ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Ann Arbor, Michigan
michigandaily.com
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
CSG gives feedback on renovations to Union ZOEY HOLMSTROM/Daily
Sanja Savic Berhamovic speaks about Syrian Refugees during the discussion titled “Syrian Refugees: Trauma & Resilience” in the School of Social Work on Tuesday.
Panel discusses needs of Syrian refugee population Speakers criticize Gov. Snyder’s choice to pause efforts to welcome refugees By RIYAH BASHA Daily Staff Reporter
A day after Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder announced Michigan would attempt to
block Syrian refugees from entering the state, the Children Welfare Student Association held a discussion Tuesday night addressing the needs of Syrian refugees in Michigan. Snyder had previously implemented plans to accept an increased number of refugees fleeing violence in Syria, but has now said he wants to put those plans on hold following terrorist attacks in Paris on Friday that killed 129 people. Earlier
this week, French authorities announced that one of the individuals likely involved in the attacks entered Europe as a refugee from Syria, though that theory was likely incorrect. Organizers noted that planning for the event started at the beginning of the semester, preceding recent events, but that the conversation had become increasingly relevant in light of Snyder’s remarks. Thirty other governors have
made similar remarks. About 15 attendees, mostly School of Social Work students, listened to three panelists speak about the current situation, as well as the complex mental health needs of refugees and ways practitioners and social workers can address them. Panelist Loubna Alkhayet, a clinical therapist from Waterford, Mich., said she thought Snyder’s decision was a poor one for the See REFUGEES, Page 3A
Assembly hopes updates will increase student activity in the building By JACKIE CHARNIGA Daily Staff Reporter
Renovation plans for the Michigan Union are moving forward. Loren Rullman, associate vice president for student life, spoke with Central Student Government at their weekly meeting Tuesday to discuss the plans and gather input on the design process. During the meeting, CSG also heard from Trey Boynton, the director of Multi-Ethnic Student Affairs. Representatives from Workshop Architects, one of the three firms currently working on renovations to the Union, asked CSG members to provide feedback as to what they use the Union for and what changes they would like to see to
ANN ARBOR
EVENT PREVIEW
Council votes to stop recognizing Columbus Day City to celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day in its place as official holiday By JACKIE CHARNIGA Daily Staff Reporter
Columbus Day is no more, at least in the city of Ann Arbor. The Ann Arbor City Council voted unanimously on Monday to recognize the second Monday of October as Indigenous Peoples Day in lieu of Columbus Day. The resolution was proposed by Councilmember Chuck Warpehoski (D–Ward 5), who said the idea for the resolution began over a year ago when other communities drew attention for honoring the area’s indigenous people instead of the explorer who was traditionally portrayed as the person who “discovered” America. Warpehoski said a resolution did not go through last year in part because he wanted to seek the input and support of indigenous groups in the community. “To make this change, it should
be done in partnership with indigenous people and not just as an act of charity without their consultation,” Warpehoski said. Warpehoski said he reached out to local schools and worked in partnership with Ypsilanti Mayor Amanda Edmonds to draft the final resolution. Without local tribal governments to consult, he instead contacted the University’s Native American Student Association and, through his partnership with Edmonds, the Eastern Michigan Native American Student Association. “I grew up in a town in northern Wisconsin where there was a Ojibwe reservation on one side of me and a Potawatomi reservation on the other side of me,” Warpehoski said. “They were local tribal institutions that were available for contact. That’s not something we have here currently in Washtenaw County, so finding indigenous leaders is a different process.” Public Policy senior Isa Gaillard, co-chair of the Native American Student Association at the University, said his organization proposed adding language to the See COLUMBUS, Page 3A
the building. The architects plan to garner input through the Student Renovations Advisory Committee. In addition to Workshop Architects, Rullman said two other architecture firms having been hired, including Integrated Design Solutions from Troy who specialize in student spaces, and Washington, D.C.-based HartmanCox Architects, preservation architects hired to maintain the integrity of the original buildings. Rullman said two of the firms had previously worked on renovation projects for the University. IDS and Hartman-Cox both worked on construction of the Munger Residence Hall and renovations to the East Quad Residence Hall and the Law Quadrangle. Rullman said the project began with the Building a Better Michigan initiative in 2011, which lobbied the University to prioritize renovations for the student common spaces like recreation centers and unions. Rullman said more than half the funds for the renovation See CSG, Page 3A
Pianist Leif Ove Andsnes to perform at Hill Friday RITA MORRIS/Daily
Lucas Kirkpatrick, co-editor of “Reinventing Detroit: The Politics of Possibility,” describes the factors leading up to the city of Detroit’s current state and its future political potentials at the Art & Architecture Building on Tuesday.
Book on Detroit looks at city’s path forward Several local writers, experts contribute to new collection By BECCA SOLBERG Daily Staff Reporter
Along with a panel of local professionals and professors, Lucas Kirkpatrick, an assistant sociology professor at Southern Methodist University,
discussed the launch of his new book “Reinventing Detroit: The Politics of Possibility” on Tuesday. Edited by Kirkpatrick and Michael Peter Smith, a professor of community studies at University of California, Davis, the book comprises chapters written by various experts in urban policy, including professors from the University. The compilation aims to discuss the challenges Detroit faces and the methods currently being employed to
overcome them. In July 2013, Detroit declared bankruptcy and was placed under the control of an emergency manager. In December 2014, the city announced its exit from bankruptcy and control of the city was fully returned to Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan. The city has also struggled to cope with blight, crime, political corruption and a job loss. Kirkpatrick began his talk See DETROIT, Page 3A
Acclaimed Norwegian concert pianist brings unpretentious style to Ann Arbor By COSMO PAPPAS Daily Arts Writer
You walk into one of the hallowed halls of high culture — the Lincoln Center, the Philharmonie, the Sydney Opera House. You’re ushered to your Leif Ove seat, lower Andsnes, yourself quietly and prepare to piano be transported. Friday, Nov. The lights dim, 20 at 8 p.m. and everyone takes a sharp, Hill Auditorium quiet breath. Students $12 The vacuum of space and time Regular tickets is where it all up to $60 happens. Then — the first notes of the keyboard hit and then, then! ... The muses go to work tickling your fancy. See ANDSNES, Page 6A
the statement
A lifetime behind the potter’s wheel
» INSIDE WEATHER TOMORROW
HI: 58 LO: 28
GOT A NEWS TIP? Call 734-418-4115 or e-mail news@michigandaily.com and let us know.
NEW ON MICHIGANDAILY.COM Ski trip attendees plead no contest MICHIGANDAILY.COM/SECTION/NEWS
INDEX
Vol. CXXV, No. 32 ©2015 The Michigan Daily michigandaily.com
NEWS......................... 2A OPINION.....................4A ARTS..........................5A
S P O R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7A CL ASSIFIEDS...............6A T H E S TAT E M E N T. . . . . . 1 B
News
2A — Wednesday, November 18, 2015
MONDAY: This Week in History
TUESDAY: Campus Voices
THURSDAY: Twitter Talk
WEDNESDAY: In Other Ivory Towers
STUDENTS PROTEST HALL NAMES
Georgetown president approves renaming buildings Georgetown University President John DeGioia approved the renaming of two buildings on the school’s Washington, D.C. campus at the behest of the Black Leadership Forum and other concerned groups, The Hoya reported Saturday. The buildings’ original namesakes honored former university presidents who were instrumental in the sale of 272 slaves to a Louisiana plantation in 1838 to help pay off campus debt. The two buildings, which had been known for years as Mulledy Hall and McSherry
Hall, have been given the interim names Freedom Hall and Remembrance Hall, respectively. Yale’s Greek community commits to diversity The fraternities and sororities at Yale University have pledged to implement concrete measures designed to be more inclusive of people of color, The Yale Daily News reported Monday. “We do not condone racism or misogyny, and we pledge to be allies to the women of color at Yale, and everywhere, who deserve an inclusive place to call home,” read a statement posted
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
to Facebook from Pi Beta Phi — one of the university’s four sororities. Controversy unfolded on Yale’s campus earlier this month after a professor criticized the university’s guidance for students to avoid culturally-insensitive Halloween costumes. The incident sparked protest around issues of racism and inclusion at Yale, and contributed to a national conversation on racial injustices oten experienced on college campuses across the country. —LOGAN HANSEN
PA I N T I N G P I G G I E S
RITA MORRIS/Daily
Third-year Pharmacy student Charlotte Buckley crafts a piggy bank during her ceramics class in the Art & Architecture Building on Tuesday.
WHAT: University Dining Halls will be hosting their annual Thanksgiving dinner for all students. The dinner costs $12.60 with Blue Bucks or $14.60 with credit cards. Dining halls do not accept cash. WHO: Michigan Dining WHEN: 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. WHERE: University Dining Halls
WHAT: Students will be taught basic graphic design techniques and tricks by a library instructor as part of the Savvy Workshop Series. WHO: Center for Campus Involvement WHEN: 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. WHERE: Shapiro Undergraduate Library, Room 4059
SOUP Dinner
Swing dancing
WHAT: The Knowlege Navigation Center will host a Photoshop 101 course to learn basic digital photo editing skills. WHO: Digital Media Club WHEN: 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. WHERE: Hatcher Graduate Library, Room 206
Corrections
Letters to the Editor
corrections@michigandaily.com
tothedaily@michigandaily.com
Arts Section
Editorial Page
arts@michigandaily.com
opinion@michigandaily.com
Sports Section
Photography Section
sports@michigandaily.com
photo@michigandaily.com
Display Sales
Classified Sales
dailydisplay@gmail.com
classified@michigandaily.com
Online Sales
Finance
onlineads@michigandaily.com
finance@michigandaily.com
Managing Editor
lfacher@michigandaily.com
Managing News Editor
gringlas@michigandaily.com
SENIOR NEWS EDITORS: Shoham Geva, Will Greenberg, Amabel Karoub, Emma Kerr, Emilie Plesset, Michael Sugerman ASSISTANT NEWS EDITORS: Jackie Charniga, Alyssa Brandon, Katie Penrod, Sami Wintner, Gen Hummer, Emma Kinery, Tanya Madhani, Lara Moehlman, Lea Giotto, Isobel Futter
WHAT: Mara Cecilia Ostfeld, an assistant professor in the Political Science Department, will speak about “ethnic filters” on surveys. WHO: Department of Political Science and Latina/o Studies WHEN: 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. WHERE: 3512 Haven Hall
WHAT: Mark Hunter, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, will discuss the endangered monarch butterfly species. WHO: Museum of Natural History WHEN: 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. WHERE: Conor O’Neill’s Traditional Irish Pub
News Tips news@michigandaily.com
Sam Gringlas
Graphic design workshop
WHAT: The Health Equity SOUP Dinner are microgranting opportunities that allow local projects and initiatives to give fiveminute presentations to pitch their goals. WHO: Sujal Parikh Memorial Symposium on Health and Social Justice WHEN: 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. WHERE: Rackham Assembly Hall
Newsroom 734-418-4115 opt. 3
Lev Facher
Thanksgiving dinner
Photoshop workshop
Business Manager 734-418-4115 ext. 1241 rfilipp@michigandaily.com
EDITORIAL STAFF
Priming Mental health Latino identity workshop
Science cafe of butterflies
420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1327 www.michigandaily.com JENNIFER CALFAS ROSE FILIPP
Editor in Chief 734-418-4115 ext. 1251 jcalfas@michigandaily.com
CAMPUS EVENTS & NOTES
WHAT: A workshop for new College of Engineering faculty to explore mental health issues and how to provide support for students. WHO: CRLT - Engin WHEN: 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. WHERE: Lurie Robert h. Engineering Center, Johnson Rooms
FRIDAY: Photos of the Week
WHAT: Swing Ann Arbor, a student organization dedicated swing dance instruction, will offer a free drop-in lesson. WHO: Swing Ann Arbor WHEN: 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. WHERE: Michigan League, Vandenberg Room •Please submit corrections to corrections@ michigandaily.com
THREE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW TODAY
1
Virginia Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, released an endorsement for Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz, Politico reported. Virginia Thomas is a conservative activist.
2
In this week’s issue of The Statement, a Daily photographer explores the life of Ann Arbor legend J.T. Abernathy, a WWII veteran, worldrenowned potter. >> FOR MORE, SEE THE STATEMENT
3
After droughts and floods throughout the country, North Korea is experiencing damage and shortage in cabbage crops, the Guardian reported. Cabbage is a vital ingredient in making kimchi, a popular Korean dish.
Aarica Marsh and Derek Wolfe Editorial Page Editors
opinioneditors@michigandaily.com
SENIOR EDITORIAL PAGE EDITORS: Claire Bryan and Regan Detwiler ASSISTANT EDITORIAL PAGE EDITORS: Mary Kate Winn, Melissa Scholke, Stephanie Trierweiler, Ben Keller
Max Cohen and Jake Lourim Managing Sports Editors
sportseditors@michigandaily.com
SENIOR SPORTS EDITORS: Max Bultman, Minh Doan, Jacob Gase, Simon Kaufman,Jason Rubinstein, Zach Shaw ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITORS: Chloe Aubuchon, Chris Crowder, Kelly Hall, Ted Janes, Kevin Santo, Brad Whipple
Adam Depollo and Chloe Gilke Managing Arts Editors
adepollo@michigandaily.com chloeliz@michigandaily.com
SENIOR ARTS EDITORS: Jamie Bircoll, Kathleen Davis, Catherine Sulpizio, Adam Theisen ARTS BEAT EDITORS: Alex Bernard, Karen Hua, Jacob Rich, Amelia Zak
Allison Farrand and Ruby Wallau Managing Photo Editors
photo@michigandaily.com
SENIOR PHOTO EDITORS: Luna Anna Archey, James Coller, Virginia Lozano ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITORS: Amanda Allen, Zach Moore, Sam Mousigian
Emily Schumer and design@michigandaily.com Shane Achenbach Managing Design Editors Ian Dillingham Magazine Editor statement@michigandaily.com DEPUTY MAGAZINE EDITORS: Natalie Gadbois STATEMENT PHOTO EDITOR: Luna Anna Archey STATEMENT LEAD DESIGNER: Jake Wellins
Hannah Bates and Laura Schinagle Managing Copy Editors
copydesk@michigandaily.com
SENIOR COPY EDITORS: Emily Campbell and Emma Sutherland
Amrutha Sivakumar Online Editor amrutha@michigandaily.com Kaylla Cantilina and Katie Colosimo Managing Video Editors Carolyn Gearig Special Projects Manager
BUSINESS STAFF Hussein Hakim Finance and Operations Manager Claire Ulak Production Manager Jordan Yob Marketing Manager Matt Pfenning UAccounts Manager Asja Kepes Local Accounts Manager Colin Cheesman National Accounts Manager Anna He Special Guides and Online Manager Claire Butz Layout Manager The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through Friday during the fall and winter terms by students at the University of Michigan. One copy is available free of charge to all readers. Additional copies may be picked up at the Daily’s office for $2. Subscriptions for fall term, starting in September, via U.S. mail are $110. Winter term (January through April) is $115, yearlong (September through April) is $195. University affiliates are subject to a reduced subscription rate. On-campus subscriptions for fall term are $35. Subscriptions must be prepaid. The Michigan Daily is a member of The Associated Press and The Associated Collegiate Press.
Local, state leaders talk Asian Americans in public service Panelists cite stereotypes about personality, aptitude as challenges By LYDIA MURRAY Daily Staff Reporter
Asian Americans involved in local and state government spoke at the University on Monday about issues facing Asian Americans working in public service. Hosted by the South Asian Awareness Network, the panel featured three Asian-American leaders in government: Mumtaz Haque, a member of the Michigan Civil Rights Commission and a Detroit Public School administrator; Andrew Kim, the legislative director of the Macomb County Board of Commissioners; and state Rep. Stephanie Chang (D–Detroit), the first AsianAmerican woman in Michigan’s
legislature. All three panelists said stereotypes are one of the biggest challenges Asian Americans face in a professional environment. Kim said because of his race, people often assume he lacks charisma and works better with mathematics than other disciplines. “I think we get a lot of stereotypes and a lot of ignorance of who they think Asian Americans are, and sometimes that ignorance and those stereotypes undermine your abilities,” Kim said. “I would always get comments like ‘Hey, Andrew is a good analytics guy, but he’s not a good politics guy.’ ” Haque said she found herself feeling like she needed to prove that she was capable of taking action because of her more reserved nature. “(Asian Americans) are very reserved and we think before we speak, and that is taken sometimes as us being a person who is not
aggressive enough to make things happen,” Haque said. “We are quiet workers, but sometimes that is misunderstood for being less aggressive or effective, so we really need to speak up for the right cause.” Chang primarily spoke about her experience as an Asian American running for public office in a predominately Black district. The area of Detroit she represents is 39 percent Black. She noted that despite initially having concerns about running in the district due to her race, she found most of her hesitations unfounded. “When I was deciding whether or not I wanted to run, I went back and forth between yes and no for a long time. But part of the reason why I was hesitant was I thought being Asian American was going to be a barrier,” Chang said. “There are definitely a lot of barriers externally, but I think that sometimes we create our own barriers in addition to the ones that other people create.” Panelists also offered advice to Asian-American students who hope to get involved in public service. Haque said students should find a mentor and volunteer in their communities. “Find somebody who motivates you, who you think could be your role model, and get involved in the community around you,” she said. “There are so many nonprofit organizations around you, and that is how I started, because my heart was into it.” Chang, who is a University alum, said students need to remember to look at the world outside of just the University campus. “The University of Michigan and Ann Arbor can kind of feel like a bubble,” Chang said. “Sometimes it’s hard, especially if you don’t have a car, but it’s important to really be involved in things outside of campus.” Read more online at michigandaily.com
ZOEY HOLMSTROM/Daily
Mock wage board speakers discuss the $15 minimum wage for student workers in Weill Hall on Tuesday.
Group calls on ‘U’ to raise minimum hourly wage to $15 Proposed figure would be almost double the state mandated hourly pay By ALEXA ST. JOHN Daily Staff Reporter
Students from all three University of Michigan campuses filled the Betty Ford auditorium in Weill Hall on Tuesday to advocate for a University-wide minimum wage hike. The event was held specifically for working students — many of whom have minor criminal records, their own young children or come from financially unstable backgrounds — to share their own personal financial struggles and their experience living off University wages. The Student Labor Coalition organized the gathering to emulate a wage board, which in some states or municipalities is empowered to determine and enact an adequate minimum wage. The event was modeled on the New York City Wage Board, which passed a minimum wage hike for fast food workers that was later adopted statewide. Though the state of Michigan does not have such a board,
organizers intended for the simulation to allow students and community members the opportunity to consider the impacts of wages at the University. During the event, students called on the University to increase the wage it pays campus hourly workers, which is often $10 per hour or less for many student jobs, according to a Student Labor Coalition press release. Attendees expressed concerns, in particular, with the high costs of necessary expenditures, like tuition, books and technology, as well as paying off student debts and the cost of living off campus in Ann Arbor. Student Labor Coalition said they are in favor of raising the University’s minimum wage to $15 per hour — nearly double the state’s minimum wage of $8.15 per hour. Members of the student organization estimated that implementing the increase would cost the University less than $20 million per year, according to the press release. If the minimum wage on campus is increased to $15 per hour, the University would be one of a handful of universities making the change. The University of California system and the University of Washington in Seattle plan on paying $15 per hour to minimum-wage employees on their campuses.
The mock wage board consisted of four speakers, who, along with the student speakers, discussed the influence raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour would have at the University. The board included Katie Oppenheim, president of the Nurses Union at the University, and David Reynolds, who works at the Center of Labor and Community Studies at U-M Dearborn. Rackham student Austin McCoy and Chris McKinney, the director of Youth Poverty Project, a nonprofit organization in Detroit dedicated to helping low-income students with college finances, were also members of the board. Those on the board responded to students’ stories with suggestions of how to make a difference in the current minimum-wage environment. McKinney specifically spoke about the difficulties students experience when employers require what he deemed unnecessary background information, like an applicant’s parental obligations, that could make the applicant seem less employable. “We do need to have this conversation and we do need to vote,” McKinney said. “But we do need to have other conversations . . . we don’t have to disclose our past (to employers) because this See WAGE, Page 3A
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
CSG From Page 1A will come from student fees, but contributions were also made by the Office of Student Life, funds generated by parking permits and the University Athletic Department. “There’s about $80 million allocated to this project,” Rullman said. “I say somewhere in the neighborhood of half of that is going to fixing the plumbing which was put in in 1919.” Jan van den Kieboom, founder and principal of Workshop Architects, said the Union was built for a smaller student body with different interests, and no longer reflects the University culture. LSA junior Maddie Levine said the Union is meant to be a hub for students and would like to see better food and shopping options as well as study spaces. “This isn’t a place I would bring people now because I don’t think there’s anything special or unique about it,” she said. CSG said they would also like
REFUGEES From Page 1A state. In the last two years, 200 Syrian refugees have settled in Michigan, a number second to only California and Texas. “It’s hard to watch our elected officials taking it out on the most vulnerable people, while forgetting that these refugees are the first victims of these terrorists,” she said. University alum Sanja SavicBerhamovic, who sought asylum in Denmark from the Bosnian War, said she saw several parallels with her experience and the current experience of Syrian refugees. “We came from a civilized country … and it was very humiliating to be in a position where we’re sleeping in tents and people are coming and taking our pictures like we’re in a zoo,” Savic-Berhamovic said. “What’s important is that (refugees) feel
DETROIT From Page 1A by summarizing the book’s three themes: first, that Detroit is not unique; second, that there’s a need to change perceptions of the city’s economic situation; and third, that a forward-focused outlook is important. To introduce the first theme, he used Dallas, Texas, as a case study for showing Detroit is not totally unique in its challenges. He referenced chapters written by Margaret Dewar, a professor in the University’s Urban and Regional Planning Program. “They point out the empirical benefits of studying Detroit and that empirical lessons we draw from Detroit are generalizable in other urban contexts,” he said. Dewar, who spoke on the panel, said placing Detroit in the context of other cities was important for learning something from the city’s challenges. “Detroit is an extreme case — what good does an extreme case do when it is an outlier?” she said. “When it is placed against knowledge in certain ways, then you can get new insights that add to that knowledge.” Kirkpatrick cited his experience working in Dallas on a New Cities Foundation initiative, which pairs
COLUMBUS From Page 1A resolution calling on the city to recognize the indigenous Odawa, Ojibwe, Potawatomi and Wyandot tribes who lived on what is now the University’s campus. “We really think that that’s an important part of the proposal, talking about the land grant connection and how that land was a gift from the indigenous people here with the hope that their children would be educated there,” Gaillard said. Gaillard said Warpehoski spoke at NASA meetings with the aim of involving the student group in the process. Though Gaillard initially was surprised a councilmember wanted the help of a student group in crafting the resolution, he said NASA was ultimately happy to help. Councilmember Zachary Ackerman (D–Ward 3), an LSA senior, said Michigan was
to see improvements to their chambers. “This is supposed to be a community space,” Charlton said. “If we were to open up the room to community members, they would have difficulty fitting in here — this space is not conducive to that.” Public Policy junior Thomas Hislop said there should be more meeting spaces for the various organizations on campus. “We feel like there should be spaces for the organizations that already exist,” Hislop said. Multi-Ethnic Student Affairs Boynton said CSG and MESA have partnered on several initiatives, and noted the office is for everyone and not exclusively for communities of color. Shee said the program is launching new initiatives regarding walk-in advising for students who want to launch new programs of their own. Boynton also touched on the recent Race and Ethnicity Requirement forum hosted by LSA student government, and said talking across differences is a core capacity students will need in the
News
PUBLIC SERVICE
professional world. “I just looked at a report that talked about inclusive leadership,” Boynton said. “The report was from six countries and Fortune 500 companies, and they really said that in order to be innovative and successful, you need people who have culturally competent skills.” Boynton spoke about the upcoming changes in the works for MESA. “What we’ve piloted this semester are race and ethnicity workshops because it is important, relevant, a critical skill to talk about race, and we think it’s a skill people want to learn,” she said. Resolutions Central Student Government passed three resolutions unanimously Tuesday, one which amended operating procedures to change how assembly member absences are counted. Public Policy junior Joe Ambrose said he was disappointed by the lack of attendance at the last CSG meeting and the number of abstentions during the voting on a proposed resolution.
like they’re understood.” Arguments over policies, all three panelists agreed, tend to drown out important discussions of accommodation. “Silence has become the norm for (refugees),” panelist Najah Bazzy said. “They’re afraid of the regime they came from as well as the politics of their host country. Practitioners are powerful in helping the refugees feel secure.” Bazzy, who is the founder of Zaman International, a humanitarian organization based in Dearborn, added that it is important for mental health practitioners to understand the context of the refugee’s situation in providing care. “There are educational, economic, political and legal and cultural factors,” Bazzy said. “We need to offer safe (spaces) for them.” Panelists urged attendees to take action by vocalizing the importance of providing for
refugees, especially in light of Snyder’s decision. “Being vocal and joining groups already working with refugees is important … (and) social media presence as well,” Alkhayet said. Several student groups on campus have said they plan to implement several initiatives in the future, including more dialogues for CWSA and a campaign, led by Students Allied for Freedom and Equality, to petition Snyder to reopen Michigan to Syrian refugees. LSA senior Dana Basha, who attended the event, emphasized the importance of empathizing with refugees. “It is so simple to become desensitized to the suffering that so many of these refugees have gone through, and look at them as just another statistic or number,” Basha said. “There is no doubt that as Americans we can bring them steps closer to that safety.”
up city officials with faculty and student researchers to address urban issues facing the city. “An observer might reasonably assume that those two cities would face fundamentally different types of challenges,” he said. “But in my work at SMU … the thing I’ve taken is the stunning overlap in the challenges facing Dallas and the challenges facing Detroit.” Those similarities, he added, include issues like segregation and concentrated patterns of blight. Beyond acknowledging Detroit’s challenges, Kirkpatrick said it was also important to think about how those challenges were created, and what they mean for the city today. He said that mindset entails “rereading the past that brought us to the point of crisis and then reinterpreting where we are now, and reinterpreting the possible paths forward for the city and for urban communities.” Kirkpatrick said several chapters in the book, including “Framing Detroit” by Jamie Peck, a professor and research chair of urban and regional political economy at the University of British Columbia, and “Market Discipline” by John Gallagher, a Detroit Free Press reporter, speak to this point. “The real villain in this story is not the people of Detroit — they are victims,” Kirkpatrick said. “Rather, the real structural causes
for Jamie Peck are austerity, fiscal federalism, and imposition of market discipline.” Austerity refers to the fiscal policy practice of reducing expenditures, often sharply, to respond to budget deficits. Fiscal federalism, a similar concept, considers which functions of government should be centralized at the federal level and which should be devolved to the states. Market discipline is related to how the transparency and risk attached to a specific endeavor are communicated. David Fasenfest, Wayne State University assistant professor of sociology, said much of Detroit’s decline can be tied to structural market forces, such as the decline in the automobile industry. Kirkpatrick closed by asking the panel a question: How is Detroit doing now? Panelists cited both positives and negatives of the city in response, saying it depended on which part of Detroit you were in. While some areas like Midtown are growing, with long waitlists for apartments, other neighborhoods are still receding and continuing to face issues of foreclosure or gentrification, Gallagher said. “We have a long way to go, but it does feel different to me in the last three years than in the last 25,” Gallagher said. “We are in the front end of it.”
historically home to native people who were disenfranchised and mistreated, and changing the name of the holiday is a small step to honor those individuals. “I think Ann Arbor should be a progressive leader, and one way in which we can do that is to in some small way right a historic wrong of our nation,” Ackerman said. Ackerman said he was surprised action hadn’t been taken already. “I was shocked to hear that Councilmember Briere had brought up that this was brought to the table in decades previous and that no action had been taken,” Ackerman said. “I’m glad that we can correct that now.” Councilmember Chip Smith (D–Ward 5) said the resolution was long overdue and though he was not on City Council when the first resolution was proposed, he would have supported it. “I think what’s changed is a better cultural understanding of some of the insensitivities of
some of these traditions that we’ve established,” he said. “I just think that the times have changed pretty significantly in the last 20 years and I think the time was right to do this.” Warpehoski said the feedback he received from the resolution was overwhelmingly positive, and though he was prepared for some pushback, the unanimous vote did not come as a surprise. “I think we all share a hope that this is more than just a changing on the name on the calendar, but it becomes an opportunity for a deeper community conversation about what’s happening with indigenous communities,” Warpehoski said. “It is a stereotype that Indians are only in history books for many people and one of my goals is that through the education effort that groups like the Native American Student Associations are doing they will get a chance to say yes, they’re still here.”
Wednesday, November 18, 2015 — 3A
EMILIE FARRUGIA/Daily
Andrew Kim, the legislative director of the Macomb Civil Rights Commission, and state Rep. Stephanie Chang (D– Detroit) discuss their experiences as Asian-American government leaders at the Asian Americans in Government panel at Rackham Amphitheatre on Tuesday.
“I just really wanted to express some disappointment that I had about the turnout of last week’s meeting, and I know that we all have a lot of busy schedules,” Ambrose said. “It was our responsibility to educate ourselves on the issue, and I was
WAGE From Page 2A is America and America was built on new chances, and have not just this discussion, but discussions on increased access to education. There’s a lot of intersectionality when it comes to these issues. It’s not just fight for 15.” Public Policy junior Robert Dickinson, who is president of the United Students Against Sweatshops chapter on campus, said because the Student Labor Coalition is not an official group on campus, he helped the organization coordinate Tuesday’s event. Dickinson said because he gets paid $9 through working in the dining halls, expenses such as paying the rent can often be difficult, especially in a city like Ann Arbor. “My parents don’t make a lot of money, and they ask myself and
really at a loss for words at how many abstentions because it’s really doing a disservice to those who elected you.” Public Policy junior Lucky Lakshman Mulpuri said the low attendance of CSG at assembly meetings and their own events
reflects poorly on the body. “I don’t feel comfortable clapping when a member who is not even elected to the assembly, but appointed, has to send out repeated e-mails for assembly members to participate,” Mulpuri said.
my sisters for money sometimes, and it sucks having to say I don’t have anything,” Dickinson said. “It puts a lot of strains on relationships with people who don’t worry about money, because if people want to go out to dinner, it’s not really an option for me.” An LSA senior didn’t want to be identified due to the sensitive nature of the topic, said her campus job in a University department doesn’t pay enough to cover the bills. “As someone who does school full time and a student worker, there was a time when I was working a University job and then I had to have three outside in addition to that,” she said. “I’ve done an entire school year working four jobs before just to pay for my tuition and pay for my bills, while I was taking full-time classes — two semesters of 16 credits and working four jobs at the same time. Needless to say, my academics
suffered, and now that’s causing a problem for my grad school apps, because now I’m not as competitive, because I’ve had to work my whole education.” LSA junior Rebecca Wren, a member of the Student Labor Coalition, said she is both a working-class and first-generation college student. Having grown up watching her family work for low wages, she said, she did not always understand how hard they had to work to make minimum wage. “The last few years I lived in an apartment, and that’s where it really hits you really hard, because there’s rent, and there’s bills, and you’re responsible for yourself all of a sudden,” Wren said. Wren said she hopes to see at least $15 an hour as the base pay across campus. “I feel like it is higher education’s role to make changes and to reduce inequality and they’re not doing it right now,” she said.
Opinion
4A — Wednesday, November 18, 2015
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
JASON ROWLAND | 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
AARICA MARSH and DEREK WOLFE EDITORIAL PAGE EDITORS
LEV FACHER MANAGING EDITOR
Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily’s editorial board. All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.
The politics of terrorism
T
he University of Maryland’s Global Terrorism Database defines terrorism as “the threatened or actual use of illegal force and violence by a non-state actor to attain a political, economic, religious, or social goal through fear, coercion, or intimidation.” Last week, several protests and collectivist actions occurred, demonstrationg solidarity against acts of domestic ALEXIS terrorism which manifest FARMER themselves in police brutality (a generous use of the word), white supremacy and extremism. Yet U.S. citizens flippantly associate terrorism with international trepidations, though domestic terrorism has historically flourished in the United States. A Center for Disease Control and Prevention study found that 406,496 people have died on U.S. soil by firearms between 2001 and 2013, compared to the 350 U.S. citizens killed from incidents of terrorism overseas. A New York Times article stated, “Since Sept. 11, 2001, nearly twice as many people have been killed by white supremacists, antigovernment fanatics and other nonMuslim extremists than by radical Muslims.” More U.S. citizens are victims of gun violence and social stigma within our borders than abroad, yet the media continues to create a stereotype and distort the image of what a terrorist is. Unfortunately, this stereotype excludes U.S. citizens (specifically white citizens) from its denotation. People of color who commit acts of violence are seen as inherently evil, as thugs and terrorists, while white people who impose violence are thought to have a mental illness, or their acts can be justified as self-defense. Both state and non-state actors in the United States have committed and continue to commit acts of terrorism under the guise of democracy and white supremacy. After 9/11, thenPresident George W. Bush and several international dignitaries from countries like Norway, Japan and Australia took proactive steps to fight in the “Global War on Terrorism.” This worldwide campaign included 89 countries that granted overflight authority for U.S. military aircrafts, 23 countries agreeing to host U.S. forces in offensive operations, intelligence cooperation with nations and a host of other multinational declarations of support. The war on terrorism was hyper-politicized to advance geopolitical politics. According to the Global Terrorism Database — which has published data about terrorist attacks around the world from 1970 to 2014 — there were fewer terrorist attacks and attempted attacks in the United States in 2014 than there were in 1970s; however, recent attacks are more deadly than those in the past. This doesn’t negate that transnational terrorism isn’t active and prominent threat in today’s global society. The U.S. Department of State reported 6,771 terrorist attacks occurred worldwide in 2012. Pakistan, Iraq and Afghanistan topped the list of the countries with the most terrorist attacks. The largest number of deaths per attack have occurred in Syria and Nigeria. Behind these facts and statistics are faces and lives. Think back to April 2014, when the terrorist group Boko Haram kidnapped 276 Nigerian girls. Or to the summer of 2014, when an influx of Central American women and children refugees were (and still are) fleeing from violence looking for sanctuary and protection in the United States. At the beginning of this year, bombs terrorized families during the holiday season in Ukraine. The Islamic State, commonly known as ISIS, was responsible for killing 38 people in Tunisia in June of this year, along with over 250,000 Syrians. In the United States, an incalculable amount of deaths of Black and brown people executed by police officers and extremists has skyrocketed
in the past three years. How proactive has the United States been in ensuring these acts of terror are prevented? These genocides and grotesque acts against humanity violate the universal human rights the United States champions, yet neglects to hold itself and other countries accountable for. Hundreds of thousands of U.S. troops have invaded Afghanistan and Iraq and have killed and displaced a massive amount of Afghanis and Iraqis all in the name of democracy and protecting international security. The deaths of Black and brown people are attributed to the illusion of self-defense, like in the cases of George Zimmerman and Darren Wilson, when in actuality, they’re due to racial and religious bias. Yet, the media didn’t advertise or even consider these actions to fall within the boundaries of terrorism. When members of the Black Lives Matter movement are labeled “domestic terrorists” by state officials, when the nation fails to recognize the Charleston shooting as a terrorist attack, when a 114-page report about Adam Lanza’s life attempts to rationalize his actions for murdering 20 children and six adults in Sandy Hook, when massacres like the Sikh temple shooting and Aurora movie theater occur, and when a Kansas abortion clinic doctor is murdered by a pro-life advocate, there’s a lack of consensus on who and what is terrorized, creating huge discrepancies in terrorism’s definition. These incidents exemplify what U.S. citizens’ perception terrorism is, who it affects, when it’s justified, when our government and military decide to condone it and which victims of terrorism deserve the United State’s compassion, all of which are subjected to the media’s interpretation of events and strategic political agendas by our nation’s leaders. U.S. media and political leaders are always on the offensive, asserting to the mass public that the United States is at war: wars on poverty, wars on crime, world wars, civil wars, wars on terrorism. How about we wage a war for peace? A war for solidarity? A war for justice? In our microworld as university students, we have to be active solicitors of peace and security. How can students hold the University accountable to ensure that students will not be terrorized by their race, religion, ability, educational status or sexual orientation? How can students, staff and faculty collectively build inclusive spaces to support the diversity we already have? Acts of violence are continuously thwarted toward our most vulnerable populations (children, the elderly, women, transgender men and women, people with disabilities) on this campus and in the Ann Arbor community, in the United States and worldwide. How are we training and challenging ourselves to eradicate this violence? Are we really educating ourselves to be global citizens of this world? Global crisis and acts of terror occur every day. If the University seeks to produce the “leaders and the best,” we need to know our history. By our history, I do not only mean the history that tells the legacy of our identities, but also the history of our world. As global citizens, we need to know more than China’s Silk Road, Marco Polo’s adventures and the Azteca empire. We need to understand global political, economic and social histories at their cores. We need to understand the whys, hows, whats and whens in contemporary history that manifest the trends in terrorist acts today. We need to abort the United States’ self-centered and self-righteous mentality, and identify our own instances of terrorism as we consider deploying our manpower who wages wars against injustices we have yet to cease. We need to work toward identifying the politics within our structures that allow terrorism to manifest and plague our progress as a global society and as individuals.
How about we wage a war for peace? A war for solidarity? A war for justice?
—Alexis Farmer can be reached at akfarmer@umich.edu.
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS Claire Bryan, Regan Detwiler, Ben Keller, Payton Luokkala, Aarica Marsh, Anna Polumbo-Levy, Jason Rowland, Melissa Scholke, Michael Schramm, Stephanie Trierweiler, Mary Kate Winn, Derek Wolfe
Housing help for the homeless The bus sped away into the night, leaving its passengers stranded in its dust. Huddled in the frigid air, the six forsaken men glanced around at the place they would come to know as the Delonis Center. In front of them stood the center, full of other transplanted homeless people; behind them was their rights and dignity. With no other option, they made their way inside. Once in, they were met by scores of others in their exact situation: loaded into cars, taxis and buses, and deserted at the center. This isn’t an isolated scenario in some distant city; this is the reality of winter nights here in Ann Arbor. Whether or not we’d like to admit it, Ann Arbor has a homelessness problem. However, unlike most cities, Ann Arbor’s situation isn’t a result of the misfortune of its own residents. In fact, the number of homeless Washtenaw County residents decreased by 24 percent between 2013 and 2015, and Washtenaw County aims to eliminate veteran homelessness by next year through cataloging the county’s homeless citizens and matching them with housing options. So where are Ann Arbor’s homeless coming from? Unfortunately, many communities in Southeast Michigan bus their homeless residents to Ann Arbor’s homeless and warming centers in a practice known as “Greyhound therapy.” Ann Arbor’s shelters, while adequately funded and well staffed, just do not have the bottomless pockets needed to continue accommodating these newcomers. Once homeless people arrive in Tree Town, a daunting environment greets them, due mainly to the fact that Ann Arbor is one of the most expensive cities in the state. Necessities — food, water and clothing — are undoubtedly more costly than where they came from. In a similar vein, housing in the city is famously known to be costly. According to Zillow.com — an online service that provides users with information on housing information such as market price and past sales — the average home in Ann Arbor costs more than
$300,000. Rent is similarly pricey, making it nearly impossible for a displaced homeless person to establish a foothold in the city. So what can be done to tackle this issue? It turns out that the state of Michigan makes it very hard for local governments to easily offer affordable housing. For example, the Leasing of Private Residential Property Act of 1988, which is still an active Michigan law, states that local municipalities do not have the right to “enact, maintain, or enforce an ordinance or resolution that would have the effect of controlling the amount of rent charged.” In effect, Michigan cities cannot force developers to follow rentcontrolled policies. This prohibits the city from keeping rents at the level it deems appropriate and instead allows people’s lives to be dictated by the hand of the market. This total ban of rent control is relatively common and isn’t inherently bad. Rent-controlled units offer little incentive for landlords to do renovations, and decrease property tax-revenues. Therefore, housing shortages can arise as the demand for lowpriced housing outpaces the supply. However, when a complete ban on rent control is coupled with the fact that the state also bans mandatory inclusionary zoning, we arrive at Ann Arbor’s current affordable housing crisis. Mandatory inclusionary zoning means that city governments can mandate that housing developers designate a percentage of their units for low-income residents. While not the foolproof solution to the city’s housing crisis, this effort is a practical way to begin the process. Yet when bills in support of mandatory inclusionary zoning reach the floor, they don’t make it out of committee — perhaps because they’re seen as creating an unfavorable climate for business as developers have no choice but to accept the lost revenue from not being able to rent their unit at market price. A more popular alternative to mandating inclusionary zones is building government housing for
low-income residents, commonly known as Section 8 housing. However, it’s been shown that when applying to jobs, residents of such low-income neighborhoods are discriminated against due to what’s commonly referred to as postcode discrimination. Unlike government housing, inclusionary zones force developers to integrate units for low-income residents into the properties that house people who aren’t homeless, allowing people to free themselves of the discrimination that comes with living in neighborhoods exclusively designated to homeless populations. Additionally, the prohibition of inclusionary zoning often leads to economic segregation, a small tax base, underfunded schools and, consequently, few opportunities to improve and break this cycle. Furthermore, many of the United States’ lowest income earners are minorities. Inclusionary zoning allows for not only more economically diverse neighborhoods, but also for ones that are more ethnically diverse. With the existing property laws in place, Ann Arbor — like all municipalities in Michigan — is left with the option to implement what’s known as voluntary inclusionary zoning, a policy that allows the city to offer incentives to developers who build low-income units. While this is better than nothing, it isn’t enough. Legislative action must be taken to allow for cities to implement mandatory inclusionary zoning and rent control, but this requires a concerted effort to show Lansing that people are in support of the change. It’s our job as residents of Ann Arbor to protect the city’s less fortunate, to end the bussing of homeless people and to stand up for affordable housing. This can be achieved by a myriad of methods — from voting for candidates who champion affordable housing measures to contacting our representatives to taking to the streets yourself. We must push for change because we are the voice for the voiceless. Jason Rowland is an LSA freshman.
CONTRIBUTE TO THE CONVERSATION Readers are encouraged to submit letters to the editor and viewpoints. Letters should be around 300 words while viewpoints should be 550-850 words. Send the writer’s full name and University affiliation to tothedaily@michigandaily.com.
TONI WANG | MICHIGAN IN COLOR
Pushing Back on Privilege A couple of weeks ago, I was walking through the Diag with a friend when I saw someone I did not recognize running toward me. Like many folks, when I see a person headed in my direction, at whatever pace, my initial thought is not that they are intending on body-slamming me into the ground. So imagine my utter confusion when, less than a few seconds later, I was on the pavement, my legs tangled underneath a student who I have never met — the same student who had literally just shoved me over. Before I could even think about having any kind of reaction, he shot up off the ground and started shouting, “That’s a point! That’s a point!” while waving his pointer finger at me, and laughing with two of his friends who were standing by. He did not ask me if I was OK (I was not). He did not offer to help me up. He did not even take a second to acknowledge my existence. Instead, he ran away, grinning about the fact that he physically assaulted someone as she was walking to class. I found out later that this was something some fraternities were awarding pledge points for. Last week, I met with one of my mentors and told her about what happened. It wasn’t until I finished speaking, and saw the look of disgust and horror on her face, that I realized I had been laughing throughout the entire story. What was initially something that left me shaking with anger and sadness turned into just another day in the life. I had normalized a completely dehumanizing experience, because, unfortunately, being made to feel lesser than, like an object, like an “other,” is not new for me. As a queer-questioning woman of color, I have continuously struggled to find my voice and visibility on this campus and in this world.
From having “chink” screamed at me from a car as a seven-yearold first learning to ride a bike, to being called an “oriental princess” by a drunk upperclassman within days of coming to the University, discrimination has always been a part of my life and college story. Sadly, my experience is not a unique one. Students with disabilities, students of color, LGBTQ students and other students with marginalized identities are consistently silenced and made to feel invisible at this school. Not only are the people who hold these identities far and few here, but our issues are ignored and never taken seriously. Obviously (or at least I hope it’s obvious), I’m not saying that all of these issues have occurred at the hands of members of Greek life, or, in this case, the Inter-Fraternity Council. Individuals in IFC are not the problem. Individuals in IFC who ignore, deny, and/or perpetuate the systems of power and privilege that birth these issues are a problem, as are individuals not in IFC who do the same. If you have always felt supported at this university and your identities not attacked (if you “identify” as a Michigan football fan and are relating this to what you felt after the loss to MSU, please sit down), then think about how these systems have played into that. Think about how we are socialized to believe the identities you hold are “normal,” and how people who don’t hold your identities have learned to expect disrespect and maltreatment. I wish I didn’t need to include this paragraph, but it seems that no matter how many times I try to express this sentiment, some people will continue to miss the point and highlight my mention of Greek life as the most important factor of the story. It’s not. So here it is, right at
the end so you will remember it: This is not an attack on Greek life. Again, in the exact same words: This. Is. Not. An. Attack. On. Greek. Life. You do not need to prove to me #NotAllGreekLife. If you are reading this and you are a cisgender, heterosexual, able-bodied, uppermiddle class white man (which, guessing by the demographics of this institution and not the demographics of people who actually read Michigan in Color, a vast majority of you are), this is also not an attack on you. This is me, expressing my anger, sharing my trauma, and spreading awareness of the flawed and oppressive system under which we all live, but from which only a select few of us benefit. This is me, trying to get you to understand that if you are a beneficiary of this system, you are supporting institutional oppression, whether you want to or not. And this is me, pleading with the last bit of patience I have left, that you play your part in dismantling or, at the very least, simply recognizing this system, so that the bigotry, exclusion and violence that exist on this campus will not be the defining characteristics of mine and so many others’ college experience. If, after this, you still believe that purposely pushing someone over and potentially injuring them is OK, funny, your right or a goddamn game, you are living in the privileged reality that I am literally dedicating my entire life and career to deconstruct and destroy piece by fragile piece. I am a human being, not your point to earn through harassment and assault, and when the system that affords you your privilege is gone, you can bet that your pledge points won’t matter. Toni Wang is a Michigan in Color contributor.
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Arts
Wednesday, November 18, 2015 — 5A
EVENT PREVIEW
‘Symphony in D’ returns to the D Composer Tod Machover talks community, music By DAYTON HARE Daily Arts Writer
The city of Detroit has a more storied history than the state of Michigan itself. Founded in 1701 by French Tod Machover colonists, “Symphony in Detroit D” Premiere has had with the Detroit both towering Symphony highs Orchestra and letharWeekend of Nov. gic lows. 20, see times It was in online at dso.org Detroit that Tickets $15-$100 Henry Ford’s engine first sputtered to life, the genesis of a journey that would culminate in the city becoming the capital of the automobile industry and the fourth largest municipality in the United States. And it was Detroit in 2013 that witnessed the largest municipal bankruptcy filing in U.S. history. And yet, for all the highs and lows, one thing Detroit has always been is a place with a multifaceted populace, home to people from numerous different walks of life. It’s this diverse and vibrant image that composer Tod Machover attempts to capture in his new piece, “Symphony in D,” which will
premier this Friday with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra at Orchestra Hall in Midtown. “I started this series of city symphonies about three years ago,” Machover said in a phone interview with The Michigan Daily, referring to a group of city-inspired works that began in a collaboration with the Toronto Symphony. “Detroit is the first city in the U.S. where we’ve done this project, and it’s … kind of been the dream city to do this project in, because there’s so much changing in Detroit now.” According to Machover, there are many aspects of the city that make it a wonderful location for a project of this sort. Detroit’s recent struggles and rich history make it fertile ground for creative collaboration. “It’s a noble, rich, fantastic, industrial city with a lot of great musical history,” Machover said. “And every difficult thing about American society hit in Detroit all at once, starting in the ’60s … and now everything is being rethought. So a project like this, people are just so open in Detroit now to think about what’s possible … doing that through a piece of music — people have really responded.” Machover, who is a professor of music and media at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab, has a thorough musical edification and vast experience with music technology and nontraditional composition methods. The son of a concert pianist, Machover attended Juilliard, where he studied with two titans of American 20th-century music,
composers Elliott Carter and Roger Sessions. “Elliott Carter in particular … he was probably the most creative composer I ever met,” Machover said of his former teacher. “I was inspired watching him think about music creatively.” Machover was also the first director of musical research at the Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/ Musique (IRCAM), founded by the legendary French avantgarde composer Pierre Boulez. All these experiences have made Machover extremely well-suited for a creative project like “Symphony in D.” “Part of my work for a long time has been trying to use technology — or any means I could — to allow people to participate actively in musical experiences, whatever your background,” Machover said. “(The Detroit project) was a great moment to try to combine the two sides of my work. One is pushing the art form forward, and the other is trying to involve the public.” Throughout the piece, Machover engages with the community of Detroit, collaborating with many different artists, musicians and community members from the city. The symphony contains not only musical contributions from Detroit residents, but also sounds from the city submitted by the public. Each of the symphony’s five movements reflects a different aspect of Detroit, from its automotive history to a vanished AfricanAmerican neighborhood to a
TV REVIEW
‘PR: Junior’ is how reality TV should be By SHIR AVINADAV Daily Arts Writer
The Emmy-nominated series “Project Runway,” which has projected aspiring designers to success in its 14 seasons on A Lifetime and Bravo, is giv- Project ing the same Runway: opportunity to 12 emerg- Junior ing young Series Premiere designers in its spin-off Thursdays series, “Proj- at 9 p.m. ect Runway: Junior.” The Lifetime group of talented young hopefuls — the youngest of whom is just 13 years old — approach the show and their first challenge with vibrant personalities, imagination and confidence. The up-and-coming designers have a more clear sense of their personal aesthetics than I do of what my next meal will be. Their self-assuredness reminds us not to underestimate the immense talent teenagers are capable of. It takes more than just the ability to operate a sewing machine to face off in front of judges ranking among fashion’s elite: supermodel and host Hannah Davis, Kelly Osbourne, designer Christian Siriano and Cosmopolitan and Seventeen Magazine executive fashion editor Aya Kanai. Though Heidi Klum is absent, host Hannah Davis exudes Heidi in every way — from Klum’s elegant yet slightly menacing manner of speaking and intimidating beauty, to her mild playfulness. Davis hosts alongside Tim Gunn, whose forthright guidance serves as the holy grail of mentorship for aspiring designers. Matt, 17, who hails from Manhattan Beach, Calif., wastes no time in getting on Gunn’s good side, gushing “I’m better now that I’m in the presence
LIFETIME
“OK, who’s ready to get their ass beat?”
of a god,” after Gunn approaches him to ask how he’s faring through their first challenge. As typical with reality competitions, the strongest personalities are given more screen time early on. Matt is among these personalities, which also include Jackson (15, Minneapolis), Zachary (16, Berkeley, Calif.) and Maya (13, Maumee, Ohio). It’s refreshing to see the liberty with which these designers are able to express themselves on the show, which may not necessarily be the case for them back home — as is typically the case with young teens whose confidence and talent rank above average of their peers. And they have the personalities to prove it. The designers are welcomed to New York atop a high rise overlooking the entire city. As they look around in awe, Samantha (16, Queens) explains that she has lived in New York her whole life and has yet to see a rooftop. The overarching implication of this statement demonstrates how shows like “Project Runway: Junior” give young talent opportunities to get ahead that they may not get otherwise. We soon learn that the magnificent rooftop view is the inspiration for their first challenge in which they must construct a
garment inspired by the city itself. Gunn’s declaration that he expects the designers to be “fearless” and “untethered” sets the tone for how audiences are meant to perceive the designers going forward. Gunn’s awe for the young designers mirrors our own as we watch them navigate the overwhelming amount of fabric and supplies at Mood with just $200 to begin conceptualizing their first challenge pieces. Full of heart, the young designers don’t shy away from designs that may be difficult to execute in limited time and with minimal experience. Amazingly, with Gunn’s expertise, the contestants pull off designs that much older, more experienced designers could only dream of creating; and in doing so, blow away the judges. Maya’s uncanny replication of the Manhattan skyline using strips of leather on her perfectly tailored jumpsuit negate her initial apprehension over being the youngest and least experienced designer. However, her youth is charmingly entertaining when Gunn gives her a vocab lesson on the word “disinclined,” when she is unsure whether he is admiring or criticizing her garment before the runway show. Samantha’s simple, but bold denim pant and crop top exude NYC
WIKIPEDIA
Classical music Richard Simmons.
vision for the city’s future. “By the time we got to Detroit I realized that what I really wanted to do was meet people personally. I wanted to explore the city myself and let people know what I imagined in the project,” Machover said. “I realized that the way to make this project work was really to have an open mind … I really came with an honest invitation to join me to explore the city, to teach me about the city and to figure out together what was worth telling.” Drawing from his work at the MIT Media Lab, in one movement Machover uses a software that he and his team developed in 2002. The software allows for non-musicians to compose — in this case, a group of third graders from the Detroit Achievement Academy contribute musical material for the symphony. “(The third graders) wrote original pieces about Detroit using software we have called ‘Hyperscore’ that uses lines and color to allow anyone to write original music that then gets transcribed into tradition-
street style, standing out among the strongest pieces. When it came time for the runway show, I found it difficult not to get as excited as the designers themselves, seeing what they have accomplished coming down the runway. Despite the reputation of judges like Zac Posen and Nina Garcia from “Project Runway: Junior” ’s parent show “Project Runway” to tear apart designers in a manner typical of the cutthroat fashion industry — the panel on “Project Runway: Junior” is much more sensitive to their contestants’ ages and limited experience. The judges, while maintaining an air of austerity to infuse the show with dramatic tension, provides the designers with constructive criticism intended to hone their talent and inspire them to surpass the stigma associated with being so young. This is exactly the show reality television needs. With the contestants’ endearing youthful exuberance and talent, combined with the challenging circumstances and drama typical of the hit “Project Runway” series — it’s difficult not to get hooked after the first episode.
al notation,” Machover said. Additionally, Machover has invited senior citizens to share their memories of the city, as well as the spoken-word artist Marsha Music and the writer Tonya Matthews to read their work on stage as part of the symphony. “Detroit is a place where there really are incredible stories, people’s life stories, often that nobody had the chance to tell anybody,” Machover said. “So I thought there had to be a place for people’s voices in the symphony.” For the final movement of the piece, there will be several Detroit-based musicians and groups performing on stage with the orchestra. Many of these musicians were people Machover met during the course of the project — some by pure coincidence, others through workshops and improv sessions. “The fifth movement is the finale, called ‘Together in D,’ ” Machover said. “The actual people I’ve met are so extraordinary and their presence is so individualistic and powerful
that there’s nothing like actually having some of them on stage as part of the performance.” Also present will be an African drummer, an electric bassist, a techno-funk duo, an indie guitarist, four middle-schoolers from the YouthVille afterschool program and a chorus from the Chaldean community — many of whom are Christian refugees from the Middle East. “It was much later than usual for me that it turned into a piece,” Machover said, citing his open-minded approach to the project and the intense creative collaboration with various people from Detroit. “I think that’s a real strength about what this piece is.” Made possible with the help of a grant from the Knight Foundation, the culmination of Machover’s Detroit project will premiere with the Detroit Symphony Friday at 10:45 a.m. at Orchestra Hall, Max M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center, Midtown. An additional performance will take place Saturday at 8 p.m., which will also broadcast in a live webcast available on dso.org/live.
Arts
6A — Wednesday, November 18, 2015
ANDSNES From Page 1A Or, maybe not. The idea that audiences should go to cultural events — concerts, exhibitions, readings — to be passively enlightened, quiet and stationary, is an invention of the past 150 years. Compare the above scene to accounts of Franz Liszt’s recitals, a pianist who “revolutionized the art of performance ... Everything we recognize about the modern piano recital – think Keith Jarrett, Glenn Gould, Tori Amos, or Elton John — Liszt did first. Even the name ‘recital’ was his invention.” This same article recounts some of the most striking visuals of the moment in class music history called “Lisztomania”: “Liszt was tearing up the polite salons and concert halls of Europe with his virtuoso performances. Women would literally attack him: tear bits of his clothing, fight over broken piano strings and locks of his shoulder length hair,” the NPR staff said. All this might seem just a fragment of a “simpler time.” It should be underlined, though, that the recital was caught up in the process of racial and class segregation that accompanied the emergence of our models of receiving and enjoying culture. In 19th century New York City, the movement to institute bastions of culture — museums, concert halls and the like — to exclude workers, black Americans and immigrants culminated into the Astor Place Riots of 1849, the most violent episode in New York history. What is taken for granted today took decades of state repression to accomplish. This history survives now in certain conventions and prohibitions, which concertgoers
abide by: Don’t clap between movements! Don’t cough! An upcoming performance with Leif Ove Andsnes, Norwegian concert pianist and chamber musician, on Friday, Nov. 20 at Hill Auditorium, will be no exception. He is one of the powerhouses of contemporary classical music whose North American tour stands as his first major stint in solo performance after a multi-year-long project playing and recording all five piano concerti by Beethoven. Yet, for a winner of “Best Recording of the Year” from BBC Music Magazine and the German Critics’ Award, what jumps out from Andsnes’s biography is his commitment to unpretentiousness in his performance career. In 2005, when the power went out at his recital in Rome, he offered to continue with the performance in the dark. “The hall declined the offer ... citing safety concerns,” notes a biographical document about the pianist from his management. “What I really dislike somehow is the feeling when you come into a concert hall and you have the kind of people who really know how it’s supposed to go, and they cough in between all the movements because then you are allowed to do that,” Andsnes said in an interview with The Michigan Daily. “If Beethoven, in his time, saw that people weren’t clapping after his first movement of a piano concerto, he would have thought, ‘What the heck is going on?’” Andsnes said. “He would have thought that no audience was there. I mean, they would always clap and they would clap, even, after a great cadenza.” Andsnes remarked that he has “nothing against” people taking the break after the first
Classifieds
movement of a piano concerto to clap. At the same time, he doesn’t want to take away from the beauty of the silence that reigns over concert halls “that is so rare in today’s society.” Andsnes takes great joy as a performer in frustrating expectations about program selection as well. The program for his upcoming performance, jumping from short pieces by Sibelius to a piano sonata by Beethoven, forms creative connections between what some purists might deem an unlikely pairing. “I’ve always loved making recital programs to combine music that people will think, ‘Ah, I know this, this is familiar territory,’ with music that is very unfamiliar and also see how one can affect the other one,” Andsnes said. Andsnes has also served as co-director of the Risør Festival of Chamber music in Risør, Norway, a historic shipping and fishing town that attracts many tourists. Andsnes described how he has developed some of the most lasting musical relationships through these events over the past 20 or so years. Holding this festival outside of the major metropolises of the world is yet another indication of Andsnes’s commitment to working within, but also sometimes against, conventions of classical music performance. A prohibition on clapping between movements is not equivalent to the violence that laid the basis for so many of our dominant cultural institutions. It exemplifies an awareness of history that is essential when we participate in this consumption and of how we think through the norms that define the experience of art. Andsnes is, besides his virtuosity, an exceptionally thoughtful performer who takes these questions seriously.
Call: #734-418-4115 Email: dailydisplay@gmail.com
FOR RENT ! NORTH CAMPUS 1-2 Bdrm. ! ! Riverfront/Heat/Water/Parking. ! ! www.HRPAA.com ! 5 BEDROOM House May 2016 1119 S. Forest ‑ $4200 plus utilities. Showings Scheduled M‑F 10‑3 24 hour noticed required DEINCO PROPERTIES 734‑996‑1991 RELEASE DATE– Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
ACROSS 1 Home of the Nobel Peace Center 5 Loafed 10 Wharf 14 Scandinavian royal name 15 Black, in Bordeaux 16 Johnson of “Laugh-In” 17 Lose it 20 Takes advantage of a cloudless night 21 Grating sounds 22 “Oui, oui,” across the Pyrenees 23 1-Across locale: Abbr. 24 Lose it 30 Kentucky college or its city 31 Cod cousin 32 __ gratia artis: MGM motto 34 Spot in the control tower 35 Lose it 37 Twosomes 38 Brillo competitor 39 Alert 40 Packers quarterback Rodgers 41 Lose it 45 NASA affirmative 46 Big name in speakers 47 Prophetess 50 Works like a demon 55 Lose it 57 Lowly worker 58 True-crime author Dominick 59 Wine barrel sources 60 Applies gently 61 Hilarious types 62 Bout enders, briefly DOWN 1 Sounds of amazement 2 Blind part 3 Basalt source 4 Exceed, as one’s authority
5 One way to pay 6 Humdinger 7 Poem piece 8 Coastal raptors 9 Opus __: “The Da Vinci Code” sect 10 Persian Gulf native 11 “Exodus” novelist 12 Resting upon 13 Hankerings 18 Stomach discomfort 19 Orwellian worker 23 Footwear company named for a goddess 24 Serf of ancient Sparta 25 __ whiskey 26 Music from monks 27 “The Pit and the Pendulum” monogram 28 World’s smallest island nation 29 Clean and brush, as a horse 30 Air gun pellets 33 Form 1040EZ info
35 Rubberneck 36 60 minuti 37 Lacks the courage to 39 Virginia of the Bloomsbury Group 40 On the briny 42 Synthetic fabrics 43 Not answering roll call 44 Satisfies the munchies
47 Calif. law force 48 Lower intestinal parts 49 “We’re not serving liquor,” briefly 50 Spitting sound 51 “That isn’t good!” 52 Minn. neighbor 53 Northern Nevada city 54 Meeting of Cong. 56 New Deal pres.
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:
APARTMENT ON A horse facility. New one bedroom, 15 min from main campus. Must be an accomplished horse person. Light farm and horse work and farm sitting in exchange for rent. Email all inquiries to jchaconas@ccim. net ARBOR PROPERTIES Award‑Winning Rentals in Kerrytown, Central Campus, Old West Side, Burns Park. Now Renting for 2016. 734‑994‑3157. www.arborprops.com FALL 2016 HOUSES # Beds Location Rent 6 605 E. Hoover $4350 6 716 E. Kingsley $4500 5 515 S. Fourth $3500 5 1019 Packard $4350 4 827 Brookwood $2800 4 927 S. Division $2800 4 1010 Cedar Bend $2400 2 935 S. Division $2100 Tenants pay all utilities. CAPPO/DEINCO 734‑996‑1991 WWW.CARLSONPROPERTIES.COM 734‑332‑6000
xwordeditor@aol.com
11/18/15
SERVICES DEFENSE OF FACULTY misconduct cases Nachtlaw.com 734‑663‑7550 DEFENSE OF STUDENT sexual misconduct cases Nachtlaw.com 734‑663‑7550 THESIS EDITING, LANGUAGE, organization, format. All Disciplines. 734/996‑0566 or writeon@iserv.net
HELP WANTED
By Gary J. Whitehead ©2015 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
11/18/15
TUTOR NEEDED for 1‑on‑1 tutoring for HS math and sciences. Call 734‑434‑1228
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
FILM COLUMN
Shia Labeouf knows what he’s doing
A
s I write this column, Shia Labeouf has just finished his #ALLMYMOVIES event, during which he watched every one of his films over a threeday period. There was no explanation as to why he undertook such a cause. I do not understand this man — I very JAMIE much want to. BIRCOLL Labeouf (alternate spelling: Labeef) is perhaps the greatest enigma of a human being. He’s chameleonic but obvious, masterful yet simple, unpretentious yet completely in your face. I just can’t get a read on him. Gone are the days of “Even Stevens” and “Holes,” which starred an unassuming Shia when he was young, meek and, dare I say, innocent: “Shia La-weak,” one might say. Gone, too, are the days of straightforward performance: the animated surfing penguins film, “Surfs Up,” the Hitchcock-inspired “Disturbia” or the feel-good sports film “The Greatest Game Ever Played.” Even in “Transformers,” Shia seems at ease — if not in his element, then at least comfortable enough to deliver a performance that is … direct. Today’s Shia is something different — not an actor but a perpetual performer, living and breathing his act. I suppose you could call it “performance art,” but that doesn’t quite capture what Shia is doing. But, then again, what exactly is Shia doing? I must admit, for the longest time, I detested Shia Labeouf. I despised his confused face that stares perpetually into nothingness. I reviled the movies he chose to take part in, only to deliver an insipid, uninspired performance of the lowest caliber. I abhorred his apparent inability to deliver a line or to complete a sentence without stuttering, as if it meant he was “acting.” I loathed his ego off-screen, which oozed superiority. But to my Shia-surprise, I have seen the error of my ways. I realize that Shia is a philosophical mind, a thinker that has taken the Hollywood image and exaggerated it far beyond its traditional scope, cruising past parody into almost scientific case study. He pushes the limits of fame to see just what he can get away
with, to see when people finally call out his antics. The funny thing is, the more he pushes, the more I am drawn to him. It began when Shi-Guy created a short film that he plagiarized out of a comic, and then he apologized with a public letter that was also plagiarized (which in a way is genius; he opted to subvert a two-wrongs-don’t-make-a-right premise and transform it into a weapon of public aggravation). Then came the “I’m not famous anymore” paper bag he wore to the premiere of “Nymphomaniac.” Then he took on #IAMSORRY, an event where participants could enter a vestibule and interact with a silent paper-bag-clad Shia in any way they chose. That last enterprise was an interesting one indeed. Mr. Labeouf expected to be harassed by his visitors, but, he said that many simply comforted him about his fall from grace (or ascension to nirvana; it’s in the eyes of the beholder). But he also claims, and others confirm, that a woman sexually assaulted him during the event; but if you read his explanation of it, he’s so casual, not hurt or damaged, just — for lack of a better phrase — bummed out. Which raises so many questions: If Shia halted his performance to prevent such an assault, would that mean his performance was a failure? Does the fact that such a detestable act occurred constitute a failure in and of itself? Or does it elevate the performance into something intangible: a real-time experience of the tragic artist, intimately in-tune with real human suffering? And these don’t even begin to prod the legal and ethical ramifications. It’s so easy to write off celebrity antics as “stunts” or “machinations of an unsound mind.” Not to say that all such antics are performance, but certainly these are far more than antics — a series of interconnected statements meant to illuminate some kind of truth: call it the Shia-ning. But what is that truth? It seems to me that Shia wants to tap into something paradoxical: expression through isolation and openness concurrently. It creates an internal conflict — it creates pain. And from that pain, by simply putting himself within these bizarre situations, Shia creates art … or else complete and total bullshit. There’s no script to guide him, no director to offer advice. There’s only a mind and a will to achieve a perfect artistic manifestation of human emotion,
whether it be dejection, depression, damnation … or he’s a slighted, selfabsorbed professional bullshitter. It ultimately doesn’t matter: Shia doesn’t care — he just does it. I wanted to give something back to him to show I recognized the insanity and the clarity within that insanity. I couldn’t be there to watch #ALLMYMOVIES, but I could watch at least one on my own — one I had never seen before, one of his worst reviewed movies ever. “Charlie Countryman” is a trip: it drags, it makes zero sense, it’s dull, it’s generally awful and I’ll never watch it again. But it contains the best cinematic performance from Shia I’ve ever seen. Instead of pretention, he oozes absurdity that’s barely held together, chaos just beneath the surface. It comes through when Shia’s eponymous protagonist realizes that the passenger next to him on his transcontinental flight has died; he asks the flight attendant for help, “My hands! Listen! I need a wet nap!” as he squirms in his seat. It comes through when he downs several painkillers and hallucinates that the dead passenger speaks to him. Charlie stares, bug-eyed, slightly crossed, his face is as calm as it is manic. It comes through in the most tortured smile in the history of smiles. It comes through when he drops acid (which Shia actually took) with Rupert Grint (who plays an aspiring porn star who takes six Viagra, in case you were interested). And it comes through when Charlie, in a state of utter euphoria, runs through the streets of Bucharest, only to be hit head on by a taxi. That’s a pretty apt metaphor for actual artist Shia Labeouf. The world will kick him around, but he’ll just get back up — the breathing embodiment of that Chumbawumba song. The world is his oyster; he can do anything. I don’t know what he’ll do next, but it will be worth watching. The fact is, I’ve never seen a public figure so aware of his place in the spotlight and so willing to stretch the limits of that spotlight — someone so endowed with a sense of humor about his relationship with the public, as a celebrity and as a performer. You’ve done it, ShiGuy; you’ve won me over. I’ll follow you anywhere — except another viewing of “Charlie Countryman.” Bircoll is alone in his room making more Shia puns. To send him yours, email jbircoll@umich.edu.
FILM NOTEBOOK
Sir Cumberbatch in his prime at age 39 Newly knighted actor deserves all the success he gets By RACHEL RICHARDSON For The Daily
To all you Cumberbitches out there who think Benedict Cumberbatch will one day rule the world: you’re definitely onto something. Queen Elizabeth II recently appointed him Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for his f lawless acting and charitable efforts. This prestigious title is only one step down from Knight status. At this point, he might as well be listed as “Sir Benedict Cumberbatch” in the end credits of the upcoming “Dr. Strange.” While he has had an established presence in British films since 2002, he only recently started dominating the American film industry. Domestic moviegoers received their first taste of him in “War Horse,” where he portrays the harsh Major Jamie Stewart. Cumber-
batch then extended his cruelty to outer space when he played Khan, the evil geneticallymodified creature who tries to destroy San Francisco in “Star Trek: Into Darkness.” Although his roles are significant in both these movies, Cumberbatch still didn’t get what he deserved — the lead — until he perfectly captured the essence of the impeccably intelligent Alan Turing in “The Imitation Game.”
To all you Cumberbitches. Ultimately, what makes Cumberbatch an incredible actor is his ability to fully immerse himself into every role. Unlike Christoph Waltz’s lackluster villain performance in “Spectre,” Cumberbatch is rarely ever questioned about his characters’s credibility; there isn’t a second of “The Imitation Game” when we doubt Turing can crack German enigma. Along
the same lines, Cumberbatch can evoke emotions in even the most stoic person. As he physically collapses and sobs in Knightley’s arms at the end of “The Imitation Game,” every person in the audience started searching for the tissue buried deep in their purse. However, he’s not only known for his acting anymore. Over the years, Cumberbatch has been involved with 20 different organizations, such as research funds, anti-war campaigns and charities, but he has devoted most of his efforts to The Prince’s Trust, which assists homeless and mentally ill 13- to 30-yearolds through counseling and monetary donations. He even encourages fans to donate to the organization on his birthday instead of sending him cards and gifts. Benedict Cumberbatch is very much in his prime at the age of 39. With his charming personality, undeniable talent and, lest we forget, admiration from Her Majesty, he’s well on his way to earning the title of “World Leader Sir Benedict Cumberbatch.”
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Arts & Sports
STYLE NOTEBOOK
‘IRIS’ doc follows iconic fashionista Iris Apfel still vibrant in new documentary
By CARLY COLONNESE Daily Arts Writer
“IRIS” is a documentary about Iris Apfel, a 93-yearold fashion icon and style chameleon. The film opens with Apfel telling us how she dresses herself on a daily basis. While dressed in mix-match prints and donning an abundance of bracelets, Iris pointedly proclaims, “I like individuality — it’s so lost these days, so much sameness … I hate it … whatever.” Directed by 88-yearold Albert Maysles (“Grey Gardens”), this documentary aspires to tell the extravagant “Grandma, such big eyes you have!” life, ceaseless creativity and style inspiration of Iris Apfel. bargaining and gifting from Apfel was born in 1921 in top designers — takes up nearly Queens, New York to business- two rooms in her Manhattan oriented parents. Her dad apartment. owned a glass and mirror As someone who tends to business, and her mother ran shy away from colors and find a fashion boutique. Inspired aesthetic as being the most by the likes of her parents, important, I can’t relate or see and after marrying Carl Apfel, myself wearing what Iris does, the couple launched a textile but I wholeheartedly respect business, Old World Weavers. her. It takes a certain coolness Century-old fabrics served as and skill to dress the way she inspiration for the intricately does. Though at first glance vintage-esque styles created by Iris’s style is an overwhelming the Apfels. The couple retired in abundance of color and 1992 and sold the textile firm to prints, her style is something Stark, which now sells carpets, completely her own. Yes, Iris rugs, fabrics and furnishings. may be in her 90s, but her style Iris’s phone rings, showing has recently taken a dive into that despite her old age, she mainstream society because stays busy. She undertakes individuality stands valued many activities, such as in fashion — and Iris’s style is dressing women at the local definitely all about uniqueness. Loehmann’s, talking to It takes more than just clothes students from the Fashion to be stylish; most important is Institute of Design & confidence. Merchandising and dressing Due to her fame in the her husband Carl in a studded fashion world and recognizable snapback in Florida. style, Iris’s wardrobe has Old World Weavers and been displayed in numerous the travel-heavy lifestyle museums in fantastical ways. transcended not only her Her art exhibition has stood in career, but also her style. New York City’s Metropolitan Cultural pieces from around Museum of Art; Roslyn, New the world, bright colors York’s Nassau County Museum, and loud prints continue to West Palm Beach’s Norton inspire Iris on a daily basis. Museum of Art and Salem’s She is seen throughout the Peabody Essex Museum (where entire documentary wearing Iris has donated nearly 600 extravagant outfits, full of pieces from her wardrobe). color, rare furs, jeweled in These shows take a worldly armfuls of bracelets and heavily approach to Iris’s exotic layered necklaces, all topped off fashion sense by situating the with her iconic thick circular mannequins dressed in her glasses. Iris’ vast wardrobe — clothing in various settings accumulated from thrifting, from around the world. My
MAGNOLIA PICTURES
favorite display was at the Met, where curators put all animalprint-inspired pieces in one area among a plastic tiger wearing the Iris-signature glasses. The documentary makes particular note of the Apfels’ ailing health. Personally, I was under the impression that the movie would purely be about fashion and her unique style. However, during filming, Iris had hip surgery, and Carl was in and out of the hospital. The couple is slowly selling and giving away some of their prized possessions and clothing items accumulated during their world travels. The ever-present notion of death isn’t uncalled for, as Carl Apfel died shortly after the documentary was released, a couple days shy of what would have been his 101st birthday. “IRIS” brings forth a more personal look into the life of Iris Apfel. Although she is most known for her eccentric style and fashion choices, to which the documentary pays adequate tribute to, the film shows that Iris is a quick-witted, welltraveled and intelligent woman whose creativity has inspired countless people. In today’s society where beautiful, young models are plastered all over billboards and magazines, it’s important to remember that fashion and style have no age limit. At 93, despite the everpresent health issues in her life, Iris Apfel is just as hip, stylish and unique as any top model today.
Wednesday, November 18, 2015 — 7A
Wolverines’ depth allows key players room for error By BRAD WHIPPLE Daily Sports Writer
At the end of the first half of Sunday’s game against Detroit, the Michigan women’s basketball team turned around its initially lackluster offense to go up 49-27 by halftime. Sophomore guard Katelynn Flaherty helped initiate a 30-11 run in the second quarter by knocking down a jumper less than a minute into the frame to put the Wolverines up seven. But that was her last basket of the game, as Flaherty finished the game with just 10 points. It was undoubtedly an off game for Flaherty, normally a star. She failed to make a single shot during the second half and was called for her fourth foul midway through the third quarter. Her mid-range shots continued to be blocked, which occasionally caused a turnover, and even her open shots at the top of the key weren’t falling right. This wasn’t the Flaherty that Michigan was used to, but it survived despite her 4-for-13 shooting. The Wolverines sailed to a 28-point victory over Detroit with 12 players chipping in at least one point. “I think the strength of our team, and you could see it today, is (that) you have your best player arguably in Katelynn Flaherty (who) has an off day, and we still score 88 points,” said Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico after the victory. Added senior guard Madison Ristovski: “I don’t think that we are a team made up of one particular person that’s gonna
make or break us winning or losing. (Everyone on this) team brings something to the game and has their own roles, and if one person is down, someone else is stepping up.” Luckily for the Wolverines, their lineup has enough depth to not rely on Flaherty to hit 3-pointers. They can look to some of the newcomers, even, to take over the game. Freshman forward Hallie Thome took the bulk of Michigan’s scoring with 21 points, and some of her classmates made strides alongside her. Freshman guard Boogie Brozoski had a quick turnaround from Saturday to Sunday, going from one assist and six turnovers to one turnover and six assists. On top of Brozoski’s seven points Sunday, freshman forward Sam Trammel added eight of her own, making an immediate impact off the bench and proving that Barnes Arico has options to fall back on. “Sam came in off the bench after probably sitting for 45 minutes and dove for a loose ball at halfcourt,” Barnes Arico said. “We need to be willing to do those things. We need to sell out, to buy in, to get on the floor to scrap and claw, because every possession is important.” In keeping with the importance of possession, Michigan made each one count by relying on strong defense-tooffense transition, which allowed just a few seconds to tick off the shot clock. According to Ristovski, it’s the Wolverines’ greatest strength, and they prefer not to take it slow to set up a play — even if they can.
Michigan’s transitional offense, alongside a breadth of skill coming off the bench, allowed the Wolverines to take over and go on multiple runs, including the explosive 8-0 run within the first three minutes of the second quarter. But that’s not to say Michigan has no room for improvement. Against Detroit, the transition was much cleaner than Saturday’s outing against Binghamton, when the Wolverines made numerous passing errors off the fast break. Barnes Arico said improvements — such as handling the ball properly — would fall in place as players get more comfortable together. “(Our transition offense) is definitely going to get better,” Barnes Arico said. “When you play fast like that, sometimes you have the tendency to be a little loose with the ball, so that’s something we’re going to emphasize this week at practice — valuing each possession.” Aside from the transition, Michigan also flexed its rebounding muscle. Utilizing the depth of its roster, four different players, two of whom were guards, contributed six rebounds each to out-rebound Detroit, 53-23. The prerequisite of being a guard for Barnes Arico is the ability to rebound the basketball and to be scrappy under the basket. It’s another component of how deep Michigan’s roster is, and makes the rest of the season look promising. So even if a player isn’t on top of her game, the Wolverines shouldn’t fret. They can just look to someone else to do the job.
RITA MORRIS/Daily
Katelynn Flaherty didn’t have her best game Sunday at Detroit, but her teammates picked up the slack.
Irvin works way back from injury By LEV FACHER Managing Editor
After spending two months rehabbing from a back procedure, Zak Irvin finally seemed ready for game action. Even if he wasn’t, the list of factors preventing the junior forward from seeing the floor wasn’t supposed to include LaVall Jordan’s fingers. But in an accident thematically consistent with the Wolverines’ injury-plagued 2014-15 campaign, the Michigan assistant coach took Irvin out of commission for a brief moment in a recent practice by inadvertently poking him in the eye. “He was in the locker room again with sort of a closed eye,” said Michigan coach John Beilein. “It’s been a rough thing for him.” In the end, Irvin escaped the incident unscathed, and returned to the court Monday night in the Wolverines’ 88-68 win over Elon. The comeback couldn’t have come at a better time. With a matchup against Xavier looming, then a trip to the Bahamas that features games against No. 19 Connecticut and potentially Syracuse and No. 10 Gonzaga, the Wolverines can’t afford to continue playing a 12-man rotation. Irvin’s return to form, if it happens quickly, could only help bring the image
RUBY WALLAU/Daily
Junior guard Zak Irvin shot 0-for-5 from the field in his season debut in 15 minutes played, but John Beilein wasn’t particularly concerned.
of the starting lineup into sharper focus. Without Irvin, little was clear for the Wolverines, who haven’t established any semblance of a consistent rotation. If Irvin is capable of giving Michigan quality minutes at the ‘3’ or ‘4’ positions, the roles of swingmen like redshirt sophomore Duncan Robinson and sophomore Aubrey Dawkins become more defined. The same is true for
power-forward types like redshirt freshman D.J. Wilson and sophomore Kameron Chatman. Beilein left the decision about a timetable for first appearing in game action up to Irvin. “He came to me (Saturday) and said he wanted to play,” Beilein said. “I said, ‘Sleep on it. First thing on Sunday, when we start practice, tell me whether you’re going to play.’ ”
Irvin stuck with his initial decision, but was underwhelming on offense in his return, shooting 0-for-5 from the field in 15 minutes played. The shooting woes were of no concern to Beilein, who said he’s using different criteria to evaluate the sharpshooting junior as he works to make up for lost time. “Our defense changed the minute he walked into that
game,” Beilein said. “I’m not, anymore, measuring him by whether he made 3s. I want to measure him by his defense, by his passing, all those things. Him, as a shooter? That will all come. I thought his shot looked great. It just didn’t go in.” Irvin said he fought nerves initially, but felt comfortable once he checked into the game with 11:42 remaining in the first half.
“(I felt) a little rusty out there,” he said. “I was trying to do other things on the defensive end, trying to just share the ball out there (on offense). I know the shot will come.” As is the case with senior guard Spike Albrecht, Irvin’s return is more a matter of fitness and comfort than it is physical limitation. “Obviously, I’ve got to get back in game shape,” Irvin said. “I’m excited to get back out there Friday (against Xavier).” While Irvin’s presence is invaluable, the Wolverines are faced with the difficult task of folding him back into their rotation against quality opposition, having missed an opportunity to do so in the three early-season blowouts. Nonetheless, the change is a welcome one, even for the players who likely benefited from his absence and limitations. Robinson, for instance, scored 19 points in 18 minutes on Monday, and he played 18 minutes in an exhibition against Le Moyne and 15 in the season opener against Northern Michigan. “It’s great to have him out there,” Robinson said. “He’s one of the best communicators we have. … He’s been practicing for a while, so just seeing him back out there has been good. I wouldn’t see any negatives in that.”
Sports
8A — Wednesday, November 18, 2015
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
‘M’ prepares for loud Rudock praised crowd at Penn State FOOTBALL
for composure By JAKE LOURIM Managing Sports Editor
With 2:52 left in regulation of the Michigan football team’s game at Indiana on Saturday, fifth-year senior quarterback Jake Rudock had to lead one of his biggest drives as a Wolverine. Michigan set up at its own 34, down by seven. Rudock quickly led his team down the field: an in route to junior tight end Jake Butt for 16 yards, an out route to Butt for nine more. Two plays later, he found redshirt junior wide receiver Jehu Chesson for 41 yards to the Indiana two-yard line. But then, the Wolverines began to let time tick off the clock, putting pressure on Rudock. The crowd ramped up to the loudest it had been all day, and the students crowded into the first few rows of their section. If Rudock didn’t lead Michigan into the end zone, they would rush the field to celebrate Indiana’s first win in the series since 1987. The quarterback entered the huddle to call the play. “He was the exact same he was the entire game,” said fifth-year senior center Graham Glasgow. “He literally was the exact same. He came out to the huddle, made eye contact with us and didn’t really say anything besides the play call. I had a feeling we were going to complete the pass and be good to go.” The fans stayed put. After
three rushing plays stalled inside the five-yard line, Rudock calmly took the snap and delivered a touchdown throw to Chesson with two seconds left. After the game, Rudock maintained the same even keel. He avoided getting too high after the win, just as he avoided getting too low after a seasonopening loss to Utah in which he threw three interceptions. “He’s very mature,” said redshirt junior offensive lineman Erik Magnuson. “He’s played a lot of games. He’s had ups and downs, but the biggest thing is he’s consistent. If he throws an interception or he throws a touchdown, he’s the same guy. He’s not going to melt down or all that type of stuff.” It was that kind of quarterback, an experienced two-year starter at Iowa, whom the Wolverines knew they were getting when they recruited him as a graduate transfer this summer. After mixed results earlier in the season, Rudock has proved to be a capable leader of Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh’s offense. “Myself, I look at him and go, ‘I gotta be more like Jake,’ ” Harbaugh said. “It’s working really well for him. (I’ll) see if I can’t incorporate that into my own game, my own personality.” Harbaugh entrusted Rudock with the keys to the offense in his first season in part because of his leadership. In Rudock’s opinion,
“The QBs are kind of like ‘Mean Girls.’ ”
a quarterback doesn’t have to be a big “rah-rah guy” to be a leader. Rudock prefers to talk with a small group individually and make sure they’re on the same page. “It’s nice to have that type of guy leading the team, instead of somebody who comes into the huddle screaming, or somebody who seems like he needs to be screamed at,” Glasgow said. Rudock, his teammates say, is the same way off the field. At 22, he’s one of the oldest members of the team, though his personality makes him seem much older in the eyes of his teammates. He doesn’t normally frequent bars or parties after games, preferring instead to stay in. He isn’t much for social media, which puzzles the other players. He has already graduated from Iowa and hopes to attend medical school one day, finding helpful resources at Michigan’s hospital and master’s program to that end. Soon after he arrived this summer, his persona earned him a nickname from the other quarterbacks: “Dad.” Rudock said he doesn’t mind it, though not everyone joins in. “No, I don’t call him Dad!” Glasgow said. “I’m older than him!” The other quarterbacks, on the other hand, stand in stark contrast to Rudock. “The QBs are kind of like ‘Mean Girls,’ ” Glasgow said. “They talk about girls and stuff, and gossip.” Rudock doesn’t take part. “He doesn’t want to be bothered with that, you know?” Glasgow said. “He’s just all business all the time, and that’s what I like.”
By MAX BULTMAN Daily Sports Editor
As the Michigan football team prepares for its toughest road environment of the season, the Wolverines are getting used to not being able to hear. Penn State’s Beaver Stadium is the nation’s second-largest college football stadium behind only Michigan Stadium. It seats 106,572 people. And with hoards of Nittany Lions fans ready to scream their lungs out when the Wolverines visit State College on Saturday, Michigan is bracing for the noise using two differing approaches: incessant music and complete silence. “Whenever we play away games, we’ll always practice with music on,” said redshirt junior guard Erik Magnuson. “There will be speakers all throughout the field, and it will be really loud and you won’t be able to hear anything. And then if we’re not doing that, we’ll try to eliminate talking. Take out the sound … nobody can talk, or the quarterback only whispers, stuff like that. (We) try to practice without being able to hear.” Saturday’s matchup has major Big Ten East title implications, as the Wolverines can keep their conference championship hopes alive with a win. But after scares in its past two road contests — a three-point win at Minnesota and a doubleovertime victory at Indiana — it’s crucial that Michigan is better prepared for a nasty road environment this week. “We struggled a little bit last week,” Magnuson said. “Atmosphere was a little bit more than we were expecting. We
didn’t expect it to be that loud, so it got to us at times. We had to adjust throughout the game, going to a silent cadence, stuff like that.” With a “white out” crowd looming at Penn State, the atmosphere is only going to get more hostile. So far this year, the Wolverines have posted a 3-1 road record with a plus-31 point differential. But that number is buoyed by a 28-0 win at Maryland, a game in which Michigan won in a blowout without looking its best. Every other game has been close, dating back to the Wolverines’ season opener at Utah, which the Utes won, 24-17. “I think we’ve come a long way,” Magnuson said. “That was a hard game to start the season off with, tough place to play. But I think we’ve improved a lot. Jake’s gotten a lot better, been really consistent. The last two
games were career highs for him, but I think everyone’s getting better the whole year.” And while Magnuson acknowledged how loud the stadium would be on Saturday, he also put it into perspective. “All loud stadiums are the same,” Magnuson said. “(If ) you can’t hear, you can’t hear. There’s no difference.” With their Big Ten East destiny largely in their own hands, the Wolverines don’t need to win pretty on Saturday. Like their wins over the Hoosiers and Golden Gophers, an ugly victory still gets the job done. But that doesn’t mean Magnuson wouldn’t appreciate a chance to make the Nittany Lions’ loud crowd go quiet. “I like playing in front of our crowd better, but it’s fun going into a hostile environment,” Magnuson said. “Kind of being, like, the bad guys.”
GRANT HARDY/Daily
Erik Magnuson believes all loud stadiums impact games the same way.
Clark improves at new position Freshmen ready ICE HOCKEY
for road challenge
By MAX COHEN Managing Sports Editor
Jim Harbaugh asked his team a question during its first meeting of the week Monday. On the surface, it was a simple one. But within the context of a long season nearing its conclusion, it was not. “He looked at us and he asked us if we were tired as a whole team,” said redshirt junior cornerback Jeremy Clark. The players had reason to say yes, mentally and physically. They have been dealt their share of injuries, the most recent being the loss of redshirt junior defensive tackle Ryan Glasgow’s pectoral injury. They have also had to combat the mental stress that comes with three out of their last four games being decided on the final play. The latest rendition, Saturday’s win against Indiana, took two overtimes. Still, they were resolute in their answer. “We all said, ‘No,’ ” Clark said. “And then he said, ‘All right then.’ ” According to Clark, Harbaugh believes much of the fatigue is mental and can be cured with a positive attitude. Still, Michigan is taking measures to reduce the fatigue and wear and tear that comes with the late stages of a football season. Though Clark agreed the Wolverines do have a bounce in their step, as Harbaugh said Monday, players are taking fewer snaps in practice for preservation purposes. The fatigue was evident at times during against the Hoosiers, when Indiana’s up-tempo offense gashed Michigan’s defense to the tune of 527 yards. The performance was not a pretty one. The wear and tear also extended to Michigan’s special teams unit. Special teams coordinator John Baxter diagnosed Indiana’s punt return touchdown in the third quarter as the result of having tired bodies on the unit.
By KEVIN SANTO Daily Sports Writer
SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily
Jeremy Clark has become more comfortable at cornerback as his first season at the position progresses.
The Wolverines will be extended a reprieve Saturday against Penn State. The Nittany Lions’ offense operates much slower than Indiana’s. While the Hoosiers run 80.8 plays per game, Penn State runs 66.1, the fewest in the Big Ten. Michigan’s offense is in between, running 70.3 plays per game. “We were trying to get the three-and-outs so fast and stay off the field,” Clark said of the game against Indiana. “But once we weren’t getting them, you could just see the pace was taking its toll on us.” Clark, in his first year as a cornerback, has had the added task of working across from junior cornerback Jourdan Lewis. Though Lewis has developed a reputation as a shut-down defender, playing alongside him presents its own
challenges. As the season has progressed, Clark has felt as though opponents have shied away from targeting Lewis, a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award, awarded to the top defensive player in college football. According to Pro Football Focus, Lewis has been the fourth-most targeted cornerback in college football this season. Still, Clark thinks teams have become more aware of Lewis’ prowess and have been throwing Clark’s way more frequently. “When you try the other side, you’ve got Jourdan Lewis over there, so you’re pretty much not going to get anything, so I don’t blame the teams for trying,” Clark said. Clark believes the key to ensuring he’s not beat on deep balls when opponents are
consistently targeting him is staying with receivers on the line of scrimmage. Last year, when Clark played safety, he was already deep in the secondary from the start of the play, so there was less to do in terms of tracking the ball and staying with receivers from the line of scrimmage. With two games left in the regular season, Clark finally feels as though the game has slowed down at the new position. Earlier in the season, he would sometimes lose track of his man at the line of scrimmage and panic would set in. “Everything just starts racing,” Clark said. “I’m trying to just stay calm.” At least, if his answer to Harbaugh’s question at the beginning of the week was true, he won’t be tired if that situation arises Saturday.
It was Oct. 23, and Messa Rink erupted in shouts of discouragement and boos of disapproval as the Michigan hockey team’s lineup was announced. Wooden bleachers were packed with Union faithful, all united in their hostility toward that night’s villain: the Wolverines. For Michigan, the voyage to upstate New York was its first road trip of the season. For the freshmen, it was their first trip to enemy territory in their collegiate careers. Now seven games into the season, the 12th-ranked Wolverines — and specifically their freshmen — are tasked with stealing two wins from No. 11 Boston University on away ice, in an environment that will likely make the reception at Union look like a warm welcome. Though some would expect road-game jitters, Michigan’s young talent is embracing the obstacle ahead of them with enthusiasm. “Sometimes it’s good to be the bad guy,” said freshman forward Cooper Marody. “You just have to embrace it. When they’re booing, and they’re silent when you score, you kind of shut them up. So it’s good for us to go on the road and win games, and we like doing it.” The young Wolverines’ eagerness to face top opponents away from home stems slightly from their experience in Union’s intimidating rink, but primarily from their respective paths that led them to Michigan. Marody, Cecconi and freshman forward Kyle Connor all spent time in the United States Hockey League. As they traveled to different venues in small cities such as Dubuque and Sioux Falls, they encountered hotbeds of passionate fans who would pound on the glass. Freshman defenseman
Nicholas Boka and freshman forward Brendan Warren, on the other hand, had experience that prepared them even more for the clash with the Terriers. As members of the United States National Team Development Program, the duo had the opportunity to scrimmage college teams — one of which was Boston University just last year. While their collegiate and junior league experience in hostile environments can’t compare to the 6,150-seat Agganis Arena they will face on Saturday, the freshmen feel capable of continuing to make an impact against ranked opponents. Connor and Marody lead the team in scoring with nine points each, while Warren trails the duo with eight points. The trio is playing well on both ends of the ice too, as they are all plus-3 through seven games. In the defensive zone, Cecconi and Boka have played every game for the Wolverines, earning praise from sophomore defenseman Zach Werenski for the physicality they brought to the ice. To have success against the Terriers, Michigan will need its freshmen to play without intimidation and replicate the success they have had through seven games. Michigan coach Red Berenson is confident that his rookies can rise to the occasion. “I think they will (perform at the same level they have been),” Berenson said. “I think they feel part of the team, and they just play hard like we do every night, no matter who we play against. But the freshmen don’t seem to be fazed by anything.” Agganis Arena will be a sea of red and white on Friday, but don’t expect the freshmen to be shaken up or to shrink under the pressure. The Wolverines will look forward to being the villains in what could be their biggest game of the year.
statement THE MICHIGAN DAILY
NOVEM B E R 18 , 2015
2B
Wednesday, November 18, 2015 // The Statement
Another Thing: I got so kissed BY ALEX BERNARD
T
he phrase “orgasm tsunami” gets thrown around a lot nowadays. More than it used to. Why, back in the ‘70s, they didn’t even have tsunamis. And God didn’t invent the orgasm until 1993 (the year Alex was conceived). But lately, it’s like everybody’s trapped in a frenzy of sick, wet ecstasy, collapsing onto beds, hammocks, and gas station bathroom floors, rolling over to their sex lover, heaving out, “Wow. Oh wow. I mean, wow. Philip. You changed me.” So imagine Alex’s surprise when he returned home one night, drunk on cheap, lead-based wine, to discover his penis not literally flailing
about like a loose garden hose, swinging around like some kind of epileptic snake. (Editor’s Note: Penis joke required. If excluded, writer’s pay will be deducted from $4 to damp salmon tail.) The boy was surprised to be single, funny as he was. Example: What did the entomologist’s wife say to her husband when his bug was depressed? Your fly is down. Right? Where shall he toss your bra? So he got Tinder (because he hadn’t used enough protection). At 2 a.m., Alex checked his phone. There was a text. From a girl. A girl girl. A Tinder girl girl. We’ll call her, “Bartleby the Scrivener.” Asking if
COVER BY LUNA ARCHEY, PHOTO COURTESY OF DEB COCOROS OF THE POTTER’S GUILD
Alex wanted to hang out. He said, “Yes,” and started applying moisturizer. Now, we know what you’re thinking. “Nyah. Tinder’s trashy. It’s only for garbage people. Where’s my meat cleaver? Nyah!” You disgust us, Sharon. Alex scurried around the room, doing pushups to inflate his 15-year-old boy pecs, spraying “Smells of Rain and Life” Febreze, squirting his Walgreens cologne and flicking on the mood lighting: a lamp. The boy would’ve been less nervous if he was someone other than himself. For example, a crab. At 2:15 a.m., Bartleby the Scrivener arrived, saluted, and slid past Alex’s “Hey there,” before offering a bottle of gin and whispering to the empty apartment she was, “really high oops.” The girl had brown curls, heavy eyes — weighed down by this and that and a man-boy named “Trev” — and a forehead mole like a red sniper dot. She splayed over the couch and smacked her lips, the hem of her crop-top sliding up and up, all the way to Heaven-knows-where and then some. Her bra peaked out and waved at him. He waved back, then stopped and darted his eyes back and forth. His wristwatch ticked. When the boy tried to speak, he felt like a 9-year-old on top of another 9-year-old inside a trench coat, playing at adult like, “That so, Herman?” or “Well, ma’am, I think you have a lovely bust.” Or like what he actually said, which was: “Gin then?” He poured it all between two glasses. It smelled like his uncle. He handed her a glass and clicked “Shuffle” on Spotify. Oh, she may be weary ... Wearing that same old, shaggy dress, yeah yeah (Otis Redding Sex Noise) Try a little tenderness. The Scrivener sipped her drink and stroked her bumblebee tattoo. God, how he wanted to be that bee. Be that bee. God how he would be that bee. Buzz. Alex took a long swig of gin (90% Gin. 9% Coke. 1% Leftover Puberty). Alex: “I like your tattoo.” Scriv: “I actually have ten. I just got a new one too.” Alex: “Oh yeah? Where’s that?” Scriv: “Somewhere. Maybe you’ll get to see it later.” Alex: “Oh — wow. That’s the best thing anyone’s ever said to me.” A few minutes later, Bartleby scoffed about
men, and Alex said: “No, no I hate men, generally, I mean, like, 95% of men are terrible, so like just be decent, just be basically decent and, and you’re golden, you know?” He tasted his sweat and waited. Bartleby laughed. “It’s a really good thing you’re funny.” The carbonated gasoline drip, drip, dripped onto his tongue, and the taste wasn’t wholly unsweet. It’s a really good thing you’re funny. “Oh,” he said. “Yes, it is ... is a good thing. I’m really lucky. Because the rest of me is such shit.” Bartleby protested, “No that’s not what I meant, it’s not an insult,” but Alex said, “No, it’s OK. I know what you meant, it’s fine,” and they were better for his saying so, but also because they would both die one day and wanted to see the other naked in the meantime. The two went on like that for a while, swapping nonsense and drinking gin. Well, him drinking his gin. Her not drinking her gin then offering him her gin, then him ... drinking her gin. And then, it was getting to be about that time, the night bleeding through the blinds like smoke and the gin concussing him and she was still high and beautiful and dry as all Hell, and neither noticed the lamp light dim or the moon run low or the way the boy was so awful and would be terrible to kiss and even worse to dry hump. And then, his brain went off, alarmed, ringing and ringing. And what do you do when your brain’s got an idea and it won’t shut up about the thing? What do you do? Alex got up, forgot himself, and kissed her. On the lips. Bullseye. And she kissed back, just so perfectly too, wet and full. And the song changed: The next thirty minutes are ad-free, Thanks to the following sponsor ... But they didn’t stop. The next morning, the smell of desperation and potato skins swam in the space, and something else, something like the deep end, dangerous and significant and unsafe for underage rabbits like they were, and she laughed about what-was-it. And I turned to her, to all of them, you know, when they laughed, and I asked, “What’s so funny?” And they giggled and whispered, “Nothing. You’re funny.” And I nodded, nodded, nodded, and thanked God I was. If Alex’s column makes you forget about death, email him at adbnard@umich.edu. He needs to be distracted too.
Wednesday, November 18, 2015 // The Statement 3B
My Cultural Currency: The Talk B Y TA N YA M A D H A N I
I
s the sex talk a thing? Because movies, TV shows, and books have told me that this is a common parenting practice, but I’ve personally never experienced it. Growing up, sex was never a topic that was discussed to any extent in my house. My father, with his quiet and reserved demeanor, and my mother, with her anxiety-prone personality, would rather die than mention anything remotely having to do with sex to my siblings and I. Sex was always alluded to through verbal smoke and mirrors. When I turned twelve, I think my mom attempted to give me some version of the talk? I had asked her if I could sleep over at a friend’s place and had received a firm no. “Look, Tanya, you’re a girl,” she said, noting a fact I had known my entire life. “So?” I asked. “There are certain things that girls have to be careful about,” she said. “OK, like what?” “There are just some things that we can’t do, because of safety.” “What does this have anything to do with going to my friend’s house for a sleepover?” “Go play outside and let me cut the vegetables,” she said, as she cut up the cucumber more quickly and aggressively than before.
Last year, for my story on the SAAN conference, I had the opportunity to interview comedian Hari Kondabolu. When I asked him what the most challenging part of his set was that day, he said when he would talk about sex, he could feel some tightness and discomfort from the older Indians in the audience. Sex isn’t something that’s amiss from Indian culture. It’s a part of our religious mythology and now, there’s an upward trend of open discussion and positivity toward sex in Indian society. However, most diaspora Indians generations back from mine were raised in a household where sex was a taboo topic and have, unfortunately, carried that idea with them. In fact, for the longest time in Indian cinema, seeing two people kiss on screen was a rare occurrence. It’s why we have so many song-dance sequences in our movies — that’s our answer to the onscreen kiss. Once, when I was ten and my brother was seven, we were watching a movie that I can’t remember the title of and snacking on a giant, family-sized bowl of popcorn. Things were getting good in the movie, I remember, because the main couple was professing their love, the music was swelling in the background, my brother was yelling
about it being a “stupid, girly movie” and everyone in the room was becoming hyperaware of each other. The camera zoomed in on the couple’s faces, which were moving closer and closer together, when suddenly my mom lunged for the remote on the opposite end of the couch and popcorn flew in my face. “SKIP FORWARD, JIGNESH,” she yelled at my dad. My father, alarmed and horrified by the idea of my young eyes witnessing two people kiss, fumbled with the remote and skipped forward so hastily, that the DVD popped out of the player because it thought we had finished watching the movie. Neither of my parents wanted to risk skipping backward to find the exact spot we could resume watching, so we just went to bed and, to this day, I’m not entirely sure if things ended up OK in the movie. Most of the sex education I received for much of my life was a combination of public school mandated-ed, Judy Blume novels, and the Internet. Unlike the movies and TV shows I watched with them, my parents never thought to censor the ones I watched or the books I read alone. I could check out anything I wanted from the library and my parents wouldn’t bat an eyelash or even take an interest in what I was reading. In their minds, reading books means gaining more knowledge. Tanya likes books. So, by transitive property, Tanya is gaining more knowledge. And most of the time, they were exactly right. Most of what I was reading wasn’t explicit material, but rather classic literature. But sometimes, like when Judy Blume’s “Wifey” and “Forever,” slipped into my 11-year-old hands, I wished they had kept a little bit more of a close eye. Here’s to hoping my parents don’t read this column.
THE
statement
Magazine Editor: Ian DIllingham Deputy Editor: Natalie Gadbois Design Editor: Jake Wellins
Photo Editor: Luna Anna Archey Creative Director: Cheryll Victuelles Editor in Chief: Jennifer Calfas
CO N F L I C T S & CO N V E R S AT I O N S
Managing Editor: Lev Facher Copy Editors: Hannah Bates Laura Schinagle Emma Sutherland
ON THE RECORD
“This is an attack not just on Paris, it’s an attack not just on the people of France, but this is an attack on all of humanity and the universal values that we share.” — PRESIDENT OBAMA in a response to the Friday terrorist attacks in Paris, France. ***
“It’s not all being measured up against some pop culture moment I had with a song I wrote when I was sixteen. Everyone has allowed me to grow.” — Early 2000s pop star VANESSA CARLTON in an interview with The Michigan Daily. ***
“The entire campus community must listen to and sympathize with the very real and urgent struggles that all students of color face in 2015.” — The Michigan Daily editorial board in a response to the recent racial unrest on national campuses.
ILLUSTRATIONS BY CHERYLL VICTUELLES
4B
Wednesday, November 18, 2015 // The Statement
Wednesday, November 18, 2015 // The Statement
5B
The Simple Life of the Almost Famous By Kristina Perkins, Daily Staff Photographer
J.T. Abernathy rises before the sun each morning. By four o’clock he has cooked a plain breakfast, cleaned last night’s dishes and scrubbed his teeth — carefully placing a tweed wool cap on his head before stepping outside. Walking to work, the 92-year-old is not in a hurry. He lingers, allowing his curious eyes to ponder the bashful color of mid-October leaves, the clean planes that emerge from the star-lit horizon, the depth of the Ann Arbor skyline.
“Every morning when I walk to work,” he says, “I walk by this big oak tree and I nudge it a little bit, trying to establish some camaraderie.” For the past sixty-four years, Abernathy has watched Ann Arbor grow up. New layers of asphalt, an ever-expanding university, and 24-hour Speedways have transformed the once sleepy village into a bustling city. Born into an agricultural society, Abernathy observes this progression with reserved distaste. He remembers the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, his family’s “meager existence” on a cattle ranch in southeastern Oklahoma: mornings plowing corn with a mule, rabbits, and bread for dinner, nights playing in his grandfather’s blacksmith shop, and eighteen years without electricity. He has little patience for city life. Yet Abernathy has a certain affection, a curious gratitude, for the lively Ann Arbor. “I believe those who live here live in the upper one-billionth of the world,” he says. Perhaps J.T. Abernathy, a WWII veteran, world-renowned potter, and soft-spoken scholar, now considers himself among the world’s upper one-billionth. He has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in ceramics and an Master of Fine Arts degree in kiln-building from Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloom-
field Hills. He has worked alongside famed potters, and his art is featured in thirty museums around the world— Tokyo, Amsterdam, Toronto, and all across the United States. And he’s routinely viewed as an Ann Arbor legend. Abernathy continues his walk, the four o’clock darkness allowing him to mistake the City of Ann Arbor for a simpler Village of Ann Arbor, circa 1951. He is immensely grateful. Grateful for the Potters Guild where he works, grateful for belonging among the group of artists who work there. But more than anything, he is grateful for being able to perceive beauty. “Whenever I’m lost,” he says, “I go for a walk, and look.” He picks up a leaf, crushed under the harried feet of nine-to-five workers, marveling at its resilient structure, its color, its proportions. He cannot see detail, he says, but he doesn’t need to — Abernathy simply absorbs beauty. Stopping on the corner of Hill Street, he stares at the lines: telephone wires and wood-paneled fences and the angled, rust red roof of Fingerle Lumber. “You can see the various planes, and if you squint at it,” he says, pausing, “you can see depth and you can see basic design.” Pausing at the base of an old pine tree, he observes the trunk’s architecture, the pine’s sturdy framework— “It all makes sense,” he
says matter-of-factly. “The way the damn thing sits in the earth … I may be blind, but God I can see.” Abernathy now unlocks the Potters Guild’s front door, recently painted a cheerful teal to liven the building’s unassuming facade. For three hours, he removes himself from the city’s fluorescent street lights and steps inside the clay-covered, glaze-coated world of ceramics. The Guild is the quintessential artist’s workshop. Plastic yogurt cups line the counters, each filled with kitchen utensils and dental instruments — rusted butter knives, wooden mixing spoons and tooth scalers, all caked in dried clay. A Hellmann’s Real Mayonnaise jar is sealed to preserve some murky ingredient. And a Lipari bottle, once full of crushed red peppers, now holds two inches of a wine-colored liquid. Glaze ingredients — titanium dioxide, tin oxide, black iron oxide — sit in half-gallon jugs, and sample glaze tiles cover the walls like paint swatches, each numbered in an elaborate inventorying system. Shelves are stacked floor-to-ceiling with unfired stoneware, unglazed bisqueware, and unsold vessels; vases, bowls, plates, mugs, sculptures and the occasional ceramic woodland creature await their debut at the Guild’s upcoming winter sale.
Abernathy navigates the Potters Guild’s ceramic maze with the effortlessness of a founding member. Traces of the morning’s newly made batch of clay hide under his fingernails, cling to his faded blue jeans, and speckle his black loafers, as if seeking companionship with the artist: Abernathy the Creator. Creator he is, having built the Guild’s first kiln, its bricks eroded and pipes charcoaled from fifty years of constant use. “I design machines for fun like some people play music,” he says. “I’m not lacking in imagination.” Unbeknownst to his colleagues, he stores his finished work in a “secret spot”: a small hut out back where brave potters conquer the flames of raku glazing. There, Abernathy’s traditional and experimental art collide: his meticulously crafted vases in matte blacks and silvery whites sit beside a pair of abstract masks, whose pastel oranges and blues form subtle lips, chins, and eyes. A rough slab of clay, doused in primary colors, stands behind his stoneware pots, whimsically painted with cobalt blue brushwork. He points to an eggwhite pot, a little misshapen, perhaps on purpose— “I like them sometimes when they look like they’ve just been dug up.” See POTTERS, Page 8B
KRISTINA PERKINS/ Daily
6B
Wednesday, November 18 , 2015 // The Statement
Personal Statement: Spotify and modern honesty by Amelia Zak, Daily Music Editor
ILLUSTRATION BY CHERYLL VICTUELLES
I
recently argued with a friend who was frustrated with my Spotify etiquette. “You listen to my playlist all the time but you don’t follow it?” he asked, irritated. “Yes,” I responded, amused. This set off his berating: “There’s no honesty left on this godforsaken planet. No one practices it anymore. I recently realized that I needed to be more honest. We all should work to be more honest.” “What does this have to do with my Spotify activity?” I retorted. “It has everything to do with it,” he responded. And he’s right. I had just thought of Spotify as another outlet for my obsessive music exploration. I had thought of it selfishly, too. It was a way for other people to dote and admire the numerous playlists I had made and music I had found. There is a Spotify hierarchy, and I was to acquire a title within it. Pondering about, and consequently writing about, these thoughts was a therapeutic experience for me. Following the realization that I a) spend too much time on the application and b) should probably find some other topics to marinate on on a day-to-day basis, I realized that my friend’s correlation between the two topics (Spotify and honesty in modern times) did, in fact, have everything to do with one another. Of the various music streaming apps and websites, Spotify is the most popular, and the most widely used. Whatever your music taste, there is a function on the app that will satisfy you. Party time playlists, rainy day songs, fresh R&B, that new single from Justin Bieber — it’s accessible to all interested. Spotify is also the music streaming site with the most interconnectivity. You can view on a play-by-play basis
what others are listening to. By clicking on another person’s profile you can access all the music they have collected and playlists they follow since joining the site. You can view what others have “Starred.” You can view what they categorize as “Hungover” songs. Most Millennials have a pretty comprehensive “’90s Throwbacks” playlist, too. The social media aspects within Spotify are fun and engaging in most situations. I love seeing what my friends are listening to. I love sharing new songs I’ve found. I love creating new playlists with people. I love stalking the profiles of people I know (and people I don’t) to admire and investigate what they are listening to. In those moments, usually at 1 a.m. when I still haven’t finished my reading for tomorrow, I’ll lie in bed and admire their personal musical anthology. I’ll add songs from their playlists to my own. Songs are just songs for some. By this, I mean to imply that not all will emotionally attach themselves to the music they listen to. But most people I know are. The “most people” I know choose the music they listen to because of the way that it makes them feel. That feeling is unusual and subjective. They’re searching for something sonic to match their happiness, sadness, or anxiety. They are searching for a song to match something they themselves don’t understand. These “most people” look for the beats, the trumpet sounds, the lyrics or the guitar plucks that locate something within themselves they couldn’t define before. It will fulfill some insatiable thirst for grandeur. It’s the magic of “most people.” The lovelorn look to it for respite. The cynics look to music as a backboard of their inner frustrations and self-deprecations. The happy use it to remain happy. The depressed use it to remain depressed. It’s
kryptonite, it’s an antidote: it’s magic. So why do you we ignore the intimacy of Spotify? Do I stand alone as an individual who loves to know about the listening decisions of the people I know? Are there few people who wonder how one’s listening decisions correlate with the current conditions of their existence? Why is my friend Maura listening to so much Bruce Springsteen? Is she feeling nostalgic? Does she miss home? Why is John listening to so much Adele? Is he sad? Is she helping him through some rut? Music listening isn’t always intimate, but it surely can be. And when it is intimate, or when what we are listening to is too revealing or embarrassing, we have the option to resort to a “Private Session.” We can hide what we’re going through from the people who follow us. We can examine that pretty girl or boy’s playlists, searching for music compatibility. We can listen to Britney Spear’s seminal classic, “Lucky,” fifteen times on repeat without judgement or forced justification. We don’t have to be honest. Just like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and the like, Spotify allows us to form some sort of facade. We can create a fake reality for the outside world to see, and hide the true reality within ourselves. We don’t have to be honest. Honesty in our modern age is difficult to achieve. With so many options for deceptions, and with so many intangible barriers, we are constantly given the option of dishonesty. And with this, the magic of music dissipates ever so slowly. As easily as it can be shared, it can be hidden. We don’t have to be as honest. We can pretend. And so I decided to follow my friend’s playlist last night. Does that mean anything at all? Probably not. Will anyone else see the bravery or intimacy in that? No. Because it doesn’t require much of either.
Wednesday, November 18, 2015 // The Statement
Personal Statement: A reunion by Alex Intner, Daily Arts Writer
W
hen my sister saw me through the entryway to my apartment building, she jumped up and down with a smile beaming across her face. Once I opened the door, there was nothing stopping her from running into my arms, saying “Hi,” with more joy than I’ve heard from her voice in a long time. She was in Michigan visiting for the weekend, and we were together again for the first time in a few months. Every time we’re reunited after a long time away, there’s a moment like that one, and it happens more often since I started school. The University is 500 miles from home, so my sister and I are separated for most of the year. It was a big change for us, as the past couple years are the first time that we’ve spent significant time apart. Without divulging too many of my sister’s personal struggles, I will say that my sister has faced challenges which have caused her to need accommodations throughout her life. But this separation is the biggest challenge we’ve faced as siblings. During this reunion, you’d have been hard-pressed to see my sister separated from my side. After lots of talk about giving her an unofficial tour of campus, we were finally walking around. A look of wonder never left her face. She was taking everything in, watching the students who were going about their Friday afternoons. She looked in awe at the Angell Hall columns, uncomfortable as we worked our way through the Shapiro library and the crowd of stressed students, and smiled as I pointed out the Diag we were walking on was
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE INTNER FAMILY
the same one she saw on ESPN a couple of weeks earlier. I think the distance is tougher on her than it is on me, so I’ve worked hard to make sure we never drift too far apart. Weekly Facetime calls with home always end with a few minutes of the two of us privately chatting. Usually there’s not much to these, as she will tell me a couple details about her school week and I’ll tell her a couple details about mine. For us, the little details are the most important; they allow us to catch up and never drop the conversation that would happen if I was home. I was worried about taking my sister into the Big House. She’s been to professional sports games before, but 2013 New York Mets crowds were not nearly as big nor as loud as what she faced in the stadium. Still, she was excited for the experience. She was a cheerleader for her school’s basketball team, so she pumped herself up. I could feel her nerves as she walked into the imposing building with the massive scoreboards she’s only seen from afar. Once we reached our seats, an overwhelmed look never left her face. She never cried, remaining stoic for the entire first half, but she didn’t cheer like she planned. She clapped for a couple Michigan touchdowns, but she never looked comfortable in the stadium. During days like our trip to the stadium, I try to reassure her. I’m her older brother; it’s my job to be there when she needs me. So, I went into full comfortmode during the game, holding her hand, making sure she never got too overwhelmed by the situation. Even if I used the word “job,” this never feels like work. I’ve
done this for my entire life, and I’m going to continue for the rest. My sister makes this easy because of her kind heart. I try to emulate the way she treats the people she loves with every day. There’s no one I’d rather go to when something is going wrong in my life and I need comfort. Even though she might not understand the situation, she knows what I need is a hug and a reassuring smile. She wants the people she loves to be happy, and she will use all the kindness she has to make that happen. Every day when she gets home from school, she walks in the door, shouts “boo,” and waits until I respond. I don’t completely remember when or how this tradition started, probably a result of me hiding and surprising her when she got home, but it’s now a tradition. No matter how tough a day either of us had, we always find room for this. I miss little moments like this the most when I’m at school. When I’m away, there aren’t the little bits that built our connection over the years. Yet, every text she sends, whether it’s about something funny she watched on “Ellen” or where my family went to dinner, is signed “Love. Ann.” This message tells me one thing: even if there’s 500 miles between us, the connection isn’t broken and the love is still there. When we had our first moment alone since my sister arrived in Ann Arbor, she looked at me and she said “I missed you, big brother. I’m glad I’m here.” “Me too, Ann,” I responded, “me too.”
7B
8B
Wednesday, November 18, 2015 // The Statement
POTTERS From Page 5B Abernathy’s work is dynamic, perpetually in flux, driven by his insatiable curiosity. He calls himself a “classicist,” but uses the term loosely. “Some of the stuff I’m doing now is definitely not classic,” Abernathy says with a grin. “I was taught by a lady who was Swedish, I was fascinated with Oriental ceramics, and I lace all that into production and engineering— I’m a hodgepodge of information.” Deft and seasoned, he can finish a piece in four hours: bisqued, fired and glazed. Abernathy began throwing pots he was 23, his previous experience with art no more than drawing comics as a child. “After about an hour of my first pottery class, I went up to my teacher and said that I was going to be a potter. She said, ‘Oh my god you’ll starve to death!’ She was right.” Abernathy laughs to himself in a series of gentle chuckles; crow’s feet gather around his green eyes. His thin frame is agile, but his gait is contemplative — each movement is calculated, every gesture purposeful. He compares himself to a wood-fired glaze: “It develops age in the kiln,” he says, thoughtfully. “It’s been around for so long, it has claimed its place in the world.” J.T. Abernathy has likewise claimed his place in the world. “I’m almost famous,” he says, “but getting rid of the almost is very, very hard work.” The sun now strides across the sky, announcing the October morning’s opening scene. Alarm clocks ring, beep, buzz, and gurgle with NPR’s Morning Edition. Ann Arbor sheds its covers, ties its shoelaces and opens the doors to its hybrid cars. J.T. Abernathy begins his walk back home, stopping to observe the texture of the bark on a nearby maple tree. “I’m simply fascinated by the joy of being alive.”
KRISTINA PERKINS/ Daily
Thought Bubble “I lost my father a couple of years back. I was the last person to have a conversation with him. He was moving rocks around the front yard. When I asked him what he was doing, he said, ‘Moving big rocks.’ “Since then, that’s been my driving thing. I wake up every morning and I want to move big rocks. Not only for myself, but for other people. “I’ve unfortunately dealt with more than just one close death in the past. I believe in the last interaction you have with them as being a guiding thing. I believe in a creating being, reasoning of life. I don’t want to just see my dad going, I like to see that he gave me some closure.” – LSA junior Steven Halperin, Central Student Government vice president, with Public Policy junior Alex George, during a CSG event on the Diag Tuesday