ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SEVEN YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM
Wednesday, December 6, 2017
Ann Arbor, Michigan
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RESEARCH
‘U’ spends record $1.48 billion on its research
AYUSH THAKUR/Daily
Announcement follows No. 1 ranking in research volume, seventh year in a row
Kate Stroud, a Doula, teaches students about birth in the Undergraduate Science Building Tuesday.
Student doulas balance academics and childbirth support training
Prison Birth Project training session was attended by 30 students Tuesday ABBY MURO
Daily Staff Reporter
The emotional required for childbirth often be an internal some say. But for many learning to become a
support care can instinct, students doula —
an individual trained to assist another during childbirth — there are important techniques and facts to learn to be successful and helpful. The University Prison Birth Project — a volunteer student organization that helps provide education, doula support and respect for incarcerated pregnant women before, during and after
the labor process — holds Doula Information Training Sessions, like the one held Tuesday night, to learn more about the emotional support surrounding childbirth care. While many consider being a doula unconventional, many students found it to be an empowering role to take on along with their studies.
Social Work student Hannah Mesa became a doula in 2015, while she was still an undergraduate student. She stressed the importance of the care that doulas provide before and after the labor process — not just during physical labor. “That’s something that I feel like gets left out of the picture, See PROJECT, Page 3A
SHANNON ORS
Daily Staff Reporter
The University of Michigan confirmed its unwavering support of research with the announcement of a record $1.48 billion in total research expenditures for the 2017 fiscal year ending on June 30. The Office of Research published this data in their annual report, which details the current research landscape at the University. This announcement follows the No. 1 ranking in research volume the University recently received from the National Science Foundation for the seventh year in a row.
Though research expenditures reached a record high, the FY 2017 brought the challenge of declining total federal support for research. In response, the Office of Research partnered with various on-campus organizations to address the gaps in federal support and identify new avenues for funding. In an email interview, Jack Hu, vice president for research, continued investment in research sets the Unversity apart from other public institutions. “The $1.48 billion research expenditures continues to place UM as the top public See EXPENSE, Page 3A
CSG proposes payment for members, A group New pitch champions student position on Board of Regents competition
ANN ARBOR
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
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silence in open areas
The student assembly also closes the investigation into executive member
Quiet Ann Arbor seeks to limit unwanted music in local shops, restaurants
During its weekly meeting, Central Student Government proposed resolutions to compensate its assembly members financially and to create a student Regent that would serve on the University of Michigan’s Board of Regents. The compensation resolution, if passed, would pay CSG members for their work in the organization. In its proposed form, the president and vice president would be compensated hourly and representatives would receive stipends. Historically, CSG members have not been paid, as they are often considered a volunteer positions. However, many universities do pay their student government representatives. Last year’s Leadership Engagement Scholarship was created to provide funding for low income student leaders interested in extracurricular activities they may not have time for otherwise. The scholarship received backlash, however, due to the possibility of increasingthe student fee paid for CSG’s budget. Members of the assembly, however, had concerns with the resolution based on how the compensation would be distributed. Rackham student Marzia Oceno debated the resolution because of laws regarding international students and financial aid.
REMY FARKAS
Daily Staff Reporter
Seeking a quiet place other than the library to work, two University of Michigan alumni began a movement to raise awareness and promote the benefits of silence and noise moderation around the city of Ann Arbor. Gina Choe and Libby Hunter founded Quiet Ann Arbor with the hopes of reducing noise and piped music in public places around Ann Arbor. Quiet Ann Arbor is associated with the Pipedown campaign in the United Kingdom, whose general mission is “Freedom from unwanted music in public places.” Piped music is light, prerecorded music played in public spaces such as grocery stores, restaurants and coffee shops. Piped, canned or elevator music, like Muzak, piped music can affect one’s attitudes and has health concerns. “Noise is a health concern for all of us not only for those with hearing issues,” Choe said. “Research clearly shows See SILENCE, Page 3A
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“As an international student, I’m pretty concerned about the fact that according to how it’s shaped, if it’s a grant, it’s a grant,” Oceno said. “If it’s paid by hours, this can reduce participation for international students in CSG because they cannot get their money.” CSG will vote on the resolution next week. The resolution to establish a student Regent would create a student non-voter added by CSG who would serve on the
University’s Board of Regents. An amendment would have to be added to the CSG constitution for this to occur. This has been a goal for CSG in the past, however there is ambiguity surrounding the position. Last year, during former CSG President David Scahfer’s term, CSG also wished to see a student member of the Regents. However, Regent members are elected statewide. The position also would have to be proposed in one of the three ways: the change can be placed
on the ballot by a citizen-led initiative garnering a minimum of signatures, be referred to the ballot by the state legislature, or be amended through a constitutional convention. Other proposed resolutions included purchasing “Munchie Money” $5 coupons for students to use toward food at Universityaffiliated food vendors and $5 gift cards to Barnes & Noble for study supplies during the final examination period. See CSG, Page 3A
BRIAN KOSASIH/Daily
A member of the By Any Means Necessary party speaks in favor of a resolution to condemn Richard Spencer at the CSG meeting in the Chambers Tuesday.
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INDEX
Vol. CXXVII, No. 43 ©2017 The Michigan Daily
‘Innovation’ is launched
CSG created public policy pitching program to aid, diversify service interest ZAYNA SYED For the Daily
In an attempt to make public service more accessible to students from diverse academic backgrounds, Central Student Government plans to launch Innovate, a public service pitch competition, this winter. According to Sujay Shetty, Chief of Staff to the President and an Information junior, students with certain majors, usually political science or public policy, pursue public service. This competition, however, aims to expand public service interest across all majors. “We’re operating with the framework that encourages collaboration between students from a broad range of disciplines,” he said. “There’s particular emphasis on unconventional disciplines in the realm of public service, and we hope that this can catalyze real-world, positive change.” CSG Innovate was the brainchild of CSG President Anushka Sarkar, an LSA senior, and Vice President Nadine Jawad, a Public Policy senior, who See COMPETITION, Page 3A
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SUDOKU.....................2 CLASSIFIEDS...............6 SPORTS...................7
News
2A — Wednesday, December 6, 2017
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CAMPUS EVENTS & NOTES
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The influence of gender stereotypes on begavior and identification among students in engineering group project teams
Futures of Free Speech, Safe Space, and Political Expression
Homelands of the Imaginary
Finals Carnival
Free Pilates Class
ISP Films. The Short Films of Larissa Sansour
WHAT: Student organiations host free activities, such as a photobooth, food, and stres relief activites for students before finals WHO: Maize Pages Student Organizations WHEN: 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. WHERE: Michigan UnionPond Room
WHAT: Pilates instructor and Ross partner Hannah Keltner will teach a free class for students WHO: Maize Pages Student Organizations WHEN: 5:15 pm to 6:30 pm WHERE : imx Pilates and fitness 1713 Plymouth Road
Art of Islam. “Crumbs: Toppling the Bread Cartel”
Future of Law and Political Inclusion WHAT: A panel discussing participation in democracy as part of the LSA Bicentennial Theme Semester Symposium: Crisis Democracy WHO: LSA Bicentennial Theme Semester WHEN: 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. WHERE: Hatcher Graduate Library - Gallery (Room 100)
WHAT: A talk given by Dr. Denise Sekaquaptewa on her research of the subject WHO: Engineering Education Research WHEN: 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. WHERE: Pierpont Commons Boulevard Room
WHAT: Another panel as part of Crisis Democracy, discussing participation in relation to free speech. WHO: LSA Bicentennial Theme Semester WHEN: 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. WHERE: Hatcher Graduate Library - Gallery (Room 100)
WHAT: A screening of the documentary followed by a Q&A with the director, Richard F. Gergory WHO: International Institute WHEN: 6 pm to 8 pm WHERE: Arab American National Museum, 13624 Michigan Ave., Dearborn, MI
WHAT: STAMPS professor David Chung will discuss his work as an artist and filmmaker in relation to projects on Korea. WHO: Nam Center for Korean Studies WHEN: 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. WHERE: Weiser Hall - Room 555
NISA KHAN
Daily News Editor
Tuesday evening, Central Student Government President Anushka Sarkar, an LSA senior, and CSG Vice President Nadine Jawad, a Public Policy senior, sent a school-wide email condemning neo-Nazi and white supermacist Richard Spencer’s potential visit to the University of Michigan campus. Fearing an unsafe atmosphere on campus, Sarkar and Jawad asked students to sign a petition, which Sarkar plans to present to the Board of Regents Thursday. The statement emphasizes the possibility of violence that would accompany Spencer’s visit. “This is our home and we have the right to our safety and security, above all else. We
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CSG President Anushka Sarkar, VP Nadine Jawad condemned a visit oppose Richard Spencer being on campus because he and his followers have a demonstrated track record of inciting fatal violence, to which we refuse to be subjected,” the statement reads. “We are looking to you to protect your constituents, your community, and your paying stakeholders against this violence.” Safety has been one of the biggest concerns for students and professors on campus regarding Spencer. At last week’s CSG meeting, social justice group By Any Means Necessary asked the student assembly to condemn Spencer’s visit. Sarkar, however, said the possible resolution should focus on physical danger rather than conflict of thought. “It’s pretty likely that University will go to court regardless,” she said. “If we pass a resolution that says that we reject him speaking here because of the content of his speech, they will use that to win the lawsuit. The resolution should focus on the fact that Spencer and his followers bring about violence.” During the #StopSpencer teach-ins, history professor Anne Berg referenced the outbreaks of violence that have followed Spencer on his college tour. “There is very recent historical precedent that when he shows up and speaks, things go wrong,” Berg said. “And the fact that our national administration has sort of responded in a sort of ‘two sides’ kind of way, and Trump in particular saying ‘there are always two sides to a story,’ no, as historians there are many more sides to any story than just two sides, but what is crucial here is that one side is looking for a fight.”
Samer Saab @Samer_Saab
WHAT: A screening of three of Sansour’s short films, each following the theme of “Muslim Futures” WHO: Islamic Studies Program WHEN: 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. WHERE: Weiser Hall - 555
CSG leaders send statement, push students to unite against Spencer did not choose to attend the University of Michigan only to fear violence and the unsafe atmosphere that come with Richard Spencer and the people that follow him,” it reads. “We did not come to the University of Michigan to put our lives on the line. We did not come to the University of Michigan to live in fear of being harmed.” The statement also references the incidents regarding Spencer at the University of Florida, in which three white supremacists shot at counter protesters. It also mentioned Heather Heyer, a protester killed when struck by a car driven by a neo-Nazi at a Charlottesville, N.C. for another Spencer-led event. “As the people who are at the highest risk of harm should Richard Spencer and his followers come to campus, we
Fyi: today is “hang out by Ann arbor cemetery and have creepy mumurations over campus” day. Me and 11,000 crows cordially invite you to join in. Bring beer. #umich #goblue #justbirdthings
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CSG From Page 1A Ethics Committee Chair Lloyd Lyons, a Public Health senior, also announced an ethics investigation, which regarded a statement and “improper usage of CSG materials” by an assembly member without consulting CSG, had been closed. This member, Lyons clarified later to the Daily, had released a statement weeks earlier regarding #UMDivest on the behalf of CSG without discussing it with any of its members. The group voted to not seek penalization of LSA senior Joe Goldberg, who is also on the executive member of the assembly, Lyons said. “It was a statement on how to act (like) CSG stating we need to act in a certain way around this issue as it’s a divisive topic, where of not seeing the second half of him correcting himself it could be seen as CSG only takes one side on the issue and it’s not going through a collective process of letting the members themselves think about an issue,” Lyons said. Goldberg also spoke to the members.
PROJECT From Page 1A that you also work with people beforehand,” Mesa said. “So you answer questions like, ‘What should I expect? How do I prepare? What do I bring with me?’ ” Kate Stroud, an experienced birth doula, led Tuesday’s session. Stroud explained how doulas provide emotional and physical support, information and answers to the mother-tobe and family. A doula must be prepared, when on call, to drop everything to come in and help with birth, Stroud explained. There are two options for doulas when it comes to being on call: A doula must either be on call for five weeks, during which time they are not permitted to leave within a one-hour radius of where their client lives. The other option is
SILENCE From Page 1A that constant loud noise has detrimental effects on our health.” According to a Pipedown fact sheet, a survey of 215 blood donors at University of Nottingham Medical School in January 1995 found piped music made donors more nervous before donating and more depressed afterwards than silence. The sheet also describes other health concerns of piped music including triggering or aggravating those with autism, Asperger’s syndrome, myalgic encephalomyelitis, tinnitus, hyperacusis and blindness. Choe discussed how noise pollution can decrease our immune system function and lead to higher
EXPENSE From Page 1A research university and second among all universities in the country in terms of volume of research,” Hu wrote. “Since most of this funding is through peerreviewed competitive grants, it ref lects the quality and competitiveness of our faculty.” The Business Engagement Center worked with UMOR to strengthen industry relationships with over 1,200 companies contributing to an overall 24.7 percent growth in industry-sponsored research expenditures, direct from corporations. UMOR has also explored innovative research funding programs such as MCubed, which encourages
“I am glad to see the committe clear my name of any wrongdoing,” Goldberg said. “I thank them for their time and diligence in making a firm, thoughtful and attentive decision. ” In a majority secret ballot, the group voted Engineering sophomore Zeke Majeske the new ethics committee vice chair. Majeske has been outspoken this past semester. During CSG’s debate to support the name change of science building C.C. Little, Majeske was one of the few critics of the resolution — which passed, 25 in favor and four against. Majeske said in an interview with The Daily he had concerns with the lack of historical context in the resolution that did not compare the former president to people of his time. “I voted no because I thought the resolution was really onesided. I didn’t think they brought up any of the concerns of the people who actually didn’t want the building to change its name,” he said. In community comments, members of BAMN, the national coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, Integration and Immigrant Rights and
Fight for Equality By Any Means Necessary, expressed concerns over the ending of the DACA program’s effects on undocumented students and the possibility of Richard Spencer speaking at the University. Last meeting, Kate Stenvig, an organizer for BAMN, linked the violence that unfolded in Charlottesville, Va., in August to Michigan State University’s decision to not allow Spencer to speak on campus. “There are a lot of campuses that have denied him … and that doesn’t have anything to do with the First Amendment,” she said. “Everywhere Richard Spencer has gone has been accompanied with physical violence.” A resolution calling for the University to prioritize student physical, mental and emotional safety over Richard Spencer passed 20 to 3. Majeske proposed an amendment to ask students not to engage in potential violence if Spencer were to come to campus. However, the amendment failed due to concerns over its relevancy, since the University is still negotiating with Spencer’s group.
CONSTRUCTION CITY
HALEY MCLAUGHLIN/Daily
A student walks to class past the old Ulrich’s location Tuesday.
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through the Dial-a-Doula, in which doulas can sign up for 24-hour on-call shifts. To become a doula, one must take a training session and then complete a certification within five years of the training. The certification process involves helping in three births. If one acts promptly, they can become certified within six months from their training session, Stroud said. Stroud also explained how students can balance being a doula, especially being on call, with their academics. “One of my very close friends was a student while doing doula work,” she said. “I met her through a doula training, and she communicated with her professors what she was doing and if they didn’t know what it was, she explained what a doula was and she reported that very rarely did she get a lot of hassle or flack from her professors.” Elizabeth James is a program
associate for the department of Afroamerican and African Studies and has been a doula since 2013. James said it is particularly important to train young people in childcare and doula work. “I think it’s really important just in terms of women understanding more about their bodies,” James said. “It’s important, I think, because many students on campus will become mothers at some point and so understanding and educating yourself so that you’re prepared and can also assist others.” Social Work student Armaity Minwalla is a termination and abortion doula. Birth doulas, however, are the most common type of doula, and the only type of doula you can train to be in Michigan. However, Minwalla was able to go out of state to receive her specific type of training. Minwalla also thinks it’s important to educate and
empower young people, thus allowing them to empower others. “Reproductive health is about choice and is about empowerment,” she said. “And I think that the way the system is set up, a lot of times, and not always, I think there are a lot of practitioners that really do use the empowerment model, but a lot of times the empowerment model can be forgotten and people can push their own biases and their own agendas on pregnant people.” Giving students the power to leave the classroom and empower other people is something that Mesa also finds important about being a doula. “I’m in the classroom doing classroom work, right, being a student,” Minwalla said. “But one of the most rewarding aspects about doing doula work has been that I’m doing the actual work that I’m passionate about, I’m not just learning about it.”
risks of hypertension, stroke and heart failure. Pipedown states there is an increase in prices passed onto customers of the stores and restaurants which play this music. “Many people in our community have shared stories with us about their negative experiences with piped music,” Choe said. “People are really struggling with piped music and we really hope to alleviate some of that stress in our community.” In research commissioned by the Royal National Institute for Deaf People, now known as Action on Hearing Loss, 34 percent of the general public find piped music annoying. It also found that 86 percent of those who have difficulty hearing find this background music annoying, but 36 percent of the general public said they were “indifferent.”
The Quiet Ann Arbor founders debunked the belief they themselves hate music. Choe played the piano, the guitar and
enjoyed performing. Hunter graduated from the School of Music, Theatre & Dance and taught music. “We don’t hate music,” Choe said. “We just want to make music special.” Pipedown has spread to Australia and has been shared
on the national Pipedown page in the United Kingdom. They hope to grow their website, write letters to local Ann Arbor businesses and collect and publish decibel levels. Quiet Ann Arbor seeks to have restaurants and shops hold quiet hours without piped music during certain days and hours of the week. LSA senior Jessica Murray said she works in an autism clinic and understands the significant, various ways piped music can impact members of the Ann Arbor community. “There are obviously pros and cons to it, obviously music is meant to create an ambiance and atmosphere. But at the same time it is still important to consider members of the community who are negatively affected or negatively impacted by the piped music,” Murray said.
gifts represent a number of important opportunities.” This breadth of funding has allowed the University to continue to provide research opportunities at all levels of study. LSA freshman Monica Olszewski is involved in the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program and has spent the semester researching nanoplastics and the environment. Olszewski expressed gratitude for the opportunity to engage with research during her first semester on campus. “I walked into my chem lab not knowing what a microbe pipette was, but being in the lab now I know all the tools that I need, research methods, how to collect data, the proper tools I need to analyze that data and actually make educated conclusions in the end,” Olszewski said.
“They really taught me a lot, more than I ever expected to learn in the last few months.” LSA senior Olivia Kaiserlian, a research assistant in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study — which studies the relationship between brain development and substance abuse — said through her involvement in research she has come to appreciate the role of research at the University. “At a University as resourceful as this we can really begin something bigger by starting small and even though we are just students we can really learn from (research),” Kaiserlian said. “I think it is great that (the government) put time and money into us, which we can return back to them once we come full circle.”
cross-campus faculty collaboration and grants seed money for research projects. MCubed has contributed $94 million in research funding since being established in 2012. These efforts to diversify funding have led to the 14.1 percent growth in the nonfederal sponsors bracket of total research expenditures. In the report, UMOR credits these alternative funding sources as the reason why the University has been able to sustain growth in research volume despite declining federal support. “Federal support for research has on a decline or stagnant and future support is uncertain,” Hu wrote. “We must continue to work to diversify sources of research funding. Industry, foundations and philanthropic
Wednesday, December 6, 2017 — 3A
Many people ... have shared stories with us about their negative experiences with music
COMPETITION From Page 1A included it in their eMerge platform last semester. Many details have yet to be finalized, Shetty said, but the competition is expected to span a couple months and feature three stages. Any undergraduate or graduate student at the University of Michigan is invited to participate. Multiple winners will be awarded a hierarchy of prizes, including grant money to pursue the proposed public service project. Innovate was the primary focus of CSG’s Giving Blueday fundraising campaign. Though the amount of prize money remains undecided as CSG continues to raise funds for the project, they plan to use the money obtained from Giving Blueday and money in their Executive Discretionary account for winter 2018 to fund the competition. Chief Programming Officer Isabelle Blanchard, an LSA sophomore, said CSG also aims to supplement partnerships with the Center for Entrepreneurship and Library Student Mini Grants. The first stage of the competition, a mingling event intended to introduce individual projects and find partners who share similar passions, will take place on Jan. 19. The next two phases, pitches in front of a panel of judges, and perhaps, the student body, are unscheduled, Blanchard said. “I hope students will be able to realize the actual impact they can make on a college campus,
whether it’s their first year or their last year,” she said. “I think that competitions really open a lot of doors for groups, and I think it’s really rare for students to be able to receive so much funding and work on a project continuously.” CSG representative Zoha Qureshi, a Public Policy junior, believes it’s valuable for CSG to
I hope students will be able to realize the actual impact they can make fund projects like Innovate. “It is important for CSG to fund these kinds of competitions, because they elevate student voices, allow collaboration between students, and foster understanding of various perspectives — all important to making our campus a better place for us,” she said. Qureshi hopes Innovate will inspire students of all academic backgrounds to consider the role public policy can play in their longterm goals. “As a Ford student, I hope the competition inspires first- and second-year students to consider how their interests and goals (health, economics, law, etc.) can be manifested through public service work, and how learning more about public policy can help these students reach those goals,” she said.
Opinion
4A — Wednesday, December 6, 2017
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Support women in STEM
“O
h my gosh! better and benefit because That looks so of it. I experienced this complicated! You firsthand while learning how are so smart; I could never to code. Pushing myself to do do that.” These are something I never often the responses I thought I would get when my friends has allowed me look at my computer to learn more and while I’m doing work harder than my homework. I ever imagined I But, the truth is, would when I came my homework to college. really isn’t that When I first complicated. Sure, enrolled in this the lines of code may computer science look intimidating, MICHELLE class, I thought I PHILLIPS was contributing but if you were to see a male student to changing the coding on his computer in the stereotype of this malelibrary, would you think he dominated industry; that were exceptional? Or would I would help change the you think he were a genius? reputation that only men can be No, you wouldn’t. successful in STEM fields. There is an extreme double standard between men and women in the field of technolog y. When I was three, I wanted to be a pop star, not a computer scientist. Society conditioned me to believe jobs related to engineering and science were only for men. I would have never guessed that I, a woman, would ever walk into lecture halls to study coding languages surrounded by male students, male professors and male Graduate Student Instructors. I was never the smartest kid in class. I constantly struggle with different concepts I learn, and it takes a lot of brainpower for me to master them. Last year, when I came to the University of Michigan, However, I was wrong. a senior recommended that I Disproving people’s prejudices take a computer science class was and still is harder than (“You will learn so much! You I thought it would be. I have won’t regret it!”) and to this faced the harsh reality that day, I don’t. I learned more you can’t change the minds in my first computer science of thousands of individuals course than I did in any other by simply enrolling in a class. class I have taken thus far in They assume things about my academic career. you, they think you won’t be I worked really hard and as successful as your male ended up being a successful counterparts and they give student. Though I didn’t you attitude for asking too receive an A, the knowledge many questions. I gained in that course far The stigma that surrounds exceeds what you will see women in STEM fields goes ref lected by my grade. I far beyond what female learned that doing something students will experience on you actually enjoy allows you the University’s campus. A to learn from your failures study from Girls Who Code and accept them as part of the states that about 74 percent of process. Studying a subject you young girls express interest are passionate about enables in STEM fields and computer you to accept setbacks because science. Yet, research shows of your determination to do that women earn only 18
I have faced the harsh reality that you can’t change the minds of thousands of individuals by simply enrolling in a class.
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percent of computer science degrees and hold only 11 percent of executive positions in Silicon Valley. I wonder what deterred the rest from pursuing their childhood dreams? Needless to say, there have been countless instances in which women have faced sexism in the tech industry. Earlier this year, Justin Caldbeck resigned from his venture capital firm, Binary Capital, after six female employees accused him of sexually harassing them. Also in 2017, Susan Fowler made news when she spoke out about the sexism she faced as a female working as a software engineer for Uber. The harsh reality surrounding women in top positions at corporate technolog y companies discourages young girls from pursuing degrees in those fields and taking jobs at specific companies. I know I am just as capable as the next person, and I know being a girl does not mean I will accomplish less. In fact, it makes me work harder, so that I can show everyone that just because I was born a specific sex does not mean I will amount to less. The truth to all of this is that everything is hard until it gets easy. A good friend of mine always tells me this, which I have found to be true: No matter which path you choose, no matter which class you take, you have to put the effort in to actually learn. Once you practice it, it becomes easier. So no, my homework really is not that complicated, and no, I am not a genius. We should all actively encourage g irls to pursue STEM. There are many organizations around and outside of campus that women in technolog y can join to learn from others and gain opportunities to grow. The more we raise awareness about these issues, the more the gender gap will close and the more women will be able to prosper in maledominated workplaces such as the tech industr y.
Michelle Phillips can be reached at mphi@umich.edu.
NOTABLE QUOTABLE
Have you heard what’s happening in Honduras?
T
his past week, chants of “Hey hey, ho ho, Richard Spencer has got to go” rang on our campus. Simultaneously, in Honduras, the rallying cry of “Fuera JOH” (out with Juan Orlando Hernández) resonated in the streets, the media and the collective consciousness of a burgeoning movement of mass political resistance. Hondurans went to the polls on Nov. 26 to decide who would be the next president, and still, a winner has yet to be officially announced. The main contenders were Juan Orlando Hernández, the National Party incumbent running for a constitutionally-disputed second term, and Salvador Nasralla, a sportscaster turned politician who has created an alliance between anti-corruption and leftist opposition parties. On the night of the election, both candidates declared their respective victories despite the unprecedented silence of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE), which did not release a preliminary vote count until almost 10 hours after the polls had closed. When the TSE finally broke its silence, Nasralla was leading by a margin of 5 percent with 57 percent of the votes counted. Then, suddenly, there was an electronic malfunction in the vote counting technology. After an eight hour pause, the count resumed, and Hernández, the candidate considered most favorable to U.S. interests, began to bridge the gap and eventually surpassed Nasralla in the count. The TSE finally finished the count Monday, and the results show that Hernández is leading with 42.98 percent of the vote compared to Nasralla’s 41.39, a difference of only 52,347 votes. However, the many irregularities documented in the voting centers, which have prevented the announcement of a winner, raise suspicion of widespread electoral fraud. With the exception of a few U.S. Congress members who denounced the way the election was handled, our government has not firmly addressed the situation beyond calling on everyone to respect the TSE’s results. The day after the election, I struggled to find American news reports on the situation, and I drew only blank stares on campus when I brought it up. While the market for international news reporting and consumption is competitive, the lack of attention to Latin America is indicative of a larger political project that encourages ignorance of U.S. influence over these countries. The silence on U.S.-Latin American relations supports the implicit conclusion that the irregularities in the Honduran election are the fault of weak democratic institutions resulting from a culture of corruption. However, this view obscures a long history of U.S. intervention that undermined Latin American democracies at the price of protecting our economic interests (Guatemala, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Nicaragua, El Salvador, to name a few). Under the guise of preventing the spread of communism, the U.S. has propped up several Latin American dictators, providing economic support and training of military forces to weed
out any leftist tendencies that would block access to multinational corporations. While many shy away from the term colonialism, throwing in the “neo-” prefix accurately describes the economic and political influence we have covertly, and at times openly, maintained in Latin America. Almost every Latin American country bears the scars of U.S. intervention. Yet, the covert nature of our actions means any political instability is always blamed on Latin American culture, a form of victim shaming that alleviates any U.S. guilt. As a result, the day following the Honduran election, I was not surprised to find few knew what was going on, and even fewer felt the U.S. had any responsibility to respond. The most recent coup in Honduras was in 2009. President Manuel Zelaya, who implemented many progressive reforms, was overthrown by the military after proposing a referendum to allow presidents to serve two terms instead of one. While the mere suggestion of adding another term was enough to get Zelaya overthrown, a year into Hernández’s presidency, the Honduran Supreme Court ruled to allow him to attempt reelection. Hernández, elected in 2013, aligns with U.S. economic interests. We have not questioned the legality of his bid for reelection.
Almost every Latin American country bears the scars of U.S. intervention. After the 2009 coup, we recognized the government of Porfirio Lobo Sosa, even though other Latin American countries refused, and we continued to support him despite the increase in state repression. The support for autocratic leaders in Latin America has always cut across U.S. party lines. Former President Barack Obama supported Lobo Sosa and what he called the “restoration of democratic practices.” Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, at that time, denied what had happened was a coup. While the U.S. media reflects a slight unease with Hernández’s bid for reelection, we have been slow to condemn the fraud. I suspect this has much to do with Nasralla representing a coalition of leftist parties — some labeled as socialist. Given the allegations of fraud and the mysterious electronic complications in the vote count that preceded the reversal of the electoral trend, Nasralla has refused to recognize the results of the election should Hernández be declared the winner. While the remaining 5 percent of ballots that showed “inconsistencies” were counted by hand, Nasralla’s Alliance Against the Dictatorship coalition is demanding a more comprehensive recount of the votes or a redo of the election. Since the results are bound to be close, the call for a recount is neither unprecedented nor unwarranted. In light of the TSE’s failure to consider a recount, which seems
to confirm corruption, many Hondurans have taken to the streets to protest. In response, the government, still controlled by Hernández, installed a curfew from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. and ordered the military to shut down public demonstrations. So far, at least 11 people have died and more than 1,000 have been arrested. Despite the dangers presented by this autocratic crackdown, every day throughout the country Hondurans have participated in marches, blockades and cacerolazos, a form of popular protest in which people bang pots and pans in the street. Many have united behind the figure of Nasralla to combat the corruption threatening their democracy. On Monday, some factions within the police refused to enforce the curfew. The magnitude of popular resistance proves that one cannot fault the nation for lacking “democratic culture.” In response, Hernández has assumed dictatorial-like authority and is desperately trying to hang onto power, drawing on any internal or international support he can muster. This puts the U.S. public in a familiar position. We can choose to continue the practice of turning a blind eye to the questionable actions of our own government in Latin America. We can continue to tacitly support a dictator because the democratically elected alternative is leftist. We can continue to pretend this election does not concern us. But we must recognize that this means erasing our history just as much as theirs. It empties out the ideal of our national integrity by putting all the blame elsewhere. After all, it’s always easier to continue with the status quo. Or, we can choose to stand in solidarity. Drawing from our University’s conflict over whether or not to allow white nationalist Richard Spencer speak on campus based on arguments of free speech, or the recent revelations about Michael Flynn and Russia, we can recognize that putting democracy into practice isn’t always easy. Our democracy has a lot of problems too, including the mandate we always give our leaders to take neocolonial actions that subvert democracy in Latin America. We can take a few seconds to Google “Honduras elections,” “Honduras history” and maybe even “History of U.S. intervention in Honduras.” We can bring it up with our friends and in our classes. We can contact our representatives and tell them we’re done being bystanders and we’re ready to recognize our share of the guilt. We can tell them we don’t want to recognize the results of the election unless there is a complete recount of all the votes cast because we know democracy is fragile enough without outside influences actively trying to subvert it. We can learn from the mass political mobilization in Honduras, apply their tactics in our own fights for democracy, use their awakening of political consciousness to spur our own. And when we raise our voices to chant “Richard Spencer has got to go,” we can add our own “Fuera JOH.” Allison Lang is an LSA senior.
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— U.S. Rep. John Conyers Jr., D-Mich. in a retirement statement following sexual harrassment allegations
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Arts
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EXHIBIT REVIEW
Wednesday, December 6, 2017 — 5A
NO FILTER
CEREN DAG/DAILY The museum is located off of S. State Street
REPUBLIC
Goddesses we don’t deserve to have
The UMMA exhibit ‘What Replaying: ‘Feeling Myself’ Were You Wearing’ fights Returning to Beyonce & Nicki Minaj’s overlooked single generalizations of assault CHRISTIAN KENNEDY Daily Online Editor
UMMA joined with HeforShe for a one-time exhibit in AA ELI RALLO
Daily Arts Writer
“What were you wearing?” A business suit, jeans, a sweater, a sweatshirt, joggers, athletic shorts, a tank top, pajamas, a dress. You’re going to work, you’re going to class, you’re going to a party, you’re going to a friends house or you’re going to bed. Something is about to change. Something is about to become a plot point in the line of your life — one that is uninvited, one that is cruel, one that you did not expect and one that you will never erase. “What were you wearing?” The question hangs in the air: seemingly simple, mundane, usual. Four words, 17 letters and a question mark — all dangling in blank space. But in many situations, this question is really rather loaded — provoking anger, sadness, discomfort and confusion. Many survivors of sexual assault will hear this question, asked by a friend, an employer, a police officer, a family member, an investigator, inviting the notion that perhaps if the victim was wearing something revealing, they were inviting the violence. The University of Michigan Museum of Art’s one night only exhibit “What Were You Wearing?” looks to start a conversation that silences that generalization. UMMA, in partnership with University and national organization HeforShe, brought the exhibit to the University, as its message resonates greatly with our current campus and national climate. The exhibit was originally started at the University of Kansas by Jen Brockman. It features replications of outfits that sexual assault survivors we wearing and quotes from their stories, gathered from interviews by Brockman. The exhibit looks to deconstruct the notion that people are only assaulted if they are wearing something revealing, and a victim could have been “asking for it” based on what they were wearing. There were around twenty outfits hung on a rack around the space, with the stories posted above them. Of the outfits, the majority were everyday clothes — jeans, oversized sweatshirts, workout clothes, shorts and t-shirts. Of the stories posted above the outfits, some especially thought provoking quotes included: “I was wearing Nike shorts
and a concert sweatshirt. Seems so normal. So every day. It was too, just any other day, except for this. Except for what happened.” “The first time I was wearing jeans and a blue t-shirt. The next time, years later, I was wearing jeans and a blue t-shirt. I wear blue sometimes when I kickbox or when I need to be assertive. Even today I am wearing blue, because they don’t get to take away my voice, my favorite color or my ability to say no and mean it. These things are mine.” “White t-shirt and black basketball shorts. It was always the same outfit. It was always at the rec center. I trusted him. My mom trusted him.”
“What Were You Wearing” UMMA Monday, December 4, 2017 The exhibit does a wonderful job of expressing that it doesn’t matter who you are, it doesn’t matter what you’re wearing, it doesn’t matter where you are, it doesn’t matter the circumstance. No means no, and assault is never the survivor’s fault. Assault can happen to anyone, at any time. The exhibit also provided an array of experiences through different ages, locations and circumstances –– to prove that this can and does happen anywhere. From the wide array of individuals (both male and female) whose stories are included in the exhibit, it is clear that there is no one specific circumstance for sexual assault. Those who attempt to define assault as a singular thing generalize the implications of assault and associate or trivialize experiences are wrong. These stories being told (and others) are personal, absolutely heartbreaking and not uncommon on college campuses. The sexual assault climate on the University’s campus is like that of many other universities, which is both saddening and unfortunate. According to the University’s Campus Climate Report from 2015, 22.5 percent of female undergrad and 6.8
percent of male undergrad students experienced a form of non consensual sexual activity in the past 12 months. And the 2017 Annual Security Report stated that there were 26 cases of rape, 22 of fondling, 29 of stalking and 29 of dating violence on our campus last year. Keep in mind, these are the numbers of people who felt comfortable and safe reporting these crimes. With this, HeforShe saw a great need for a larger conversation about these issues; which inspired bringing the exhibit to this campus. As seen by the statistics above, there are major issues with assault and domestic violence on this campus. It is terrifying how, in today’s world, sexual assault has grown, maintained itself and become normalized on college campuses everywhere. Recently, University of Michigan Interfraternity Council suspended all social activities and pledging activities due to several alarming incidents — one of them, which is unfortunately no surprise, is a growth in cases of sexual assault. Erasing the stigma and normalization of the culture of sexual assault is a step that the exhibit at UMMA this past Monday looked to take. It is a long battle, but one that must start somewhere. The exhibit provided a space for conversation, education for those do not feel well informed on these issues and the larger message: Assault can and does happen to anyone. It is not normal, it does not have a specific circumstance, it cannot ever be justified and it should not go unnoticed. This exhibit and its message is incredibly important right now, not only because of the problems occurring on our campus, but also the climate surrounding assault nationally. For the first time, sexual assault is being brought into the conversation on a national scale. In Hollywood and major news corporations, powerful men have been fired for sexual assault allegations, and people are finding space to share their personal stories of sexual assault. Campaigns like “#MeToo” have spread all over social media, empowering individuals and validating the stark reality of the situation. It seems that more and more individuals are being encouraged to come forward with their stories so that the pervasiveness of these issues can finally be seen. And this is only the start.
The Pinkprint, Nicki Minaj’s third LP, released 7 singles (“Pills N Potions,” “Anaconda,” “Only,” “Bed of Lies,” “Truff le Butter,” “The Night Is Still Young,” “Trini Dem Girls,” respectively). This boggles my mind. First of all, seven singles is excessive, even more so considering their from a rapper who prides herself on chart performance, but only one cracked the top ten. (“Anaconda” peaked at #2, but clearly should’ve gone #1.) The final single, Trini Dem Girls which features Lunchmoney Lewis, didn’t chart and doesn’t even have a wikipedia page (lol). Her new album ~hopefully~ drops next week, nearly three years after the release of The Pinkprint, so it’s time to talk about the its greatest deep cut, arguably one of the greatest deep cuts. The sequel to “***Flawless (Remix)” (which was the number 1 song of 2014 according to Time): “Feeling Myself (feat. Beyonce).” I love (loooooove) Nicki Minaj, and she herself acknowledges that sometimes she is left in the lurch of the men she collaborates with. It’s an easy get for male rappers to feature Minaj to increase airplay and streaming numbers but on the f lipside, Minaj’s solo work goes underappreciated on radio. This pattern also bleeds into Minaj’s own discography. During “Only,” a track off The Pinkprint, I go in during Minaj’s opening verse and immediately change it once Lil Wayne or Chris Brown pick it up. Okay, sometimes I stick through it for Drake’s verse — only sometimes, though. Ditto for “Truff le Butter”: Lil Wayne’s verse is honestly just gross, and I like to think I have a relatively high tolerance for gross sex stuff but damn. Additionally, it wasn’t until recently I was able to fully appreciate Minaj’s bars in “Buy a Heart” and “Big Daddy” (features with ex Meek Mill) because I so rarely stuck around through Mill’s opening verses. I have since had a change of heart regarding Mill’s contribution to “Buy a Heart.” To bring us back to 2017 for a moment, two of Minaj’s #ThreePackfromParis, “No Frauds” and “Changed It,” renew the tendency: the former featuring Lil Wayne and Drake, the latter featuring only Wayne. On both tracks Minaj’s bars are solid. Both verses are worth a rewind, a replay and a revisit whenever the thought or opportunity presents itself, but the tracks lose their energy without
Minaj at the helm. “No Frauds,” specifically because it was released as a response diss track to Remy Ma’s 5-minute, bars-loaded “Shether.” While “No Frauds” f lexes Minaj’s A-list status, it fails to show her as a master MC. The lyric “ ‘Back to Back’? / Oh you mean back to whack?” rings slightly false seeing that Drake bodied Meek on “Back to Back,” Nicki got a few good shots in on “No Frauds” but Rem slaughtered Minaj on “Shether,” as far as bars go. But, nonetheless, since the release of #ThreePackfromParis, Minaj has consistently been featured on some of hip hop’s hottest tracks of 2017. Everyone can agree that “Rake It Up” would be nothing without Minaj. Ditto with “Swish Swish.” Okay, I have digressed. Back to the reason we are here: “Feeling Myself (feat. Beyonce)”. It’s the fifth
Beyonce rocks a Chicago Bulls bathing suit, Nicki rocks a Moschino one-piece track from the rapper’s third album and it has received an appalling lack of attention and appreciation from radio, awards show and, probably, you. (Until now.) First and foremost, this track brings together the Queen of Rap and the Queen on the Universe, both of whom aren’t afraid to own and f launt that status they have reached. While the argument that Beyonce is underutilized on the track could be fair: both women use to track to feel themselves by f lexing their accomplishments. B stanks, “Changed the game when that digital dropped / Know where you was when that digital popped / I stopped the world.” But it’s Nicki who shines brightest, closing out the song she spits, “Just on this song alone, bitch is on her fourth f low.” Minaj is, and has been, one of the top MCs and “Feeling Myself” is a testament. Three verses, four f lows and back-up from the biggest star in music. Not to mention she drops some of her hardest bars of her career. Listening to the song and looking up the lyrics for examples is fruitless because the entire song slaps. EVERY. VERSE. POPS. OFF. If you don’t believe me, here are the worst lines of each verse:
1. n/a 2. n/a 3. n/a Fuck y’all I tried. Moving on: the music video. Remember when Nicki tweeted her displeasure that “Anaconda” (egregiously) wasn’t nominated for video of the year? But the most absurd snub went largely unnoticed: Why did “Feeling Myself” fail to pull a single nomination? Sure, it was a Tidal exclusive, but I don’t think that disqualifies it. (I don’t know, I haven’t read the VMA rule book because I am too busy stanning these women on Twitter.) Remember when Taylor Swift assembled her “girl squad” for the “Bad Blood” video? Or when Madonna followed-up by digitally placing Kanye, Beyonce and Minaj in the “Bitch I’m Madonna” video alongside real-life appearances by Alexander Wang and Diplo? Minaj and Beyonce — all in their lonesome — blow both of those groups out of the water, the industry and galaxy all on their own. I say this a human who can hear and see, not as a stan, but every frame in this video is a keeper. I’m trying to pick the highlights out but they’re ubiquitous. The two baddest bitches become the two coolest just outside of the Coachella’s city limits. It’s hard to tell whether they’re messin’ around instead of going to the festival or throwing a dope after-party but it looks like a healthy mix of both. The outfits are sick. Beyonce rocks a Chicago Bulls bathing suit, Nicki rocks a Moschino one-piece; Fur coats in blowup pools; Nicki reps the double sports-bra; and of course, the mesh “PERVERT” tee. Also, Beyonce is the only person who looks good in a bucket hat. The video is similar to Beyonce’s “7/11” in its casual nature: the MC and singer just hanging, stunting, in their amazing dream Airbnb booking for their Coachella weekend. The video even goes as far as showing a (hopefully) candid moment the two share backstage at the festival sharing gum. The product placement is chosen-wisely and playfully placed: a fridge full of Ace of Spades and Myxx Moscato, empty bottles of the former floating in the pool and hot tub, and the pair eat “#2 with Mac sauce” on a bounce house while Nicki holds her Myxx. It’s 3 minutes and 45 second of straight flexing. Their skills, their brands, their accomplishments. They’re well, feeling themselves.
First seen on
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Arts
6A — Wednesday, December 6, 2017
FILM REVIEW
A tag team of Nickelodeon and Disney Channel stars in a not-too-bad film
FILMRISE
‘My Friend Dahmer’ both an origin story & biopic
deserving of sympathy. The film is an adaptation of the graphic novel of the same name by John ‘Derf’ Backderf, the real-life character that befriends Dahmer. Played well by Alex Wolff (“Patriot’s Day”), Derf is intrigued by Dahmer’s spazzing and welcomes him within the ranks of his prankster friends group, heralding him as the class clown. With Derf, Dahmer finds the companionship he desperately needs. But the film is careful to sprinkle in red flags that shatter Derf’s innocent view of Dahmer and hint at something more sinister and dangerous. The film does an incredible job at navigating moments of implicit tension, coloring a sixth sense where you know something isn’t quite right and creating fear from that tension. “My Friend Dahmer” explores the dynamics between people and the gravity behind the social scene of high school. The undeniable backbone of the film is Ross Lynch’s
Daily Arts Writer
There is something morbidly fascinating about getting inside the mind of a serial killer, about plunging into a twisted psyche of macabre impulses. Trying to understand something completely beyond the moral scope of most people is an impossible task, but “My Friend Dahmer” attempts to do just that. The film works as both an origin story and an eerie portrait of Jeffrey Dahmer, chronicling his last year in high school as it attempts to
understand how his early life contributed to his infamy as a serial killer and cannibal.
“My Friend Dahmer” FilmRise Not Playing Locally “My Friend Dahmer” doesn’t necessarily probe the mind of Jeffrey Dahmer as much as follow him around. His most intimate desires are alien
(“Teen Beach Movie”) portrayal of Dahmer. The former Disney Channel star is wholly unrecognizable as the shuffling, hunch-backed and hooded-eyed outcast who
The movie doesn’t make excuses for Dahmer, who will go on to infamously murder and eat 17 people
moves like a clunky shadow. Lynch communicates Dahmer’s bottled homosexuality with grace, showing his lustful fantasies of the neighbor
with just the right dash of eeriness that hints at his later masochistic sexual desires. There’s a sense of entropy to Dahmer’s existence; his impulses and fantasies escalate uncontrollably, and he cannot find his way back to the simple reality of the other boys. There’s a sense of relatability there, in fighting to quell desires that ultimately win, but there is an overarching mystery that the film doesn’t try to explain. The movie doesn’t make excuses for Dahmer, who would go on to infamously murder and eat seventeen people. Many scenes feature him excessively drinking, butchering animals and rubbing their bones. “My Friend Dahmer” isn’t trying to argue that he could have been saved had his friends and parents paid more attention. The movie merely wants to get inside the mind of a serial killer and humanize him, exploring the factors that contributed to the actions of one of the world’s most infamous killers.
MUSIC NOTEBOOK
The adaptation craftily unveils a tale of murder and horror SYDNEY COHEN
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
to us, but are hinted at in a slow and eerie progression of moments. Dahmer is largely a tragically lonely figure who is ostracized at school and neglected at home. We see him spending hours on end in his lab, dissolving roadkill in acid and indulging his fascination with bones. We also see him trying to get the attention he craves by “spazzing,” or imitating bouts of epilepsy in disturbingly prolonged scenes. Dahmer’s place as an outcast humanizes him, and while his foray into the grotesque is unsettling, he appears as a misunderstood character
BOOK REVIEW
Recent ‘They Can’t Kill Us’ explores music & identity Abdurraqib’s new essay collection meditates on their intersections ASIF BECHER Daily Arts Writer
Hanif Abdurraqib’s essay collection “They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us” is as expansive in scope as it is rich in content. Abdurraqib is a music writer, but his subjects — sonic landscapes, fandoms and performance — are only his starting points. His writing is alive and breathing, criticism infused with stories, lived experience and emotion. For Abdurraqib, it’s never just a song, never just an artist; music is a lens through which he sees the whole world. Life, death, music, loneliness, media, politics and love are necessarily intertwined in his work, because he’s striving for something bigger than a book of thinkpieces. He weaves together personal narrative and rigorous critical thought so naturally you almost forget that these ideas are ever considered separate methods of writing. His book does the extraordinary work of capturing a moment in time, piecing together the fragments of life and death in modern America. “They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us” is itself a phrase from a sign plastered to a Michael Brown memorial. The title serves as an informal thesis to Abdurraqib’s work, which grapples intently with what it means to be Black and alive in 2017. A lot of the time, it comes down to this: “It’s summer and there is a video again,” he writes. “A black person is dead on camera again.” For him, survival is a delicate and precious thing, not a given. Abdurraqib isn’t able to separate his love of the music from this fundamental fact
of his life, and it shapes his perspective and his criticism because, as he puts it, “Once you understand that there are people who do not want you to
“They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us” Hanif Abdurraqib Two Dollar Radio November 7, 2017 exist, that is a difficult card to remove from the table ... there is no undoing that knowledge.”
His range is impressive: he writes from Carly Rae Jepsen to Prince, Schoolboy Q to The Wonder Years, Future to My Chemical Romance
There’s a piece about a Bruce Springsteen concert Abdurraqib attended the day after seeing Michael Brown’s memorial, he contemplates
the way Springsteen’s music operates on a narrative of survival. He writes: “What it must feel like to imagine that no one in America will be killed while a man sings a song about the promise of living.” It’s a harrowing observation, but it’s evocative of the way Abdurraqib so precisely articulates the nuance of the intersection between identity and experience. It lends credence to the idea that Abdurraqib’s Bruce Springsteen is not my Bruce Springsteen is not your Bruce Springsteen. But that just makes Bruce Springsteen better — and more interesting. His range is impressive: He writes about everyone from Carly Rae Jepsen to Prince, Schoolboy Q to The Wonder Years, Future to My Chemical Romance. It’s clear he has a wholehearted love of the music, in all the times it’s pulled him back from the brink. Music isn’t a catch-all cure for the heartbreak and the fear, but it’s powerful nonetheless. “The great mission of any art that revolves around place is the mission of honesty,” he writes. For him, music and art exist with the purpose of being as honest as possible — so they’re a way of making sense of the world, his life, his very survival. Abdurraqib uncovers some truths of his own in “They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us,” peeling back the layers of a performance, a moment in time or a feeling to find the core of it, what it really means. It’s a beautiful, carefully layered book, full of sharp insights, carefully realized emotions and stories told with a gentle voice that grows ever more important in these times. And in the vein of complete honesty: I hope he never stops writing.
PAX AM Yes
The thrills and pains of ‘Albums of the Year’ lists The trouble of consoling commercially successful albums with smaller, personally important albums as 2017 comes to a close DOMINIC POLSINELLI Daily Arts Writer
As another year approaches its end, I find myself both thrilled and saddened at the thought of making my personal “Albums of the Year” list. It’s a time of contemplation and discourse, with myself and my peers. It’s a time to hash out our guilty pleasures and undying loves that blossomed throughout the past 365 days. Music has an intrinsic connection to time, history and memory, and regardless of how great a track or album might be, every individual who gives them a listen will naturally tie the emotional experience to their explicit memory at the time. Every year, I create a new note on my phone where I jot down every album I at least enjoyed listening to, and I can always tell which ones most greatly affected me by the power of the memory tied to it. Lorde’s masterful Melodrama, an obvious entry, calls to mind the night I literally ran back to my apartment at midnight to rendezvous with my friends and listen to it for the first time; my jaw hit the f loor during the sonic transition in “Hard Feelings/ Loveless,” and “Supercut” brought tears to my eyes due to its pop perfection. Brand New’s Science Fiction knocked me on my ass as the longtime fan in me devoured every nook and cranny of the album, only to have my heart shattered by
sexual misconduct allegations against the band’s frontman. As the new year approaches, this rollercoaster of emotions has become an occurrence as natural as the changing of the seasons. The worst part of it all is finding out which releases were heinously overlooked by major music publications (Rolling Stone, Consequence of Sound, Pitchfork, etc.) whose lists can range from frustratingly comical to
Every year has its highs and lows regardless of the music released almost perfect. Beautiful albums that were destined for major attention include Paramore’s After Laughter and St. Vincent’s Masseduction — they’re artists who have deservingly made a name for themselves to wide audiences — but my heart can’t help but break for The Menzingers’s After The Party, a damn near perfect ref lection on adulthood and aging. I ached alongside the humanism of Mt. Eerie’s A Crow Looked at Me and Phoebe Bridgers’s Stranger in the Alps, albums whose lyrical content is as intimate as their compositions are astoundingly unique. The
Maine’s Lovely Little Lonely and Oso Oso’s The Yunahon Mixtape were two of the best rock albums I’ve heard in recent memory, only to be overlooked in lieu of bigger names. Despite their lack of critical attention, these are albums I’ll cherish for years to come, affecting me in different ways throughout the course of this year. As I write this, I fondly ref lect on the music that made 2017 special for me: screaming along with my friends to “Black Butterf lies and Déjà Vu” at The Maine’s headlining show in Pontiac; watching Oso Oso play to 50 kids in a basement; moshing to “Tellin’ Lies” during The Menzingers’s set at Riot Fest. Without regard to their media attention, this music will indelibly mark the way I experienced the past year. Every year has its highs and lows regardless of the music released, and 2017 has undeniably been a tumultuous year politically and socially. But it’s also a blessing to be saturated with such incredible music over such a short period of time. Music that keeps us grounded and nostalgic, comforted and thoughtful — music that ranges from powerfully political to emotionally groundbreaking. So every December I’ll continue my ritual of ref lection and growth, staying thankful for all the new releases, both good and bad, that carried me through another year.
statement T H E M I CH I GA N DAI LY | D ECE M B E R 6 , 2017
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Wednesday, December 6, 2017 // The Statement
statement T H E M I CH I GA N DAI LY | D ECE M B E R 6 , 2017
Managaing Statement Editor: Lara Moehlman
Editor in Chief: Emma Kinery
Managing Editor: Rebecca Lerner
Deputy Editors: Yoshiko Iwai Brian Kuang
Design Staff: Michelle Phillips Hannah Myers Emily Koffsky Olivia Stillman
Copy Editors: Elizabeth Dokas Taylor Grandinetti
Photo Editor: Alexis Rankin
Personal Statement: I don’t know how to write this BY ANONYMOUS Editor’s note: The author of this piece remains anonymous to protect their identity. don’t know how to write this article. I have been trying to write it for hours, for weeks, for months, for years now, but every time I sit down to write this article, my words jumble, my brain shuts down, and my page stays blank. I don’t know how to write this article, but I know I want to. And I think I have to. It’s not because I don’t know what to say. It’s because I have too much to tell. I want to write a lot of things. How I still remember the filthy bathroom in his house. How that visceral image — of that grimy, dirty bathroom — is what, strangely, haunts me most. I want to write about how it’s ironic that I watched “Spring Awakening,” hours before, because the musical is about a loss of innocence. I want to write about when, a few weeks after, I had a sip of hard cider and how that single sip was met with a sharp pain in my gut and wet tears on my cheeks. How I ran to the bathroom after that sip and experienced what would be the first of countless panic attacks, as I fought off f lashbacks I didn’t want to remember. I want to write about how big the needle looked at University Health Services, and how alone I felt when the nurse pressed that sharp, long pin into my left butt cheek. How I laughed nervously when she told me the shot was to counteract HIV, since there was no way of knowing if I’d been exposed or not. How I can’t walk down East University Avenue without remembering that we stopped on the street in his car that night, and how I wish I could remember why I didn’t get out and run. How I don’t know why, but thinking about coconut water makes me sick, because it brings back a hazy image of something — something I think might be important but can’t quite place. Thinking about coconut water invites a faint, fuzzy memory of a dark room that I can see and I can hear — but everything is distorted and nothing makes sense. I want to write about how I ate at Frita Batidos after going to the police station with my mother, and it is only years later that I realize how hard that day must have been for her. How I’m grateful of the care she took with me, how watchful she was as I ate my burger. How before I went to speak with the officer, she pressed a small ceramic token in my hand and told me it was full of love. How I’d laughed at the sappiness of her actions, when
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only now I realize she was doing everything she could and knew it would never be enough. How after my mother took me to the police station, I received a text from my father telling me how much he loved me and how sorry he was for me. How it broke my heart to read it. How I wished my father had never found out what had happened to his daughter. I want to write how grateful I am for the friends who recognized I was hurting and stuck by my side. How my roommate checked to make sure I got out of bed in the morning. How they religiously ensured I never had to sit in the front seat of an Uber. How they threw me a surprise 20th birthday party and how I thought it was because they wanted to, but now, I realize it was because they needed to. How they watched me carefully two years ago and watch me carefully today. How they know I’m broken but still want to be my friend. There’s the story of my first therapist, who asked why I didn’t feel guiltier about what happened. Asked why I was surprised, because I was drunk and alone that night, and I shouldn’t have put myself in that position. How, though she never outwardly said the words, she thought it was my fault and I should think it was too. How I was “fine” for a while, but was never really OK. How I spent a year and a half having meaningless sex with whoever paid the slightest bit of attention. How I desperately grasped at any semblance of normalcy and how I gave up my self-worth in the process. How I convinced myself I didn’t need intimacy or affection. How I learned not to trust anyone. How people will disappoint you. How I learned that no one wants to talk about what happened. How it makes them uncomfortable. How people distance themselves from what scares them. How they’ll live normal lives and mine will be anything but. How easy it is to believe no one cares if you’re dead or alive. I want to write that I can’t connect with the women coming forward in Hollywood and on Facebook, and how I feel ashamed for it. How those stories make me feel worse. That my experience is both minimized and heightened by this barrage of revelations. That it doesn’t help knowing I’m not alone in my struggle because I never thought I was. That I am glad it will benefit women in the future, but selfishly, I am bitter it will not change a thing for me. How the Friday of the third week of November is the hardest day because that’s when it happened to me.
How I wonder if he thinks of it too, and if he feels guilty. If he knows what he did was wrong. I wonder if he has a family now, or a wife, or a girlfriend, or a job. I wonder where he lives. I wonder what he reads. I wonder what he does on the weekends. I wonder if he wonders. I think about what I’d say if I saw him. I think about it and my stomach tightens and I start to shake. I think about how I’d ask if he remembers me, and tell him that what he did was sick, and wrong, and evil, and remind him that I was 19 and he was 35 and I was a drunk kid going home and he was an adult who was supposed to get me there. I think about how I’d ask if he drugged me, because I wonder every day and know I’ll never know. I think about how I’d tell him all of the things he took away from me. I think about how I’d tell him I’m scared of everything. I think about how I’d tell him I have panic attacks in bars and restaurants and in class and with friends and during sex and when I’m sleeping and when I’m walking and when I’m thinking and when I’m breathing. I think about how I’d tell him all of this, and then I think about how I’d punch him in the face. I want to write that I am very broken, and have PTSD, and will probably always be a little bit not OK. I want to write that I am not just a victim or a survivor or an anecdote or a statistic. I want to write that I am a person. A living, breathing, person. I want to write that I’m proud of who I’ve become in spite of it all. I don’t want to write about what happened, because I can’t. I can’t write about what happened, because I don’t remember. I won’t write about what happened, because that’s not what defines the past two years of my life. What defines the past two years is a mess of high and low, of good and bad, of pain and pleasure. What defines the past two years is learning to depend on my parents. What defines the past two years is the darkness pushing me to give up and the light urging me to fight. What defines the past two years is an experience that taught me life is short, and things can change in a moment. What defines the past two years is that there’s many more to come. I have been trying to write this article for two years. For two years, I have fallen short. For two years, I could not write about what happened because to write this article would be to accept what happened to me as real. I wanted to write that two years ago I was raped, but I just didn’t know how to write this article.
Wednesday, December 6, 2017 // The Statement
3B
Soundtracking: Sex BY MATT HARMON, DAILY STAFF REPORTER
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know what you’re thinking. What does a column-writing, grandma-sweaterwearing kid who looks like the offspring of Woody Allen in “Annie Hall” and a cold bowl of clam chowder know about sex? Long answer: Not very much, but I have drive and charisma and maybe an OK personality so that should make up for something. Short answer: jack shit. But what I do know is the road to sexual discovery (as if I’ve reached it yet) is paved with the most awkward experiences known to humankind. If I had to guess, I’d say the neanderthals would have appreciated the condom-on-the-banana lesson as much as I did if it was offered to them. Very few big-budget blockbusters paint sex as I experienced it the first go-arounds. In movies, sex is passionate. It’s intense. It’s got “Take my Breath Away” by Berlin in the background like in “Top Gun.” Sex never includes your inner monologue of “Should this be doing that? Why am I hungry all of a sudden? Did I leave the kitchen sink running after washing dishes today?” in movies. But we’re here to explore that side of the beautiful and painstaking experience that is learning about and living through losing your virginity. If I have to recount every moment leading up to that climax (or lack thereof), so be it. That is a sacrifice I am willing to make. I did this for you. Please don’t make me regret this. “Let’s Talk About Sex” — Salt-N-Pepa Just to be clear, I am not recommending you get down and dirty to the early-’90s drum beats of Salt-N-Pepa (unless that’s your thing — don’t knock it till you’ve tried it, I guess). Where to start? In the very poignant and calculated words of Julie Andrews in “The Sound of Music,” “Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start.” The year is 2010. I’m in seventh grade and I think I know more about thermonuclear dynamics than I do about sex. I had just started dating my middle school girlfriend, whom I had asked out by sending her a green carnation for St. Patrick’s Day through a school fundraiser. On the note attached to the carnation written in my second-grader-esque handwriting: “I’d be so LUCKY if you went out with me.” Yeah, I was a hopeless romantic. How the hell did I not know what sex was? I should have been the Wilt Chamberlain of my school district. Well, in the classiest fashion, I took my new girlfriend to a middle school dance called Teen Night. It was held the first Friday of every month in the auditorium of the local community education center. There was a DJ, disco balls and pizza. Our parents dropped us off separately and we met at the door. We walked into the dance floor and I heard a song. To this day, I still believe it is the most beautiful song I have ever heard. A ballad of passion and romance with the lyrics rivaling the greatest works of Walt Whitman and Shakespeare.
“BedRock” — Young Money “My room is the G-spot, call me Mr. Flintstone, I can make your bed rock.” But what does it mean? I get the Flintstone thing. I watched a lot of Boomerang as a kid. But what in the wide, wide world of sports is a G-spot and why is his bed rocking? Is he having a nightmare or something? Sorry you aren’t sleeping well! That was my thought process. Flash forward to junior year of high school. My previous seventh grade flame and I had since broken up. The end of an era, honestly. A power couple that rivals rivaled Kimye’s star status.
Porn was my Mr. Miyagi. Whacks on, whacks off. (No more, I swear.) I’ll spare you the long and arduous details but after emerging from my studies, I was ready to take on the world. I knew everything. The secrets of the world were open to me. I looked like Rocky entering the ring, overconfident and jumping around like an idiot. A few months later, I was driving around in my 2004 Chevy Malibu with a girl I had been talking to. She goes to a different school, you wouldn’t know her. I knew she didn’t want to date but she was still talking to me which was definitely new so I thought something might happen. We didn’t have a destination. I didn’t
ILLUSTRATION BY EMILY KOFFSKY By junior year, I had stopped wearing two different plaid patterns at once, but I wasn’t (and still am not) a stunner by any means. You could tell by the way I walked that I hadn’t had sex yet. In high school, sex is like a participation trophy. No one ever says the title means anything or if you actually did anything well. We just assume it was amazing because you got a trophy. As messed up as it sounds, high school is full of the worst gremlins you can imagine. “You haven’t had sex yet? You’ll get there someday.” I looked and felt like a dweebier Ken doll. Nothing below the belt. “Like a Virgin” — Madonna It was time to pull myself up by my bootstraps. I’ve always been an OK student. Whatever I need to learn, I study and study until my confidence rockets through the roof. Eventually, I come back down to reality once I realize how screwed I am when the exam comes but the confidence keeps me going. The same goes for learning about sex. Movies were no help. I only had one hope. I’ll just say it. There’s a Google search saved somewhere from my first time searching “porn” on my computer. “Wet Dreamz” — J. Cole
know what she wanted and wasn’t about to try and guess. I’d rather drive to Ohio and back than make a wrong move. My hands were starting to get clammy. My foot was tapping incessantly. My months of training didn’t leave me with a very good amount of control over my hormones and I was wearing skinny jeans so I basically wanted to end my life at that exact moment. “Why Don’t We Do It In The Road?” — The Beatles I wasted about three-quarters of a tank of gas driving around until I worked up the nerves to find some abandoned parking lot to stop in. My phone was at 6 percent from shuffling through every playlist I had ever created. I turned down the music a little bit and looked over to her. Then she leaped forward, grabbed my face and kissed me. My entire face turned red. What is going on? This is new. This isn’t like my first kiss at the roller rink with that aforementioned seventh-grade girlfriend. I was incredibly sweaty. Not just because I had been waiting for this since I started my training regiment, but because the air conditioning in my car was busted and we turned the engine off so no one knew we were here. It was basically a sauna.
“Hot in Herre” — Nelly In movies, when characters are having sex in a steamy place like a car or shower or anything of that sorts and one character puts their hand against the glass, leaving a lustful handprint, you always assume it’s because the sex is so amazing, you need to hold on to something. You never assume it’s because it’s 120 DEGREES IN THIS HELLHOLE AND YOU’RE LIKE A DOG TRYING TO BREAK OUT OF THE BACKSEAT ON A SCORCHING SUMMER DAY. I basically looked like I just got out of the pool in the least sexy way possible. But nonetheless, I was in no way complaining. She was leading every step of the way, which was kind of a dent to the large amounts of confidence I had built up over the course of my sexual awakening, but it would do. I knew exactly what to do and how to sound and what noises to make from my dialogue studies. I had all the moves memorized. Nothing could go wrong. “You Can Be as Loud as the Hell You Want (When You’re Makin’ Love)” — Avenue Q Cast Except everything. Everything can go wrong. Avenue Q lied to me. When you’re almost touching your toes, cramped and uncomfortable in the backseat of a 2004 Chevy Malibu, you can most definitely cannot be as loud as the hell you want. At the same time, nothing felt like I assumed it would from the hours (yeah I’m man enough to say hours) of porn I had watched in preparation. I kept thinking it should be different and eventually, my mind started to wander. I kept thinking about how we say the last word in some acronyms twice (like how we say PIN number when the N already stands for number) and how Jaden Smith in the Karate Kid remake wore a Detroit Lions shirt in China. This is not what everyone at school said sex was like. I was getting a participation trophy but batting .000 for the season. “Rock You Like a Hurricane” — Scorpions It was much more like a thunderstorm than a hurricane: inconvenient for everyone involved if you had other plans but not a complete waste of time if you need something to do. I dropped her off back home and eventually just didn’t talk anymore. It’s not like we had “The Notebook” level of sexual intimacy and I am 99 percent confident neither of us would be writing home about our time together (I know it’s an expression but please don’t write home about your sexual encounters; I know I’m kind of doing it here, but I am far from a role model). Though I’m not a perfect example, I’d make a bet that everyone’s first time was not some magical explosion of hormones and rainbows. If it was, lucky you — but also, does it really matter? Everyone figures it out eventually. No pressure.
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Wednesday, December 6, 2017 // The Statement
Wednesday, December 6, 2017 // The Statement
DESIGN BY OLIVIA STILLMAN
THE SEX SURVEY
DEFINING SEX
students have used grindr, tinder or bumble to have a sexual hookup or sexual encounter
.95% said making out
Sex is...
55.99% said penetrative sex
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
55.95 Percent of students
93.33 Percent of male students and 55.38 percent of female
22.40% 3.15%
the
la st
32.23% said 4+ partners
only 19.43 percent of male students have faked an orgasm while having sex
9.75% said 3 partners
55.06 percent of female students have faked an orgasm while having sex
sex
12.85% said 2 partners
students reported using the internet to masturbate.
ti m e t h e y h a d
27.57% said 1 partner
54.86 percent of students reported that they do NOT use condoms every time they engage in sex.
faked an orgasm
17.61% said 0 partners
Shot 1.26%
Number of sexual partners in college
39.40 percent of students
70.03%
IUD Ring
have sent a nude photo, or received one from someone they know.
primarily learned about sex from the internet.
60.97 percent of females responded that they use a consistent method of birth control (for sex, acne, hormones, etc.) The Pill
17.12% said other
63.88 Percent of students
27.11 Percent of
24.35% said oral sex
1.59% said heavy petting
This year, 1,178 students took The Statement’s annual sex survey. 46.26 percent of respondents identified as male, 52.04 identified as female and 1.36 percent identified as non-binary. Check out the results below.
BIRTH CONTROL
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Wednesday, December 6, 2017 // The Statement
A lack of clear sex ed policy in Michigan by Colin Beresford, Daily Staff Reporter
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fter being sexually assaulted before college, an LSA freshman who prefers to remain anonymous due to the sensitive nature of her experience, was not aware of the resources available to her. The sex education class she took in high school hadn’t prepared her. “The experience itself — it’s unlike anything you can really describe. It’s demoralizing. It’s dehumanizing. You feel disgusting,” she said Growing up in a conservative and rural area of Michigan, she said her only high school sex education was an hourlong presentation, which dodged the topic of sex entirely and excluded her queer identity from the narrative. “We got an hourlong class period about abstinence and STDs, and that was it,” she said. “In a period of time when I really would’ve needed it, I didn’t have the education about resources or even that my experience was valid, and that’s definitely a big thing that could change.” When she arrived at the University of Michigan this fall, she, along with all firstyear students, underwent the required Relationship Remix workshop. This was her first formal exposure to the concepts of sexual consent, communication and sexual assault education. Relationship Remix gave her the validation she needed to stop blaming herself for her experience, and it did so in an inclusive manner. “Relationship Remix honestly was the sexual education class I wish I would’ve gotten when I was a freshman in high school … it didn’t really discriminate even though a lot of sex education classes in high schools do, and it’s because they’re very heteronormative,” she said. “And then in terms of sexual assault, Relationship Remix, it almost seemed like the understood and they cared.” In an email to The Daily, Laura McAndrew, a University sexual health educator, emphasized the importance of personal empowerment in sex education. “In Relationship Remix, we focus on promoting healthy relationship behaviors like knowing your values, defining what you do and don’t want in a relationship, communication, consent, and sexual health promotion,” McAndrew wrote. “There’s not just one approach that will promote sexual health; we’re complex creatures,
and different individuals and communities will each have unique needs and interests.” ***** With regard to sexual education, the state of Michigan mandates only the instruction of HIV and AIDS safety, delegating significant authority to local districts. For districts that do opt to offer more comprehensive sex education, the state-mandated curriculum is loosely defined and hardly exhaustive. It’s intended to provide control to local school boards. Under this decentralized model, parents have a right to review sex education
Michigan is one of 26 states that require abstinence be stressed as a part of sex education; 11 others require that it be covered. Absent from the guidelines are any discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity or clinical abortion. Nine states require the discussion of sexual orientation be inclusive of LGBT individuals, and three states require only negative, or discriminatory, information on sexual orientation. Abstinence-only sex education has attracted much scrutiny, with a report
ALEXIS RANKIN/DAILY
and HIV/AIDS curriculum materials and can excuse their children without penalty. The result is an inconsistent patchwork across the state. Students in different school districts are taught about sex in dramatically different ways, with a particularly contentious divide surrounding the issue of abstinence. Under Michigan Department of Education guidelines, all public school sex educations programs “must stress that abstinence from sex is a responsible and effective method of preventing unplanned or out-of-wedlock pregnancy, and that it is the only protection that is 100% effective against unplanned pregnancy, sexually transmitted disease, and sexually transmitted HIV infection and AIDS.”
published in the Journal of Adolescent Health finding abstinence education often fails to prevent adolescents from having sex. The report concluded that when adolescents who receive abstinence-only education have sex, they are less likely to use contraceptives than those who received instruction on contraception. The federally funded Michigan Abstinence Program provides abstinence education to schools that apply for its grant. Currently there are nine grantees. Carrie Tarry, acting director for the state Division of Child and Adolescent Health, attributed decreases in teenage pregnancies to a combination of abstinence-based and contraceptive sexual education programs.
“There are a variety of factors that influence the teen pregnancy rate and I think are responsible for some of the dramatic decreases we’ve seen over the past 20 years,” Tarry said. “Certainly, access to contraceptives is one of them, (as well as) our evidence-based approach or evidence-informed education.” ***** School districts are allowed under state law to bring outside groups to teach sex education. Until 2015, an outside group — Sexually Mature Aware Responsible Teens — taught part of the sex education curriculum in the East Lansing School District, before attracting significant controversy for their focus on abstinence — an issue some community members attributed to the group’s religious affiliations. That year, Alice Dreger, a former professor of clinical medical humanities and bioethics at Northwestern University, took advantage of a policy that allows parents to attend sex education classes. She attended her son’s ninth-grade class and live-tweeted it. “‘Sex is part of a terrible lifestyle,’” Dreger said instructors told students. “‘Drugs, unemployment, failure to finish school — sex is part of the disaster’” In a separate portion of the workshop, instructors assigned numbers to students, then rolled dice to simulate the chance of condom failure and unintended pregnancy, Dreger said. “‘We are going to roll this dice eight times,’” Dreger attributed to the instructors. “‘Every time your number comes up, in pretend your condom failed and you get a paper baby.’” Daniel Kaplowitz, a current student at East Lansing High School, recalled the event in an email to The Daily. He said the negative publicity Dreger’s tweets garnered ultimately pressured the district to remove SMART from participating in the sex education curriculum. “Until 2015, an outside, religiouslyfunded group was a regular guest speaker in sex ed classes at ELHS, and they used pseudo- and un-scientific information to create an atmosphere of fear and confusion around sex in hopes of pressuring students into choosing abstinence,” Kaplowitz wrote. Another such group is Crossroads Care Center, which, through the Sexual Health
Wednesday, December 6, 2017 // The Statement
ALEXIS RANKIN/DAILY
and Relationship Education program, teaches in 51 school districts in Oakland County. SHARE Director Evelyn Van Sloten said her organization offers middle school, high school and in some cases an elementary school program. “The program is a sexual risk avoidance program so that is the emphasis, which is for optimal sexual health, is the way to have the proper mindset in order to encourage young people to make the healthiest choices,” Van Sloten said. The program facilitators discuss things like HIV/STD transmission, contraceptives and sexual assault. Typically, the programs supplement in-class instruction. According to Van Sloten, SHARE must first meet with health teachers, then the districts’ health advisory committee and then the school board, which has the final say over whether it is able to participate in classroom instruction. While the program’s website shows that after students go through it they are more likely to say it is more important to them to wait until marriage to have sex, Van Sloten said the SHARE program differs from other programs in that the instructors are certified by a sexual riskavoidance program, which takes a more holistic approach to sex education. “The typical abstinence program would be one that would basically highlight what the issues are and basically it’s a just a ‘say no’ program, which is actually the healthiest choice, but an SRA program, it comes out of a national organization called Ascend, and that is a program where our instructors are certified,” Van Sloten said. “It’s an understanding of all of the components that make a person up, whether it’s their physical, their social or environmental or relationship aspects.” In September 2017, Forest Hills School District in Grand Rapids decided to end its abstinence-only curriculum and to begin allowing certified Forest Hills teachers to teach sex education. Local parents told the local Fox affiliate they felt the abstinenceonly program was unrealistic and lacking. For 15 years, the Pregnancy Resource Center taught and developed the curriculum for sex education classes in Grand Rapids. Despite many blaming the Pregnancy Resource Center, the president of the group, Jim Sprague, told Fox 17 West Michigan it was only following district rules. “It was Forest Hills solely who asked us not to teach from the abstinence-based plan,” Sprague said. “We couldn’t even utter the word ‘condom’ in the classrooms. That is what we were instructed to do for the last 15 years.” ***** In the wake of many recent celebrity sexual assault allegations, and the rise of the online #MeToo solidarity movement, many believe it is time to begin addressing these problems early on with students. One such Michigan resident, Wendy
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Sellers, a registered nurse who helped author a recent report on the state of health education in Michigan, told Michigan Radio in October that she views sex education as crucial to preventing sexual assault. “We need to start young because these types of behaviors begin at a young age and continue into adulthood,” Sellers said. “And so, one of the answers to these issues is educating young people about what healthy relationships look like and how to develop the skills to have healthy relationships, as well as what to do to intervene if a person is the object of sexual harassment or sexual assault.” At the policy level, legislators have sought to amend parts of the sex education curriculum, specifically redefining how sexual assault is covered and the requirement of medically accurate information. Last month, state Sen. Curtis Hertel, Jr., D-East Lansing, proposed what he called “yes means yes” legislation. The law would shift the sex education curriculum to include conversations about defining affirmative consent. State Sen. Hoon-Yung Hopgood, D-Taylor, proposed a bill that would require schools that teach sex education to teach medically accurate information. “Research continues to show that comprehensive sex education, which teaches both abstinence and contraception, is most effective for young people,” Hopgood wrote in a press release. “Youth who receive this kind of education are more likely to initiate sexual activity later in life and use protection correctly and consistently when they do become sexually active.” The new legislation will cast equal responsibility on men in preventing sexual assault, Hertel said. “For example, my daughter will be taught her entire life, how not to dress, to walk in lit places, not to put down her drink and leave it unattended; she’ll be taught to carry Mace or pepper spray, but the boys in her class will never be taught not to be perpetrators.” Kaplowitz, also a member of the Sex Education Advisory Board in his school district, wrote that abstinence isn’t effective in creating sexually healthy students. “Districts and states where abstinence is centered end up with students having sex at no lower a rate, but due to a lack of information about contraception and safer sex, rates of pregnancy and STI are significantly higher,” Kaplowitz wrote. “Of course abstinence is the only 100% effective method, but the real result of mandating this be the core of our sex ed curriculum is not abstinent students, but uninformed, and therefore less safe students.” Yet currently, the state continues to put the majority of sex ed decision-making power on local authorities, which contributes to often confusing and retrograde lessons in the classroom. “We have a responsibility to teach people to have basic respect for each other and their bodies,” Hertel said. “I think this is a cultural shift that needs to happen and I think this bill helps us get there.”
8B
Wednesday, December 6, 2017 // The Statement
V I S UA L STAT E M E NT
KINDLEFEST Photos by Max Kuang On Friday night, the shops of Ann Arbor remained open after the sun went down and the twinkly holiday lights came on. The annual KindleFest Market, or Christkindlmarkt as it is known in Germany, brought together food, holiday deals and Santa for a night of holiday celebrations.
Saint Nicholas and Santa Claus were both in attendance at KindleFest.
The Ann Arbor Trombone Choir performs for the crowd.
Santa Claus greets Ann Arbor resident Luisa Noda.
Hot chocolate and other hot drinks were served in boot mugs with KindleFest written across them.
Eric Sartori, maintenance supervisor of Kerrytown Shops, pours the last ten gallons of Gluhwein, mulled wine, into a serving container.
Ann Arbor resident Sarah Kurfess celebrates her engagement with Trevor Cuffe.
Klezmephonic perform for KindleFest patrons.