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ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SIX YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM

Wednesday, February 1, 2017

Ann Arbor, Michigan

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statement T H E M I CH I GA N DAI LY | FE B RUA RY 1 , 2017

STUDENT GOVERNMENT

CSG passes resolution adopting $5 student fee

Leadership Engagement Scholarship funds aim to reduce financial burden FILE PHOTO/Daily

President Mark Schlissel discusses the immigration ban, diversity, and Poverty Solutions in an interview on Tuesday.

Schlissel talks immigration order, SES diversity, Poverty Solutions

University president discusses U-M’s responses to various issues, initiatives JENNIFER MEER Daily Staff Reporter

On Tuesday afternoon, Mark Schlissel, president of the University of Michigan, met with The Michigan Daily to address issues surrounding the University’s response to changes in national immigration policies, as well as its Poverty Solutions initiative and socioeconomic diversity on campus. Changes in Immigration Policies and Statement

On Saturday, Schlissel released a statement proclaiming the University’s refusal to disclose students’ immigration information in response to President Donald Trump’s executive order banning the immigration of people from Muslim-majority countries. The statement notes that the University has been a longtime advocate of international enrollment — the policy around students’ immigration statuses has been in place for months — and that it is “committed

RESEARCH

New toilet by ‘U’ team turns urine to fertilizer Researchers involved in so-called “Peecyclying” with new split bowl design ERIN DOHERTY Daily Staff Reporter

Out of all of the national rankings the University of Michigan makes each year, a new project could shake things up: The University, they say, is “number one” at number one. Last week, University researchers contributed to a project some dub “peecycling,” installing a toilet and a urinal in the G.G. Brown Engineering building on North Campus that recycles human urine to fertilizer. The initiative, funded by a $3 million grantfrom the National Science Foundation, created a split-bowl toilet design that collects urine from the toilet in a tank. The urine is then treated and filtered to be used as a fertilizer in the University’s botanical gardens. Solid waste from the toilet is sent to a treatment plant. From a user’s perspective, researchers said, the split-bowl toilet is not much different than a traditional toilet. Anthropology See TOILET, Page 3A

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to protecting the rights and opportunities currently available” to community members. Tuesday, Schlissel said he felt it was necessary to remind the community of the University’s stance, given the national political climate and concerned students on campus. “These are very important basic long-held principles of the University, and I think it was an important moment to … reaffirm our values and reassure your fellow students of our longstanding policy,” he said.

He added a primary reason for the statement was to draw attention to the importance of international community members: faculty and staff, he clarified, will be afforded the same protections as international students. “The reason I really wanted to speak up with clarity is I don’t necessarily think many people appreciate how international — not just our university — but all the great universities are,” he said. “We have students from See SCHLISSEL, Page 3A

HEATHER COLLEY Daily Staff Reporter

Central Student Government passed a resolution to adopt a student fee to increase funding for the Leadership Engagement Scholarship at its weekly meeting on Tuesday. The resolution passed with 29 in favor and two opposed. The Leadership Engagement Scholarship reduces the burden of financial strain for potential student leaders who aspire to contribute to any area of extracurricular campus life. The scholarship also seeks specifically to reduce socioeconomic barriers faced by many students who must forgo valuable opportunities because of financial strain. The nature of the scholarship, and its intention to aid student leaders with demonstrated financial need, is in accordance with the University of Michigan’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion strategic plan. Many members of CSG

expressed support for the resolution, noting that financial barriers affect many on campus, even if these students are not widely represented within CSG itself. CSG Communications Director Joe Shea, a Public Policy senior, has been a proponent of the resolution since its introduction. He said he supported it for its dedication to increased student involvement on the part of those who may struggle to access opportunities on campus. “The idea behind this resolution is one of solidarity,” Shea said. “As students, we understand how expensive it is just to go here … I try to remember that for some people at this university, it is simply not possible, and that is where something like the Leadership Engagement Scholarship comes into play.” The resolution — which was tabled during last week’s Central Student Government meeting following debate over whether it See CSG, Page 3A

Students express concern over effects New group of Pres. Trump’s immigration ban consults BUSINESS

Political organizations, refugee advocates disagree over executive order’s efficacy CARLY RYAN

Daily Staff Reporter

Throughout his campaign, President Donald Trump promised to limit immigration from Muslim countries, but nothing could prepare LSA senior Tina Al-khersan for the phone call she received at 2:30 a.m. Sunday. Al-khersan’s sister, a citizen of the United States, Iraq and New Zealand, called because she was detained at the Canadian border while trying to come back home after a trip with her boyfriend. American border patrol officials searched her car and phone, and told her they weren’t quite sure what to do with her, implementing Trump’s immigration restrictions was above their paygrade. After four hours, Al-khersan’s sister demanded to be let in, using her knowledge as an immigration lawyer to her benefit. “I don’t even want to speculate what would’ve happened

if she didn’t know her rights,” Al-khersan said. “She’s a U.S. citizen; they were only treating her differently because her passport said she was born in Iraq.” Al-khersan’s family is one of innumerable citizens, green card holders, visa holders and refugees who have been affected by Trump’s executive order tightening restrictions on immigration from seven Muslim countries, halting

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refugee immigration for 120 days and barring Syrian refugees indefinitely. President Trump said in a statement Sunday his goal is to keep Americans safe, not to ban Muslims, as some critics assert. “America is a proud nation of immigrants and we will continue to show compassion to those fleeing oppression, but we will do so while protecting our own citizens and border,” Trump wrote. “To be clear,

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this is not a Muslim ban, as the media is falsely reporting. This is not about religion — this is about terror and keeping our country safe.” However, Michigan representatives wrote in a statement by banning admissions and visas from exclusively Muslim-majority countries, the order is clearly religious discrimination. See IMMIGRATION, Page 3A

DESIGN BY: MICHELLE PHILLIPS

INDEX

student to student org

Capital Consulting Group aims to provide business advice to fellow startups TYLER COADY

Daily Staff Reporter

In a Capital Consulting Group meeting Monday evening, LSA sophomore Shriyance Jain laid a bold future for his organization, the University of Michigan’s newest consulting group. “We are underdogs right now, but I feel like that within the next couple of semesters, we will be up there as well,” he said. “I believe the other consulting groups better watch out.” Founded in the fall of 2015, Capital Consulting is student organization aiming to provide business consultation to other organizations on campus. The group of six executive board members split between LSA and the Ross School of Business, as well as more than 20 consultants, recently elected LSA freshman Boyang Yu as the group’s president. Executive board member Aaron Small, a Business sophomore, wanted to apply what he was See CONSULTING, Page 3A

NEWS.........................2 OPINION.....................4 ARTS......................6

SUDOKU.....................2 CLASSIFIEDS...............6 SPORTS....................7

News

2A — Wednesday, February 1, 2017

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Tweets

ON THE DAILY: OH DEER! Oh deer! Tuesday morning, Cynthia Westphal, wife of City Councilmember Kirk Westphal (D–Ward 2), hit two deer on Fox Hunt Drive while driving her two sons — ages 8 and 10 — to school. Fox Hunt Drive is close to King Elementary School in the northeast section of Ann Arbor. Kirk Westphal shared in a Facebook post that his wife was only driving 10 mph, so the deer were unharmed by the collision. He said they ran out into the road and bounced off the front of the car before running off into the woods. “She was driving 10 mph in the snow,” Westphal wrote. “One bounced off the front bumper, the other jumped and tripped over the roof. The deer ran off.” Westphal, who was not in the car at the time of the crash, added there was no damage

to the car aside from some fur State police reported a notable jump 2014. Data for 2016 has not yet been being left in the door jamb. in deer killed by cars in Ann Arbor released. “Amazingly, some fur in the in 2015, a 76 percent increase from -KAELA THEUT door jamb is the only physical sign of what happened,” he wrote. Westphal has voted in favor of controlling Ann Arbor’s deer population, specifically the cull of 63 deer last year, and he has used the 40 to 50 residents who kill deer with their cars each year as a supporting ALEXIS RANKIN/Daily element of his Liu Yuening performs on the Chinese Dulcimer during the Similar Roots, Different Tones concert at the Michigan argument. League Tuesday evening. Michigan

Michigan Students @UMichStudents

THE DULCET DULCIMER

Midnight Confession: in third grade, I cried when I didn’t understand dividing with remainders.

University of Michigan @UMich

Initially called Flint Senior College of the University of Michigan, @UMFlint opened in 1956. #UMich200

CAMPUS EVENTS & NOTES Failure Factories WHAT: A talk with Livingston award-winning panelists about a failure factory where education policy deserted the children in a Florida school system. WHO: Ford School of Public Policy WHEN: 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. WHERE: Weill Hall, Annenberg Auditorium

University Philharmonia Orchestra WHAT: A concert with the School of Music, Theatre & Dance, performing an all Spanish and Latin American themed program. WHO: School of Music, Theatre & Dace WHEN: 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. WHERE: Hill Auditorium

Modern Calligraphy Workshop

SUSTO and Cereus Bright

WHAT: A class taught by Onastazia Mullen to teach handlettering and illustration skills meant for beginners and those with some experience. WHO: University Flower Shop WHEN: 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. WHERE: University Flower Shop

WHAT: Come see SUSTO, a band known for their unique style, storytelling, wry humor and social commentary, with special guest Cereus Bright. WHO: The Ark WHEN: 8 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. WHERE: The Ark, 316 Main St.

“Israeli Berlin: Jewish Culture in the German Capital, Then and Now”

Contemporary London Deadline Extension

WHAT: Judaic Studies Prof. Rachel Seelig will be giving a lecture about the history of Israeli immigration to Germany and the Jewish community of Berlin. WHO: Dept. of Judaic Studies WHEN: 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. WHERE: 6600 W Maple Rd, West Bloomfield Township, Mich. 48322

WHAT: Frieda Ekotto of the Afroamerican and African Studies will be giving a talk about the changing demographic of England. WHO: Center for Global and Intercultural Studies WHEN: 11:59 p.m. WHERE: Angell Hall, CGIS Office, G155

Michigan Baseball Author’s Forum

@umichbaseball

WHAT: UM English professor Susan Parrish reads and discusses her book “The Flood Year 1927: A Cultural History,” depicting the worst river flood in U.S. history WHO: Author’s Forum WHEN: 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. WHERE: Hatcher Graduate Library, Gallery 100

17 days ‘til Lug-bombs #GoBlue #Countdown

Sonya Dal Cin

Mindfulness@Umich

@S_DalCin WHAT: A half-hour medition session guided by a professional staff and students. They often sit in chairs and will conclude their session with a short conversation. WHO: Newnan Advising Center WHEN: 1:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. WHERE: Cooley Building, 2918

Psychology professor lectures about success indicators, achievement Daily Staff Reporter

Psychology Prof. Fred Morrison presented what he believes to be the predictors of success in school and ways to help low-achieving students improve performance during a University of Michigan psychology talk Tuesday night at the Ann Arbor Public Library. Morrison discussed past studies supporting his claims, which show variability in performance from a young age and how to respond to those findings, including what can aid development, inside and outside school. “What we’ve learned, I think, over the past 15 to 20 years is that basically American students show great variability in their language, cognitive, social, academic and related skills,” Morrison said. “That predicts their success in school.” Morrison focused on self-

GOOD VIBES O N L Y.

regulation and the importance of it in children. He defined selfregulation as children’s ability to inhibit appropriate responses, including self-control and selfmanagement. “We focus on reading, writing and arithmetic, but in most instances we really don’t focus on things like self-regulation,” Morrison said. “They’re supposedly learned on their own or maybe not learned on their own or they mature. But they really don’t see them as the object of instruction.” The variability of self-regulation can be seen across gender and national origin. There are a group of boys in the United States who have been found to be lagging behind developmentally in terms of self-regulation. Morrison said this was the group that we needed to worry about. Rackham student Sammy Ahmed said these findings could

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impact children both in school and at home. “There could be implications for the timing and growth of these skills,” Ahmed said. “Some of the things that parents can do early on before school even begins that can give them an edge when they begin school,” The presentation focused on how to help the students who start school later, which is often indicator of success in the future. To find what students needed, Morrison said, researchers needed to examine what teachers were already doing. “What we found essentially here is an example of how different kids need different kinds of instruction,” Morrison said. Depending on ones’ IQ, students either needed more teacher-led instruction if they were on the lower side of the spectrum, or more personally driven activities if students were on the higher side of the spectrum. To bring these findings into practice, Carol Connor of Arizona State University has developed an algorithm-based intervention program that computes the attention and activities each student needs. “In essence, you have subgroups of kids (in a classroom), somewhere around three or four sub-groups, that are clustered by their patterns of scores and then the computer program will actually generate the exact amount and types of instruction that that child needs to get in order to be at grade level,” Morrison said. Ann Arbor resident Carlene Colvin-Garcia said she hopes that the findings discussed by Morrison will be implemented in the school systems. “I’m really interested in the emerging philosophy and methodologies for education,” Colvin-Garcia said.

Read more online at

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Engineering senior Katie Culver mentioned similar instances in which her peers were unable to access resources provided by the University because of financial barriers, which she said could be aided with contributions to the Leadership Engagement Scholarship. “I was at an information session for GM, and the woman said they want interns that are very involved on campus and in extracurriculars,” Culver said. “And one kid said, ‘I don’t have any internships, and I’m not very involved on campus, but can I still get this job?’ He said, ‘I work at Pizza Hut.’ And to the recruiters, it didn’t look very good, but what if he couldn’t afford to give up that job to be involved on campus?” Besides limiting access to internships or job positions through the University, financial burdens also limit students’ access to scientific research. Haddad noted an instance in which potential researchers were unable to pursue important career opportunities due to the strains of unpaid time commitments. “I know that a lot of my friends on engineering design teams can’t dedicate a full-time job’s worth of time on top of their classes, towards something that would benefit them in the future, when looking for internships, or full time-jobs, or just for the hands-on experience,” Haddad said. “That’s the exposure I’ve had, and why I’m passionate about the LES.” Rackham student Rep. Andy Snow, who opposed the resolution when it was introduced last week, voted against it for a second time. He said he will never support a resolution that could potentially result in tuition increases. “You can call it a fee, you can call it a tuition change, but either way it is an increase,” Snow said. “I want it on the record and this will absolutely increase what people will say, and I cannot be for it.”

Opinion

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

4A — Wednesday, February 1, 2017

KARLA GOLDMAN | OP-ED

Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@michigandaily.com

EMMA KINERY Editor in Chief

ANNA POLUMBO-LEVY and REBECCA TARNOPOL Editorial Page Editors

REBECCA LERNER Managing Editor

EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS Carolyn Ayaub Megan Burns Samantha Goldstein Caitlin Heenan Jeremy Kaplan

Max Lubell Alexis Megdanoff Madeline Nowicki Anna Polumbo-Levy Jason Rowland

Ali Safawi Kevin Sweitzer Rebecca Tarnopol Ashley Tjhung Stephanie Trierweiler

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.

COREY DULIN | COLUMN

Giving Lake Orion a chance

wo weekends ago, I The reason for this belief had went back home to Lake nothing to do with the film itself, Orion, something I do but the way I saw the community every month. It’s nice to sleep in I lived in. Lake Orion’s slogan is my own bed and spend time with “Where Living is a Vacation,” but my family, but I like in 2016 I nicknamed Ann Arbor more than it “Trump Country” my hometown. Ann — a catch-all term to Arbor is more diverse describe anything I (which is something don’t like about it. The that just about no one nickname seemed says) and I feel more appropriate: The comfortable here people in my town (for once I’m not the who supported Trump only Black girl in my were very vocal about class). If you have an it. Someone in my town COREY obsession with lakes, hand-made a massive DULIN like spending the day paper mâché Trump on a boat or like high-school sign for their yard and almost every football, then you’ll love spending day in my macroeconomics class time in Lake Orion. But if you’ve a kid would interrupt the lesson lived there for your entire life, to talk about how great Trump aren’t impressed by lakes, aren’t was. But I never saw a “Stronger interested in football and don’t Together” sign on anyone’s yard understand the point of standing and outside of my friend group, I on a boat all day, then you’ll get never heard people defend Hillary bored quickly. Every time I get Clinton or Bernie Sanders as on the freeway in the direction of strongly as they defended Trump. the small town I’ve lived in since I I also got the sense that many was a toddler, I think, “I should’ve people in my town were not stayed in Ann Arbor.” comfortable with Black people. There usually isn’t much to do Maybe it was the stares that I or besides go shopping or see a movie, anyone in my family got any time but thankfully “Hidden Figures” we left our house, or maybe it was was playing. When I first heard passing a car with a Confederate about this film, I knew I had to see flag bumper sticker every day it. The casting seemed incredible on my way into high school — my favorite actress Taraji P. until my junior year, biking past Henson and my favorite singer trucks with massive Confederate Janelle Monae had major roles — flags attached to their backs or and the film is centered around seeing people wear Confederate the lives of Black women, which is flag necklaces and T-shirts. something I can relate to but have Whenever I caught someone or a trouble finding in major films. A group staring at me or my family, cast with minority female leads is whenever I saw an image of the rare in major Hollywood movies, stars and bars, it reaffirmed my which made “Hidden Figures” an belief that my hometown had no important movie for my family to place for me or my family. Based see. Additionally, the film focused on these events and experiences, I on the contributions these women did not think that too many people made to the Space Race and U.S. in my town would be interested in history, which is a topic I love and seeing “Hidden Figures.” want to know more about. But I was so wrong: The theater I felt like I needed to see this was packed. I looked back at my movie in theaters, that it was my mom and gave her an expression responsibility to make my family of pure shock, then looked back members watch it. A couple of at everyone in the theaters, then weeks before I went home, I tried looked back at my mom again with to organize a family outing to go the same shocked expression. see it, but that didn’t work out so While I searched for a place to well. So while my sister and dad sit, I began to realize how skewed stayed home, my mom and I went and unfair my characterization to see it. I expected the theater to of Lake Orion was. I call my be empty. “I really don’t think that hometown “Trump Country,” but many people from our town will it actually isn’t — Hillary Clinton see this movie,” I told my mom won the majority of votes in my before we left. county. Obviously, not every car

JOE IOVINO | CONTACT JOE AT JIOVINO@UMICH.EDU

in that town has the Confederate flag attached to it or on its bumper; I only remember the ones that did because they reinforced my belief that I didn’t belong and that my community could not accept me. It was difficult for me to see the positive aspects of my town because I spent so much time trying to craft scenarios that would get me out. Also, I’m a bit of a pessimist; I expect the worst in everything to avoid feeling disappointed. But I need to stop allowing perceived future disappointment to shape my perceptions — especially my perceptions of others. Once my mom and I sat down, I thought about what it meant to sit in the theater, surrounded by people who didn’t look like me but wanted to see a movie that dealt with race and the challenges Black women faced during the 1960s. It showed me that confronting issues of race is awkward, and at certain points during the film I could tell that people were uncomfortable. There were times when my mom and I, as well as the other few Black people in the audience, would laugh or shake our heads — but no one else in the audience did. Only a few people in the audience were in on all of the jokes while the majority did not understand what was so funny. This mirrors aspects of the debates over topics such as the Black Lives Matter movement, immigration, women’s rights and LGBTQ rights. On one side, people cannot, or may not, be willing to understand the obstacles minorities and women encounter and why they feel threatened. For people on the other side, these obstacles are obvious and clearly need to be broken down. But for both sides to be united, each needs to confront — not avoid, dismiss or just talk about — the problems that exist. In addition, neither can allow negative preconceived notions to affect their expectations. Both sides need to act; that may take the form of learning about someone else’s experience or speaking up for your beliefs in classes or on the street during a protest. This may be uncomfortable or awkward, but it is necessary in combining two divided groups into one. Corey Dulin can be reached at cydulin@umich.edu.

“Remembrance”

fter months of dread, you’d think we’d be prepared. Many of us played games in our head as we anticipated the coming Trump administration. What would he do? How would he do it? We worried about authoritarian and fascist tendencies. But how far could he really push it? Isn’t this America? At the very least, we hoped that a minimum requirement of lip service to American ideals and values would limit his ability to undermine the rights of those with claims upon American compassion and inclusion. It’s worse than we feared. Most immediately, many of us are reeling from the weekend’s blanket travel ban applied to all refugees and to the citizens of seven majorityMuslim countries, including Iraqis who had risked their lives to serve as interpreters for the U.S. military. But here’s what’s keeping me up at night: the new administration’s statement on the occasion of International Holocaust Remembrance Day. What, you may ask, could be so disturbing about what should be a pro forma declaration about the horror of genocide, sympathy for the victims and assurances that we won’t let it happen again? There is so much wrong with the Trump administration’s statement that it is hard to know where to start. Beyond imposing a travel ban on refugees on a day devoted to remembering the Holocaust, most attention has focused on the statement’s failure to mention Jews. The administration’s subsequent clarification that identifying the victims as “innocent people” was a way to acknowledge that other groups also suffered in the Holocaust only added fuel to the fire. Trump’s remembrance statement spuriously goes on to claim that “in the darkest hours of humanity, light shines the brightest,” ignoring the reality,

depicted in myriad memoirs and historical accounts, that the horror of the Holocaust was its accomplishment in blotting out light. There were of course manifold instances of heroism and unexpected humanity amid the destruction, but we remember the Holocaust because it demonstrated the kind of utter darkness that humans can bring. Disturbing as all of this

The horror of the Holocaust was its accomplishment in blotting out light is, the true dark heart of this statement is found in its sickly sweet coda. Trump’s inaugural speech and active first week in office have been shockingly devoid of the aspirational call-outs to the American values of equality, progress and tolerance that have become part and parcel of these ritualized transitions of power. So, it’s almost jarring to see them emerge suddenly in the Holocaust remembrance statement. Yet, here they are in appropriate Trump fashion — bizarrely reduced to a comicbook-level claim — that not only “throughout (his) Presidency,” but throughout his life, he will be on guard “to ensure that the forces of evil never again defeat the powers of good.” Finally, the short statement’s concluding assertion that “Together, we will make love and tolerance prevalent throughout the world” comes like a punch in the gut. It is galling and unnerving in a way that transcends its insultingly banal saccharinity. As the Trump administration ended its first week in office,

American airports became the scene of chaotic and sudden exclusions of hundreds, soon to be thousands, of individuals for whom there is no rational basis for exclusion, save clearly framed religious intolerance. This was revealed in Trump’s assurance that Christian refugees would receive priority consideration for exemption from the exclusions. In just one week, the president of the United States showed that he could not be relied upon even to decry the Holocaust. On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the Trump administration demonstrated its utter inability to invoke credibly the actual or aspirational values we associate with our nation. It refused to acknowledge that the targeting and extermination of a specific group was the key to one of humanity’s darkest chapters, even while enacting a policy that specifically sets out to scapegoat and exclude Muslims. Today, family members of those with green cards or visas do not know when or if they will see their loved ones. Refugees from horrific violence and those who risked their lives to assist the United States who thought they would at last be safe are once again confronting their utter vulnerability. Citizens of Victoria, Texas, are contemplating the burnt remains of their community’s mosque and millions of more privileged Americans are out protesting, deprived of sleep and wondering where we are headed. With its intentional ignorance of the past and hypocritical deployment of American ideals, President Trump’s vaunted commitment to battling “the forces of evil” and ensuring the prevalence of “love and tolerance” should have us all running — to the library and to the barricades. Karla Goldman is the Sol Drachler Professor of Social Work and Judaic Studies. She directs the Jewish Communal Leadership Program in the School of Social Work.

IBRAHIM IJAZ | COLUMN

Trump should learn from Islam

hortly after the inaugural Islamic terrorism” has, once address, the Obamas and again, become contentious in the Trumps descended the the days since the inauguration. steps of the Capitol building in a One side alleges intrinsic issues beautiful display of within Islam that peaceful transitioning. have led to the rise Chills came over me in extremism. The as I remembered other side argues descending those very that terrorism knows steps in the summer no religion and is of 2012 as a part widespread throughout of another display many faiths and of peace. I walked nations. As such, it’s down the steps of the counterproductive to Capitol building in the IBRAHIM point to the religions company of my global of all extremists IJAZ religious leader, the throughout history, Khalifa of Islam, following his especially when their religions address to bipartisan leaders denounce killing. One popular regarding peace and justice. meme points to this cognitive It strikes me as ironic that I dissonance by saying if rust walked with a prominent leader is caused by oxygen, and we after a speech about peace, breathe oxygen every day, unity and justice, while Barack just imagine what it can do to Obama walked that same path your lungs. with a new leader after a speech The president’s allusion to evoking disunity and prejudice. Islam is a part of the greater I think our new president, issue of the Republican Donald Trump, should take a Party’s obsession with page from Islam’s book to learn de-secularizing America. It’s how to establish peace. one thing to slanderously The main source of the mislabel Islam in front of disunity and prejudice in the nation, further spreading President Trump’s speech was prejudice about Muslims in the overwhelming presence of America. But it’s an entirely religion. “What happened to larger issue to enjoy the free the separation of church and mixing of church and state state?” my friends and I asked during our nation’s most in an air of holy confusion. If symbolic event. Thomas you didn’t catch the religious Jefferson once called this overtones, here’s a recap. constitutional separation “a Half a dozen clergy members wall,” (not the kind Donald participated in the ceremony, Trump would hope for), so bookending President it’s clear more secularization Trump’s address. Two of is required in order to attain the musical performances peace. were religious groups: the Islam’s advice for attaining Mormon Tabernacle Choir peace had 16-year-old me and the Washington National awestruck when I attended Cathedral Choir of Men, Boys the address of the Khalifa of and Girls. Numerous allusions Islam, Hazrat Mirza Masroor to God or a creator were Ahmad, in 2012. The thesis of made in the speech. But most his argument was simply that strikingly, the only time a non- Islam says, “Peace and justice Judeo-Christian faith was are inseparable — you cannot mentioned was when he vowed have one without the other.” to eradicate “radical Islamic Due justice and all rights must terrorism … from the face of be given between interacting the Earth.” parties to set the stage for The debate on labeling sustainable peace. This is a extremism committed by lesson President Trump needs so-called Muslims as “radical to learn. He should not continue

to unjustly vilify Islam or exclude non-Judeo-Christian faiths from his administration. If he does so, he is paving the path for human rights violations and unjust dealings for marginalized groups in America and abroad during his four years. He ought to make a decision. Mr. Trump can follow Thomas Jefferson and the Khalifa of Islam’s advice and build a wall between himself and the church, or he can continue down a segregated and theocratic path, on which Judeo-Christians walk on the pure and holy right and all other faiths occupy a forgotten left. If he chooses the latter, he must recall, as I often do, the words he told the nation on Nov. 9, 2016: “I pledge to every citizen of our land that I will be president for all Americans.” Being a representative president for all Americans takes more than mere pledges of unity. I call on President Donald Trump to dismantle his policies that seek to institutionalize prejudice, namely the immigration ban. It’s the responsibility of Donald Trump to follow the Khalifa of Islam’s advice to American politicians to establish “absolute justice” in order to attain peace. Banning immigrants and refugees without legitimate cause is clearly unjust. This begins with active inclusion, rather than exclusion. An old saying warns, “If you don’t have a seat at the table, you’re probably on the menu.” However, the first AfricanAmerican Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm offers us alternative advice: “Bring a folding chair.” And that’s exactly what all marginalized communities should do if we want to observe tolerant policies. Stand with me as a #MuslimAlly by learning more at TrueIslam.com. Ibrahim Ijaz can be reached at iijaz@umich.edu.

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Arts SOCIAL MEDIA COLUMN

CONCERT REVIEW

United we stand, divided we tweet

Salvatore DiGioia /DAILY

D.R.A.M. is more than a one-hit wonder at El Club At his recent stop in Detroit, musician D.R.A.M. proves himself worthy among the El Club’s past storied artists SALVATORE DIGIOIA Daily Arts Writer

D.R.A.M. is a master of none. Or, more accurately, he is a master of most: The twenty-eight year-old songwriter switches between singing, rapping and crooning with such fluency that it’s difficult to decide which sound most accurately defines his. Since initially rising to fame through the success of his breakout hit “Cha Cha” — famously sampled for “Hotline Bling” — he’s ridden the immense success of his out-ofnowhere single “Broccoli” to the top of the Billboard charts, proving himself both wideranged and extremely capable. Now, D.R.A.M. is taking his favorite tunes around the world on the Big Baby D.R.A.M. Tour, a playful spectacle that perfectly parallels the energy of his debut studio album, Big Baby D.R.A.M. The show is as musical as it is fun, and though its impressive opening acts could nearly steal the spotlight, it’s D.R.A.M. himself who truly sets the evening’s tone. On Thursday, Detroit’s El Club was already filled halfway to capacity by just 9:00 P.M. when River Tiber — a moody, somewhat psychedelic, electronic chillout band from Toronto — took the stage to start warming up the crowd with their drooping experimentation. With an inch of freshly-fallen snow coating Vernon Highway out front, the group’s singer clicked around on a laptop to initiate mellow drum loops while his wingmen plucked at the strings of their instruments with unswerving focus and fury. River Tiber creates a vibe that’s both mellow and intimate, but their intense instrumentality ultimately links the band to alternative rock: The guitars whine, like those in the most heavy-handed songs by The xx, as their players spew with the solo skills of veteran instrumentalists. Around 10:00 P.M., River Tiber was relieved by Ari Lennox, a twenty-five year-old soulful vocal performer from Washington D.C. She came on stage wearing ripped leggings, black Vans and a “Stranger Things” t-shirt, but she didn’t emerge until after her DJ set the tone, spinning songs by Lauryn Hill and Erykah Badu. Lennox led off with “GOAT,” then sat down to belch out the slower, more heartfelt “La La La La.” Before singing the intimate tune, she blamed it on a former eviction or two, explaining that she wrote its lyrics back when she was “running around L.A. and being crazy.” In the final moments of anticipation, just before the guitarist began jerking tears from the crowd through his articulately-capable fingertips, Lennox warned the crowd: “Don’t be afraid to look in my eyes, y’all!” Personableness is her great asset. Having just released her

Wednesday, February 1, 2017 — 5A

first commercial EP “FOH” in November, Lennox is on a fasttrack toward female figurehead status. On Thursday, she maintained effortless control for thirty straight minutes, her voice and charisma proving capable of carrying the crowd’s attention, and though many attendees might have been unaware of her prior, there were still audience members singing along, knowing every word. Many hip-hop heads shared a unanimous epiphany when Lennox, setting up for her second to last song, asked the crowd if they had ever “gotten it” in a “backseat.” Immediately, I recalled where I knew her from: “Backseat (feat. Kozz)” — a standout track from Dreamville’s 2015 crew project, “Revenge of the Dreamers II” — came blaring through the speakers as Lennox’s addictive twang planted seeds for fandom in hundreds of ears, seeds that are certain to blossom with deep roots and longevity. She finished her set with “Yuengling,” then left the stage, the room in awe. At 10:45 P.M., a new DJ came onstage, eventually followed by a three-piece live band. D.R.A.M. is a rare musician, having conquered the largely untouched intersection among pop, rap, R&B and childish giddiness, so it’s only natural that his show’s introduction is equally unique: Rather than walk out singing his own song, D.R.A.M. came out humming and whispering along as his band jammed to Drake’s recent hit, “Fake Love.” Perhaps I’m overthinking it, but the appropriative move might’ve been a fun, subtle way of taking from Drake as he did from D.R.A.M. After all, “Fake Love” does sound ironically like “Hotline Bling” (*cough* “Cha Cha”). But D.R.A.M. gets serious. Wearing a white denim jacket from the KITH x Coca-Cola collection, he kicked his set off with album-intro “Get It Myself,” a soothing ode to autonomy, dedication and self-reliance that acts as a sort of synopsis on his pre-BigBaby-D.R.A.M. career, then dove into “Misunderstood,” a high-energy croon-tune with serious rock influence. “Detroit, what’s good?” he asked at the song’s end, met by excited cheers, then proceeded naturally into some of his most defining moments on the microphone: “If you love your momma, let me hear you say yeeeeah yo!” The crowd reacted at maximum volume. “Signals (Throw It Around)” from his Gahdamn! EP came next as a nod to older fans, followed by “Outta Sight” — a high-tempo, dance-floorready anthem about forgetting your ex. It turned El Club’s small, rectangular standing room into a bouncing castle and set a perfect mood for “Cute,” a slept-on hit from 2016 that’s sure to explode in the new year. Then things slowed down again. D.R.A.M.

asked for some help from his lady fans as he dove into his Queen-Erykah-Badu-assisted song, “Wifi,” on which he wrestles with the generational struggle of searching for a digital connection while a real, potentially romantic one is already right there, then eased into “Caretaker,” one of the most intimate and impressive songs from Donnie Trumpet & the Social Experiment’s Surf, which also appears on D.R.A.M.’s Gahdamn! EP. After a brief recess from the stage, during which his band carried the crowd’s energy with improvisation, D.R.A.M. returned to introduce his instrumentalists. Beside the DJ, there were superb players on the keyboard, bass and drums, jamming in and out of songs in a profoundly musical, seemingly cohesive manner. They shared the spotlight for just a moment as D.R.A.M. explored his reflective deep cut, “Sweet VA Breeze.” Then he jumped into an inevitable series of hits that put the room at its absolute rowdiest. “When you look at that paycheck you just acquired…I just want this song to be the soundtrack to your celebration,” D.R.A.M. explained, adding some weighty meaning to his latest hit, “Cash Machine,” before working through “Cha Cha” and “D.R.A.M. Sings Special” (a track turned interlude on Chance the Rapper’s Coloring Book, after the Chicago-emcee allegedly begged D.R.A.M. for it). And finally, there was “Broccoli,” the Lil-Yachtyassisted former-numberone song in America, which D.R.AM. told Billboard he originally expected to only be “lit for the culture, lit for Soundclound, for the internet.” Rather than move swiftly into the giddy, summertime smash hit, he tiptoed through a singsong rework, then exploded into the original version for one final hoorah, which included a dive into the crowd. It’s tough to decide where D.R.A.M. belongs exactly within music, but it’s even tougher trying to define his live show, as it merges sounds and traits from almost every type of performance: he can turn up like a rapper, slow down like a neo-soul singer or even just freestyle aside his band, like the charismatic emcee of a great jam band might. If anything is certain, it’s that D.R.A.M. has everything necessary to succeed. He’s already shifted the culture by inspiring some of the biggest artists in the world. Now, he has his own number one hit in the rear-view mirror, a studio LP in his discography and a headlining tour on the horizon. Expect D.R.A.M. to keep stockpiling his clout, one puppy-dog smile at a time. Hip-hop will only be a brighter, happier culture if he does.

Whatever happened to human decency? Over these past few days — or should I say, months — Twitter has transformed from a simple, minimalist platform into an allout, unfiltered reflection on our country’s social unrest. After President Donald Trump enacted an executive order to ban refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, both Trump supporters and haters have engaged in an immersive online war over the recent commission, with Twitter being the main battleground and the endless supply of online resources serving as ammunition. Though, they had been feuding on the platform long before he was elected. Thanks to the interconnected efficiency of the Internet, senators, celebrities and other social activists have reached out to users online, making a call to stand together as Americans in order to stop Trump’s hostile actions from continuing. But how exactly can we unite as one when most of us still remain rigidly divided, especially on places like Twitter? How can we stand together when we blatantly label and dismiss people for speaking their minds? Both extreme sides of the political spectrum have found Twitter to be somewhat of a haven for expressing passionate thoughts on sociopolitical issues into 140 characters. Neither side, though, seems truly keen on breaking down

Over these past few days Twitter has transformed from a simple, minimalist platform into an all-out, unfiltered reflection on our country’s social unrest

barriers. Instead, each side will find ways to cite evidence to the other’s side wrongheaded claim, and attack the other side when they feel threatened. For example, consistent conservatives on Twitter will call out progressive-minded people for being “triggered snowf lakes,” while consistent liberals will identify those who support Trump and his policies as “racist” or “altright Nazis.” In each case, both sides are right in their intentions, but very f lawed in their execution. The label “triggered snowf lakes” is particularly distasteful because it mistakes a person’s outspokenness against unjust actions for being too sensitive and offended when faced with a contradictory opinion. At the same time, though, some people who often preach tolerance of others are themselves

intolerant towards people who are intolerant (i.e. Andy Richter, Rob Delaney and Kurt Eichenwald). The “alt-right” label is definitely applicable when it comes to online accounts that promote racism, White supremacy, hate speech and extremely right-wing views (i.e. Milo Yiannopoulos, Ann Coulter and Richard Spencer). But not every Trump supporter or conservative is aligned with the same views as the “altright,” and Twitter is mostly to blame for that. Censoring conservative voices, as racist and as bigoted as some may be, only furthers the divide between online users and any potential dialogue or

SAM ROSENBERG legitimate nuanced criticisms Due to Twitter’s character limit, the concision of each tweet extracts the nuance from the issues discussed online and thus they become diluted into oversimplified jabs that lead to a never-ending virtual pissing contest. There are better, more appropriate ways to communicate our disagreements, but Twitter doesn’t allow for that kind of exchange. It almost belittles that notion. Someone from either group might argue, “Well, Sam, why should I show compassion to someone who stands for something I don’t, especially when that someone incessantly provokes people like me?” It’s a valid question. People have the right to speak out against those who willingly deny factual evidence that contradicts their own opinions. But at the same time, it’s hypocritical to think that another person’s opinion is invalid, simply because their opinion is different from yours. No one is asking you to like this person or his or her personal ideology. If we are going to make progress in this unruly mess we have found ourselves in, we shouldn’t continue to generalize other groups and categorize them into a malicious “otherness,” simply because they don’t share the same views. In the grand scheme of things, we are all “others.” There are also internal factors at work that play into the much larger, more nuanced narrative of social media, particularly in the level of education, media consumption and media literacy of a Twitter user. Based on those factors, some are more privileged than others when it comes to making certain arguments. People who make ignorant comments about social or political issues might just be oblivious to how they will affect them. We shouldn’t be making fun of them by screenshotting their ignorant tweet, but instead building a bridge by offering them support. Facebook also suffers from a similar problem, but to an even

greater extent; that platform allows for users to launch into page-long rants. Though some politically laden Facebook posts have the ability to incorporate the nuance that Twitter lacks, it incites even greater conflict between users, leading to trails of defensive, paragraph-long comments. Is social media a place that people can feel safe in engaging with others who share similar political beliefs? Yes, to an extent. Can it be used to be outspoken about particular issues, especially if it’s well-balanced and for the greater good of humanity? Sure. Can it motivate people to take action when necessary? Absolutely. It certainly helped spread news about the recent protests at national airports against Trump’s ban. But is social media the most useful, productive space for political discourse? Definitely not. Because we have the tendency to subscribe to news sources that align with our own views, it is practically impossible for people to listen to other opinions when we thrive in an online echo chamber. There are too many examples of Twitter and Facebook threads that showcase the absurdity of the negative energy being wasted on making an argument. This kind of incessant fighting on social media is nothing new. Trolls on both sides of the political spectrum have shown time and time again their disdain for the

It is hard to stand together as a people when we still can’t seem to get along even online

other side. But trolling won’t help us get to where we need to be. It is hard to stand together as a people when we still can’t seem to get along even online. In this age of mistrust and misinformation, Internet users have become so consumed with labeling, chastising, denouncing and shunning that many of us have lost the will to examine and discuss the complexity of important social issues in civilized settings. We need to stop thinking in this polarized, collective black-and-white mindset of “us vs. them,” “liberal vs. conservative,” “left-wing vs. right-wing,” “Democrat vs. Republican” and “pro-Trump vs. anti-Trump.” I realize I may be preaching to the choir, but this cannot be said enough. If you really want to see change and unity, start reading publications from other websites that offer alternative views. Or even better, get off the Web and start engaging in a dialogue with people who challenge and disagree with you. That way, we might find a space to actually unite together as one nation.

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Arts

6A — Wednesday, February 1, 2017

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

MUSIC NOTEBOOK

FILM REVIEW

‘Respect’ and the complex politics of song ownership LAURA DZUBAY Daily Arts Writer

SUNDANCE

Sundance Film Festival: Short films in summary WILL STEWART Daily Arts Writer

A quality short film can be just as impactful as a fulllength counterpart. In many ways, it combines the best qualities of a 90 minute movie, but in under 15. With smaller budgets and time constraints, directors must get creative with their storytelling methods. The 2016 Sundance Short Films, sponsored by YouTube Red, all pack a sizeable punch equal to a full length movie. This series features eight of the best short films from the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, ranging from stop-motion animation to live-action documentary. “Affections,” the first of the series, tells the story of a woman in an unfulfilling relationship searching for a better romantic partner. Her search, though, ends up taking an unconventional route. Mesmerized by a local homeless man, she offers him a ride one day. Leading to a brief f ling that ends romantically on a rocky beach. The actor playing the homeless man is far too handsome and put together to be believable, but this almost makes it more entertaining. Following this hopeful and charming short is “Jungle,” a story about Senegalese street vendors in Manhattan.

“Jungle” has enough potential to be extended out 80 more minutes because its story feels so original. It shows the competition between street vendors and the hardships they face, especially when taken advantage of by their “bosses.” “Edmond Eats Everything” is a stop-motion animated short and one of the most original looking films I have ever seen. The dialogue-less story focuses on a man and his destructive habit of eating unlikely things, like friends and fetuses. Although challenging, it ends in an unusually beautiful way. “Bacon and God’s Wrath” is a short-documentary about a Jewish woman who, after 90 years, disobeys her religion and eats bacon. It’s a fun look into the cause of apostasy and its inconsequential effects on the woman. Still, it feels a bit slow and unrewarding. Like “Affections,” the trough of a relationship is the theme in “Her Friend Adam.” The short highlights insecurity and jealousy extremely realistically. It’s like a more serious version of the “you vs. the guy she says not to worry about” meme. Then, “The Grandfather Drum” takes a drastically different pace. This visually captivating short is animated like a picture book, telling the story of a Native American family and a drum that heals sickness. “The Procedure” is the funniest and most obtuse short

Classifieds

in the series. Within the first seconds, a man is tranquilized while getting into his car. When he wakes up, he is locked to a chair with his eyes forced open “A Clockwork Orange”-style. When he screams, a neon sign reading “Quiet Please” lights up, accompanied by a loud horn. From the ceiling drops a butt until it hangs inches away from the man’s face and releases a fart. The man then escapes. Under four minutes, “The Procedure” is terrifying; nobody wants to have a literal ass fart inches above their nose. Everyone can feel his pain. The series ends with “Thunder Road,” a long-take of a man giving a eulogy at his mother’s funeral. Jim Cummings (“The Lion King”) gives the most heart-warming performance in the series. It combines dark humor with his ability to portray a man clearly torn apart by his mother’s death. At the end, he sings and dances to Bruce Springsteen’s “Thunder Road,” resulting in embarrassment and his daughter’s shame. All of the shorts show desperation and isolation better than most full-length movies. Decreasing attention spans are leading to a possibility for short films to become more popular. And, if they are anything like the best of 2016’s Sundance Film Festival, this is a promising, hopeful prediction.

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RELEASE DATE– Wednesday, February 1, 2017

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle

FOR RENT

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

ACROSS 1 Memo phrase 5 Music-playing Apple 9 Improvises musically 14 Primary 15 “__ Lisa” 16 Many a jukebox tune 17 Type of film industry contract 19 Capital south of Moscow 20 Former justice Antonin 21 Musician’s suffix 23 Make (one’s way) 24 M&M’s choice 27 Solidify 28 “High Voltage” band 29 Starting on 33 Soft shot 35 Mothers of Invention leader 39 Academic ultimatum 43 Early computer 44 Quite small 45 Gear on slopes 46 Coral formation 49 Cavity filler’s org. 51 Shopper’s decision 58 Smelting waste 59 Neighbor of Turk. 60 Poke fun at 62 Dutch city, with “The” 64 Portmanteau word describing some great music ... or, initially, four answers in this puzzle 66 Modify 67 Not yours, in Tours 68 Singer k.d. 69 Superlatively bad 70 Short period of time, for short 71 Long period of time DOWN 1 They’re hard to sit for 2 Rights org. since 1909 3 Saudi currency 4 Name on a 1945 bomber

5 Populates, as a grand jury 6 D.C. insider 7 Studio sign 8 Place for some serious me-time 9 Break down 10 High-occupancy vehicles? 11 “Farewell, ma chère” 12 Naysayer’s contraction 13 Future flowers 18 Social reformer Jacob 22 Noir sleuth 25 Texter’s “however” 26 Cooper’s tool 29 Lummox 30 Source of awakening rays 31 Back-tied sash 32 Distress signal devices 34 Fiddler’s need 36 Dental suffix with Water 37 Pressure meas. 38 Sounds of relief 40 Cupcake finisher 41 Twitter handle word for a celeb, perhaps

42 Overly focused on minor rules 47 Lip balm brand derived from “evolution of smooth” 48 Skillet 50 On a cruise 51 Dismissive word 52 Mission on a commemorative 1936 stamp

53 Beeper 54 Providers of senior moments? 55 Inventor Nikola 56 “Hi! I’m ... ” badge 57 Patsy of country 61 Heart tests, briefly 63 Del. summer hrs. 65 “The Fall of the House of Usher” author

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Last weekend, I road tripped to the Women’s March in Washington, D.C. with three other girls. It’s about a ninehour drive, which gave us all plenty of room to expose each other to our respective music tastes, and somewhere along the line, we decided that it wouldn’t be a trip to a Women’s March without an appropriate amount of empowering feminist music. Naturally, we turned to Aretha Franklin’s “Respect.” As soon as the beginning notes sounded through the speakers, we turned up the volume, already lifting our arms to start dancing in our seats. I didn’t know it then, but I would go on to talk about that same song in one of my classes the next week. Apparently, “Respect” was originally written in 1965 by Otis Redding. The original lyrics surprised me: The man of this version of “Respect” is telling a woman he’s “about to give [her] all [his] money,” and pleading for her to give him “respect when [he comes] home.” For me, this was a sharp contrast with Franklin’s version from 1967, in which she assumes the power in the relationship and calls for a man to give her “propers when [he gets] home.” Each song comes from the perspective of someone who wants respect, but Franklin’s version seems to have a more demanding message, and it was this version that was seized upon, across the country and around the world, as an anthem for respect. I already knew of its association with the feminist movement, but “Respect” also came to represent the struggles of the Civil Rights movement and of soldiers

fighting overseas in Vietnam. It was widely popular and soon became Franklin’s signature song. At the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967, Redding was quoted referring to “Respect” as a song “that a girl took away from me.” This got me thinking about the extent to which a song can be owned. I don’t mean in a business-related or monetary sense, but rather in terms of its association with a person. Redding wrote the song and was the first to record it, but ever since Franklin released her version, the song has been regarded for the most part as hers. But here’s the thing: In a way, the song has even gotten away from Aretha Franklin. In response to the song’s success, she has said that she didn’t initially mean for it to represent any of the movements with which it came to be associated. She was just singing about something that mattered to her: Respect. Sometimes, of course, the link between an artist and a song that they release – that they “own,” in the eyes of the public — can turn out less favorably. It can become so strong, so sing ular, that the artist is dubbed a one-hit wonder and stuck with the song indefinitely. Lou Reed once made a joke about his own obituary starting out with the beginning notes of “Walk on the Wild Side,” and in the days before he met with more commercial success, Beck would sometimes refuse to play his hit “Loser” during live shows, or else change the words so that nobody could sing along. The artist’s tie to a song can also take the road that it did with Redding and be replaced, in the eyes of history, by another link between the same song and a different artist. “Hound

Dog,” for instance, was originally recorded by Big Mama Thornton but I didn’t even know this until last fall, because all over the world it is associated with Elvis Presley. It is also this link that gives songs their identity, for better or for worse. For all the artist’s effort, at the end of the day, the appreciation of that song does not begin and end with its artist. I have grown attached to so many new songs just by hearing them on the radio and feeling, regardless of who wrote them or of why they were written, like I connected with what they were saying. I feel like – crowds of people will sing along with Hozier’s “Take Me to Church,” or Frank Ocean’s “Bad Religion,” even when they don’t identify with the intended meaning of the song — and that’s okay. They wouldn’t sing along if there weren’t something there that they were connecting with, whether this connection was the kind the artist was hoping for or not. I believe that this feeling of connection within Franklin’s version of “Respect” is what people from so many different movements caught onto. Driving on some highway through Pennsylvania last weekend, most of us in the car didn’t know that the song had in fact been done by Redding first. I listened to Redding’s version, and it’s good, really good, and I credit him for it — Franklin wouldn’t have her own version without it — but it’s a different song. Right then, on the road, we were listening to Aretha Franklin, we heard what she was saying, and we were responding to it, assuming the demand for respect in our own identities. And even if that wasn’t what Franklin — or Redding — intended, I thank them for it anyway.

STYLE NOTEBOOK

In memory of my favorite t-shirt: A six-year story NARESH IYENGAR Daily Arts Writer

For awhile, I thought that clothes were just clothes. While I always felt it was important to make an effort to dress well, I never thought about the emotional associations that clothes have. That was until I found myself having to decide whether or not to throw away a shirt that had deteriorated after six years of frequent use. Ultimately, I decided that while I may never wear it again, I simply could not give it away because of the memories that it holds. So here’s to you, my sixyear-old t-shirt. I remember the first day we met: I was in need of better-fitting shirts that didn’t boast a Nike or Adidas logo. I went to the mall, and I found you — it felt like a match made in heaven. You fit me like a glove and you were on sale, so I knew we were destined for great things. For the first few months of our love affair, we were inseparable — I’d wear you once or twice a week, make sure you got cleaned and we’d do it all over again the next week. You were there for me during the best and the worst of that school year — my hardest exams, holiday gatherings with family and even when dad was admitted to the ICU. Then in July 2011, something that I had tried my best to mentally prepare myself for what happened: dad’s long fight with cancer came to an end. As my parents’ only son, and as a Hindu, I was responsible for performing the funeral rituals. I knew I didn’t need a shirt for the funeral itself since I would be wearing a veshti as I did for all pujas (prayer rituals), but I instinctively reached for you when I was getting dressed on the morning of the ceremony. You were there with me on the way to the funeral home, on

the way to the crematorium and as I cried in the car later that day. You saw more of what I was going through than even my family and closest friends. Something changed after that week. When I was getting ready in the mornings for months after his funeral, I would see you hanging out in the corner of my dresser but I couldn’t bring myself to put you on, because by doing that I would have to acknowledge what had happened. This wasn’t something that was exclusive to my choice of attire. I did everything in my power to avoid acknowledging the reality that he was gone forever. It had a profound effect on my life for a while — I wasn’t in a good mental place, but fortunately I found the help that I needed. For the most part, I was able to acknowledge the hole that my dad’s passing had left in my life and was able to grow from it. Still, when I got dressed in the morning, I didn’t reach for you. I made excuses for avoiding you. “Oh, you’re too old,” “You don’t fit well anymore” or “It’s too cold” were the justifications I told myself, when the simple reality was that, at that point in my life, I wasn’t ready to relive the week of my father’s funeral. From the cremation to the spreading of his ashes, that was a can of worms that I still wasn’t ready to open. As time passed I became more nostalgic for those last few months spent with dad. When I thought about his death, I went from feeling cheated out of years of memories with him to being able to think about all of the qualities he instilled in me. I realized that, while unfortunate, his death was one of the most life-changing things that had happened to me. I realized that it had taught me how to grow up, how to prioritize what mattered to me in life and served as a reminder

of how precious family is. Getting dressed one day in the summer of 2012, I saw you poking out from under a stack of shirts and decided that it was time to embrace all of the memories that you carried: from the ones that you were with me for, like the funeral, to the ones that you helped me remember, like driving around Chicago listening to my dad and my favorite songs with the windows down. I’m always afraid that sooner or later those memories will fade, and they likely will, but whenever I put you on, I remember everything about him. So while I may never wear you again, hopefully you’re willing to stick around in case I ever need to take a trip down memory lane. Clothes are extremely personal. On the surface level, the way you dress is a fairly strong indicator of the type of person you are (or aspire to be), but on a deeper level, they are also a vehicle for processing memories and emotions. This summer, I was looking at flannels in a vintage store when one caught my eye: It was only $1, so I figured that there was no real reason not to pick it up. I have spent much more on other shirts, but I always find myself coming back to this shirt. Whether I’m bar-hopping, going on a date or going to class, I always have to stop myself from wearing it too often so I’m not known as the guy who only wears one shirt. We have already made countless memories: We went to New York together for a concert, we went to Europe for a month together and we have many more trips to come. The interesting thing about clothing is how continuous it is: As one piece of clothing slowly fades out of my wardrobe, another one enters the fold and new memories are made. I can’t wait to see what I’ll think of when I put this shirt on in a few years.

Sports

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Sick and tired: A look at Michigan’s depth issues KEVIN SANTO

Managing Sports Editor

On Sunday, the fuel gauge finally hit empty. All season, the Michigan men’s basketball team has been relying on what is essentially a seven-man rotation made up of its starting lineup, redshirt junior guard Duncan Robinson and senior forward Mark Donnal. Even calling it a seven-man rotation is generous. Donnal averages just 14.3 minutes per game – most of which have come when sophomore forward Moritz Wagner is in foul trouble – while Robinson averages 20.2. Beyond that, freshman guard Xavier Simpson has the next highest total with 9.3 minutes played per game. On the opposite end of that spectrum, senior wing Zak Irvin and guard Derrick Walton Jr. are second and sixth in the Big Ten in minutes played per game with 34.8 and 33.0, respectively. The biggest concern? There is no viable option behind Irvin at the wing position. The Wolverines certainly found out just how problematic that is

against Michigan State on Sunday. Against the Spartans, Irvin logged 36 minutes, tied for the second-highest total on the team. But those lofty minutes didn’t translate to expected results, as he scored zero points on 0-for-8 shooting while turning the ball over three times and tallying just two rebounds and two assists – marking his first scoreless performance since the 2015 season opener. For all intents and purposes, Michigan had been playing with fire, and it got burned badly. “He didn’t make the shots he usually makes,” Walton said. “We trust him 100 percent. I just don’t think he was himself.” It was revealed after the game that Irvin took the floor having battled the flu in the days leading up to the matchup with Michigan State. He had missed two practices prior to the trip to East Lansing, trying to recover for what was a much-needed and hotly-contested conference road win. Irvin had emphasized to Michigan coach John Beilein that he felt good enough to play. But as his stat line indicated, he was far from good, and the Wolverines left

CLAIRE MENGAST/Daily

Senior wing Zak Irvin’s bout with flu illustrated Michigan’s lack of depth.

Women’s Basketball Schedule

the Breslin Center still winless on the road this season. That’s not to knock Irvin’s effort. Instead, it simply paints a picture of just how precarious the Wolverines’ depth issues are. Freshman forward Ibi Watson – who was expected to be Irvin’s backup this season, but still hasn’t acclimated well enough to the college game – played only one minute. As a result, Robinson saw an uptick to 30 minutes of playing time against the Spartans, but mustered just eight points. It’s a troubling sign that even an ailing Irvin appears to be a better option than those outside of Michigan’s seven-man rotation right now. “I think we’re going to look back at it,” Beilein said Sunday. “It probably wasn’t the right thing to do. But he’s one of our best passers, he’s one of our best scorers, he plays three different positions for us. It’s hard to take him out of there.” Irvin entered the matchup against Michigan State averaging a team-high 14.4 points per game. He had increased that production to 17 points per game in a fourgame stretch, during which he helped the Wolverines dig themselves out of a 1-3 conference hole. Walton showcased an ability to shoulder the burden when Irvin was struggling against the Spartans, scoring a game-high 24 points to go with nine rebounds. Even with a healthy Irvin, the senior guard has averaged 18.6 points and 6.2 rebounds per game in Michigan’s last five contests. With Walton playing arguably the best basketball of his career, the Wolverines simply needed another contribution to help Walton carry the load down the stretch to escape East Lansing with a win and go above .500 in conference play for the first time this season. But even that was too much to ask. The issue becomes even more pressing when you look at the current Big Ten landscape. Maryland and Wisconsin are

currently tied for first in the conference with a 7-1 Big Ten record, while Northwestern is on their heels with a 7-2 record of its own. The Terrapins have 11 players that have played more than 10 games, and all of them are averaging above 10 minutes per game. Even guard Melo Trimble is averaging less minutes per game than both Irvin and Walton, and five of Maryland’s players are averaging between 13.8 and 18.6 minutes per game. As for the Badgers, it’s more of the same. While Wisconsin has just an eight-man rotation – only one more than the Wolverines – its minutes are distributed more efficiently. Michigan has three players averaging above 30 minutes per game in Irvin, Walton and redshirt sophomore forward DJ Wilson. The Badgers, on the other hand, have their two best players barely registering such significant time. Guard Bronson Koenig and forward Nigel Hayes share the heaviest workload with 30.0 and 30.9 minutes per game, respectively. Beyond that, though, Wisconsin has five players averaging between 15.4 and 27.4 minutes per game, with an additional two contributing 10.1 to 11 minutes on a consistent basis. And finally, there’s the Wildcats. Like the Badgers, Northwestern boasts a roster with eight players averaging above 10 minutes per game. Guard Bryant McIntosh is the only outlier, as he averages 33.4 minutes per game – a mark slightly above Walton’s total. If the upper tier of the conference is any indication, depth is winning games this year, as it often does. Some teams manage to get by with a limited rotation, but to do so requires elite talent. And in a 31-game season, having options off the bench certainly doesn’t hurt a team’s chances of grinding out wins. Right now, as Irvin’s flu game indicated, Michigan doesn’t have them.

Wednesday, February 1, 2017 — 7A

Men’s Basketball Schedule Sat, Feb 4 vs. Ohio State @ Crisler 6:00 pm

Tue, Feb 7 vs. MSU

@ Crisler 9:00 pm

Sun, Feb 12 at Indiana @ Assembly 1:00 pm

Thu, Feb 16 vs. Wisconsin @ Crisler 7:00 pm Sun, Feb 19 vs. Minnesota @ Williams 8:00 pm

Wed, Feb 22 vs. Rutgers @ Louis Brown 6:30 pm

Sat, Feb 25 vs. Purdue @ Crisler

TBA

Wed, Mar 1 at Northwestern @ Welsh-Ryan

6:00 pm

Sun, Mar 5 at Nebraska @ Pinnacle Bank 7:00 pm

Wolverines to battle Illinois in Champaign With a 17-5 record, ‘M’ is currently enjoying its best season in program history

Wed, Feb 1

ETHAN WOLFE

at Illinois

@ State Farm 7:00 pm

Sun, Feb 5 vs. Iowa

@ Crisler

2:00 pm

Wed, Feb 8 at Purdue @ Mackey 6:00 pm

Sun, Feb 12 vs. Wisconsin @ Crisler 2:00 pm

Thu, Feb 16 at Indiana @ Assembly 6:00 pm

Sun, Feb 19 vs. MSU

@ Crisler

Thu, Feb 23 vs. Nebraska @ Crisler

2:00 pm

TBA

Sun, Feb 26 at Penn State @ Bryce Jordan TBA

Daily Sports Writer

Halfway through its conference season, the Michigan women’s basketball team is exactly where it wants to be — poised to shake off its postseason Michigan slump. at Illinois The Matchup: Wolverines’ Michigan 6-2 17-5 record Big Ten, 17-5 through 22 overall; Illinois games is 3-6, 8-14 their best When: in program Wednesday history, and 7 P.M. CT with five of Where: State their final Farm Center eight regular season games coming against teams in the bottom half of the Big Ten, it wouldn’t be far-fetched for them to run the table and secure a place in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013. “I’m surprised with our success considering our youth,” said junior forward Jillian Dunston. “Everyone’s embraced their roles and applied it the best they can and helped us reach these aspirations. … Everyone had the same attitude and the same goals. “In order to achieve our goals, we have to get it done now. It’s not a next year thing.” Wednesday’s matchup at Illinois (3-6 Big Ten, 8-14 overall) will provide Michigan with the opportunity to move one step closer to making that possibility a reality. The Fighting Illini — entering the contest on a four-game losing streak — have struggled this season to challenge teams with their lackluster offense. They average just 62.5 points per contest and sport an ugly 38.7 percent field-goal percentage, placing them in the bottom third for Division I teams. When Illinois is making its shots, its offense is typically

through 6-foot-1 forward Alex Wittinger, who leads the team with 15.2 points per game. Wittinger is also the Fighting Illini’s best player on the defensive end, averaging 8.2 boards and 2.4 blocks per game. While Wittinger has catalyzed an otherwise lifeless offense, she will have a fourinch height disadvantage in her matchup against one of the Big Ten’s best centers in Hallie Thome, who has anchored the Wolverines’ defense and boasts the ninth-best field goal percentage in the country (63.8). “[It’s] important for us to reward Hallie,” said Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico on WTKA on Tuesday. “If she’s gonna run the floor the way that she does, we’re giving her touches. Our team does an outstanding job of finding her in transition.” Illinois should find it difficult to maneuver around Thome at the rim, and may struggle to

find success beyond the arc to compensate. The Fighting Illini rank 145th in made 3-pointers. By comparison, Michigan is 13th. A significant contributor to the Wolverines’ offensive prowess has been freshman Kysre Gondrezick. The 5-foot-9 guard has been spectacular since playing her way into the starting lineup on Dec. 28, and was recently awarded both Big Ten Freshman and Player of the Week honors for posting 22 points, seven boards and six assists in Michigan’s 80-54 win over Northwestern last Wednesday. “Kysre has really shown her ability to be a playmaker at the next level,” Barnes Arico said. “Sometimes when you have a bunch of kids on your team

that are great scorers, they forget their ability to pass the basketball and make the extra pass.” Everything seems to favor the Wolverines going into the contest, but one glaring problem lies ahead of them in tomorrow’s matchup — the Fighting Illini love playing at the State Farm Center. They have an 8-5 record at home, compared to 0-9 outside of Champaign. “Illinois is a team that plays really well at home,” Barnes Arico said. “They play a fiveout style which will be tough for our bigs. They’ll try to penetrate and draw fouls and get to the free-throw line.” But barring an anomalous performance from Michigan, it shouldn’t be too concerned.

“In order to achieve our goals, we have to get it done

CLAIRE MENGAST/Daily

Sophomore center Hallie Thome will have a clear height advantage over Illinois’ best player, forward Alex Wittinger.

Sports

8A — Wednesday, February 1, 2017

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Red Berenson reflects on Summit Series In the summer of 1972, the Michigan hockey coach played for Canada against the Soviet Union MIKE PERSAK

Daily Sports Editor

It was perhaps the most important hockey series of all time. In the 1960s, the Soviet Union hockey teams were dominant. While only amateur hockey players were allowed to compete in world competition, the USSR gave its players positions in the military while allowing them to play hockey full-time. This change allowed them to unseat the previous top country: Canada. The Canadians’ best players mostly competed professionally, so they were no match for the quasi-professional Soviets. So when the USSR was looking for a new challenge, Canada was eager to put together a team of its professionals to take on the Soviets. It would be the first time the best players from the USSR would play the best professionals from somewhere else. Michigan coach Red Berenson was one of those professionals. At the time, Berenson was about to start his 13th season in the NHL and his first full season with the Detroit Red Wings. In the summer of 1972, he was among nearly 40 players chosen to play for Canada, and Berenson admits he didn’t know what to expect from the USSR. “We knew they were really good amateurs, but we didn’t think they were as good as the pros,” Berenson said. “Nobody really had a really good scouting report on them. So we had our training camp, and we were fired up. It was just a matter of how bad we were going to beat them. Nobody gave them a chance to win a game.”

FILE PHOTO/Daily

Michigan coach Red Berenson discussed his experience travelling to the Soviet Union and competing on the side of the Canadian hockey team during a turbulent time across the globe in the 1970s.

The two sides decided to play an eight-game series, later dubbed the “Summit Series”: four games would be played in Canada and the other four in the USSR. It didn’t take long before it seemed the Canadians’ confidence was well-founded. Legendary forward Phil Esposito — who played 19 seasons in the NHL — scored just 30 seconds into the game before Paul Henderson — a 13-year player in the NHL — added another to give Canada a two-goal lead.

The Soviets rebounded in a big way, though. They scored four straight goals en route to a 7-3 victory. “By the end of the second period, we were on our heels, and they were f lying,” Berenson said. “Then, the country was in shock. ‘Holy Christ, what’s wrong with our team, our players, our system?’

So we had a day off — a day to practice and try to regroup — and then we played in Toronto.” And in the second game of the series, the Canadians responded. They dominated their way to a 4-1 victory, tying up the series. From there, it seemed Canada was outmatched. The teams played

“ ‘We’ve got to be better than this. This is the best in the NHL?’ ”

Men’s Hockey Schedule

Miss the Mass Meetings? It’s not too late! Email us at

sportseditors@michigandaily.com

if you have an interest in joining the sports section!

Fri, Feb 3 vs. Ohio State @ Yost 8:00 pm Sat, Feb 4 vs. Ohio State @ Yost 7:30 pm Fri, Feb 10 vs. Michigan State @ Joe Louis 7:30 pm Sat, Feb 11 vs. Michigan State @ Yost 7:30 pm Sat, Feb 17 at Wisconsin

@ Kohl 8:00 pm

Fri, Feb 24 at Ohio State @ Value City 7:00 pm Sat, Feb 25 at Ohio State @ Value City 8:00 pm Fri, Mar 3 vs. Minnesota @ Yost 6:30 pm

Sat, Mar 4 vs. Minnesota @ Yost 8:30 pm

Fri, Mar 10 vs. Penn State @ Yost 7:30 pm Sat, Mar 11 vs. Penn State @ Yost 7:30 pm

to a tie in game three, before the USSR regained the series lead with a 5-3 win in game four. The displeasure from Canadian hockey fans increased, too. Prior to game four, the crowd booed Canada and cheered for the Soviets instead. To them, the home product they were seeing was simply not good enough. “I didn’t blame them, really,” Berenson said. “I don’t know that they were blaming individual players, but they were blaming Canadian hockey.

games got just about out of control. But the hockey still took over, and the hockey benefitted from them, and the games turned out to be great games. “Like the whole rink was circled with soldiers — the whole outside of the boards. So Paul Henderson, one of our best players, got hurt and slid into the boards, and they tried to get the doctor out. They wouldn’t let the doctor out onto the ice. … So they had all kinds of little issues.” All of this led to great

Like, ‘We’ve got to be better than this. This is the best in the NHL?’ ” Esposito took notice, too. In a post-game interview, he gave an impassioned speech to his country, assuring them that the Canadians were trying their best, but that the USSR was simply a very good team. Either way, things looked bleak for Canada. It had blown any semblance of home-ice advantage it may have had, and now faced the daunting task of needing to win three of four games in the Soviet Union to win the series. Things got even worse when the Soviets overcame a threegoal deficit in the third period to win again in game five. Not only did the loss create a bigger challenge for the Canadians on the ice, but upon arrival in the USSR, the players began to realize the experience transcended hockey. “It was becoming a national, political challenge,” Berenson said. “This was the free world against communism, and it was our way of life against their way of life. It was amazing. It took on a life of its own.” Canada began to mount a comeback in game six. Berenson tallied an assist — his only point of the series — to help his team to a 3-2 win, before the Canadians earned another victory, 4-3, in game seven to tie up the series, 3-3-1. And as the series grew tighter, the play on the ice became more contentious as well. Though there weren’t any fights allowed in European hockey, Berenson says the Soviets still knew how to get even. “It was nasty,” Berenson said. “They played with a lot of sportsmanship, but they played with an edge, too. They knew how to spear you, and they knew how to kick you, and they played rough differently than we did. And I don’t think our players handled it well, and I don’t think their players handled it well either. So the

anticipation for the deciding game. Canadian schools gave their students a half-day off school so they could watch the game. As a result, game eight was the most-watched sporting event in Canadian television history until 2010. It ended up being worth it. With less than a minute left, and the score tied at five, Henderson collected a rebound in front of the net and scored what would is now known as ‘The Goal of the Century’ to give Canada a victory in the Summit Series. Despite the win, Berenson recalls that he couldn’t wait to get out of the country. “You just felt like you were in a large, not necessarily a prison, but you were in a confinement of some kind,” Berenson said. “Even when you left your hotel room, you had to turn your key in, and then we found out all of our stuff had been gone through and so on.” Berenson wasn’t the only one who wanted to leave quickly. After the series ended, most of the team went on to play an exhibition game against the Czechoslovak national team. Berenson, on the other hand, wanted to join the Red Wings in training camp. So, he boarded a plane with many of the Canadian fans who travelled to the USSR. They shared his feeling of homesickness. “The minute that plane took off, the whole plane started to cheer,” Berenson said. “There were people crying, cheering. It was like they’d escaped. And then the pilot said, ‘We are now crossing the Iron Curtain,’ and they cheered again. … I mean that’s how we were feeling.” Ultimately, the Summit Series will be remembered for showing the world exactly what the Soviets were capable of in hockey, and for providing a glimpse into their daily lives.

“And it was our way of life against their way of life”

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statement T H E M I CH I GA N DAI LY | FE B RUA RY 1 , 2017

Wednesday, February 1, 2017 // The Statement

statement

T H E M I CH I GA N DAI LY | FE B RUA RY 1 , 2017

Managaing Editor: Lara Moehlman

Design Editor: Katie Spak

Managing Editor: Rebecca Lerner

Deputy Editors: Yoshiko Iwai Brian Kuang

Photo Editor: Claire Abdo

Copy Editors: Danielle Jackson Taylor Grandinetti

Editor in Chief: Emma Kinery

A GIRL WALKS INTO: THE LAST WORD B Y J A C K I E C H A R N I G A , D A I LY S TA F F R E P O R T E R

he Last Word is a classic cocktail — reportedly first served in the Detroit Athletic Club in the 1910s — made of equal parts gin, lime juice, Maraschino liqueur and green Chartreuse. It’s also a secret bar in Ann Arbor’s Old West Side, accessed through an unmarked door on Huron Street. Though it’s mostly publicized through word of mouth, the elusive nature of the place isn’t an obstacle in attracting clientele. On a Wednesday night, the bartender is shaking drinks like maracas for a full house. The interior of the bar is as classic as its signature cocktail: from my table, darkly stained wood paneling and squishy leather booths are barely discernable in the dusky room. The booths seem perfect for a clandestine rendezvous with an older man, maybe a professor. Instead, I’m with two of my friends who clean up even better than I do. I order, as if I have a choice, The Last Word. My friends both request Kissed By A Rose, cocktails that arrive as tiny pink potions capped with foam, and sprinkled with actual potpourri. My drink is everything I hate in a beverage: citrusy, and with more swiftly disintegrating ice shards than the North Pole. It is served straight-up with a lime, and is the kind easily paired with a little black dress and heels. I’m in fact wearing both, trying to compensate for how young the setting makes me feel. Stacked among the drink menus, completing the impression of having a drink with 007, are ultimately decorative hardcover books. The string lights from above are set so dim they appear untethered — a constellation hovering above the gloom. Because we are so visible while the rest of the bar is not, we feel exposed, like being onstage in front of a rudely

inattentive audience. The darkness fogs the gray walls to a pale green, and is at once comforting and sinister: While it ensures privacy, the only way you’d recognize the other patrons is if you already knew they were there. It’s a place where you feel like you should be whispering — the building is styled as a speakeasy — but you’re probably shouting over your table. The cacophony of voices somehow affirms the intimacy of the setting, as you can’t hear anyone but your tablemates. The atmosphere invites confidence, and like emotional ipecac it forces patrons into spillyour-guts meaningful conversation. The crowd appears to be mostly couples or old friends, leaning close to hear each other, brushing shoulders or thighs. This isn’t a first-date kind of place; we’re surrounded by people who’ve already seen each other in the dark. Instead of dessert, we split an order of Thai poutine (braised beef, coconut red curry, cheese curds and fried basil) and beef sliders (caramelized shallot, gruyere and Dijon) that are so delicious I’m insulted by how affordable they are, even with my limited budget. I am swiftly outclassed by my friend, who, after consulting the menu for five minutes says: “We can get a salted caramel beignet!” Though we’ve taken the same amount of French, I still need her to explain that it’s “basically a donut.” Later I order whiskey, because it’s half-priced, and I describe my desired brand as “the cheapest you’ve got.” When a waiter comes to whisk away my empty cocktail glass, I quiz him about the concept of The Last Word. He characterizes the drink as a collection of strong components that don’t make a lot of sense on paper. Gin overpowers any cocktail

it’s party to, same with Maraschino and Chartreuse. But for some reason, it works. While I can say it’s not my favorite drink, The Last Word as an establishment balances a variety of flavors with finesse and aplomb. The waiter provided a made-to-order metaphor for the place: a strategically blended cocktail of theoretically clashing themes. It’s equal parts Prohibition-era watering hole, part whiskey bar, part townie bar, part date-night destination — themes so strong they shouldn’t complement one another. But five nights a week, The Last Word shakes and serves.

ILLUSTRATION BY CLAIRE ABDO

Wednesday, February 1, 2017 // The Statement

In Excess: The Missing Link in the Appropriation Debate BY TE SS GARCIA , SENIOR ARTS EDITOR

he white girl in the headdress does not know why she is wrong. It’s 2017, and the cultural appropriation debate is losing its substance by the minute. I do not want to hear a single person complain about someone stealing from their culture unless they are willing to do something about it. Don’t just rant, Social Justice Warrior; fight for your heritage. Enlighten. Empty criticism does little to support your cause. Somewhere, there is a young white woman who does not understand the significance of the cornrows she is wearing. Telling her she is a bigot will do nothing but encourage anger. Complaining about her in a Buzzfeed article is not going to motivate any form of positive change. There is no tangible benefit to ostracizing a naive individual. Show her why her actions were offensive. Acknowledge the presence of what is likely helpless, palpable ignorance caused by life in a white-washed community. Brief her on the origins of the tightly

set braids, and explain to her why she should care. Give her the option to change her perspective so that she may learn (if she chooses — unfortunately, not everyone will) to appreciate the rich cultural history from which she unknowingly stole. At present, most of the conversation surrounding cultural appropriation is chock full of “I’m sick of”s and “I hate”s. Energy that could have been spent educating is wasted on tweet after tweet of pure anger and exasperation. Of course, a certain amount of anger has its rightful place in this movement. It’s only human to be upset when someone steals what is yours. Yet when it comes down to it, we are speaking in shallow circles that allow for minimal progress, and it is disheartening. There are exceptions to this rule. Young activists like Amandla Stenberg provide substantive advice for tackling appropriation in their posts on social media. Thanks to publications like Teen Vogue, along with the availability of diverse perspectives

ILLUSTRATION BY KATIE SPAK COVER PHOTO BY CAROLYN GEARIG, DESIGN BY CLAIRE ABDO AND KATIE SPAK

thanks to the internet, discussions of culture are slowly becoming more common. Yet a grave disparity still exists between the appropriator and the appropriated. Few lines of cultural communication have been forged — the conversation remains somewhat exclusive to the affected, rather than inviting potential cultural poachers to walk in a new pair of shoes. It is impossible for one person to know everything about every culture. Friction will always occur. What matters is how we choose to approach that friction. To educate is to grab hold of an issue by its roots, infecting it with the power of openness and information. After all, we cannot appreciate what we don’t know. Invite the ignorant to join you, Social Justice Warrior. Encourage appreciation. Cultures will always be divided to some degree, but unless we allow for a certain level of openness, these divisions will only deepen. The fear of offending is enough to prevent the majority from asking questions as well as to keep the minority from calling out appropriation in a productive way. A lack of honest communication is keeping both sides of this debate from learning from their own mistakes. I fully acknowledge my privilege in writing this article. I am lucky enough to have had my Argentine roots exploited on only the rarest of occasions — and even then, I’m white. I reap the benefits of an appearance that often causes me to forget that half my family does not look like me. I will never understand what it’s like to grow up being made fun of for my facial features, the food I eat or the way I wear my hair, only to see it promoted in an all-white ad campaign years later. That is the background from which this opinion stems. I recognize that there is no one concrete solution to the appropriation debate, but we must begin taking risks. Even if we’re unsure of our strategies in raising awareness, they could lead us in the right direction. An outsider will never understand your culture the way you do. However, if she learns to value its customs and traditions as she would her own, perhaps she’ll finally think twice before making that DIY Chippewa headdress she saw on Pinterest.

Wednesday, February 1, 2017 // The Statement

MORE THAN MIDTOWN:

DETROIT LESSONS FROM

BY MILES GROFSOREAN, FOR THE DAILY

oogle Maps has never given

me much of a warning before an impending turn. Today is no exception. Less than 100 feet before my next maneuver, Siri’s indolent Google Maps cousin alerts me of the approaching Michigan Avenue, so I shove my blue Lincoln Town Car across a precarious number of lanes. This would normally be a problem on a highway, but I’m going to Detroit. Even when the city’s gentrified midtown experiences a surge of nightlife activity, I’ve never experienced traffic. The first cross street off the exit before Michigan Avenue is Ash. Just Ash. It has no indication of being a street, avenue or boulevard, perhaps indicative of its burned-out, crumbling houses, one after the other, interrupted by the occasional vacant lot. Even more rare are inhabited homes. I’ve come to Detroit to make sense of a perplexing tendency: What does it mean when someone who fits my profile — an educated millennial Caucasian — says they “love” Detroit, a city whose population is predominantly Black and remains less affluent than residents of the adjacent suburbs? And, what is it they love? Do they come to Detroit to bask in the recently gentrified districts — a hub of nightlife and well-to-do transplants — or do they love the city in its entirety, imperfections and all? The task of understanding all parts of Detroit would take a lifetime. To understand the city, one needs a point of contact. I don’t have friends or family in the area, and my peers who frequent Slows Bar BQ and the casinos don’t count. I’d basically be interviewing myself. My most genuine connection lies in my father who grew up in Dearborn, Detroit’s immediate neighbor to the west. But growing up in Southeast Michigan without meaningful experiences

in the Detroit, I felt fake. So, I’ve set upon my own two-day attempt at understanding Detroit. Coming to a halt at Ash, I notice a homeless man to my left. He’s young, probably my age, and holds a sign that reads: “ran away from home please help me buy a bus ticket God loves a (cereal?) …” The words are too small to make out. His oversized apparel is covered in dirt and holes. His head bobs lethargically up and down, continuously bringing him in and out of an asphyxiated sleep, all the while wearing an expression of sadness to a degree that I can’t explain. The closest comparison I can conjure is the face of surrender that Johnny Weeks from HBO’s “The Wire” always wore. The light turns green as Ms. Maps tells me we’ve arrived.

DAY ONE I am greeted by Corktown after turning from Ash onto Michigan Avenue. Home to the original Slows Bar BQ, Two James Spirits, Mercury bar and the hauntingly beautiful Michigan Central Station, this was once a repository for Irish fleeing the potato famine. Today, it is largely occupied by longtime blue collar residents of the city. Corktown evokes a sense of authenticity — most of the buildings are rough brick and still marked by the original hand-painted slogans of old businesses, there’s a couple abandoned buildings, the Marathon gas station is frequented mostly by locals from just west of Corktown, and crumbling brick-and-mortar expands in every direction excluding east, where Downtown lies.

Corktown technically starts at Rosa Parks Boulevard, but the area’s lamppost signs, placed at intervals of 30 feet, denote a different cartography starting at 20th Street. The only indicator Google Maps appears to have used was the stretch of brick road that extends barely three blocks to either side of the old Tiger Stadium, which is now only a baseball diamond on an open field. Nobody walks in Detroit, at least not in Corktown. The city was clearly constructed for the motor vehicle — of which there aren’t many in sight either. That’s not to say there are no sidewalks. There are plenty, but weeds overpopulate crevices in the concrete. Today’s absence of pedestrians is no anomaly Further down Michigan Avenue into Downtown is a dead end at Campus Martius Park: a favorite stop for day-trip visitors and office workers from the suburbs. Women in Moncler coats and men in Northface jackets gallivant around the city center enjoying lattes from Roasting Plant, stopping to munch on a Potbelly sandwich while lounging in front of the Michigan Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument, supported by a backdrop of skyscrapers Chicagoan in height. The foot traffic is still pathetic by the standards of most American cities, but stands in stark contrast to deserted sidewalks elsewhere in the city. Detroit is oriented around six main thoroughfares that shoot off from Campus Martius Park like spokes on a wheel. From a bird’s-eye view moving left to right, the streets are as follows: Fort Street, Michigan Avenue, Grand River Avenue, Woodward Avenue, Gratiot Avenue and Jefferson Avenue. Midtown and the Cass Corridor, the gentrified areas of Detroit that lay claim to “Detroit’s comeback” can be reached by driv-

ing down Woodward. Today I’ll get to know gentrified Detroit. I follow the circular drive around the hub and turn on Woodward, which penetrates the center of Midtown and marks the eastern border of the Cass Corridor. The early 2000s witnessed a large scale effort to reinvigorate the old Cass Corridor, which was rebranded as Midtown. Upon Detroit’s 2013 bankruptcy, developers injected huge sums of capital including a $650 million plan to purchase and refurbish deserted buildings. The result has been a surge in luxury outlets and ritzy apartments, accompanied by spikes in rent and property valuations that are comparable to gentrification in other Midwestern cities, namely Chicago. Posh bars in rugged buildings are a hallmark of gentrification and, like many of Midtown’s hotspots, the Selden Standard sits like a vesicle stemming the gentrified vein that is Woodward Avenue. Three blocks west of the thoroughfare, the Selden Standard foreshadows what’s to become of the surrounding empty buildings and lots. Across the street is one such vacancy, occupied only by an interesting gentlemen clad in a hot-pink cape, red jacket and yellow shorts with a banana hammock. He’s holding a boombox that’s blasting “Hot in Herre” by Nelly while fist-pumping and hip-thrusting. As I walk to the door he walks to his campsite, comprised of a towel and a pile of clothing. He puts down the boombox and continues to dance. We’re the only two on the street. I enter the Selden Standard to find a stark contrast in aesthetic: chic black brick that matches the exterior, a polished cedar bar atop an ebony foundation that matches the walls on the left and cedar boards suspended from above by black poles. Sections

of the ceiling are exposed to allow tasteful halogen tubes to descend from black rods. The right half of the restaurant contains an exposed kitchen and the bar, which is backed by smooth and shiny white porcelain bricks. The chairs are stainless steel, true to the grayscale backdrop so as not to disturb the cedar accents. The cooks have groomed beards that match those of the joint’s patrons, and some have tattoos of Celtic patterns or Native American totems. Each hostess has perfect “Urban Outfitters hair,” I guess you could call it, one with a professionally frazzled hipster bob, the other sporting 1960s bangs. I ask the bartender making my drink how old the place is. “We’re nearing two years in November, which is ancient as far as the Detroit food scene goes,” she responds. Her colleague, sporting a man-bun, pipes in, “It’s the place to be, man.” Across the street the dancing man has changed into red shorts but continues his ritual. He’s moved aside just enough to reveal a white, windowless building upon which, in huge type, is painted: “Honest?” Before I contemplate this irony any further, the customer next to me inquires about the dancing man. Apparently his name is Terry, and he comes to this spot every day to exercise. In doing so he has lost 125 pounds over two years. “He’s the man,” the bartender says. When my peers say they spent the weekend in Detroit, they usually mean they came here. I’ll admit that the area’s perceived safety, quality beverages and quirky locals are charming. But what constitutes the “love” felt toward a place where the dissonance between Terry’s lot and this bar is ubiquitous? What does it mean to love a city that filed the largest bankruptcy case in U.S. history or razed 2,800 buildings, including family homes and jazz clubs, to build a highway? How does one love the fire hazard of 70,000 abandoned buildings and 31,000 empty houses, an unemployment more than twice the national average — 10.4 percent according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics — and the way the AfricanAmerican community — 83 percent of the population — has largely been excluded from enjoying the delights of its “resurgence” alongside me? The Selden Standard, and its surrounding shops, tell a narrative of the comeback kid. Without these places there would be even less of a semblance of a local economy, but its presence raises property values that push away the very people that make up the city’s majority who need help the most. Eric Thomas hates Detroit, a sentiment that has, as he puts it, become taboo in and around the city. I’ve been quick to defend the city when people claim they’re scared of “getting shot.” “You just don’t know where to go” and “that’s an incredibly counterproductive attitude to have” were often some of my responses. I now regret my patronizing attitude. Thomas, a brand strategist and senior partner at at Saga MKTG in Detroit, is a native. In his Metro Times editorial Why I Hate Detroit, he concisely articulates what it is he believes people “love”: the four

miles of Woodward Avenue, the retro Shinola watches and the tasteful hotspots like the Selden Standard. But most of all, the outsiders that these institutions serve love the idea of walking, wearing or drinking Detroit, which comes in the form of uneducated consumerism. “And the most notably, downtown developments by Dan Gilbert, the DEGC, and the Detroit Downtown Partnership are infusing the economic core of Detroit with energy and allaround feel good vibes,” Thomas wrote. “But, as for the question of opportunity — let’s examine what that really means.” The truth is that my cohort of friends traveling to Detroit to buy posh drinks or attend Tigers games does little to affect a school system that can’t guarantee pay and basic school maintenance to teachers, repair or construct areas for youth recreation, expand mass transit, or inject cash into household incomes that are half the national average. These new businesses often don’t hire locals unless it’s to guard their old employees or other outside hires. In sum, the words “I love Detroit” mean nothing to locals of the poorest city in the nation, who have largely been excluded from the economic rejuvenation taking place several blocks away in downtown, and in the well-to-do suburbs of Oakland and western Wayne Counties.

DAY TWO With Thomas’ words ringing in my ears, I venture into the neighborhoods surrounding Midtown, specifically the neighborhood between Trumbull Avenue and West Grand Boulevard, and that between West Warren Avenue and Mckinley Street. These neighborhoods trade places with the other top 10 most dangerous neighborhoods on neighborhoods.com — a website which ranks neighborhoods based on crime statistics — and contribute greatly, along with several other surrounding areas, to Detroit’s unflattering — albeit improving — crime figures. I exit the highway the same as before and encounter Johnny Weeks yet again. He’s suited in the same garb, with the same sign on the same milk crate. This time, however, he’s bobbing his head to a different tune, smiling in the same spaced-out, euphoric way his television counterpart does when falling victim to the needle. Going over the highway and through Corktown, around the hub and down Woodward, left on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and right on 14th Street brings me into the midst of an area that resonates with Forbes’ proclaimed hazardousness. It’s hard to describe this neighborhood without using post-apocalyptic clichés. Abandoned houses seemed unlimited, which I expected, but what I was not expecting is how much more bountiful the open lots are. At times, nearly 100 yards of overgrown grass separates two domiciles, and at others there is only one house per block. The only thing that occasionally distinguishes one empty lot from another is a scraggly line of unkempt bush, connoting where

a fence should be built, or a series of telephone poles on the brink of collapse. Some of these lots have an artifact of what used to inhabit their space, anything from the remnants of a driveway interspersed with weeds to plastic orange and blue tricycles. Dilapidation becomes more visible west of Grand River Avenue. The houses that remain are sometimes difficult to categorize as inhabited or uninhabited at driving speed. One home may have boarded windows and a car in the driveway, or crumbling front steps with a light on inside, while next door sits a house without front steps or a car. Paint jobs are not a useful predictor either, since all of them would, by normal standards, be indicative of abandonment. Often, the most consistent indicator is the collection of play toys, plastic chairs and bicycles that are strewn in front of the house or even into the street. One house in particular had no door or window panes. All that remained of another was jagged, three-foot-high perimeter of disintegrating charred brick. One man walks with his arms held perpendicular to the street while never breaking his glazed-over forward stare. Others glare at me incredulously when I pass by their homes, making note of my obvious lack of reason for being in their neighborhood. “People hate it when you drive around and gawk,” said my friend who tutors a private-school debate team in the area once said. I wish it would be appropriate for me to explain that I wasn’t gawking, but there is no chance of that discussion happening, and I think, or hope, both parties understand. I’ve been twisting through side streets for about an hour and decide it’s time to drive to the next neighborhood. I begin making my way toward Woodward and was one block away when I was suddenly barricaded. In front of me is a lightning-blue Ford F-150 with chrome rims, tinted windows and a waxed body, setting a maximum speed of 4 mph. It’s shameful, but the panic I felt was very real, and I’d rather not describe the scenarios I imagined would ensue. Had I been in almost any other city in America I would have been simply irritated, but the omnipresent crime statistics and myths that

surround Detroit cut through rational thinking. Two-thirds of the block to go and the pace hasn’t changed. My head is now level with the steering wheel. Going around such a massive truck on these small side streets is impossible, and it would probably set off the alarm in someone’s head, but I keep contemplating the possibility. One-third to go and my knuckles are white, still moving at 4 mph. At Woodward I make the choice to turn on my directional to convey a message that I don’t find anything weird, and I am just following traffic laws. He turns left, and I turn right. I have several hours left on my hands before I planned to return home, so I decide to go back to Midtown to check out Shinola and its league of trendy shops I didn’t get to visit yesterday. Instead of tinkering with Midtown’s parking meters, which aren’t meters but rather designated zones with bothersome rules, I find a space in Will’s Leather Goods’s parking lot. The place turns out to be part leather goods store, part coffee shop,

and I enter hoping to find that some kind of local craftsmanship has found an outlet here on the corner of Alexandrine Street and 2nd Avenue. The place is upscale. Leather-bound books and wallets sit on top of aromatic pine crates in clusters placed around giant warehouse-like room. Belts hang from pegs driven into old wooden pillars. Saddle bags and shoes sit in front of the enormous floor-to-ceiling window facing 2nd Avenue, which are bookended by rusted scooters, helmets, shovels and random mining equipment. The place has an incredibly invigorating aroma of fresh leather and sawdust without the mustiness, which makes it cleaner somehow, and wakes me up like the sour and slightly sweet smell of Red Bull. In the middle is a giant tepee. Yep, made of cow’s hide. It stands as tall as the ceiling — 25 feet. I pass the saleswoman, who greets me warmly, and lie that I’m “buying something for a friend’s birthday. … No, I’ve never been here before.” Part of it was true. I duck behind a pole to check out a $75 belt and act interested. I don’t really have it in me to fake it today, so I decide to go. Tip-toeing around the western side of the teepee, I am stopped by Terrance, a See DETROIT, Page 7B

PHOTOS BY CAROLYN GEARIG

Wednesday, February 1, 2017 // The Statement

DETROIT From Page 5B portly gentleman with white pants, smooth black leather shoes, some kind of political T-shirt, black square-framed sunglasses, and a charcoal grey fedora with a yellow-red feather. “How’s it going, brother?” The words sound like those of a honeyed baritone jazz singer. Each vowel is a deep bellow that vibrates my ear lobes. “Well, man. Just in town checking stuff out.” I have no idea what to talk about but I want to hear more. “Nice. Nice. You ever hear about our stuff before?” I admit I hadn’t. It’s all handmade leather goods, that much is apparent, but virtually everything in the store is also for sale, including the teepee. “We were actually way underselling these chairs,” he said, pointing to what I thought were just for customers to rest on. “They’re actually worth about $10,000.” It turns out that nothing in the store is actually from Detroit, but instead shipped from the parent company in Oregon. Not even the upholstery, teepee or random mining equipment are native to Detroit. Every last object in the store is scavenged in Oregon, stored in a warehouse and then distributed to outlet stores. It’s a very determined system. Does selling out-of-town wares — as opposed to local crafts — make Will’s any less legitimate as a business in Detroit or its conscience less an authentic part of the city? Why should this place force-fit an image of solidarity with the community if it’s just trying to be a business? Maybe it’s more honest just to sell what they want and not a façade to comfort people like me.

PHOTO BY CAROLYN GEARIG

“I knew Detroit as a kid when it had the best retail store in the state: Hudson’s,” my dad said. “When it had the best hobby shop for model trains. When the Tigers won the American League pennant in 1968, and I rode the bus down Michigan Avenue with my grandfather to Tiger Stadium.” He continued: “But I didn’t know Black people. My mother taught Black students in Dearborn Heights, and my father worked with Black workers in the Ford Rouge Assembly plant. There was tension at my dinner table about race because my father would make racist comments about his Black co-workers. My mother would stop him. It was hard for me to make sense of it. I grew up in a white town whose trash cans said, ‘Keep Dearborn Clean,’ and people often interpreted that as ‘keep Black people out.’ It’s uncomfortable, the feeling you get in your gut when you hear about family bigotry. How can I judge the character of my grandfather, whom I’ve never met? My grandmother described him as “the kindest man that ever lived,” but how do I reconcile these two polarizing narratives? Needless to say that task was not as hard as that of my dad’s, who had to reconcile bigotry in a parent. It came as no surprise to me when I heard that he hosted a classical music program on the Wayne State University radio station WDET in 1974 during his undergraduate career at the University of Michigan. On Saturdays he would drive from campus to Detroit for the 8 p.m. broadcast. “After the one-hour show ended at 9 p.m., I drove down Woodward Avenue to Eight Mile, then west to Livernois where Baker’s Keyboard

Lounge is located,” he said. “I sat at the bar so that I didn’t have to pay the cover charge, and forced myself to learn to drink beer so I could sit there and listen to Art Blakey, Elvin Jones, Sonny Stitt and more. There were regulars at the bar, particularly two middle-aged Black guys named Skeets and Walter. Those two knew all the musicians. … Black and white people got along, listening to the beauty of jazz played by master musicians. It’s an ancillary aspect of the music that always impressed me deeply.” His volunteering and forced appreciation for beer was of course willful, pedagogical and enjoyable, but was also threaded with a sense of duty. If each generation should attempt to correct the transgressions of its predecessors in the name of progress, this was a noble example. I am half the product of someone who was the product of Dearborn, which is a product of Detroit, who moved to Ann Arbor — itself the product of Detroit — and created the foundations for my life. I am the latest iteration of this series of relationships. My bigoted, loving grandfather’s job in the auto industry, the college education he provided his son and trashcans that signaled racial exclusion are, for better or worse, what I stand upon. Should my actions therefore not contain a similar thread of duty to continue the mindfulness my father set as a precedent? Is it not my job to continue to understand my own narrative as it relates to this city, particularly if I’m trying to say that I love it? I made a mistake in trying to capture the essence of this city in two days. The narratives of Detroit are as numerous as the streets that extend from Campus Martius Park. Woodward

Avenue tells a story of the power of gentrification and its complicated benefits; Grand River Avenue portends the future of a Black community as it sits poised on the brink of destruction; Michigan Avenue reminisces for the glory days of old school baseball, trains and Irish heritage; and if I had traveled down Gratiot Avenue, Lafayette Street and Fort Street, their stories would have made themselves equally known. But my trip down these thoroughfares has also further opened my own story. My father’s upbringing in such a tumultuous city has necessarily informed his politics, principles and outlook on racial tension, all of which have been resources from which I draw my own dispositions. We have never had a catalyst for these conversations, and maybe never would, were it not for Detroit. I owe it a great deal of thanks, a sentiment that one often doesn’t hear about the city. No narrative is truer than the other, not my own nor any of the others. Each trades off the myths and facts that surround the city, and serve the self-interests of those who adopt them. But as my father frequently states: “I’ll say it till I die — if someone wants to know what’s happening in the United States, call me, let’s meet at my house at 9:00, go to Detroit by 9:40, drive around and have a discussion about what we saw at lunchtime.” True affection for Detroit is to have a complex relationship, to listen to multiple narratives for honesty about what’s happening to the city. It means you need to take that drive with my dad. While it may not work for everyone, I, whose youth was passed in the tranquilities of a college town, one day hope to feel sincerity in saying the words: “I love Detroit.”

Wednesday, February 1, 2017 // The Statement

Personal Statement: An Open Letter to my Absent Father

by Alexa St. John, Managing News Editor

ow did you do it? Maybe how isn’t the right question. The logistics of “how” began when mom filed the paperwork and you moved out. You belabored the legal process with unlawful tactics in the courtroom, certainly not on behalf of me and my brother. The asinine time span — nearly nine years — was of your choosing. Were you aware the average time to complete a divorce is about 11 months? You were disrespectful, malicious, accusatory and immature. You neglected us, you lied to us, you forced me and Jonathon into situations that were unnecessary and painful. Throughout the divorce process, you did not once ask for parenting time. Mom took over the job you so quickly disregarded. Years later, we received notice that you were requesting parenting time. I was 13, and Jonathon was 17. I didn’t want “parenting time” with you after the divorce — I didn’t want to “strengthen” a toxic relationship. The phrase “parenting time” always bewildered me. Shouldn’t the right to see your children on a more frequent basis be granted to actual parents? It boggles my mind that, every day in the United States, parenting time is granted to parents who have previously overlooked and recklessly weaseled out of their responsibilities. Parenthood is exemplified by the outstanding effort Mom put forth — and continues to do so today, mind you, despite my legal adulthood. In times of hardship, sickness and the ever-returning vengeance of the malignant biological father of her children, she’s there. Creating and bringing a child into the world, although something I have yet to experience, is something that requires great responsibility, initiative and strength. You may have kids, but this does not make you a parent. It is up to the parents of a child to raise, foster, encourage and provide the necessary resources within their means to maintain the quality of life for that child. Parenthood requires effort, selflessness, acceptance, nurturing, spontaneity, flexibility and reassurance. Parenthood is about instilling in a child a sense of confidence, safety and belonging. And if the parent does not encourage these things, how can the child trust that the rest of the world will either? Mom let you see us frequently on the weekends, and encouraged me and Jonathon to “have a relationship with

our father.” Every holiday, she helped us arrange time for you to see us, taking you into her home to foster a relationship with her children, who — at the start of the divorce — were just 6 and 10. Every chance she had, she tried to encourage us — the children she unexpectedly had to raise on her own — to see our father — the man who disregarded her and his responsibilities. The facts of our case I understand. But, considering the standing of our relationship, what I possibly might never understand is: How did you do it? I don’t understand how you left your wife to take care of your two young children on her own with little, if any, support. Or how you abandoned your home, your responsibilities and forced adversity into our lives. Only after seven years of having to avoid Father’s Day for fear of crying in front of the other kids cutting out paper ties for their own dads did you decide to emerge from an abyss of neglectful and emotionally abusive parenting. Only after the “daddy-daughter” dances ended did you decide to resurface as an illusory parent, artificially ready to take on the role as Dad. Only after you gave Mom no other choice but to take on the role as not one parent, but two, did you finally decide it was time to materialize from the proverbial woodwork and demonstrate that you “cared.” It seemed as though you intentionally subjected me and Jonathon to these moments of neglect, just so you could make your debut as “Dad” — and even then, only at times that were convenient to you. How did you do it? “I want to spend time with you,” you

told me time and time again when I asked why, seven years after the papers were filed, you decided to re-enter our lives. I found it both painfully comical and hard to believe, considering you expressed no interest in spending time with me between ages 6 and 13. There is a stigma attached to girls who grow up without a father. People see children who are products of divorce as less successful, less mentally secure and less likely to enter into healthy relationships. Fortunately, Mom was able to ensure Jonathon and I would not be a product of these stigmas. I can’t imagine what would have happened if she decided to make the same decisions you had and refused to acknowledge the responsibility that she willingly took on. I can’t imagine if both of my parents neglected their jobs for no reason other than an inability to recognize the necessity of selflessness. Other children who have experienced divorce might not be so lucky to have one parent who can do the job of both. There is a stigma behind girls who grow up without a father. I always thought it was ironic that girls were said to have “daddy issues.” Between you and me, I don’t view myself as the one who fits into this stigma. After all, I have confidence that my mother raised me properly enough to know I would never have the heart — or lack thereof — to abandon my own children. I was successful throughout high school, making way for the fact that I now attend a phenomenal University — no thanks to guidance and support from the paternal side of my lineage. I was able to participate in numerous

extracurriculars throughout childhood and adolescence, joining organizations and racking up service hours. I was able to gain lifelong friendships and foster my faith. Despite being cursed with one parent who clearly was selfish, immature and malevolent, I was also blessed with an equally selfless, mature and benevolent mother who is responsible for me becoming the person I am today. I’m forever grateful for the opportunities my mom ensured I could have the opportunities you denied me. Your apathy created a situation which forced your own children into growing up fast. You denied me of the opportunity of having a father, who was supposed to take on the role of not only dad, but friend, mentor, guide and protector. When it came down to it, I never had Dad to play baseball with. I never had Dad to help me make Mom breakfast-in-bed on Mother’s Day. And I never had Dad to wait at the front door and pretend to intimidate the boy I would go on a date with. Even after all this turmoil, I still don’t. Why should you request the rights that dads are given, when you never did the things a “dad” is supposed to do? After essentially being absent for years, how did you do it? The day I turned 18, I felt comforted by the liberties I would be awarded. Mom no longer had to encourage me to call you on your birthday, or ask if I was going to get you a Christmas gift. I knew you could no longer pull any erroneous legal shenanigans. I knew I would no longer be tied to a past of hating you and having parenting time “every other Saturday 2-5 p.m. unless the child and parent agrees to arrange otherwise.” Now, years after I last interacted with you, I think you probably believe you left our home in ashes. You are probably happy with the way things went — you were able to start a new life, leaving Mom, Jonathon and me behind and forgotten, disregarded once more. You certainly don’t take the phrase “out of sight, out of mind” lightly. Unfortunately for you, I’ve never been more content in my life than I have in the time I haven’t been forced to interact with you. I feel mentally refreshed and independent. No longer do I have the weight of seeing my father shackled to my existence. I have overcome the stigmas and misconceptions. I have one parent, and a damn good one at that. I don’t have you in

my life. And I’m happy. ILLUSTRATION BY KATIE SPAK

Wednesday, February 1, 2017 // The Statement

A family of ducks crosses the road at Belle Isle in Detroit.

The sun sets on downtown Detroit.

At Astro Coffee in Corktown, artwork on chalkboards changes every few months.

V I S U A L S TAT E M E N T: SEMESTER IN DETROIT P H O T O S B Y C A R O LY N G E A R I G

In recent years, Downtown Detroit has undergone rapid change as new apartment buildings are built and businesses move in.

I participated in Semester in Detroit in May and June of 2014. Though it hasnâ€™t been three years since I moved to the city, every time I go back it feels like a different place. Detroit is rapidly changing and it has been fascinating to watch these changes unfold. I took these during Semester in Detroit, chronicling some of my favorite views of the city.