ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM Wednesday, December 2, 2015
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Flint Water Crisis Timeline March 2013 Flint City Council votes to join Karegnondi Water Authority. The next day, Detroit tells Flint it will no longer sell water to the city beginning in April. March 2014 The city of Flint announces it will begin sourcing its water from the Flint River on a plan managed by the city’s emergency manager. April 25, 2014 Flint residents begin drinking water from the Flint River. Resident complaints about water quality begin a few weeks later. September, 2014 The city issues a boil-water advisory after bacteria is discovered in some Flint water samples.
The Flint Water Plant is quiet now that all of the Flint River water has been emptied from the plant and the city returns to using water from the Detroit River.
In Flint, lead contamination spurs fight for clean water Residents struggle with crisis’ lasting impacts as leaders seek to rebuild trust By SAM GRINGLAS Managing News Editor
FLINT, Mich. — On a Saturday evening in October, several hundred trick-or-treaters streamed up
and down Calumet Street on the city’s east side. Traffic clogged the neighborhood’s streets, lined with well-maintained Tudors, Colonials and mature trees cloaked in hues of red and yellow. Princesses, ninja turtles, witches and firemen darted between the cars, and on their front lawn, Bob and Melodee Mabbitt passed out candy from beneath a rain umbrella. The Mabbitt’s stretch of Calumet is wealthier than most of Flint’s neighborhoods, and draws kids from all over town on
Halloween. But this year, along with Snickers, Crunch bars and boxes of Nerds, the Mabbitts were handing out leaflets. The letters were bold and black, and they warned Flint parents their kids may have been exposed to toxic lead from their drinking water. “You are getting this as a courtesy to let you know that one or more of your neighbors had their tap water tested and was informed they have very high contents of lead and other pollutants in their water,” the
EVENT PREVIEW
Basement Arts’ sci-fi drama ‘The Nether’ comes to Walgreen Center Student-run dystopian play explores high-tech future By BAILEY KADIAN Daily Arts Writer
“Just because it’s virtual, doesn’t mean it isn’t real.” In a divide between a virtual world and reality, Jennifer Haley’s “The Nether” explores morality’s place The Nether within the digital realm. Walgreen This weekend at Drama Center, Studio One of the Studio One Walgreen Drama Center, Basement Dec. 3 at 7 p.m., Arts, a student- Dec. 4 at 7 & 11 run theater p.m. and Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. organization, presents “The Nether,” a sciencefiction drama set in a futuristic world. As I sat in on rehearsal, I quickly realized I was observing something
far from familiar. The actors warned me about the dark nature of the play — and I soon discovered why. “The Nether” is set in a dystopian, futuristic society where the Internet has become a series of virtual realms, called The Nether, requiring users to sign in and indulge in any desire they please. Detective Morris discovers one particular world, the Hideaway, and chooses to investigate this virtual reality. This fictitious universe centers on crime, specifically pedophilia, and it raises questions of what’s considered ethical within the world and how behavior should be policed accordingly. For some clients of the Hideaway, the virtual is just as real as “reality.” Though there’s immense darkness in the Hideaway, there’s also beauty. The joys of this virtual world are seen through visual design and the relationships between characters. “The Nether has been able to capture trees and sensorial things that the real world no longer has,” director Maddie Rouverol, a junior in the School See NETHER, Page 5A
the statement WEATHER TOMORROW
HI: 45 LO: 26
fliers read. Nayyirah Shariff, a Flint community organizer and friend of Melodee’s, slid the white, folded fliers into dozens of old pillowcases and plastic buckets shaped like jacko’-lanterns. “Don’t worry, there’s candy, too,” she assured a group of kids clad in raincoats. “Happy Halloween!” In October, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) announced the city of Flint’s drinking water contained elevated levels of lead. A local See FLINT, Page 3A
January, 2015 Residents are notified the city has violated the Safe Drinking Water Act due to unsafe levels of TTHMs. Several members of City Council say the city should stop using water from the Flint River, and Detroit offers to begin selling Flint water again. Flint’s emergency manager opts to stay the course. The city later invests in new filters designed to curb the problem. September 2, 2015 A Virginia Tech professor’s report says the water’s corrosivity is causing lead from the pipes to leach into the city’s water supply. September 24, 2015 Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha reports her findings showing a correlation between blood lead-level spikes in children and zip codes with heightened levels of lead in water samples. September 25, 2015 Gov. Rick Snyder says the state will provide additional water filters for Flint, expand lead exposure testing and work to improve corrosion control during the water treatment. The administration says it is reviewing the option to return Flint to Detroit water. October 8, 2015 Snyder announces a $12 million plan to reconnect the city of Flint to Detroit water.
G I V I N G B A C K O N G I V I N G B L U E D AY
ADMINISTRATION
Report: ‘U’ to begin the search for a new AD Jim Hackett has served in interim role since Oct. 2014 By LEV FACHER
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Caroline Rebello, program assistant of student philanthropy, adds cards to the “challenge wall” with the names of organizations chosen by students that should receive donations on Giving Blueday in Pierpont Commons on Tuesday.
ACADEMICS
University to offer more massive open online courses Available classes have nearly doubled since semester’s start By BRIAN KUANG Daily Staff Reporter
Since the summer, the University has nearly doubled the number of massively open online courses, MOOCs, it offers on
both the Coursera and edX online platforms. This includes 42 currently available courses on Coursera and two courses that will be available in the spring of 2016 on the edX platform, covering subjects ranging from programming and finance to classical music. James DeVaney, associate vice provost for Digital Education and Innovation, wrote in an e-mail interview that MOOCs not only help
faculty members teach larger audiences, but also serve as a testing ground for new educational technologies and strategies. MOOCs are largely administered through the Office of Digital Education and Innovation, which partners with interested faculty members and helps them in planning and implementing their online courses. “Our growing portfolio See MOOCS, Page 3A
Managing Editor
The University will soon launch a search for a permanent athletic director, and Jim Hackett, who currently holds the position on an interim basis, will not be among the candidates, according to a Tuesday report in the Detroit Free Press. Since being appointed interim Athletic Director on Oct. 31, Hackett has made waves around the Athletic Department. Most notably, he inked Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh to a sevenyear contract worth roughly $5 million annually, not including incentives, in December 2014. Harbaugh has led the Wolverines’ charge to a 9-3 regular-season record in his first year at the helm. Hiring Hackett, in light of former Athletic Director Dave Brandon’s resignation, was one of the first major administrative decisions University President Mark Schlissel made after assuming the presidency in July See SEARCH, Page 3A
The intersection of two often distinct campus communities
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News
2A — Wednesday, December 2, 2015
MONDAY: This Week in History
WEDNESDAY: In Other Ivory Towers
TUESDAY: Campus Voices
THURSDAY: Twitter Talk
Faculty defend prof’s criticism support for racist expressions, but rather focused primarily on the question of whether monitoring and criticizing such expression should be done in a top-down manner,” the letter read. In response to the e-mail, students have demanded Christakis and her husband resign from their posts in one of the university’s residential colleges. Students at University of California, Berkeley criticize investment in private corrections companies Berkeley’s Afrikan Black Coalition called for the univer-
FRIDAY: Photos of the Week
JUST FOR KICKS
YALE UNIVERSITY
Forty-nine Yale University faculty members signed an open letter defending Erika Christakis, the faculty member whose October email criticizing the university’s guidance on culturally insensitive Halloween costumes ignited campus protests, the Yale Daily News reported Monday. Christakis’ e-mail criticized the efforts of Yale administrators to remind students to be culturally appropriate during Halloween. In the letter defending her, faculty members argue Christakis’ e-mail spurred useful campus debate, and merely questioned how expression should be monitored on a college campus. “The email ... did not express
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sity to divest from private corrections companies, in which the Daily Californian reports the school has invested $25 million. The students called Berkeley’s investment strategy “ethically embarrassing,” saying that corrections companies profit from the imprisonment of minority groups. The companies in question include the GEO Group, Inc., the Corrections Corporation of America and G4S. The ABC also denounced the school’s additional $425 million investment in Wells Fargo, claiming that company also invests heavily in private corrections companies.
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University research associate Lauretta Ovadje participates in a free weekly kickboxing class at the Trotter Multicultural Center on Tuesday.
THREE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW TODAY
Drug addiction
WHAT: Ph.D. candidate Kathryn Holland will give a presentation about combatting campus rape culture and factors affecting sexual assault reporting. WHO: Department of Women’s Studies WHEN: Today from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. WHERE: 2239 Lane Hall
WHAT: Professor Natalia Pushkareva will give a talk about the history of feminism in Russia. WHO: Institute for Research on Women and Gender WHEN: Today from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. WHERE: 1636 School of Social Work
WHAT: The Armenian Studies Program Lecture will discuss the modern Armenian diaspora. WHO: Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies WHEN: Today from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. WHERE: 1636 School of Social Work
WHAT: This community talk will focus on drugs, addiction and the brain. WHO: Department of Psychology WHEN: Today from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. WHERE: Ann Arbor District Library (S. Fifth Street)
Senior piano recital
Swing dance lesson
Percussion ensemble
Research seminar
WHAT: Ahyoung Cho will play his senior piano recital, featuring pieces by Bach and Chopin. WHO: School of Music, Theatre & Dance WHEN: Today at 7:30 p.m. WHERE: Earl V. Moore Building, Britton Recital Hall
WHAT: Swing Ann Arbor will offer a free class to new attendees. Beginners will also be able to attend the social dance that follows for free. WHO: Swing Ann Arbor WHEN: Today at 8:00 p.m., social dance at 9:00 p.m. WHERE: Michigan League, Vandenberg Room
WHAT: This ensemble will feature composer Roshanne Etezady’s work, “Feast or Famine,” for marimba and percussion. WHO: School of Music, Theatre & Dance WHEN: Today at 8 p.m. WHERE: Earl V. Moore Building, McIntosh Theatre
WHAT: An education research seminar discussing aid for low-income students. WHO: Department of Economics WHEN: Today at 8:30 a.m. WHERE: 3240 Weill Hall • Please report any error in the Daily to corrections@ michigandaily.com
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday he will resign if there is truth to Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s claim that Turkey shot down a Russian plane, CNN reported.
2
In this week’s lead, Daily Staff Reporter Nabeel Chollampat explores the culture of Christian fraternities and sororities on campus. There are currently three at the University. >> FOR MORE, SEE THE STATEMENT
3
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan welcomed their first child, a girl named Max. They also announced plans to donate millions of their $45 million fortune, The New York Times reported.
Papers of famed assisted suicide advocate open at the Bentley
Dozens of letters in the Bentley Historical Library’s newly archived collection about University alum Jack Kevorkian, an advocate for assisted suicide, all read something similar to one written in December 1992: “Dear Dr. Kevorkian … I can no longer continue living like this. The quality of my life is totally diminished … I have nothing to look forward to but continued pain and loss of dignity.” According to Lara Zielin, editorial director at the Bentley Historical Library, the recently acquired collection includes art, papers and photographs from
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throughout Kevorkian’s life. Ava Janus, Kevorkian’s niece and the sole heir to his estate, eventually donated the collection to the Bentley Library after his death in 2011. The collection was opened to the public in midSeptember. The collection is of particular relevance since California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signed the End of Life Option Act into law, which allows terminally ill patients the right to end their lives with the assistance of a physician. California joined Washington, Oregon and Vermont in legalizing what is commonly known as physician aid in dying, or assisted suicide. According to Bentley Library Director Terry McDonald, a history professor, the library was in touch with Kevorkian’s representatives when he was still alive, discussing the possibility of his collection coming to campus. McDonald said that so far, the collection has generated a
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tremendous amount of attention, particularly from the media. “Dr. Kevorkian was a graduate of the University of Michigan Medical School, and therefore his story is part of the University story,” McDonald said. “Of course he was a major figure in Michigan politics in the 1990s and the early part of the 21st century when his version of the ‘right to die’ debate became an important issue in the state. For both of those reasons, we wanted to have his archives here at the library.” McDonald also said there is biographical material about Kevorkian’s youth growing up in Pontiac, as well as information on his time as a student in the Medical School and about his career, first as a pathologist and later as a “right to die” activist. Not only was Kevorkian a physician, McDonald said, but he was also a poet and painter, as seen in examples of his various works displayed in the Bentley collection. However, of most interest to people are the so-called “medicide” files, which are the letters Kevorkian received from people who wanted him to help them with their death, and in some cases, videotape recordings of actual interviews with his clients, McDonald said. “He was this compelling and really interesting person and, especially in Michigan, we know him as ‘Dr. Death’ and this ‘right to die’ guy,” Zielin said. “But he was so much more, and he has this long and interesting eccentric and admittedly odd career.” Mayer Morganroth, Kevorkian’s longtime attorney, said there are many public misconceptions about the doctor, the first regarding the nickname “Dr. Death.” Morganroth said Kevorkian did not receive the name because he was bringing about the end of life; instead, he received it after inventing the oculi, an instrument used to determine whether a person had died. Read more online at michigandaily.com
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10-month-old Kieran David pokes Public Policy junior Daniel Sharp with a drumstick on the Diag on Tuesday during a Groove demonstration to promote their upcoming performance on Friday.
Speakers defend CSG member after Diag demonstration Assembly also hears pitch for planned DPSS student advisory board By JACKIE CHARNIGA Daily Staff Reporter
Several University students and former Central Student Government representatives appeared at Tuesday’s CSG meeting to discuss an incident last month that led representatives from Students Allied for Freedom and Equality to call for the removal of a current CSG representative. SAFE held a demonstration on the Diag on Nov. 17 during which organizers displayed a pretend wall designed to represent the wall separating Israel and the West Bank. During the demonstration, CSG representative Jesse Arm, an LSA sophomore, was recorded loudly confronting and criticizing the demonstrators. In response,
SAFE asked CSG to dismiss Arm from the assembly. LSA junior Matt Fidel, a former CSG representative, said he wanted to contextualize the incident for the assembly, saying an 18-year-old named Ezra Schwartz was killed in a terrorist attack in the West Bank the same day as the demonstration. “This was an American kid from Boston studying abroad in Israel,” Fidel said. “I can tell you from first-hand experience this was a very emotional day in the Jewish community.” Fidel said after viewing the video, it was clear to him that Arm’s conduct was emotionally charged, as he was upset about the killing of Schwartz. However, Fidel said his conduct was not disrespectful, as he was voicing his opinion on a topic about which he and many members of the Jewish community felt strongly. He urged the assembly not to exclude Arm from the assembly. “As a body, I’m not sure that CSG should be in the business of telling leaders on campus that
they should not be standing up for what they believe in or voicing their opinions on what they feel strongly about,” Fidel said. “To have this protest and then not even understand slightly why this may have been a triggering experience for members of this community on campus I think is insensitive and also not really logical.” Business senior Alex Adler, chair of University of Michigan Hillel, echoed Fidel’s comments. He said Arm was triggered by a particular phrase on SAFE’s wall and acted accordingly. “He reacted emotionally. I’m not here to say if that was right or wrong, but what I will say that he is not the only one from the Jewish community who felt triggered,” Adler said. Adler said rather than investigating Arm’s behavior, CSG should encourage a facilitated conversation on campus from dissenting student groups. Read more online at michigandaily.com
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MOOCS From Page 1A of MOOCs represent two complementary goals: increasing access to highquality education for global learners, and reimagining residential education for the 21st century,” DeVaney wrote. In an October interview with The Michigan Daily, University Provost Martha Pollack said there were several institutional priorities for digital education at the University as a whole, including online course offerings like MOOCs. She pointed, in particular, to enhancing the residential educational experience through programs that track student analytics such as Student Explorer and Art Education 2.0, offering online degrees in a small targeted number of cases and engaging a global audience. “We’ve been very involved in digital education now — for many many years, but particularly have ramped up the activity over the last four or
FLINT From Page 1A pediatrician’s report the week before had shown a significant jump in the number of Flint children with elevated blood lead levels, and those samples correlated with ZIP codes in which independent water samples pointed to lead contamination. State officials initially discounted the data. Eight days later, they reversed course. The city would again source its water from the Detroit River. For the residents of Flint, it was too little, too late. They had been ringing the alarm over the city’s water quality for more than a year, almost immediately after the city opted to treat its water in-house from the Flint River. Flint had already planned to join a new pipeline, the Karegnondi Water Authority, which would eventually serve mid-Michigan and the state’s thumb. Knowing Flint had plans to leave, Detroit’s water authority said it would stop supplying water to the city. At the time, Flint was under the control of a state-appointed emergency financial manager who, in a costsaving move, decided that while the city waited for the KWA to come online, Flint would treat its own water for the first time in decades. Residents say officials brushed off their concerns again and again. They reported that water ran from their sinks discolored in browns, blues and yellows. Then came the hair loss, rashes that wouldn’t go away, rotting teeth, discolored shower tiles. In July, the city’s mayor drank a glass of water on local morning television to prove the water was safe. It wasn’t. Melissa Mays, a Flint mother of four, had brought us here, to Calumet Street. Mays, her husband, and their four sons were all diagnosed with lead poisoning last year, and she’s spent months working with Shariff, clergy members, activists and a ragtag collective of Flint residents to pressure the city, the state, the feds — anyone, really — to do something. In their living room, about 10 minutes from Calumet, Mays’ husband applied zombie makeup to all four kids, his own face and hands already covered in the white, red and black paint. Two candelabras decorated to look like they were covered in spider webs sat atop a tablecloth patterned with skulls. I slid into a chair next to Derek and Ruby, the Daily columnist and photographer who joined me on the trip. A row of electric guitars hung vertically across one wall, and another was plastered with the kids’ drawings and class projects. Mays and Shariff, who had come over for the interview, were seated on the table’s long side, and I asked how the whole debacle started. Mays spoke with dizzying speed, peppering a timeline of the last two years with talk of trihalomethanes, parts per billion, Freedom of Information Act requests and the federal Lead and Copper Rule. Mays is not a scientist or policy analyst, but it was apparent that, out of necessity, this research has ended up a full-time endeavor. Not long after water started flowing from the Flint River and into taps and showerheads across the city, residents started noticing their water running yellow and brown. It smelled funny, and tasted strange, too. People were showing
five years,” Pollack said. “And I think it’s really important when we think about digital education, not just to think about MOOCs but to think about things like Student Explorer and Art 2.0 and all kinds of innovative ways that students and faculty can make use of the technology to have a better learning experience.” Charles Severance, clinical associate professor of information who teaches a 5-sequence Coursera course on Python programming that was launched this September, said global engagement was one of the biggest benefits of the platform. Severance noted that his online student roster consists of a wide variety of ages and professions. “There’s a lot of learners in the world and we’re meeting their demand as educators,” he said. Pollack said she felt reaching a global audience is strongly in line with the University’s priorities. “A third goal (of digital education) is to reach out
up at Flint City Council meetings displaying bottles filled with the brown-colored water. “It’s a quality, safe product,” Flint Mayor Dayne Walling said at the time. “I think people are wasting their precious money buying bottled water.” Four months later, water on the city’s west side tested positive for E. coli, and the city issued a series of boil-water advisories. Shariff said she only came across the alerts accidentally when clicking around the city’s website; Mays said she didn’t hear about them until after the third advisory. By September 2014, Mays had enough; she was convinced the problem was more than just bacteria. She said her cat was throwing up, her own hair was falling out and a splotchy red rash had started to stretch across her face. Mays’ 2-year-old niece was staying in the house then, and every time she took a bath, the toddler broke out with a rash all over her behind. The rash covered only the body parts where the tub’s water hit. Eczema cream didn’t help, and the child’s doctor couldn’t figure out what was wrong. “And I’m like, ‘What is happening to this kid?’ The rest of us were just used to it. Our skin was turning scaly,” Mays said. “My son — my middle child — just had rashes up and down his arms, and if you tried to put lotion on it — it just burned. It was chemical burns. It was on my face, my whole cheek bone. And any time you put anything on it, even makeup, you would just scream because it hurt so bad. But they’re on T.V. saying, ‘Water’s safe, water’s safe, water’s safe.’ ” In January 2014, the city distributed a letter notifying homeowners that the city had violated the federal Safe Drinking Water Act — not for lead, but for total trihalomethanes. The city’s water was found to contain a high level of trihalomethanes — a cancer-causing chlorine byproduct. By this point, members of City Council called on the governor’s appointed emergency manager to abandon the Flint River water source, and the city of Detroit offered to start selling water to Flint again. But Flint’s emergency manager opted to stay the course. To investigate, residents called in a water activist, who told Mays not only that she shouldn’t drink the water, but that she shouldn’t cook or shower with it either. And if the city didn’t have a lead problem now, he said, they would soon. Mays didn’t know it at the time, but they already did. “When you’re boiling the water to make spaghetti, you’re just making all of those heavy metals and all the contaminants basically bond together, and you’re basically eating poison food. When you wash your clothes, the heavy metals stay in the fabrics so it’s rubbing against your skin all day and god forbid you sweat, you’re going to absorb all of that through your pores. So I can’t wash my dishes here, I can’t do my laundry, I can’t move because I’m 16 years into a mortgage and nobody’s going to buy my poison water house.” Mays takes us into the kids’ bathroom. A five-step instruction sheet for showering was taped to the wall, written by Mays in neat, black marker. Step Two: Sit down and as the tub fills, use the cup and faucet to wash your face and hair. Rinse well. Step Four: Brush
News to the world, just like we do when we write papers, or we do performances, or we do op-ed pieces to share what we know with the world,” she said. “And I think that that is just completely aligned with our mission as a public university.” Severance said as a professor, the self-paced nature of MOOCs is also a significant benefit over traditional in-person classes because they allow him to add optional bonus lessons on interesting topics that would normally be left out in a semester-long residential course due to time constraints. In his experience, he said, they’ve also proven to be less work during the semester. Aside from the phase where a MOOC’s lectures are recorded and the inaugural session where any errors are resolved, these courses often require no more than one hour per week of the primary instructor’s time. However, Severance also noted that the self-paced and impersonal nature of MOOCs prevents instructors such as
your teeth in the sink using bottled water and small cups. Don’t forget Q-tips. “Love You!” is scrawled and underlined across the bottom. Next to it another reminder: “Brush Your Hair!” I asked how the kids took to the new routine. “It makes them angry, and then once we found out about the lead, I took out the letting the water fill up, so they just used a big cup to let it go over their heads,” she said. “So yeah, my 17-year-old son just loves that, to sit down and use a cup to shower and to use bottled water to brush their teeth.” Mays brought in an outside expert to test the water — Marc Edwards, a professor at Virginia Tech University who specializes in water treatment. She said she drove 62 of the test kits to neighborhoods across Flint, picked them up and helped residents complete them. The lead levels in water at Flint resident LeeAnne Walters’ house was averaging 2,500 parts per billion. Her family was losing hair and developing rashes, too. The legal level is 15. In a September 2015 report, Edwards concluded that the corrosiveness of Flint’s water was causing lead to leach from the city’s aging pipes and into the water. The state maintained it was meeting all lead and copper standards. On Sept. 24, Dr. Mona HannaAttisha, a University alum and a pediatrician at the Hurley Medical Center Children’s Clinic in Flint, cross-referenced that data with information the county already had — blood lead levels for infants at ages 1 and 2, which the state is required to test for kids who are at a greater risk of ingesting lead paint chips in older homes. What she found: The number of children in Flint with elevated blood lead levels — defined as 5 micrograms per deciliter or more — had increased from 2.1 percent in the 20 months prior to Sept. 15, 2013, to 4 percent between Jan. 1 and Sept. 15, 2015. In several ZIP codes, those figures increased from 2.5 percent to 6.3 percent during that same time period. “Everyone who has challenged the narrative — which was ‘the water is safe to drink’ — they were minimized,” Shariff said. But the evidence built up, and eventually it was hard to ignore there was a problem. Finally, on Oct. 8, 2015 — nearly two years after Flint residents started drinking water from the Flint River — the state changed course and announced they had come up with a $12 million deal to allow the city to return to Detroit water. “I’m in full support of the return to the Great Lakes Water Authority,” Snyder said during the announcement. “We all care about the citizens of Flint.” Snyder promised to convene a task force — which includes a University professor and several University alums — that would determine what went wrong. Detroit water would again run through Flint’s pipes, and Flint’s parents could rest easy knowing their kids’ drinking water was safe. But Mays says people shouldn’t be so quick to chalk the case up as a crisis averted. The story of water in Flint is not confined to that period of two years when the city’s water was unsafe for drinking — or by the final hurrah moment in October when the good guys fighting the good fight won the day. Flint’s challenges also reach further, into
himself from placing the same kind of pressures on students that would be possible in a physical classroom. “The only real disadvantage (with MOOCs) is that there’s no real time pressure, so we have to come up with ways to deal with this,” Severance said, adding that he typically structures a MOOC to be half the speed of a corresponding university course. Because the courses are self-paced and many of the participants are not full-time students, time conf licts often prevent enrollees from being able to complete the course. Of the 209,628 visitors to his introductory Python class since September 15, only 18,162 students had completed it as of November 30. “It’s understandable, because they all have lives outside of online learning,” Severance said. According to DEI, the University’s MOOCs have attracted more than 3 million users over the past several years.
Wednesday, December 2, 2015 — 3A
SEARCH From Page 1A 2014. Schlissel has expressed his appreciation for Hackett in interviews with the Daily, saying his selection has led to a period of stability for a department fraught with controversy throughout Brandon’s tenure. Hackett also earned praise from around campus when he penned an open letter to Michigan football fans in the wake of the Wolverines’ lastsecond loss to Michigan State on Oct. 17, disparaging fans who sent angry messages to Michigan punter Blake O’Neill after his botched punt attempt led to a game-winning Spartans touchdown as time expired. Michigan men’s basketball coach John Beilein indicated soon after Hackett’s hiring that he would be willing to participate in a potential search committee for a long-term replacement. He reiterated that willingness on Tuesday following the Wolverines’ win at North Carolina State. “I think it’s really important,”
Beilein said, recalling that he also participated in Brandon’s selection process. “When we do hire a new athletic director — when it comes, when Jim decides to step down — that the coaches are involved. Whether it’s me or another coach, it doesn’t make a difference.” In a September interview with the Daily, Schlissel declined to outline a plan for filling the position. “I’m not prepared at the current time to lay out a longerterm game plan,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of stuff we’re doing right now. You know with the football program, when the head coach changes, the whole program changes.” University spokesman Rick Fitzgerald declined to comment when contacted by the Daily on Tuesday evening. Several members of the University’s Board of Regents could not be reached for comment Tuesday evening. Daily Sports Editor Simon Kaufman and Managing News Editor Sam Gringlas contributed reporting.
RUBY WALLAU/Daily
Flint resident Lee Walters demonstrates the slow water stream used by the federal Lead and Copper tests in her relatives kitchen on Nov. 6, 2015.
a history colored by the population loss and decay that made it easy to brush the city aside, as well as into a future that these two years will in many ways shape. On the banks of the Flint River You could argue the city of Flint, like a lot of cities, was born from the river. The confluences between city and water stretch back far — to a time when native people fought over the river’s banks. A handful of fords, where the river could be easily traversed, made the land highly sought after. In 1819, before the great industrial might of Buick City generated wealth and helped the city’s population grow, and before the city’s slide into poverty and decay, a fur trapper and his wife set up a post near the river’s banks. For the traders who came here — and to Michigan, a territory hugged on four sides by the Great Lakes — water was life-giving. The rivers provided habitat to beavers, and the water ferried birch-bark canoes downstream, piled up with pelts for sale back East and across the vast Atlantic. In later years, Michigan’s rivers and lakes were clogged with logs, floated downstream for processing into lumber that would build this nation’s cities. The water fed the state’s growing agricultural economy as well as the companies that empowered the United States’ industrial might — industries that allowed old lumber towns across the Rust Belt to boom, before they would hemorrhage wealth and population a few decades later. Today, water is the basis for Michigan’s wildly successful “Pure Michigan” advertising campaign, which helps drive the state’s vibrant tourism industry in the towns dotting Lake Michigan. For a whole lot of Michiganders, their Michigan and their Midwest does not include the vast and aging networks of pipe that snake beneath the earth, nor the sediment-colored water of the rivers Rouge, Flint, Detroit and Saginaw. “We connect to water very emotionally, we love our water, it’s Pure Michigan, it’s why that ad campaign really sings to us,” John Austin, a University of Michigan lecturer and co-author of a report on Michigan’s ‘Blue Economy,’ told me during a phone interview later in the week. “And so we appreciate that even more than this hidden water infrastructure that brings us clean water and is essential to basic life and health.” Today, one in five jobs in
Michigan are linked to water, and Austin said the state could play a major role in developing innovative ways to use water more efficiently, particularly as water resources grow increasingly strained. But as much as Michiganders — residents of a state whose surrounding Great Lakes contain 20 percent of the world’s surface freshwater supply — love their water resources, Austin says it’s easy to forget about the hidden infrastructure that delivers fresh water to taps on demand. “What Flint really illustrates is … as a first order of business, we depend on water for life and that water has to be clean and available to people,” he said. “What Flint exposed is our water infrastructure — that in every community in Michigan we’ve got aged infrastructure and this shows that since we haven’t invested in remaking our water infrastructure — in rebuilding those systems — they can potentially kill us.” For Austin, this dynamic illustrates the need to invest not only in infrastructure above ground, such as roads and bridges, but also in the infrastructure that sits below the surface. With debate over paying to fix Michigan’s roads reaching a boiling point last spring, Austin said people should be just as concerned with the invisible infrastructure — particularly the pipes that shepherd clean drinking water into our homes every day. Through the pipes, below the ground After Halloween, I spent a week trying to get into Flint’s water plant. When I spoke to Mike Glasgow, the city’s utilities director, on the phone, he told me how excited he was to hear young people were interested in municipal water delivery. But in the days leading up to the final reporting trip to Flint, the woman who handles his schedule kept telling me to call back later; she hadn’t had a chance to nail anything down. By Thursday evening, I wasn’t getting any response at all. I decided I would just show up at the facility anyway. The Flint Water Treatment Plant sits on a sprawling campus just off the freeway. The complex is circled with tall chain-link fencing topped with barbed-wire spirals. A long driveway leads up to the main building, which is sandcolored and doesn’t boast much in the way of decorative finishes. A white water tower hulks above the building, around which another
half-dozen smaller structures are gathered. Only a handful of cars congregated in the parking lot, and a sign in one of the front windows indicated the office entrance is around back. Inside, the plant’s office was drab and dated. Paper maps hang on the paneled walls, and a collection of empty lead and copper water sampling bottles rest on a shelf nearby. I found Brent Wright, the plant’s supervisor, in an office lined with dozens of binders. Wright looked understandably confused when we enter. “Hi, we’re here for a tour of the plant,” I said enthusiastically. “Mike knows we’re coming.” I only half-lied. I started to sweat a bit when he dialed up Glasgow to make sure the story checked out, but when Wright hung up the phone, he told us, “The best place to start is from the beginning.” Flint’s first water treatment plant was built in 1917. The original red brick building stands a few hundred yards from the present facility, and looks a lot like an abandoned automobile factory. Many of the square panes of glass are smashed in, and Wright tells me the roof collapsed a few years back. The city built a second facility, the current plant, in 1952, but it would only operate fully until 1967, when the city stopped treating its own water and started buying it from Detroit. During the peak of Flint’s prosperity and population, when sprawling factories turned thousands of GM cars off production lines, both plants together pumped 100 million gallons of water per day. Today, with most of those factories shuttered and the city’s population significantly depleted, the Flint plant was only pumping about 16 million gallons daily when it last operated in October. In 1960, 196,940 people lived in Flint, according to the U.S. Census. Today, 99,002 people call this 33-square-mile city home. With the city back on Detroit water, there wasn’t much going inside Flint’s water treatment plant during the visit. The final gallons of Flint River water had just been emptied out the week before. A few construction workers wearing hard hats moved through the massive building’s darkened cement corridors, getting the place ready for the KWA pipeline to go live a few years down the road. The process for cleaning and distributing water is not incredibly simple. Read more online at michigandaily.com
Opinion
4A — Wednesday, December 2, 2015
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@michigandaily.com JENNIFER CALFAS EDITOR IN CHIEF
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 burden of a broken record
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ometimes I feel like a broken record. same things. Here I am yet again, tapping at my After Snyder’s statement, I was happy to keyboard, writing another article about see people from different backgrounds aware Islamophobia, trying to decide whether I think and engaged in the conversation about it. I the world is getting better walked into one of my classes the day after to or worse. find some of my classmates, who were neither Sometimes I feel like a Middle Eastern nor Muslim, expressing broken record, but I keep frustration over Snyder’s decision. I saw The writing because every time Michigan Daily editorial board as well as I meet people with new several columnists and students, both Muslim perspectives I see things and non-Muslim, write articles condemning through a different lens. Snyder’s remarks. Last month, Gov. Rick The killing of innocent people in Paris Snyder issued a statement by ISIS, though horrific, was one of many saying Michigan would RABAB tragedies that occurred that week. The ISIS temporarily stop accepting JAFRI attacks in Lebanon were less visible in the Syrian refugees in the media and received less public empathy, aftermath of the attacks though they happened one day before the on Paris. Reading this, I Paris attacks. I had a friend tell me about how looked up from the screen of my computer at she couldn’t imagine how French students my roommate — a Syrian refugee who came to must have felt when they saw the news and Michigan almost two years ago. I met her last didn’t know whether any of the victims were year when looking for someone to room with. family. I have Lebanese friends who went It didn’t take long for us through that same horror to become family, and now I when attacks occurred in Blood is red no can’t imagine my life without their hometowns. her. The first thing I noticed Regardless of the Middle matter the color of a about her was her hospitality. East’s reputation as an The day we moved in together, person’s skin, and the unstable region, human she was making herself lunch beings are suffering there. spilling of it should and she offered to make some And people have a right to a hold equal weight. secure life regardless of where for me as well, without even giving it a second thought. Her they are. It’s disappointing to parents, though they speak see friends and acquaintances only a few words of English, welcomed me as a who never talk about other countries suffering part of their family. They take me out with them immediately stand behind the “Pray for Paris” when they visit. Her mother worries about me movement. ISIS is an enemy to all innocent the way my mother would, and asks to make people, Muslim or non-Muslim. To all those sure I’m eating enough fruit. Her father spoils people who changed their Instagram and me the way my father does and gets me gifts Facebook profile pictures to “Pray for Paris,” when he goes out of town. what makes Parisians’ right to a secure life My response to Snyder and the 30 other greater than the right of people in other regions governors who opposed allowing Syrian in the world? refugees into their states? As leaders of To clarify, I condemn the killing of innocent communities, you are acting in fear of people people in any region in any country in any part who are active and productive members of of the world. Oppression is not a competition. I our society. To pause the acceptance of Syrian pray for Paris and Lebanon and Syria and Iraq. refugees sends an abhorrent message to not Blood is red no matter the color of a only our community, but also to those who are person’s skin, and the spilling of it should desperate for our help. This kind of reaction hold equal weight. will not lead to the safety of the community, but Sometimes I feel like a broken record, but I am will instead lead to a rise in Islamophobia. trying my hardest to break the cycle. Sometimes I feel like a broken record, but it feels like the world is just one big video game. We — Rabab Jafri can be reached cannot get to the next level if we keep doing the at rfjafri@umich.edu.
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS Claire Bryan, Regan Detwiler, Jeremy Kaplan, Ben Keller, Payton Luokkala, Aarica Marsh, Anna Polumbo-Levy, Jason Rowland, Lauren Schandevel, Melissa Scholke, Rebecca Tarnopol, Ashley Tjhung, Stephanie Trierweiler, Mary Kate Winn, Derek Wolfe
The hazards of walking
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very night, I walk through Ann isn’t exclusive to me. I have seen multiple Arbor and am struck by its beauty students have close encounters with cars at as a quintessential American college this intersection, including someone who was town. I hear the bell on crutches. tower strike the hour as Furthermore, masses of students cross a runner sprints by; life this intersection on State Street every day, seems to almost escape maneuvering between the buildings on Central time and care. I watch Campus and elsewhere. State Street is one of friends exchange laughs the busiest roads in Ann Arbor, but this area at Espresso Royale over is only protected by the white lines labeling coffee and laptops. I notice a crosswalk. Though pedestrian safety isn’t a the vitality surrounding frequently discussed or sexy topic, it certainly me as I walk on with my is one that plays a significant role in our daily ASHLEY headphones on, both a part lives in a city as walkable as Ann Arbor. of the movement around AUSTIN It has become clear in recent months that and apart from it. Ann Arbor does have a particular problem Whenever I leave the with pedestrian safety. An August 2015 study Diag, my gait slows down around the Museum conducted by the city’s Pedestrian Safety and of Art. The red sculpture of an undefinable Access Task Force found that pedestrians are shape towers over me, a foreboding giant at risk for injury in Ann Arbor. Since 2011, guarding the street. Lights of advancing there have been 58 crashes per year involving vehicles blind me, thundering past oblivious pedestrians and vehicles. Eight individuals students texting on their iPhones. The white have died after being hit by cars between 2005 stripes of the marked crosswalk before the to 2014 in Ann Arbor. Michigan Union glare at me, vulnerable to In October, the city of Ann Arbor adopted oncoming traffic. Students many of the resolutions rush out, weaving between suggested by the Pedestrian cars that brake just in time. Safety and Access Task Force It’s time crosswalk in their August 2015 study. Every time, I take out my headphones before I check safety improves in One of the resolutions involves traffic and hasten across the improving pedestrian access visible ways street, watching aggressive design, and I hope that the cars at every step. It always Ann Arbor City Council across the city. crosses my mind that it’s strongly considers adding incredibly dangerous that this a signalized panel at this crosswalk doesn’t have a panel popular crosswalk on State to alert pedestrians of when it is safe to cross. I Street. I also hope that sufficient pedestrian often am momentarily hit by the fear that a car safety measures can be extended to the playing reverberating music will strike me as I popular crosswalk across from the College of walk, severing me from the energy all around. Engineering on North Campus. Though some might say this is an irrational Walking in Ann Arbor is a privilege we fear, it is not ungrounded from reality. When all share, but it’s time that crosswalk safety I was a freshman, a driver in a Camry came improves in visible ways across the city. within a foot of hitting me as I crossed this intersection at dusk. I felt a gust of wind push — Ashley Austin can be reached me as she hurled onwards. This experience at agracea@umich.edu.
W
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Found in the eyes
ayne was 55 years old and had lived in Ann Arbor all of his life, he repeatedly told me and my two friends. His mother used to work at the Michigan Union. He did not have a job right this second, but he was going to do that PAYTON tomorrow, bright LUOKKALA and early. He promised. “I am a good Christian man,” he said as if persuading someone, though I’m not sure whether that someone was us or him. It was a Friday night. I had attended a poetry event with a few friends, and the words had electrically charged me, as words tend to do. After the reading, I asked the two of my friends who had stayed until the end if they wanted to take a walk; I needed the night air to calm myself down, I explained. We had meandered toward Main Street, walked the straight line and looped back toward campus. Across from the Ann Arbor District Library, he stopped the three of us. My name is Wayne, he told us again. (I know this is repetitive, but I’m only telling you what happened.) 55. Ann Arbor forever. Mom. Union. Good. Christian. Man. I never understand why people state their religion after their character. I always thought a person’s nature to be mutually exclusive of their religion. God Almighty, was he ever happy to see the three of us, because we were his angels. He had just come from the Union, he said, where another angel had bought him a toothbrush, toothpaste and other hygienic products. He took them out to show us, in case we were in disbelief, then safely zipped them back into his black bag. I don’t have a job right this second, but I will get one. I am a good Christian man. Did he think he would get a job because he was good? Or because he was Christian? I craved more discrepancy between the two, but one does not tell their cravings to a starving man. Tonight I am staying there, he pointed at about 60 degrees, his finger projecting straight out into the sky. Please do not be pointing to Heaven, Wayne, I thought to myself. That high rise there, I sent out a silent prayer to whatever it is I
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believe in nowadays, all I need is 20 dollars from you kind folks. Though my initial assumption may have been dramatic and I still did not know to where he was referring, I was grateful he wasn’t referring to death. “I’m sorry,” I heard one of my friends say. The other muttered the same. I looked down at my feet. No listen! Wayne demanded, not harshly but fervently, I only need 20. It’s going to get cold soon, see. I am a good Christian man. (Did he mean to say that, being a Christian man, he was more or less likely to survive the cold?) I wanted to tell Wayne all the reasons why I couldn’t help him. All I had on my person were my M-card, room key and the paper ticket from the free event we had attended earlier. Wayne had all avenues covered: There is an ATM down the street. Wayne can wait here. Payton does not have an ATM card, I wanted to say. Payton is not even a real adult. In typical fashion, I neglected to say anything. Wayne seemed panicked. “Listen, Wayne …” one of my friends gently attempted to comfort him but also end the conversation, “I can’t give you any more money (she had found a few coins in her jacket pocket), but I can give you a hug.” He absorbed the hug before she could take it back. There my friend was, hugging a stranger. It was a moment I had many words to describe — compassionate, brave, fragmentary, boundless — but not the right one. As I struggled to find any all-encompassing word, foreign arms stretched around me and instantly I tensed. My thoughts breathed heavily, trying to compose themselves as Wayne let go of me to hug my other friend. I’m apprehensive about hugging those I know; letting this man hug me felt like he had snuck into my heart. After one freely given and two stolen embraces, Wayne took a step back. Just $20? His glance swept across each of ours; his eyes landed on mine and shook me. She believes me, doesn’t she? I wished I could hide behind the moon. She has the Holy Ghost in her eyes. I wondered if he was talking to God. After a few brimming moments, a car pulled up next to where we stood. “Did anyone call for a ride?”
A woman appeared from the fog or bush or nowhere (I really should be more observant) and jumped into the car. Taking this as our moment to leave, I started to turn. “Good luck, Wayne,” a voice that wasn’t my own wished. The three of us stiffly staggered across the cement in silence. A friend cracked it, asking, “How is everyone?” “A little broken,” I replied. When finally I arrived home that night, I went straight to my mirror. As vain as it sounds, I needed to look at my eyes. What did he see? If he was making it up, was it based on anything? If he lied, was there anything in my eyes he missed? I’m not sure how to define whether the Holy Ghost is in someone’s eyes. I don’t think it’s based upon one’s religion, but why do people then hold it against themselves like a passport? Like it entitles or denies the entrance of my compassion? I believed Wayne when he told us he was a good man, neither because of his religion nor despite it. What that faith was based upon, I’m unsure. It was partly because I am naïve, but there must be another reason, too. Judgment, I do know, shouldn’t be passed because of a title or category. Nor do I believe that good character can always be found in the eyes. I stepped back from the mirror. The next morning, I awoke heavy from sleep and last night’s emotions. I was pacing around the room to reacquaint my body with the day when my roommate came in. “How are you?” she asked energetically. “Weird,” I responded. It was all I felt that I could immediately give, so I turned the conversation to her. “How was work?” “Fairly uneventful, but there was this homeless man.” My roommate works at the Union late at night. She talked further about “T” whose mother had worked at the Union. “T” a 55-yearold man, an Ann Arbor man all his life, a Christian man. “T” who had showed her his new toothbrush, but also had shown her his sufficiently filled wallet. She said he had told her he saw the Holy Ghost in her eyes.
I wished I could hide behind the moon.
— Payton Luokkala can be reached at payluokk@umich.edu.
NOTABLE QUOTABLE
If we nominate a bad presidential candidate like Trump, senators like Portman or Kelly Ayotte aren’t going to be able to outrun Hillary by that much. And there goes the Senate.”
— Brian Walsh, a Republican operative in Washington, D.C., said in a New York Times article regarding the ramifications of Donald Trump capturing the Republican nomination for President.
GABRIELLA MEYER
E-mail Gabriella at gabsmey@umich.edu
Arts
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Wednesday, December 2, 2015 — 5A
TV NOTEBOOK
FILM REVIEW
We’re ready for more bisexuality on TV By CHRISTIAN KENNEDY Daily Arts Writer
WALT DISNEY STUDIOS
“One day, Simba, all of this will be yours.”
‘Good Dinosaur’ only for children Pixar’s plot can’t match stunning animation By LAUREN WOOD Daily Arts Writer
What if the asteroid that brought about the extinction of all dinosaurs never hit Earth? How would these crea- B+ tures evolve over millions The Good of years, and how would Dinosaur humans fit Walt Disney into this equa- Studios tion? These are questions Rave and Pixar works to Quality 16 answer with its newest feature “The Good Dinosaur,” a sentimental flick about family, bravery and survival. More than other successful Pixar movies though, “The Good Dinosaur” seems directed solely toward children, with a simple story that might leave older viewers searching for something greater. In other words, if you’re looking for a movie to cry over, this is it. But, if you’re ready for some of the more elaborate, well-developed storytelling Pixar has become known for with films like “Up,” “Finding Nemo” and “Inside Out,” then the film’s predictable, optimistic resolution may fall flat. The story reflects an old Western epic, opening with a picturesque family farm owned by a pair of dinosaurs along with their three children, Buck,
NETHER From Page 1 of Music, Theatre & Dance, said in an interview with The Michigan Daily. The emphasis on autumnal yellow lighting and sensory details create a virtual domain more beautiful than reality itself. While watching a scene between Woodnut, a participant of the Hideaway, and Iris, the child he desires, I saw both how disturbing their relationship was, as well as how happy they were. Woodnut wants the pleasure and beauty of a real relationship, though this desire doesn’t disregard the immorality of his indulgence. “We’re trying to make the play
Libby and Arlo. The small and gangly runt of the litter, Arlo can never quite find his footing within the group but is continually reassured by his father that he will one day be great. However, after Arlo fails at his task of catching the “critter” that continually steals their food, his father goes in search of it himself and is killed in a flash flood. As the family struggles to keep the farm running, Arlo is swept away in the river and finds himself miles from home with an epic journey ahead of him. Befriending the small “critter,” the prehistoric human called Spot who got him into this trouble, the duo works their way back toward the family farm, encountering malicious pterodactyls, a family of rancher T-rexes and a host of other adventures along the way. Though the plot is varied and fast-paced enough to keep viewers interested, it’s the lack of a complicated main character that keeps this film from falling beside other Pixar super successes. Comparing this to the animation powerhouse’s array of quest stories, the secondary characters that Arlo and Spot meet throughout their adventures parallel “Nemo” ’s band of recovering fish-eater sharks or “Up” ’s crazed, dog-collecting pilot. But it’s the unpredictable and somewhat flawed main characters, like “Up” ’s softhearted but crotchety Carl or “Nemo” ’s nervous and neurotic Marlin, that add a much-needed third layer to those films. Though “The Good Dinosaur” pulls an unconventional move in reversing the master/pet role,
making the dinosaur the master and the human the pet, the feral child Spot and good-hearted Arlo prove to be somewhat onedimensional as characters, and they struggle to hold the audience’s interest. The film succeeds in its animation though, laying the cartoon-like characters over hyper-realistic naturescapes. It’s nearly impossible to tell when looking at scenes of the river flowing through the forest or the mountain peaks emerging from the clouds, that we’re looking at computer-generated scenes. Placing the goofy-looking characters within this realism makes the film relatable in a way that going completely one direction or the other wouldn’t. Overly realistic dinosaurs wouldn’t inspire the same kind of sympathy the cartoons do, but an animated landscape would give the story no sense of importance and Arlo’s struggle no real validity. Thinking about the title after seeing the movie, it seems like nothing I’ve said here is especially revelatory. Arlo, in any way you can describe him, is exactly what the film makes says he will be: he’s “good.” And though that doesn’t make for the most complex story, the film is nonetheless enjoyable, with a solid, predictable character leading viewers through a string of strange and exciting adventures. If anything, the film proves that the Western is not a stagnant genre of the past, but a story of discovering oneself. The fight against nature is a timeless quest regardless of the context it’s crafted in.
more humane. It’s about human relationships,” Rouverol said. “We see what this vicarious world allows these people to become.” The Nether is seen as a life outside of consequence, and the play considers whether or not that world can truly exist. “In certain ways, The Nether gives you an opportunity to live a life that you couldn’t live otherwise and have an identity that you couldn’t have otherwise,” Rouverol said. So could “The Nether” be viewed as a cautionary tale towards the effects of our digital world today? Rouverol thinks not. “I think it’s actually shockingly and disturbingly unbiased,” Rouverol said. “I don’t think the world of ‘The Nether’ is that far away, and in certain ways, we’re
already there.” As liberating as the digital world may seem, Woodnut simply concludes, “Nothing here is truly free.” With a cast of five, each character provides a different angle toward this virtual reality. Rouverol credits her experience as an acting student toward her new role as a director and how it’s contributed to shaping this work. She has been able to see the play as a larger picture and shape all aspects of production both on and off the stage. “Sometimes when you’re in it, you can’t see the effect that your role is playing on the whole picture,” Rouverol said. “I feel really lucky to be able to do this.”
THE ONLY TRUE KNOWLEDGE IS THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE SELF
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Over Thanksgiving break I did what most college students home for the holidays do: avoid family squabbles, drink and eat a tad too much and binge watch the television I missed out on in college. My long-weekend bender included making my family start “Grace & Frankie,” rewatching old “Scandal” episodes as my sister watched for the first time, binging the entire first season of “Jessica Jones” and finally watching the most recent episode of “Empire.” On “Empire,” the cliff-hanger before the fall finale depicted Jamal Lyon (a gay R&B singer) laying a smooch on Alicia Keys (sploosh). Jamal’s exploration had me thinking about my own sexuality and its representation on mainstream television: Where are all the bisexuals? Television has made enormous strides toward depicting gay and lesbian characters in programming. Between David and Keith on “Six Feet Under,” Connor and Oliver on “How To Get Away With Murder,” the ensemble of “The L Word” and many more, gay characters have found themselves increasingly morphed into in-depth principal characters and no longer the recurring neighbor. Nonetheless, one letter in LGBTQ hasn’t found itself as fortunate, which is to be expected in the slowly adapting TV world. I mean, how in the hell is Viola Davis the first African-American woman to win the Emmy for leading actress in a drama series? As she said herself, “You simply can’t win an Emmy for roles that aren’t there.” I sat and watched her speech with tears in my eyes, as did millions of others for the same reason: progress. Of course, that doesn’t mean that the representation of minorities on television is perfect, nor that of gay characters. Davis portrays the increasingly com-
plex defense attorney on “How To Get Away With Murder” who recently kissed a woman during primetime, one season after her husband’s murder. Is Annalise Keating bisexual? We don’t know. The plight of bisexuals on television isn’t due to a lack of characters who enjoy sex with men and women — it’s a problem of semantics. “Bisexual”: It’s a word flagrantly missing from the contents of my DVR and Netflix queue. A prime example, which has been brought up before, is Piper Chapman on “Orange Is The New Black.” A show that has been a trailblazer for gender, racial and trans exploration and depiction somehow skated over its main character’s sexuality. Not once is the husband-having, Laura Prepon-banging protagonist described as “bisexual.” Clearly, I’m not here to decide Chapman’s sexuality — that’s up to her and her alone — but a storyline that centers on a woman’s enjoyment of relations with her husband and girlfriend is a clear segue to exploring a sexuality that faces much scrutiny, even inside the LGBTQ community. Why is such a progressive show shying away from bisexuality?
Sexual exploration deserves a place on television. As most students do with research, I started at Wikipedia. And it’s clear from the list of media portrayals of bisexuality that we have a problem. Maura Isles from the TNT crime-drama “Rizzoli & Isles” included with a description stating, “she has never been with a Frenchwoman, imply-
ing she’s been with other women.” Is this what bisexuality has been reduced to? Isles is 100 percent free to do whatever she damn well likes with whomever. However, does this simple absence of information declare her a bisexual? Bisexuality, from my experience, has been most criticized for lack of structure within the term. Does Jamal kissing a woman once after a season of being gay make him bisexual? Does Annalise’s kiss define her sexuality? Does Maura’s declaration that she has never been with a French woman prove she plays for both teams? Not at all. It proves that now, more than ever, sexual exploration is prominent in the media landscape, and for that exact reason, it’s shocking to see the dismissal of one-fifth of LGBTQ. Sexual exploration deserves a place on television. Sexuality is undoubtedly fluid, and anyone may enjoy what they’d like as long as it’s between consenting adults. But bisexuality yearns for a more definitive role in today’s culture — certainly more so than being an underlying concept behind characters’ exploration. I don’t want a gay man who kisses one woman. Or a woman with a husband who has had relations with one woman. I want bisexual — a character who exemplifies what the word means. It’s not someone who just loves sleeping with everyone. It’s not someone who’s confused. It’s someone who actively chooses the label, instead of having it thrust upon them by writers’ subtleties. And it’s not an either-or situation. I sat with tears as Viola Davis accepted her Emmy. A smile was plastered across my face when Jamal Lyon came out, and I adore Piper’s storyline. The representation and success of these characters and their respective shows exemplify the public’s readiness for honest, representative television. I want to be represented.
TV REVIEW
‘Saints & Strangers’ a grim period drama By SAM ROSENBERG Daily Arts Writer
There’s nothing that says Thanksgiving like watching a dramatic reenactment of the date that inspired the holiday. B If you know a thing or two Saints & about AmeriStrangers can history, the story of Two-part Thanksgiving miniseries isn’t exactly one of celebration National and gratitude. Geographic In fact, the pilgrims who sailed the Mayflower faced rough living conditions and conflict with the Native Americans before and after the first Thanksgiving harvest. National Geographic’s two-part miniseries, “Saints & Strangers,” provides the audience with a bleak retelling of these events. Because it uses a period drama formula, “Saints & Strangers” isn’t particularly refreshing or insightful. However, the miniseries captures the gritty realism of the battle for survival between the natives and pilgrims. Even though the show draws from textbook facts and gravitas in order to sensationalize Thanksgiving’s origins, the story is strengthened by dark visuals, fine acting and a chilling score. Set in 1620, the first episode follows devout Englishman William Bradford (Vincent Kartheiser, “Mad Men”) and his harrowing journey on the Mayflower to the New World. Along with Bradford and his hapless wife Dorothy (Anna Camp, “True Blood”), the Plymouth pilgrims seek refuge in America from religious persecution in
Europe. Once they reach a soonto-be Cape Cod, Bradford and the rest of his crew (Ron Livingston, “Office Space”; Ray Stevenson, “Thor”; Michael Jibson, “Les Misérables”) start building a community, only to run into trouble with the Wampanoag tribe, led by the dubious Massasoit (Raoul Trujillo, “Sicario”) and his emissary Squanto (Kalani Queypo, “Slow West”). The second part, set a year later, delves deeper into the growing tensions between the tribe and the pilgrims, with hostility increasing on both sides. Despite several faults within the storytelling, “Saints & Strangers” succeeds in other aspects. While both parts of “Saints & Strangers” are lengthy, the sequences in each are briskly paced (the ride on the Mayflower only lasts for 22 minutes of the first part). Kartheiser’s impeccable performance as Bradford stands out among the rest of the cast, embodying a real-life figure coming to terms with loss, death, faith and survival in 17th century America. The same goes for Queypo’s fierce portrayal as Squanto, who also struggles to maintain stability in his life when his land and people are colonized. Both characters carry the plot along, as they fight for themselves and their fellow kinsmen while seeking to mediate a peaceful coexistence with one another. In order to accentuate the gloomy aesthetics of “Saints & Strangers,” composers Hans Zimmer (“Inception”) and Lorne Balfe (“Terminator: Genisys”) infuse an intense score with somber strings and ominous drums. Yet even with all of its redeeming qualities, “Saints & Strangers” is
missing an edge that could distinguish itself from other historical dramas. Whether or not the events depicted in “Saints & Strangers” are inaccurate or offensive, the story is made to feel very onesided. The two monikers in the miniseries’ title indicate a type of prejudicial separation, with the Native Americans being marked as the “strangers” and the pilgrims as the “saints.” Granted, the writers of the miniseries probably took some dramatic liberties in order to make the story more gripping for television. But instead of humanizing both perspectives of the natives and pilgrims, the miniseries plays by strictly historical means. The natives are portrayed as cunning, vengeful “savages,” whereas the pilgrims come off valiant and righteous. It seems as though the pilgrims aren’t given as harsh of a treatment as the natives, despite laying their foundation onto an already occupied land and taking away resources from the natives. Perhaps white privilege doesn’t just exist in the realm of “Saints & Strangers,” but within the writing of it as well. Given its historical relevance though, “Saints & Strangers” does a mostly adequate job of reproducing the characters and events during the first Thanksgiving. But even with its dramatic take on an iconic American event, the miniseries could have a more compelling twist had the natives been depicted in a more sensitive light. If you’re a history buff, “Saints & Strangers” can be captivating to watch. But if you’re not, then it may read like any normal high school history textbook brought to life.
Arts
6A — Wednesday, December 2, 2015
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
FILM COLUMN
ALBUM REVIEW
What’s in a name? I 4AD
Grimey.
Grimes empowers on hooky ‘Art Angels’ Latest from pop provacateur is entirely unique By VANESSA WONG Daily Arts Writer
Follow an artist long enough and even the most loyal of fans may not stay tethered. Both artists and listeners evolve, and not always in the A same direction. Art Angels For Grimes, the schism has Grimes begun: the release of Art 4AD Angels all but polarized her fan base. “She’s gone pop,” dissenters cry with disgust, tossing around descriptors like “selling out” and “going commercial” as if they’re natural synonyms for the genre. They’re wrong; pop music is transcendental. Grimes plunges us into a millennial maelstrom of bouncy beats, hyper-digital samples and saccharine vocals – the kinds of songs that make you dance around your bedroom in your underwear for two hours straight. Fiery vocal delivery and song titles juxtaposed with a supposedly “vapid” sound makes Art
Angels a tool for empowerment, a sonic middle finger to anyone who dares belittle femininity. Grimes eases us into this crucible knowingly. The first track, “laughing and not being normal,” pairs breathy vocals and a textured orchestral sound, recreating the same moody minimalism we heard in previous albums. But surprise! it changes gears, launching us into jangly “California.” With lyrics like “what they see in me, I don’t see in myself,” Grimes directly addresses those who view her only as a concept rather than a living human being with a mind of her own. This is the most we’ve ever heard her voice. Previously, her breathy vocals blended in like yet another instrument, but on this album, her voice slices a clean arc through fizzy earworm instrumentals. Layers of cyberpunk noise and frequencies bubble up in the background, but take second stage behind radio-friendly guitar riffs and sing-along hooks. Oft praised is “SCREAM,” the collaboration with Taiwanese rapper Aristophanes that was originally released as a single. Together, the duo is your worst nightmare. Aristophanes commands the vocals, spitting out Chinese lyrics with cruel laughter overtop Grimes’s animalistic screams and growls.
Classifieds
Gym class whistles and adrenaline-pumping guitar complete the hit-girl aesthetic. Though “SCREAM” exudes destruction, it doesn’t feel out of place from the sugary-sweet tracks it segues into. Grimes said in an interview that she’s inspired by the Japanese archetype of cute and fearsome, which is a theme wound through the entire album. This dichotomy is best represented in “Kill V. Maim.” Its J-pop beats and cheerleader-style chorus may sound childish, almost artificial, but punctuated with spiteful screeches (“they don’t! know! me!”), it unveils the restless intelligence simmering behind the curated teen queen persona. This theme is without a doubt the album’s greatest triumph. It acknowledges that feelings of rage, loneliness, infatuation, and empowerment can still be packaged in a fun, high-gloss production style. It develops pop music as a force to be taken seriously. It’s taken Grimes, as an artist, to a new realm of musical exploration, leading her to collaborate with pop diva Janelle Monae for a song. And to anyone who criticizes her ever-evolving sound? The closing line of the album says it all: “If you’re looking for a dream girl/I’ll never be your dream girl.”
Call: #734-418-4115 Email: dailydisplay@gmail.com
RELEASE DATE– Wednesday, December 2, 2015
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
FOR RENT
Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
ACROSS 1 “Mamma Mia!” group 5 Tunes 10 Fundamentals 14 Talking iPhone feature 15 Destroyer destroyer 16 Messy stuff 17 __ smasher 18 “I’m innocent!” 19 Hindu deity 20 High-speed war plane maneuver 22 Hunter’s device 23 Gets close to 24 Cheat, in a way 25 Seasonal malady 27 Find work 30 Shakespearean fairy queen 33 Large-leafed tree 35 Batman portrayer Kilmer 36 Skating commentator Lipinski 37 Passionate 38 Dishes for company 40 Eagerly excited 41 Golfer Ballesteros 42 Furrow maker 43 Ruling period 45 Charlemagne’s realm: Abbr. 46 Avant-garde 48 Low or no follower 49 Insert for a 6Down 51 Shoot well under par, in golf lingo 53 Syria’s Bashar al-__ 55 Focuses even harder ... and a hint to the starts of the answers to starred clues 59 Letters after phis 60 “The Planets” composer 61 Texter’s “If you ask me” 62 Adorable 63 Wipe off 64 Dismissed, with “off” 65 “Until next time,” in texts 66 Oscar’s roommate
67 Tolkien’s Treebeard et al.
29 First calendar pg. 31 Food court attraction 32 Something to pick lox for 34 ’50s political monogram 36 Label 39 “__ so?” 44 Fish caught in pots 46 Author Buntline
47 Tennis great Andre 50 Studio piece 52 “Swan Lake” swan 53 Customer holding: Abbr. 54 Closed 55 Produced, as fruit 56 Tel Aviv airline 57 Smidgen 58 Quiet yeses 60 Celeb with a mansion
DOWN 1 PDQ 2 __-Honey 3 *Rhode Island school 4 Pop singer Mann 5 *Like Southern California beaches 6 Duck player in “Peter and the Wolf” ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE: 7 Punishment with a grounding 8 Risk, e.g. 9 Canonized Mlle. 10 Feel the same way 11 *Title female “trying to make a devil out of me,” in a Santana hit 12 “¿__ está?” 13 Fix, as a pet 21 Blow one’s top 22 Cotillion honoree 24 *One of two cold atmospheric cyclones 25 Jiffy 26 Iron-rich meat 28 Miller’s “__ From the Bridge” 12/02/15 xwordeditor@aol.com
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have a confession: I love “Rocky IV.” I love it for the cartoonish ‘roided up Russian Ivan Drago. I love it for the flashiness that so aptly epitomizes the ‘80s. I love that more than a third of its runtime is montage. I love that Rocky with his slurred JAMIE speech and swollen face BIRCOLL singlehandedly ends the Cold War by delivering a rousing victory oration about the values of being ‘Murican. I love it because it is the definition of excess, the kind of movie that gets played repeatedly on cable on slow Sunday afternoons. I love the latest “Rocky” franchise installment “Creed” because it is the exact opposite of “Rocky IV”: contemplative, emotional, slow, restrained. It’s a boxing movie where boxing serves as the vehicle to examine complex characters dealing with real emotions and real conflict that’s internal rather than external. It’s a sequel that pays homage to its past but holds its own, and could function as a completely standalone work where no one had ever heard of the Italian Stallion. “Rocky IV” reminds me that movies don’t always have to be high art, that they can be fun and exist solely for entertainment. “Creed” reminds me that high art and entertainment can exist as one — it reminds me of why I love movies. I realized what makes “Creed” so special very early on: a quiet scene where young Adonis Creed watches a YouTube clip of his long ago deceased father Apollo fighting Rocky from one of the early “Rocky” films. The clip is projected onto the wall and blown up so Creed and Balboa appear quite large in stature. Though the footage looks grainy, the ferocity on the faces of these fighters remains clear. The amateur boxer Adonis, dressed in shirt and tie, watches for a moment, but then rises and approaches the screen and begins to shadow the movements and punches of the fighters. At first it seems touching, a son walking
in the footsteps of his father. But Adonis isn’t mirroring Apollo, nor is he fighting Rocky — he’s fighting Apollo. This image so perfectly captures the essence of the film: a son grappling with the legacy of his father, a legacy he didn’t ask for from a father that left him before he was born. Boxing is just the physical representation of this very personal conflict. That’s why cinema is so fond of the boxing/fighting film. There is no greater exemplification of the personal struggle than the fighter’s quest for greatness: it’s boiled down and raw and brutal. Emotional tension can be felt, but physical confrontation — the crack of a rib, the spray of blood on the ring — these sounds and images resonate and boom. And when these physical struggles mesh with and mirror the more personal, emotional struggles, the audience becomes absorbed in the characters. Suddenly, their fight becomes our fight too. And in “Creed” the emotions resonate so loudly because its fight is so personal and human. Watching “Creed,” I felt like I sat ringside, cheering on our protagonist. And it wasn’t simply because the camera weaves between the fighters to create a sense of 360 degree immersion, nor was it because of the use of surround sound that places characters in front of and behind the audience so as to propel us smack into the middle of the scene. It was because I cared, because I could relate. Growing up, family and friends remarked how much I resembled (still resemble) my father: the same appearance, the same sense of humor, the same walk, the same voice, the same mannerisms, the spitting image of my father. And so for years I could only compare myself to him: was I as smart as he was when he was my age, was I as personable as him, was he stronger than me, faster than me, what could he do that I couldn’t, and why couldn’t I do it too. Up until this past April, I was studying to go to medical school in large part (though not completely) because my father did — not because he wanted me to, but because I was still competing
with him, with his name. But his name is my name, and names and legacies do not make an individual. They are inescapable and immutable, they help shape an identity, but they do not define that identity. And at some point I realized that I am my father’s son and I bear my father’s name, but though he has profoundly influenced who I am, I am not my father. And so Adonis reaches the same conclusion by the finale of “Creed,” though he achieves that catharsis through sweat and blood rather than self-contemplation. But his internal fight to define his own self-worth is universal; who among us has not compared himself to a parent, a family member, a friend or even a younger, more successful self? This idea of names, the weight they carry with regards to one’s pride, is a powerful concept, far more powerful than an uppercut to the jaw or a quick left jab to the ribs. And “Creed” plays up the concept in so many ways: by juxtaposing a young character with an absent but well-established, legendary figure and by contrasting an aging Rocky with constant reminders of his youth and success, but also by “Creed” ‘s very existence as a sequel to one of the most beloved films of all time. When a film taps into all of these deeper levels — narratively, metaphorically, existentially — yet still entertains as a crowdpleaser, that excites as a sports picture, that moves as an interpersonal drama and manages to reflect in its characters a struggle universal but individual, then that film becomes something more, something worth remembering and cherishing. I could never relate to “Rocky” the way so many did when it came out in 1976. But I understand “Creed,” I understand this struggle and this fight and this identity crisis. I understand the image of a young man shadowboxing a ghost. “Creed” is not “Rocky,” but it is my “Rocky,” the underdog sports drama I’ll think back on for years to come. Bircoll is in the middle of a LSAT-studying montage. To send your moral support, e-mail jbircoll@umich.edu.
MUSIC NOTEBOOK
Thanksgiving with soulful CHERUB By CATHERINE BAKER Daily Arts Writer
It’s half past four and the Thanksgiving meal that my family spent two days preparing for has been devoured in less than thirty minutes. That in itself is a miraculous feat, but what is more exciting is that we’ve managed to finish our dinner with none of my elderly relatives saying anything extremely offensive. I take this as a win. As I retire to the living room for my post-Thanksgiving nap, I decide the noise of the familial argument beginning to take place in the kitchen is better replaced by the sounds of my own music. The first song up on my Spotify Discover playlist is “Simple” by CHERUB, which is a band I’ve always liked but never truly appreciated enough. Nevertheless, in my turkey induced haze I take a liking to this song in particular and I pull up the rest of their album. CHERUB is an electro-indie duo from Nashville, Tennessee formed in 2010. It consists of Jordan Kelley and Jason Huber who met in college at Middle Tennessee State University while studying music production. Building their fan base by making their songs payment-optional, CHERUB recently played at Lollapalooza, South by Southwest and Bonnaroo festival. Their debut album, Year of the Caprese, was released on May 27, 2015 and combines genres like post-
disco, synth pop and funk. Their most popular song, “Doses and Mimosas,” charted at number 42 on Billboard’s Rock Airplay chart and 23rd on the Alternative Songs Chart. Opening the album with “Simple,” CHERUB makes electronica soulful, combining traditional synthetic elements with meaningful lyrics. Reflecting, “I just want to live it all with ones I love / And simple minds lead to simple lives,” lead singer Kelley muses on his personal goals in life. Transitioning seamlessly into “Disco Shit,” the electronic elements stay and the serious lyrics leave. With a dance beat and psychedelic components, “Disco Shit” describes party culture and drug scenes, finishing the song with a muted sound like you’re underwater, presumably mimicking the effects of said drugs.
Year of the Caprese should top your “To Listen” list. “This Song Is for You” is intimate and slows things down with a simple, syncopated synth beat, singing, “We were the last ones standing / Never knew that life would end up being so
random.” It is slow, reflective and lyric-heavy, focusing on previous and broken relationships rather than wondering about the future. Their most popular song, “Doses & Mimosas,” uses unusual sounds like the snap of the tab of a pop can to create an electronic pop sound. An extremely cynical chorus, “To all the bitch ass hoes / That hate me the most / Oh yeah, I hate you too,” probably played a role in “Doses & Mimosas” rise to fame amongst adolescents. By singing all the verses in falsetto and emphasizing the synth, CHERUB’s newest hit is unlike anything on the radio today. “<3 (Heart)” starts off similarly to the rest of the album with an electronic beat and pop-infused lyrics. However, the second half of the song devolves quickly into an acoustic cry for help. With nothing but a broken and strained voice backed by the plucking of a guitar, Kelley chokes out, “Just wait until I get the nerve to break / Your precious little heart.” In an unexpected, but not unwelcome twist, CHERUB showcases an entirely new side to their musical ability. While CHERUB’s music is different from most popular musicians, the range of styles and topics it covers on Year of the Caprese should put it on the top of your “To Listen” list. And I can certainly attest that it is perfect for that postThanksgiving nap.
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Wednesday, December 2, 2015 — 7A
LeVert, Michigan hold off Wolfpack Wolverines build lead early in second half, hold off N.C. State on the road By KELLY HALL Daily Sports Writer
RALEIGH, N.C. — Duncan Robinson smirked at his bench. After the Wolverines trailed, then led, and then came close to trailing once MICHIGAN 66 N.C. STATE 59 more, the redshirt sophomore guard sank his fifth 3-pointer with 6:48 left in the game to give the Michigan men’s basketball team the cushion it needed to hang on to its lead and beat North Carolina State, 66-59. “We showed great fight down the stretch,” said senior guard Caris LeVert. “They made a run — we knew they would — their crowd got behind them, but we still stuck together. We made some big baskets down the stretch. Duncan’s 3 and Zak’s 3 were huge for us, we got stops when we needed and rebounded well, and that’s what got us over.” For the first 10 minutes of Michigan’s Big Ten/ACC Challenge matchup at N.C. State, it appeared the Wolverines were going to fall to the Wolfpack in a similar fashion to their first two losses — with poor shooting and a lack of an impactful big man. Michigan (5-2) started the game shooting just 2-for-9 from the field, but with 10:12 left in the first half, Robinson ignited the Wolverines with a 3-pointer that put them one point short of the Wolfpack, 11-10. What started as a game dominated by N.C. State quickly descended into a back-and-forth contest, with the two teams exchanging leads five
Abdur-Rahkman, Albrecht pick up slack with Derrick Walton Jr. injured
times in the next two minutes. keeping his sweats on during the season with a toe injury in the But once Michigan grabbed first half. Just 19 seconds later, same foot — hid his face during control, it never lost its lead. he fed senior guard Caris LeVert a brief examination on the bench Freshman forward Moritz for an alley-oop dunk that gave before slowly limping to the Wagner, who came in for Michigan a 15-point lead. locker room moments later. He sophomore big man Ricky The Wolfpack gradually was officially diagnosed with a Doyle four minutes after the tip, whittled the Wolverines’ lead slightly sprained ankle and did awakened the Michigan bench over the next minutes, led by not return for the second half, with a monster one-hand slam forward Caleb Martin, who By JACOB GASE leaving the Wolverines without with 8:06 to go. Wagner collected scored 10 points on a 12-1 run to Daily Sports Editor their floor general. four fouls over the course of the make the score 46-42. Fortunately for Michigan, the game but emerged as a steady LeVert’s steady dominance RALEIGH, N.C. — The rest of its offense came ready to backup with eight points on made it impossible for the Michigan men’s basketball team play to the tune of a 66-59 victory, 4-for-7 shooting. Wolfpack to come all the way was finally starting to roll in its Big even without Walton’s direction. “I think that’s kind of my back, scoring 18 points, dishing Ten/ACC Challenge showdown Just 11 days after his 29 points thing, to give the team energy,” out seven assists and grabbing against North Carolina State, weren’t enough to down Xavier Wagner said. “I think that’s what nine rebounds. And with help but on the Wolverines’ bench, at Crisler Center, junior guard people ask me to do, and I really from Robinson, who ended the Derrick Walton Jr.’s face was Caris LeVert proved the offense’s enjoy that role.” game with 17 points on 6-forburied in a towel. success could stem from his own After opening the game 8 shooting, the Wolverines’ The junior guard had just performance. LeVert essentially shooting 2-for-9, Michigan confidence was on full display. helped the Wolverines break ran the point for most of the second made its next seven of eight. “(Robinson’s shooting) is an early tie with a 10-0 scoring half, and his 18 points, seven Robinson had a big part of deadly,” LeVert said. “When he run, but after Wolfpack forward assists and nine rebounds were all Michigan’s late control. He hit hits a couple in a row, you wanna Maverick Rowan ended the team highs. More importantly, his two 3-pointers in a row to give look for him every time you can. drought with a 3-pointer, poise and persistence — perhaps Michigan a comfortable seven- … He just knocks them down. Walton came up grabbing his best exemplified by his buzzerpoint lead. The Wolverines “If we were playing against a left ankle in pain. beating jumper to end the first maintained that lead, going into guy like Duncan, we would never Walton — who missed half — kept the Wolverines from halftime up 34-26. leave him open.” Michigan’s final 12 games last taking their feet off the gas. After junior “Coach came to guard Derrick me and told me I Walton left the was gonna be the game late in the lead guard in the first frame with second half,” LeVert a slight sprain said. “Derrick’s our on his left ankle, brother out there, sophomore guard so we wanted to get Muhammad-Ali the win for him. He Abdur-Rahkman played so well in the started the second first half offensively half and played and defensively, we the bulk of the knew (the rest of us) minutes at point had to play well in guard. that game.” Senior guard Redshirt Spike Albrecht, sophomore guard who has played Duncan Robinson only spot minutes showed he also while rehabbing possesses the same his hips, was also 3-point shooting able to make an prowess as Stauskas appearance. He and can take over a got on the court close game with his with 14:46 left shooting. ALLISON FARRAND/Daily in the game after Caris LeVert led the way with 18 points, seven assists and nine rebounds as the Wolverines picked up a big road win. Robinson knocked
down five of his seven 3-point attempts on his way to 17 points, including a huge triple with just under seven minutes remaining to extend a narrow four-point lead to seven. “When (N.C. State) pushed hard, we needed somebody to step up,” said Michigan coach John Beilein. “(That last 3) was probably the only bad shot Duncan took, but it was one of those, ‘No, no, no ... that’s my guy (after he made it).’ “ LeVert may have been the de facto point guard for the Wolverines in the second half, but both sophomore MuhammadAli Abdur-Rahkman and senior Spike Albrecht were needed for meaningful minutes. Abdur-Rahkman is no stranger to being unexpectedly thrust into action thanks to last year’s injury problems, and though he didn’t light up the box score, his experience showed in his defensive matchup with N.C. State leading scorer Anthony “Cat” Barber. Albrecht, meanwhile, was dressed in sweatpants for the first half in keeping with Beilein’s stated plan to focus on rehabbing from his offseason hip surgeries. But after Walton went down, Albrecht came out in uniform for the second half. The ailing senior played just five minutes, but he punctuated his brief time on the floor by lobbing a perfect alleyoop to LeVert. At least for tonight, the Wolverines proved they could survive a tough road matchup without a true point guard thanks to stellar play from LeVert and Robinson. But with Walton’s health now up in the air — he will be reevaluated before Michigan’s game Saturday against Houston Baptist — and Albrecht’s road to recovery still dragging on, only time will tell if that offensive productivity is sustainable.
A look at Michigan’s competition Thome, Dunston WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
fill gaps on glass By TED JANES Daily Sports Writer
After Cyesha Goree graduated, the Michigan women’s basketball team lost a center who averaged more than 10 rebounds NOTEBOOK a game. Heading into the 2015 season, the Wolverines were in need of a replacement. Enter Hallie Thome. The freshman center and former Ohio Ms. Basketball is supposed to get rebounds. After all, she is 6-foot-5. “It’s nice to have that post presence inside,” said Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico on Tuesday to WTKA. “And I know we worried about it this year, losing (Goree).” Expectations haven’t entirely been met, though. Thome has pulled down 28 rebounds through six games for the Wolverines. Averaging 4.7 boards per game isn’t exactly what one would expect from someone of Thome’s size. She isn’t playing poorly by any means — hitting a remarkable 76.6 percent of her shots — but her lack of aggressiveness on the glass seems to negate her height advantage. The Wolverines focus on rebounding every day in practice, and assistant coach Melanie Moore works with Thome one on one, challenging her to grab more boards. When the whole team gets together for the rebounding drills, it tends to get pretty intense. Barnes Arico will typically put five of the team’s practice managers around the arc, and the Wolverines all line up on the free throw line. When the coach shoots the ball up toward the backboard, the players turn around, find a manager to block and grab the rebound. If a player fails to block out one of the practice managers, she is taken off the court. Drills like these are what Thome needs in order to become
more aggressive. She has great hands and finishes around the rim better than anyone Michigan has faced so far, but she still hasn’t filled the rebounding void. Making up the lost ground is sophomore forward Jillian Dunston. A new addition to the starting five, Dunston leads the team with 49 rebounds — twice as many as Thome. Dunston and Thome are essentially opposites. What the 5-foot-11 Dunston lacks in height, she makes up for with her tough, gritty attitude in the paint. Sunday, the Wolverines outrebounded Oral Roberts, 37-33, and Dunston led the way with nine. Michigan was actually trailing the Golden Eagles in rebounds at the end of the first half, but it came back to dominate the boards after the break. STAYING UNBEATEN: Michigan is 6-0 for the first time since the 2011-2012 season. Not a single opponent has lost by less than 15 points, and it’s largely due to the Wolverines’ deep roster. “I don’t know as a coach how many times in my career I’ve had (this much depth) before,” Barnes Arico said. “Usually you have a couple players that can score, but not eight or nine. We have eight or nine that can be our leading scorer on any given night, or at least make a big basket.” Michigan is deepest at the guard position, led by junior Siera Thompson and sophomore Katelynn Flaherty. There are about six guards that play double-digit minutes every game, but it’s not because Barnes Arico is playing a four-guard lineup. Barnes Arico has tended to keep two forwards in most of the time, rotating Thome, Dunston and senior Kelsey Mitchell. It’s a good problem to have, but no matter the depth, Michigan’s undefeated streak is going to be put to the test this week with games against Pittsburgh and Princeton, both of which defeated the Wolverines last year.
By JUSTIN MEYER Daily Sports Writer
With three days until the puck drops on the Big Ten hockey season, the conference is a mess. All six teams have laid more than their fair share of goose eggs. In fact, just two teams enter conference play with a winning record. In 16 games against the National Collegiate Hockey Conference, considered the country’s strongest this year, the Big Ten has lumbered to a 1-14-1 record. No. 12 Michigan and Penn State have managed to separate from the pack just by playing respectably. It’s too early to be certain, but more than one Big Ten team making the NCAA Tournament looks hopeless. With the Wolverines (7-2-2) hosting Wisconsin on Friday at Yost Ice Arena for the start of a weekend series, the Daily breaks down the competition across the conference. Penn State (8-2-3) There are no two ways about it — the Nittany Lions are a strong team. The young hockey program has grown at an incredible pace over the last four years, and this season is no exception. Goaltender Eamon McAdam holds the best goals-against average and save percentage in the conference. Penn State also ranks first in goals per game (4.15) and goals allowed per game (2.38). Yes, the team’s strength of schedule is undeniably weak — ranked 46th out of 60 teams. The Nittany Lions didn’t help themselves with a loss to unranked Notre Dame and a tie with a Niagara team that Michigan handled easily. But the numbers don’t lie, and Penn State can suffer significant drops in productivity without another team in the conference, aside from of Michigan, sniffing its statistical leads. Wisconsin (3-5-4) The Badgers opened the 2015
season with six winless games. The competition was stiff at times, including visits to No. 10 Boston University and No. 1 Boston College, but the 0-3-3 start likely dashed any chance for an at-large bid for the postseason. Wisconsin followed the slow start with several good performances against top teams like No. 4 North Dakota and No. 9 Denver. This weekend’s trip to Michigan finally gives the Badgers the chance to right the ship once and for all. The most severe correction needs to take place in the offensive zone. Wisconsin is averaging a dismal 2.33 goals per game, last in the Big Ten, and has scored just three even-strength goals all season. Freshman goaltender Matt Jurusik has been a nice addition since he took over the starting role. Jurusik has posted a respectable 2.89 goals-against average and save percentage of .906. Those numbers are particularly impressive because they come against the high-production offenses that Wisconsin faced in non-conference play. Michigan State (4-7-2) The 2015 season has not been kind to the Spartans. After finishing second in the Big Ten last season, Michigan State is heading into conference play with seven losses. Four of those defeats came in definitive sweeps at the hands of North Dakota and Denver. The Spartans were outscored 14-4 in those contests. In games against the top 20 this season, the team is 0-6-1. Besides the strong strength of schedule, ranked No. 22, there aren’t a lot of positives thus far for Michigan State. Defensively, the Spartans rank near the bottom of the Big Ten. Their goals-pergame average of 3.00 is good for 19th in the nation, but it is hardly enough to make up for the lapses on the other end. Even worse, Michigan State doesn’t look likely to improve in the short term. The Spartans have another tough test this
JAMES COLLER/Daily
Red Berenson’s team remains near the top of a weak Big Ten this season.
weekend when they travel to Penn State. Minnesota (4-7-0) One of the conference’s biggest disappointments remains an enigma. The Golden Gophers have talent in bunches, but lack even one signature win after playing several strong teams. The Minnesota are the only Big Ten team to make the NCAA Tournament in each of the three years since the conference’s founding. But a shaky non-conference performance did the team no favors toward retaining that distinction. The Golden Gophers looked to be turning it around after a sluggish start to the season before being swept by No. 7 St. Cloud State last weekend. Now, questions surfaced about how good they really are. Several notable departures this spring make it likely that Minnesota will rebound to better form as the season continues,
none more significant than goaltender Adam Wilcox. Wilcox left early to sign with Tampa Bay and currently plays in the AHL, but Eric Schierhorn has performed well in his absence. The freshman posted a .916 save percentage through 11 games. On a positive note, the future does look bright for the Golden Gophers — if only because Ohio State is on the horizon. Ohio State (3-9-0) The Buckeyes are awful. Junior goalie Matt Tomkins ranks last in the Big Ten in save percentage, goals-against average and winning percentage. It’s certainly not fair to heap all of the blame on the netminder, but a 3.20 goals-against average makes it nearly impossible to win games. Ohio State travels to Minnesota this weekend, looking to improve an 0-6-0 record on the road. While a loss isn’t definite, one thing is: It’s going to be a long season in Columbus.
8A — Wednesday, December 2, 2015
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
statement THE MICHIGAN DAILY
DECEM B E R 2 , 2015
2B
Wednesday, December 2, 2015 // The Statement
Another Thing: I loved Katharine Hepburn BY ALEX BERNARD
H
ere’s what kind of happened. It was a Wednesday night. I was doing what I always do on Wednesday nights: sitting on my couch, sucking the skin on the back of my hand, thinking about the banking crisis, when... “How do you do, Mister Beh-nard?” I gasped! Who had materialized in my room, but none other than Hollywood starlet and four-time Oscar winner Katharine Hepburn! She was perched in my desk chair, legs crossed, head thrown back, a martini dangling from her fingernails real seductive like a snake teething a yo-yo. “What are you doing here, Katharine Hepburn?” I un-sucked my hand. “Shouldn’t you be in the Golden Age of Hollywood?” “Oh, Mister Beh-nard,” Katharine Hepburn said. “Who could ever be as astute as you? You’re hallucinating ... simple as that, Professor.” “Yeah ... ” “Besides, a girl can enjoy the view, can’t she?” “Hee-hee-hee ... ” For the next week, my hallucination of Katharine Hepburn and I did everything together. She showed me “Citizen Kane” and “The Philadelphia Story.” I showed her “Space Jam.” In the evenings, we ate at Chophouse (on her) and South Quad (on me). Except, the thing is, no matter where we went, no matter how many times I told our waiter I’d be dining with a redheaded, sharp-tongued, film-icon-legend lady, they never brought Katharine Hepburn any food! So I gave her some of my chicken tenders. At night, we waltzed on rooftops. I’d say she looked “really hot” and she’d tell me I was “incorrigible,” then I’d say that word was “really hot” and she’d say, “Thanks, doll,” and I’d say, “Wel-come!” and she’d smirk and double backflip off the roof, onto a horse, and I’d take the stairs.
And yet despite it all, if you can believe it, Katharine Hepburn was super insecure, always calling herself a “damn fool,” a “silly little thing,” insisting she was unlovable, unfeeling, made of “bronze.” And I was all like, “What? You? Bronze? Aren’t pennies made from bronze? Wait, nah, that’s copper. Never mind.” And then Katharine Hepburn would be all like, “I don’t expect you to understand.” And then I’d be all like, “Maybe, I don’t. Maybe I don’t understand. But, wow, look at you. I mean, Jesus. I’m so lucky. Your eyes are so real, I never saw eyes so real. I’d touch ’em if it wouldn’t be so uncomfortable for you.” And then she’d start crying, and I’d ask, “What is it?” and she’d say, “Shut up, keep talking,” so I would: “I’m no good with words. I’m no good ever, really. But you, you don’t make me feel like a bad person ... I love you. I knew it the minute I met you. I’m sorry it took so long for me to catch up. I just got stuck.” That last part was from “Silver Linings Playbook,” but Katharine Hepburn never saw it ’cause she died in 2003 and everything, so she thought I was real romantic and would kiss me hard and drop her champagne on the carpet, and I’d go to clean it up but she’d be all like, “Leave it, dah-ling. We’re wonderful. Hold me ... mmm.” And I would, tight and all that. And we’d sleep together, but never have sex because the sex was only implied. And then, one day, well ... how are the mighty fallen. One day, after buying Katharine Hepburn a frock (whatever that is) and after eating snow by the Michigan Union, I walked home, put my key in the door and heard something — “Oh, Cary, put me in your pocket.” I burst in and what I saw ... what I saw was ... In my bed, under my new comforter, was Katharine Hepburn kissing my hallucination of Hollywood star and honorary Oscar winner
Cary Grant! “Cary Grant!” I said, dropping my package and such. “What are you doing?! Shouldn’t you be in the Golden Age of Hollywood?” Cary Grant tightened his tie, clasped my shoulder, and said, “Easyold-fellow-justpassing-throughon-my-wayto-New-York. Don’t-bealarmed. Katharine-and-I-were-just-trading-secrets ... with ... our ... tongues.” I socked him in the nose. But then Cary Grant said he deserved it, which made me feel bad for socking him because I didn’t want him to think he deserved it. I wanted him to hit me back. But he didn’t. Katharine Hepburn socked me in the nose. “Terribly-sorry, Al-ex,” Cary Grant said. “The-thing-is-I-drank-to-ex-cess. Or-no, life ... drank ... me.” He was gone before I could ask him what the shit that meant. And then it was just me and Katharine Hepburn. Me: “Did you have to make out with somebody my mom thinks is hot?” She: “I’m sorry, but I have no sympathy for you. Not everyone is lucky enough to understand how delicious it is to suffer. I’ve made you lucky. Do you understand?” Me: “I understand, but that doesn’t help or matter. That never matters, Katharine.” She: “Yeah ... ” Me: “God, you were Katharine Hepburn and
THOUGHT BUBBLE “Coming back is like going from no stress, to endless stress. It’s nice going home as long as my parents don’t ask me too many questions. How are you doing with classes? Have you found an internship? Have you found a job?” – Engineering senior TRACY LO and LSA junior GRACE DENNEY
COVER BY CHERYLL VICTUELLES
now you’re just Katharine and I wish you were still Katharine Hepburn. Or, at least ‘Madam Heppo.’ ” I wiped my nose and adjusted myself. She sucked on one of those long cigarette holders, but there wasn’t a cigarette inside ’cause my building doesn’t allow smoking so she just sucked on the plastic. God, it was hot. “I love what I thought we were,” I said. “Thank you,” she said. “I regret very little. And I’ve enjoyed myself immensely.” “Good,” I said. “I’m ... I’m glad, really.” I smiled real small, and she was gone. I miss Katharine. I even miss Cary Grant. My hallucinations, what I thought they were for so long, what they still might be. And I keep asking myself and only myself — because other people might understand but understanding isn’t enough — I keep asking: How do I get my hallucinations back? And how do I forget that’s what they are? And I always tell myself the same thing: Enough with the movies, schmuck. Eat snow. So I do, I do. I get my coat, I grab my keys, and I make a big show of it.
THE Magazine Editor: Ian DIllingham Deputy Editor: Natalie Gadbois Design Editor: Jake Wellins
statement
Photo Editor: Luna Anna Archey Creative Director: Cheryll Victuelles Editor in Chief: Jennifer Calfas
Managing Editor: Lev Facher Copy Editors: Hannah Bates Laura Schinagle Emma Sutherland
Wednesday, December 2, 2015 // The Statement 3B
ON THE RECORD “As you begin the next generation of the Chan Zuckerberg family, we also begin the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to join people across the world to advance human potential and promote equality for all children in the next generation. Our initial areas of focus will be personalized learning, curing disease, connecting people and building strong communities.” — Facebook CEO MARK ZUCKERBURG and wife PRISCILLA CHAN in a publicized letter to their newborn daughter, Max. ***
“Very proud of the team, the way they’ve worked, the way they’ve progressed. We’ll just stay at that. Closed quite a bit of ground. Still more ground to close on, but knowing our team, they’ll stay with it.” — Michigan coach JIM HARBAUGH in a statement after the team’s loss to Ohio State on Saturday. elections this week
THE LIST
B U Z Z F E E D, B U T B E T T E R
BEST QUOTES FROM CHIPOTLE BAGS Chipotle: One of the finer things in life. Not only does the restaurant provide fast, delicious food (and in some places, and exotic side of E. Coli) but they decorate their bags with inspirational quotes as well.
1
J O N AT H A N F R A N Z E N
2
J U D D A PATOW
“If you’re taking such an extremely short view, how are you even supposed to see a pedestrian who’s starting to cross the street?”
“Don’t be a jerk. Try to love everyone.”
G E O R G E S AU N D E R S
3 4 AZIZ ANSARI
“Hope that, in future, all is well, everyone eats free, no one must work, all just sit around feeling love for one another.”
“Have you ever run into someone with no teeth and asked, ‘What happened?’”
5
STEVEN PINKER
“We will never have a perfect world, but it’s not romantic or naive to work toward a better one.”
My Cultural Currency: Domestic life
“
You should call your next column the Domestic Life of Sharon, Tanvi, Tanya and Dhara,” my roommate, Dhara, said. “Like ‘The Suite Life of Zack and Cody,’ but less interesting.” She’s lugging two trash bags out of our kitchen to hand to our other roommate, Sharon, who’s standing at the door with a sour expression on her face. “This is the worst part about going home for break,” Sharon had said earlier in the day. “Cleaning.” I observe them attempting to wrestle with the bags, standing unhelpfully against my bedroom door. Out of all of my roommates, I am the least “domestic.” It’s not that I’m untidy or horrifically messy, it’s just that I’m not equipped with the same level of housekeeping skills as them. All three of them can make rice without burning it, can prepare Chai that doesn’t look like sewer water and spin perfectly round rotis, the ultimate quality of Indian femininity. Rotis, which I can only best describe as Indian tortillas, but thinner, and their shape, hold a very special place in the judgment of an Indian woman’s character. Or, to be more accurate, the archaic judgment of an Indian woman’s character. Round rotis were a prized talent, but mine, unfortunately, always turn out to be some abstract shape, much to the embarrassment of my mother, who has been trying to teach me to cook and clean as adeptly as herself ever since I turned thirteen. “What is wrong with you? What are you going to do when you’re living and working alone?” she’d always scream at me. “How are you going to take of yourself? Who is going to cook for you?” I would roll my eyes and make up some excuse — usually that I had to “study” some more — to beg off whatever cooking or cleaning task she had
B Y TA N YA M A D H A N I assigned me. Looking back now, as my roommates tidied up the apartment and deftly swept the linoleum floor, I realize how stupid I had been to ignore my mom’s lessons. I am utterly ill equipped to function on my own. My version of “cleaning” is just scrubbing every surface with Lysol wipes. When I was younger, I always assumed that the reason my mother was assigning cooking and cleaning tasks to me was because I was a girl. Every time she would yell at me about vacuuming the house on a weekly basis or washing off the dishes the sink, I would look at my brother lounging on the couch unbothered and get angry. But now, whenever I come home, it’s him doing the very tasks that I had been asked to do when I was his age. It wasn’t because I was a girl, I now realize, but because I was, in my mother’s mind, a modern girl. I would eventually be moving away from my parents’ home and living on my own, something that only happened in my mother’s generation when a woman was married off. When my mom was assigned her chores by my grandmother, her protests would be met with scoldings about her in-laws would receive her lack of cooking skills, how she would keep them and her husband happy and how she could be expected to maintain the respect of her marital home if she couldn’t even do basic things like make a fourcourse meal alone. But my mom wouldn’t dare mention any of these things to me, simply because she knows that they’re not what me or any other girl my age, living in this time period in this country, would want for themselves. The fact that my roommates have picked up these lifelong skills from their own house doesn’t meant that they’re too “traditional” or “old-fashioned,” it just means that they’re far more prepared for the real world than I am.
ILLUSTRATIONS BY CHERYLL VICTUELLES
4B
Wednesday, December 2, 2015 // The Statement
Wednesday, December 2, 2015 // The Statement
When God meets Greek life
DAVID SONG/Daily
The brothers of Phi Alpha Kappa enjoy their dinner together on Monday.
A
sign tells guests to remove shoes to avoid tracking snow into the house. A chessboard, with all of its pieces intact, sits next to a couch. I’m invited to sit in and wait. The BYX insignia hangs on the wall, and at the bottom, under an intricately designed cross, the words proudly state the house’s motto: “Brothers Under Christ.” This is not your average fraternity house. With only three on campus currently, Christian fraternities and sororities have slowly been growing at the University. They are all different, one traditionally old (Phi Alpha Kappa), one newer and growing (Beta Upsilon Chi), and the last newly minted (Sigma Alpha Omega). Beyond the obvious religious affiliations, these houses differ in other noticeable ways from their non-religious counterparts. The lack of alcohol at events, for instance, marks one of the biggest divides between Christian fraternities and sororities and most of “normal” Greek life. BYX still hosts dry mixers with Pan-Hellenic sororities like Delta Gamma and does joint charity events with Gamma Phi Beta. But it lacks the prevailing party atmosphere that seems to attract so many new students to Greek life in the first place. The fact that such organizations survive and grow speaks to their other offerings — those beyond traditional Greek organizations. *** There are many assumptions that come with the phrase “Christian fraternity/sorority.” As a Muslim, I entered these houses expecting conversations about Jesus and piety, things I hadn’t heard since Sunday school. This wasn’t exactly the image I came away with. My initial interview inquiry to PAK was met with the reply, “We as a house are very interested.” (This is not the usual response I get to an interview request.) Getting the brand out there, it turns out, is very important for them.
DAVID SONG/Daily
LSA sophomore Michael Boctor leads his brothers in prayer before their dinner at Beta Upsilon Chi on Sunday.
At PAK, I’m seated at an impeccably clean roundtable with four brothers across from me. The living room to the right of me is also impeccably clean, and the small den in front of me is, incredibly, impeccably clean. I didn’t go upstairs, but I could guess: impeccable. “We try to really strive to encourage involvement in the house,” Engineering senior Ryan Wawrzaszek said. The fraternity originated at Calvin College in Grand Rapids in 1929. Eventually, the organization moved to Ann Arbor, where it is now based in a considerably large house on East Ann Street. Surprisingly, original links still survive. The group has eleven active members and a number of pledges, and all of them are connected to either Calvin College or Grand Rapids, PAK President John Swets said. New members join through connections, not general interest. “To me, the house is a living, dynamic, breathing thing,” Swets said. “It remains a group of guys that are founded in the same core beliefs.” The halls of the house are adorned with class pictures from each year dating back to 1929, filling in a long history of lineage and tradition. It retains a somewhat medieval and traditional aura. The brothers say this setting is integral to how they function and interact with one another. Wawrzaszek tells me about the time he stumbled upon a conversation in the hallway about a certain scripture, and ended up spending many hours into the night standing there discussing, laughing. “Religion, for whatever reason, has become one of those topics that you don’t broach with someone that you don’t know that well, and I think that’s kind of sad,” Warzaszek says. “It’s something that our culture kind of stigmatizes, but just sharing on that deep of a level just brings you closer to people.” This sentiment is easily noticed in conversations with these
fraternity and sorority members. They speak so casually about faith and religion that it sometimes catches me off-guard. PAK has a student chaplain, Matthew Rouhana, who organizes events for the fraternity. He notes that his main, dayto-day duty is simply leaving his door open and talking to any brother who needs a chat. “If you can see that someone’s missing some kind of aspect in their spiritual life, you try to start up some event to kind of see what that is,” said Rouhana, who wears a long, visible wooden cross around his neck. The fraternity holds a weekly “Praise and Worship Night,” but they also plan more casual events, such as a Whirlyball night. They shovel snow up and down their road as an act of good faith toward their neighbors. The Christian part is important, yes, but it’s not all-consuming. Their relationship with alcohol is a little different. Swets, the president, admits to me, a little sheepishly, that their fraternity is not technically dry. At their annual Casino Night party, they do, in fact, have a cocktail bar, but the majority of their events do not feature alcohol. Rouhana adds on that he believes the current culture of going out and partying is “kind of self-indulgent and inwardly focused.” “We try to show that you can have fun without having an excess,” Swets said. “You don’t have to be drunk off your mind to have a good time, so we want to emphasize the human interactions with people, and I think it’s more genuine when you can do that in an environment where the focus isn’t alcohol.” *** LSA junior Julia Hopkins is one of the founders of Sigma Alpha Omega, the University’s only Christian sorority. Only in its second active semester, SAO was founded as a response to the lack of a Christian sisterhood while two fraternities existed. As Hopkins puts it, the founders felt it was “God’s calling.”
“We’re all at different places in our spiritual walks, so that’s what ties us all together,” she said. SAO is small, and it doesn’t yet have a house. Nationally, they don’t own property either. Like PAK, SAO is a predominantly white organization. But Hopkins says this is a result of their size and the pool of students from which they can recruit. “It’s a hard topic to deal with, because we’re already catering to such a small population of people that would be interested,” Hopkins said. Hopkins says the group does not define itself by religious standards, but that faith informs many aspects of what it does. The sorority members open and close their chapter meetings with prayers. Many come from separate churches around Ann Arbor and separate denominations entirely, but they all come together for the same Bible study nights. Their social events include apple-picking and wood-carving, and community service with churches and other organizations is one of their main activities. And, like its fraternal counterparts, the sorority is completely dry. Hopkins, though, wants to clear things up. “I’m not against alcohol,” she said. “I really want that sisterhood, but I don’t like to drink or party.” Hopkins says their sorority is not allowed to have alcohol at its events. As she puts it, Christians sometimes carry a reputation for being “very goody two-shoes and strict,” but she’s quick to note that they have a lot of fun. “We’ve found that we can still have fun, but not play with fire, so to speak,” she said. *** BYX is a relatively new fraternity. It is nationally recognized, but this is only its fourth active semester at the University. LSA senior Wesley Cimmarrusti says because his fraternity is dry, they have a different turnout than Greek life parties. He
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DAVID SONG/Daily
Some of the brothers of PAK compete against each other in a game of Super Smash Brothers at their house on Monday.
tells me, though, that when BYX invites sororities to its dry mixers, the recipients of the invitations often reply that they would be thrilled to join. And a recent Halloween party, he says, was “like a rave,” with black lights and music and all the thrills of a normal party. “Instead of simply removing drinking from the equation, we kind of fill it with other things,” he said. Cimmarrusti, much like the representatives from the other two organizations, is eager to confirm that they’re not some holier-than-thou group of people with weird parties. Christianity isn’t the dominant aspect of their social life. “Hopefully, everything we’re doing is God-honoring in one way or another, but it’s definitely not like at our parties only Christian music is played, or people are taking Communion as they walk through the door,” he said. PAK, BYX and SAO all mention their commitment to relationships quite often, and how their organizations are structured to favor close bonds and lasting friendships over alcohol and parties. At both BYX and PAK, pledges are required to interview each brother as a part of pledging, a common practice in many fraternities. It is, however, tough to recruit as a Christian fraternity. SAO, which currently has only six active members, meets with prospective candidates and votes on each one. “We rarely turn people away,” Hopkins said. *** I was once a wide-eyed freshman, and while I always knew Greek life wasn’t meant for people like me, it will always be something that is still more attractive and enticing than I want it to be in my head — loud, boisterous tailgates sounded much more fun than spontaneous community service events. For those in the latter camp, however, service is something Christian fraternities and sororities “love to do,” says Cimmarrusti. And community outreach is integral to the appeal of such
fraternities and sororities. This is BYX’s first semester in their house on North Ingalls Street, after its past tenants, members of a fraternity known as “Sig,” were kicked out by the landlord for “destroying the house every year,” Cimmarrusti said. After such experiences, the landlord personally approached BYX to take over the lease. “There wasn’t a ton of love from the neighbors initially,” Cimmarrusti said, referencing the reputation the previous fraternity had garnered in the neighborhood. BYX baked cookies for the neighbors and performed Rakeand-Runs, which are, as they sound, simply unfathomably nice versions of ding-dong ditching. In return, the fraternity has started to receive some positive feedback from the community. Cimmarrusti makes sure to mention, however, that outreach is simply a part of their fraternal contract, and not something that’s done with an agenda. *** After my hour-long chat with brothers of PAK, they all thanked me, humbly and graciously, and asked me about my religious background, humbly and respectfully. I responded that I’m Muslim, and for a fleeting moment, I began to lament the lack of a “Muslim fraternity.” I like to think a small part of them did, too. At the end of my conversation with Julia, she simply wanted to mention the obvious: “We’re normal.” And near the end of my interview with Wesley, a brother came down to the dining hall and dropped off his jacket. “What event are you most excited for next semester, Ed?” Cimmarrusti asked, trying to add some closing thoughts to the proceedings. Ed paused, then admitted, “There’s a mixer with Delta Gamma that I’m super excited about.” “Is there a girl you got your eye on?”
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Wednesday, December 2, 2015 // The Statement
University reacts to surging specialty drug prices by Irene Park, Daily Staff Reporter
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he University’s prescription drug plan currently supports more than 100,000 beneficiaries, including faculty, staff and retirees. And the price has been climbing, increasing about 11 percent in 2014 and about 17 percent in 2015. Keith Bruhnsen, manager of the University’s prescription drug plan, said the increase in the cost reflects multiple factors, such as inflation, increased new products and utilization. This rise, however, rests close to the national average, which was 13.1 percent in 2014, evidence of the impact that national trends in drug pricing can have on a regional level. Among these factors, Bruhnsen pointed to specialty drugs as those most responsible for the rise in the cost. The cost of specialty drugs for University’s drug plan rose more than 37 percent in 2015. Specialty drugs are ones designed to treat complex and chronic conditions. One specialty drug, Sovaldi, treats hepatitis C and cures more than 90 percent of those who are treated with it. But the 12-week course treatment costs $84,000 in the United States, averaging to about $1,000 a pill. Sovaldi is just one example, however. Daraprim: A case study Earlier this year, controversy over the anti-parasite drug Daraprim prompted political proposals from 2016 presidential candidates like Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, and debate over the current healthcare system and antitrust laws. In September, Martin Shkreli, the CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals, which acquired the rights to Daparim for $55 million, raised the price of the drug from $13.50 to $750 a tablet overnight — a 5,500-percent increase. Daraprim is an FDA-approved drug used to treat toxoplasmosis, a disease resulting from parasitic infections that can cause serious complications for immune-compromised patients, such as those who have gone through chemotherapy or have AIDS, pregnant women and children. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, toxoplasmosis is a leading
cause of death from foodborne illnesses. Unlike many medications like allergy or heartburn medicine, there are no generic alternatives for Daraprim. When the drug’s patent expires — usually 20 years after filing — other companies can produce the generic version using the same active ingredient found in the original drug. Since Daraprim first came to market in 1953, its patent has long expired. But Daraprim is not widely used — only 8,000 to 12,000 prescriptions in the United States each year compared to 25 million for statins, drugs that lower cholesterol — and it is unattractive for new pharmaceutical companies to invest in developing a generic drug because it may not be as profitable as investing in a bigger market. Robert Winfield, chief health officer and director of University Health Service, said this creates no competition in smaller markets for companies like Turing Pharmaceuticals, allowing the companies to set the price “as high as the market will bear” while abiding to the law. He saw an opportunity to take advantage to make profit, added Public Health Prof. Richard Hirth. He also said unfortunately there is not much that can be done under the current regulations, but implementing changes to help companies pursue generic drug research can help create competitions to prevent such exploitations in the future. “(Shkreli) realized there is an opportunity to be exploited,” Hirth said. “There really isn’t a lot that can be done under the current regulations.” Marianne Udow-Phillips, director of the Center for Healthcare Research & Transformation, said raising prices of drugs like Daraprim probably will not cause a significant increase in the healthcare cost by itself because of the small market, and that is how many companies like Turing Pharmaceuticals get away with an exorbitant price. However, Udow-Phillips added that this controversy has brought the issue to Congress, generating discussions. “(The controversy) has brought considerable federal scrutiny and discussions in Congress whether there should be more price controls and limits
for older drugs with expired patent,” Udow-Phillips said. Amid the controversy, Shkreli appeared on multiple news platforms and was active on social media to explain his actions. On CBS News, he said the price raise was to generate reasonable, not excessive, amount of profit. Shkreli furthermore said the higher profit earned from the price raise could help with developing a new drug to treat toxoplasmosis. Erik Gordon, clinical assistant professor of business, questioned why Turing Pharmaceuticals should be “rewarded” with the profit since the company was not involved with the initial research and development of Daraprim. Gordon said drug companies that actually do the high-risk drug research should be rewarded, but Turing Pharmaceuticals and other similar companies are not “entitled” to them. One such company called Valeant Pharmaceuticals also raised price for its cancer-related dermatology drug by about 1700 percent over the last six years. “If we don’t let (companies that do high-risk research) make enough money, they can’t keep doing the research,” Gordon said. Hirth noted, however, that Shkreli’s statement about using Daraprim’s profits toward new drug research had little credibility, as Turing Pharmaceuticals is not a research company, and Shkreli has little background in pharmaceutical research (he is a hedge fund manager). Last week, Turing Pharmaceuticals announced that the company would offer a 50 percent discount on Daraprim for hospitals, bringing down the cost to $375 per tablet. The company also announced that it would provide the drug free of charge for uninsured, lowincome patients, contribute to Patient Services Inc., a charity that financially assists Medicare patients, and participate in federal and state drug price discount programs. In a statement, Nancy Retzlaff, the company’s chief commercial officer, attempted to easy the concerns of some patients: “We pledge that no patient needing Daraprim will ever be denied access.”
Wednesday, December 2, 2015 // The Statement
Personal Statement: A year ago I got friend-dumped by Cheryll Victuelles, Statement Creative Director
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ello friends, I’m home! Let me know if/when you have time to get together before Sunday! — November 26, 2014, 3:23 p.m. *** Going home used to be exciting for me. That changed about this time a year ago. I was home in Illinois for Thanksgiving break, eager to see my friends from high school. I was the only one who left the state for college, and having spent the summer in Ann Arbor, it had been a while since we were all together. That weekend was especially important because my best friend, who I had known since I was seven and shared a (self-appointed) couple name with, was turning twentyone. I texted our group on Wednesday, asking if anyone was free before I had to go back to school. No response. When I asked again later if we were doing anything for my best friend’s birthday, worried that I hadn’t heard about any plans yet, I was told we’d be maintaining our tradition of going to our town’s tree lighting ceremony the night after Thanksgiving and going back to one of our houses to watch a Christmas movie. This seemed a little off to me, but I went with it, figuring that very few of my friends were big partiers. Friday night, she got up to leave after “Christmas Vacation” ended, and I went in for a hug. Still no mention of real birthday plans. I asked, “Am I going to see you again before I leave?” She gave me a small smile: “I don’t know.” I spent the next day at home with my cousin. At some point I checked Snapchat as a distraction from whatever assignment I was only kind of trying to do. I was going through the motions of tapping on each story to get that stupid little plus sign to go away when I saw it: they were all together, celebrating her birthday — without me. I turned to Facebook for confirmation. Photos of her and my other friends captioned “Happy birthday!” mocked me from my computer screen. I watched the stories again. I could feel my throat closing with each tap. Maybe those other girls I don’t
ILLUSTRATION BY CHERYLL VICTUELLES
know in the picture planned it and didn’t know about me. My stomach dropped. Tap. That doesn’t make sense, then why would the others be there? Tap. They wouldn’t know them either. Tears began to form in the corners of my eyes when I finally processed it all. Tap. I’m not supposed to be there. I rushed to the bathroom to save face in front of my cousin. I knew I couldn’t be in there for too long, so I let the initial sobs come out, took a few deep breaths, and splashed my face with some cold water. Apparently I wasn’t very convincing. When I came back out, he asked if everything was okay. Usually I lie, but that night I no longer had the heart. We drove around just to get my mind off things. Later that night, I decided to take the initiative and text my friends about how hurt I was. No immediate response. For the next few hours, my eyes would dart to my phone at each ghost vibration. There was still nothing when it came time for me to go to bed. Halfway through my drive back to Ann Arbor, my phone buzzed. A glance at the screen told me it was her. My heart skipped a beat. I anticipated the worst and feared my own reaction if I decided to pull over and read it. I had two more hours before I could look at what she said. I sang along louder to each song to distract myself. My gut feeling was right. The gist: she felt like our friendship had been over for a while already. Her birthday party was her idea. As we progressed through our college years, it seemed like I only contacted her when something was going wrong and that our interests were too different. I gave myself three reads before it really sunk in. I texted her back with a desperate apology and a plea that we try to fix things. She responded that now wasn’t a good time — she had a lot going on. Crying, I slunk to the floor and frantically texted my next closest friend from home. She didn’t want to talk about it, but she made a point in telling me that it felt like I only wanted to be her friend when I was in town. That’s when everything started to piece together: the unanswered texts, the “we’ve been really busy” responses I’d get when I’d ask how everyone
was, the feeling that celebrating 21 at the town’s tree lighting ceremony wasn’t quite right, the fact that no one could look me in the eye when I’d ask about birthday plans. They’d been keeping me in the dark for months, secretly resenting me. As I sat crumpled on the floor of my bedroom, their accusations ran through my mind. Were they right? Have I really been that selfish? Did I change for the worse over the years? A mix of defeat and indignation took over. I guess I do only text when I’m coming home, and I only have been telling her about my mishaps. But texting can go both ways! And most of those stories were funny! Shouldn’t you be able to turn to your best friend in times of need anyway? These questions and answers replayed in my head for months. I couldn’t fathom how they could have felt that way for so long without saying anything. I scrutinized every inch of the past, experiencing each stage of grief until I finally reached acceptance. I had never been more thankful that I was living in my sorority house before then, because you know love after a hallway of girls drops everything to see you stop crying. And that’s what I realized as time wore on. I realized it when my cousin drove me around after the initial shock. I realized it when my best friend in Ann Arbor let me come over that night, cry on her couch, eat ice cream for dinner and watch an awful romantic comedy on a Sunday night even though we both had a break’s worth of homework to do. I realized it when my parents, whom I rarely speak to about my personal life, called me that night because they knew something was wrong. I am still loved. *** Going home doesn’t feel like it used to. I still hesitate to get in touch with my other friends for fear that someone else will end things. Our group never talked about what happened, at least not with me, and when we have big gatherings, she and I are nothing more than awkward, polite strangers. I still walk on eggshells for fear I’ll be told again that I’ve changed. The thing is I have changed. I just no longer feel guilty about it.
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Wednesday, December 2, 2015 // The Statement
Rapper Angel Haze performs at The Loving Touch, in Ferndale Michigan Nov. 16.
V I S UA L S TAT E M E N T:
HAZE’S HOMECOMING On Nov. 16 Angel Haze, a 23-year-old rapper from Detroit, returned to their hometown and performed their latest project “Back To The Woods” in the neighboring city of Ferndale at The Loving Touch. Haze identifies as agender and prefers gender-neutral pronouns. The show began with performances with some of Haze’s favorite Detroit artists, Mic Write and Detroit Che. Starting with the track “New York”: but changing the verse to “I run Detroit,” Haze set up the remainder of the night to be catharsis of their homecoming; they and the crowd jumped with city pride. Haze connected with the audience from serenading women to tears in “Babe Ruthless,” to rapping about their experience about being Black in America “Impossible.” They ended the night with “Battle Cry” and encouraged fellow Detroiters to love their city, but go out and see the rest of the world.
Photo Story by Virginia Lozano
Rapper Angel Haze performs at The Loving Touch, in Ferndale Michigan.
Haze pulls audience members on stage to dance and rap along.
Haze serenades an audience member up on stage during their set at The Loving Touch.