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Wednesday, April 11, 2018

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Students of the Year

Take a look at the University’s greatest activists, innovators, leaders and community builders of 2018.

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CAMPUS LIFE

McCoy looks back on time at University of Michigan

Prominent campus leader talks activism, his investment in student organizing RIYAH BASHA Daily News Editor

ROSEANNE CHAO/Daily

University discusses improving financial aid, in and out of state Students expressed concerns they are unaware of exactly where tuition is being spent JORDYN BAKER Daily Staff Reporter

For LSA senior Madeleine Conrad, an out-of-state student from California, the differences in enrollment numbers between in-state and out-of-state students at the University of Michigan reflect the diverse perspectives

brought by out-of-state students. Yet Conrad feels conflicted when she considers the role she feels the University should play in supporting in-state students. “When you’re talking about diversity and perspective, obviously being in-state versus out-of-state is part of that,” Conrad said. “When you bring people from out-of-state, you bring

people from, hopefully, different socioeconomic statuses, different communities. I think there is something to be said to that, to kind of value this perspective, (but) when considering the greater context this University has and should stand there for the people of Michigan.” As a public flagship university, the University of Michigan was

established upon principles representing the state — as well as an emphasis on providing education for in-state students who seek admission to the University. However, according to new freshmen enrollment by residencynumbers at the University, only 52% of new See AID, Page 3A

Race has been one of, if not the defining faultline at the University of Michigan. In the last five years, a slew of fatal police shootings of Black Americans coincided with a spike in anti-Black attacks at the University and in Ann Arbor. Protests engulfed campus following nearly every incident, and students organized movements spanning from #BBUM to Ann Arbor to Ferguson, Mo. to #StopSpencer. Leading from behind each of these moments has been postdoctoral fellow Austin McCoy. McCoy arrived on campus in 2009 as a History Ph.D. student, and nearly a decade later, has become a hybrid adviser-activist to hundreds of student organizers. After completing a dissertation on the history of progressive organizing, he’s leaving Ann Arbor for Alabama, where he’ll

be taking up a new post as a history professor at Auburn University. The Daily sat down with McCoy to reflect on his time on campus, and what’s up next. TMD: So nine years later, how does it feel to be leaving? McCoy: It feels weird … Ann Arbor is the second longest place I’ve lived. But it also feels like it’s the right time to go do something different. TMD: You chose Auburn University, which is definitely warmer! But it’s also in the South, which is a new kind of forum for your work. McCoy: I had a choice between there and a school in the Northeast and I chose Auburn. Part of it is I really like the department, I like the people, and I thought I would be able to have a big impact on students there — and even in politics possibly within the state. It’s the South. Auburn isn’t going to be like Ann Arbor; it’ll be less liberal and the See MCCOY, Page 3A

Higher Ed leaders from across country Data shows Talk links progress on talk free speech, inclusion on campus self-care to

RESEARCH

CAMPUS LIFE

goals for a greener ‘U’

Panel of university administrators explores intersection of expression, diversity

Sustainability Progress Report results say campus on track to reach 2025 goal

The National Center for Institutional Diversity hosted a discussion titled “Campus Inclusion and Free Expression: A Conversation with Higher Education Leaders” Tuesday night at the Graduate hotel in Ann Arbor. Tabbye Chavous, University of Michigan professor and director of the National Center for Institutional Diversity, moderated a four-person panel of university administrators as they debated the challenge of making campuses welcoming and inclusive while upholding the right to free speech. About 50 audience members, including administrators and faculty from universities across the country, attended the event, which was the third in a series of dialogues that have taken place at various universities over the past academic year. After panelists introduced themselves, Chavous began by asking them to comment on the clash between free speech and inclusion, and to consider how the two ideas are often pitted against one another on college campuses. Lorelle Espinosa, American Council of Education’s assistant vice president of the Center for Policy Research and Strategy, brought up

MAEVE O’BRIEN Daily Staff Reporter

On Tuesday, the University of Michigan released its Sustainability Progress Report, which provides data on the University’s progress toward its campus sustainability goals for 2025. The report includes updates within the categories of climate action, waste prevention, healthy environments and community engagement. In the area of climate action, the University has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 5 percent and hopes to cut emissions by 25 percent by 2025. The University has also cut vehicle carbon output by 15 percent, halfway toward its goal of 30 percent by 2025. In terms of waste prevention, the University aims to decrease the amount of See PROGRESS, Page 3A

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a 2018 Gallup-Knight Foundation report, which found that students value inclusion over free speech. John DeGioia, president of Georgetown University, also responded, suggesting the study didn’t capture the nuance of the issue. Though the results made headlines, the margin was small — only 53 percent of students chose diversity and inclusion over free speech — and, according to DeGioia,

placing inclusion and free speech in direct competition is inherently problematic. DeGioia said that university administrators need to understand the complexity of free speech. “We’re in a new moment in higher education where we’ve achieved a level of diversity across our campuses that requires a different kind of leadership, a different kind of engagement that respects the

sheer newness of what we’re now wrestling with,” DeGioia said. Chavous then invited the panel to think of how the country’s political climate has exacerbated issues of self-expression in academia. She cited a recent study from the Anti-Defamation League reporting a spike in white supremacist propaganda on college campuses, and asked See INCLUSION, Page 2A

CAMERON HUNT/Daily

Panelists discuss the right to free speech on college campuses at the Graduate Hotel Tuesday.

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INDEX

wary social media use

Rates of youth anxiety and depression increase in correlation with tech NESMA DAOUD For the Daily

Campus Mind Works, a wellness group that promotes mental health education and provides support groups through the University of Michigan Depression Center, spoke Tuesday night on the potentially harmful effects of a world increasingly dependent on technology. This seminar, held in partnership with the College of Engineering and the Newnan LSA Academic Advising Center, was run by clinical staff affiliated with the University’s Department of Psychiatry. They provided information about practicing self-care in a digital world while allowing students to connect with others who may have shared similar experiences. This seminar’s topic revolved around the harmful side effects of technology and not only how to combat these effects but how to limit and moderate the use of See LINKS,Page 3A

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News

2A — Wednesday, April 11, 2018

MONDAY: Looking at the Numbers

TUESDAY: By Design

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WEDNESDAY: This Week in History

THURSDAY: Twitter Talk

FRIDAY: Behind the Story

THIS WEEK IN HISTORY: BLACK STUDENTS STAGE LOCK-IN, HOLD AD BUILDING FOR 5 HOURS Fleming, Blacks Agree to Talks Demonstrators List Grievances: Others March to Support Action By Marcia Abramson More than 100 black students

yesterday locked the ministration Bldg. from inside and refused entry for nearly five hours. The lockout ended when University President Robben W. Fleming met with the students and agreed to discuss their

grievances next Monday. The students demands were duplicated and distributed to passers-by. They called for: Immediate appointment of a black man as assistant director of admissions.

Appointment of black men to the athletic staff. A Martin Luther King Scholarship fund and an endowed chair to be filled by a black man. Immediate implementa-

tion of the suggestions of the Defense Department Greene report, which labeled the University a place for “rich, white students” and called for measures to ensure more employment of black and nonacademic and academic staff. “University activity in the community” The statement did not elaborate on what was meant by “University activity.” The grievances concluded, “We the black students of this University do believe that unless these grievances are met, we will continue to live in a basically racist university. Immediate restitution is necessary. The students entered the building at 7:15 a.m. and secured all the doors with chains before most of the office and administrative staff arrived.

Only Fleming and Dr. ALbert H. Wheeler, chairman of the Michigan NAACP, were allowed inside. The students left shortly after noon. A picket line of white students began forming around 8:30 a.m. in support of the protest. Some 20 or 30 students carried signs reading “Support Our Black Brothers” and “Ann Arbor- All-American City for All.” Supporters collected enough money to buy the protesters’ lunch which was passed through a briefly unchained door. Fleming termed the demands “very reasonable and constructive proposals” in a general statement.

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ON THE DAILY: THREE MEAN GIRLS FROM MICHIGAN SHANNON ORS

Daily Staff Reporter

It is Wednesday, and there will be at least three University of Michigan graduates wearing pink. Ashley Park, Taylor Louderman and Erika Henningsen, all graduates from the School of Music, Theatre & Dance, are starring in the Broadway musical adaptation of the hit 2004 teenage comedy

INCLUSION From Page 1A

the panel how institutions should address such problems without alienating students or faculty. The speakers commented on the role of administration in responding to discriminatory actions. DeGioia stated universities cannot use the protection of the First Amendment as justification for remaining silent on hateful behavior. Espinosa agreed, saying universities can implement strategies such as counterprogramming, which is the scheduling of alternative activities for students during other, potentially upsetting events on campus. She said administrations need to be proactive and anticipate speech and identity-related conflicts. Sudoku Syndication “We’ve all been in such a reactive state over these last few

“Mean Girls.” Louderman was cast as Regina George, the leader of the popular girl group known as “The Plastics.” She is joined onstage by loyal sidekick Gretchen Weiner played by Park. When “The Plastics” welcome new student Cady Stanton, played by Henningsen, a plot of gossip, blackmailing and high school antics ensue. “Mean Girls” is not the first time any of these leading ladies

years,” Espinosa said. “We’re trying to really hone in on what it means to be ready, and that really does come down, in a lot of ways, to institutional policy on a whole host of levels.” Kevin McDonald, chief diversity officer and interim vice chancellor for Inclusion, Diversity and Equity at the University of Missouri, contributed to the panel by sharing an example initiative at the University of Missouri. The university uses music to create safe spaces in which students can discuss their experiences with discrimination and racial identity. McDonald also noted students have been instrumental in creating conversation about hate speech on the University of Missouri campus. “It’s students who say, ‘No, this is the reality of the world we live in, this is what is shaping our national and global context, and we need to be aware of that

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have performed underneath the lights of Broadway. Park has starred in three shows on Broadway, most recently appearing in “Sunday in the Park with George” alongside Jack Gyllenhaal. Louderman’s Broadway credits include “Kinky Boots” and “Bring it On: The Musical.” Henningsen previously appeared in “Les Miserables” as Fantine. The show premiered Sunday night at the August Wilson

Theater in New York City after a two-month trial run in Washington, D.C. Tina Fey, who penned the iconic lines of the film version, also wrote the script for the musical. As Park, Henningsen and Louderman lead the cast of “Mean Girls” into the summer months, they will be making “fetch happen” and furthering the legacy of the “Michigan Mafia” on Broadway.

and have hard conversations,’” community dialogue. McDonald said. After about an hour of panel Continuing on the subject of comments, the discussion was hate speech and propaganda, opened to the audience. Several the panelists discussed how university administrators asked many universities emphasize questions of the panel. Meredith the importance of valuing Raimondo, Dean of Students “diverse perspectives,” but at Oberlin College, asked the issues arise when those “diverse panel how universities should perspectives” are discriminatory respond to microaggressions or even challenge certain and discriminatory actions students’ humanity. which are below the threshold Panelist Sanford Ungar, of formal discrimination or director of Georgetown’s Free hate speech, but still harm Speech Project, brought up white students. supremacist Richard Spencer, DeGioia said the Georgetown whose visits to college campuses University administration is have inspired multiple protests currently considering ways to and who only recently suspended match its harassment policies his college tours. Ungar said with hate speech policies. though speakers like Spencer do Historically, DeGioia said, have First Amendment rights, the two have not been linked, universities are morally obliged but the administration wants to condemn hate speech. to discuss a protocol for “I’m just so troubled by this responding to more nuanced notion that a certain purist instances of harassment. http://sudokusyndication.com/sudoku/generator/print/ interpretation would say Suzanne Goldberg, an everyone must sit and listen to administrator and law school Richard Spencer and engage professor from Columbia his ideas, as if there were no University, asked the panel line, no limit, no anything,” what classroom initiatives have Ungar said. “We have a been effective in addressing responsibility to tell him that diversity and inclusion on yes, of course, you have free college campuses. McDonald speech rights, but we have gave an example from the a right to confront you and University of Missouri, where to tell you how heinous your he spearheaded an initiative ideas are.” offering faculty $1,000 Lastly, Chavous asked the stipends in exchange for their panelists for their thoughts on participation in a year-long social media and its role in the professional development debate on diversity, inclusion program centered on inclusion. and free speech. According to McDonald, the Chavous said social media administration was “floored” can be problematic because by faculty response. institutions can’t regulate A final question was posed by what students post online, G. Christine Taylor, University but students who experience of Alabama administrator, who discrimination over social asked the panelists what kind media may still associate the of actions universities can take negativity with their college to address discrimination on or university. the interpersonal level. She said The panelists raised some students have reported feeling of the other issues with social deeply affected by small-scale media, such as the fact that aggressions that accumulate it often amplifies hurtful over time. speech. Still, the panelists Read more at agreed social media does have the potential to provide MichiganDaily.com a platform for productive

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The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through Friday during the fall and winter terms by students at the University OF Michigan. One copy is available free of charge to all readers. Additional copies may be picked up at the Daily’s office for $2. Subscriptions for September-April are $250 and year long subscriptions are $275. University affiliates are subject to a reduced subscription rate. On-campus subscriptions for fall term are $35. Subscriptions must be prepaid.

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Wednesday, April 11, 2018 — 3A

S E V E N FA N TA S Y C L A S S I C S PROGRESS From Page 1A

IBRAHIM IJAZ/Daily

Children’s literature librarian Angie Oehrli speaks with a student in front of the display at the Seven Fantasy Classics for Children event in Hatcher Tuesday.

MCCOY From Page 1A student body won’t be as wealthy as the student body here. It’ll be as homogenous in terms of racial demographics, but I anticipate the politics might be less progressive. TMD: Take us through your journey here. Nine years ago, you weren’t as involved when you were beginning your Ph.D., then moving to the front lines with the megaphone in your hand after #BBUM and Aura Rosser, and now you’re more in the classroom, taking an academic or advisory approach. What was that like for you? McCoy: I was always interested in getting involved, but didn’t know where to go or what to participate in. There was organizing and protests, but I didn’t see as much of it. I remember a professor asking me when I first got here like, “Austin, where are all the protests?” and I didn’t have an answer in my first month in Ann Arbor. I focused more on trying to fulfill our requirements. In the summer of 2013, when George Zimmerman was acquitted for killing Trayvon Martin, I was extremely upset, and it was one of the few times in the last few years I’ve cried. One of those nights where I cried myself to sleep thinking about it. But it also moved me to get

AID From Page 1A freshmen hailed from in-state in the fall of 2017. This is an 8% drop from in-state freshmen enrollment in the fall of 2013. The decision of whether to pursue more national enrollment or continue emphasizing in-state enrollment remains an issue for public universities across the country, as the article reports 11 flagship universities that had incoming freshman classes in 2016 with over half of students being out-of-state. Kedra Ishop, vice provost for Enrollment Management, explained in an email interview that the Office of Enrollment Management works to keep a majority in-state freshman class while also representing interests coming from the national and international scene. Ishop stated high school populations in the state of Michigan are declining, and, likewise, the number of in-state applications remain lower than those from out-of-state students, with one-third of applicants coming from in-state and twothirds from out-of-state. She explained applications have increased 120 percent since 2010, with a record number of applications in 2017. Yet the number of students admitted remains nearly the same. Because of this, seats for admission have become especially competitive, with in-state students having twice the admit rate as out-ofstate and international students.

involved in issues pertaining to racism. That fall, a friend of mine named Garrett Felber, who was a Ph.D. student in the Department of American Culture, asked if I wanted to co-write an op-ed for The Daily about affirmative action and the history of Black student protest. He pitched is as relevant given the week before there had been a silent protest on the Diag around a lack of diversity and I said sure. That was October, and a few months later, #BBUM went viral. That was the same night the Black Student Union, We are Michigan and A New Trotter had a mass meeting. That was the first time I’d been in a room where there was an overwhelming majority of Black students. The days and weeks before, Garrett and I had been talking about what we could do as graduate students. So after that meeting, me, him, and a Latina Ph.D. student named Tatiana Cruz, began organizing. We created the United Coalition for Racial Justice, the point of which was to support #BBUM, but we also wanted to do an overnight teach-in. The organizing for the speak-out for racial justice the following year was the first time I had gotten involved on campus. TMD: You’ve always been someone to invest in students and their organizing, wants and needs, and strategies. Where does that come from for you? McCoy: Part of this comes from

“Generally speaking, residency determines the pool in which the applicants compete,” Ishop wrote. “Among the many qualities of a U-M education is the opportunity to experience a college education with students from different areas of the state of Michigan, all counties of the United States, and over 150 countries of the world. Educational diversity is important for the 21st century educated student who is preparing to go out into the world to lead.” LSA sophomore Alexandra Niforos, an in-state student, agreed in-state versus out-ofstate factors aren’t limiting to the University’s diverse aspect, as both resident and nonresident students bring different backgrounds to the table. “Michigan is pretty diverse in what backgrounds people can come from because they can come anywhere from rural Michigan to central Detroit,” Niforos said. “Everyone has a different background, but maybe bringing perspectives from other states, other school districts, other educational standards.” When considering the financial aspect of enrollment, however, both Conrad and Niforos agreed the discrepancy between in-state and out-ofstate tuition cannot go unnoticed and expressed concerns that many students remain unaware of exactly where their tuition dollars are being spent.

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Opinion

4A — Wednesday, April 11, 2018

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ROBERT DALKA | COLUMN

The struggle for diversity in physics

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FROM THE DAILY

Revamp Race and Ethnicity

n 2014, the University of Michigan reformed the Race and Ethnicity requirement after student activists pushed to include an intersectional approach to the classes offered under the requirement. Recently, the Race and Ethnicity requirement has come under fire by students for its perceived inability to critically address race and ethnicity, racism and discrimination in domestic and global contexts. Additional scrutiny has been placed on the requirement, after bias incidents, such as a blackface Snapchat, represented for many a lack of understanding on campus. To address the pressing concerns of students and the campus climate, the University should design specific Race and Ethnicity courses with the true goals of the requirement in mind, putting a focus on engaging students in in-depth discussions about race and ethnicity. The Michigan Daily Editorial Board believes the Race and Ethnicity class requirement should be expanded to all of the schools for students in undergraduate programs at the University of Michigan. As it is currently only required in LSA, the Ford School of Public Policy and the School of Art & Design, this requirement should be for all students regardless of school and major. As of now, some schools within the University have their own requirements into which a Race and Ethnicity requirement could fit. For example, the College of Engineering requires 16 credits of “intellectual breadth.” Requirements like these could be ample opportunities into which a Race and Ethnicity course could be fit into. Another way these courses could be implemented within each school would be for each college to create a Race and Ethnicity course which related to specific fields of study, which would allow students to understand how diversity can and does impact their future field. The components of the requirement listed on the LSA website are also vag ue as it pertains to the structure of Race and Ethnicity courses. While the University mentions that, “Every course satisf ying the requirement must devote substantial, but not necessarily exclusive, attention to the required content,” it does not define what could be considered “substantial.” This, along with the extent of classes which fulfill the requirement, provides too much room

“

for vag ue connections to race and ethnicity rather than a structured focus. As the University focuses on its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion plan, we would hope that additional focus could be placed on strengthening this specific classroom experience.

Courses need to be crafted with the requirement in mind for it to actually serve its purpose. In order to address concerns that students have with the current Race and Ethnicity requirement, the University should revise courses with the actual goals of the requirement as their focus. Currently, it appears as if the actual topics of race and ethnicity are an ancillary component of many courses given the label. Courses need to be crafted with the requirement in mind for it to actually serve its purpose. There are certain elements that could be implemented in Race and Ethnicity courses which could cultivate fruitful discussion and awareness. Namely, a move towards smaller, discussion-based classes, rather than large lectures, would be more conducive to having deep conversations truly centered around race and ethnicity. Many of the classes that count for the requirement are larger

classes, including History 101: What is History? and Anthrcul 101: Introduction to Anthropolog y. While these classes are important to majors and may have a race and ethnicity component to them, the large class size is not an effective method for having critical and introspective discussions. Race and ethnicity topics from the past and the present should be the centerpiece of courses fulfilling the requirement, particularly, issues prevalent on campus. We feel that these issues could be best addressed through a possible one-credit required mini-course for freshmen that focuses on race and ethnicity on campus and in the lives of everyday students. Starting discussions of this kind early on in students’ college experience is key to promoting a campus climate all students feel welcome and safe in. As the University campus functions as a place to grow in our intellectual niches, it is also a place to think critically about issues that inherently affect us outside of our majors. The Race and Ethnicity requirement, has not lived to its potential in fostering dialog ue and awareness of pressing racial issues. As it stands now, it is more of a box to check off, instead of a course to think outside of the box. However, redesigning the structure and criteria of race and ethnicity could have profound effects in starting difficult conversations and shedding light on the topics we far too often gloss over.

NOTABLE QUOTABLE

I think it’s pretty much impossible, I believe, to start a company in your dorm room and then grow it to be at the scale that we’re at now without making some mistakes.

— Mark Zuckerberg testifying before the Senate Commerce and Judiciary Committees on April 10

”

or much of its history, physics has been dominated by white men. Most well-known constants and equations are named after them, and when someone says “physicist,” what usually comes to mind is a white man. The stereotype is deeply rooted in the homogenous history of academia, but as our country and institutions become more diverse, shouldn’t the world of physics follow? Sadly, this has not been the case. According to the 2016 population estimates based on the 2010 U.S. census, 17.8 percent of the population identifies as Hispanic or Latino and 13.3 percent of the population identifies as Black or African American. However, according to statistics from the American Institute of Physics, only about 3.9 percent of the bachelor’s degrees in physics were awarded to African Americans and only 7.6 percent to Hispanics. To better understand the issue, I interviewed Brian Beckford, a presidential postdoctoral fellow here at the University of Michigan, to learn more about his own experience as a physicist of color, and an active advocate for diversity in STEM. His research concerns nuclear and particle physics. When Beckford started as an undergraduate at Florida International University, he was initially interested in philosophy. Eventually, philosophy became limited in the answers it could provide him for the types of questions he had about how the universe works, and Beckford decided to switch his major to physics. FIU boasts one of the most diverse student bodies in the country, but Beckford still found himself an outsider after switching majors. “My friends and I joked that I was the best Black student in physics because I was the only Black student in the physics department at the time,” Beckford said. While Beckford notes the department was never actively discriminatory, the idea of promoting diversity was never talked about. It was not seen as a priority of the department at the time. Due to the fact that the traditional social and professional spheres of physics have not always strived to be inclusive, those who have been left on the outskirts have managed by creating their own spaces in which they could feel welcome in a community. The National Society of Black Physicists was formed in 1977, and since its inception has worked toward improving the experiences of Black physicists. Each year, NSBP hosts a national conference celebrating accomplishments by Black physicists from every field of physics. Beckford first attended this conference early in his graduate studies and goes back each year as his

schedule allows. “My faculty advisor at FIU and really good friend to this day, Professor Joerg Reinhold, German by descent, directed me towards the NSBP conference,” Beckford said. “(The conference) gave me some hope that there is a chance, and there is a space for physicists of color. I realized there would be a place for me in the field.” Though conferences such as the NSBP meeting are well advertised at historically Black colleges and universities, they are not as talked about at institutions that are historically white. Helping to increase awareness of these kinds of opportunities is one way institutions such as ours can create a more welcoming, supportive environment for people from all different backgrounds. “This year I am trying to encourage the department that we can attend the conference as a source of recruiting a more diverse group of students into the graduate program,” Beckford said. In addition to his work as a researcher, as the department’s diversity, equity and inclusion committee chair, Beckford devotes as much time as he can to finding new ways the department can be more inclusive by bringing his experience as a project manager for the American Physical Society Bridge Program. Many of Beckford’s proposed changes and improvements are focused on the recruitment of graduate students, including short-term projects, such as the new recruitment brochure. It highlights the inclusive ideals of the department. It is small, but represents an important step toward much-needed change. Long-term projects are in the works, but will take more time, as they require more cooperation and coordination among the department before these changes are seen as necessary in order to create a stronger, more diverse physics program at the University. I was also curious about what Beckford thought could be done to increase representation among undergraduate students. “Stronger discussions of career opportunities after an undergrad degree would be a great way to bring more diversity into the undergrad program,” he said. “Particularly among first-generation students and students of color, there is a feeling of a need to give back, not only to their community, but to their family that might be sacrificing a lot for them to be there.” I agree with Beckford, and a physics degree is really what you make it. You can put it to use many different ways. You can work in industry, research the frontiers of science in academia, affect social

change as a teacher or community leader and much more. This is what makes a physics degree so exciting. Once a school succeeds in recruiting a diverse student base, the next challenge is retainment. According to the Office of the Registrar 2016 report, of the freshmen who came to the University in 2012, 14.1 percent of those from underrepresented minority groups have left the University without finishing a degree. When comparing this with the 8 percent from all other groups that have left without finishing a degree, one can see the lack of inclusion most certainly plays a role in the discrepancy. We must recognize we can make the campus and departments more welcoming for everyone. “The hard part is we have to change people’s mindset, and that diversity and inclusion is important for science,” Beckford said. “It’s people who do the science, so it follows that if you want the best science, you get the best people from all groups, and not just one.” Academia is not always known for its adaptability, and tradition still plays a major role in how institutions and departments run. It can be tough to get every decision maker on board, as not everyone believes that a change is needed at all. However, this way of thinking goes against what we are trying to do in science, which is to advance human thought and make new discoveries. So even though old styles of mentoring and teaching might have worked when there was one majority group, we need to make improvements on how we do things and take every new factor into account. After my interview with Beckford, I began to think about how critical it is to be more inclusive in the sciences. I feel it is especially important in today’s political and social climate to ensure that science is a beacon of inclusivity, of higher thinking and unlimited possibility, where all are welcome to create, discover and succeed. At the end of our talk, Beckford asked, “How many great ideas were lost to fear, hate, and intolerance?” Too many to count, I would imagine. As we are those who strive towards higher understanding, we must never let untapped potential be wasted because of the fear of change or the lack of willingness to allocate resources and time to undertake the challenge. We can spark this change, right here, right now, at the University. For information on ways you can contribute, please contact your department’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee.

Robert Dalka can be reached at rpdalka@umich.edu.

MAGGIE MIHAYLOVA | COLUMN

A stream of consciousness on the state of consciousness

didn’t want to waste my last column on writing something sappy. With so many important issues in the world, I find it slightly irresponsible to solely muse on the self or to simply get deep. My goal for this column has been to provide my opinion on pertinent topics in a compelling, informed way. I want my voice to ring clear, loud and effective. But as I scrolled through The Michigan Daily’s website for a lunchtime read, I found myself drawn to the reflective pieces that many of my peers had written in honor of the ending year or just contemplations on life. As nostalgia overcame me, I felt inspired to reflect on my own life and freshman year, so I sat down to write. I soon came to realize that writing passionately about a topic and writing passionately about yourself are two very different, contradictory things — even for a self-proclaimed narcissist. Writing has always been my outlet. Since I was a kid, I would use my writing skills to persuade, move and entertain people. For example, I saved a lot of money on buying presents by writing songs or poems for my parents’ birthdays. In high school, I joined poetry club, the school newspaper and the literary magazine. I was constantly thinking, talking and writing, but always with careful calculation. I would agonize over words — tinkering and toying with language until I was sure I wanted to expose my work to an audience. I never let my words stand alone. I always stated a disclaimer before a reading. And I never, ever, wrote explicitly about myself — only characters with similar features. A lesson I’ve learned in college is that vulnerability usually comes

with hurt. To show real emotion, to allow yourself that honesty, will lead to pain. However, it is what comes in the fallout that is beautiful. There is a common conception that through suffering one produces the best art, and I can’t argue with that. I am grateful for my life and how smooth it has been for me, but my proudest creative works don’t come from a sunny summer afternoon or the smell of birthday cake, they come from a hospital waiting room or the floor of a public bathroom. My freshman year has been contradictory — a combination of both exploding joy and forceful sadness. I often experienced isolation and togetherness within the same day. I felt impassioned in one class and resigned in another. I balanced finding myself with finding someone for me. In this constant limbo, I struggled to gain footing, and I seldom didn’t stumble. It wasn’t until a couple weeks ago that I realized that by stifling these feelings, by masking their intensity, I was doing a disservice to myself as a writer and human being. I have always feared expressing my emotions liberally, without the guise of character or fiction. Because of this, not only did my writing suffer, but so did my relationships. I lacked the vulnerability to bear my soul to the world because of fear of judgment, inferiority and rejection, and in turn, I faced miscommunications, missed chances and made mistakes. So recently, in the name of my newfound “college maturity,” I started being more emotionally honest, and what I have discovered

is that if what you write or say is what you feel, regardless of quality, it will touch someone. We are all disordered spirits, yearning for validation while craving solace. We all feel hurt with the same intensity as we feel love. And yet, we shy away from expressing the depth of the everyday — the commonplace. On the exterior, our daily lives follow the same simple pattern: We wake up, we go to work or school and go to bed. It is the moments within this simple pattern that fulfill us as humans — and it takes words to illuminate this truth. Writing provides us with the soul of existence. Life in words is a shared glance in a dark room, the hum of bass in your favorite song and the first snowfall of April. Life in words is touching someone you love, the pumping of legs on a bike and the smell of pine trees on a Sunday morning walk. But life in words is also a drunken argument, an IV in your left wrist and a Frank Ocean album on repeat. Art and writing, in particular, remind us of the intensity of simplicity. I have been guilty of spending my life in phases of boredom or just going through the motions. My writing and my life have been predictable, organized and neat. It took me 18 years and a few bouts of pain to finally realize the beauty in existence, both from hurt and happiness. And as I finish off what ended up being a sappy column, I’m nervous for its reception. To quell that anxiety? I think I’ll go write a poem. Maggie Mihaylova can be reached at mmihaylo@umich.edu.

Arts

5A — Wednesday, April 11, 2018

TV SERIES

Revisiting: U.K.’s ‘Skins’

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

out of nowhere. It’s predictably ludicrous. “Freddie,” season 4, episode 5 “Skins” has a lot to say about love. The most memorable love story of the show also takes the longest to come to fruition. When they finally become a couple, Effy and Freddie take refuge in Effy’s house and turn it into a palace of sex and drugs, but the honeymoon doesn’t last forever. Effy’s mental health deteriorates to a point that Freddie has to seek help. Like everything portrayed in “Skins,” the writers handle mental health in a paradoxically

problematic and progressive way. As Effy’s well-being gets worse and worse, Freddie does the best he can to help her. He asks for advice, tells her mother, spends as much time possible with Effy and urges her to seek professional help. Yet when Effy is suffering from mental illness, she is portrayed as losing any grip on reality. She, quite literally, seems to go insane. This isn’t how mental illness should be thought of by the millions of teenage viewers watching. Mental illness is a spectrum, and its intensity is individual to each person who

experiences it. To depict mental illness as something that pushes you beyond the bounds of reality for dramatizing purposes is irresponsible. However, making the subject of mental health a cornerstone of the plot is, by itself, quite progressive for 2010. “Skins” tries so hard to be a progressive show that comments on the contemporary issues of the time, but it always pushes it a little too far. Regardless of its flaws, “Skins” remains a staple in the TV arsenal of youth today due to its well-written characters and addicting over-dramatization.

BOOKS

NETFLIX

JOSEPH FRALEY Daily Blog Editor

“Skins.” A world where parents don’t care about their children, teachers have sex with their students, friends treat each other like shit and the 16-17 year old protagonists somehow have the money to fund the drug usage of an erratic Wall Street broker (How are the joints always so big? And always so perfectly rolled?). “Skins,” more than any other TV show or movie I’ve watched in the coming-of-age genre, asks its audience to suspend disbelief. If there’s one accomplishment “Skins” should be praised for, it’s the ability of its co-creators, father and son duo Jamie Brittain and Bryan Elsley (“Dates”), to write dynamic and compelling teenage characters. Every two seasons, “Skins” switches its entire cast (save for a few adults that overlap stories) and the audience has to develop attachments to the characters all over again. It only took a few episodes at the start of each series to grow fond of the new cast that is a testament to the duo’s ability. “Skins” often gets knocked for its slow decrease in quality with each new cast. However, this has nothing to do with the characters themselves. “Skins” seems to have a list of tropes that it glues to different people each season. There’s the brain, the pretty boy, the druggie, the loser, the party animal, the misunderstood girl, the one overshadowed by their peer — the list could go on and on. All of these are used every series,

out lunatic, and his past is both tragic and privileged. Effy, above all other characters, is the face of “Skins.” Nobody, including the audience, ever really knows what is going on her head. Frankie and Grace from the third series go beyond their tropes as well (although they grow a little too fast for the narrative’s own good). The problem with “Skins” is that it has no idea how to insert these well-constructed characters into the real world. In the first series, the parents of the protagonists are present but not impactful; the teenagers go to school, but only when it is convenient for the story. The last two series only exacerbate this dilemma. The only relevant parents in the second series are those of Emily and Katie, and the only reason they’re relevant is to showcase the toll divorce takes on a family, which they already did with Tony and Effy’s parents. So I’m edged to ask — what is the point? In the second series, there are points where school disappears altogether. In the first few episodes of series three, the protagonists are seen in school every day, seemingly more than during any point in the first two series, but this is only because it’s the convenient way to start getting them all to interact with one another. By the end of the series, Emily is living with Naomi and never going to school (where the fuck is Naomi’s mom, by the way?). Katie is dealt a head injury and can apparently never handle education again but can work for her mom. Effy and Freddie treat Effy’s house as a permanent love nest, and Cook is

going on even though it’s obvious enough already. Despite all its absurdity, “Skins,” at the very least, is entertaining from start to finish (excluding season seven). It has its share of problems, some larger than others, but the characters always pulled me back in. I wanted to know what happened to them. I cared about them, and that’s why I watch television. Lastly, don’t watch season seven. Never have I watched something so pointless to the plot of a television show. When I think of “Skins,” I pretend that season seven doesn’t exist. “Chris,” season 2, episode 5: There’s a point in this episode where the entire group of friends is at a party. Chris is selling drugs and the first line of dialogue at the party comes from the leader of the group he sold them to. “I hate this conformist repressive society,” says the kid as he continues to go on a rant about how everyone has the same “plastic” job and wears the same “plastic” clothes. Then the camera cuts to a long shot and we see that the boy speaking and all his friends are wearing the exact same outfit and are all clearly high on what Chris sold them. Then, the boy looks at Chris and says “I mean, you’re cool cause you got drugs, but everybody else...” and then buys more drugs from Chris. A hallmark theme of “Skins” is communicating that there is no such thing as “normal.” Everyone has traits that separate them from the crowd. Anyone who says everyone is the same is themselves a part of the culture they are

‘Country Dark’ is a largely unsatisfying, lacking read MIRIAM FRACISCO Daily Arts Writer

“Country Dark,” Chris Offutt’s return to fiction, is an ultimately unsatisfying and disappointing tale. Set in rural Kentucky during the ’60s and ’70s, Offutt attempts to interrogate a number of social issues — poverty, post-traumatic stress disorder, incarceration, violence — but the result leaves much to be desired. “Country Dark” follows Tucker, Rhonda and their five young children, four of whom have intellectual or physical disabilities. Two social workers investigate the family. Midway through the novel, Tucker murders one of the social workers because he threatens to put Tucker and Rhonda’s children in the state’s care. Tucker is subsequently sent to jail. He returns home, seemingly unchanged. Rhonda cares for their children, some of whom are eventually taken from her. Tucker comes home, and the novel ends. No one in this book is especially invested in what happens to themselves, and it’s that lack of interest and agency that ultimately sabotages “Country Dark.” If there’s one thing “Country Dark” does well, however, it’s to create a sense of place. Offutt,

who was born and raised in Kentucky, describes the setting of “Country Dark” with intimate attention to detail. “The world appeared for the first time beautiful,” Offutt writes. “The

“Country Dark” Chris Offutt Grove Atlantic April 10, 2018 air scoured of dust by the rain, each surface holding a sheen of water like a tiny prism on every leaf.” That close, familiar description deposits the reader into an easily imaginable world. Unfortunately, it’s a world populated by people who resemble robots. Offutt is certainly a talented writer in many respects, but he struggles to create threedimensional characters. His female characters are especially lackluster. Of Rhonda, Offutt writes: “She wondered if their children would have his eyes. She took his hand and silently vowed to stay near him forever. She would never forsake this man.” For context, this scene occurs the day after Rhonda and Tucker meet. The pace of the novel is arbitrary and confusing;

even a traumatized 14-year-old girl seems unlikely to pledge her life to a boy she’s just met. There’s nothing surprising, lifelike or transgressive about Offutt’s characters. “The storm would pass,” Offutt writes. “And (Tucker) didn’t care one way or another.” Why doesn’t he care? He should care! For readers to care about characters, the characters themselves must care. One keeps hoping Offutt will give his characters some humanity, but instead they seem to float through their lives with no internal reasoning or complexities, their emotions simple and surface-level. Everything is as it seems. It should be noted that “Country Dark” is a novel propelled by violence, an authorial choice that always puts the writer to task. If violence is to be a central theme, it must be justified — in the formal of social commentary, insightfulness or even character development. Unfortunately, the violence in “Country Dark” is simply a foreboding and often indiscriminate presence. The world is violent, certainly — but what do we do with that violence? How to we come to terms with it, or explain it, or understand it? These are questions raised by “Country Dark,” but not ones it offers any meaningful answers to.

SINGLE REVIEW: ‘BACK IN BROOKLYN’

NETFLIX

just in different combinations. The show does its best to mix them differently enough to create characters that feel new, but one can see some obvious similarities in characters between seasons. Season three-to-four’s Cook (Jack O’Connell, “Godless”) is season one-to-two’s Chris (Joe Dempsie, “Game of Thrones”) with just a little more “I don’t give a fuck”; scorned, red headed twin Emily (Kathryn Prescott, “24: Legacy”) of seasons threeto-four is the overshadowed, hopelessly romantic virgin — aka Syd (Mike Bailey, “We Are The Freaks”) of seasons one-to-two; and overly-hormonal Alo (Will Merrick, “Poldark”) of seasons 5-6 has only one motivation: to get laid, which parallels Anwar (Dev Patel, “Lion”) of seasons oneto-two. However, they’re almost always captivating individuals, similarities be damned. The cast of the first series balances these tropes the best across characters, but the other series’ casts also contain fascinating personas. Cook and Effy (Kaya Scodelario, “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales”) from the second series are my favorites of the entire show. They go beyond their tropes. Cook’s more than just a drugged

miraculously house jumping after having somehow escaped prison. The Cook storyline, in particular, is straight up lazy writing on an unforgivable level. “Skins” can’t decide what it wants its identity to be. Half the time, it aims to be a dreamy arewe-in-reality-or-not Lynchian commentary on the general absurdity of life. The other half, it aims to be a British teenage melodrama. The show admirably attempts to comment on contemporary social issues. LGBTQ+ youth, mental health, divorce, misogyny, immigration, etc. are all brought to the surface, but it’s hard to relate to the characters when they don’t feel grounded in reality and everything works out for them in the end. The only aspect of “Skins” that makes it often legitimately painful to watch is its obnoxious use of music. If you remove season seven from the equation, there are an average of 14.7 songs per episode. 14.7! That’s insane! Not only does the music completely oversaturate the sound of the episodes, but the lyrics often parallel the exact action or emotion of the characters on screen. It’s like there’s an unnecessary narrator explaining to the audience exactly what is

judging and their eagerness to comment on others most likely stems from their own insecurities. This episode also is a perfect example of “Skins” as a teenage melodrama. Chris and Jal take giant steps in their relationship. Chris gets a job at a real estate company, Jal is pregnant and the two decide to move in together. Keep in mind these people are the same age as an American senior in high school. “Effy,” season 3, episode 8: This episode, above all others, parallels my perception of “Skins.” It combines dreamlike absurdity and surrealism more than any other episode. The gang decides to go camping in the woods for Katie’s birthday, and from the very beginning, we know that everything is going to go wrong. Why the hell would Katie let Effy, who’s tearing apart her relationship with Freddie (Luke Pasqualino, “Snatch”), come to the woods with them and the rest of season’s characters? Effy somehow finds magic mushrooms conveniently growing right next to their campsite and coerces all of her fellow campers to eat them. Secrets are brought to the surface, Effy hooks up with Freddie, Katie is hit over the head with a rock by Effy and Cook shows up

FLICKR

Brooklyn-based artist Nandi Rose Plunkett has been making music for her project Half Waif for a little over half of a decade, but it feels that now more than ever she’s on the cusp of breaking through to a larger audience. Since the beginning, her focus has been on crafting a delicate blend of classically inflected vocal melodies and hyper-modern electronica. Someone will probably come for me for saying it, but I’m tempted to draw a comparison between Half Waif and Flume, or at least between some of the otherworldly textures and syncopation that characterize significant portions of their respective bodies of work. Conspicuously absent from “Back in Brooklyn,” the third and final single ahead of Lavender’s Apr. 27 release date, are those same

electronic features that populate the vast majority of her discography to date. Instead, Plunkett’s vocals and piano

“Back in Brooklyn” Half Waif Cascine are the main characters in a largely soft-spoken ballad that offers reflections on being away from home — love, separation and the interplay between the two. On the one hand, “It’s easy and it’s right / It’s freezing and it’s bright / It’s everything I like,” sings Plunkett, referring to the city she calls home. On the other, “It’s easier to stay / Half a world away / Forgetting every name.” In between, the mention of someone, presumably a

lover, whom the narrator calls upon her return. “‘Where have you been?’ / Don’t ask me that,” she anticipates their conversation. After lulling her listener into a daze, Plunkett silences herself to a whisper. But it’s when she makes this comparison that her voice crests, grating with emotion in the song’s most cathartic moment: “Listen for me now,” she shouts. It’s hard to tell what exactly Plunkett means when she sings that she’s “Casting off (her) halfempty shell,” but it’s hard not to believe her. Like her songs, Plunkett becomes more complex with every passing moment. Lavender could be any number of things, but it’s bound to be captivating. - Sean Lang, Daily Arts Writer

Arts

6A — Wednesday, April 11, 2018

ENTERTAINMENT COLUMN

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

FILM REVIEW

Falling into the ‘A Quiet Place’ is acutely terrifying deep board game rabbit hole SYDNEY COHEN Daily Arts Writer

I’ve always liked board games. to be a mostly skill-based game of For as long as I can remember I’ve trading and building, with some played Monopoly with my dad and luck involved (the roll of the Scrabble with my grandpa. My dice), eventually became mired brother and I used to play round in arguments over whether or not after round of Battleship, Sorry! the inherent luck of dice-rolling and Stratego. Chess had a strong superseded any level of social place in my life for a while, until interaction that would otherwise I cost my middle school Chess seem to be the crux of the game. team the state championship and Winners again found themselves Chess and I more or less parted besieged by the notion that they ways. High school introduced only won because they rolled four me to my first true board game threes in a row, which everyone love, Settlers of Catan, which still knows is less than probable. It seemed we had sucked plays a prominent the fun out of board role in game nights games. Winning all these years later. had been rendered College has brought utterly pointless. about a renaissance No longer could one in my board game find any satisfaction playing, with party in defeating one’s games and Catan itself friends. seemingly becoming It seemed there was more prevalent across only one solution. Two campus by the day. weeks ago one of my Over the course of friends and I entered the past two years Vault of Midnight, the I have surrounded IAN game and comic store myself with equally HARRIS located on Main St., competitive mad and asked an employee men who take no greater pleasure than watching to direct us to the game that the terrible misery of a poor soul involved “the most skill, the least who loses at a game made out luck.” She sold us a game called of cardboard and plastic. But in “Century: Spice Road.” At first, our endless quest to achieve total we thought we had found our holy domination over each other in grail at last. The game was devoid games of skill and chance, one of dice and although it featured the question has slowly emerged, drawing of cards, it was unclear “What value is there in winning a if there was much of a difference between the cards that could be game of luck?” On first glance the value would drawn. The game consisted of seem obvious. It’s clear that in any exchanging various colored cubes contest, regardless of the amount until one had the right number of of skill involved, one would cubes to unlock “points” cards, always prefer to win than to lose. which gave one a certain number Certainly that is the case, but of points. Certainly, the game was when your win is judged against mostly strategy. Getting your cube the wins of others, do you not exchange rates correctly required want your win to stand above the thinking many turns ahead and rest, in the eternal glory of having there was almost no chance of been truly earned? If you win a coin flip, did you really “win” if you had no control over the events that led to your “victory?” Would it really be worth bragging about a game of rock, paper, scissors? The answer is no, and therein lies the board game conundrum. Take, for example, the card game known as Coup. It’s a simple game of bluffing, in which players hold two of a possible six cards at any given time, granting them access to two of a possible six abilities. The twist is that there is no penalty for using an ability you don’t actually have, unless of course an opponent calls you out on your bluff and you lose one of your two cards (or the game if you only have one card left). At first my friend group believed this game was mostly skill-less, and it was just random chance if you called someone else out on their bluffing. Soon however we began to develop strategies, as we noticed patterns in each others games and realized some cards were better to end up with at the end of the game than others. Over time these strategies grew even deeper as we began to someone messing up your game bluff, double bluff and triple bluff by torpedoing you or ganging up our way into victory. Is that other on you with other players. At last guy doing the thing I think he’s we had found a game without doing? Does he know I think he’s any luck. In doing so, we had also doing it? Does that mean he’s not found a game without any fun. going to do it because he thinks I It turns out that luck is actually think he will do it? What does that pretty synonymous with thrill. mean? Does it mean anything? It’s the thrill of rolling the dice, Coup eventually became a battle the thrill of the QB throwing up of the wits, like the famous poison a deep pass, of letting the hands scene in “The Princess Bride.” of fate guide the ball, the roll, Once you’ve gone down the rabbit the flip of the river. Take that hole of bluffing strategy and come away, and take away the need out the other side you arrive back to interact with other players at the same place you began. If during a game, and you no longer every move ever made is being have a game, but a math problem made in an attempt to throw the that four people are attempting other players off the scent, then to solve simultaneously. As my no strategy can truly be formed brother so succinctly declared because every strategy is based upon playing Century for fewer upon players playing rationally, than five minutes, “It’s like four which they wouldn’t be inclined people playing solitaire at once.” to do for fear of giving away what The day after this proclamation cards they have. And so the game we returned to Catan. We played is one of chance. And therefore it a few rounds of Coup. That old involves no skill. So whoever wins thrill has returned, regardless of has no ability to use their victory whether or not any one of us is as proof that they are better than truly more skilled at the games everyone else, which is one of the than another. In the end, so long main reasons people like to win. as you are enjoying yourself, it Winning in essence becomes doesn’t really matter if you win. At least, that’s what I like to tell meaningless. We faced a similar predicament myself when I lose. Don’t get me with Catan. What at first appeared started on Euchre.

In our endless quest to achieve total domination over each other in games of skill and chance, one question has slowly emerged, “What value is there in winning a game of luck?”

John Krasinski’s (“The Hollars”) “A Quiet Place” explores a world where noise is the most dangerous element of all, where even a small cough can invite the deadly wrath of sound-seeking creatures, and where humans must completely adapt their way of life in order to stay hidden in plain sight. Krasinski’s film, which he co-wrote, directed and starred in, is an extremely inventive and acutely terrifying foray into the tensions between silence and sound, survival and sacrifice. “A Quiet Place” is intensely stressful and wholly engrossing; Krasinski’s manipulation of the rules and the stakes of his quakingly silent world makes for something overwhelming and nerve-jangling and brilliant. “A Quiet Place” is a fascinating cross between a survival narrative and a horror film. The movie centers around the Abbott family, led by Lee (Krasinski) and Evelyn (Emily Blunt, “The Girl on the Train”), who have completely adapted every aspect of their way of life to survive. The most impressive parts of the film are these adaptations — Krasinski employs a clever understanding of light, textures and materials to make daily life and communication possible. From feeling Monopoly game pieces to pathways lined with cornmeal, Krasinski shows a firm grasp on the details and nuances of a world where every sound must be muffled. Watching this family go about their daily routine is just as engrossing as the moments of bloody horror, because every detail is so meticulously thought out and creative. Along with its moments of paralyzing fear, “A Quiet Place” weaves a moving emotional arc about family, love and sacrifice. With almost no dialogue, the film relies heavily on close-up shots to express emotion and illustrate the ways in which this family is

strained and bonded. The film is anchored by the genuine chemistry between Krasinski and Blunt, a married couple off-screen as well, who believably will give anything to protect their children. Their daughter Regan (Millicent Simmonds, “Wonderstruck”), more vulnerable to the monsters

“A Quiet Place” Paramount Pictures Rave and Quality 16 because of her deafness, struggles against the coddling of her parents while trying to prove her ability to take care of herself. She also holds herself responsible for the accidental tragedy that happened on a scavenging trip the year before. Simmonds delivers a great performance rooted in her actual disability that works as the emotional fulcrum of the film. “A Quiet Place” is successful for its portrayal of a loving family despite impossible odds and bone-chilling horrors. Communication is a central theme in the film. Because of Regan’s deafness, the family already speaks

fluent sign language. “A Quite Place” reverses the stereotypical marginalization of deafness by showcasing sign language as a vital tool for communication and survival in a silent world. In this way, the film works as a piece of speculative fiction that reimagines an impairment as an enhancement. Above all, Emily Blunt is the sensational focal point of this film. Her character is intricately layered and expertly performed — she is the capable matriarch, tenacious in survival, but committed to the impossible task of bringing new life into this anarchic world. Blunt shoulders the weight of her character with grace and strength, proving once again her place in the Hollywood elite as a true movie star. She endures an endless series of horrors in this movie, always managing to center the story on family and perseverance over superficial jump-scares. “A Quiet Place” is a horror movie unlike any other, an imaginative and thrilling deep-dive into the limitless ways humans can adapt and exist in severely limiting conditions. The film is unconcerned with the complications of a monster-ridden world at large, and

instead focuses successfully on the dynamics of a single family’s struggle to connect and understand

Krasinski’s manipulation of the rules and the stakes of his quakingly silent world makes for something overwhelming and nervejangling and brilliant

one another. It is a must-see that adds a new dimension to the genre of horror.

PARAMOUNT

Classifieds RELEASE DATE– Wednesday, April 11, 2018

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

ACROSS 1 Film director’s honor 6 Rich, dusty soil 11 Greeting at a dog park 14 100 kopecks 15 Common film festival film 16 Loving murmur 17 Phoenix-based hotel chain (and see circles) 19 Mac platform 20 Crankcase reservoir 21 Small bouquet 23 “Help!” at sea 26 Filing tool 27 Threadbare 28 Place for prayer 30 Collars 33 __ the hills 34 Web unit 36 Here, in Spanish 37 Agrees quietly 38 Skater Sasha or comic Sacha Baron 39 Short 40 Indianapolis NFLer 41 Veggie burger veggies 42 Accra is its capital 43 Struggled to achieve 45 Yellowstone attraction 46 Brewski 47 With 31-Down, “Proud Mary” singer 49 Nine and five, in nine-to-five: Abbr. 50 Cast a ballot 52 Sources of fragrant wood 54 Make a mistake 55 Old family recipe (and see circles) 60 Salty body 61 “Carmen,” e.g. 62 Not yet realized 63 Peak 64 Ten-time French Open winner 65 Sounds from a belfry

DOWN 1 Mercury or Mars 2 Alphabet Series novelist Grafton 3 “Young Sheldon” network 4 Kind of clarinet 5 Does some electrical work 6 Speech therapist’s concerns 7 Ready to pour 8 Genesis garden 9 Ringo Starr’s title 10 Motion detector, e.g. 11 Produce served in the fall (and see circles) 12 Civil rights hero Parks 13 Sly 18 Airline to Tel Aviv 22 Tediously moralistic 23 One carrying a torch? 24 “Hey, check it out!” 25 Feature of some penny loafers (and see circles) 27 Small, chirpy bird

29 Incurring late fees 30 Forever 31 See 47-Across 32 Indian lutes 34 “Always be a __, even in prose”: Baudelaire 35 Finder’s cry 38 Computer “brains,” briefly 42 Gets ready (for) 44 Heavily favored 45 Pesky flier

47 __ cotta 48 Exemplary 50 Garment for brisk days 51 Two-toned snack 52 Sent a dupe to 53 Reasonable 56 Org. that monitors wetlands 57 Actress Thurman 58 Cartoon sheet 59 Purported UFO crew

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Sports

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

ROWING

Despite big win, ‘M’ has room for improvement TIEN LE

Daily Sports Writer

In the first home meets of the spring season, the No. 6 Michigan rowing team came out almost perfect for the weekend, winning 13 of 14 events. Facing No. 16 Indiana, No. 11 Iowa and No. 18 Michigan State, the Wolverines performed to the expectations of Michigan coach Mark Rothstein, who, despite the dominant performance by the team, only saw room to grow. “We are looking to get better each and every week, and I don’t think we did that this week,” Rothstein told MGoBlue.com. “In some events we did, and in some, we didn’t. We need to do it in every event, and we’ll get back to work on Monday.” Though few, the areas that needed work were the most essential — the first varsity eight boats in both sessions. In the morning session, the first varsity eight boat took first with a time of 6:26.99, with a gap of just 1.82 seconds. In the afternoon session, however, Michigan took its first and only loss of the day with the first varsity boat against the Hawkeyes. The performance by the first varsity eight boat wasn’t up to the Wolverines’ normal standards, as their boat not only performed slower than Iowa’s, but also both teams’ second varsity eight. With a time of 6:30.18, the first varsity

eight boat was outdone by the 6:17.80, 6:28.00 and 6:28.30 posted by the Hawkeyes’ first varisty eight, Michigan’s second varsity eight, and Iowa’s second varsity eight, respectively. “Today was good, up until the last race,” Rothstein told MGoBlue.com. “I didn’t think we raced really well, and Iowa is really, really good. That combination led to their victory by a substantial mark.” However — outside of the subpar performances of the normally elite first varsity eight boats — the other boats carried their weights. Continuing from their tear the weekend prior, the first and second varsity four boats continued to dominate, sweeping the competition. With times of 7:09.60 and 7:24.60 in the morning session, they won by a combined differential of 26.89 seconds. The third varsity four additionally won with a time of 7:38.80, 15.61 seconds faster than the second-best Hoosiers finisher. In the afternoon session, the Michigan varsity four boats found a way to top off their already commanding performance. Finishing with times of 7:18.20 and 7:18.1, the first and second varsity four boats beat Iowa’s by a combined 38.33 seconds. Both third varsity four boats for the Wolverines beat out Iowa to cap off a powerhouse performance.

“We are looking to get better each and every week.”

Wednesday, April 11, 2018 — 7A

Keener secures starting catcher’s role midseason CONNOR BRENNAN Daily Sports Writer

For the Michigan baseball team, no position was more of a question mark coming into the season than catcher. Last year’s team had a program-high eleven draft picks, and one of them was senior catcher Harrison Wenson, who started 126 games over the course of his Wolverine career. The departure left a clear void in the lineup. Senior Brock Keener, sophomore Harrison Salter, redshirt freshman Marcus Chavez and freshman Joe Donovan battled for the position through the fall and winter. Teammates and coaches alike were impressed with all four players in the offseason. “Harry, last year, was a fantastic catcher,” said senior pitcher Alec Rennard. “After he left, what I saw in the three guys that are returning — Brock, Harry Salter, Marcus and

then the new kid, Joe Donovan — was just an absolute fire was lit from day one with them. I’ve just seen them all putting their best foot forward every day. I just think they’re pushing themselves to compete at their highest level.” The competition lasted well into the start of the season. During the team’s spring break tour, they all saw time behind the plate, but Chavez was given the start in the first game of the season against Army. “We had that pre-determined that Marcus was going to catch the first two and Salter was going catch on Sunday,” said head coach Erik Bakich at the time. “And Joe Donovan’s had mono for pretty much the entire preseason and Brock Keener (was) out for over a week with an illness as well.” Bakich would continue to rotate through all four prior to returning to Ann Arbor. Chavez started six of the first 14 games, while Donovan

and Salter started five and three, respectively. Keener, on the other hand, had seen ample time at first base during the trip, but had yet to make a start at catcher. The matchup against Lawrence Tech was that opportunity. The senior, who may have been favored for the starting position coming into the offseason, has relinquished the position just twice since then. Early on, Keener struggled defensively. He leads the other catchers in passed balls with nine and has the third-most errors on the team with four. Gradually, though, he became more comfortable behind the plate. His blocking has considerably improved as the season continues. Offensively, Keener has also grown into his own. Of the four catchers, Keener’s .276 batting average is second only to Salter’s .314. He is also tied for third on the

team in doubles and runs scored with four and 18, respectively. Though it’s safe to say Keener has secured the starting spot for now, the other three catchers will certainly play a role as the season progresses. Salter seems to be the go-to, second-string catcher during busy portions of the schedule. But if we know anything about this team, it’s that the coaching staff is willing to throw young players into the mix if necessary. The idea of playing the two promising freshmen, Chavez and Donovan, will not be abandoned entirely. “I’d tell you that we have four legitimate catchers that could start at a lot of Division I programs,” Bakich said. “And instead of having competition where we are just going to pick one, we’re going to ask all four of them to contribute and add value every time their number is called.”

CARTER FOX/Daily

Senior catcher Brock Keener has secured the starting catching position after a period of volatility at the beginning of the Michigan baseball team’s season.

Blanco notches no-hitter in Wolverines’ victory over Eastern Michigan Though Michigan didn’t seem to play its best against the Eagles, Blanco’s strong perforance made all the difference RIAN RATNAVALE Daily Sports Writer

For anyone that knows Tera Blanco, it’s not surprising that the senior right-hander’s walkup song is “God’s Plan” by Drake. Blanco always listens to the song to pump herself up and got her teammates to play the Canadian rapper’s music in the locker room. When Blanco threw the first no-hitter of her college career in a 4-0 win against Eastern Michigan on Tuesday afternoon, the constant blaring of the hit single was, in a way, poetic. Every time the No. 17 Michigan softball team left a runner stranded on base, Blanco came in the next inning and answered the prayers of the Wolverines, either with one of her 12 strikeouts or a laser to catch a runner at first base.

“We weren’t a real inspired group today, and Tera has just been such a steady force for us all year,” said Michigan coach Carol Hutchins. “I’m proud of her, she’s so deserving.” That’s not to say that the right-hander’s ride to the no-hitter was smooth by any means. On the first pitch of the second inning, Eagles’ outfielder Brandice Olmos launched a shot to deep center that threatened to end Blanco’s bid before it was even conceivable. Junior outfielder Natalie Peters, however, had other plans. As the ball sailed straight over Blanco’s head, Peters

started running from right field and didn’t stop until the ball was in her glove, making a twirling catch. In other moments when Blanco’s mastery was in danger, the California native pushed through on her own. In the sixth inning, Blanco found herself facing a 3-1 count with no outs. Just like that, Blanco battled back to strike out the Eastern Michigan batter. The next batter came up to the plate for the Eagles, and with that came a 3-0 hole for Blanco to climb out of. Blanco fired off three straight swinging strikes.

“Tera has just been such a steady force for us.”

“I was frustrated with always getting behind, and not getting ahead,” Blanco said. “You put yourself in a hole and you just want to get out. And I did.” Eastern Michigan, though, seemingly tried every possible way to spoil Blanco’s masterpiece. Despite failing to capitalize on a deep fly ball, and multiple hitter’s counts, the Eagles still seemed destined to end the no-hitter. Freshman shortstop Natalia Rodriguez saw a ball bounce off the tip of her glove and into left field with two outs in the seventh inning, but the umpires around her ruled the play an

error, keeping the bid alive long enough for Blanco to crush the next Eagles batter with three strikes. “I’m very hard on myself, so I expected that. It wasn’t really surprising, Blanco said. “As the game went on I was like, ‘I need to do this more,’ but when the game finished, I could sit back and say that I actually did it, which was cool.” Outside Blanco’s dominance,

“I’m very hard on myself, so ... it wasn’t really surprising.”

MATT VAILLIENCOURT/Daily

Senior right-hander Tera Blanco threw a no-hitter and hit a home run in Michigan’s 4-0 victory over Eastern Michigan on Tuesday afternoon.

the Wolverines didn’t play particularly well — save for a few stolen bases. But perhaps the moment that most encapsulates the right-hander’s game came at the plate instead of the circle. Blanco corked a low hit off an Eastern Michigan fastball, which grazed the glove of an Eagles outfielder and gently whizzed past the right field foul pole for a home run. Like most of what happened during the game for Michigan, that hit could have gone against the Wolverines. It didn’t though. Call it good fortune or call it “God’s Plan,” but Blanco came through again for Michigan.

Sports

8A — Wednesday, April 11, 2018

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

After breakout year, tight ends primed for more MIKE PERSAK

Managing Sports Editor

Sherrone Moore has never had this kind of depth in his meeting rooms. The Michigan football team’s first-year tight ends coach went through a full season at Central Michigan with just two tight ends. Now, he’s inheriting a position group chock full of talent. “I’m extremely excited at the fact Coach Harbaugh loves tight ends that much,” Moore said On last season’s offense that failed to impress in multiple areas, the tight ends were one of the Wolverines’ lone bright spots. Junior Sean McKeon led the team with 31 catches and three receiving touchdowns and finished third on the team in receiving yards, with 301. His position-mate, senior Zach Gentry, finished with 303 receiving

yards and two touchdowns, both good enough for second on the team. Needless to say, the pair combined to provide a spark to a passing game that otherwise struggled. That duo returns for Michigan, and with questions and health issues surrounding other parts of the offense, Gentry and McKeon’s proven productivity will act as a safety blanket. “Outstanding threats in the passing game,” Moore said. “Obviously, with Zach being (6-foot7), he’s a mismatch nightmare with his size, with his strength. And he’s 265 right now, so he’s just getting bigger and bigger and stronger and stronger. And then Sean, he’s just so cerebral and strong … He’s so athletic. “Both can play multiple positions in the group.” Gentry and McKeon aren’t

alone, either. Junior Nick Eubanks looked promising in the Wolverines’ first game last season, catching two balls for 61 yards against Florida. But an arm injury sidelined Eubanks after just four games. Now, he’s back too, sporting a new accessory and all. “Nick looks good,” Gentry said on Mar. 27. “Nick’s flying around and doing a lot of good stuff. Nick’s ready to go. He’s got the Gronk elbow brace on now.” Senior Tyrone Wheatley Jr. is a bigger, more run-blockingoriented player, the foil to the rest of the unit’s finesse. Though he suffered a foot injury that has kept him out of spring ball, Wheatley is scheduled to return by the summer and provide a much-needed runblocking presence for an offense that struggled to pound the rock against good defenses last season. That facet of the game is something all the tight ends have

worked to improve. Gentry and McKeon, especially, have already proven themselves to be assets in the passing game. Now, especially for Gentry, the former quarterback, run blocking is emphasized even more. “Really it starts with the run game,” McKeon said on April 5. “When he switched over my freshman year, he couldn’t block anyone. I mean, honestly. But now, he’s bulked up. He’s 260 now. He’s moving people off the ball. So that’s been the biggest improvement with him. And he still has his speed too, his route running. He looks great out there.” All the factors combine to give hope for improvement on a unit that didn’t leave much room to improve. Moore joked Tuesday that he just learned the names of all the players in his meeting room. It’s hard to blame him. It’s something he’s never seen before.

AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily

Junior tight end Sean McKeon led all the Wolverines last season with 31 receptions and three receiving touchdowns and finished third with 301 receiving yards.

MEN’S LACROSSE

Turnovers, Rutgers ‘O’ kills Michigan’s hopes TEDDY GUTKIN Daily Sports Writer

Despite an inability to find the back of the net, the No. 18 Michigan men’s lacrosse team looked like it could hold its own against a Big Ten powerhouse in No. 9 Rutgers. With three minutes to go in the first half, the Wolverines were down just 3-0. However, the game quickly unraveled. The Scarlet Knights scored five goals in the final three minutes, heading to the locker room with an 8-0 lead, which proved to be detrimental to Michigan as it fell, 16-8. Just as it did against No. 3 Maryland last weekend, Michigan dug itself a massive hole due to a lack of ball security and poor transition defense. The Wolverines turned the ball over 14 times, with seven of the giveaways coming before halftime. One particularly woeful sequence played out with 2:50 remaining in the second quarter. Scarlet Knight Kieran Mullins, who scored eight goals in the contest, scored on a transition chance to put his team up, 4-0. Just eight seconds later, Mullins struck again, racing up the field after a faceoff win and rifling a shot to deflate a Michigan team that had looked full of life just moments earlier. “Rutgers, they go in spurts, and when you give a team, and such a talented team, opportunities like that, it can fuel their fire,” said Michigan coach Kevin Conry on Rutgers’ finish to the half. “They’re a very emotional team, and

so they kinda felt their mojo going.” The Wolverines didn’t fare much better after coming out of the locker room, with Rutgers scoring two more goals in the first 37 seconds of the third quarter to extend the lead to 10-0. “Unfortunately we couldn’t come out of the locker room and hold off that blitz anymore,” Conry said. While the game’s outcome was virtually decided at halftime, Michigan managed to find some bright spots in the game’s final frame, with freshman Kevin Mack and Alex Buckanavage spurring the offense late to lessen the deficit to eight. “That’s who we are,” Conry said. “Those last 10 minutes, that’s the team that we know and love, and has potential to be a pretty special group.” While the Wolverines showed promise with their late run, the team’s struggles with ball control and ball movement still remain a lingering issue, and Conry knows that Michigan must cut down on errors in one of the nation’s best conferences. “If you make mistakes, the teams are gonna make you pay,” Conry said. If Conry’s squad plays the way it did in the fourth quarter, the team could be the first in school history to clinch a berth in the NCAA Tournament. If the Wolverines play the way they did in the second quarter, though, this could be yet another season where fans wonder what could have been.

“We couldn’t come out ... and hold off that blitz.”

Coon weighing Olympics, NFL in life after a storied Michigan career With his Wolverines career behind him, Adam Coon graduates into an uncertain future, with multiple opportunities JACOB KOPNICK Daily Sports Writer

Over the past five years, it has been impossible to discuss the Michigan wrestling program without mentioning Adam Coon. Since his first day in Ann Arbor, the fifth-year senior has won over the hearts of the Wolverine faithful with his dominance on the mat and his genuine and strong personality off it. Now, as he prepares to leave Michigan, Coon sifts through a world of opportunities. One of those opportunities, and arguably the most prominent, consists of sticking to what he knows and further developing his already-legendary wrestling career. If Coon were to continue to wrestle, it would no doubt be in preparation for the 2020 Olympic Games. That preparation isn’t an unfamiliar process for the heavyweight, as he attempted to represent his country in 2016. Dogged by a shoulder injury, Coon fell one match short of making the team. Now, with another year of collegiate wrestling under his belt and his health returned, this could be the chance for Coon to realize his Olympic dreams. However, this time the road doesn’t lead through Ohio State’s Kyle Snyder — an Olympic gold medalist and two-time NCAA Champion. The wrestlers compete in different weight classes in the Olympics, as they sit 60 pounds apart. Over the years, the Coon v. Snyder matches have been collegiate wrestling’s biggest gladiator showdowns. Wrestling three times in their last year of eligibility, the topranked college heavyweights became familiar with each other on the mat. In their series, Snyder bested Coon, 2-1, with Coon stealing a match from the Olympian in front of

RYAN MCLOUGHLIN/Daily

Fifth-year senior heavyweight Adam Coon can try to make the Olympics, try to make the NFL or go into engineering now that his wrestling career at Michigan is finished.

a record-breaking Michigan crowd. Despite wrestling with a 60-pound deficit, Snyder then stepped up when it counted most and defeated Coon to win the Big Ten and NCAA Championships. Now, Coon hopes to take the adversarial edge off their relationship. After all, Coon has another foe to worry about if he wants to make it on the Olympic team: two-time NCAA Champion and 2017 World Championship bronze medalist Nick Gwiazdowski. “I’d like to think that (Snyder and I) can be each other’s teammates rather than opponents,” Coon said. “But he’s most likely gonna make the team, and I have a really tough opponent in front of

me to make the team. So, I’m hoping we can train together and learn from each other and we both get better. So, I hope we can be civil about it and stuff and not be each other’s opponent, but see how we can make each other better.” Another option for the 285pound wrestler is football. Yes, you read that right. Full contact, professional football. Due to his size and remarkable athleticism, Coon has been drawing the attention of some NFL teams who are interested in recruiting him to play offensive line. While he didn’t play in college, Coon is no stranger to the gridiron. In high school, he was named an all-state linebacker his senior year and a two-time all-state honorable

mention offensive lineman. If he were to select the football route, Coon wouldn’t be the only collegiate wrestler to make the jump to the pros. Many NFL greats wrestled in either high school or college. Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis was a two-time Florida state wrestling champion and all-pro fullback Lorenzo Neal was an NCAA Champion. “It’s more just about seeing if there’s any interest, and then we’re gonna move forward if that’s the route I want to take,” Coon said. Whatever he ends up doing, Coon will most definitely always have a home at Michigan. Departing as a twotime NCAA runner-up and three-time All-American, it’s hard to imagine a greater face

for the wrestling program. He has given wrestling fans plenty to smile about while serving as a role model for the next generation of Wolverines. As he leaves, he offers sound advice to the students who will occupy the Bahna Wrestling Center after him. “Wrestling (in college) is a lot more mental than in high school,” Coon said. “It’s being able to put up with the grinds in the middle of the season and then just realizing that your life is not just wrestling. There’s a lot more to life than just wrestling and if your whole life is based on wrestling, then frankly, you’ve lived a sad life, in my opinion.” Also beyond wrestling, Coon is an aerospace engineering student who is constantly

trying to keep his mind sharp. “I’d like to get into some kind of research or something just to keep the wheels going as well as develop stuff,” Coon said, “so when I do end up going for a career after this, that I’m not one of those guys that just wrestles or plays football, that I have those skills in place so that if I need to use them that I’m ready to go, that type of thing.” Whether Coon decides to spend his next few years on the mat, on the practice field or in a cubicle, it is apparent he will give it everything he’s got. But for now, he just needs to pick a path. “I know that what I want to do is finish up schooling here,” Coon said, “and then we’ll see where God takes me.”

statement T H E M I CH I GA N DAI LY | A PR I L 11 , 201 8

Students of theYear

Wednesday, April 11, 2018// The Statement

statement T H E M I CH I GA N DAI LY | A PR I L 11 , 201 8

Managing Statement Editor: Brian Kuang

Photo Editor: Amelia Cacchione

Deputy Editors: Colin Beresford Jennifer Meer Rebecca Tarnopol

Editor in Chief: Alexa St. John

Copy Editors: Elise Laarman Finntan Storer

Managing Editor: Dayton Hare

Activists. Innovators. Leaders. Community builders.

STUDENTS of the YEAR T

he state of Michigan enacted a law requiring public high schools to give students CPR and automated external defibrillator, or A.E.D. training before they graduate, starting with the 2017-2018 school year. But LSA junior Tariq Mekkaoui is going one step further. Mekkaoui views the state’s actions as a step in the right direction but knows they are missing an essential component: Mental health. He integrates this critical ingredient into Heal-Move-Shift, a nonprofit he co-founded in December 2017 that strives to teach students the three tenets of health: cardiovascular, mental and nutritional. As an English and biomolecular science double major and an aspiring physician, Mekkaoui already had roots in the health science field. But a poorly-handled mental health incident involving a student in his hometown of Dearborn Heights is what actually sparked him to create Heal-Move-Shift. “I was so upset, because I looked back at my own couple years in that community, and I was like, ‘No one spoke to me about mental health,’” Mekkaoui said. “No one spoke to me about how nutritional health can build on my mental health, or even cardiovascular health.” Because of the incident, Mekkaoui realized it was time for change. With Heal-Move-Shift, he started working at Central Academy, a local Ann Arbor high school with a student body largely from immigrant countries. Mekkaoui, who is part Syrian, Lebanese and Palestinian, and his co-founder Ahmad Hider, a University of Michigan alum, wanted to focus particularly on this demographic group. “We’re both from immigrant … populations,” Mekkaoui said. “So, we wanted to heal that community. We really wanted to shift the stigma away from mental health and these other health aspects and then move the conversation the correct way.”

These three words can describe the seven students nominated by you — the University community — to be the Michigan Daily’s Student of the Year. But these words can hardly account for the countless hours of thought, the months of toil, the endless amount of passion each of these students have dedicated toward their work. These are just a few of the students that push conversation and change within our university community and beyond. While their stories differ, each is driven by their own experiences to leave a positive mark on those around them. And for many of them, their work is just getting started. These are your 2018 Students of the Year. Here are their stories. Sincerely, The Statement Magazine

Every Friday afternoon, when most students check out and prepare for the weekend, Mekkaoui heads to Central Academy to lead Heal-Move-Shift seminars for students. The programs range from CPR training to yoga lessons and meditation to discussions related to mental health. Students attend voluntarily, and Mekkaoui is pleased with the turnout. “They’re all high-achieving students,” Mekkaoui said. “They’re phenomenal, and I love working with them. I honestly feel better when I go and teach these seminars, and I go ahead and relate to these students.” With the guidance of the University’s Barger Leadership Institute, which Mekkaoui managed to get useful contacts and resources to help grow the nonprofit. Heal-Move-Shift earned a $10,000 grant from the institute, which will help it potentially expand into four high schools next year. “We’ve moved fast, and we’re very proud of what we’ve done,” Mekkaoui said. “But also, it’s so important to pause and reflect and make sure that we’re doing this effectively and intentionally.” Mekkaoui has big plans for the future. He hopes that one day, all high schools will offer mental health seminars for students since he feels it’s imperative for them to learn about mental health before graduating and being independent. He also has goals for himself. Mekkaoui dreams of going to medical school, but he’s fine putting this off until later to focus on the organization. In fact, he plans to take a gap year after graduating to focus all his energy on HealMove-Shift. “I feel like I’m making a difference, and they’re understanding these high-level concepts without being forced to learn it,” Mekkaoui said. “It’s an easy introduction and they can carry this on with the rest of their lives. So, this is the work I want to do and I feel good doing it.” Ahad Bootwala/Daily

Tariq Mekkaoui BY ROHAN KUMAR, DAILY SPORTS WRITER

Wednesday, April 11, 2018 // The Statement

“S

eeing inequality first hand and experiencing it, it brings your attention to these larger issues and it makes you sympathize with people who are going through different kinds of injustices,” Public Policy junior Lauren Schandevel said on her role as a student activist. In just three years at the University of Michigan, Schandevel has created a money-saving survival guide, an organization dedicated to addressing the needs of low-income students and is in the process of creating a minor devoted to social class and inequality. Schandevel is a go-getter, not for herself, but for the community. “I’m not a super ambitious person, in the sense that a lot of the work I do isn’t for my own gain,” she said. “I prefer to talk about it in the terms of the community and the specific policies that I’m tackling, and less about my role within facilitating that.” Schandevel identifies as an activist by necessity. Having grown up in the Detroit suburb of Warren, a largely workingclass community, she is one of few students who come to the University from lower and middle-income backgrounds. At a university where 66 percent of the student population hails from the top 20 percent income bracket, Schandevel has had to navigate herself across situations that were uncommon in her hometown. “A lot of the experiences that lower and middle-income students face kind of fall by the wayside when you have an overwhelmingly wealthy campus,” she said. Schandevel created “Being Not-Rich at UM,” a comprehensive, crowd-sourced Google document on ways in which students and families can save money on campus. The document has gained widespread popularity with its large accumulation of student advice and comments. “It’s been really cool seeing people coming together to write it because I feel like a lot of these resources are scattered throughout the University and it’s hard to find a place to centralize them,” she said.

As an expansion from the document, Schandevel and LSA junior Griffin St. Onge recently started the Michigan Affordability and Advocacy Coalition, a group dedicated to bettering the quality of life for low-income students by addressing issues ranging from renters’ rights, food insecurity and access to vaccines. Seeing a need for resources that address individuals from lower socioeconomic statuses, Schandevel began to wonder why there wasn’t a space to study social class on campus. Together with LSA junior Meaghan Wheat, the two students gathered resources and support from University members to create a new minor called “Class & Inequality Studies.” The minor has yet to be approved, but according to Schandevel, it may be offered in fall 2019. “Through the minor, I’ve talked to faculty who are really interested in the subject and don’t have a place to study it in a way that is interdisciplinary and intersectional,” she said. “When I’m gone, this minor will be a space for people to do that, something that will outlast me.” Schandevel’s background has encouraged her to go into public service and politics, with the plan of helping others who have faced challenges similar to hers. She has even been nationally recognized for her work, earning a place as a finalist for the Harry S. Truman Scholarship. Next year, Schandevel will graduate from the University and sees herself in the community. Schandevel said working alongside those whose passion for helping others will only amplify hers. “Some of my biggest heroes are the community organizers and nonprofit managers,” she said. “People don’t even realize how much time, effort, energy and how much of themselves they put into it. That’s how you know they’re genuine and really care because they’re not working toward an elected office or a high paying job. They’re just doing the work because they think it’s the right thing to do.” Amelia Cacchione/Daily

Lauren Schandevel

BY NATASHA PIETRUSCHKA , DAILY STAFF REPORTER

Meaghan Wheat BY SAYALI AMIN, DAILY STAFF REPORTER

Amelia Cacchione/Daily

or LSA junior Meaghan Wheat, working with high school students was something she has wanted to do since she was in high school herself. So despite being a college student, Wheat spends a lot of time with high school students and teachers. In fact, she has facilitated conversations and leads workshops on social identities with about 430 teachers and many more students. “High school students are at such a formative period in their lives,” Wheat said. “You can see their light bulb moments.” Wheat was first exposed to the impact of dialogue when she was 16 years old. By participating in Summer Youth Dialogues through the University of Michigan, Wheat joined high school students from across the Detroit area for a series of conversations about race and ethnicity in the context of the city’s social systems and injustices. These conversations inspired her to create a dialogue-based course in her own school, Novi High School, which encouraged dialogues about gender, race, sexual orientation, class and religion among students. Five years later, Wheat is now a consultant for Novi High School and will be a facilitator for Summer Youth Dialogues. “Creating those types of spaces and being passionate about that work has sustained me,” Wheat said. “I’m really interested in the student voice — always have been.” About a year ago, Novi High School reached out to Wheat because of her interest in these issues. They hired her to facilitate conversations between high school students and teachers through workshops. For the faculty, these workshops serve as part of professional development. For the students, they create a bridge between students and teachers by addressing disconnects between student needs and how teachers accommodate them. Last summer, Wheat led 16 workshops in the span of two days for K-12 teachers. The workshops focused on lower socioeconomic status and cognitive ability.

“Novi is an upper-middle class suburb of Detroit,” Wheat said. “But not everyone in that community has a high economic status, so for teachers, how do we properly navigate that for students?” Wheat has also worked with the Martin Luther King Children and Youth Program, helping middle school and high school students enact change in their own hometowns. She was nominated for the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Spirit Award last semester. For Wheat, the most rewarding aspect of the nomination was getting to know other nominees. “Meeting other people who do similar action-based and dialogue-based work was really fulfilling,” Wheat said. Additionally, Wheat works with Metropolitan Youth Policy fellows to find out how the needs of young people in Detroit are, or are not, being met. The program serves to evaluate how well the city is supporting young people and whether young people feel they have a voice. Wheat has presented her findings at various conferences. “We’re told we don’t know things that we know because of our age,” Wheat said. “I think that’s why I believe so much in students having a voice in their education system because we’re often left out of these conservations and these are conversations we deserve to be in.” On campus, Wheat is also involved with Intergroup Relations, where she leads workshops on identities for student organizations and other groups. She is also a part of the group of students that is working to develop the Class and Inequality Studies minor. Wheat is majoring in Political Science and Psychology, with a minor in Community Action Social Change. She has been pre-admitted to the School of Social Work, which she will attend after graduating next winter. In the future, Wheat wants to continue supporting student voices and social justice. “I’m interested in both education and community organizing,” Wheat said. “So, I’m hoping to find a career path that does both, so maybe that’s consulting or maybe that’s teaching.”

Wednesday, April 11, 2018 // The Statement

Let’s Bitch About It: Toxic Masculinity BY LYDIA MURRAY, COLUMIST The man-child I would like to kindly request that cismen stop doing the following in public: spitting, touching your crotch, peeing, other generally disgusting habits. Why is manhood associated with being dirty? How do body odor and poor hygiene prove that you are more of a man? Why is cleanliness a womanly thing? Perhaps it is just my association with mostly college-age men, but the lack of household cleaning skills is really astounding. There is nothing less attractive than showing up at a man’s home to find dirty clothes on a f loor that has definitely never been mopped or vacuumed. If you’re sitting or lying in a man’s bed, you are probably better off just not asking how long it’s been since they’ve washed their sheets. The lengths some men will go to avoid laundry both amazes and disgusts me. I’ve heard horror stories about men’s bathrooms with toilet rings stronger and darker than the rings of Saturn. I’ve seen kitchens with dishes permanently encrusted with grime and living rooms littered with months-old beer cans. Why does society allow men to be like this? Almost every college boy I met has an incredibly stunted maturity in terms of domestic tasks. Meanwhile, my parents had me doing dishes and sweeping since I could walk. Next time you’re deciding between his place and yours, remember that no skincare routine can fix sleeping on that dirty-ass pillowcase. I want, I want, I want I once knew a white boy who was failing a class but was astoundingly sure that if he went to office hours he could cozy up to the professor and get his grade raised. Unsurprisingly, it worked. Some days I wish I had the blind confidence of a white boy. To walk around not understanding the meaning of the word “no” must be freeing. There’s a sort of indescribably yet subtle sense of entitlement that white

men (especially rich ones) have. I do not know any women, people of color or members of minority groups who assume the way white boys do that they will, of course, land that internship or be selected for that position. I have heard stories of a white man who lectured my female friend, saying that he has a superior understanding of what racism and sexism is because he is a white man. One of the g reatest embodiments of male entitlement is a made-up concept called the “friend zone,” in which men feel that all women they are nice to should have sex with them. The sense of entitlement to a women’s body ranges from the creepy, ruthless hitting on a g irl to the nice boy “I talk to her and I am nice to her, how is she not in love with me?” ways of thinking. It even goes so far that women have repeatedly been attacked for rejecting men. No woman should ever have to date you, have sex with you or even talk to you just because you are a man who did something you thought was nice. If you think otherwise, then you are part of the problem. t makes me happy that as a society we have mostly accepted the universal truth that men are trash. Women are constantly calling men out for their unacceptable behavior from humorous tweets to the more serious #MeToo movement. Men are no longer able to systemically adhere to problematic social norms like it’s the 1950s because they are only one viral tweet away from being the next meme. If you are a white man who believes you are not part of these issues as described, remember that there are many other reasons that men are toxic that I did not mention. If you still don’t believe that you are part of the problem, remember that the patriarchal system you are a part of is a leg itimate issue and if you implicitly allow it to exist then you are still part of the problem.

The lengths some men will go to avoid laundry both amazes and disgusts me.

o you love being interrupted? Do you revel in people underestimating you? Does it warm your heart to see loud, aggressive or gross behavior? Then you are going to love this thousands-years-old concept: toxic masculinity! The angry commenter If you’ve been a loyal reader of this column, then you know that it is somewhat controversial. With that, I have a lot of haters, most of whom are unsurprisingly white men. Here are some of my favorite comments posted on my previous columns: “Here’s the summary: Blah, blah, whine, whine, blah, blah.” “You’re very opinionated on something you admitted you don’t have any interest in, or know much about.” “This is the most uninformed, unintentionally satirical, mind numbingly poorly thought out article I have ever read in my entire life.”

I LLUSTR ATIO N BY ROSE AN N E CHAO

“While I mean to criticize your article I only mean to educate you on how misguided your article today was.” And they say mansplaining is a myth. The internal urge to correct someone on the internet always astounds me, especially when these comments are made by men. Who are these men? What causes them to feel the need to correct me? Do they not realize that this is satire? I await their answers to these questions in the comments. It is also worth noting that many of these criticisms focus on what they think is my lack of knowledge or understanding on any given subject, when in fact I’m merely presenting my opinion on topics I’m well-versed in. Additionally, angry internet commenters are a weird (and personally amusing) part of a large issue of men feeling like they are smarter than women in the workplace, in academic settings and in life. It’s toxic, and not in a Britney Spears jam kind of way.

Brews Through: Literati

esides my mildly problematic addiction to coffee and maybe even more my addiction of actually going to coffee shops, I like writing this column because it forces me to think about place. What is “place” and its role in the way we perceive people, interact with space, document our experiences? I figure these abstract, impossibly rhetorical and pretentious questions are what I’ll be doing in grad school next year — here’s a test run, cheers. I recently wrote a review for a performance by Nederlands Dans Theater and interviewed the artistic director. We spoke for about an hour in The Graduate hotel lobby, this choreographic genius and me, completely starstruck. He described the closing number of the triple bill, “Singulière Odyssée”, which is set in an art-deco European train station. He spoke about creating a dance with duets and partnering, relationships that tell a story without giving the whole story. That this was somewhat representative of life where you get a glimpse into someone else’s life without ever knowing the full story. This got me thinking — coffee shops, airports, train stations, all the places we go to travel, to eat, to forget. I like to people-watch and catch myself eavesdropping, reading between the lines and filling in the blanks when I’m at coffee shops. It’s nostalgic in ways I can’t explain. It’s unfinished because we get such little information, but just enough to feel a part of something larger than ourselves, a part of a community.

Wednesday, April 11, 2018 // The Statement

BY YOSHIKO IWAI, COLUMIST A coffee shop, to me, is a window into the lives of people I would otherwise never interact with. I choose places, staying for hours on end, watching and listening, knowing that this feeling of uncertainty is where many of the best poets and novelists began their creative processes. I think this is why I come to Literati. Above the Literati bookstore on East Washington, the coffee shop is a hub for writers, scientists, thinkers and lovers alike. I started coming to Literati the summer of my freshman year. I have a bad habit for wasting paycheck after paycheck on books that I could definitely rent from the library or borrow from professors for free. My parents got me a Kindle after paying $300 for my overweight luggage containing eight books for a three week dance intensive. From a logical perspective, I see the value of e-readers and appreciate their efficiency to some extent. But there’s something about flipping pages that defines a part of the reading experience. I’ve never been one to highlight, scribble in the margins, or even fold corners. My friends know I’m hesitant to lend books because my bookshelf is all unfolded, unmarked, unscathed. But that doesn’t mean I want to live paperless. Literati Coffee sits above a bookstore which attracts readers of all types. The children’s books are on the second floor, right next to the espresso bar. Literati often brings in writers, local and nationally acclaimed, for readings and signings. The coffee shop houses many Michigan Daily reporters and

Darby Stipe/Daily

columnists, myself included. I’ve had English professors advertise the events time and time again. Literati feels like a conduit of many sorts — connecting reader and writer, student and teacher, amateur and professional, person to person. I’m convinced that a person is largely made up of their experiences. If reading is a highly condensed experience of another, then the more one reads, the greater one’s breadth of experience. Maybe it’s

pretentious, but I find it impossible to be “worldly” or “empathetic” without having read the literature that is deeply embedded in our culture. “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies…the man who never reads lives only one,” George R.R. Martin said. I don’t usually like inspirational quotes because I feel like it’s a cop-out, but this is simply the truth. Literati is a bookstore, primarily. They sell coffee and fresh pastries which makes it the perfect marriage — it’s delicious intellect. I choose Literati because I like to be surrounded by literature and espresso. I like the crowd it attracts and the way it makes me feel. The baristas are friendly and fun, well-spoken, what you’d expect from a place like this. It’s slightly disappointing that the coffee shop is now so popular that it’s hard to get a table on the weekends without coming when the doors open at 10:00 a.m. But I will say it’s worth it. This place has been a passage, a train station, a launch pad for me. For the last four years, I have come to Literati to read and to write. It has seen me change, fall in and out of love, realize my passion for writing and healthcare, shape my future. It’s a place I can’t wait to come back to meet up with past professors, catch up with old friends, maybe my own book reading in the far future. It’s slowly dawning on me that I will be graduating, leaving Ann Arbor, and moving onto a new chapter of my life. I don’t know who, if anyone, reads this page in the Statement that I get to fill every other week, but thank you. I hope that if anything, you get to find places like this at-home feel, to think, feel, and process the ever-changing world we so Darby Stipe/Daily temporarily occupy.

Wednesday, April 11, 2018 // The Statement

Remi Murrey

BY CHRISTIAN KENNEDY, DAILY ARTS WRITER Amelia Cacchione/Daily

hen I asked Akira Nishii, an LSA and Engineering junior, how it felt to be named a student of the year, he chuckled. He took some time to compile his thoughts before sharing that it felt good to be recognized for his efforts, but that he would not be where he is today if it was not for other people in his life — the professors and students who helped get him this far. Nishii wants to build bridges between people and opportunities. Connecting people, both to resources and each other, is his passion. Nishii’s motivation to build bridges can be traced back, at least in part, to his experiences as an international student from Japan. Like many international students on campus, he faces unique challenges. For instance, as an aspiring physician, he can only apply to certain U.S. medical schools. However, Nishii never wanted his citizenship to be a barrier to him so he got creative and built a bridge by beginning to translate Japanese into English. Now he translates TED Talks, and he guest lectures about audio-visual translation to Asian Languages and Cultures classes. Though it may not help him surmount the application barrier, he sees translation as a way to be proud of his roots while creating new opportunities. When he started doing research in high school, Nishii treated his work as an intellectual venture. However, his feelings toward medicine and research changed after being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, an incurable bowel disease. “Even though being diagnosed with a disease isn’t a fun thing, at the same time, it gave me a new perspective,” he said. Nishii understands research and development are expensive but also believes patients should not have to pay exuberant prices for treatment. Therefore, he is now interested in pursuing a medical degree and an MBA to bridge the gap between patients and the biomedical industry.

n her own words, Remi Murrey isn’t supposed to be at the University of Michigan. Born and raised in Detroit, her passion and sociability have driven her toward a career in broadcast journalism. As did many of her high school classmates, Remi set her eyes on historically black colleges and universities, specifically Howard University and its program in broadcast journalism. “Howard was ‘that’ one,” Murrey told me, sitting, in a small meeting room in the basement of North Quad Residence Hall. But after acceptances to both Howard and the University of Michigan, scholarships made Ann Arbor an obvious choice despite the absence of a broadcast journalism program. “When my mom and I did a tour here before Howard, I had a strong feeling that Michigan was the right place for me to be because it just felt at home,” Murrey said. “Howard was so far away.” Despite a 21 on the ACT exam and a 3.5 grade point average in high school, Remi defied the odds of admissions. She eventually opted for a degree in communications studies in lieu of broadcast journalism. “You know the credentials,” Murrey said with a wave of her hand. “However, I made it on the first round: boom, boom, boom. I wasn’t deferred — it was my essay and who I was as a person. I was like, ‘Ah-ha I made it!’” And with her no-nonsense instincts and support from her parents, grandmother and her devout faith in God, Remi has continued to defy odds and “(make) boss moves,” both across campus and in her pursuit of broadcast journalism. Now, weeks away from graduation, she shares the anxious anticipation of all those with uncertain post-graduation circumstances,

but when asked about her various roles during undergraduate career her expression asks, “You want to know it all?” To be fair, there’s a lot to know. Remi has held secretary positions in Central Student Government and the Comprehensive Studies Program, The Inn at the Michigan League in addition to stints as a mentor for Pretty Brown Girl Club and a tour guide, all the while making pocket money in the University’s dining halls, first Bursley Residence Hall and then South Quad Residence Hall. But these are merely Remi’s side hustles. Her staying power is best displayed by her time at The Michigan Daily as a beat reporter, in Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., as a member and then as chapter president and, finally, as an intern with Detroit’s Local 4 News. “Who can say they had an internship while taking classes and had multiple jobs and was the president of their sorority?” Murrey asked toward the end of our interview. “I didn’t let someone hold me back from my dreams, so I’m not going to let anyone hold me back from my future dreams because if I was able to make it here, I feel like I can make it anywhere. But, hey, that’s just me.” Remi’s (well-earned) sense of pride is tag-teamed in and out by humility and a genuine appreciation for her opportunities and all those around her who make them possible. “I just want to say thank you, that’s it,” Murrey said at the end of our interview. “Thank you to whoever nominated me. People may overlook this but I’m not. When I say I beat myself up sometimes … We all do. We compare ourselves to the next person who looks like they’re doing better, but if we just focus on ourselves and our own journey we can realize we are doing just as much, or even better, so thank you.”

“I think I’m more interested in optimizing health care practices and research, more so than the research itself,” he said. Nishii’s knack for building bridges is apparent upon examining the connections he has made while creating Perch, a platform that matches undergraduate students with research labs. “It is very difficult for undergraduates to get into laboratories and so, currently, the primary means to reach professors is email, which can be discouraging to undergraduate students because either professors don’t check their emails or a lot of professors’ lab websites that currently exist are geared towards graduate students,” he said. To facilitate the process, Perch uses an algorithm to match undergraduates and their skills to labs. “So this is like LinkedIn meets eHarmony?” I asked. “Kind of,” he admitted jovially. Starting next year, the University’s Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program will be using his platform. Perch is also collaborating with the Chemistry, Biology and Chemical Engineering Departments to create a new research fundamentals classes for students. Nishii expects over 8,000 University students to be using Perch by next year. Perch has also been recognized as one of the top 32 student startups and has received attention from Sanjay Gupta, a prominent neurosurgeon and medical correspondent, and Jeff Arnold, the entrepreneur behind WebMD. Bridges were even built during our interview as we discussed our shared interest in Orson Scott Card’s “Ender’s Game” and its much-maligned sequel “Ender’s Shadow.” Nishii is building bridges, between students and professors, between Japan and America, between patients Carter Fox/Daily and medicine, and he is just getting started.

Akira Nishii

BY ALI SAFAWI , OPINION COLUMNIST

Wednesday, April 11, 2018// The Statement

ad Elharake has much to look forward to as a graduating LSA senior. He’s taking a gap year working at the University of Michigan Medical School, where he will look at health inequities through the Office for Health Equity and Inclusion. Next year, without the pressure of coursework, perhaps he’ll have more time to watch Real Madrid play soccer or practice dabke, an Arab folk dance he loves. But Elharake also has much to look back on, particularly within the communities he’s worked these past four years. “It’s the communities that I’ve been a part of, it’s the support, it’s the going through the struggles with other students, that’s what I’ll miss the most,” Elharake said. Being of an Arab-Muslim background, as well as being a first-generation student, Elharake has spent much of his time on campus devoted to empowering these communities. “It’s the idea of one, the identities that I hold, but at the same time, it’s knowing that this institution is not built for the students who come from my communities,” he said. “That drive of changing this institution and changing campus for it to best fit my communities.” Elharake was the host of Arab Xpressions, the Arab Student Association’s annual culture show, and is a diversity peer educator in West Quad Residence Hall. Another organization he’s part of is PILOT, a group focused on guiding students, primarily those who are first-generation or underrepresented, to become leaders on campus. Elharake serves as the undergraduate adviser in Pilot, where he works to inspire younger students on campus. “Now, I’m empowering the next generation of students,” Elharake said. “It’s all about preparing for them for their next steps, what they will do on campus. What PILOT will do is prepare you to be a leader in your own community on campus.” In addition to this work, Elharake has been active in working with the administration to help better support the

Arab and Muslim communities. In 2015, Elharake and others pressured the University to acknowledge the Beirut terrorist attacks — an issue hitting close to home for Elharake, who immigrated from Beirut to Dearborn when he was seven. Eventually, Elharake, along with other students and faculty members, formed the Islamophobia Working Group, a group of students, faculty and administrators who meet monthly to address anti-Muslim and anti-Arab sentiments on campus. Elharake is one of the main organizers of #WeExist, an initiative started in the Islamophobia Working Group. It’s a campaign to add a Middle Eastern/North African identity category to University documents. The team reached out to all three University campuses, meeting with administrators and garnering student support. Central Student Government eventually approved the category, and now Elharake is working with them to figure out implementation. “We were thinking about how we have concerns and issues in our communities, but we don’t have data that backs that up,” Elharake said. “That’s where it all came about. The reason we don’t have data is because we’re not counted on campus.” Though he will soon be leaving the University, he plans to continue his activist work through medical school and beyond. “Taking this work, seeing how I can translate it into medical school, and then seeing how that can translate into my academic career,” Elharake said. As an activist and a mentor, Elharake firmly believes in one’s duty to help and empower future generations. This is the advice he has for other students — more of which is to come in his commencement speech at graduation: “There are people who helped get you to where you are now, and played some type of role,” Elharake said. “It’s almost your responsibility for the next group of students. It’s the idea of paying it forward.” Ahad Bootwala/Daily

Jad Elharake

BY ELIZABETH LAWRENCE , DAILY STAFF REPORTER

Cheyenne Travioli BY VAQAAS ASLAM , FOR THE DAILY Alec Cohen/Daily

heyenne Travioli is more than just a leader in the University of Michigan’s Native American community. Though she’s a leader on Martha Cook Residence Hall’s Multicultural Council and a champion of underrepresented minorities, Travioli’s most remarkable trait isn’t just her academic and community excellence. Through her life, Travioli has shown a remarkable sense of wisdom. Named after her reservation, Travioli is a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux tribe, part of the Lakota Nation. But for Travioli, like many other natives, these reservations aren’t a safe home. “Not all reservations are the same, not all are as bad,” Cheyenne said. “There’s not many resources. My reservation, I haven’t gone out there since I was a little girl, because it’s pretty bad.” As run-down as life on her reservation was, Travioli hasn’t forgotten because according to her, these poor conditions were due to a lack of awareness by the public. “(Reservations) are put off in the corner,” Travioli said. “They were built that way so non-Natives wouldn’t have to interact with Natives.” Because of her experiences, Travioli, an LSA senior, has designed her professional endeavors to further Native American causes. When she became chair of the Martha Cook Multicultural Society, Travioli used that opportunity to make a change. “I decided to take hold of educating the girls within my dorm about Native American issues and the culture in general because I know Native Americans on campus,” she said. “We’re not really represented as much as I would like to see.” With this goal in mind, Travioli threw numerous cultural and educational events in Martha Cook throughout November — Native American history month. She educated students on traditional regalia and served guests various teas with fried bread and “wojapi.” After gathering more people than she expected, Travioli fed her guests not just food, but also knowledge.

Outside of her roles at Martha Cook, Travioli is a board member of the LEAD Scholars program. Through LEAD Scholars, she collaborates with the Native American Student Association to further Native American representation on campus. With Martha Cook residents, LEAD Scholars, and NASA, Travioli organized a powwow — a Native American ceremony with feasting and dancing. “I tried to advertise about this powwow, advertise about current Native American issues, and (raise awareness) for lectures through the American culture department,” she said. Travioli’s efforts in educating students about Native American heritage has culminated in a History of Art major with minors in Museum Studies and Native American Studies. With these concentrations, Travioli is currently working on a project that fills in some of the blank pages of the University’s history. “Under Professor Tiya Miles, we are looking through documents at the Bentley, and anything we can find in the Clements (William L. Clements Library) about Michigan’s Biological Station and it possibly being on stolen Native American land,” she said. Travioli’s activism has extended outside of the University as well. She is a frequent contributor to Her Campus. Through Her Campus, Travioli supports not just Native American culture, but other cultures and “‘invisible” identities by sharing the wisdom she’s learned from her own tumultuous past. She teaches others to accept their damages and disabilities as a part of their identity. After her time at the University, Travioli hopes to one day work at the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. where she’d like to expand upon Native American cultural exhibits. “Throughout the years, if a museum featured Native American art, I always found myself a little disappointed because there’s only a number of artifacts compared to, say, the Islamic Department or African American Department,” she said. “What motivates me to be in the field is to make sure my people are represented well.”

Wednesday, April 11, 2018 // The Statement

V I S UA L STAT E M E NT:

Photos of the

Ye a r 2 0 1 7- 2 0 1 8

Protesters clash with police outside of the Richard Spencer talk at Michigan State University , by Prashanth Panicker

UC San Diego Prof. David Serlin and author Brian Selznick pose in Graffiti Alley , by Max Kuang

John Teske in a game against Purdue , by Katelyn Mulcahy

A cook works in the kitchen at Avalon Cafe , by Ruchita Iyer

Coach Jim Harbaugh and players before a home game against Ohio State, by Evan Aaron

Students celebrate Holi at Palmer Field Sunday, by Ahad Bootwala