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RESEARCH
Vehicle tech startups to collaborate with Mcity Five startups aim to accelerate their progress with driveless car advances AARON DALAL
Daily Staff Reporter MATT VAILLIENCOURT/Daily
Yoga instructor Kara Baruzzini speaks about positive psychology and mental health at the Head Talks in Robertson Auditorium Monday.
Ross talk promotes mindfulness in the workplace and classroom
Panel of “joy soldiers” demonstrate yoga, meditation and positive psychology ANNA HARITOS Daily Staff Reporter
Center for Yoga instructor Kara Baruzzini sat cross-legged and barefoot in the middle of the stage calling the attendees of Head Talks — part of the University of Michigan’s first ever mental health week — to breathe, an introduction that set the tone for the evening’s event. Students attended this Ted Talk-style panel at the Ross School of Business, aiming
to explore a variety of ways in which mindfulness, mental health and positive psychology manifest in the workplace, classroom and everyday life. The seven-person panel, made up of “joy soldiers,” was designed to be an outlet for professors, University students, Ann Arbor community members and business leaders to convene and have a conversation mental health. Business senior Sarah Wood, who coordinated the event, explained the meaning of “joy
soldiers” as a term she uses to name her life’s purpose. “You’re not a therapist,” Wood said. “You are trying to alleviate pain and bring joy to the people around you. To be a good ‘joy soldier’ you need to take care of yourself and I think that taking care of yourself first allows you to help others.” Each speaker drew attention to a different way in which mindfulness affects their life. “You never know when that moment of grace is going to come and so this Head Talks
idea came from the thought that you never know what’s going to click with someone,” Wood said. “I know all these amazing ‘joy soldiers’ could come together and make an impact.” Bryan Bennett, a yoga instructor at Center for Yoga, followed Baruzzini and focused his talk on being present for the journey of life. “What separates a mediocre and amazing person is the effort one puts into getting to where See HEALTH, Page 3
Five startups focused on autonomous vehicle technology will be partnering with Mcity to accelerate their progress in the race for driverless cars. TechLab, an initiative from the University of Michigan College of Engineering’s Center for Entrepreneurship, allows students to register for an independent study course and work with one of the “companies in residence.” The Center’s executive director, Jonathan Fay, laid out the criteria for picking the five companies. “We tried to get a cross section of different companies from across the autonomous ecosystem,” Fay said. “So we didn’t want all the companies doing similar type of work. Tome for example, we thought it was really important to have a company that was actually close to home so a Detroit,
Southeast Michigan company. In addition, we wanted to pick companies where we could identify a project that matched the interest of our students.” TechLab offers students an alternative to traditional co-op programs or internships because it is an independent study class students receive credit for. Fay said though different, TechLab is no less enterprising. “We’ve seen students get paid internships over the summer and students likely getting hired by these companies,” he added. Mcity and TechLab function as a partnership, where Mcity allows TechLab companies to use its facilities like the state-of-the-art test track. Mcity is one of the few places in the world where companies like Ford, General Motors and small startups can test autonomous car technology. The University See MCITY, Page 3
Schlissel updates SACUA, faculty on Community Previous rallies for progress of C.C. Little renaming request CSG pres.
CAMPUS LIFE
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
Indigenous Peoples Day
Body also worked to establish ways administration can respond to racist incidents
Students lobby ‘U’ to acknowledge contentious past with Native people
In response to recent racist events on campus such as the racist graffiti in West Quad Residence Hall and the “Make America White Again” posters found near Stockwell Residence Hall last week, the Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs and University of Michigan President Mark Schlissel met Monday to discuss how administration and faculty can respond to discrimination on campus afternoon. Schlissel also updated SACUA on the progress of the official request to rename the C.C. Little Science Building. Prior to Schlissel’s appearance at the meeting, David Potter, a Greek and Latin professor in LSA and Student Relations Advisory Committee chair, summarized a meeting with SACUA Chair Robert Ortega, the Student Relations Advisory Council and members of Central Student Government on the current campus climate. In this meeting, the CSG representatives suggested ways to systematically combat racist incidents, including statements addressing the lack of penalties for threatening conduct based on racial bias, a training program for all incoming students on living in a racially diverse
MOLLY NORRIS Daily Staff Reporter
University of Michigan students marched Monday to demand the school take more steps to respect Native Americans and acknowledge its tenuous history in the first year of Ann Arbor’s official recognition of Indigenous Peoples Day. Earlier this year, Central Student Government passed a resolution encouraging the University to recognize Columbus Day as Indigenous Peoples Day. CSG representative Ayah Issa, an LSA junior, said the University has agreed to include Indigenous Peoples Day in the next round of Universityprinted calendars and planners Johnny MInode’e, a Native student in the Law school, said the progress isn’t enough. At the March of Indignation Monday, MInode’e strove to raise awareness on unjust history between the University and indigenous people. “We wanted to shed light on how the University was See CELEBRATE, Page 3
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MATT HARMON Daily Staff Reporter
community and a statement reminding faculty of the impact of student biases. In his opening remarks, Schlissel mentioned the difficulty of releasing statements in response to acts of discrimination on campus. He said he is often criticized whether he releases a statement every time discrimination occurs publicly or if he can’t manage
to get a statement out quickly enough for the student body. Kinesiology professor Stefan Szymanski said Schlissel’s statements represent the administration’s stance on these issues and events as well as the faculty’s. He said even if some students believe the statements are too constant and lack urgency, Schlissel should continue to respond.
“Even at the risk of (the statements) becoming banal, what’s the alternative?” Szymanski said. “These are terrible times to live in. … Certainly I think you need to carry on (with the statements).” Schlissel and many SACUA members reaffirmed the difficulty of responding to crises. Dave Wright, See SACUA, Page 3
CLAIRE MEINGAST/Daily
President Mark Schlissel at a Sentae Assembly meeting in the Fleming Building.
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Vol. CXXVII, No. 7 ©2017 The Michigan Daily
recounts coming out
First publicly gay CSG president leads panel on intersectionality COLIN BERESFORD Daily Staff Reporter
University of Michigan alum Christopher Armstrong, the first openly gay Central Student Government president, gave a keynote speech on coming out as a part of a panel organized by the Spectrum Center on Monday night as part of Coming Out Week. Armstrong told his own coming-out story, including what he experienced with his own family and then what he experienced when he came to the University. “What if I told you I was gay? And (Armstrong’s mom) says, ‘Are you?’ I said yes and I broke down crying,” Armstrong said. “And I tell that because coming out can be really, really complicated. It’s not a perfect story for everybody and I hated telling that story for the longest time, and I still do, honestly. I came to the University and I was ready to be gay in every way. It was my gay agenda to be coming out to (everyone) that I See PANEL, Page 3
NEWS.........................2 OPINION.....................4 ARTS......................6
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ON THE DAILY: HEADS UP ON THE DIAG LSA Student Government kicked off its Mental Health Week Monday afternoon by gathering student organizations focused on mental health for a Diag Day. At the far end of the Diag, LSA SG representatives Eli Rachlin, an LSA junior, and Kristen Ball, an LSA senior, blew bubbles and blasted music as students walked by. Rachlin, spouting positive encouragement to passersby said the Diag Day is an important part of the Awareness Week because of its ability to reach so many students. “You got to do something where you get exposure … everyone’s down this week, it’s right before fall break, there are probably a lot of midterms, whatever it is — also the game result,” Rachlin said. “But it’s really important to get out there to people who are maybe very stuck in their own path, or whatever’s going on in the day, and say: ‘Hey, be happy! Do something that makes you feel good!’ and just try to take some stress out of your life.” LSA SG has been planning the week since last year’s winter semester, which will also include events like yoga in the Michigan Union, panels
discussing mental health awareness and the annual Send Silence Packing event, where hundreds of backpacks will be laid on the Diag to encourage discussion about suicide prevention. LSA junior Nick Meier, chair of LSA SG’s Mental Health Task Force, wrote in an email interview he finds the topic of mental health on campus to be extremely important and not discussed enough. “I’ve seen the effects of the poor mental health up front,” he wrote. “I’ve had friends attempt suicide, fail tests due to depression, and been hurt by anxiety. UofM is one of the most stressed campuses in Michigan. Long-term stress can lead to depression and subsequently suicide. We can’t stand idly by and excuse systematic anxiety.” Meier said he knew there needed to be more dialogue about mental health on campus after an eye-opening discussion with University of Michigan President Mark Schlissel. “(A)t a Fireside Chat, I had the opportunity to talk to President Schlissel about mental health,” Meier wrote. See DIAG, Page 3
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ARNOLD ZHOU/Daily Sophomore LSA students Josie Gilmore and Kevan Casson table for the LSA Student Government at the Diag Day for Mental Health Week Monday.
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CAMPUS EVENTS & NOTES Redistricting in Michigan
Central Campus OffCampus Housing Fair
WHAT: From the League of Women Votes of Michigan, Sue Smith asks if politics should choose the voters and answers what can citizens do about it. WHO: Osher Lifelong Learning Institute WHEN: 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. WHERE: Washtenaw Community College, Towsley Auditorium
WHAT: The housing fair aims to help students find places to live off-campus for the upcoming year. Here, you will be able to talk to landlords and receive peer support. WHO: Beyond the Diag WHEN: 11 a.m. to 2 pm. WHERE:Michigan Union, Rogel Ballroom
Gaither Junior Fellows
Medieval Lunch
WHAT: Apply to this program for a research position at one of Carnegie’s many projects focusing on different parts of the world. WHO: Office of National Scholarship and Fellowships WHEN: Noon to 1 p.m. WHERE: Mason Hall, Room 1330
WHAT: This program brings faculty and graduate students together to discuss their ongoing research. WHO: Medieval and Early Modern Studies WHEN: Noon to 1 p.m. WHERE: Tisch Hall, Room 1014
University Council explores policy to protect targets of bias incidents JORDYN BAKER Daily Staff Reporter
The University Council convened Tuesday evening in the Michigan Union to discuss topics such as documenting student racial categories and the possibility of a resolution to academically protect students targeted by racist incidents. To begin the meeting, guest speaker Jad Elharake, an LSA senior, presented an initiative to the council calling for all University documents and applications to include a racial category checkbox for undergraduate and graduate students who identify as Middle Eastern / North African. He explained the state of Michigan, outside of the Middle East, has the largest concentration of Sudoku Syndication Middle Eastern / North African
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Agenda items include academic extensions, ME/NA box and course evaluations individuals. In working with faculty and staff from the Ann Arbor and Dearborn campuses of the University, Elharake hopes those who identify as ME/NA individuals will no longer be included in the “white” category on University documents. “Those who can identify with the category include the 22 Arab countries and the three nonArab countries that may identify because of regional purposes,” Elharake said. “That also includes communities that don’t have nationalities … just so that we’re more inclusive and we’re not creating an Arab box.” CSG Vice President Nadine Jawad, a Public Policy senior, expressed her support of the initiative, one that has been promoted for several years within Central Student Government. Last year, CSG unanimously passed a resolution supporting the initiative. Jawad highlighted
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problems of unsustainable EMMA KINERY NATHAN GUPTA discussion within student Editor in Chief Business Manager 734-418-4115 ext. 1251 734-418-4115 ext. 1241 governments. kineryem@michigandaily.com nathankg@michigandaily.com “I think right now it’s especially relative because of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion planning, there’s a large push, NEWS TIPS ARTS SECTION PHOTOGRAPHY SECTION and I think that finally there’s news@michigandaily.com arts@michigandaily.com photo@michigandaily.com a larger sense of urgency to the LETTERS TO THE EDITOR SPORTS SECTION NEWSROOM issue,” she said. tothedaily@michigandaily.com sports@michigandaily.com 734-418-4115 opt. 3 In discussion of the campus EDITORIAL PAGE ADVERTISING CORRECTIONS climate, Jawad introduced a opinion@michigandaily.com dailydisplay@gmail.com corrections@michigandaily.com resolution that would encourage a codified policy to protect the academic pursuits of students victim to bias incidents. She explained a hypothetical policy AMELIA CACCHIONE and EMMA RICHTER could, for instance, provide Managing Photo Editors photo@michigandaily.com students who are targeted by a Senior Photo Editors: Zoey Holmstrom, Evan Aaron, Alexis Rankin, REBECCA LERNER Zach Moore racist act during exam season Managing Editor rebler@michigandaily.com Assistant Photo Editors: Claire Meingast, Katelyn Mulcahy, Aaron with a few extra days to prepare. Baker, Sam Mousigian, Kevin Zheng “There’s so many ways you ALEXA ST.JOHN LARA MOEHLMAN could write this policy,” she said. Managing News Editor alexastj@michigandaily.com Statement Editor statement@michigandaily.com Senior News Editors: Riyah Basha, Tim Cohn, Lydia Murray, “I think just encouraging people Deputy Statement Editor: Brian Kuang, Yoshiko Iwai Nisa Khan, Sophie Sherry to start having this conversation Assistant News Editors: Jordyn Baker, Colin Beresford, Rhea with something standardized in Cheeti, Maya Goldman, Matt Harmon, Andrew Hiyama, Jen http://sudokusyndication.com/sudoku/generator/print/ ELIZABETH DOKAS and TAYLOR GRANDINETTI place should be the first step.” Meer, Ishi Mori, Carly Ryan, Kaela Theut Managing Copy Editors copydesk@michigandaily.com While council members ANNA POLUMBO-LEVY and REBECCA TARNOPOL Senior Copy Editors: Marisa Frey, Ibrahim Rasheed Editorial Page Editors opinion@michigandaily.com voiced their interest in the resolution, a common theme DYLAN LAWTON and BOB LESSER Senior Opinion Editors: Anu Roy-Chaudhury, Ashley Zhang, among members’ comments Managing Online Editors lesserrc@michigandaily.com Max Lubell, Madeline Nowicki, Stephanie Trierweiler Senior Web Developers: Erik Forkin, Jordan Wolff was ensuring the resolution be very specific, so as to avoid BETELHEM ASHAME and KEVIN SANTO ABE LOFY HARD Managing Sports Editors sportseditors@michigandaily.com exploitation by those wishing Managing Video Editor video@michigandaily.com Senior Sports Editors: Laney Byler, Mike Persak, Orion Sang, Senior Video Editors: Gilly Yerrington, Matt Nolan, Aarthi to take advantage of its Max Marcovich, Ethan Wolfe, Chris Crowder Janakiraman, Emily Wolfe protections. Assistant Sports Editors: Rob Hefter, Avi Sholkoff, Matthew Public Health Rep. Taylor Kennedy, Paige Voeffray, Mark Calcagno, Jacob Shames JASON ROWLAND and ASHLEY TJHUNG Sullivan, a master’s student Michigan in Color Editors michiganincolor@michigandaily.com ANAY KATYAL and NATALIE ZAK in Public Health, suggested Senior Michigan in Color Editors: Christian Paneda, Adam Managing Arts Editors arts@michigandaily.com Brodnax, Halibut Olaniyan, Tanya Madhani, Sivanthy Vasanthan such a policy could provide Senior Arts Editors: Dayton Hare, Nabeel Chollampat, professors currently unsure of Madeleine Gaudin, Carly Snider Arts Beat Editors: Danielle Yacobson, Danny Hensel, Erika how to address racist incidents ELLIE HOMANT Shevchek, Matt Gallatin, Naresh Iyengar, Sophia Kaufman on campus with a concrete way Managing Social Media Editor Senior Social Media Editors: Kayla Waterman and Anna Haritos to help their students directly MICHELLE PHILLIPS and AVA WEINER affected by such acts. Managing Design Editors design@michigandaily.com “Maybe this is an opportunity somehow to talk to professors … and (explain) this CAYLIN WATERS is a way that you can actually Brand Manager make this inclusive, equitable CLAIRE BUTZ EMILY RICHNER environment,” she said. Business Development Manager Sales Manager Following discussion JULIA SELSKY JUEUI HONG from council members, the Local Accounts Manager Special Projects Manager resolution was tabled for SANJANA PANDIT CAROLINE GOLD further conversation at a future Production Manager Media Consulting Manager meeting.
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PANEL From Page 1 possibly could.” While a student at the University and student body president, Armstrong was subject of an anti-gay blog, run by then-Michigan Assistant Attorney General Andrew Shirvell, which defamed Armstrong. “Me and my community, we were suddenly being tested with this outing — where people were finding themselves having to interact with being outed,” Armstrong said. “And that power and privilege of coming out (being) taken away from them.”
MCITY From Page 1 has gained national attention to the project. Most recently, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Elaine Cho, unveiled new guidelines for the testing site. The Center’s marketing specialist, Jane Sugiyama, explained the scope of the student’s work at TechLab. “The students are required to attend lecture that’s two hours once a week,” Sugiyama said. “In the first couple weeks they’re learning
CELEBRATE From Page 1 established through the removal of Potawatomi people from this land and the treaty of Fort Meigs, as well as the establishment of the U of M Biological Station, which was established subsequent to the burning of an Ottawa village in Burt Lake by the County Sheriff,” MInode’e said. “Several people died, and that happened in 1902 and the bio station was established in 1907. So we went to different points around campus and discussed their historical significance.” The march stopped at the School for Environment and Sustainability, a plaque commemorating the Native American “land gift,” and the Michigan Union, to discuss Michigamua — now known as the Order of Angell — a senior honor society that came under fire for appropriating Native artifacts and rituals. The other goal of the march was to articulate demands towards the University regarding their treatment of the Native American community, which makes up 0.8 percent of the student
HEALTH From Page 1 you want to go,” Bennett said. “The end goal doesn’t matter. What matters is that you put the effort in. Accept your past for what it is and don’t let it affect you in your current journey.” In her speech, Business professor Amy Young mentioned an anecdote about a former student with a speech impediment who overcame his hurdle in a public speaking.
Following the keynote speech, five students and alumni of the LGBT community, including Armstrong, gathered for a panel discussing coming out, allies and intersections of identities. LSA freshman Juan Orozco was interested in the discussion of different identities and the representation of each as a Latino student. “The intersectionality from being a brown person and also being queer was kind of cool to see,” Orozco said. University alum Steph Parrish, who uses genderneutral pronouns, discussed coming out and realizing their sexuality. Parrish realized
they weren’t like the rest of their soccer team when they began to realize they were attracted to the girls on the team. “I’ve always kind of known I was different, to use the cliche, both with my gender and my attractionality, but it really wasn’t until the very end of high school that I started to realize that there were words and language out there for people like me,” Parrish said. “I came to realize, wow I have a crush on half my team. That’s awkward. But I started to realize that’s a thing, that’s OK.” The panelists talked about people who have supported them in their coming out,
which varied from friends to parents to siblings. University alum S. Kerene Moore spoke about her sister, who is also gay, and how she helped her come out, especially when it came to their parents. “It’s still important to me today to have this older sister that I can call and clear things with or talk to my parents for me because I’m not good with that,” Moore said. “And you know, I come from a very Christian household and I was actually president of my high school Christian club ... but I still can’t have those conversations with my parents that she can because she’s just older and more willing to stand up to them.”
project management, business models, ecosystem mapping and basically all the tools that you would need to help launch a startup and create a valuable value proposition. Then later we bring in some guest speakers.” Sugiyama detailed the experience and work that students are doing with Tome, the Detroit-based company. “They’re going to be doing B-to-V testing which is bicycle-to-vehicle testing so the students will actually be doing the bicycle-to-vehicle detection out at Mcity on the test track,” she said. “The
students are really engrained within the companies and treated just like a team member.” The companies also test software and work on data sets that are less track-intensive, as track time at Mcity’s facility can be exclusive and expensive. Though the innovations are important and applicable, Fay prioritizes the talent pipeline that is made up of TechLab’s students. “(Google and Ford) could have great autonomous vehicles on the road, but what I really want is that
machine learning company that supplies both of them to be here in Michigan,” Fay said. Engineering junior Matt Jankowski spoke to the benefits and drawbacks of doing independent study work as opposed to a traditional co-op. He expressed his desire to work for mobility startups in the future. “I think being in a co-op is still more of a real workplace experience because it shows you what working full time is like,” Jankowski said. “A work-study course doesn’t allow for that.”
body. “The treaty of Fort Meigs, which established the land on which this University sits, has a clause in it that guarantees education for Native American youth,” MInode’e said. “So our concern is increasing
students.” MInode’e also said a goal of the march was to build up the community of both Native American students and people of color more broadly. To accomplish this, they reiterated Students
American Indian enrollment, and we want the University to establish a position in admissions or another relevant department to work with tribal communities, schools and colleges in order to recruit and retain Native American
for Justice’s demand the University establish a Central Campus multicultural center. Issa, who was instrumental in the passing of the CSG resolution, said she found the demands of today’s march very reasonable.
“The University of Michigan prides itself on being inclusive and making people feel welcome, and if these demands can be met, as long as they’re not hurting other people, then why not?” Issa asked. “There’s a bad history there, and if the U of M can do its part in sort of helping indigenous students feel more welcome, then I think this is a great thing. I think this is an amazing initiative.” MInode’e said he found the march today to be an uplifting experience and seemed optimistic for what the future held. “I’ve been really humbled and amazed by how dedicated students are on this campus, particularly students of color, to fighting for justice and not settling for any less,” MInode’e said. “I think that it’s a beautiful thing when we support each other, and I’m really indebted to all the organizers who worked to make tonight a possibility. And I would encourage the rest of the student body to participate in civil disobedience and protest whenever possible, because it’s what makes our democracy worth fighting for.”
Her story struck a chord with LSA sophomore Rachel Mazzotta. “I thought that Professor Young’s presentation one of her student and how he fostered a sense of reimagining the possible even with a stutter,” Mazzotta said. “He really seems to have taught her more about her teaching abilities and touched everyone in his class.” Wrapping up the panel was Business senior Sam Orley, the executive director of Wolverine Support Network,
who discussed how events in his personal life led him to get involved with mental health matters on campus. “In 2013 as I was entering my senior year of high school, and my brother was a junior at Michigan, he took his life,” Orley said. “This is of course had a profound traumatic impact on my life both being with him and not. But experiencing from a distance his time at Michigan, and how his experience with mental illness was largely affected by the climate around him.
It’s not that there weren’t people or outlets to get help — it’s just that he didn’t feel comfortable doing so. That’s why I’m here today, and that’s what motivated me to join Wolverine Support Network.” Other speakers at the event included Patrick Borchert and Lars Gruss, exchange Ross MBA students from Copenhagen, and Mark St. George, principal at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and board member for National Alliance on Mental Illness.
I’ve been really humbled and amazed by how dedicated students are on this campus, particularly students of color, to fighting for justice and not settling for any less
Tuesday, October 10, 2017 — 3
SACUA From Page 1 an associate professor of accounting at the Ross School of Business, brought up the Leadership Crisis Challenge, a leadership simulation for Business students that puts students in the seat of a business leader or executive during a crisis of any kind. Students then must handle the crisis, talk to reporters and maintain their public persona. Wright said this program could be adapted for faculty to teach them how to respond to campus crises through their leadership positions at the University. The posters found at Stockwell last week highlighted the low enrollment rates of Black students at the University and at Michigan State University, and connected these rates to alleged differences in IQ levels between Black and white students. A similar comparison
These are terrible times to live in
was made last year when other racist f lyers were found around campus. University faculty released a statement on the LSA Diversity, Equity and Inclusion page debunking this relationship between race and intelligence. Szymanski said a Universitywide statement from Schlissel regarding the faulty logic of these posters would show students the University is dedicated to combating racism through academics. “A lot of research about race and race issues comes out of the University so I’m thinking of things of, in the scientific area, where there are a number of articles in recent years in the scientific journals pointing out that race is not a scientific category,” Szymanski said. “I think that’s something that our students often don’t understand and they need that pointed out to them and if it comes with the voice of their whole University, I think that’s a strong point.” Schlissel also responded to the suggestion of putting closed-circuit television cameras in the hallways of
campus dorms to find the culprits behind any future racist acts like the graffiti in West Quad. He said cameras are already positioned at the entrances and exits of most residence halls but he said he’s wary of putting cameras in residence hall hallways because he wants to protect student privacy. “Many things go on in dormitories that I think if students really thought about it, they’d prefer not to be on video,” Schlissel said. Ortega replied to queries from students about why the University hasn’t caught any of the people committing these acts by saying victims must deal with the burden of continuing to interact the police and University administration until the perpetrators are caught. “The extended period of time to pursue some of these matters, even when they know who the students are or they have some idea, it doesn’t erase the pain of the students who are victims of this and so there’s some sense on their part to do something more urgent,” Ortega said. “They’re set saying, ‘So where’s the justice for us as victims?’” Schlissel went on to provide SACUA with an update on the proposed name changing of the C.C. Little Science Building. He said the formal request made last month is now being reviewed by the President’s Advisory Committee on University History. The proposal is being compared to a rubric the committee developed last year for renaming University buildings. Some principles for name changes include respecting the University’s commitment to pedagogy and considering the original name within its historical context. Schlissel said this second principle is important in the example of C.C. Little because of Little’s confirmed belief in eugenics, a method pseudoscience that promotes human progress through selective breeding. “What (the name) meant to people 100 years ago or 80 years ago might have been quite different than what it means now even if we’ve learned nothing over the interim but these two ideas of looking, in context, ‘Was this person representative of their times or were they, in some fashion an outlier, an extreme version of something that we would not want to be associated with,’” Schlissel said.
I N D I G E N O U S P E O P L E S R A L LY
CLAIRE MEINGAST/Daily Protestors march for the Indigenous Peoples Day rally in the Diag Monday.
DIAG From Page 2 “He said ... ‘I don’t see how many people can be depressed if all I see is smiling Wolverines.’ After hearing this disconnect between the University and the students, we decided we needed to host a week of events.” According to Ball, chair of LSA SG’s Public Activities Committee, this is the second annual Mental Health Diag Day, but the first year an entire week has been scheduled to promote awareness. “We felt like last year, when we would just do a single day, it wasn’t enough to increase the amount of
awareness that we wanted to bring to mental health and positivity,” Ball said. While Ball is excited about the other mental health awareness events, she said she loves the Diag Day because of the energ y it brings to campus. “Personally, I have a personal attachment to Mental Health Diag Day because I feel like it’s the most lively,” she said. “But I’m definitely excited for the City Health Forum that we have. We’re also going to be having a TEDx talk which is really exciting. But honestly, all of it’s great. As long as it’s celebrating mental health, that’s all that matters.” Aside from LSA SG’s table, several other organizations
had booths set up around the edges of the diag. LSA senior Emma Abed attended as a representative from CAPS in Action, the student-run mental health group connected to CAPS. The group, which is in its third year, wanted to let students know about its action-based programming and the support people can find within different mental health groups. “We’re the only student mental health org on campus that has a direct connection to CAPS, which gives us a really unique position and a lot of different resources than other student orgs,” Abed said. “I hope that students learn that there are so many resources on campus and people that want
to support them. So if they are struggling or they know people who are struggling, just learn who’s out there and who they can talk to.” LSA sophomore Ammar Affan stopped by the CAPS in Action booth to learn about its workshops and mental health on campus. He said he thought the Diag Day was a good way to get the word out about mental health awareness. “I’ve been studying since morning and I just needed a break and I think that mental health is pretty important so I just wanted to see what the University does,” Affan said. “We always talk about physical health but I guess it’s equally important because it’s still health, all in all.”
Opinion
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LUKE JACOBS | COLUMN
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FROM THE DAILY
Prioritize women’s health
W
ith the endorsement of President Donald Trump, the House of Representatives recently passed a bill that criminalizes abortions past 20 weeks of pregnancy. The bill introduces fines and prison sentences of up to five years for those who perform the procedures, allowing exceptions only in cases of rape or incest, or when the health of the pregnant woman is threatened. The Michigan Daily Editorial Board believes our representatives should not play politics with women’s health. The bill’s introduction itself demonstrates that our representatives are placing political goals over the importance of women’s health and using unsubstantiated scientific claims to drive those goals. The debate about abortion often ignores that the procedure is primarily an issue of women’s health. Women compose less than 25 percent of the overall makeup of the House of Representatives. As such, the clear majority of people voting on the issue of abortion are not directly affected by their votes. This is particularly troubling given much of this vote fell along party lines — politicians were likely more motivated by party pandering than the wants and needs of their constituencies. Though this bill would not affect the majority of women getting abortions — only about 2 percent of abortions are performed after 20 weeks of pregnancy — the passing of such a ban is an insidious attempt to add to the stigma regarding women who get abortions. It acts as a politically sanctioned mechanism to shame women who are making decisions based on their individual needs, whether they be medical, financial or personal. Additionally, passing introductory restrictions on abortion sets a precedent, only making it easier for stricter laws to be passed against it in the future. And as many have pointed out, this bill would disproportionately hurt women who are already in the most vulnerable positions. It would overwhelmingly affect low-income women,
who might have no choice but to wait longer than 20 weeks as they save up money to pay for the expensive procedure. Furthermore, many late-term abortions are performed for medical reasons, such as saving the life of the pregnant woman or terminating pregnancies that would result in stillbirth. Therefore, rendering abortion illegal after 20 weeks would
This bill showcases the blatant disregard of definitive science.
not eliminate these abortions altogether. It would eliminate safe ways for women to have this procedure. The bill also rests on the tenet that fetuses can feel pain at 20 weeks, thus claiming it is unethical to abort them. However, no sound scientific evidence currently exists to prove fetuses feel pain at this point in development. Basing a policy decision on the potential pain of a fetus is also entirely hypocritical. By solely considering the potential pain of the fetus, the argument neglects the emotional, psychological and physical
pain the pregnant woman faces in making this decision and after the birth of the child. Furthermore, the same party tried many times this year to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which would perpetuate the pain of thousands of Americans by ridding them of their health care. Thus, this bill not only serves to push aside women’s health rights, but also showcases the blatant disregard of definitive science to further political goals. Whereas conservative politicians are quick to dismiss climate change research as a partisan sham, they accept carefully selected, unsubstantiated medical “studies” that support more conservative anti-abortion ideals. Endorsing unclear scientific ideas solely because they align with their political end goals leads to hypocritical policy making, as well as policymaking that endangers public health. Political maneuvers are being used to f ur t her t he a nti-abor tion agenda w it h lit tle rega rd to t he women who a re most af fected by t hese decisions. Those who wa nt a societ y focused more a round a nti-abor tion va lues should instead be working to create a nd enforce prog ra ms t hat ma ke it ea sier for women a nd fa milies to be f ina ncia lly a nd medica lly stable, instead of ta king away t he choices of women.
SUBMIT TO SURVIVORS SPEAK The Opinion section has created a space in The Michigan Daily for first-person accounts of sexual assault and its corresponding personal, academic and legal implications. Submission information can be found at https://tinyurl.com/survivespeak. MICHELLE SHENG | MICHELLE CAN BE REACHED AT SHENGMI@UMICH.EDU
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Take a gap year after graduation
F
or a long time, I appeal to both people like me as thought of taking a well as those who think they’ve gap year as a strange already figured out their thing — something only for career paths. The options are the eccentric or virtually limitless routinely contrarian. — solo backpacking, This may have teaching English, been a product of working odd jobs, my upbringing: volunteering — it’s Years at a college just up to you to preparatory school figure out what made it difficult to clicks best. imagine any option Wherever beyond immediate students choose enrollment into the to go on their gap LUKE best college I could year, they’ll likely JACOBS get into. The option be away from of taking time off in between the societal and parental didn’t even occur to me. pressures that may have overOf my class of 115 students, exerted their influence on only two chose to defer their path. Even for students attending a system of higher set on their plans, a gap year education. As some of my could provide time to unwind friends heard of their plans, and declutter their minds rumors quickly spread that they from the relentless regiment weren’t “good” or “mature” of exams and homework, enough to go to college. Today, especially if graduate school I shudder at that ignorance. Far is in the picture. As former from being naive, those two Yale University professor made the most mature decision William Deresiewicz put it in an 18-year-old can make: his book “Excellent Sheep: The ignoring the voices of others to Miseducation of the American hone in on their own. Elite,” “I can’t tell you the At the University of number of students who did Michigan, I’ve always felt a bit that and (became) strikingly uncomfortable seeing so many different people — fuller, more of my peers having their lives independent, more present in figured out already. It seems their lives, and ready to cut as if every other student is pre- through not only the academic something — pre-med, pre-law, but also the social bullshit.” pre-engineering, pre-finance. Skeptics of the gap year often I often feel as if I’m the only berate it as an opportunity one who’s still in the process cost to develop a career or get of discovering what path bests a leg up on graduate studies to suits me. At the same time, prepare you for professional however, I’m also a bit skeptical work. I see it another way — of those who decide on a track think of the doctors or lawyers from a young age. Surely, a good who drain years of training, number of students must pick hundreds of thousands in loans predefined paths as the result and time away from friends of certain pressures rather than just to realize that a career in genuine interest. medicine or law isn’t right for The opportunity to take a them. Wouldn’t they rather high school gap year may have pay the “opportunity cost” of passed, but there remains an a few months off then wake up equally intriguing alternative. years later and wonder what A post-college gap year should they’ve wasted all their time
and money on? They likely won’t have the privilege of a break during their career — unpaid sabbatical leave is offered by only 12 percent of employers, according to the Society for Human Resource Management, and only 4 percent of employers offered paid leave programs last year. Our early twenties shouldn’t be spent laying the foundation for a cozy mid-life career. As author and entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk put it, “This is not the time to play it practical and safe. It is not the time to get the job mom and dad wanted or the time to maximize your salary so that you can buy a fat whip.” In other words, don’t stress over being “successful” the second you graduate. Sure, parents might get uncomfortable at cocktail parties when the couple next to them brags about their daughter’s starting salary at some Fortune 500 company, while they’re explaining why their child is off eating on the f loor with villagers in Peru. Those lucky enough to have parents who had such experiences when they were younger need not worry, but students should never let their fear of disappointing them (or anyone else) stop them from exploring the unconventional. I do not mean to romanticize the gap year — rarely is it a magical elixir that spits you out with purpose and passion. Traveling alone and working odd jobs can lead to bouts of loneliness and a longing for the safety of a routine. Yet, it is often by enduring these trials that they become valuable experiences for those who have done them.
Luke Jacobs can be reached at lejacobs@umich.edu.
ISAIAH ZEAVIN-MOSS | COLUMN
Toward introspection
A
s the kid of thing is good, somehow that psychoanalysts, I’m doesn’t carry enough weight. I often asked whether my need the affirmation of other parents analyzed me people. Often, this while I was growing stunts my writing up. And I don’t really entirely, since know the answer before the thing to that question. I I’ve written has any used to immediately, chance to breathe, assuredly say, “No, of before I can form any course not,” thinking specific, intimate that there was no relationship with way my parents saw it, it is in somebody me as they saw their else’s hands, it has ISAIAH patients. I was their marks of their ZEAVIN-MOSS the youngest kid, their critiques on it. I baby, not some confused, sad, lost have endless writing projects person who paid for their service waiting for me in my Google twice a week. Drive, projects I know I’ll But as I’ve grown up I’ve never return to, because the recognized that, like any connection has been snapped profession that our parents take by my insistent sharing. on, it leaks into the rest of their This idea of having a thought lives. How could it not? Not and immediately needing to share surprisingly, this primarily took form in how my parents helped me deal with my own problems. They would have me simply talk about what was going on as a way of expressing myself, even when things seemed unfathomably, incomprehensibly confusing or sad — I was terrible at math, I was chubby and I was part of a friend group that bullied other kids. These, in addition to general adolescent dramas, were some of the things I’d be struggling with. In other words, the idea was it — out of a sense that containing to share my mind with the rest of it within me will not feed the my family, to let them know what thought its sufficient affirmation, I was thinking. If I couldn’t do that I am unable to affirm my that, if things seemed too grave own thoughts separate from my or too murky, I was taught that friends and family — extends not nothing really could be done to just to the things I write, but to the help my cause. private fantasies I have. And now, thinking back on my I often imagine what could be childhood and the ways in which better about any given situation. it has leaked into my own psyche I imagine whose presence I today, I see, among all the beautiful would love to have, where else I and enriching experiences would love to be. I imagine how my childhood afforded me, swell it would feel to have some that I struggle. I struggle to skill or trait that I don’t actually maintain privacy, to maintain a have. I focus on the absences, distance between myself and the and so I pull away. surrounding world, potentially But I often share these fantasies because of the emphasis that was with my friends. And I often placed on sharing my mind at do this without actually letting home. others know that this is a fantasy; When I write things (plays, instead, I’ve lied. And this has led stories, columns, essays), I to the end of dear friendships, to immediately feel the need to share people I love feeling confused, what I’ve written. If I think the manipulated and, ultimately, to me
My journal represents me figuring out aspects of myself before anybody else has to.
feeling profoundly terrible about myself. Why couldn’t I just keep my mouth shut? Why couldn’t I just appreciate the beauty of whatever I had in front of me? I lie to share my fantasy. I lie because my fantasy doesn’t count if it’s just in me. It needs to spread, take root in the minds of others, too. And over the past several months, in an effort to gain more of a sense of personal privacy, I have begun to keep a journal. I write in it every couple of days. My entries wander, they fantasize, they contradict. All of this is OK, because it’s in a space that only I have access to. My journal represents me figuring out aspects of myself before anybody else has to. In my journal, there are words and ideas that come out of me when I am in a meditative state, when I’m not consciously working to think or to formulate thoughts, but instead simply commenting on what I am seeing as I saunter through my mind. Like a toddler standing with a clipboard and a piece of paper in a fancy museum who is told, “don’t worry about the technical jargon, just draw what you see.” And then, since I’ve been abroad this semester, I have been meditating for 10 minutes per day. Pausing for a second, momentarily getting out from beneath the cutthroat hustleand-bustle of my rattled conscience. Taking a private moment for myself, to focus on my breath, my body. To establish distance between me and everything else. Some distance is certainly necessary. This lesson lies at the foundation of what it means for me, as an individual, to be growing up and becoming more independent. Understanding the potential beauty in a thought that no one else sees. Realizing those thoughts do not need affirmation from anybody else in order to be full, to have real meaning.
Isaiah Zeavin-Moss can be reached at izeavinm@umich.edu.
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Arts
Tuesday, October 10, 2017 — 5
HEALTH & WELLNESS COLUMN
It’s time to talk veganism MUSIC REVIEW BBC
‘I Tell a Fly’ is innovatively avant-garde, intersectional track into piano, hummed vocals and white space. And these transitions are Daily Arts Writer not occurring over the stretch of the album, but rather over single tracks. In effect, the album feels closer to a delicately Benjamin Clementine is arranged series of movements nowhere close to done innovating. than anything else. Here, we see On I Tell a Fly, we see the Mercury Clementine better reflect classical Prize winner experiment more song structure than modern than on his 2015 composition. Even debut, connecting still, accessibility is disparate not lost. influences from As a whole, the Benjamin Baroque era music album stretches Clementine all the way up to upward. He opens Behind Records/ modern pop art. “Paris Cor Blimey” Virgin That being said, with the ominous it’s hard to classify “Pandemonium, what I Tell a Fly whoa / really is. Bridging Pandemonium / so many styles and influences, Whoa.” The music is momentous, the atmosphere shifts from the almost apocalyptic. The operatic to the African tribal harpsichord spells doom. down to meditative soliloquy. Between the stretches of pure While Clementine is at heart a instrumentals, Clementine shifts piano singer-songwriter, on his sporadically between vocal styles. most recent album, harpsichord Varying pitch, tone and warmth, emerges dominant. But it comes among other things, Benjamin with some cognitive dissonance, Clementine’s delivery is as unique though, because the last time most as ever. Just when one expects a people have heard its metallic forceful staccato, he rounds out twang was high school music his vowels and stretches them into class. And that’s only the start, the next line. because Clementine spends the At points, his lyrics are whole 45 minute album blending almost incomprehensible, halfthis extreme with modern murmured, half crooned. Similar sounds and spacy progressions. to Young Thug’s innovation, he On “Better Sorry than Safe,” the takes advantage of these moments sound of a dying Ms. Pac-Man and finds those internal melodies is mixed between the Baroque that traditional song would instrument. obfuscate. In these moments, his What remains unchanged is his voice is closer to an instrument uncanny ability to both explode than it is a medium for language. out of nowhere and seamlessly Yet, what is so intriguing in these distill high-intensity moments moments is how pushes into into subdued piano interludes. exciting, unexplored spaces while Take “Phantom of Aleppoville,” still rooting himself in classical the album’s fourth track. traditions. Clementine desperately yearns, I Tell a Fly is also intriguing “Oh leave me / Oh leave me / Leave from a technical standpoint. me” between possessive, tribal The soundstage is continually hisses, right before fracturing the manipulated, vocals and AARURAN CHANDRASEKHAR
I Tell a Fly
instruments alternating between center stage and fading into the back. Through it all, Clementine’s vocals harmonize with either his own or with backing singers. Generating that same quasi-gospel effect that D’Angelo pioneered, the album feels massive. Especially in those moments where Clementine absolutely belts it, I Tell a Fly is remarkable. “Phantom of Aleppoville” is the most hip-hop influenced section of the album, the Spanish influenced strings could be easily mistaken for a Miseducation of Lauryn Hill B-Side. Meanwhile, “One Awkward Fish” is the most Drum & Bass / Garage influenced track on the album. The dampened kick / snare feels straight out the club. The groovy bassline makes contact with early Jungle. Yet, like the rest of this album, the track’s foundation is stripped down and meshed into something larger: in this case, echoing, choir music. Now, when we speak of a musician having “range” we usually associate to singers who can traverse six octaves or multiinstrumentalist’s with equipment taped to every inch of their bodies. Yet, what Clementine shows us in his “range” is his manipulation of auditory space. Just as easily as I Tell a Fly explodes and oversaturates into the gargantuan, it crystallizes into the minimal. Which is ultimately I Tell a Fly’s strength. Here, Benjamin Clementine simultaneously extends across so many discourses that it’s hard to trace his influences and aspirations. Avant-garde has long been about borrowing from the past and reinterpreting it to as a response to the present. Between the swaths of chamber pop to Baroque sonatas to U.K. dance, Clementine continues his emergence as one of the defining singer-songwriters in the U.K. right now.
It’s seems like a modern social standard to make jokes and jabs at vegetarians and vegans. As a vegetarian of almost two years, and now a vegan of two months, I’ve heard enough commentary from outsiders to write a whole book about it. But to be honest, many of them are funny or interesting or insightful, so I just roll with the punches. Society is constantly mocking this diet for a plethora of reasons — one is the stigma that all vegans are bougie-ass, arrogant, “Save the animals!” activists that will spend a whopping six bucks on some organic celery stick. Another is that the U.S. has a heavy meat and dairy industry, and if you’re not eating some sort of animal product daily, you’re doing something wrong. Some beg the idea that vegan diets don’t provide the same nutrients that animalbased products do (which is both true and false, though mostly circumstantial). And as an athlete, I’ve loved the
Society is constantly mocking this diet for a plethora of reasons “Well, how do you get protein?” question. Oh of course! How could I forget? Because the only protein source comes from a cow or a chicken! My point here isn’t to give comebacks for all the jabs and questions. I could throw facts or statistics out there, but that is why we have the internet and food documentaries. Instead, I want to reflect on my journey of becoming a vegan and how my body and mind has so far reacted to this lifestyle. It was January 2016. I was a pretty toxic freshman by eating crappy foods, picking at my acne and partying on weekends. I felt nasty, both internally and externally, and I knew I needed a change. Luckily my best friend, Emma, had been a vegetarian for a few months at the time, and of course, she convinced me to do it too.
But it wasn’t as easy as “Emma’s a vegetarian, so now I will be one too!” I come from the Philly area, which is known to be meat-heavy area: hoagies, cheesesteaks, pork roll, scrapple, etc. I’m also deeply involved with my heritage, and Ukrainian and Hungarian foods are loaded with meat and dairy products. Vegetarianism, and of course veganism, was not easy for me to do. Nonetheless, after those first two weeks of not eating meat, I
ERIKA SHEVCHEK shockingly didn’t miss it at all. The taste and the texture of it all, it already felt so foreign to me. Cheese was still my best friend though, and even now as a vegan, it is something I do miss once in awhile (especially when my housemates make a bunch of grilled cheese or order Domino’s pizza). Flash forward to June of this year. I hadn’t eaten meat for eighteen months, I had lost weight, both from vegetarianism and a lack of weight training, and overall, I was feeling pretty great. I was exercising regularly and filling up on as much tofu as possible. But there was still something about myself that I still wasn’t super content with: my skin, my constant tiredness, my lack of drive. I visited Emma this summer, and she made us a delicious vegan dinner of baked cauliflower, salad and vegan chicken. I was so surprised at how easy that meal was to cook, and even better, how the meal turned out to be delicious. It was at this moment when I realized if I could eat delicious meals like this one, then there is no doubt in my mind that I could be a vegan. So I started cutting down on cheese, milk and eggs. I ate one vegan meal a day, which
usually consisted of a big bowl of black beans, edamame, tofu, chickpeas, peas and quinoa. Those once-a-day meals turned into two and then three. I began buying vegan cheese and meat to use in my cooking, and although it tastes different, it’s a taste I am acquiring quickly. Regardless of the flavors and the specificity of the diet, my body and my brain have never been better. Now I feel fuller on just two meals, and I eat more vegetables and fruits than I ever have before. My skin cleared up drastically within the first month, and I cut down on caffeine because I realized I didn’t need it — without lethargy, I now wake up ready to take on the day. In a way, I simply feel lighter — in fact, I feel happier. Maybe that’s due to outside factors like friends and good classes, but regardless, I don’t feel weighed down like I used to when I ate dairy or meat. I look forward to every meal I make, seeing what
It’s seems like a modern social standard to make jokes and jabs at vegetarians and vegans
I can add to my diet to make it balanced. I’ve opened up to new foods that I wouldn’t eat in the past (hello, tomatoes and kale). And overall, this whole experience has given me a sense of sureness. Having a vegan diet has truly changed me for the better. Beyond the great impact it has made to me physically and mentally, it’s made me a more committed person. There is power in committing to transforming your body, in saying no to foods that are wrong for your body and for the environment, and in allotting time to cook new meals. I love seeing what my body and brain are capable of doing, and veganism has shown me how healthy and clean I can be.
FILM REVIEW
‘Martha P. Johnson’ takes on one too many stories or a study of a marginalized community who fought for their Daily Arts Writer rights. The majority of the documentary follows Victoria The Saint of Christopher Cruz, an LGBT rights activist, Street left this world with as transgender woman and friend much of a bang as she entered it. of Johnson. Cruz tracks down LGBT rights advocate Marsha many of the cops on Johnson’s P. Johnson died in 1992, yet case to get some answers, of her death — which was ruled which she receives few. For a suicide — is still the most part, open and contested. Johnson’s case David France’s is left cold. (“How to Survive One redeeming the Plague”) quality of documentary Cruz’s search gathers stories and for the truth archive footage of is the archive Marsha and her footage of Streaming on friends to shed legendary transNetflix some light on the rights activist Stonewall veteran’s Sylvia Rivera, Public Square Films mysterious death. Johnson’s friend “The Death and and fellow Life of Marsha Stonewall P. Johnson” tells the untold veteran. Rivera went from stories of Johnson, Rivera and homeless to founding member Nettles. While the film serves of the Gay Liberation Front, up a stunning portrait of several an outspoken activist for pioneers for gay and transgender transgender rights. Without rights, it gets confused whether Rivera, the documentary would it is a cold case crime doc be another true crime doc left BECKY PORTMAN
“The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson”
cold, but she deserves more than a supporting role — she deserves a film of her own. In addition to Johnson’s case, Rivera’s life and Cruz’s quest for justice, another story is added to the mix, the recent murder
Filmmakers should take note of the difference between film as entertainment and film as activism
trial of transgender woman Islan Nettles. While the film’s title is credited to Marsha P. Johnson, it is scattered and busy with telling
PUBLIC SQUARE FILMS
too many stories. Much like Rivera, Nettles and even Johnson deserve more of a film than they got. Yet, the documentary does its job in telling the stories that need to be told, an admirable and difficult task. Mainstreaming the history of the marginalized is no small feat, and hopefully through France’s documentary activists and pioneers alike will get the respect and credit they deserve. Documentaries have been telling stories of the downtrodden for ages, the question is whether Hollywood can step up to the plate. In a post “Moonlight” world, can Hollywood tell
the
histories
of
the
LGBT
The Saint of Christopher Street left this world with as much of a bang as she entered it community
along
with
the
fictionalized? Past attempts have proven to be either tone deaf (2015’s “Stonewall”) or masterful (2008’s “Milk”). Perhaps France’s documentary is better viewed as activism than anything else, and in that capacity it succeeds with flying colors. Filmmakers should take note of the difference between film as entertainment and film as activism; while the former leaves audiences satisfied, the latter doesn’t. “The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson” is activism incarnate, liberating the stories of pioneers in the LGBT rights movement for the world to be inspired by.
Arts
6 — Tuesday, October 10, 2017
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
COMMUNITY CULTURE
UMMA exhibition shows diverse alumni collection then trying to form a cohesive whole from the hodgepodge of Daily Arts Writer artistic styles and traditions. The curators had their work cut out for them, basically With intrig uing works working backwards — rather by titans of the modern art than coming up with an world — from Jasper Johns exhibition theme and then to Pablo Picasso — on display, selecting art to fit the theme, the University they had to take of Michigan the alumni pieces Victors for Museum of Art and somehow has continued make sense of Art (Part II): its yearlong them as a body of Abstraction focus on works work. from alumni Yet, to the 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. collectors. curators’ credit, July 1 - October 29 “Victors for the exhibition Art,” which is surprisingly UMMA serves as the cohesive, with a museum’s clear arrangement Free remarkable of artwork contribution to that provokes the University’s Bicentennial, ref lection and comparison. has brought together an This was no small feat, as extraordinary array of the abstract pieces range abstract art, all of it borrowed from big name contemporary to midcentury monocolors, casual sketches to disturbing collages. Even abstraction itself is only broadly referenced in the display, which places modern pieces side by side with works not usually considered abstract, let alone art: Ancient Chinese scrolls and an Amish quilt make appearances as “abstract” art. While some might take offense to this extremely loose interpretation, it’s a bold move that expands our definition of “real” art and questions the legitimacy of clear-cut artistic definitions. This boundary-pushing attitude undoubtedly ref lects the diverse group of curators involved in the exhibition: Joseph Rosa, the former UMMA director, g uest-curated the exhibition alongside specialists in or donated by prolific alumni African art, photography, art collectors. Asian art and Western art. At first glance, it seems Employing such a varied like a strange idea: borrowing group of curators was a dozens of vag uely similar smart move, ensuring that works of art from collectors, global artistic traditions MERIN MCDIVITT
At first glance, it seems like a strange idea: borrowing dozens of vaguely similar works of art from collectors, then trying to form a cohesive whole
were respected and placed on equal footing. Luckily, the curatorial team had an exceptionally cosmopolitan collection to work with — the University alumni lent a farranging assortment of art, from European Modernist sculpture to Colombian canvases. Rather than throwing a few “token diversity” artists in for good measure, the exhibition makes diverse artwork a main focus and often seems to challenge the status quo by placing works by established white male artists in direct conversation with lesser known pieces. On one thin white wall, a Picasso sketch called “Weeping Woman” sits next to Grace Hartigan’s painting “Untitled (The Second Mrs. Nash).” The pieces, one by a
To the curators’ credit, the exhibition is surprisingly cohesive, with a clear arrangement of artwork that provokes reflection and comparison
man famous for painting his mistresses nude, the other by a woman whose work often focused on gender issues, depict a woman’s emotional
FILE PHOTO/DAILY
inner world in starkly contrasting ways. “Weeping Woman” is a brash, beautiful sketch of a woman in torment, her childlike ang uish and dark sexuality rendered in violent strokes. It’s striking, and yet placed next to Hartigan’s work, a murky watercolor in shades of orange, a woman’s dreamlike fig ure scattered around the canvas as if divided internally, the Picasso piece seems oversimplified. The Picasso is a lovely sketch of an unhappy woman, drawn by a man who loved but did not really understand the women in his life. It seems to ask: Why is she crying? Hartigan tells a different story, at once more complex and more heartbreaking — it shows us a woman whose torment is internal, not written on her face and body; a woman with an interior world as labyrinthine as Hartigan herself. Picasso’s woman is sad, so she cries, a fantasy woman enchanting in her simplicity. Hartigan’s “Mrs. Nash” is harder to read, her cloudy emotions rendering her as unfathomable as, well, a real woman. This intrig uing juxtaposition, just one of many in the exhibition, shows the profound thoughtfulness the UMMA curators put into
artistic arrangement. Somehow, despite the overwhelming diversity of artworks and genres, it all just works. More than that,
With intriguing works by titans of the modern art world on display, the University of Michigan Museum of Art has continued its yearlong focus on works from alumni collectors
“Victors for Art” offers a refreshing alternative to the ubiquity of Old White Dudes in abstract art. You’ll see plenty
of big name artists scattered around the exhibition, but even then, they’re rarely the expected or familiar pieces. There’s a Jasper Johns, of course, but rather than one of his over-used f lags, the curators selected a wonderful sober painting in gray tones, a prescient selection considering the current art world fervor over his later-life work. Beyond these familiar faces, the exhibition really shines, with a superb selection of abstract work by women artists and global artists. This should come as no surprise considering the diversity of curators involved in the project, but it’s still depressingly rare to find such variety and respect for women and artists of color, with compelling works by Louise Nevelson, Seikichi Takara, Betty Woodman, and Jordan Eagles prominently displayed. Whether you’re a fan of abstraction or not, nearly every art lover will find something to admire in this sprawling exhibition — it may well be one of UMMA’s most ambitious efforts in recent years. “Victors for Art” will remain on display through October 29 in the A. Alfred Taubman Gallery.
RELEASE DATE– Tuesday, October 10, 2017
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J O I N D A I L Y A R T S P L E A S E
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
ACROSS 1 Pet adoption agcy. 5 West Indies tribe for which a sea is named 10 “Rhyme Pays” rapper 14 Boxers Laila and Muhammad 15 Carne __: burrito filling 16 Benelux country: Abbr. 17 Legendary terror of the deep 19 __ blocker 20 Action hero Jason in three Ludlum novels 21 Swedish vodka brand 23 Material 25 Prefix with space 26 “__ the Sheriff”: Clapton hit 28 Under threat 32 Like most people 33 Comic’s perch 34 Label for Elvis 35 “Supervixens” director Meyer 36 Honor roll student’s disappointment 37 Fashion line 38 Author’s ending? 39 Celebrated chef Ducasse 40 Copycats 41 Lovers of wordplay 43 Get big on Twitter 44 Gumbo pod 45 Sierra Nevada lake 47 Ginger’s “Gilligan’s Island” hutmate 50 Repaired, as a fence 53 Awesome, nowadays 54 “Doesn’t matter to me” 57 Old film dog 58 “Family Matters” misfit 59 Mirror shape 60 Quantum movement? 61 Body of verse 62 Sunday benches DOWN 1 Airline to Oslo 2 Working-class Roman
3 Padua parting 4 Even though 5 Lacks what it takes to 6 Equipment, in a ledger 7 Lab rodent 8 Brainstorm 9 Rihanna’s home country 10 Congenital 11 “Forget You” singer who was a coach on “The Voice” 12 Caesar’s last question 13 The one over there 18 Lightweight synthetic 22 Elite Navy fighter 24 Names given to an assassin 26 Rodeo automaker 27 “Aye, lass,” in Acapulco 29 Sentence subject, usually 30 Birthday greeting opened with a click 31 Ewes’ guys
32 Give it __: swing hard 33 Prep for fight night 36 Tidies 37 Radar gun user 39 Big name in razors 40 Rice-__ 42 Airport porter 43 1986 horror film in which a man becomes an insect
46 Female French friends 47 Repast 48 Church area behind an altar 49 Detective Wolfe 51 Roof overhang 52 Sketch 55 Just get (by) 56 Golf Hall of Famer Ernie
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By Samuel A. Donaldson ©2017 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
10/10/17
10/10/17
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Tuesday, October 10, 2017— 7
Offense looks for improvement Despite strong performance, ‘M’ defense tasked with moving on ORION SANG
Daily Sports Editor
“Improvement week” came and went for Jim Harbaugh and the Michigan football team. It wouldn’t be surprising if the Wolverines feel like they need another one. But there aren’t any more bye weeks on the schedule. The Wolverines will have to play Indiana this weekend, and progress will have to be made regardless. Michigan, quite simply, has some soul-searching to do on offense after an abysmal performance Saturday in a 14-10 loss to Michigan State. Fifth-year senior center Patrick Kugler summed up the state of the team pretty well on Monday afternoon — it’s go time for the Wolverines. “There can’t be any more errors now,” Kugler said. “We’ve got to win out now, plain and simple.” Kugler was a starting member of a unit that had easily its worst outing of the season against the Spartans. Michigan gained just 300 total yards of offense, converted 5-of-17 third downs, averaged 2.6 yards per rush, completed 5.7 yards per passing attempt — and most glaringly, turned the ball over five times. “We played a sloppy game,” Kugler said. “Everyone can see that.” The issues with the offense read like a laundry list. Kugler didn’t agree that the sloppiness was a recurring issue — but through five games, it certainly seems like that may be the case. The Wolverines currently rank 97th in total offense, 83rd in passing offense, 75th in rushing offense, 105th in offensive efficiency and are tied for 110th in turnover margin. “We’ve just got to play better as a whole,” Kugler said. “Little things we’ve got to improve on. No turnovers, we’ve got to eliminate turnovers. That’s our main thing. But it’s a collective effort and as a group, we’ve got to play better.” As Kugler alluded to, there were many different components of
KEVIN SANTO
Managing Sports Editor
AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily
Fifth-year senior center Patrick Kugler didn’t mince words Monday afternoon.
the offense that struggled against Michigan State. Fifth-year senior John O’Korn started in place for an injured Wilton Speight and struggled, completing just 16-of-35 passes for 198 yards with three interceptions. According to Harbaugh, he’ll remain the starter going forward, and Kugler reiterated his trust in O’Korn. “He’s our quarterback,” Kugler said. “You’ve got to have 100 percent (confidence) in your quarterback, and I know he’s going to play better next game.” One position the Wolverines did change was right tackle. Midway through the game, the coaching staff replaced redshirt sophomore Nolan Ulizio with redshirt junior Juwann Bushell-Beatty. Harbaugh wouldn’t confirm whether BushellBeatty has taken over the starting job going forward. Meanwhile, Michigan’s play calling — especially in the second half, as it rained heavily — came under criticism. Just when it seemed the Wolverines had finally grasped momentum, three consecutive possessions ended with interceptions.
Harbaugh was defensive when asked about the staff’s calls, which he confirmed he has the final say over. And like at right tackle, it remains unknown whether any major changes will occur schematically. “I want to look at the film, I want to learn from it,” Harbaugh said. “I’m not gonna get into questioning the play-calling. “It’s a very convenient thing, right? Play worked and, ‘Hey, it was a great play,’ because it worked. Play doesn’t work, ‘Would you wish you had done something else, had a different play call?’ Sure, that’s very easy to do. Hindsight is 20/20.” A complete overhaul of the offense may not be realistic at this point in the season. And if Harbaugh and Kugler’s comments on Monday are taken at face value, sweeping changes don’t appear to be on the way. Of course, the platitudes and curt responses could be hiding something else. Canned answers aside, one thing is for sure. Michigan knows it has to improve, and improve fast. “Everyone’s just got to sack up,” Kugler said. “It’s time to go.”
ICE HOCKEY
This defense has no business claiming responsibility for Saturday’s outcome. And yet, it is anyway. Senior linebacker Mike McCray did so in the immediate aftermath of Michigan’s 14-10 loss to Michigan State. Sophomore cornerback David Long followed suit Monday afternoon. “We left some plays out there on the field that could have changed the game,” he said. “I’m right there with Mike. I think we definitely could have helped.” But then, of course, there is this fact: the Spartans recorded only one first down in the second half of Saturday’s contest. It’s hard to ask for much more, especially given who Michigan’s defense was facing. While Long was quick to say Michigan State’s Brian Lewerke was no different than any other quarterback the Wolverines have faced this year, that isn’t necessarily the case. In Lewerke — who leads the Spartans with 342 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns while still boasting an average of 211 passing yards per game — the Wolverines encountered the most dangerous dual-threat quarterback they have faced all year. And Michigan’s secondary rose to that challenge, finally legitimizing its rank as the second-best passing defense in the nation despite a lineup that featured new faces across the board entering the year. The Wolverines are allowing just 126 yards per game through the air, trailing only Air Force, and they held Lewerke below that average. The Spartan quarterback mustered just 94 passing yards and averaged just 4.3
yards per attempt. Six of his 11 completions came on the Spartans’ touchdown drive in the second quarter, and his sole passing touchdown was a screen pass to running back Madre London. The secondary notched four pass breakups, one from sophomore safety Josh Metellus and another three from sophomore cornerback Lavert Hill. Metellus credited Hill’s dedication to his technique as the main source of his consistent success this season, calling it “just something you’re born with.” “Lavert, he takes pride in his technique,” Metellus said. “He doesn’t like being on the short end of the stick. Lavert, he just plays his heart out every play, makes sure that nobody can catch a ball on him. And if they do, he comes back the next play trying even harder.” On Saturday night, that is exactly what the unit as a whole did. Michigan State scored two touchdowns in the first half. It mustered just 66 yards in the second. And yet, the Wolverines lost anyway. Through four games, the 17th-ranked Wolverines got away with making mistakes. In reality, they were just delaying the inevitable. Against Michigan State, though, there was no more delaying it — their five turnovers had drastic consequences. For Metellus, those consequences materialized in the immediate aftermath of Saturday night. He admitted he was emotional. He confessed it “just really hurt to see all my brothers with their heads held down.” And more than anything, the image of the Michigan fans that remained in the stadium was implanted in his mind. “Everybody in the crowd, they looked at us like they was
kind of disappointed,” he said. “So you know, that just hurt. I just don’t like having somebody else having a better hand (than) me, having a one up on me.” But the Spartans did, and Saturday’s outcome left Metellus admitting Monday afternoon that these Wolverines hadn’t faced adversity before. He’s not wrong. Now, Michigan has a tally in the loss column, staring down the road at a season that will likely require an undefeated run for the Wolverines to have any hopes of playing for the Big Ten Championship. And it remains to be seen what impact Saturday night’s loss could have. “I think this is gonna bring us more together as a team,” Metellus said. “… Everything’s been going pretty smooth for us so, you know, I feel like this is a big test. What we had planned for the season, I feel like this is gonna bring us all together, bring us to our full potential.” That potential remains to be seen. On the offensive side, Michigan’s identity remains a mystery — even more so now that fifth-year senior John O’Korn is the quarterback. As for the opposite side of the ball, there’s almost no doubt about where this defense stands. From Chase Winovich to Devin Bush Jr., and everywhere in between, this defense speaks with an uninhibited confidence in its ability. “We as a defense, you know, we’re hungry,” Metellus said. “We want to be the ones to win the game. We want to be the ones that everyone can count on. “We like competing, so we just take it upon ourselves to give everything we got, no matter how hard it is, no matter how tough it is, no matter what the situation is. The defense, we just want to handle things our way.”
Advantage in shots not enough ROBERT HEFTER Daily Sports Writer
Senior forward Dexter Dancs lined up the puck and let it fly — wide past the goaltender. Dancs’s first-period misfire would prove to be a recurring theme in the Michigan hockey team’s first loss of the season Saturday night. The Wolverines (1-1-0) faced off against two opponents this weekend at St. Lawrence University and Clarkson University on Friday and Saturday, respectively. They outshot their opponents, 56-43, but had just three combined goals to show for it. They would go on to split the weekend, earning a 3-1 win before suffering a 3-0 loss. The start of Michigan’s outing against the Saints went just as expected after its 10-1 exhibition opening win against Western Ontario
the week before. The team let 27 shots fly and amassed three goals as a result. Senior forward Tony Calderone was a part of the offensive onslaught, tacking on the Wolverines’ first goal in the opening period off a power play. His five shots led the team on a night that had seemed to be a trend for the season thus far. In its matchup Saturday, though, the Golden Knights proved that even if Michigan outshoots its opponents, it still has vulnerabilities. “In some regards, we played better than we played last night,” said Michigan coach Mel Pearson after Saturday’s game. “And some nights the puck just doesn’t go in the net for you. “I thought we created some good opportunities, you know. We got behind the 8-ball early and got down a couple goals, but from that point on, I thought we were
Some nights the puck just doesn’t go in the net for you
the better team.” Going into the Clarkson matchup, the Wolverines knew they would face a real challenge, according to Pearson. With the Wolverines’ 29-19 advantage in shots, onlookers would have been left puzzled by their inability to net a single goal. “We stayed with the game plan, we kept pushing, we kept working,” Pearson said. “We just didn’t get any puck luck tonight, and some nights, it’s going to go that way for you.” While a non-conference, earlyseason loss is certainly not the end of the world, the offensive juggernaut that Michigan had seemed to be was stymied due to the simple fact that the puck didn’t find the back of the net. Though the performance of the Wolverines so far looks promising, to say the least, they will have to figure out how to overcome situations when they struggle to score, even with numerous opportunities. Without another game until October 20, Michigan has almost two weeks to fix its special teams woes and focus on finding the net.
EMMA RICHTER/Daily
Sophomore defensive back Josh Metellus and the secondary have proven their ability, especially against the Spartans.
8 — Tuesday, October 10, 2017
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com