On special teams, Peppers fielded punts and kicks for Michigan. Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh called his work on the punt team “outstanding” and “spectacular,” particularly with respect to a diving firstquarter fair catch of a punt
that could have prevented the ball from bouncing deep into Wolverine territory. When he was given the chance to display some moves in the return game — instead of the necessary fair catches on the punt return — Peppers knifed through Utah’s coverage for 36 yards in the fourth quarter. Though the workload on defense and special teams did require Peppers to make some adjustments in terms of how he exerted energy, he was not overly concerned. “It’s all of the things that I myself wanted to do and that the coaches allow me to do, because they know I’m able to do it,” Peppers said.
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Peppers did not see any action on the offensive side of the ball in the opener, despite Harbaugh’s admission in the preseason that Peppers could very well play offense this season. Peppers was coy when asked if that is still the plan. “It just depends on how things go,” he said. “The offense, like I said, they were a couple of plays away from changing the game. “If they need me to help in some way, I’d be more than happy to do it, whether it’s receiver, running back, quarterback, doesn’t matter. As far as that goes, I’m just playing it by ear. When they call my number, I’m going to be ready.”
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Redshirt freshman Jabrill Peppers is finally earning consistent playing time after missing most of 2014 with an injury.
statement THE MICHIGAN DAILY
SE P TEM B E R 9, 2015
Wednesday, September 9, 2015 // The Statement
2B
Dear Google: I’ve got issues MAKING CHANGES
ON THE RECORD
BY EMMA KERR
ALLISON FARRAND/DAILY
“We should start to see modest incremental changes in the direction of diversity now. We began implementing some of the changes in the admissions and financial aid procedure a year ago, and in September we are going to announce how we did.” –PRESIDENT MARK SCHLISSEL, in reference to the University’s new diversity initiatives.
B U Z Z F E E D, B U T B E T T E R
THE LIST
HOW TO NEVER LET SUMMER DIE Yes, tailgating and playing in the leaves are the best Fall activities. But what if we want to sweat through a Dom’s Constant Buzz and cool off in the Huron far into October? Here’s how to never let summer end.
1
I S C R E A M , YO U S C R E A M
2
S U M M E R LOV I N ’
Homemade popsicles are always relevant — especially when spiked. (Only if you are of age, of course.)
For some, this means carrying a summer fling into fall. For others, this means watching “Grease” on repeat. Up to you.
3 S U B -Z E R O S K I N N Y- D I P P I N G
If you are brave enough for the cold, the docks at Argo Pond — great tanning spots in summer heat — are beautiful once the leaves change. Maybe bring a wetsuit, though.
4 B O O K S C A N TA K E YO U A N Y W H E R E ?
On those sad autumn rainy days, sometimes the best way to relive summer is by escaping. Pick up “The Rocks” by Peter Nichols for an appropriate faux-beach read.
5 S O M E M O R E S U M M E R S’ M O R E S
When the campfire won’t light, in a pinch the stove will do. It’s not perfect, but hey, chocolate is chocolate.
T
his is an open call for problems. From what I know — personally and statistically — it is clear you’ve got them. I absentmindedly ate two stale brownies last night while googling “how to be a good girlfriend.” I have a weird-in-all-the-right-ways friend who listens to me talk for long periods of time about these sorts of somewhat self-created problems, and without fail at some point during our conversations she will suggest I google the topic at hand. When in doubt, we turn to Google. She also listens to me talk about other sorts of problems. The ones I wouldn’t ask anyone but her and Google — the unnerving types of questions that pop up as suggestions below the Google search bar, the little things that pick at our brains. Questions of self exploration, questions about life when it doesn’t look like you thought
ILLUSTRATION BY CHERYLL VICTUELLES
it would that inevitably arise. Questions that come up when you realize it’s easy to think theoretically about being a “good girlfriend,” but less easy to define what being a good, positive partner to someone really is and that it’s even more difficult to actually do it. Organizations such as Central Student Government and the University’s Counseling and Psychological Services will provide students with the resources to overcome serious mental health concerns. But as college students, such resources may be unnecessary in dealing with the smaller concerns that plague our day-to-day experience. My actual name is Emma, but I think this semester, I want to be Google for you. I have no qualifications as a professional counselor or adviser beyond my personal experience, but I’m willing to lend advice to those who want
it. I am not a medical doctor, I have no ground to stand on in claiming I may be able to help you in some way with your all too real problems — but I’m offering you, at the very least, another perspective. I hope to offer you a thoughtful, personal response — one that doesn’t include a numbered list of generalizations — and one that will generate conversation and reflection, and also make your life a little easier in some way. I believe that’s all anyone really has to offer another person in these types of situations. It’s been done before — the advice thing — but nevertheless, this is the start of my own column. You can reach me via my e-mail here at the Daily at emkerr@ michigandaily.com, and in exchange for your honesty, I promise you anonymity, should your question or problem be chosen as the topic for a future column.
Please send your “Dear Google” responses to Emma at emkerr@michigandaily.com to enjoy watching her attempt to spread her nowhere-near-professional advice around campus.
Wednesday, September 9, 2015 // The Statement 3B
When Netflix comes to India B Y N A B E E L C H O L L A M PAT
O
n a typical summer day, I’m presented with a lot of choices. Too many, it seems. I can keep watching “Hannibal”, which I’ve already decided is amazing and the most visually unique thing I’ve seen on TV, but which I can’t seem to keep watching. I could start a new show — maybe “Orphan Black”? I’ve wanted to see that for a while. Or I could get around to finishing that Jonathan Franzen novel that I’ve sworn to all my friends is so good. Actually, maybe I should just go to the gym. This pisses me off. Netflix and the rise of instant entertainment have decimated any sense of commitment when it comes to pastimes. When you pop in a DVD — or a VCR, for that matter — you’ve essentially declared yourself to this movie. You now have a quite compelling obligation to finish this, no matter the quality. I can’t tell you how many movies are gathering dust at the end of my “Continue Watching” section on Netflix. And, to my surprise, it became more difficult to sit down and tear through a good book this summer. I can vividly remember when reading came as easily to me as watching a rerun of “The Office” does today. Two summers ago, I re-read the entire Harry Potter series in one week. This summer, I’ve finished my fair share of books, but it felt like I had to work for it. It was something I had to conceive of, plan out, and execute rather than simply lying on the sofa and doing it. On one hand, having this many TV shows, movies, books, music, and more at my fingertips is a luxury. But I do wish it were more simple. When I visited India this year, I was reminded of one aspect of the culture, of a place I had visited countless times before, of people I’d loved and who’d loved
me back since before I was born: simplicity. My cousins all wake up in the morning, eat breakfast, and go to school. They come back, they eat something, and then go out and play for hours. Dinner, and then homework, and then bedtime. On the weekends, they spend time with their families— go out to a movie, do some shopping, help in the kitchen. These are their lives. For years, I had always looked down on my cousins, condescending and patronizing, internally lamenting their lack of driver’s licenses and freedom. This year, I felt something different. I realized I was instead jealous — and I was an asshole. They never fret about whether or not their friends are hanging out without them, or worry about how many likes their profile picture will get. No one really works out, because people would rather eat their mother’s home-cooked food and feel satisfied than eat a kale salad and feel crappy. If they don’t do their homework, they’re scolded, but more playfully, in a way that, in the end, they know it’s all part of life and sometimes you’d rather spend time with your friends than do work. Compare that to academic life where I grew up, where a failed test or assignment came with the side effects of crippling worry, reduced college aspirations, and panicked attempts to regain your standing among your peers. Their choices aren’t “Hannibal”, the gym, or “Freedom” by Jonathan Franzen, but rather food, friends, and family. When I asked my cousin what he watches on TV one day, he said, “Just whatever comes on. I think Netflix will be big in India soon, hopefully.” I thought to myself, just as condescendingly, just as patronizingly, just as selfishly, I hope not.
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THE
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Wednesday, September 9, 2015 // The Statement
Wednesday, September 9, 2015 // The Statement
ONE NIGHT, ONE PILL, ONE TRAGEDY —and a mother’s mission By Lev Facher, Managing Editor
J
osh Levine’s death, examined at the simplest level, was the doing of a pill. Small, round, and as visually unintimidating as an over-the-counter painkiller, Adderall tablet was first prescribed to somebody not named Josh Levine, somebody who then presumably offered it to the 22-year-old at a Saturday night party at a Chicago apartment. Somewhere along the line, the pill was crushed so it could be snorted. Once ingested, it went to work promoting a sense of alertness and energy that kept Levine, no stranger to alcohol, completely unaware he was pushing himself far, far beyond his own limits with every sip. Levine, a 2014 University graduate who had accepted his first full-time job and moved to Chicago just weeks before the incident, was found unresponsive on a sidewalk in the earlymorning hours of July 20, 2014. He suffered a fatal, alcoholinduced cardiac episode while walking home alone. Someone had stolen his wallet from his motionless body, and Levine had left his phone behind at the apartment where he had been drinking earlier. Levine’s family doesn’t know who stole the wallet, or who called 911, or whether whoever stole the wallet and whoever called 911 is the same person. The key fob in his pocket that would have opened the door to the apartment he had moved into just days before was the hospital’s only means
of identifying him. Presence Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center, located just northwest of downtown Chicago, called Levine’s property manager who called a family member. Levine was declared brain-dead shortly after arriving at the hospital. He was taken off life support hours after his parents arrived at his hospital bedside, having driven through the night from Cincinnati after receiving a concerned midmorning call from Levine’s brother, who also lived in Chicago, then an evening phone call that he was in the hospital, in the ICU, and things weren’t looking good. In an early morning phone call, the Cook County coroner asked Levine’s mother, Julie Buckner, whether her son had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. No, Buckner said, he didn’t. Why do you ask? He had stimulants in his system, the coroner told Buckner. Amphetamines. Adderall. No, Buckner told her. He didn’t. Levine didn’t do that kind of thing. The coroner already knew the facts, but said she would look into it further. The hospital measured Levine’s blood toxicity upon his arrival. His blood alcohol content, Buckner said, was “astronomical.” When he reached the hospital, he had amphet-
PHOTO COURTESY OF JULIE BUCKNER
Josh brought his mother, Julie, to Rick’s American Cafe on his 21st birthday, April 14, 2013.
amines in his system. By the time he was taken off life support a day and a half later, the Adderall was gone, flushed out by a network of tubes and needles and a body that, by and large, was still functioning. Levine’s cause of death was listed as acute alcohol poisoning, but the records only tell a partial story. Alcohol was only one factor. A pill cost Levine’s brother and three step-brothers a sibling. It cost the University of Michigan a promising young alumnus, the school’s football team a beloved former manager. It cost West Bloomfield High School a popular substitute teacher. It cost Buckner her son. Josh’s brothers, Adam and Alec Buckner, graduated May, 2015. Here they stand together on the football practice field the night before the Michigan-Ohio State game 2011. There was a managers’ game and the Michigan managers crushed Ohio State. *** Stimulants like Ritalin and Adderall are commonly prescribed to patients diagnosed with ADHD, a condition the American Psychiatric Association has stated affects 5 percent of American children, the population in which symptoms of the disorder typically first manifest. Given the frequency with which the drugs are prescribed
PHOTO COURTESY OF JULIE BUCKNER
Josh’s brothers, Adam and Alec Buckner, graduated May, 2015. Here they stand together on the football practice field the night before the Michigan-Ohio State game 2011. There was a managers’ game and the Michigan managers beat Ohio State.
to children and their seemingly innocuous brand names, it can be easy to underestimate the drugs’ seriousness and potency. But Ritalin has another name, too: methylphenidate. If you came up with a nickname for the chemical compound, “meth” might be a good place to start. This relationship paints a far clearer picture of the effects of these drugs, which, when taken by someone who has no need for it, can elicit similar responses as the recreational drug found on street corners. The culture surrounding prescription stimulant abuse is remarkably casual, some researchers say. Those seeking out extra pills from friends with legitimate prescriptions are often unaware of the intense side effects that can develop as a result, even in healthy patients. “Increasingly, doctors and psychiatrists are recommending that people who are prescribed stimulants take them in private,” said Elizabeth Austic, a postdoctoral researcher at the University who has studied the use of stimulants and opioids in teenage populations. “One thing I heard a lot in college is the ‘friend code,’ — your friend does you a favor; you’re breaking the friend code if you don’t (give into their requests for a prescribed stimulant),” Austic said. Giving a friend an extra dose of a controlled substance, considering its potential effects, is no act of friendship. It’s also a felony, a factor that typically only comes into play once disaster has already struck. Sometimes it’s akin to what happened to Levine. Sometimes, the disaster can be a psychiatric one. Even in healthy patients, amphetamines can induce psychosis and other severe symptoms, according to a 2012 study published in BMC Psychiatry, a peer-reviewed psychiatric journal. More vulnerable patients, such as those with personal or family history of psychiatric issues, can be susceptible to developing symptoms even at small doses. Symptoms for this form of psychosis can include visual hallucinations, insomnia, anorexia, and delusional parasitosis, in which victims come to falsely belief that their bodies are infested with parasites. But the side effects of stimulant use, or the adverse effects of combining the drugs with alcohol, are often unrealized in users until the worst has already occurred. Worse, Austic said, those who do suffer adverse side effects sometimes fall off the radar. A college student who developed symptoms of psychosis after taking stimulants might take a semester off for health reasons or drop out of college entirely, making it even less likely that their peers would be forced to come to terms with issue’s prevalence. Instead of a college freshman learning about their roommates’ substance abuse issue, that freshman might simply find him or herself with a double room to themselves, Austic said. “Growing up, whenever I heard of someone who died from an overdose, you don’t take it seriously, because you think, ‘My friends aren’t like that,’ ” said Ben Eilender, a lifelong friend of Levine’s, a fellow football manager and 2014 University graduate. “All it takes is one bad decision. Or one bad night.” *** Levine, a member of Theta Chi Fraternity, was the type of person who could be found regularly at parties and bars. He drank a fair amount, his friends say, but not more than anybody else in his social circle. Levine was as much a momma’s boy as he was a frat boy. He kept his mother in the loop about every aspect of his life. “Way too much,” Buckner said with a laugh. “He told me way too much.” He worked part-time at Rick’s American Cafe, a famous hotspot for college nightlife in Ann Arbor. Not wanting to choose between a raucous 21st birthday celebration and a night with his family, Levine settled for both: he brought his parents and siblings to the bar at 611 Church Street.
Levine wasn’t known for being an out-of-control type, for overdoing things, for being the person whose level of intoxication drew eyes from across the room. “He’s kind of the poster child,” Buckner said. “He was a frat boy who could drink, but he wasn’t an alcoholic. He wasn’t a drug addict. By all accounts of him using Adderall, it was not a regular thing for him.” Jake Miller, another University alum who was a close friend of Levine’s and shared a house with him in the months following their graduation, agreed. Levine, he said, wasn’t the type to have drawn attention to himself simply by having overindulged. “That’s why it’s so surprising,” Miller said. “He was never the kid who was out of control, who you had to take care of. He was more likely taking care of someone else.” While several of Levine’s friends and the University student population at large were generally aware of the dangers of drinking — and maybe even held an abstract understanding of the dangers of co-ingestion — such an outcome was unthinkable. “I think anybody who’s lost a friend to drinking or drugs has had their experience change,” Miller said. “Of course you know it’s dangerous. You’ve heard stories. But you don’t really think that when you’re going out tonight, somebody could die. That isn’t something that occurs to you.” *** In the aftermath of her son’s death, Buckner started the Josh E. Levine Foundation, a nonprofit which honors Levine’s memory by bringing to light the rarely discussed issue of coingestion. The organization’s slogan is ominous: “It’s Fun Until…” The goal, Buckner says, is to save lives — to bring the issue close enough to home that those considering using stimulants or any other drug alongside alcohol think twice. “Please don’t co-ingest ANYTHING with alcohol,” the foundation’s Facebook page wrote on April 14, which would have been Levine’s 23rd birthday. “Adderall, Xanax, Percocet, Red Bull, anti-depressants, etc. Have a game plan in place when you drink to quit while you still have your wits.” But Buckner isn’t fighting this issue alone. Wolverine Wellness, a subdivision of University Health Service, has also been front and center in increasing proactive efforts to prevent students’ abuse of stimulants and sleep aids, both when they’re being used as sleep aids and when they’re being abused alongside alcohol. There’s no quick fix. The University’s 2014 National College Health Assessment showed that 10 percent of undergraduate students reported having used amphetamines in the 12-month window before taking the survey, an uptick from 9 percent in 2010, the last year the survey was performed. A smaller but still substantial percentage of students selfreported having used sedatives like Xanax and Valium — 5 percent of undergraduates in a 12-month window. Though preventative efforts are largely important in keeping a handle on campus health issues, organizations like Wolverine Wellness find themselves searching for a “sweet spot” that balances spreading awareness with the fear of lending an air of social acceptability to the abuse of a particular drug, said Wolverine Wellness director Mary Jo Desprez. Desprez, using the hypothetical of heroin use in undergraduates, said broadly spreading the word about abuse of a particular drug abuse pattern can do more harm than good. “Even if there were only five (users on campus), you still want to do something,” Desprez said. “And you don’t want to norm it. You don’t want to do a big campus campaign that says, ‘Don’t do heroin,’ because then all of a sudden everybody’s like, ‘Is everybody doing heroin?’ It’s still only five people.” Instead, Desprez said, the University needs to be “nimble enough to do those targeted interventions” on smaller populations of students who’ve developed an abusive habit, without resorting to widespread measures that essentially concede the commonplace nature of certain substance abuse
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PHOTO COURTESY OF JULIE BUCKNER
Josh at a graduation dinner before his Kinesiology graduation ceremony.
patterns, like AlcoholEdu. At the same time, many say there’s a mentality issue on campus that has yet to be addressed. “There’s two pockets of misuse,” Desprez said. “One is performance aid. We have this culture here of, ‘gonna stay up all night, gonna write the paper, gotta focus, everybody does it.’ The other pocket of worry, which I think Josh fell into, is coingestion with the idea of keeping the party going longer. “I think the perception that (a stimulant is) a good study aid sort of dwarves the reason it’s a prescription drug. It does come with these huge health issues and concerns.” A study co-authored by Sean McCabe, another University researcher who has studied the practice of prescription drug abuse and stimulant-alcohol co-ingestion, showed that male undergraduates were twice as likely as females to use unprescribed stimulants for nonmedical reasons. White students were more likely to take unprescribed stimulants than any other racial demographic. About 13 percent of students living in fraternity or sorority houses misused prescription stimulants compared with about 4 percent of students living in off-campus apartments, according to the study. Another study co-authored by McCabe study showed that 6.9 percent of undergraduates self-reported having used abusable prescription drugs alongside alcohol in the previous 12-month span. Perhaps more disturbingly, the study reported, “nonmedical users of prescription stimulants were over six times more likely to report frequent heavy drinking than their peers who did not report nonmedical use of prescription stimulants.” In other words: those who can least afford to drink heavily are often those who do it most. See STIMULANTS, Page 8B
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Wednesday, September 9, 2015 // The Statement
Professor Profile: Ed Cho by Natalie Gadbois, Deputy Statement Editor
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YO, JOIN THE DAILY. MEETINGS SEPT. 13, 14, 17, AND 20: 7PM, 420 MAYNARD
ach year, as the echoes of Welcome Week parties fade and the Ulrich’s line veers dangerously out the door, hundreds of students face the same great white whale — Economics 102. Famous at the University for its rigor and the competitive nature of its students, this class is a hallmark of undergraduate life at the “U.” This year, there is one more person entering the hallowed ground of Lorch Hall — Econ 102’s newest lecturer, Edward Cho. Cho began at the University last year teaching 300- and 400-level economics courses, and is willing to admit the prospect of teaching to 370 students is a new challenge compared to his past teaching experiences. At Wellesley College the largest class he taught had 30 students. “At first I was worried or fearful that the classes would be too big, especially because I like to interact with the students, but it hasn’t been a problem at all.” Cho’s path to Michigan is unconventional compared to many others — he began his undergrad career as a bio-engineer, before taking an econ course and “feeling everything click.” Despite this initial passion for economics, after graduate school he pursued a career in consulting. “You don’t actually know what you like and dislike until you do it, and all these conceptions of what you think you want to do, once you get there you realize it’s not what you thought it was.” In consulting, Cho soon realized the rigorous hours weren’t worth it for him. “I saw people who were working in consulting, and they were in their 40s and 50s, and still working 100 hours a week … So I decided it was time to go back to what I loved to do.” He returned to school at MIT, and taught for a short while there as well as at Harvard, before moving to Wellesley College in Massachusetts. At Wellesley, he became close with a professor who he says shaped his growth as an educator. The small
ANDREW COHEN/DAILY
class sizes and faculty-to-student ratio at Wellesley allowed him to develop a core tenet of his teaching philosophy — connecting with his students, a skill he has doubled upon since starting at the University. “Students here like to engage, and I just have to find a way to do it right,” he said, “The main challenge is keeping the interaction with students high.” During his first year at the University, Cho strove to make econ relevant to students — more than just a class taken for a grade, but as an applicable skill base. Public Policy senior Harry Kammerman, who took ECON 396, believes Cho’s philosophy pays off in the classroom, saying, “He provides examples that are relevant to current trends in financial markets, helping students apply what they’ve learned.” One of Cho’s favorite teaching techniques is introducing real-life examples into his lectures — he will have his pet cat play the stock market to explain the randomness of the success of stocks. He understands the esoteric nature of the topics he teaches, so he tries to make Econ relevant to his students, pulling in current events and campus-related examples. “Teaching has no limit … There is knowing the material, there is answering questions, being organized — I realized there were so many more dimensions to teaching.” Perhaps what is most unique about Cho is his real passion for teaching — he isn’t research-focused or gunning for tenure, but loves engaging with students. “It’s a career I enjoy,” Cho said. “I sometimes ask myself, ‘Would I switch jobs with anyone? Would I switch careers?’ But I think the answer almost inevitably is no … With Economics you can continue to learn, and that’s the fun part.” As of yesterday, 370 new students have met Cho. He can’t wait to get to know each and every one of them.
Wednesday, September 9, 2015 // The Statement
Personal Statement: My ever-evolving identity by Kathleen Davis, Senior Arts Editor
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re you Hispanic/Latino? Select yes or no. My first words were not in English. The way my mom tells it, out of a babbling string of “goo-goos” and “ga-gas” came “gato,” a meaningless word in English, but the start of a bilingualism that came from growing up in a duel-cultured household. “Gato,” or “cat” in Spanish, was the beginning of a complicated relationship between my two cultures, which I haven’t taken control of until recently. I’m the product of a Mexican-American mother and a Canadian-American (read: very white) father, speaking exclusively Spanish to the former and English to the latter during my formative years. My family friends and my dad’s relatives often tell stories from when I was a tiny child, having not yet differentiated what was English and what was Spanish, responding to questions asked in one language with the other, leaving most outside my family confused and in need of rapid translation. After entering the public school system, where English quickly became my dominant language, I held a certain pride for my diverse half, a rare commodity in my predominantly white hometown where I was one of five or six kids in my graduating class from a Spanish-speaking household. I was the only kid on the block who had birthday parties with piñatas, with “happy birthday” and las mañanitas sung consecutively before I blew the candles out on my cake. My friends in 4th grade Spanish hour called me “the human dictionary” for my rapidly whispered translations during quizzes. Before self-consciousness, my uniqueness was a source of pride. And then struck preteen indifference. At around 12 years old, when being different makes you want to blend in even more to the status quo, I began responding to my mother’s Spanish questions with English, more likely just a “yeah” or “no” to contribute as little to con-
ILLUSTRATION BY CHERYLL VICTUELLES
versations as possible. This period didn’t last long, but the funny thing about language is if you don’t use it, you lose it. I would notice it in inopportune moments, like speaking with my grandmother or doing translations for friends. Blanking on an English-to-Spanish translation, messing up a simple grammatical structure. The shame of knowing I was losing the language was enough to perpetuate a cycle of less use at home and more forgetting. It’s a period of time I wish I could go back to just to shake Little Me out of that irreversible stupidity — “Stop being such a tonta!” “I’m just tired,” I’d say. “My Spanish brain needs to be warmed up.” Partially true, but I never had that problem earlier in life. What struck me worse than preteen indifference was the constant utterance that would follow after my Latina confession — “But you don’t look Mexican!” A phrase that seems so harmless, but when heard frequently can cause an identity crisis of cosmic proportions for a small little girl. I get it, I’m one of the palest girls around and my hair is only light brown instead of raven. But that simple phrase, which could easily be responded to with a little education about the diversity within the Latin@ community, burrowed so deep into my head that I questioned if I even was Mexican. Sure, I’m technically half, but was that enough to care about learning Spanish anymore? If everyone thinks I’m just a standard white girl, it’s not like I need to prove anything to anyone. Again, tonta. The looming thought that I wasn’t a Salma Hayek or an Eva Longoria was the catalyst for my middle school physical insecurities. I longed to look like these women, filling my days with streaky self tanner and Google searches for “How to look more Latina.” Even as a Hispanic woman, I conceded to the media-perpetuated stereotypes that plague my cultural community,
because I was so eager to prove to the outside that I was one of them. And with every innocent “you don’t look Mexican!” I fell deeper into the spiral of identity crisis. On standardized tests, where it was necessary to note your race and ethnicity, I always became glossy-eyed, staring at the questions for too long, wondering just how Mexican I felt today and if I was a faker for marking down “Hispanic.” I always ended up putting down “Hispanic” and “bilingual,” but it always came with a pang of guilt I could never explain. Recovering from insecurity is not a one size fits all process. For some, therapy is the answer; for others, it’s something we learn to repress. When I developed issues with depression and anxiety my freshman year of college, I assumed they were triggered by the textbook examples: feelings of isolation, large life transitions, etc. Never did it cross my mind that these issues could stem from the deeply rooted thoughts that I was a free floater in life, knowing I was too white to fit with the Latinas and too Latina to feel comfortable being completely white. These feelings were exemplified by the process of moving away from home and losing what I felt was the only tie I had to my diversity — my family, who I used to justify my Hispanic-ness. I’m still working through these feelings of insecurity, but with age and education, they’ve gotten better. Moving away from home, though difficult in the sense that I felt like I was losing my Mexican identity, allowed me to come in touch with a multitude of diverse individuals, many of whom identify with more than one cultural identity. My identity to my two cultures is ever-evolving and I’m learning that that’s OK. I feel confident in proclaiming that I’m a Latina woman as I work slowly to regain the parts of my language I’ve lost over the years, and I’m learning to be proud of my uniqueness once again.
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Wednesday, September 9, 2015 // The Statement
STIMULANTS From Page 5B
“Josh wanted to be a teacher, and he wanted to be a coach,” Eilender said. “That’s what his mom is doing, trying to help kids, trying to save a single life. That’s what shines through for me the most, because that’s what Josh would have wanted.” Buckner said though she certainly wasn’t obligated to publicize the manner in which her son died, she felt compelled to. “There was no question that I needed people to know what happened, because it was so frightening to me,” Buckner said. “I had no clue that kids were abusing adderall as a party drug. I did not know about this issue of co-ingestion.” The message, whether it’s through the foundation’s work, the simple fact of Levine’s death, or both, is having an effect. Levine’s friends approached Buckner at his funeral to tell her that though they’d co-ingested previously, those days were over. Others didn’t have to say a thing — Buckner said she could tell just from the look in their eyes. It also took her son’s death for Buckner to realize exactly the type of person he was — as charitable and selfless as he was, he’s also remembered for being charitable and selfless in the most understated way possible. “I can’t tell you how many girls told me that he would walk them home at night,” Buckner said. “That he would literally give them the coat off his back if they needed it. To hear that those were the type of things that he was doing was pretty breathtaking. In the months before his death, Levine had worked as a substitute teachers at West Bloomfield High School and had thoughts of becoming a credentialed teacher. “What happened to our family was cataclysmic.” The cataclysm isn’t over. Barely a year has passed since Levine’s death, and Buckner knows there’s still work to be done. “When you walk around (Michigan’s campus) on a football Saturday, it’s just unbelievable,” Buckner said. “Now the kids, I heard, will snort Adderall first thing in the morning,” allowing them to drink unimpeded throughout the day. This Saturday, and on hundreds of Saturdays in the years to come, students will wake up early, and they’ll drink. Buckner isn’t much of a drinker herself. She’s not thrilled about the alcohol — in and of itself, the binge drinking of alcohol alone is its own health issue, one that isn’t discussed enough on college campuses across the country. But if Buckner has her way, maybe — just maybe — they’ll stick to alcohol, and have a plan to quit drinking while they still have their wits. She’s taking things one step at a time.