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Optimism for 2016 abounds on Mackinac
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Justin Wolfers, professor of Economics and Public Policy, and Roger Ferguson, president and CEO of TIAA-CREF and former vice chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve, have a conversation about fiscal knowledge and financial literacy in Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre at the Ford School on Tuesday.
Policy talk highlights need to prepare for retirement Former vice-chair of the U.S Federal Reserve calls on students to plan ahead By EMMA KINERY Daily Staff Reporter
Retirement may be a long way off for the University students who attended Tuesday’s Ford Policy Talk, but the president of one of the nation’s largest
nonprofit financial institutions told them they should start planning now. Roger Ferguson, president and CEO of TIAA-CREF, discussed financial literacy and economics during a discussion with University students and faculty. TIAA is one of the largest nonprofit financial institutions in the nation and one of the retirement policy providers for the University. Ferguson, the former vice chairman of the Board of Governors of the U.S.
Federal Reserve, previously served on President Barack Obama’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness and worked on a long-term study for the National Academy of Science on the effects of the aging population in the United States. During the talk, Ferguson said he sees Americans’ lack of fiscal knowledge as one of the most pressing issues facing the U.S. economy. Thirty percent of Americans, when tested on their financial literacy, fell into the category of
financially illiterate, Ferguson said. “The state of financial literacy is abysmal,” he said. “The problem is that most parents are not very comfortable with finances, and therefore their kids are not comfortable. Adults in general aren’t comfortable, teachers are uncomfortable … So I think that there’s this general lack of financial awareness that permeates our society.” The solution, he said, lies in education, citing work he’s doing with 15 graduate schools to try to See POLICY, Page 3A
GOP presidential nominee hasn’t won the state since George H.W. Bush By SHOHAM GEVA Daily News Editor
MACKINAC ISLAND — They came to Michigan, and they recited the usual platitudes Republicans in the state have been saying for at least the past 27 years: 2016 is the year the GOP takes Michigan back in the presidential election. Republicans haven’t won the state in a presidential election since 1988, but to the five GOP presidential candidates who came to Mackinac Island this weekend for a Republican leadership conference, it wasn’t just platitudes. They were highconfidence predictions. At a rally on the island, Sen. Ted Cruz (R–Texas)
RESEARCH
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
Former ‘U’ reactor to become lab for nuclear research
At CSG, OSCR director speaks about amending rights statement Students also choose election dates and strategize around intercouncil unity By JACKIE CHARNIGA Daily Staff Reporter
The director of the Office of Student Conflict Resolution addressed members of Central Student Government on Tuesday amid an ongoing revision process for the Statement of Student Rights and Responsibilities. Erik Wessel, the director, discussed ways student could contribute input during the revision. The statement outlines expectations for student conduct, and suggests sanctions and disciplinary procedures if they are not met. The statement is amended every three years. Wessel
vowed to campaign hard in the state, promising a repeat of the Reagan Revolution — a reference to former President Ronald Reagan’s ability to attract Democratic voters, and the groundswell of support he found among Democrats in Macomb, Mich. Sen. Rand Paul (R–Ky.), the winner of the weekend’s straw poll and a frequent visitor to the state, touted Michigan-focused policy — like his plan to return money to large urban areas like Detroit through what he calls “economic freedom zones.” To reporters, he said he thought he’d be competitive in Michigan because of his positions on issues like Detroit and privacy, citing the NSA’s surveillance of cell phones through the Patriot Act. “When you talk to college kids or you do a survey, let’s say even 40 or under, 83 percent think we went way too far in collecting all the phone records,” he said. “And See GOP, Page 3A
said it was important for students to be actively involved in the amendment process, particularly because a University student is automatically bound the statement upon their enrollment at the University. “The statement is best served when the entire community has a voice in its continued creation,” Wessel said, “My hope is that you will join me in that process.” CSG’s Student Conduct Advisory Board is in charge of drafting the amended statement. They draft the statement based on conversations with the student body. The next forum will be held Oct. 1 at Weill Hall. Wessel provided examples of the kinds of conflicts that may be addressed in the new statement, such as how the University handles students who enter buildings unauthorized, such as the Big House. See CSG, Page 3A
RITA MORRIS/Daily
$12 million allocated for North Campus building renovation
LSA Dean Andrew Martin answers students questions and discusses undergraduate opportunities in the Living Arts Lounge at Bursley Hall on Tuesday.
Dean Martin talks student internships at open forum Remarks highlight opportunities for LSA students after graduation By EMILY MIILLER Daily Staff Reporter
The setting was intimate Tuesday at the #withDeanMartin event held
in the basement of Bursley Residence Hall. LSA Dean Andrew Martin hosted the open discussion Tuesday night, continuing a series of forums held last year. The audience included a handful of freshmen as well as several dean ambassadors, the students who helped organize the event and work with Martin’s office over the year to engage with students as part of the Dean’s Ambassador
Program. The tone was informal, with questions ranging from study tips to the dean’s role at the University. Martin emphasized the importance of taking advantage of LSA’s growing internship programs, and said his office was looking into opening a Opportunity Center to ensure students are aware of internship opportunities. See DEAN, Page 3A
By KATIE PENROD Daily Staff Reporter
More than 10 years after disassembling its nuclear reactor, the University is allocating $12 million to renovate the building and create a Nuclear Engineering Laboratory in the existing space. The building was first created following World War II, as part of a project called the Michigan Memorial Phoenix Project. Its purpose was to honor members of the University who had died in the war, and was recognized by President Dwight Eisenhower as a facility for peaceful nuclear research. Alum Bob Beyster and his See NUCLEAR, Page 3A
the statement A look at the University’s record breaking Nike contract
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2A — Wednesday, September 23, 2015
MONDAY: This Week in History
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WEDNESDAY: In Other Ivory Towers
Student gov. president harassed female ticket. Members of the fraternity apologized to Sampath after realizing who she was, but Sampath said the event left her unsettled because she thinks the fraternity member only apologized because of her position at the University. Federal veterans’ program cut at University of Iowa The Iowa Consortium of Veteran Excellence, which provides about 600 University of Iowa student veterans with programs to aid
in the transition to college, will lose financial support from the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs by the end of September, The Daily Iowan reported Tuesday. The VA allocated $2.2 million in 2014 to both the university and the Iowa City Veteran Affairs Health Care System to develop the program. The Daily Iowan reported that the cut came “with little explanation.” A Veteran Affairs official didn’t return the newspaper’s request for comment.
WHAT: Meditation, snacks, art projects, exercise and other activities designed to help students andf aculty relax during the week. WHO: MHealthy WHEN: 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. WHERE: Wolverine Tower, Outside Room G228
Positive links Heritage WHAT: Prof. Kim kickoff Cameron presents a
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Nursing freshman Corrie Rockett jousts in an inflatable ring sponsored by Young Life College on the Diag on Tuesday.
Swing dancing WHAT: Free drop-in lesson at 8 p.m. Dancing free for those who attend drop-in class, otherwise $3 for students and $5 for non-students. Bring your student ID. WHO: Swing Ann Arbor WHEN: 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. WHERE: Vandenberg Room, Michigan League
Chinese philosophy
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WHAT: University of Pennslyvania professor Paul Goldin will discuss critiques of Chinese philosphy, namely whether it contains principles of argumentation. WHO: Confucius Institute WHEN: 12:00 p.m. WHERE: Michigan League, Koessler Rm.
WHAT: Dr. Ivo Dinov speaks about his research in nursing informatics and distributed genomics computing. WHO: School of Nursing WHEN: 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. WHERE: School of Nursing, Room 1330
WHAT: Stop by the Spectrum Center and chat with students for BiLateral to celebrate Bi/Pan/Fluid Visibility Week. The event is open to all students. WHO: Spectrum Center WHEN: 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. WHERE: Michigan Union, Room 3200
WHAT: A small group of students gather to discuss stories from the Bible. WHO: Bridges International WHEN: 7:00 p.m WHERE: TBA Please report any error in the Daily to corrections@ michigandaily.com.
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WHAT: LatinX Heritage Month kickoff event listing all of the monthly acitivities celebrating the LatinX community. WHO: Office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives WHEN: 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. WHERE: Rackham Graduate School, 4th Floor Assembly Hall
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discussion on Taking Stock: Strengths and Limitations in Positive Leadership WHO: Michigan Ross Center for Positive Organizations WHEN: 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. WHERE: Ross School of Business Colloquium, 6th floor
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The University of Southern California’s student body president said she was harassed when a fraternity member yelled at her and threw a can of beer at her, the Los Angeles Times reported. The president, Rini Sampath, was born in India. She said as she walked by the unnamed fraternity house, a man yelled out “You Indian piece of s---!” When she was elected, Sampath became the first female USC student body president in nearly a decade and the first president to be elected on an all
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CSG From Page 1A “Let’s say for example a situation where a student has after-hours entered into the football stadium,” Wessel said. “We want to have an opportunity to engage that student in a dialogue around that choice.” The new statement will go into effect July 2016. Budget approval CSG Treasurer Kevin Ziegler, a Business senior, presented the yearly CSG budget to the assembly. The proposed budget would total $400,000. Currently CSG has an expected revenue $423,852.17, according to the budget report.
THREE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW TODAY
1
In Rowan County, Kentucky, same-sex couples who are suing County clerk Kim Davis for issuing invalid marriage licenses filed a motion to receive new, valid licenses from the county’s deputy clerks, NBC News reported.
2
When the University signed a 15-year contract with Nike this summer, it passed Notre Dame for the largest gear contract among universities in the U.S. ever — by almost $80 million. >> FOR MORE, SEE THE STATEMENT
3
Pope Francis arrived in Washington, D.C. yesterday and greeted President Obama immediately after landing, CNN reported. The six-day, three-city tour will be Pope Francis’s first trip to the United States.
Ziegler said he hopes to keep the amount of general reserve — or unused — funds at a maximum of 5 percent. He said doing so would ensure students are still at the University when CSG uses the fees students pay each semester for student government. “These fees that students are paying now — I want to see that money expended and put to use while they’re here at the University and in that semester,” Ziegler said. According to the proposed budget, the Student Organization Funding Commission would receive 48 percent of the funds for the year, totaling $167,592.28. Elections updates Fall election dates were also proposed for Nov. 18 and 19.
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A resolution introduced will permit a pay raise for the CSG elections director if the director holds his or her post for both semesters. The pay will remain $500 for the first semester, but will now increase to $750 for the second semester. The elections director is typically a Law student in charge of running CSG elections. Public Policy sophomore Jacob Pearlman, student general counsel, said the role demands an approximately eight week commitment. Pearlman said previous directors experienced mental breakdowns due to the stresses of the position, and the funds are intended to provide additional incentive to fill the position. Executive communications LSA junior Sean Pitt,
CSG’s chief of staff, discussed increasing communication between each of CSG’s commissions and the executive committee. Pitt proposed appointing a leader from each commision to report regularly to executive leadership. Pitt also looks to decrease the number of CSG commissions from 19 to eight by turning certain former commissions into sub-commissions. For example, the Sexual Assault Commission will now fall under the umbrella of the Student Health and Safety Commission. Pitt said the absorption of Sexual Assault into Student Health and Safety would not diminish the efficacy and importance of the commission, but would instead line up more CSG members behind the issue.
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Erik Wessel, director of the Office of Student Conflict Resolution, discusses the Statement of Student Rights and Responsibilities at the Central Student Government meeting on Tuesday at the CSG chambers in the Michigan Union.
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NEWS BRIEFS
‘U’ names worker found dead in Chemistry Building The man found dead in the University’s chemistry building on September 15 was identified on Tuesday as Lamont Smith, The Ann Arbor News reported. Smith was found by a coworker around 3:50 am in medical distress. When paramedics arrived he was pronounced dead on scene. While the results of the autopsy have not been released yet, officials believe he died of natural causes. Smith had worked as a custodian with the University for 25 years.
University continues campus ban on guns amid lawsuit In August, Ann Arbor resident Josh Wade sued the University for the right to carry his gun on campus, the Detroit Free Press reported. The University filed a report to the state in defense of the ban this week. According to the University, under the Michigan Constitution schools do not have to abide by legislation concerning weapons and they are thus allowed to ban guns on campus property. Wade sparked controversy last spring when he demonstrated his right to open carry at an Ann Arbor High School choir concert.
‘U’ Water Center receives $3 million to conduct research on algae Researchers from the University received a $3 million grant from the Erb Family Foundation to study the impact the Detroit River’s algea has on the blooms in Lake Erie. The grant will last 3 years. Researchers will analyze the efficiency of Detroit’s “green infrastructure” projects which are created to maintain storm runoff in the city. The algae, which plagues Lake Erie each year, release toxins into the water. When the toxins build up they make the water unsafe to drink. In August 2014, over 400,000 inhabitants of Toledo were without drinking water as a resault of the algae.
Former state rep. outsted amid scandal is eligible to run again Cindy Gamrat, former representative for Michigan’s 80th district, will be eligible to run for her former seat, Michigan’s Secretary of State ruled this week. Gamrat was voted out of Michigan’s House of Representatives eariler this month after an investigation found she had misused state funds while having an affair with former Representative Todd Courser, who resigned the night she was voted out. The scandal made national news. To prevent their affair from becoming public Courser sent an email claiming him to be addicted to pornography and seeking a male prostitute. Courser and Gamrat have both filed to run for their former seats.
POLICY From Page 1A identify techniques which can be used to educate millennials on finances. In particular, Ferguson said more education is required on saving for retirement. As the president of a retirement savings organization, he said he frequently interacts with individuals who are not thinking about it and are not saving enough — or even not saving at all. “I think that the biggest problem can be just not thinking about it,” Ferguson said. “It’s been long said that people spend more time planning for vacation than their retirement.” Ferguson listed three ways for businesses and organizations to maximize their employee’s retirement savings plans and
NUCLEAR From Page 1A wife Betty donated $5 million of the total budget in 2012, which kicked off a subsequent fundraising campaign to renovate the nuclear facility. The Nuclear Engineering Laboratory will function as a center for professors, researchers and students to continue research on topics like nuclear energy and advancements in power plant technology. The four-story building will contain, among other features, gamma ray testing centers and student collaboration rooms. Ronald Gilgenbach, chair of the department of nuclear engineering and radiological sciences, said the lab will create a host of new research opportunities. “This laboratory will make the world a safer place by developing new techniques and guiding policies to detect nuclear weapons materials,” he said. Dean of Engineering David Munson, Jr., wrote in an e-mail to The Michigan Daily that the
DEAN From Page 1A “Last summer we provided over a thousand internships to LSA students, and we awarded over a half million in scholarship money such that any student could take an internship regardless of need,” he said. He also described how LSA was creating a name for itself among employers in various pre-professional fields, such as business. “Just within the last month, we’re having employers who are calling our internship office saying we’ve had your LSA students with their history majors, econ majors, political science majors,” he said. “We want to come interview LSA students for jobs.” In addition, he said taking advantage of the liberal arts experience helps prepare students for life after college, noting that 94 percent of LSA students are employed or in graduate school six months after graduating. Overall, Martin encouraged
News encourage them to save. The first was to automatically enroll employees in a retirement savings plan so that instead of forgetting to sign up, they would have to unenroll if they did not want to participate. His next suggestion was to implement automatic escalation, so that when an employee earns more money, a greater amount of earnings is also taken off their paycheck into their retirement plan. Finally, Ferguson said he wants companies to give their employees a chance to think about how the funds from the retirement plan will have to last them. Though he acknowledged college students probably aren’t thinking about saving for retirement, he told the crowd they should be. “For those of you who have loans, probably the first thing to do would be to resurface that debt and pay it off,” Ferguson
said. “Plan to do both and sequence them properly.” Ferguson, introduced at the talk as the top Black economist of his generation, also touched on diversity in the field of economics itself, saying he’d like to see more of it. He said a combination of an intimidating intellectual environment, the types of research done within the field, and the math-based work might create an unappealing atmosphere for many students, but that students of all backgrounds should consider the profession. “There are very few African American economists in my generation,” he said. “I think the real problem with the profession is that it is simply not diverse enough — be that race (or) gender. There’s something about the profession that is offputting for lots of people.”
original building’s thick walls will make it a good location for nuclear research, as they were built to shield from radiation damage. Munson added that one of the lab’s focus areas will be nuclear nonproliferation. He also noted that much of the research will be conducted by graduate students, with room for undergraduate research as well. “The research in the new labs will be oriented at detection and imaging of radioactive sources, with applications to nuclear nonproliferation, and improvements to nuclear power plants,” Munson wrote. “The goal of the U-M work in that regard is to create improved means to detect and localize even small amounts of fissile material, which can be used to make nuclear bombs. The objective is to make it very difficult to hide this material or transport it across borders.” Both Munson and Gilgenbach emphasized the need to continue important nuclear research in today’s society and said it will lead to nuclear energy being used in a safer way. Engineering graduate student
Marc Ruch, a nuclear engineering researcher, said part of working in the new facility will involve shining a more positive light on the potential of nuclear energy, as opposed to a sometimes negative connotation associated with nuclear power. “Nuclear engineering is really the only solution to global warming. It’s a source of energy that’s economical without producing carbon emissions,” he said. “What this space, in particular, is going to be doing, at least for the lab that I work with, is help improve our ability to detect the proliferation of nuclear weapons as well.” Similarly, Gilgenbach said the research on safe nuclear energy is a priority and will continue to be when the laboratory is complete. “The research that we’re doing on nuclear thermal hydraulics will not only make nuclear energy safer, but it will allow us to improve the efficiency of nuclear reactors, since nuclear power is still the only carbon-free baseload energy that’s available that doesn’t rely on wind, sun or essentially hydroelectricity,” he said.
students to make the most of their time in the LSA. “I’d pick whatever’s the most fun,” he said. “What’s the subject you find fascinating? That’s what you should chase after. And if you haven’t found that yet, keep looking.” Martin said he plans on having two or three of these forums a semester at various locations around campus, as well as hosting open office hours once every three or four weeks. “It’s really an opportunity for me to hear from students, and for us as a college to be responsive to whatever it is students want to talk about,” he said. Social Work student Kendall Johnson, who is a graduate student adviser to the Dean’s Ambassador Program, said she considered the evening successful despite the small turnout. “The fact that Dean Martin is trying to reach out to students is different from other deans,” Johnson said. “So I think that students are seeing that, and it’s just going to be a matter of continuing to get the word out.” LSA senior Jason Colella,
president of LSA student government, thought the smaller setting was an interesting variation on past events. “This one was more intimate and on a smaller scale, which allowed us to have a more personal conversation,” Colella said. “We maybe got less of the policy ideas out of it, but we got more heartto-heart human reaction, which is a good perspective.” Marjorie Horton, assistant dean for undergraduate education, said she hopes attendance is better in the future. “I was disappointed that more first year students didn’t come because I think that it was really a very deliberate choice on Dean Martin’s part to come out to where the students live and be accessible,” Horton said. She said she thinks working more closely with housing and involving residential advisors will expand the audience at future events. The next of the dean’s forums will take place in Mary Markley Residence Hall on Oct. 29. A third forum is planned for Dec. 8 in the Michigan Union.
Wednesday, September 23, 2015 — 3A
GOP From Page 1A being associated as one who wants to get rid of them I think helps me with the youth vote. Being a Detroit Republican, meaning I want to go after the minority vote and actually saying how I would do it, makes me different as well.” Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush told attendees that the thought Michigan — as well as several other states that typically swing Democratic — were well within the GOP’s grasp, if the right nominee were elected. “Everybody used to think that Michigan was a blue state,” he said. “Over and over again, you hear it, right? Well, Michigan, because of Republican leadership at the state level, isn’t blue anymore. It’s red. And at the national level, it’s purple trending red. And if we elect the right nominee, it’ll go Republican in November of next year. That’s just not idle chatter. That should be our aspiration.” And it wasn’t just the candidates who thought so. State leadership and state Republicans in attendance in many ways led the charge in purveying this optimism, pointing to Michigan’s economy, the policy work of Gov. Rick Snyder and the control the state party has over both branches of the legislature, the governor’s office, the attorney general’s office and the secretary of state. Citing the tenure of former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D), Ronna Romney McDaniel, Michigan Republican Party chairman, said the state is doing well because of its Republican leadership, and that will resonate with voters in the presidential election. “We have a story of Republican leadership and how it’s done,” she said. “Under Jennifer Granholm, jobs were fleeing our state. Our state was on the decline. I had friends lose homes. I had friends move away from the state, have to file bankruptcy, lose their jobs. And to see that people are coming back because Michigan has come back is a wonderful story.” The theme of the conference — Michigan: Foundation for the Future — focused on that idea. There was plenty of attention focused on the prominence of Michigan in Washington, with panelists all weekend talking about how to take lessons learned in Michigan — like revitalization efforts in Detroit or initiatives to promote skilled trades — to the national stage. After calling Washington, D.C. broken during a panel discussion, Snyder said many of Michigan’s successes could be replicated on a nationwide level. “We’re a great country still, but we have a broken political culture,” Snyder said. “And it’s manifested in Washington more than anywhere else.” Whether Republicans will actually take Michigan, of course, is a question that will be decided far into the future — especially with the current state of the GOP field, where the eventual nominee could be any of the 15 candidates still in the race. But on whether the current optimism is warranted or not, history seems to suggest that it will be an uphill battle.
—EMMA KINERY
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RUBY WALLAU/Daily
Ann Arbor resident William Gordon volunteers for the Ted Cruz campaign at the Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference on Saturday. “The biggest thing I like about [Ted Cruz] is that he’s proven that he’ll fight for principles,” Gordon said. “And I see a lack of fight for principles in the Republican party in Washington right now.”
“Michigan has been like the holy grail for the Republican party since the 1990s,” said Political Science Prof. Michael Traugott. “But they haven’t really experienced much success. They probably are looking at the outcome of gubernatorial contests, and see how control of that office has switched back and forth between the parties. But the social agenda of recent Republican candidates hasn’t really matched very well with the social agenda of a majority of voters in the state of Michigan.” Conference attendees cited multiple reasons for why they thought 2016 would be different, spanning from the candidates currently in the race to the current presidential administration and Michigan’s elected leaders. “I think that’s a possibility, especially this year because I don’t see the Democrats have much to offer,” said Tom Banks, an Ypsilanti resident. Banks, who said he currently favored retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson and Cruz in the race, added that he thought the pool of candidates for the Republican nomination was much stronger than it was in 2012. “I see the Republicans have 16 now really excellent candidates,” he said. “Any of them would be, I think, could be a winner. None of them are duds.” Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has since supsended his campaign. Tanner Wright, a sophomore at Hillsdale College who’s supporting Paul, said he thought Michigan would vote Republican based on public sentiment toward the Obama administration. “I mean, you can look back at the election of 1980, 1984, and you see that it goes red in those circumstances, when you have really unpopular Democrats — Jimmy Carter at the time — and you see a Republican win,” he said. Sandi Holmes, an Auburn Hills resident who said she was favoring Sen. Marco Rubio (R–Fla.) or former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, was more cautiously optimistic about the GOP’s chances. “I’m hoping,” she said. “I think our candidates are great, we have a good selection. Hopefully the people will see that as well. And hopefully Republicans will vote.” Linden resident Denise Graves said she thought if Michigan did vote Republican, it would be due in large part to Michigan’s Republican leadership. “I think that’s very much of a possibility,” she said. “We have great candidates, and the climate here in Michigan is moving up, you’ve seen what we’ve done under the leadership now, with it being in Republican control. And I think what is happening in Michigan is what we need to happen all over the country.” Graves said she thought a Rubio/Kasich ticket would be the party’s best chance of success. Traugott said for some more moderate candidates such as Ohio Gov. John Kasich, Michigan could be a possibility, but that holding on to a moderate enough position through the primary would be difficult. “It would increase the prospects for the Republican party to capture the state,” he said. “But under the new primary caucus system we’ve had since 1976 … on the Republican side, in order to win the nomination, the candidates have had to take more and more conservative positions, and that comes back to haunt them in the general election. And you can see that in the posturing in the first two presidential debates.” Romney McDaniel acknowledged that a Republican win in Michigan in 2016 would require hard work. But pointing to the number of candidates who have visited Michigan recently — 10 in the past six months — she said she thought momentum was building. “We’re already seeing that energy around each of the candidates as they come into the state, and unfortunately, the Democrats — Hillary Clinton’s been here one time, really, since last October and that was only for a $500,000 fundraiser,” Romney McDaniel said. “She’s not interacting with Michigan voters, and Republican candidates are. We’re not taking for Michigan for granted. We know it’s going to be a heavier lift for us, presidentially, but we’re in play, and our candidates are showing that they’re taking Michigan seriously and they’re
Opinion
4A — Wednesday, September 23, 2015
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CARLY KEYES | VIEWPOINT Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@michigandaily.com JENNIFER CALFAS EDITOR IN CHIEF
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Only 12 of you know who I am
I
’m Zach Ackerman. I’m an LSA senior and a townie, and come November, it’s likely I will represent about 9,000 Ann Arbor residents on the City Council. While 9,000 ZACHARY of you live in my ward, ACKERMAN based on the poll numbers, it looks like only about 12 of you voted during the August primaries. Now, I have no intention of taking you on a lengthy guilt trip. There are real institutional barriers keeping young voices out of the process. By way of example, the student population is split amongst all five of Ann Arbor’s wards, diluting the impact of the young vote. And, perhaps most importantly, the deciding vote in Ann Arbor is usually the Democratic primary in August — I’m running unopposed in November’s general election — when only one in 10 students are enrolled in classes at the University. The result is a much older voting population, one with a median age of 61 years and an incredibly high level of engagement. Government moves really slowly, and most of our peers will only spend four short years living in Ann Arbor. But our alumni tend to move to cities — more than 56,000 in Metro Detroit, 23,000 in Chicago and 13,200 in New York. So instead of spending these next 500 words trying to convince you to vote next August, I’ll instead encourage you to engage in the local discourse of any community you find yourself in. While your city council will likely never declare war or pass an international trade deal, cities wield tremendous power and leverage a lot of resources. For example, the United States’ three largest port cities alone dominate a 622.3 million tonnage shipping industry, an industry that, in turn, dominates the American economy. City governments across the country affect everything from the ease of your commute to the price of a gallon of gas. The returns on investment in local government are the most authentic you will ever see from any type of government. Ten million dollars will pave 17 miles of road, or build an entire neighborhood of mixed-income affordable housing.
Whether you’re a state’s-rights libertarian or progressive liberal, there’s a strong case for investment in local government. And, no matter where you live, local government is going to exist. But for at least four years, you will live here. Your life will impact the community and the community will doubtlessly impact your life. So instead, I will take these last 200 words to try to convince you to vote next August. Every month, when you cut your rent check, you contribute to the city’s $380 million annual operating budget. That’s a clear financial stake in the health of Ann Arbor if nothing else. I don’t have a student agenda, but I want to help Ann Arbor remain fiscally, economically and environmentally sustainable well into this century. And I believe most students want to see the same, whether they think about it or not. We are the young of this city and often the heaviest users of our downtown. A vibrant downtown is something we all want. But how do we build it at a price tag accessible to all of us? Every winter, our roads fall apart, and come April we’re reluctantly repairing bent rims and flat tires. How do we fill our potholes in a state that spends less per capita on roads than any other in the union? Each day, tens of thousands of students will hop on a Michigan bus to get to and from class. How can the city and the University build a public transit system that decreases traffic congestion and our surprisingly large negative impact on the environment? These are only four of the thousands of issues that our municipal government tackles every day. Each issue is incredibly complex and will likely take decades to fully address, but each will only be addressed if there exists a passionate and dedicated citizenry — one made up of all ages. Whether you’re an Ann Arbor resident for four years or for life, I encourage you to voice your concerns, write your City Council representative, and let me be your friend. — Zachary Ackerman can be reached at zdack@umich.edu.
Recovery is a reality It isn’t too often that I get to be a fan of the person and not just the personality, but sometimes, stars really are just like us. Whenever I discover that a talented artist whom I admire for his or her professional accomplishments is in long-term recovery from drug and alcohol addiction, I gain this newfound sense of kindred spiritedness. Like Martin Sheen, whom I grew to adore on “The West Wing” long before I had my first blackout episode. Like Matthew Perry, whom I was crushing on during the reign of “Friends” years prior to my first encounter with the legal consequences as a result of my alcohol use. You know them as the fictional President Josiah Bartlet and Chandler Bing, respectively, but did you know that they are — in reality — people in long-term recovery who use their notoriety to advocate for generations of others afflicted with addiction and in need of treatment, not jail cells? Well, now you do. Celebrity certainly helps to gain a captive audience, but thankfully, you don’t have to be an awardwinning actor — or a comic book superhero — to be an influential individual when it comes to longterm recovery. To make your mark on this movement, all it requires is mustering the courage to do one simple thing: speak up. Especially when it’s the White House asking. This September marks the 25th celebration of National Recovery Month, a campaign designed to spread awareness about substance abuse disorders and other mental illnesses that devastate our country — a plague that’s strengthened by inappropriate shame and social stigma, which in turn, perpetuates millions of vows of silence. Last Thursday was a groundbreaking day in our country’s history when an intimate group of young people in long-term recovery from drug and alcohol addiction gathered at our nation’s most sacred building in Washington, D.C., to discuss the great shift that’s happening within our culture: “Recovering out loud. No shame. Only pride.” One of the members of the panel, which was streamed live, was the
GABRIELLA MEYER
University’s own Ariel Britt, a graduate student in the School of Social Work and an intern for the Collegiate Recovery Program, led by program manager Matt Statman. I’ve gotten to know “Air,” as she’s called, through my own involvement with our CRP and Students for Recovery, the student-run sister organization, and if you asked me to tell you one thing about her, I’d tell you that she’s always smiling. That’s what I think of when I think of Air: Cheerful. Vivacious. Full of life. But it wasn’t always that way, and when I asked her to share her story for this piece, obviously, Air was more than willing. Her addiction tore her away from her undergraduate education here at the University. In search of a geographical cure, Air retreated to Brooklyn, N.Y., hoping time away from a college environment — a beyond-hostile atmosphere for anyone (of any age) who’s trying to stay sober — might bode well for her. Thankfully, Air found recovery and built a support community in the city, but after a while, she felt stagnant. She knew she wanted to return to Ann Arbor to finish her degree, but she was hesitant to reacquaint herself with such a triggering world, full of such dark memories. “It was tough just to walk by bushes where I used to throw up,” she admitted to me, and I understood completely. I had the same feelings when I twice had to push the pause button on my academic and professional journey to seek rehabilitation — knowing full well the kind of toxic arena to which I’d eventually have to return if I wanted to finish my degree. It seemed impossible… But then came the CRP, and it commenced during the same winter term when Air moved back to Ann Arbor. She got connected with Matt, and all of her fears about having to leave campus in order to rebuild a support community vanished. The CRP works diligently to provide students in recovery with social opportunities that aren’t mired in drugs and alcohol — a serious rarity on campus — like tailgates, ice skating at Yost arena, camping trips and volunteer efforts. And now, as Air nears graduation this December, she wants to use her master’s degree to continue
crusading for this cause within educational institutions across the country as a fearless advocate for current and future college students who need recovery support. On top of everything else, Air works as a manager for a sober living house managed by the local Dawn Farm treatment center. “Bottom line, people are dying and not receiving the services they need because this movement is so underground,” she told me, citing the recent documentary The Anonymous People as a huge source of inspiration. “And you shouldn’t have to leave school to get the help you need. This is an issue of social justice above all else.” I have no doubt that people whose lives have been personally impacted by the disease of addiction — from Martin Sheen and Matthew Perry to Matt Statman and Ariel Britt — will continue to speak up in the name of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for every member of this country whose existence has been marginalized by this disease, and the White House ain’t a bad place to “start chatting.” Recovery from addiction isn’t the modern scarlet letter. It’s a badge of honor, and I keep mine pinned to my chest because we need to illuminate the solution just as frequently as we broadcast the problem. For every story on a heroin overdose, let’s feature a story about a collegiate recovery program that might have saved that person’s life. For every funeral, let’s celebrate a sobriety milestone in honor of someone who wasn’t as fortunate. The devastation has its important place. We can’t dampen or quash the seriousness of this health crisis, and there’s a reason why one of my tattoos reads in bold, black ink, “Scars are souvenirs you never lose. The past is never far.” Let’s not forget the stark truth that addiction is a matter of life or death. But let’s not forget about life. Let’s not forget that there’s hope. Let’s not forget that continuous, uninterrupted sobriety — even in college — is possible when the support is there both tangibly and through social and political empowerment. Let us never forget that recovery is a reality. Carley Keyes is an LSA senior.
E-mail Gabriella at gabsmey@umich.edu
Spotting the blackbird
“I
see you.” These three simple words uttered in the first 20 minutes of the movie “Beyond the Lights” prevented a pop star from committing suicide. The film does not give a sophisticated portrait of the dimensions and complexities of mental health, but there are notable aspects of the storyline. The star of the movie is ALEXIS a multiracial, British-born singer named Noni Jean FARMER who was bred for success as a popular new Billboard Award Artist. The pressure of fame compelled her to end her life. In the moment Noni decides to fall to her fate, a police officer who “sees” beyond her Hollywood persona rescues her, and throughout the movie encourages her to find the beauty in her own voice, which ultimately sets her free. Nina Simone’s song “Blackbird” is the underlying symbolic theme of the movie. The classic record metaphorically illustrates the resistance Black women face to define themselves in society. Beginning in girlhood, women are inculcated to bind themselves in the cage of gender roles and norms through mannerisms, educational attainment and social advancements based on society’s norms and values. These definitive molds of what women should be intensify the daily challenges that life presents. Black women are particularly susceptible to this additional challenge, and are unreasonably assumed with the responsibility of being strong for themselves and everyone around them. This leads to a catch-22 as Melissa Harris-Perry notes in her book “Sister Citizen,” “On one hand, (the strong black woman) is a deeply empowering symbol of endurance and hope. Her courage in the face of seemingly insurmountable adversity emboldens black men and women when facing their own life challenges. But in her perfection, the strong black woman is also harmful. Her titanic strength does violence to the spirits of black women . . . When seeking help means showing unacceptable weakness, actual black women, unlike their mythical counterpart, face depression, anxiety,
and loneliness.” There’s an inadequate discussion about mental health in America, particularly within communities of color. In Black culture, being strong is the only way to survive. African Americans have had to survive slavery, segregation, mass incarceration and police/vigilante terrorism. Black communities have a history of negative experiences with the health care industry, largely due to the abuse of Black bodies for medical studies and experimentation. Heinous examples of such abuses include the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, the Dow Chemical testing of carcinogens on (mostly Black) prisoners and using Black cancer patients to determine whether U.S. soldiers could survive a nuclear catastrophe during the Cold War. This exploitation and violence has lead to mistrust in medical authorities, because more often than not, these authorities don’t have Black people’s best interests at heart. To fill this void, Black people often share their burdens with their family members, friends and spiritual leaders. Yet it’s still all too uncommon for us to openly name any difficulties with mental health. Mental health problems manifest themselves in many forms: anxiety, low self-esteem, ADHD, alcohol/drug abuse, suicide, posttraumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorders and eating disorders, just to name a few. Any of these disorders can be caused by biological, environmental or psychological factors. To the detriment of communities of color, politically induced environmental factors such as unemployment, lack of quality education and violence are additional external stressors that can trigger mental health disorders. Too many people are suffering. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in 2012, an estimated 18.6 percent of African Americans, 28.3 percent of American Indians, 13.9 percent of Asian Americans, and 16.3 percent of Latinos reported experiencing mental illness in the past year. Too many people are hurting themselves and hurting others as a result of not obtaining the help they need. There’s an absence of substantive discussions around mental illness, and if the discussion does surface, it seems to only be when major tragedies take place. More often that not, white people who perpetuate actions of
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS Claire Bryan, Regan Detwiler, Ben Keller, Payton Luokkala, Aarica Marsh, Adam Morton, Victoria Noble, Anna Polumbo-Levy, Melissa Scholke, Michael Schramm, Stephanie Trierweiler, Mary Kate Winn, Derek Wolfe mass violence are viewed as victims of mental health disorders, as if their violent acts were justified from having an impaired state of mind. When Adam Lanza took the lives of 20 children at Sandy Hook Elementary School, the media wanted to attribute Lanza’s horrendous act to a history of psychological or emotional disturbance. In contrast, Shannon J. Miles, a Black man with a history of mental illness who is being charged with capital murder for killing a suburban Houston police officer, is vilified without question, and met with the unwarranted campaign of “cops’ lives matter.” If only someone had seen the signs early on. If only someone had paid attention. If only the phrases, “I hear you. I feel you. I see you,” were enunciated genuinely, we could save someone we care about from taking someone else’s life, or even their own. It isn’t normal to think about killing yourself or killing someone. But it’s
becoming all too common. What can we do? Connect with one another to find the approaches that work best. Increase access to therapy and medication, while being mindful that not everyone may need a therapist or medication. A friend, family member, mentor, religious leader, teacher or anyone else can serve as an emotional support system. It takes courage to admit our shortcomings that seemingly marginalize ourselves, but we all are more alike than we are different. Everyone experiences stress; how we respond to it differs. It’s time to start talking about mental health. It’s time to encourage more Black Americans to talk with psychologists, and become psychologists themselves. It’s time to demand cultural competency training for our mental health professionals. Mental health services need to adapt to communities of color and ensure that the services
and treatment are accessible, both in terms of proximity of providers to communities of color and costs. It’s time to speak up when we notice something. Symbolically, blackbirds are known for having an acute sense of awareness and ability to use their senses. They’re mysterious and serious, and demand devotion and commitment before sharing their secrets. Maybe you know a blackbird that exhibits these characteristics. A blackbird may find it difficult to share their struggle because the world has told them it’s either flight or fight, and the blackbird cannot manage either one. It’s important to spot these blackbirds, so that they may receive the help, encouragement and love they need to fly. Then, everyone can really see the beauty they bring to the world. — Alexis Farmer can be reached at akfarmer@umich.edu.
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Arts FILM COLUMN
ALBUM REVIEW
Mac Miller does his best work yet By SHAYAN SHAFII Daily Arts Writer
Ah, 2015: the gift that keeps on giving. The number of fantastic hip-hop releases this year has already become dizzying. Without even B+ attempting GO:OD AM to make a comprehensive Mac Miller list, Drake, A$AP Rocky, Warner Bros. Kendrick Records Lamar, Earl Sweatshirt, Young Thug, Vince Staples, Future and Chief Keef have all dropped outstanding albums in the past nine months. What’s most remarkable, however, is the emergence of artists that basically had no right to be taken seriously. Mac Miller entered the rap game as a white, Jewish lacrosse player from the suburbs of Pittsburgh and spent years meddling with frat-rap before becoming a reclusive drug addict. While his more traditional fans were likely turned off by his psilocybin-infused projects like Faces and Delusional Thomas, it seems that Mac’s drug-fueled chamber of reflection has emerged stronger than ever before. GO:OD AM is undoubtedly his best work yet, and he knows it. “When In Rome” sees Mac literally beat his chest and yell, “I’M AT THE TOP OF MY GAME.” At that moment, he hits a peak that he’s never hit before. You get the sense that this is his magnum opus. For the first time in, well, ever, Mac spits with the highest order of conviction. The druginduced self-doubt and confusion that characterized much of his earlier work has given way to a more pure, clear-headed sense of direction and hunger that aligns with the development of fellow
WARNER BROS. RECORDS
Album not bad, eyebrows need work.
“most improved rappers” like Big Sean and Tyler, The Creator. Mac used Faces to announce that he didn’t care if his next high was his last (word to Amy Winehouse), but on album-opener “Brand Name,” he prays he doesn’t join the infamous 27 Club. This is a changed man. “Brand Name,” featuring some of the most lush production this year, sets the tone for the rest of the album. Mac’s turned into the type of guy that takes pride in his extreme work ethic, à la Kanye West, and it comes through with lines like “I work harder than anybody you know / I’m done with tricks, don’t need no money to blow.” The aim isn’t making “Forbes 30 Under 30” on his major-label debut; he is focused on his craft. Mac’s self-awareness on GO:OD AM highlights his constant emphasis on building a personal narrative. “Back when I first made 100 grand … thought I was the shit” on “100 Grandkids” spins some humor into his very serious development from a “teen rapper” to a composed, legitimate artist. He’s been in the game for so long that we tend to forget how young he is: only 23. He was 19 when the video
for “Donald Trump” came out and shot him to suburban fame from coast to coast. On the latter half of “100 Grandkids,” a woman’s voice annoyingly weaves between left and right channels, murmuring “Lemme get some money …” and for a moment, we can understand what it feels like to have leeches at our necks for a substantial part of our adolescent and artistic development. If anything captures Malcom’s newfound wisdom, it’s the Lil B feature on “Time Flies.” BasedGod himself makes a fleeting appearance to drop some delectable based interludes. “Watch as time goes, time moves, time flow. How do we handle these things? I am time, we are time, and we have control.” Again, the four years separating Mac from “Donald Trump” have been an absolute rollercoaster through DatPiff fame, psychedelic reflection and finally a poised adulthood. He’s handled the growing pains of his career rather admirably for a millennial tossed in the deep end, sharpening his creative vision and fending off “white rapper” stigmas along the way. More so than any of his other projects, GO:OD AM is Mac’s strongest claim that maybe we should start taking him seriously.
FILM REVIEW
Stunning ‘Grandma’ By VANESSA WONG Daily Arts Writer
When visiting an old friend, Elle Reid (Lily Tomlin, “I Heart Huckabees”) jokes that his many remarriages have made him a patriarch. A But one look at the wine-stained Grandma stacks of feminist literature litter- Sony Pictures ing her household Classic and you know “Grandma” is Michigan Theater nothing other than the highest of matriarchs. Filled with the wisdom of age and the fire of youth, Elle’s brassy wit and progressive attitude command attention and place her at the center of her family’s orbit. So when her teenage granddaughter Sage (Julia Garner, “Electrick Children”) gets pregnant, it’s Elle’s door she comes knocking at for abortion money. Bad news: despite a once-prestigious writing career, Elle’s broke too. A 1955 Dodge Royal takes them to Elle’s acquaintances all over town in an effort to pony up the cash. Equal parts laugh-out-loud funny and heart-wrenchingly poignant, Tomlin’s skillful performance sets the tone for the rest of the film. Clocking in at barely 80 minutes — a sprint among stamina-testing Oscar contenders (and this does deserve to be an Oscar contender) — “Grandma” boasts an impressively economical use of screen time. In a sense, the structure takes on Elle’s attitude toward life. Rather than wasting time wading through past narrative, it hits the ground running. The opening scene ushers us in right in the heat of Elle’s breakup with her girlfriend, without even leaving time to explain what, exactly, initiated the argument. Every character introduction thereafter
Movie camera politics T
Miller finally gets serious on his latest release
SONY PICTURES CLASSICS
I bet she’s cooler than your grandma.
seems to come in medias res, so it’s the dialogue-heavy character interactions that drop just enough context clues for the viewer to stitch together the extensive backstories. What’s so amazing about this is that we get to learn about the past in a way that also propels the current situation forward in one fell swoop. The most notable use of this dialogue style is in Tomlin’s scene with Sam Elliott (“The Big Lebowski”), where Elle’s persistence pulls feelings of nostalgia, hesitation, reluctance, tenderness and hurt out of the both of them. The course of an entire relationship, from its peak to eventual downfall and the loose ends afterward, is revealed in just two lines that don’t even explicitly state information, just the characters’ present emotions. And it’s not just scenes with Elliott that get this treatment: every one of the supporting characters maximizes their time on screen, showcasing their talent and revealing remarkable depth about their personal history. On a media representation level, “Grandma” is as progressive as
Elle herself. For starters, it’s one of the very few movies featuring teen pregnancy in which the character actually goes through with the abortion (the only other one that comes to mind immediately is “Obvious Child) and has it portrayed as a reasonable option. While it’s not the media’s job to take one political stance over another, it is important that it represent real decisions that real people make, and not selectively. Also, it treat’s Elle’s sexuality as something completely normal, focusing on the story behind her relationships rather than the gender of her partners. Honestly, every aspect of the entire film is spectacular, from the naturalistic camera work to the restrained use of a sweet soundtrack — the type that makes you smile out of love for life and everything in it. But the cherry on top of an already teetering mountain of cherries is the dialogue, written with subtle but with alarming complexity and executed in the same fashion, making it one of the best films —if not the best — of 2015 thus far.
Wednesday, September 23, 2015 — 5A
he Hungarian film “White God” begins with an aerial shot of a vast and empty city. The only figure, barely visible, rides a bike. The silence is unnerving — where is everyone? It’s the setup for some kind of fairytale or post-apocalyptic story of survival. The JAMIE camera moves BIRCOLL in; the figure is a teenage girl, probably 13 years old. She rides across a bridge into the heart of Budapest as the wind blows gently. The camera zooms onto the pedals of the bike, capturing her cycling in slow motion — movement, forward progress. But then an orchestra erupts in symphonic malaise. The girl turns to see a deluge of wild dogs, 250 of them, hustling down the street, growling, angry. They are gaining on her. As the girl passes an intersection, the camera rests barely a foot off the ground as it captures the flood of dogs sprint by. Cut to black. Director Kornel Mundruczo has moved us from the sky to the ground; we have fallen from grace. This two-and-a-half-minute sequence is perhaps the best in film I’ve seen this year. It tells us most everything we need to know — not so much about the story itself, but about the emotional stakes in which we are about to invest ourselves. Mundruczo’s film is indeed a fairytale, a particularly sad one at that — a tale of lost innocence and oppression and anger, devoid of a happy ending. “White God,” which recently dropped on Netflix, recounts the tale of Hagen, a mixedbreed dog, as he devolves from a loving house pet into a killer, transformed by a society that sees him as a dirty less-than. The Hungarian government has laws against non-purebred animals, and Hagen’s owner, Lili, the cyclist, is forced to give him up to the streets. The metaphor becomes quite clear; Hagen and other mutts represent the lower class shunned by society. Eventually, Hagen, about to be put down by the pound, leads the other impounded dogs to rise up against their oppressors. They take the city, killing those who have abused them. If the film sounds like “Battleship Potemkin” by way of “Babe: Pig in the City,” it is. The premise may be a bit ridiculous and the allegory rather heavy-handed, but the film generally works as a series of dreamlike images, effectively staged and featuring some of the best acting by animals I’ve ever seen. In addition, it
draws its principle strength in how Mundruczo frames the characters and animals. If we view a camera as a pair of eyes — our eyes — then when the camera looks down at something, a dog for example, the dog has no power because we stand above it, claiming positional dominance. However, if the camera points upward at the dog, then the dog claims the power— we feel its size overpowering us. This is really the one that Mundruczo expresses with the opening sequence: the audience begins with power, which diminishes by the end, trampled by the stampede. Mundruczo, for the first two-thirds of the film, slowly but surely moves the camera lower and lower in framing Hagen. By the time Hagen has broken, tapped into his heart of darkness at the behest of a number of cruel owners (among them a dog fighter who pounds the animal into a fighting machine), the camera sits beneath him. He takes the power from the audience, the rest of society that has beat him down, and fights back.
We have shown you the world, now what will you do about it? The position of the camera further suggests where Mundruczo expects society to go to combat the lack of regard for the lesser class: are we to ascend higher and see the world for what it truly is or descend into the dirt? We really only have two options: higher or lower, better or worse. “White God” parallels another recent film about class strug. Bong Joon-ho’s “Snowpiercer” operates on a similar, though more nuanced, level about the world, but instead contracts the Universe into the closed walls of a train. In a train that shelters the only survivors of a devastating global freeze, there isn’t really space to move higher or lower, so instead it remains at the eye level of Curtis, the leader of the rebellion. The camera, then, can only move in a lateral direction: forward or backward, forward, being to the front of the train, where the upper classes reside, and the back, with the leftover lower class. Like the camera, Curtis and the rebellion can only move forward or backward, progress toward the front to make the engine fall back in line, taking the oppression to which they have become
accustomed. Joon-ho mirrors this limited thinking through Curtis’s decision-making, as he hesitates to move backward or forward, ultimately choosing to move forward, always at the cost of friends that have served as his conscience and grounded him. This way of staging, forward or backward, right or left, always results in death and destruction; the push forward, even if it seems just, is still just as costly, physically and through the goodness of the minds of those bodies.
A difference in ideology. But then, at almost 94 minutes in, Joon-ho introduces a third direction: out. As Namgoong, the security specialist, explains that he does not want to take the engine but to break outside of the train, the camera very deliberately and slowly pivots a full 90 degrees, the only time it has moved in this fashion. Suddenly, this space is not one dimensional; Curtis can move forward or backward and perpetuate the cycle of violence, or he can end it completely by breaking outside. And it is this third option that Curtis ultimately chooses, opting to derail the train, killing all but two children, who are able to begin society anew, untainted by the adults that formed it. Joon-ho ends his saga on an optimistic note: a shot of a polar bear, thought to be extinct, suggesting that the children will survive and perhaps thrive. For Mundruczo, the ending is less positive. He takes us back to the sky for a shot of all of the dogs, Lili and her father lying on the ground, humans nearly indistinguishable from the dogs. The police will soon come, and the dogs will likely be shot. For a moment, there is peace and similarity and understanding, but not for much longer. And so we see a difference in ideology between these two directors. Joon-ho has taken us forward and backwards, only to abandon the two altogether and move outside. Mundruczo has taken us up and down and then back up to see the world with newfound awareness. Whichever is correct will have to be left to the viewer, but it is clear that both directors have used their cameras to deliver a message: we have shown you the world, now what will you do about it? Bircoll likes Hungarian films, but will he like “A Serbian Film”? To get an invite to the basement screening, email jbircoll@umich.edu.
Arts
6A — Wednesday, September 23, 2015
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
TV REVIEW
DAILY BOOK REVIEW
NPH dazzles, but Re-release previews ‘Best Time’ flops Murakami’s success By KARL WILLIAMS Online Arts Editor
Unoriginal NBC variety show fails to showcase its talent By MATT BARNAUSKAS Daily Arts Writer
The live variety show has its roots in television’s earliest days. Milton Berle earned his moniker “Mr. TeleviCsion” on “Texaco Star Theater,” Best while shows like Time Ever “Saturday Night Live” continue with Neil the tradition into Patrick the present. There’s a Harris multi-layered Series Pilot appeal to these Tuesdays series. The variat 10 p.m. ety show itself harkens back NBC to the days of vaudeville, an influence on the earliest forms of film exhibition – several short skits and attractions, played separately, under one roof. In a way, the variety show is a window reaching back to the beginnings of an art form. Coupling this sentimentality is the risk of performing the show live. The idea that “anything can happen” adds a degree of excited uncertainty and morbid curiosity to the viewing experience. While preparation prevents mishaps, there’s the chance of spontaneity in the experience as viewers across the country share in the experience of watching something live. “Best Time Ever With Neil Patrick Harris,” fails to live up to its spiritual predecessors, crafting a bland and stilted final product that is the exact opposite of its title. In recent years, Harris (“How I Met Your Mother”) has proven himself a hosting juggernaut, with turns at helming the Tonys, Emmys and Oscars award shows earning the multi-talented performer generally strong reviews (with a few exceptions). “Best Time Ever” looks to utilize Harris’s skills as an
NBC
“And this is how your mother left me.”
entertainer, making him the linchpin for almost every section of the show, as Harris sings, climbs and pogo-sticks his way through the hour. However, most of these segments feel laboriously long, to the point where Harris’s energy seems drained. What makes these elements so trying is the stiff nature of events that are supposed to be spontaneous – for example, Harris’s interactions with celebrity guests. Reese Witherspoon (“Wild”) serves as the premiere’s guest announcer and the majority of her “banter” with Harris is so pre-packaged, it’s nearly impossible to find any genuine ingredients within it. The same goes for Nicole Scherzinger, whose involvement would be exciting if The Pussycat Dolls were still a thing, which they aren’t. When the singer announces the segment “Neil vs. Everyone,” the poor attempts at humor stick out like a sore thumb, as even the studio audience can’t muster a laugh. Furthermore, the pre-taped portions need improvement. Consisting mostly of Harris dressing up in a manner of disguises, these parts of the show bring some amusement but are never laughout-loud funny. The bigger issue is the toll these have on the live element of the show. These bits of ready-made material don’t stand out, they actively detract from the show, feeling like filler as they pad
Classifieds
out the hour. Meanwhile, NBC never misses a chance to promote corporate synergy during these sections by having Harris, in the guise of a clueless Austrian television host, interview the judges of “The Voice.” From a technical standpoint, the show operates mostly without a hitch, but some missed opportunities reveal mismanaged direction. Most glaringly is the end of “Neil vs. Everyone,” when Harris, racing against Witherspoon on a towering obstacle course, is about to finish. He grabs onto the zip line and begins to slide down, headed for victory. However, the camera decides to turn its attention to Witherspoon as she begins to mount the zip line, completely missing Harris crossing the finish line and the subsequent victory explosions. It’s a shame because the intentions of the show at least seem well-placed. The games select audience members and viewers at home can play for prizes are easy enough that most can win. Harris seems game for anything, made evident in the big end of the show performance; he obviously wants people to have the “best time ever.” But, unfortunately the execution fails its host as the show mostly slogs through its runtime, occasionally throwing stuff at the screen randomly, like Carrot Top, in an attempt to reinvigorate excitement that is already gone.
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Small, holds on too tight. When Murakami reaches for moments of dramatic poignancy, he’s left empty handed. It’s difficult enough to affect the emotions of a reader with authentic, realist characters, but when he makes a formal point of wiping away individuation from his characters, it’s impossible. So, when one of the narrator’s girlfriends suffers through the emotional devastation of an abortion, it’s difficult to empathize with her because, imaginatively, she barely exists. His characters suffer in a vacuum. He sucks out their tragedies. “Pinball, 1973” is a better novel than its predecessor. “Hear the Wind Sing” allowed Murakami to merely wet his feet, but he began to swim in “Pinball, 1973.” The postmodern pyrotechnics he experiments with in his debut start to function properly in his follow-up; they’re not spectacular, but the sparks are unmissable. Once again, “Pinball, 1973” follows the now-separated narrator and The Rat. The narrator develops an obsession with a threeflipper pinball machine called The Spaceship, also known as “the machine of misfortune.” He works as a translator and lives with two nameless twins who move in with him unexpectedly and are only identified by the numbered sweatshirts they wear. One can see the scaffold upon which Murakami would build his illustrious career. Most of the pleasure from reading his early novels stems from witnessing a deft writer learn his craft. They will delight devout Murakami fans, but it’s unlikely to give them new companions.
Call: #734-418-4115 Email: dailydisplay@gmail.com
RELEASE DATE– Wednesday, September 23, 2015
ACROSS 1 Radiated joy 7 “Hi and Lois” pooch 11 Fair grade 14 Smithy fixtures 15 Literary pen name 16 Half of a steep price? 17 Refused 18 Aggressive property seizure 20 Video game pioneer 21 Unit to plow 22 Church section near the altar 23 Red Square shrine 25 Suffix with church 26 Disdainful chorus 27 Golden Fleece ship 29 Campaign funding org. 32 Pet hair pickerupper 37 Cope with change 40 Long-jawed fish 41 Farm machinery giant 42 Green Hornet’s great-uncle, with “The” 45 Hit hard 46 First-year law student 47 Word on some doors 50 Ship leader: Abbr. 52 Stretch between new moons 58 Away from port 59 Lots 60 “Gone With the Wind” family name 61 Sharp-sighted 63 ’80s-’90s Mets pitcher nicknamed “Dr. K” 64 Stan of Marvel Comics 65 Only 66 Ancient Chinese divination text 67 Violinists’ sect. 68 Binding vows 69 Summer wear
Haruki Murakami almost didn’t exist. That is, international bestselling and prizewinning novelist Wind/ Haruki Murakami almost didn’t Pinball: exist. Without Two the crack of a Novels baseball bat, he might have never Haruki written a novel Murakami at all. As he notes Aug. 4, 2015 in the preface of Alfred A. Knopf “Wind/Pinball,” a fascinating and insightful look into his career and creative process, the sound of Dave Hilton’s double in a game between the Yakult Swallows and Hiroshima Carp awoke the latent novelist inside him: “In that instant, for no reason and based on no grounds whatsoever, it suddenly struck me: I think I can write a novel.” This novel would become “Hear the Wind Sing,” which, strangely enough, he started writing in English. He wrote only one hard copy of his first novella and sent it to Japanese literary journal Gunzo, where they awarded it the Gunzo Literature prize. Without this success, Murakami says he likely would have never written anything else. Collected with his second novel “Pinball, 1973,” “Hear the Wind Sing” is now widely available in English for the first time in the volume “Wind/Pinball.” Murakami litters his novels with oddities. His narrator dates a ninefingered girl, has dreams about Trotsky’s reindeer, fucks on top of
the Sunday Edition of a newspaper, becomes obsessed with a pinball machine — but fails to gather them into a coherent whole. However, Murakami is not a man to fetishize unity. And his apprentice novellas, like his later work, defy expectations of the realist novel. “Hear the Wind Sing” practically has no plot. The anonymous narrator and his friend The Rat — and everyone in “Wind/Pinball” who is either nameless or has a nickname — travel through typical collegiate peregrinations of alienation and banality. They spend most of their days trying fastidiously to become alcoholics, engaging in fruitless sexual relationships (one of the narrator’s ex-girlfriends kills herself, and the more successful encounters end in post-coital notes saying, “Asshole”). They also listen to records from the West — name-dropping so many Western ephemera that one forgets the novel takes place in Tokyo — and read classic works of literature. Murakami’s narrator is perfectly inauthentic and apathetic, interesting only in how uninteresting he is. He’s a Gregor Samsa plagued by an alienation so mundane that he doesn’t even have the benefit of an obscene transcendence. He often speaks in witless cliches, the kind of phrases that any M.F.A. teacher would eradicate. For example: “We were bored out of our skulls,” or “both of us were flat-out wasted,” or “It was a real scorcher of a night.” These inane phrases have the curious effect of simultaneously manifesting narrative voice and flattening it. “Hear the Wind Sing” embraces its own banality but, like Lennie
Daily Arts Writer
Comedy Central’s latest foray into animation, “Moonbeam City,” feels like something that might be great one day, even if its C+ first episode is nothing spec- Moonbeam tacular. The series City comes from Series Pilot “Conan” Wednesdays alumn Scott at 10:30 p.m. Gairdner and stars Rob Comedy Central Lowe (“Parks and Recreation”) as dashing police detective Dazzle Novak, a sexaddicted, action hero-type who prefers drinking champagne with a gaggle of strippers over finding a suspect. This leaves the impression that “Moonbeam City” shares more than a couple of ideas with the FX spy comedy “Archer.” Yet, while Archer and his fellow ISIS agents play the boors in an otherwise serious world of espionage, Dazzle seems to be the perfect reflection of his surroundings. Like the art-deco city the series takes place in, Dazzle Novak’s character is a glossy surface over a thin and meaningless interior. But for all its swaggering aims to criticize shows like “CSI: Miami” and “Miami Vice,” it’s never clear,
at least in the pilot, if “Moonbeam City” seeks to subvert the conventions of such shows, or if it just wants to join the party. Despite its flaws, “Moonbeam City” might just be the best-looking animated series on television. Its Patrick Nagle-inspired design skewers 1980’s Miami into a bright, colorful dystopia that rests somewhere between Fritz Lang’s “Metropolis” and “Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.” It’s just unfortunate that Gairdner and crew haven’t populated such an alluring world with more interesting characters. Lowe, to his credit, does bring life to a pretty superficial character. Yet, there’s nothing redeemable about Dazzle. Sure he wants to be a “good cop” but he’s such a crummy one that it’s a wonder, even in a world as crazy as his, how he ended up with the “#1 Cop” coffee mug in the first place. The whole love story with a Cuban singer feels like a joke in a standalone episode of “Archer,” not the culmination of a character’s introductory story arc. The supporting cast touts some big names, yet no one really steals the show in the first episode. Elizabeth Banks (“The Hunger Games”) plays straight-laced police chief Pizzaz whose sole purpose, it seems, is to break the balls of our main characters. Kate Mara (“House of Cards”) meanwhile,
plays Chrysalis Tate, Dazzle’s level-headed colleague who’s forced to follow his absurd directives as the audience’s obligatory standin. Will Forte (“The Last Man on Earth”) provides the closest thing we get to a stand-out as Dazzle’s rival, Rad Cunningham. Forte continues to make viewers laugh in whatever he’s doing, and his role as the mice-bathing Rad is no exception. But even with its stellar cast and mesmerizing aesthetic, “Moonbeam City” should be something else, something edgier, dirtier and more subversive. Its contemporaries, who it liberally borrows from, remain memorable not only for breaking the rules of good taste but maintaining a soul, no matter how twisted and tiny it might be. In defense of “Moonbeam City,” the series does have a lot of potential. According to those who have seen the rest of the first season, many believe “Moonbeam City” will follow a similar path to “Bojack Horseman,” the Netflix animated comedy that started off with weak first episodes, only to grow in quality and become, with its second season, one of the best shows on television. Still, we can’t help but think that in a world as densely populated with quality television as ours “Moonbeam City” should have started with a bang instead of a thud.
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Wednesday, September 23, 2015 — 7A
Extra reps and yoga paying Lyons adjusting off for ‘M’ offensive linemen to new position FOOTBALL
By ZACH SHAW Daily Sports Editor
With all five starters returning from last season, it was expected that the Michigan football team’s offensive line would improve in 2015. But after only marginally improving last season in a similar situation, the question was how much improvement would show up on the field. The quintet of sophomore Mason Cole, senior Graham Glasgow, juniors Ben Braden, Kyle Kalis and Erik Magnuson wanted to make sure they answered that question quickly, and for the most part they’ve done so. Thanks to extra reps, strong camaraderie and even some yoga, the offensive line is in the top 10 in protecting its quarterback. “They’re playing more physical and they’re finishing,” said Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh. “They’re really making an effort to finish right now. So, all five of those guys. What’s helping our running game right now is them and the contribution by the backs, but also the receivers.” After finishing at the bottom of the Big Ten and the nation with 63 sacks and 184 tackles for loss allowed the past two seasons, the Wolverines have shown nightand-day improvement. Just five teams have given up fewer than Michigan’s eight tackles for loss. Meanwhile, the Wolverines have allowed just one sack against opponents that averaged a combined 2.92 sacks per game in 2014, a stat that stands as tall as the linemen do. “They’ve gotten a lot better,” said redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Mo Hurst. “We see it every day, how much better they’ve gotten — we’ve
all talked about it. It’s good for us too, because if you’re going against a good O-line every week it improves your game because everything you do is tougher.” Added fifth-year senior quarterback Jake Rudock: “It’s been really good, it’s as simple as that. Our guys are doing a really good job of keeping people off me … that’s all you can ask for.” Some of that can be attributed to experience, and some of it can be attributed to offensive line coach Tim Drevno — fresh off successful stints with the San Francisco 49ers and USC — coming in to help. But for Braden, the key has come outside of
practice. “All the work we’ve done outside of practice on our own, I really think that’s starting to pay off now,” Braden said Monday. “After practice we’ll get together, take a space with the O-line and practice technique. Talk about any questions we had during practice, or talk about a look we were confused with.” In addition to the reflection and technique work, the line has become tighter-knit than in recent years. Eating, studying and even doing yoga together to improve flexibility, the five are nearly inseparable. “The camaraderie between them, they’re such a close group,”
“The camaraderie between them, they’re such a close group.”
Hurst said. “They’re always hanging out, they’re always together, doing everything together. “That’s how our team has been lately. Everyone has such a close group, and that’s huge.” Though Braden noted that the group has yet to try hot yoga together, he’s pleased with the results on the field. The line will face a tougher test against No. 22 BYU, but after improved run blocking resulted in 479 rushing yards and seven touchdowns in the last two games, Michigan seems to once again have an offensive line with teeth to it. “All of us sticking together and making that goal, I think that was something we really took to heart,” Braden said. “I think the aspect of us coming together, even since fall camp started, I think was huge for us in improvement in pass pro and the run game.”
ALLISON FARRAND/Daily
Redshirt junior guard Ben Braden has made some of the biggest improvement on a much better Michigan offensive line.
By MAX BULTMAN Daily Sports Editor
When he first joined the Michigan football team this summer, fifth-year senior safety Wayne Lyons was practically speaking a different language. Lyons, who transferred to Michigan from Stanford this offseason, had no trouble playing football. But when it came to Michigan’s terminology, he found himself behind the curve. “I would see (plays) happening so fast, and the concept would be the same, (but) I would say the Stanford terminology just out of natural instinct, rather than saying the correct term for it,” Lyons said. With about two weeks left in camp, the Michigan coaches asked Lyons to try switching to safety, which he had played in high school, but not since then. And combined with the new vocabulary, the position switch has caused Lyons’ transition to be a little slower than he might have hoped. Still, with help from his teammates, he has been able to adjust to the change. The Wolverines’ secondary is a relatively experienced core, and with many players oscillating between corner and safety, there are plenty of resources available. “(Senior safety Jarrod Wilson), he’s great with that,” Lyons said. “He knows what everyone’s doing back there. He’s like the general who’s like getting everybody lined up, and that’s what coach wants me to able to do as well. ... When the bullets are flying, when it’s high-tempo, when everyone’s running no-huddle, knowing what checks to make, what calls to make and making sure everyone’s
on the same page. That’s why communication is key.” So far, Lyons hasn’t seen much game action. He was scarcely on the field against Utah or Oregon State, but he did get more playing time against UNLV. He has two total tackles in three games this season, a far cry from the 69 tackles he had as a junior, or even the 30 he tallied last season. But for Lyons, the most important category doesn’t show up in the box score. Part of the reason he decided to forego trying out for an NFL team and come to Michigan instead was to become a more versatile player. And though it hasn’t translated to statistical production, or even much playing time, Lyons is satisfied with his decision. “It has given me this opportunity to get this experience at safety before I actually get to the next level,” Lyons said. “If I get to the NFL and they want to try me at safety, by me having this experience, I have more of a background to fall back on, more experience (and) a better grasp of what’s going on.” With two standouts — Wilson and redshirt freshman Jabrill Peppers — in front of him on the depth chart, Lyons is fighting just to get on the field. And the more he gets acclimated to the position and the terminology, the closer that comes to being a reality. “I can see myself stepping in,” Lyons said. “Jabrill (may) go to nickel a few snaps, I’ll come in in the dime package. Sometimes Jabrill will go to corner, it all depends on what personnel we’re in. I’m just working hard every day to try to get more reps and make an impact on this team.”
Lim shines, ‘M’ takes fourth Michigan finishes MEN’S GOLF
third of 15 teams Mueller runnerup at one over par, three strokes behind champion By RILEY NELSON Daily Sports Writer
On his final tee shot of the day, Kyle Mueller reached the green, giving the sophomore Big Five a chance to Michigan Scores eagle the par-four 18th hole at the 1. Mueller, 214 2. O’Neill, 218 prestigious 3. Swanson, 226 Inverness Club in 4. Carlson, 229 5. McIntosh, 231 Toledo, Ohio. Like the rest of the Michigan men’s golf team, though, he came up short and settled for a birdie. Tuesday, the Wolverines took third place at Toledo’s Inverness Intercollegiate behind California and East Tennessee State. It was the first time Michigan finished in the top five at the Inverness Club. Despite the team’s successes, Michigan coach Chris Whitten saw room for improvement. “We wished we could have been a little bit closer to win the tournament,” Whitten said. “We just made too many mistakes spread out over the three rounds, but I think overall, we’re going in the right direction.” Mueller’s consistent play was a major part of the Wolverines’ third-place finish. The Athens, Ga., native was the medalist runner-up, finishing one over par and
just three strokes behind Michigan State’s champion Mitch Rutledge. Michigan senior Chris O’Neill finished in a three-way tie for sixth. Mueller was a dominant force for the Wolverines as a freshman last season, and he added to his resumé Tuesday with the third top-five finish in his 14-event career. “(Kyle) keeps doing his thing,” Whitten said. “He strikes the ball well, and he really plays smart golf. I don’t think anyone’s surprised that he played well.” Michigan sent three other golfers to Toledo, including freshman Nick Carlson. Though Carlson didn’t finish in the top 20, Whitten is excited about the growth he’s seeing in his only first-year player. “(Nick’s) played in both tournaments, which is a big deal for him,” Whitten said. “He’s getting acclimated to college golf and the type of courses we play, so he struggled in the first round this week but got a lot better in rounds two and three. Nick is all you can ask for as a coach.” This was just the second event for the team this season, so a third-place finish is a positive starting point for the rest of the fall. “I would say it was a solid tournament,” Whitten said. “It’s one of the best golf courses we’ve played all year, so we learned a lot about how we’re playing and what we need to get better at when we’re there.”
“It’s one of the best golf courses we’ve played all year.”
For exclusive Michigan sports coverage Check MichiganDaily.com throughout the week
By BILLY STAMPFL For the Daily
After enduring a record of 0-5-1 last year, sophomore Kathy Lim rid herself of any leftover demons Monday by winning the individual matchplay bracket with a victory over Jessica Reinecke of Wisconsin at the East and West Match Play Challenge. “(I’m) glad you got that monkey off your back,” Michigan women’s golf coach Jan Dowling told Kathy Lim after her first victory for the Wolverines on Monday in Madison. Lim, a Canadian citizen of Korean descent, traveled to Seoul, South Korea this past summer to hone her swing while working with top coaches. Changes made during the offseason presented themselves early and often over the weekend, as Lim used her experience to gain an edge. “I think traveling to all 10 events (last season) really matured me as a person and as a golfer,” Lim said. “So this year I’m ready to tackle anything that’s ahead of me.” Though Lim found success over the weekend, the Wolverines slowed down after a blazing start in qualifying play. Michigan earned the No. 2 seed thanks in part to performances from sophomore Megan Kim (66, six-under par) and junior Grace Choi (67, fiveunder), with Kim recording the secondbest singleround mark in Michigan history. Overall, the Wolverines posted a four-under 284 in preliminary stroke play, a school record. “We made a lot of birdies as a team on Sunday,” Dowling said. “The rest of the team (came) through too … It was a lot of fun.”
ALLISON FARRAND/Daily
Sophomore Kathy Lim won the individual match-play bracket after finishing 0-5-1 in match play last season.
Michigan could not carry its momentum through to Monday, however, falling to Oregon, 4-1, in the semifinal of match play. The 21st-ranked Ducks took down the Wolverines in five close matches, with Kim notching Michigan’s lone victory. Kim’s win was significant, though, as she defeated All-American senior Caroline Inglis in a back-and-forth battle. “(Kim) hung in there the whole day,” Dowling said. “She should take a lot of confidence away from it. She’s a fighter and a competitor, and I don’t know many people that hate to lose more than her.” Dowling also noted her squad’s resilience, as the Wolverines fought hard on
“Keep breaking school records, (and) we’ll be good.”
Tuesday in a third-place match with Indiana. Michigan went back and forth with the Hoosiers in nearly identical fashion to its battle with Oregon, with three of the final matches coming down to the wire. “Unfortunately we didn’t come out on top again (against Indiana),” Dowling said. “But just to go up against a Big Ten team that I have a feeling we’re going to see a lot of (was beneficial).” Michigan hopes to rebound on Oct. 9 at the Yale Women’s Intercollegiate in New Haven, Connecticut. Dowling voiced pleasure in the Wolverines’ grit but also noted areas of improvement, notably their short game and unforced errors. “We’ve got about a threeweek break coming up, so we have time to get to work,” Dowling said. “Keep breaking school records, (and) we’ll be good.”
BY THE NUMBERS Michigan Women’s Golf
284
Michigan’s score in preliminary stroke play, a school record
139
Total score for Michigan’s Grace Choi, who shot five under par
66
Megan Kim’s career-best score on one round, second-lowest in school history
4-1
Score of Michigan’s loss to Indiana in the third-place match
2-0
Kathy Lim’s match-play record after finishing 0-5-1 last season
8A — Wednesday, September 23, 2015
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
statement THE MICHIGAN DAILY
SE P TEM B E R 23 , 2015
Wednesday, September 23, 2015 // The Statement
2B
WHAT ’S NE W AT T HE ‘ U ’
Dear Google: A sticky situation
ON THE RECORD
BY EMMA KERR
“The number of lecture classes for first- and second-year classes that occur with a Friday section have declined significantly in the course of the last couple of years which has really led to a much more intensive culture of student drinking on what is known as ‘Thirsty Thursday.’ ” –PROF. DAVID POTTER, chair of the Student Relations Advisory Committe, during Monday’s Senate Assembly
*** “It seems that, at the ripe age of 34, Beyoncé Knowles has reached the age where she is going to do whatever she damn well pleases.” –DAILY ARTS WRITER CHRISTIAN KENNEDY ***
“Let’s not forget what tonight is really about. Celebrating hilarious women and letting the Internet weigh in on who looks worse.”
–AMY SCHUMER presenting the first award at the 2015 Primetime Emmy’s
B U Z Z F E E D, B U T B E T T E R
THE LIST
HAPPY 125TH BIRTHDAY US! (aka THE MICHIGAN DAILY ) On September 29th, The Michigan Daily turns 125 years young. To celebrate this illustrious anniversary, we compiled some of the most impressive events the Daily has reported on during its long run.
1
O C T. 1 9, 1 8 9 3
2
M AY 2 5 , 1 924
3
O C T. 1 4 , 1 9 6 0
4 5
N OV. 5 , 1 9 6 2
Just a few years before his death, civil rights activist Frederick Douglass speaks at the University. Michigan Daily reporters score an exclusive interview with Gandhi — like, the Gandhi.
On the humble steps of the Union, President Kennedy announes his idea for the Peace Corps.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. speaks at Hill Auditorium.
M AY 1 , 1 9 9 3
First Lady Hillary Clinton delivers the Spring Commencement speech.
D
ear Emma,
I need advice. How can I stop my parents from killing me after they find out I spilled a cup of coffee on my laptop? Sincerely, Coffee Conundrum Of all of the many, many responses I received to my previous column (kidding) this question posed to me by a friend made me think of my own relationship with my folks. We weren’t allowed to touch the walls in my house growing up. They are orthodontists, and our white walls were pearly-white. Or rather not clean but sterile, like their instruments. White couch, white walls — again, that we were not allowed to touch — and everything was spotless. It was a catch phrase in the house — “Don’t touch the walls!” — held firmly in my parents’ back pocket and ready to be drawn out any moment my hand neared a wall. The first act of rebellion I can claim
as my own occured when I was near school age. I took hold of a black ink pen and, eyes fixed on my father, grasped it in my right hand, neared the tip to the perpetually clean walls and pressed down to draw a thin, singular black line. So back to your coffee situation. I know you didn’t spill that coffee on purpose, but this is a column about messiness, not about intention. I did touch the walls. I fell into them, scratched them with the backs of wooden chairs, peeled paint off of them in removing Hannah Montana posters, and yes, I intentionally, spitefully drew on them. Life in its violently messy glory happened in that house, and my parents probably wouldn’t have had it any other way; in my time since leaving that house, in which blankets were placed meticulously over couches for protection, I have been continually astounded at the general chillness of my parents. In situations like the one you are facing, I remind myself of the humanness of my parents. Though a somewhat comedic question, amid the
triviality of it there lie real tensions between yourself as a grown individual and your still-childish position as a dependant person, and I think it is important not to undermine the difficulty of such a balance. This is a long winded way of saying this: I recommend you research the repair and replacement costs associated with your coffee mishap and present these options to your parents sooner rather than later. This is the practical solution; alternatively, you could use any savings you have to quietly replace the laptop I am assuming they paid for or will have to pay to replace in this situation and never speak of it again. Up to you. Best, Emma Kerr Please send your “Dear Google” responses to Emma at emkerr@michigandaily.com to enjoy watching her attempt to spread her nowhere-nearprofessional advice around campus.
Wednesday, September 23, 2015 // The Statement 3B
The daily routine
THE
B Y N A B E E L C H O L L A M PAT
statement
Magazine Editor: Ian DIllingham Deputy Editor: Natalie Gadbois Design Editor: Jake Wellins
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here is a specific sound that comes from an egg frying in a pan. Precisely, it’s a pan that’s been in commission for quite some time, possibly an immigrant pan from India that was smuggled in a suitcase so overflowing with handspun silks and cottons and gold and tears from my grandmother that the non-stick never really stood a chance — or maybe my mother just bought a crappy pan. I don’t know, but it doesn’t matter. How many of my breakfasts have been made in that pan, how much revenue I’ve supplied Trader Joe’s simply by way of my love of eggs, how many short minutes spanning the years 1993 through 2014 my mom spent providing more than just food for her son and her daughter: these are questions I won’t know the answers to, but will always want. There is a specific sound that my mouth made every time I made my way to the door for school and yelled back at my father: “’Slamlaikm.” It was supposed to be “Assalam-u-Alaikum,” but I managed to make a habit of abusing the Arabic words for “peace be upon you.” My father didn’t care, though. He just
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THOUGHT BUBBLE wanted to hear it. He would get mad if I forgot. He wanted to hear his son acknowledge a mutual respect. He wanted his children to know that he loves them, that he does everything for them, but that this was what he asked for in return: peace. There is a specific sound that my sister’s incredibly full lanyard of keys makes as it rotates around the gears and mechanisms that unlock our house door. She’s home from work. My time at home alone is over, but time spent with my sister is just as vital, just as important. “PMT?” she asks. Of course, I say. It’s a short drive, not more than the six minutes and forty-two seconds I once timed. Sometimes we have a lot to say, most times we don’t. She talks more than I do, more than I ever will, but that’s not a problem. I like hearing her talk. I like doing this with her. There is a specific sound that emanates from a spoon clanging around the sides of a mug full of tea. It’s the sound of nostalgia. It’s the sound of maternal love, of a bridge between cultures, of ten minutes spent so casually and so trivially yet so full of life that these days, my apartment in Ann
Arbor at 4:30 p.m. feels as if five 20-year-old guys are crucially lacking one middle-aged Indian woman who has worked more than she has to and deserves a nap but can’t because of a family of four that never gave her a break from cooking. I can stir that spoon all I want, but that sound is gone forever, tainted by one too many 4:30’s spent alone. There is a specific sound that comes when my father turns off his car in the driveway, and the headlights that had just shone through the curtains fade away, the NPR that was on his radio at a volume way too high turns off mid-Ira Glass sentence. He opens the door, looks at me sprawled on our red sofa, and utters a clear, “Assalamu-Alaikum.” I respond just as poorly as I did in the morning. He takes off his shoes and asks about my day, about how my classes were, about how his son is doing in his formative years in a different country than his own, and next he’ll move on to my sister, asking the same questions and securing the same peace of mind. The sound of daily routine, gone.
ILLUSTRATIONS BY CHERYLL VICTUELLES
LUNA ANNA ARCHEY/DAILY
“I’m auditioning for Opera Core in a few weeks, they’re doing Così fan tutte, by Mozart. It’s one of my favorite operas, it’s what got me into opera because my dad played it for me when I was little. I’ve been hearing the trio, Soave il vento since I was five. It’s his favorite. He wanted to have it played at his wedding but the church wouldn’t let him. They thought it was sinful because there is lust and passion, murder and violence.” – MEGAN WHEELER, School of Music, Theater & Dance sophomore
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Wednesday, September 23 , 2015 // The Statement
Wednesday, September 23, 2015 // The Statement
Personal Statement: Where the Wild Things Are
NAME OF THE GAME:
by Melina Glusac, Daily Arts Writer
A look inside the University’s $169M Nike contract By Allana Akhtar, Daily Staff Reporter
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he return of the “swoosh” to the Michigan Athletics apparel is emblematic of much more than a shiny new contract, but of a revitalized fan base and newly energized student athletes. But still, according to students, athletes and alumni, regardless of the changing dynamics between apparel contracts and the school, the block M will always belong to fans of Michigan football. Following the end of the athletic department’s apparel contract with Adidas, Interim Athletic Director Jim Hackett announced a new partnership with Nike. The deal, which will run through 2027, made history as the largest such contract in the history of college football at $169 million over 15 years. By comparison, the second largest apparel contract, between Notre Dame and Under Armour, totals $90 million over 10 years. “The University of Michigan ranks high among the world’s great institutions of higher learning and enjoys a rich, tradition-laden history in college sports,” said Joaquin Hidalgo, vice president and general manager at Nike North America, in a press release. “We eagerly look forward to bringing out the best in each other.” The deal states the University is to receive $76.8 million in cash alone, $12 million as a “signing bonus” and $80.2 million in apparel. The deal will cover all 31 varsity sports and includes guaranteed internships for qualified students and research collaborations for future products. Additionally, the University will have the first football team to wear Michael Jordan’s esteemed apparel, previously only available to basketball teams. This isn’t the first time the University made history with a Nike contract — the University first signed an endorsement contract with Nike in 1994 for $7 million over seven years. Joe Roberson, athletic director at the time of the deal, said it was “the largest such deal in the history of collegiate sports.”
Nike gave the University $1 million per year in shoes and apparel and $75,000 in cash payments to the athletic program in the earlier deal, Sports Business Daily reported at the time. The company also provided two scholarships in women’s athletics, funded a yearlong fellowship in sports journalism and paid $45,000 into scholarships. The University stayed with Nike for 13 years until signing a contract with Adidas in 2007. This first Nike deal was among the first between apparel brands and universities. Prior to wearing Nike brand apparel, athletes wore different brands depending on the sport. With this deal, all 25 athletic teams at the time wore the same “swoosh” on their jerseys. Today, however, this kind of apparel contract is standard practice for non-profit organizations such as the University, Marketing Prof. Puneet Manchanda said. Though the University is taking the cash, Nike can gain immense visibility through TV and media surrounding athletics. “For these kinds of contracts, it is essentially a marketing investment,” Munchanda said. “The idea is you sponsor a team and the publicity of the event and the interest of the audience will expose your brand. In the long run you will build a relationship with the consumer, the brand and the event you are sponsoring.” However, a deal of this magnitude does not come without sizable risks. For the University, the risk resides in Nike’s corporate image. Michael Jensen, associate professor of strategy at the Business School, said in the event of a Nike scandal, such as employing unfair labor practices, the contract’s popularity among the University’s fan base could diminish, ultimately diminishing it’s value. “The big risk for the University of Michigan is if it suddenly revealed that Nike is a company with a lot of problematic business practices,” he said. Ethical corporate behavior came into question with the University’s previous athletic contract with Adidas. In 2012, students held a protest urging the University cut ties with Adidas, alleging the company did not compensate workers in their Indonesian factory. Specifically, students claimed Adidas violated their contract with the University, which required workers be compensated for the apparel. Students were not the only ones to express concern for Adidas’ company practices. University President Emerita Mary Sue Coleman wrote two company executives in September 2012 requesting they provide assistance and reparations to the terminated factory employees in a letter. “I hope that Adidas will fully appreciate the importance the University places on ensuring that the workers who have been involved in manufacturing license products receive the assistance they require and have earned,” Coleman wrote in the letter. In April 2013, Adidas stated it would pay severance to the fired workers. The severance was given in addition to
ILLUSTRATION BY CHERYLL VICTUELLES INFOGRAPHICS BY CHERYLL VICTUELLES
$525,000 the company already had given them for aid and organized job placement programs and food vouchers. “We are committed to long-term solutions and wanted to resolve this matter so we could ensure the focus moves to sustainable solutions for the future,” Katja Schreiber, Adidas Group spokesperson at the time, wrote in an e-mail to The Michigan Daily. “This additional assistance will provide additional relief to workers and their families still impacted from the unethical factory closure.” However, the company was in some ways too late — at the time of this decision, 17 colleges terminated their contracts with Adidas in the wake of country-wide student protests. Though he made no reference to this, Hackett’s decision against Adidas could have been impacted by the lasting impact of the company’s actions. Nike’s reputation is not the only one on the line with this contract. For the value of the contract to be upheld, the University needs to show success on the field. “(The football team is) the biggest risk for Nike,” Jensen said. “If the University football team continues to do poorly and therefore not give the expected value of TV appearances.” Despite the contract’s immense monetary value, the decision to sign with Nike was not about the money, Hackett said in a July interview with the Michigan Daily. Because Nike, Adidas and Under Armour were all vying for the athletic department’s apparel, Hackett’s decision went beyond finances. “I was looking for the future,” Hackett said. “It didn’t matter that Nike was really successful here in the past, it didn’t matter that Under Armour had invented a wicking system no one else had, it didn’t matter that Adidas had this global dominance, we’re signing a new 15-year deal.” According to Hackett, the decision included looking at not only market research and performance evaluations, but also feedback from fans, players and alumni on each of the three companies. See CONTRACT, Page 7B
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o say the curve of a tress is a matter of debate would be fair. What are we, anyway, but confused, furry creatures, forced to wander the world with a little extra fur on top? Some of our fur is curly; some of our fur is straight. And in between those crass categories there’s a little bit of every texture, color, shape and personality. That’s where things get tangled. I’m speaking, of course, of hair — as this is a personal statement, I guess I should say my hair. As soon as I burst through the womb (sorry, Mom) on that cold January afternoon in 1996, all of the nurses gasped, so the legend goes. “What is it? What’s wrong?” “She’s just — she’s got so much hair.” True, I was born with a completely full head of silky, dark brown locks. They prompted even more shock from onlookers as my mom was wheeled out of the hospital (i.e., “Did you have, like, major heartburn with all that hair inside you?”). My grandma stuck a bow on top of me for good measure, but that effort soon fizzled as “the Afro” began to set in. Yes, kids, as soon as I started walking, what was nice baby hair grew into a frizzy, kinky, incomprehensibly thick, certifiably untamable mop. Haircuts, as a little girl, were hell realized. Crying, thrashing, combing — only these violent verbs capture the traumatic shards of salon memories I’m left with. (Sometimes I like to set them to music from “The Omen,” but only on particularly low days.) I began to regard my stylist, Carla, as Satan’s mistress, and with that in mind she bought me cookies to incentivize and desensitize visits as much as possible. Washing my hair at home was just as much of a process: my mother, a “lucky” one bestowed with slightly wavy, most-
ly straight fur, didn’t really know what to do with mine. I can recall sitting on my bedroom floor, Mom piling Johnson’s No More Tangles Spray (probably meant for weaker curls than mine) onto my mane to absolutely no avail. Combs. Tears. Heartbreak. Rinse and repeat. One of my favorite movies growing up was The Princess Diaries. Just writing that I’m immediately struck with visions of pre-makeover Mia Thermopolis — a classic cinematic “nerd,” she has one defining physical characteristic: dark, thick, curly, frizzy hair. After the debonair Julie Andrews swoops in with the eponymous royal surprise of the film, she decides something must be done to ameliorate Mia’s appearance. (Queen Clarice’s granddaughter better look like the Prin-cess of Genovia, damnit.) So the Cinderella rigmarole happens and the big whooshing-awayof-the-metaphorical-curtain reveals what, ultimately? A conventionally more “beautiful” Mia, with mascara and waxed eyebrows — and nothing other than bone-straight hair. I blame that scene. Well, that scene and my broken hair ties. When middle school hit, I got my first straightener, and I soon became enthralled with the idea of tameness, of fur docility. Straight hair was cool; princesses had straight hair because curly hair was ugly. Celebrities — most of them — boasted sleek, kink-free locks (think: Britney, bitch). Why shouldn’t I have the same? With each crushing of a hair chunk through those magmatic irons and their toxic power, I felt prettier. Killing hair to get happy, sweating my life away during the 30-minute process — hogwash. Beauty is pain, darling. By the time my whole head was done, relief would flood me. Now I won’t stand out. Now I’ll be able to walk into a
room and not worry about people staring at my Bozo wig. I feel sharp; I feel beautiful. I can walk through a crowd on the street and feel normal. So now it’s time for what I call the Nike swish — the grand twist in the plot where I fall in love with my natural hair un-conditioner-ally, admit that I’m four years sober from the straightener, and tell you about that one time when Colin Firth ran to my London flat to tell me he loves me, just as I am. That hasn’t happened. The aforementioned, deep-rooted doubts still plague me, and right now my flat iron is sitting on a shelf in my dorm, ready for action. Colin Firth is nowhere in sight. If anything, my willpower has changed — and my vantage point. If we look at hair from a more “meta” standpoint, as an extension of the creature it inhabits and subsequently the creature itself, why would we change it if there was nothing wrong? Why would we slaughter our fur, our essence, the thing that separates us from the other creatures around town? I’ve been told to “thin it” — flatten it out, control it, cut it all off. But I can’t. After all, it is me and I am it: curly, confusing, symphonic, a little rebellious, a lot unconventional, kind of intellectual if you stare at it for a while and — supremely, my most favorite — inimitable. No matter how hard I try, I can’t get a Brazilian blowout to squash the intrinsic quirks of me, the extra furry one who hobbles — nay, saunters through Ann Arbor — with her full personality and her full hair. My mop is neither beautiful nor ugly, and I’ve come to realize that’s true of everyone. It simply is itself: and that’s enough of an argument to respect it, preserve and convey its natural state, and let it romp around like the uninhabited creature it was meant to be.
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Wednesday, September 23, 2015 // The Statement
Athletes embrace social responsibility by Zach Shaw, Daily Sports Writer
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t doesn’t take long for Jordan Morgan to remember why he’s spending a gorgeous summer afternoon cleaning up an eyesore of a street in Detroit. Once homeless in Detroit, Morgan fought through poverty, malnourishment and hundreds of other challenges to star for the Michigan basketball team, earn two engineering degrees, and eventually go pro in Europe. It doesn’t take long for Mike Martin to remember why he’s bussing kids in from Detroit to his free youth camp, either. Growing up in a single-mother household without a ride to practice, Martin had to find the drive within to not only finish his degree but lead Michigan football to the 2011 Sugar Bowl Championship. It doesn’t take long to remember, because they didn’t get there alone. Though both — among thousands of athletes worldwide — have incredible journeys to success, they are largely the product of volunteers, tireless coaches and family members and community events that kept their doors open and their spirits high. “I can tell you that nobody gets where they are without the help of others,” Morgan said. “There are so many people that are so invested in me and my welfare, but there’s a high level of obligation for myself.” This obligation sticks with Morgan, Martin and others that grew up disadvantaged. But at Michigan, even those that had an easier path feel the responsibility to use their capital, resources and abilities to give back to the community — that’s the easier part. The hard part is making that desire to give back count. But with a new department solely focused on it, alumni leading the way, putting away the scorebook and opening the field to new resources, Michigan is close to fulfilling its athlete social responsibility. *** When the term corporate social responsibility first was coined in the 1950s, few imagined the concept would make its way inside Michigan Stadium. Defined by Business Dictionary as “a company’s sense of responsibility towards the community and environment (both ecological and social) in which it operates,” it was designed to remind businesses that their job extended beyond financial shareholders to community stakeholders. Without the support of consumers, the community, family members, friends and all employees, a business would fail regardless of its financial know-how.
While “athlete social responsibility” hasn’t gained the same official recognition, the parallels are evident. Winning is important, but without the continued support of boosters, fans, local residents, media members and everyone involved with the team, even the most successful team on the field will fail.
ute to, and most athletes do individual work as well. Michigan’s first community service partnership began with football players visiting C.S. Mott’s Children’s Hospital 25 years ago — a practice that has expanded to all student-athletes and still occurs every Thursday. Today, Michigan has 11 major community service partners, and its approximate 900 student-athletes conduct 20,000 hours of service per year, according to the athletic department. “It’s something you’re proud of,” said defensive line coach Greg Mattison, who has coached for 41 seasons including eight at Michigan. “When we say ‘Michigan Man,’ a lot of that has to do with how you handle success and give back.” Achieving 20,000 hours as a group and raising tens of thousands for charity, community service participation is at an alltime high with Michigan studentathletes. Still, some are skeptical about the motivations. With the rise of foundations and community service came an equal rise in criticism of “savior mentality” among those participating in projects. Jevon Moore, coordinator at the Office of Community and University Engagement, doesn’t blame people for thinking that way. Moore oversees all of Michigan’s community service endeavors. He’s happy with the strength and popularity of the Mott’s visits, but isn’t naïve of the celebrity mentality. “For a long time, that’s what it was — just celebrity appearances,” Moore said. “Then people got turned off by that because it seems like it could just be for attention or for image.” The seldom heard of office opened in 2013 after community service interest reached record levels. And while Moore loved so many ILLUSTRATION BY JAKE WELLINS different organizations reaching out to the teams, coaches and AthTo gain that support, student athletes embrace the pres- letic Administrators, it became clear someone needed to sure to make the first move. arrange these in a unified way. “You definitely want to make it come full circle,” Martin “We wanted to have one place where we could send said. “It’s hard to have success and not think about every- potential partners and events and really put a plan in place one in the community that helped you, and deserves that to make something work,” Moore said. “We don’t want our success too.” athletes to just show up and be a celebrity face, we want Morgan and Martin are far from the first athletes to them to be helpful in more ways, and for the experience to give back. Babe Ruth — arguably the first sports celebrity benefit them as well. We want it to be a two-way street.” — was famous for visiting hospitals before games, then hitMoore had no problem finding partners that wanted ting home runs for the children he visited. Nearly every to work with Michigan student-athletes. Food Gatherers, professional team has at least one foundation they contrib- Ann Arbor Public Schools, the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare
Wednesday, September 23, 2015 // The Statement
System and plenty more expressed inter- have anyone to show us the way, but once I *** est. got started, I was hooked.” Once Martin’s bus pulls into the Pioneer He also learned quickly that with a “We don’t make it mandatory, but I will High School parking lot to begin his youth group of competitive and well-rounded try to get people who haven’t gone before camp, he’s at home. The Big House may individuals, he had no problem getting stu- to go with me. The first time is usually the be across the street, but as he’s greeted by dent athletes interested in helping, either. hardest, after that they can’t wait to go over a dozen other NFL players volunteerIn fact, slowing them down proved to be back.” ing their time, a wide grin covers his face. the toughest challenge. In addition to the shift away from manThat grin grows to make his 6-foot-2, *** datory service, Michigan has tried to 306-pound frame look small as the kids The University get off the bus and Athletic Department sprint to the field. established the Rachael Many hail from the Townsend Community area of Detroit where Service Award in 2009. he grew up. Martin Hoping to push student knows the impact his athletes to carry that camp can have on the one more rep mentality kids, because he once into helping others, the was those kids. idea was to reward the “We can relate to teams that performed a lot of the things the most community they’re saying because service throughout the we know the area and year. a bit of what they It worked, but with a go through,” said cost. Hours and interest Philadelphia Eagles in service soared, but linebacker Brandon when Moore switched Graham, a former the award from a quanMichigan football tity-based team honor player. “You might to a quality-focused have gone to the same individual one in 2013, schools or know some Michigan was admitof the same people. ting it had lost what it The conversation and was after. connection is there “We found that because you’re from everyone was so caught the same place.” up in hours and putting The same can be up big numbers, the sersaid for current Michvice wasn’t that effecigan athletes. When tive,” Moore said. “We’d DuPhily and 30 other rather see fewer hours Michigan studentand participation than athletes volunteered people just in it for the at Camp Catch-Ahours if it increases the Rainbow — a YMCA value and impact.” youth camp for curMichigan is the rent or former canonly school to Moore’s cer patients — during knowledge that no lonspring term, many ger has an hours-based were reminded of reward or quota, and times getting to know taking the competition athletes in the past, LUNA ANNA ARCHEY/Daily out of community service Members of the Michigan Men’s Soccer Team greet kids and Johntez Williamson and his father and reminded why they did come with a drop in John Williamson after their 3-0 victory over Northwestern on Sunday. go to Michigan. participation. But the “That’s our biggest support was there. modernize the way its student-athletes go goal, to find something for everyone,” “You can’t make these things manda- about service. Moore said. “Not everyone wants to work tory, you have to really value it,” said KineReaching out to the Ginsburg Center, with kids, so it’s about finding what kind of siology junior Sophie DuPhily, a member SAPAC and other campus-based resources, work you do want to do — what you’ll get of the lacrosse team who is also serving as Moore has set out to increase the educa- passionate about. Because when you have the SAAC Community Engagement Chair. tional component of service. Though it’s that passion, it shows.” “It’s important to get people to find value admittedly tough to manage full training Despite taking away the scorebook, rules in it themselves, not just add it to practice, and reflection sessions when balancing the and trophies, Michigan student-athletes school and everything else.” priorities of student-athletes, Moore says it continue to give back. Despite everything Moore makes resources and events never hurts to get creative. else they have to worry about, the studentknown and helps when needed, but has “We might not get hours with (the stu- athletes feel socially responsible. eliminated enforcements, counting on dent-athletes),” he said. “But on the way to “I think there’s an obligation to give teams and student-athletes to motivate and from campus we can discuss why they back,” DuPhily said. “You’re not getting each other. get involved in the community and what a reward for doing it, but you’re a part of For DuPhily, whose team was all fresh- they get from the opportunity through the Michigan family, and that does create a men when the new system took over in identification, through reflection, through moral right to give back to the community 2013, the toughest hurdle is the first one. exploration of themselves.” and to strengthen that connection in any “I was a little slow to start on communiWhile the service may be helpful today, way you can.” ty service,” DuPhily said. “We didn’t really the true impact will be seen down the road.
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CONTRACT From Page 4B LSA senior Dominic Jamett, president of the Student Athlete Advisory Council, said the administration reached out to him and other student-athletes for feedback on the apparel companies. He said he appreciates the way the athletic department is receptive to input from student-athletes. “We are pretty lucky that we have an athletic department that cares so much about our opportunities,” Jamett said. “The gear that we get provided is second to none and students recognize that, and we definitely do not take that for granted.”
The gear that we get provided is second to none Student athletes are not the only ones pleased with the athletic department’s decision. Though the athletic department did not reach out to the Alumni Association in a similar way, Dave Schueler, vice president of alumni engagement at the Alumni Association, said he noticed positive reaction among alums across their social media platforms. “Sometimes just something new is exciting in general, I think people rallied around having something new or different to talk about,” he said. Schueler speculates the deal brought back memories from when the University previously signed with Nike, as the company worked with beloved Michigan football coach Lloyd Carr. Because the University signed with Nike for a longer period of time than with Adidas, he says more alumni felt connected to the “swoosh.” With the recent hiring of Jim Harbaugh and contract deal with Nike, alumni can’t help but feel hopeful for the next chapter in University athletic history, Schueler said. “All of the things that are new are exciting and, perhaps, some of the new things remind us of the success that the athletic program, specifically football, had in years past,” he said. For Jamett, however, the gear does not make or break wins. He said not only are student-athletes unphased by the size of the deal, fans will not be impacted by the Nike deal because they came out for the student-athletes — not the jerseys. “I do not think the brand of gear is the biggest thing right now,” he said. “At the end of the day, it is going to have the block M and I think that is what people love.”
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Wednesday, September 23rd, 2015 // The Statement
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hough I only lived at the University of Michigan’s Biological Station for a brief period of time, I feel an internal shift in character; calmer, an increase of solidity, a more thorough understanding in who I am and where I fit in the great, complex scheme of life. “I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees,” Henry David Thoreau wrote after living two years immersed in undisturbed natural surroundings. I felt this way too, after living in a metal shack-like cabin in the far northern part of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula for only two months. At this place also deemed “Bug Camp” by its residents, students join faculty and researchers from all over the U.S. (and beyond) who hold expertise in a wide array of scientific knowledge and experience. What makes the Biological Station so unique is not only this aspect, but also that everyone — professors, students, faculty, other researchers — live in camp together and are easily accessible to help in scientific or life endeavors, and are also around to just hang out. Meals are taken together by the whole camp in the dining hall and are great opportunities to meet other people. At one such meal I found myself sitting with Chuck Davis, professor and curator of plants at Harvard University and one of the well-loved botany professors at the Biological Station. Our conversation led into some of his research involving plant parasites and the different types of strategies plant species use. Though I do not want to become a plant parasite specialist, the way Chuck discussed his research made me want to know more. His enthusiasm and obvious love of the discipline kept me asking questions about this subject I really had known nothing about. I was enrolled in the Forest Ecosystems and General Ecology classes at the Biological Station. Each class structure generally started out with an hour lecture in the morning followed by a day in the field relating to the previous lecture. We traveled to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan multiple times as well as closer areas, all varying in ecosystem type and intended lesson. We would usually collect data to analyze later and write about or present later the findings as homework. This method of teaching was extremely effective for me. Now, when I walk through a forest or a bog or on a dune, I see in a larger and more complex way. During downtime many of us would find something to stay occupied. We would kayak or canoe, swim in Lake Douglas, go ride the “slime slide,” play basketball, read, lounge in a hammock, bike or walk the trails through the woods. Though it seemed like there’s not much to do at first glance at this rustic camp, the possibilities are actually endless. Both of my group research projects collaborated outside of class with research scientists at the Biological Station and we did a lot of work, but found significant and interesting results in both of our projects. We understand much more thoroughly the subjects of our research, and even better, our research will contribute to the projects others are and have been working on for years, which will be part of published studies in academic journals. To be credited in an academic journal as an undergraduate student is a no small accomplishment. Overall, being in this pristine place has made a lasting effect on me that will not fade with time. It’s a slow change from the first day. It’s a change you don’t notice until you leave and come back to your former life. On the door of my friend’s cabin behind the hammocks it reads “Welcome to the Trap.” The University of Michigan Biological Station is a trap, a magnificent trap, one that I look forward into falling in all over again. “I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees.” — Henry David Thoreau
A quiet sunset over the shorelines of Lake Superior, Pictured Rocks, Mich.
LSA alum Jayna Sames measures the diameter at breast height of a big-toothed aspen tree, gathering data for a research project in Forest Ecosystems.
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TALLER THAN THE TREES Photo Story by
Rita Morris
LSA senior Shaquan Smith examines extract from a plant pitcher while standing on a bog mat during a lab in General Ecology.
Nitrogen extracts from various soil samples in the chemistry laboratory. This was one of the many experiments conducted at the Biological Station.